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

[robeddie]

Valid?... That's cute.
From day one, Apple have consistently focused on closed, user-friendly systems, rather than the power-hungry switchboard mechanics you get from Windows and Linux. If they lost their way at any point in their history it was in the nineties when they attempted to cater to the open PC market.
Since the iMac, Apple have continued to push for intuitive, and purposefully limited computer designs. As a professional artist, illustrator and 3D animator, who uses an array of heavy-grade software on a MacBook Pro everyday, I can honestly say that I don't want, nor should I need, an airport of big-boy options. Give me something simple and constraining so a real professional can just get to work.

Straw man alert: I didn't say I wanted 'an airport of big-boy options', what I said was 'Great power AND great design'. However, Apple's obsession with thinness is choking off it's ability to give us more battery life, better video cards, more powerful processing.
All I'm asking is that they have a true 'pro' line that doesn't compromise those things as much as Apple does, for the sake of thinness. They can still have their 'consumer' line that gives the other 98% of the people the thin stuff, since they don't need any more power.

I work in video, and as illustrator and 3D animator, I'm sure you would also love to have a Mac laptop that could render faster, composite faster, etc.

 

[vladi]

If anything he would probably agree with the post, after all Tim Cook was the man Steve Jobs had chosen to be CEO. Tim get's a lot of flack but i don't think he's doing a bad job at all.

I believe the reason he chose Cook for a successor is not to be surpassed anytime soon. That's Steve. I also believe that he would rather see Apple crash and burn after him so the mythology could be built around him.

There are so many great and beyond talented young managers and designers in Apple (no Ivy is not one of them) that could have done a better job than Cook, but their problem is they have no voice. They are capped on purpose by already established management that will not go away anytime soon. Apple, just like any other giant before them, is in milking mode and by the time they wake up and start looking for those talented people inside their offices they would be surprised to see they all have already left for the next big thing.

Tim Cook is your typical follower kind of a guy with great common sense. A guy you want by your side to put out uncontrolled flames of your wild imagination and contain the fire but he is no firestarter.

 

[Small White Car]

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.

I've tried it several times. The keys just don't move at all. I am befuddled by your use of the phrase "more tactile feedback." If I can't tell which keys are being pressed, what feedback am
I getting?

It feels exactly like one of those fake plastic laptops they put out in furniture stores.

I'm glad you're happy, but I just don't get it.

 

[Dave245]

I believe the reason he chose Cook for a successor is not to be surpassed anytime soon. That's Steve. I also believe that he would rather see Apple crash and burn after him so the mythology could be built around him.

There are so many great and beyond talented young managers and designers in Apple (no Ivy is not one of them) that could have done a better job than Cook, but their problem is they have no voice. They are capped on purpose by already established management that will not go away anytime soon. Apple, just like any other giant before them, is in milking mode and by the time they wake up and start looking for those talented people inside their offices they would be surprised to see they all have already left for the next big thing.

Tim Cook is your typical follower kind of a guy with great common sense. A guy you want by your side to put out uncontrolled flames of your wild imagination and contain the fire but he is no firestarter.

With all due respect I couldn't disagree more. I can't see Steve Jobs wanting Apple to crash and burn just because he's gone, Apple was his life he gave more time to it than anyone else, even at the expense of his family at times, from what I've read. I personally don't think Tim Cook is doing a bad job, under Tim we have had the iPhone 5S with Touch ID a brilliant phone, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus again a brilliant phone and with choice (in screen size). We also have the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Pro (again in 2 sizes for choice) Since Steve Jobs died Apple has grown even more. People are complaining about Apple but it's not like they don't have a choice, if you are not happy with the iPhone, don't buy an iPhone, if your not happy with the Mac, don't buy a Mac. Just my opinion as someone who likes Apple products and uses them on a daily basis.

 

[macophilic]

Razer can probably attribute its rising popularity to Apple's inability to release refreshed MBPs. I'm leaning more closely than ever toward making that purchase decision for the hardware, despite lamenting the OS switch.

 

[Omega Mac]

Yeah, it was capacitive touch. It's not new technology, it's old and proven to suck.

Yea, but was it a screen, touchscreen or just a surface like a trackpad with some static buttons engraved or printed on the surface?

This rumoured features is a secondary sub-screen with touch sensitivity. I've never seen that before and since Apple have the best UI for touch, then it would have the cache of being really good.

 

[simx34]

Straw man alert: I didn't say I wanted 'an airport of big-boy options', what I said was 'Great power AND great design'. However, Apple's obsession with thinness is choking off it's ability to give us more battery life, better video cards, more powerful processing.
All I'm asking is that they have a true 'pro' line that doesn't compromise those things as much as Apple does, for the sake of thinness. They can still have their 'consumer' line that gives the other 98% of the people the thin stuff, since they don't need any more power.

I work in video, and as illustrator and 3D animator, I'm sure you would also love to have a Mac laptop that could render faster, composite faster, etc.

Not a straw man argument, I simply reduced your demands to their implications and noted that it goes against Apple's philosophy.

The same complaints/demands were made of the 2nd-Gen Mac Pro. The new machine stabilised capabilities in some areas, such as RAM capacity, and improved in other areas, such as CPU, GPU and storage systems, from solid-state to flash. The company made these improvements while reducing it's heft to a near eighth of the original. That's quite an improvement, but a lot of "professionals" argued, why make it smaller? Why not maintain a larger form factor and use the extra space to load it with extra components. And while Apple could certainly do this, (and increase the expenditure of the machine), they countered that thought with the question, why can't professional machines also be portable. It isn't considered, because professionals often work at a desk for 95% of their time. They ought to work at a desk, because the machines just aren't portable. But what if they were portable? What if instead of throwing files around from the workplace desktop to the home laptop, you could just pick up your machine and take it with you?

Apple clearly care a lot about user convenience, and to take their products and demand larger batteries, stacks of RAM, advanced graphic cards and other features that are all in the idealisation of the individual will ultimately sacrifice those developments. It contradicts their closed-system, because every professional will have different customisation demands.

On the lighter side, I think Apple already do a good job at catering to professional users. A Mac Pro delivers insane power for it's price point and plenty of customisation options. The MBP that I use has 16GB of RAM built in, within a thinner form than the previous model I owned. V-Ray rendering and fume fx simulation times are incredibly fast for a 13" laptop. This year we're expecting Skylake processors and improved graphic capabilities, and they'll still make it thinner.

 

[Dr_Charles_Forbin]

Damn, this is killing me. I have to pass my 2015 13" rMBP down to my daughter for college this summer. If they hold off availability I'll be buying last years models at this years prices. How has this worked in the past - if they announce at WWDC, are they typically available right away or does it take months to bring to market? Frankly, the 2015 15" is fine by me- but they haven't knocked down prices on the 16/512/2GB RAM video models below what is available at the education discount. Yeah - I know - first world problem.

 

[NufSaid]

If they want slap a pro on it then I need it to have serious power and I don't have time to fish for adapters....give me ports.

 

[jonnysods]

A touch bar sounds like a HP or Dell gimmick.

 

[ignatius345]

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.

If it was a good ergonomically to make a keyboard with so little travel, they would have done it a long time ago. It's not exactly cutting edge technology. You're also totally forgetting how fingers work.
[doublepost=1464198961][/doublepost]

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.

My fingers aren't numb, dude. And if you look up at the posts in this thread hating on the keyboard and how many likes they have, you'll see I'm not exactly some fringe case. It's a divisive design at best. People's fingers are used to tactile feedback, and key travel is the #1 way to accomplish that. That said, maybe it's not the *only* way to get tactile feedback -- the haptic trackpad on this thing is pretty mind-blowing.

 

[campyguy]

Is there a way to figure out where on the hard drive a file I see in a finder window (or spotlight search) is? So far I've been using a terminal window and the unix "find" command.

Off-topic response here:
Use either the Info Command (Command-I) or Inspector (Command-Option-I), and your file location will show up in the General > Where data field (third data field from the top of the Info/Inspector Window). You can select any text in the Info/Inspector Window to copy it in order to paste in another application or the Finder's Go Command Dialog Box.
OR
In the Finder (make it "active) turn on (it's off by default) the Path Bar (Command-Option-P). In a Finder Window, you'll see the Path Bar at the bottom of a Finder Window. You can also Control/Right Click on one of the icons in the Path Bar for some extra options.
AND
In Spotlight, use the Command Key to locate and select a highlighted folder or file - with the Path Bar active, you'll then see where the file/folder is located.

 

[jwdsail]

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]

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.

Wait, are you.. serious??? Heavy? Bulky? So much so you leave it at the office? Really?

My 2012 non-retina MBP is one of the LIGHTEST things in my gear bag... (besides dongles/adaptors) I take it just about everywhere...

Odd. Different strokes for yada yada yada..

If only Apple made one or two ultra light-weight laptops that would satisfy your needs and a .. let's call it a Pro model ... with all the bells and whistles possible, and *gasp*, you could even replace the battery, storage, and ram in... Just.. imagine... You'd think a company with more CASH than many 3rd world countries could pull something like that off... Shrug. ;-)

 

[Tech198]

IOS is very locked down, compared to Mac's, so i'd be interested in how Apple can accompish TouchID on something, you also have open source software as well and everything else. Even if limited on the Mac, how can u lock it down to the point there will ne no attacks? All new Mac's will need Secure Enclave to support TouchID,, which would be why it can't be do in software since it would be exploited.

 

[Audi09]

Just bought a mid15, 15" MBPr for $1100. If this new LED macbook is nice ill just sell this one.

 

[polbit]

The rMBP is a beautiful design, no question about it. Even if it's getting a little old, it's hard to fault the looks. Unfortunately, I don't LOOK at my laptop all day long, I WORK on my laptop. And the heat/noise is a persistent problem that I'm frankly getting tired of.

Back in Windows XP/Vista and early Android days, there was no viable alternative - once you got used to Mac OS X/iOS and quality of the products, there was no going back. Nowdays the situation is much more even, and there are many great products to choose from. MBP is no longer the pinnacle of design it used to be, and with the current Apple trend of alienating Pro users to pander to the vast Consumer market, it's just a matter of time before Apple switches completely to an appliance company. I think this next MBP redesign will be very telling.

 

[Stingray454]

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

If Steve Jobs was alive, he'd (hopefully) not be in his grave at all.

 

[lowkey]

Wait, are you.. serious??? Heavy? Bulky? So much so you leave it at the office? Really?

My 2012 non-retina MBP is one of the LIGHTEST things in my gear bag... (besides dongles/adaptors) I take it just about everywhere...

Odd. Different strokes for yada yada yada..

If only Apple made one or two ultra light-weight laptops that would satisfy your needs and a .. let's call it a Pro model ... with all the bells and whistles possible, and *gasp*, you could even replace the battery, storage, and ram in... Just.. imagine... You'd think a company with more CASH than many 3rd world countries could pull something like that off... Shrug. ;-)

Yes. The 2012 MBP is heavy. It's 2.56 kg. 2.8 times heavier than what I use now. perhaps if you are packing a 10kg bag then the weight doesn't matter much. But riding on a scooter to work with a sling bag does.

No need to imagine an Apple laptop with replaceable battery, user upgradable ram and hard drive...I just think back to the 90s and my 520c. Could even have 2 batteries installed if you found the 3.0kg (without the massive brick of a transformer) too limiting.

That shows what a comparative dinosaur the 2012 MBP is. Only .5kg lighter than the model from 18 years earlier.

 

[Benny52694]

Yes, Ming-Chi Kuo is referring to Apples fiscal 4Q, if you go back and read his other information, when he is discussing things he is always referring to Apple's fiscal calendar, unless he literally specifies "fall" or otherwise.

Apple's fiscal 4Q is June 26th - September 25th, which means an unveiling at WWDC is very likely and shipments would start in late June/Early July likely (Similar to how they unveil the iPhone in fiscal Q4, but sell/ship them in fiscal Q1).

Happy to hear this

 

[djholman]

I bloody well hope the escape key is real. VI or VIM without a real escape key will be a deal breaker.

 

[MacBH928]

Yeah, I have to agree; Q4 is just way too late... My pooched-gpu mid-2012 non-retina is really on its last legs. I need a replacement asap, and there's no way I'm going to buy the current one, just to get through. And besides, by Q4 the skylake will be pretty much a year old, no?

I know whats going to happen, the moment you buy the current one Apple will announce its greatest upgrade to its macbook lineup since 2005 and it will be available in 10 days. This kind of thing always happens.

 

[buckwheet]

I know whats going to happen, the moment you buy the current one Apple will announce its greatest upgrade to its macbook lineup since 2005 and it will be available in 10 days. This kind of thing always happens.

Agreed. Honestly, I think I'd by a 2013/2014 off craigslist, just to get me through, rather than buying the current model new. Or I'd throw-down for a new logic board (painful, though, since mine really should have been replaced under the extended video repair program... still a bit pi***d about that one...), just to keep this beast running for a few more months...
[doublepost=1464234392][/doublepost]

I bloody well hope the escape key is real. VI or VIM without a real escape key will be a deal breaker.

Oh, c'mon... you know that within a month Griffin will release a bluetooth escape key!

 

[Caleb Tino]

Nooooooo apple, 4th quarter? WTF... I was selling my old mbp already!!!

 

[pacalis]

What is your gimped 2015 Macbook Pro unable to do?

My 2012 rMBP is amazingly powerful, more than I need, but I travel more now and want a lighter machine. The 15 doesn't fit well on a plane. The MBA and MB are gimped. I've had to settle for a surface pro 2.

So for 3 years I've been hoping that Apple makes something that competes with the Surface Pro 2, a 2lb machine which has a better and more usable screen than the MBA and a much better processor than a MB. There's nothing that competes favorably with it in the apple ecosystem.

And did I mention, that's the 3 year old Surface Pro 2. MS has had two more generations since that release. Don't even get me started on how the MBA doesn't even compete favorably with a iPad mini on resolution.

 

[robeddie]

Not a straw man argument, I simply reduced your demands to their implications and noted that it goes against Apple's philosophy.

That 'philosophy' is exactly what we're debating - thin at all costs - and it's relatively new for Apple (last half decade or so).

The 2011 macbook pro's were reasonabily thin and wonderfully easy to service, upgrade the hard drive and ram, etc. They also always included a dedicated video card in the 15" versions. However, as processors have gotten more efficient in the last 5 years, Apple has leveraged that for one thing and one thing only: Thiness. They've used lower clock speeds and reduced the battery size in order to give us a thinner laptop, yes, the geekbench scores and battery life numbers have creeped up, but barely. Meanwhile some people complain of fans that kick in too often and are too loud - another sympton of choking off the thermal ability of the machine - because they wanted it so damn thin.
[doublepost=1464252524][/doublepost]

Yeah ok mate (writing this from the most powerful Macbook Pro thats ever been made).

Yea, by a whisker more powerful than macbook pro's made 5 years ago. Meanwhile, some windows laptops are a good 2.-3 times more powerful than your precious $3000 piece of thinness.