2016 MacBook Pro May Include OLED Display Touch Bar and Touch ID

[definitive]

hope they don't follow their usual pattern and make the new 13" starting price $1500, 15" at $2500, while keeping the older retina 13" at $1100 & 15" at $1700, and classic 13" at $1k. apple seems to have settled on keeping last year's model of whatever product at a slight discount, while raising the price of the new model to be higher than last year's base.

 

[tampageek]

This thing will cost 2k starting for the 13 inch and 2500 for the 15

Now there's a scary thought. But it could be true. If Apple is going to call the Air - budget and the MB - midline, then the 'pro' could see a big price jump. I'm not seeing the logic from a consumers point, and I can't see Apple thinking they are going to sell more expensive machines in the current economy.

 

[WiseAJ]

hope they don't follow their usual pattern and make the new 13" starting price $1500, 15" at $2500, while keeping the older retina 13" at $1100 & 15" at $1700, and classic 13" at $1k. apple seems to have settled on keeping last year's model of whatever product at a slight discount, while raising the price of the new model to be higher than last year's base.

As long as the 15" base comes with at least 16gb Ram and 512gb SSD I'm fine with it starting at $2500.

 

[definitive]

As long as the 15" base comes with at least 16gb Ram and 512gb SSD I'm fine with it starting at $2500.

I wouldn't hold my breath for such a big jump. At best it's probably gonna be 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD for the base model, which is still decent, considering Apple is so stingy when it comes to giving more storage for less price.

 

[redheeler]

The OLED display touch bar? Dear Apple, stay away from the gimmicky features.

Agreed. If they want to make the main display OLED, that I'd be ok with.

 

[bent christian]

We are talking about Apple's highest end macbook pro, not the MB/MBA. Not the iToys.

They are now.

 

[ignatius345]

Please, no. There is no reason to do this. Apple already slimmed down the keyboards in the 2015 MBP. Just keep using that.

Seriously. The Retina 12" MacBook has the worst Apple keyboard I've ever used.

 

[pablosito]

God damn it.

They'd better not. I had hopes that the butterfly keyboard was intended to tell consumers which MacBooks were the "cheap and crappy" ones. As long as the Pros kept real keyboards I didn't really care.

But are they really delusional enough to think those things are suitable for all of their Macs?

I've always thought that the Macbook Pro was Apple's most solid product. I really hope this rumor isn't true.

Apple is extremely proud of their engineering on the new keyboard. They definitely do not consider it a lower-end option. It will make its way into all laptops, paired with the same new pressure-sensitive trackpad from the 12", you can bet.

I just spent an hour at the Apple Store typing back and forth on different models, trying to stay objective. The new keyboard won me over. It is very easy to use. It takes less pressure and so is easier on the fingers, while actually giving more tactile feedback.

So I did not expect this, but I am actually now craving that new keyboard. I really would consider it an upgrade on the MBP. It is definitely a change. But if you can lighten your touch, you might just find yourself typing faster and more easily. Even if you think you need more key travel, give it a try first. That's all I would suggest.

 

[ignatius345]

This. Apple redisgned the mechanism with improvement in mind. Smaller gaps between keys, less glide, less wobble, individual LED backlighting per key.... All improvements. It takes a while to get used to typing on it, but it also takes a while to get used to ANY new keyboard. Just because you're afraid of change doesn't mean the change is bad.

People who don't like the crappy new keyboard are not "afraid of change", my friend. Maybe they just want a good keyboard that doesn't feel like typing on an iPad.

And for the record, I've typed a few thousand words on my own 12" MacBook and the keyboard still sucks.

 

[WiseAJ]

I wouldn't hold my breath for such a big jump. At best it's probably gonna be 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD for the base model, which is still decent, considering Apple is so stingy when it comes to giving more storage for less price.

Not really. $2500 is already what they charge for that configuration.

 

[ignatius345]

I can tell you're a bad teller.

No, he's right. Nobody who types seriously every day would yammer on about how great a glass keyboard is. Or maybe you have robot hands, I don't know. I do know that for human hands, tactile feedback helps.

 

[Omega Mac]

It's not a hotkey when you have to look down at your keyboard and search for the right key, leave your hand off your trackpad, and move your other hand out of the way to press a non-tactile button. It's 10 times easier to just click a button or a key on the keyboard. Other manufacturers thought this was a "cool" idea as well, but in practice it was horrible, and it hurt sales so much that you don't see a single laptop on the market that has this dumbass idea anymore.

I was a sucker and bought one of those, thinking what a cool idea. It wasn't... I hated it and clearly so did everyone else who used it.

Yea but were they touchscreen surfaces? I don't think so from experience. I had a laptop with finger print sensor, never used that dam thing. Why? Well I didn't know how and if it meant looking up the utilities/control panel I didn't care so much, same with the samsung finger print scanner really poor in comparison to the Apple implementation which I used straight away and really appreciated.

Think of it like a slice of iPad if you will. It may also save space and leave more room for other things. I understand tactility and UI and UX, muscle memory and anyone who plays an instrument knows all about it, the fretless base is not that popular but a lot of pro's make sweet sounds with 'em... but perhaps we're all visualising it differently and I am happy not two allow badly designed laptops of the past taint my expectation that Apple might make a really good job of it if that's what they decide to do.

Here's a thing, when I use my laptop I often balance it so the the keyboard is 45 deg and the screen at a perpendicular angle to my eyes. In this instance an OLED touch strip at the top for controls etc would be very nice.

The examples pictured and ones I can think of are basically labelled trackpad like surface from the past. I agree that's a crap implementation. There are things that can be done to glass to give positional feedback.

Now imagine this, you what to raise or lower the volume? Now you can simply slide you finger left or right across this touchscreen strip/panel, but not across the main screen. A basic function give precision touch functionality but is more comfortable at that angle, you main screen remain hand grease free.

If it's not there I won't lose sleep either.

 

[gsmornot]

So... a Surface Book, then?

I have not used one but I thought the interface was the same if you used it as a tablet or a PC. The base gave it more power but the general idea was to be and work the same in multiple configurations. If so, then not what I'm saying.

I'm suggesting a Mac with the screen attached and an iPad when not. Maybe the Surface Book does this, if so then hmm, I didn't know. I have not focused on the Microsoft products enough.

 

[pablosito]

People who don't like the crappy new keyboard are not "afraid of change", my friend. Maybe they just want a good keyboard that doesn't feel like typing on an iPad.

And for the record, I've typed a few thousand words on my own 12" MacBook and the keyboard still sucks.

Your experience - fair enough - but calling it the same as typing on glass is crazy talk. If you can't feel the tactile "click" of the keys on your new 12" MacBook, then your fingers are numb.

 

[Mactendo]

No, he's right. Nobody who types seriously every day would yammer on about how great a glass keyboard is. Or maybe you have robot hands, I don't know. I do know that for human hands, tactile feedback helps.

Or maybe you're not skilled or imaginative enough. It can have a flexible surface or/and force touch. That's just a question of time, modern keyboards will die.

 

[MistrSynistr]

Adding touch everywhere but the screen.

Apple is so obvious that they made a mistake saying that touch screens don't work for laptops and are now doing everything possible to deftly maneuver around that faux pas without claiming they made a mistake saying it.

Simply put, sure, touch on a laptop screen might not be used 100% of the time, but having it there allows a LOT of value added and can provide features and innovations just not available on any MacBook today.

Tim Cook needs to call mea culpa on his statement about the Surface Hybrid Fridge/Toaster comments and statements about how poor usability is when using touch on the desktop and simply let Apple engineers find new and innovative ways to add touch screens to Mac screens rather than doing EVERYTHING but the right thing.

Personally I would like to see what Apple could do with touch on the MacBook screen rather than stupid ideas like a touch display bar on the keyboard and Apple engineers dancing around a poor decision made by an inexperienced CEO that allows his poor judgement to continue to negatively impact innovation and progress of the MacBook lineup today.

My buddy brought over his HP Touch Laptop the other day and it was bizarre touching the screen on it. Smudges everywhere, un-intuitive, dead weight using your arm in that manner, had no real purpose other than to say your computer had a touch screen. Because why. Because it does.

 

[laurim]

*SIGH*

Looks like I'll be holding onto my trusty 2011 17" MBP (that I actually bought in 2011) even longer.

Five years, Apple. FIVE years of NOTHING I want. Of nothing to replace my 17".

(I think) I can live with an unnecessarily thin device and dongle-hell at the expense of dedicated Ethernet and other standard/useful ports, reasonable storage capacity (for large file, e.g. 4k video, etc), and expandability.

I. Just. Don't. Want. To. Downsize.

Apple, you went big with EVERYTHING ELSE (well, iOS at least).

Build a goddam 17" MBP already!!!

I still hold onto hope for a return to the 17" MBP, especially with the trend to bigger phones and iPads. I have maxed out my two 17" 2011s so I have no upgrades left.

 

[Rain on Parade]

It amazes me the amount of times I see Steve Jobs mentioned on all these different threads. 5 years after the man died. No one knows what Steve Jobs would of done so it's pointless saying "Steve Jobs never would of done/allowed this" 5 years is a long time, things change, technologies and industry's movie forward. I'm not saying Apple is perfect but I'm also not saying it is any worse than when Steve Jobs was around.

If Steve Jobs were alive now he'd be screaming in his grave at this post.

 

[lowkey]

The butterfly keyboard is not an innovation. It is an awful compromise arrived at due to a wish to make a thin computer. But to type on - you know: what I spend most of my time doing on my laptop - it is truly AWFUL.

It's thinner. It's more accurate. It's less mushy. There's less light leakage.

And imo it's better to type on. Makes my rMBP feel all cheap and mushy.

 

[niun]

If Steve Jobs were alive now he'd be screaming in his grave at this post.

As someone rightly pointed out in another thread.
Why would a living person be doing anything in a grave?

 

[lowkey]

It amazes me the amount of times I see Steve Jobs mentioned on all these different threads. 5 years after the man died. No one knows what Steve Jobs would of done so it's pointless saying "Steve Jobs never would of done/allowed this" 5 years is a long time, things change, technologies and industry's movie forward. I'm not saying Apple is perfect but I'm also not saying it is any worse than when Steve Jobs was around.

It's not like Steve was perfect either. The Cube! And how long were apple laptop users suffering with outdated G4 chips when the G5 failed to transition into their mobile range? Years.
[doublepost=1464128634][/doublepost]

Would it be a big deal if Apple went back to the older pre-Retina chassis for the MacBook Pro for a change? The company could for a change utilize newer low power XEON processors like those used in HP Z books. These would be Pro's used for technical work, not some hipster at Star Bucks who only browses Facebook, Tweets and edits cat videos. If you check out the following article, NASA is only using HP Z Books with Windows 10 Enterprise and Debian Jessie, maxed out too.

Apple has become too focused on the consumer market and it has backfired in way. Look at the state of their Pro apps, they no longer create Aperture, Final Cut X is basically in sunset mode. Apple needs to get back into engineering where it enjoyed a lot of respect when it came out with the Titanium Powerbooks.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article...lolens-the-tech-space-station-astronauts-use/

Are you serious?
I've got one of those 2012 quad MBPs. A 2013 rMBP and a rMacbook.
That 2012 is a monster. It's so heavy and bulky it lives most of its life in a drawer at the office.
Why would Apple make a heavier, bulkier laptop with less battery life for a few specialist users when a desktop would suit that situation better?

 

[cult hero]

So glad to finally hear SOMETHING about actual Macs.

I was dreading the idea of the rMB keyboard coming to MBPs although the writing was on the wall when they were released. I'm hoping a few days of using one and I'll just get used to it.

I'm also hoping the original Thunderbolt to USB-C Thunderbolt adapters are available day 1. (Adapters for my adapters! Yay!) I have a pair of Thunderbolt docks, TB to ethernet, and TB to Firewire and I used the docks daily.

Interesting at least. Still hoping for Space Gray too.

 

[shaunp]

The 5510 is an awesome machine, I love mine.

good to hear mate. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Laserducky]

Yes. It's the case everywhere, since the conception of the laptop. Never was the buzzphrase "Look at our new heavier, clunkier and less portable laptop!"

I wasn't just referring to laptops. This mentality extends to all of Apple's devices and while being thin and light are great product features, sometimes I feel Apple prefer form over function and that's what I was implying.

Cheers!

 

[shaunp]

Apple what the ****. Slimmer, Faster is ok, don´t get me wrong. Especially on all the other products.

BUT not with the MacBook PRO. We Customers are asking for performance*, are you not listening?! Otherwise we would get the MacBook/Air.

You will just keep loosing us and then look stupid and don´t know why, I´m pretty sure I´m talking on behalf of most MBP users.

*Especially in terms of graphics... (the rest is fine anyway)

Exactly. The current rMBP is limited to 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Dell and Lenovo both make machines with 64GB RAM and space for multiple SSD's. Don't make it any slimmer as the keyboard on the new MB is horrible. Actually make it around 2mm thicker so you can put the Ethernet port back. I expect an Ethernet port in a workstation class laptop as it's much quicker for transferring large amounts of data, and adaports just work loose after a while. And give me the option to have a matte screen because it doesn't matter that you made it x% less reflective than the past model, it's still a bitch under florescent lighting compared to a good matte screen. Basically Apple, make a machine that I can work on for 8-10 hours a day and not want to chuck the thing out of the window.