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2012 Macbook Pro Redesign
- Thread starter Funkymonk
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A redesign can certainly happen this year. Not much has to be done.
A new MBP with 15+ hour battery life ( removing the optical drive ), lighter, thinner, dual storage ( flash + HDD ), IPS display.
You know Apple can easily do it right now if they wanted too
A new MBP with 15+ hour battery life ( removing the optical drive ), lighter, thinner, dual storage ( flash + HDD ), IPS display.
You know Apple can easily do it right now if they wanted too
I think we may be saying the same thing. you can use a thunderbolt port like a MDP, I'm saying they'd opt to have another thunderbolt port (which can serve as an MDP) instead of having a standalone MDP which doesn't have the added connectivity and speed that thunderbolt has. That wouldn't be space efficient, and space is already at a premium on these machines
I see the next gen AEBS having a few thunderbolt ports on it. but maybe you're right, maybe we're not ready to see the end of ethernet.
With the redesign and next version, I expect on the 13'':
- Ivy Bridge chipsets : with an iGPU 20 to 30% more powerful than the current Intel HD 3000 as well as optimized drivers, it should be enough for most common user's needs.
- USB 3.0: they appear to be native to the Ivy Bridge chipsets, so no reason not to include them. Coupled with Thunderbolt, it'll be a great mix of ports.
- 1440 X 900 resolution screen: just like the 13'' MBA.
- Better battery life: doable thanks to better power management by the Ivy Bridge chips (?).
This is what I hope, but cannot say I am too confident in:
- No Optical Drive: adding up to Job's claims when presenting the MBA, there's this piece of news http://osxdaily.com/2011/05/04/mac-os-x-10-7-lion-to-be-distributed-through-mac-app-store/. Still, it's a long shot.
- dGPU, more battery, or a thinner model: in case they take out the Optical Drive.
- SSD Flash Storage for OS and Apps.: mixed with HDD for file storage.
- Better Keyboard: The new Asus netbooks' Metal Keyboards appear to be not only good-looking, but also high-quality. Apple might have to up their game.
- New Material: Liquid Metal and Carbon Fiber being the ones most people talk about.
- Ivy Bridge chipsets : with an iGPU 20 to 30% more powerful than the current Intel HD 3000 as well as optimized drivers, it should be enough for most common user's needs.
- USB 3.0: they appear to be native to the Ivy Bridge chipsets, so no reason not to include them. Coupled with Thunderbolt, it'll be a great mix of ports.
- 1440 X 900 resolution screen: just like the 13'' MBA.
- Better battery life: doable thanks to better power management by the Ivy Bridge chips (?).
This is what I hope, but cannot say I am too confident in:
- No Optical Drive: adding up to Job's claims when presenting the MBA, there's this piece of news http://osxdaily.com/2011/05/04/mac-os-x-10-7-lion-to-be-distributed-through-mac-app-store/. Still, it's a long shot.
- dGPU, more battery, or a thinner model: in case they take out the Optical Drive.
- SSD Flash Storage for OS and Apps.: mixed with HDD for file storage.
- Better Keyboard: The new Asus netbooks' Metal Keyboards appear to be not only good-looking, but also high-quality. Apple might have to up their game.
- New Material: Liquid Metal and Carbon Fiber being the ones most people talk about.
I don't really want a redesign.
Apple seems to fail on new stuff.
Like when the first design of MacBook came out.
The lid ended up breaking the body.
The new 2011 AMD seems to have problems with some user and the NVIDIA seemed to be fine.
So my guess is 2012 design might be a failure.
I might have to see for 2013.
Apple seems to fail on new stuff.
Like when the first design of MacBook came out.
The lid ended up breaking the body.
The new 2011 AMD seems to have problems with some user and the NVIDIA seemed to be fine.
So my guess is 2012 design might be a failure.
I might have to see for 2013.
I really hope they merge the air and pro and simply call them macbooks. Also eliminate the white polycarbonate macbook.
never gonna happen because apple would be putting all their eggs in one basket. With 3 current markets (MB, MBP, Air) it has 3 lots of refreshes to do to draw sales from these markets, at the same time they would be taking a big risk in assuming everyone wanted the 'same' when people love to brag they have the 'air' or 'pro'; part of being a mac user for many people
also the three lines offer different level of power, flash storgae, portability etc etc for a wide rage of prices. Well i was only commenting but now it looks like im trying to be horrible so il stop lol never gonna happen because apple would be putting all their eggs in one basket. With 3 current markets (MB, MBP, Air) it has 3 lots of refreshes to do to draw sales from these markets, at the same time they would be taking a big risk in assuming everyone wanted the 'same' when people love to brag they have the 'air' or 'pro'; part of being a mac user for many people
I think apple could make a unified macbook that will make everyone happy. I upgrades will obviously be available for power users who need the extra juice. Imagine after they kill the white macbook they combine the air and pro into a laptop that's a bit thicker than the air and a bit thinner than the pro and it will be simply called Macbook. These macbooks can come in
11", 13", 15", 17" with prices starting at $799 for the smaller macbook with bare minimums and as you go up the ladder you can get more features and upgrades. I think customers will not only be OK with it bit would love it. Thanks in would imagine it would be easier for apple too since their product lines have now been simplified.
What about the people who love the design of the MBA but hate the design of the MBP (and vice verca)? It's better to have variety. Something for everyone. The MBP line is a great all around computer, and it's still the thinnest around compared to it's competitors, so I'm not sure why you think it should be merged with the air. The air is for those who want the best portability. If you look at other computer manufacturers, they all have a low end line (MacBook), a high end line (MacBook pro) and an ultraportable line (MacBook air).
If they are merged, the "MacBook" that you propose might not be thin or portable enough for the former MBA users, and it might not do everything that the former MBP users would expect it to do.
maybe those people would love the air/pro hybrid better than what they loved before, you know never. it's apple, of course they'll love it.
a macbook that's slightly thicker than the air, I don't know why the current air lovers will have a problem with that. I'm talking just a tiny bit of difference, it won't even be substantical.
the macbook I'm proposing is a
air/pro hybrid that would offer upgrades for pretty much everything. I'm confident that not only will they hit every price point from $799 to $2999 but will also hit every "type" of customer that would buy a mac in the first place.
I apologize for all my posts tonight. I had dental surgery and am under heavy painkilling medicatioonoinions.
A redesign can certainly happen this year. Not much has to be done.
A new MBP with 15+ hour battery life ( removing the optical drive ), lighter, thinner, dual storage ( flash + HDD ), IPS display.
You know Apple can easily do it right now if they wanted too
With the same processors? They're going to wait for Ivy Bridge, bro.
Everyone else waiting for technology, remember technology waits for no one.
Everyone forgets a key point. They can't make it thinner, and it's not due to the cd drive. It's because of the Ethernet port.
Take a look on the left hand side, it's impossible to make the body any thinner.
It's funny how everyone associates taking the cd drive out with the laptop getting thinner.
Take a look on the left hand side, it's impossible to make the body any thinner.
It's funny how everyone associates taking the cd drive out with the laptop getting thinner.
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Ethernet can be provided through a thunderbolt port.
Patrick J said:
Ethernet can be provided through a thunderbolt port.
So can every other port currently built into the design including the SD slot which is easily handled by a USB adapter now. But that doesn't mean people want to nursemaid and drag freaking adapters around with them. It defeats the purpose of mobility. There are just too many universities and offices married to Ethernet to relegate that port to an afterthought.
That said, the redesign can still be wedge shaped and house the Ethernet port at the rear.
Great. So we'll have to lug around a CD drive with a USB interface, a Minidisplay port to VGA adapter, and a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter. The list is getting a bit long.
Might as well just stick with the current thickness.
There's extra thickness above and beyond that of the ethernet port when you factor in the rounded base plate.
Besides, they'll just come out with mini-ethernet ports. That way, we can have Thunderbolt, Firewire 800, and mini-Ethernet - the ultimate proprietary machine!
New Material
Apple will NOT use carbon fiber. They would lose their EPEAT Gold rating and the immense bragging rights of their computer's limited environmental impact. Carbon fiber is incredibly damaging to the environment to produce and is almost impossible to recycle. Now I'm not sure about liquid metal, but if it isn't at least as recyclable/low impact on the environment as aluminum, expect it to stay the same.
I personally believe they will take their design queues from the iPhone 4/5 in addition to the Macbook Air. They will definitely take out the optical drive, it simply does not fit in with Apple's new philosophy of downloadable software, and it is just a waste of precious space and battery power. If they don't remove it completely, I expect something along the lines of the Mac mini where you can purchase it with another HDD instead of the optical drive.
In addition, and something I'm extremely hopeful for, is the standardization of SSDs across all lines, especially if multiple hard drives were offered. A smaller, and cheaper SSD (say 64 GB) could be used for the boot drive and hold constantly used files and programs, and a bigger HDD could hold pictures, videos, music and games, simply spinning up only when needed. In the era of hybrid graphics systems, I don't find this to be too far out of an idea, especially if the company in question is Apple.
Apple will NOT use carbon fiber. They would lose their EPEAT Gold rating and the immense bragging rights of their computer's limited environmental impact. Carbon fiber is incredibly damaging to the environment to produce and is almost impossible to recycle. Now I'm not sure about liquid metal, but if it isn't at least as recyclable/low impact on the environment as aluminum, expect it to stay the same.
I personally believe they will take their design queues from the iPhone 4/5 in addition to the Macbook Air. They will definitely take out the optical drive, it simply does not fit in with Apple's new philosophy of downloadable software, and it is just a waste of precious space and battery power. If they don't remove it completely, I expect something along the lines of the Mac mini where you can purchase it with another HDD instead of the optical drive.
In addition, and something I'm extremely hopeful for, is the standardization of SSDs across all lines, especially if multiple hard drives were offered. A smaller, and cheaper SSD (say 64 GB) could be used for the boot drive and hold constantly used files and programs, and a bigger HDD could hold pictures, videos, music and games, simply spinning up only when needed. In the era of hybrid graphics systems, I don't find this to be too far out of an idea, especially if the company in question is Apple.
Or even a 16GB SSD for the boot files and cache (maybe something similar to those small mSATA types in the MBA) with an HDD/SSD option for the main storage drive. This would result in fast startup and cheaper main storage. This, especially with the removal of the ODD, would fit easily in the 13/15/17 inch models, with space to spare, possibly for improved discrete graphics.
I'm confident USB 3.0 will be standard, and I'm hoping Ethernet will also be. But maybe an integrated 3G modem (SIM slot/antenna)?