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2018 13 inch (non touchbar) Macbook Pro no 8th gen processor

J

jon10

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 7, 2015
16
0
Hi, I have a 2010 Mac Book Pro and was wanting to update to the 2018 Mac Book Pro 13 without touch bar.
Though the machines with touch bar were all recently updated to new 8th generation intel processors the 13inch without touch bar didn’t get the update. Reports are showing the 8th gen processors have been running twice as fast as previous machines. I just wanted to get any views from the great and the good on how long it may take for the non touch bar machine to receive the 8th gen processor. I want to update now but I feel holding out will provide me with a better machine long term.

My great thanks
 
My thoughts are that if Apple was going to upgrade the non-touchbar model to the new processor they would have done it by now.

My guess is they will either have an Air or Macbook update that will replace the 2016/17 non-touchbar 13" model in their line up.
 
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jerryk said:
My thoughts are that if Apple was going to upgrade the non-touchbar model to the new processor they would have done it by now.

My guess is they will either have an Air or Macbook update that will replace the 2016/17 non-touchbar 13" model in their line up.
Click to expand...

Me too
 
My thanks, jerryk, nbjunior
Mmm, interesting. The non touch bar model will have had quite a short lifespan. It does seem odd that it hasn’t received the update by now. I wasn’t sure if apple were updating the cheaper model later to encourage more buyers onto the expensive touchbar models.
 
jon10 said:
My thanks, jerryk, nbjunior
Mmm, interesting. The non touch bar model will have had quite a short lifespan. It does seem odd that it hasn’t received the update by now. I wasn’t sure if apple were updating the cheaper model later to encourage more buyers onto the expensive touchbar models.
Click to expand...

The non-touchbar model differed in many ways from the touchbar models. Different cooling system, fewer USB-C ports, and removable SSD all meant the non-touchbar had a unique system board, case, etc. So it was always sort of an odd MBP meant to fill a price gap. If they are working on a update for the MB or Air it could sit right in this price gap.
 
jerryk said:
The non-touchbar model differed in many ways from the touchbar models. Different cooling system, fewer USB-C ports, and removable SSD all meant the non-touchbar had a unique system board, case, etc. So it was always sort of an odd MBP meant to fill a price gap. If they are working on a update for the MB or Air it could sit right in this price gap.
Click to expand...


Inferior wifi too. Which may starkly contrast from the updated MacBook which may have AC Wave 2.
 
My thanks Howard2k

Inferiror wifi to the 13inch touchbar? I thought they both had the same wifi?
802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible.
 
jon10 said:
My thanks Howard2k

Inferiror wifi to the 13inch touchbar? I thought they both had the same wifi?
802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible.
Click to expand...

They support the same standards, but the performance is inferior on the non-touchbar.
 
The nTB is only a 2 antenna system so will top out at 867Mb/s, compared to the 3 antenna MBPros that will top out at 1.3Gb/s.

The new one may come with 802.11ac Wave 2. If it's two antenna Wave 2 the potential is for 1.7Gb/s, or for 3 antenna 2.6Gb/s.
 
As mentioned by others, the non-touchbar model is actually a MacBook Air in disguise. It uses cheaper and less performant components. Besides, upgrading it to the 8th gen CPU would have meant degrading it’s CPU, since no 8th gen 15W quad core comes with iris.

In my opinion, the non-touchbar MBP is just a short-lived fluke and will be discontinued soonish.
 
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Apple have previously kept legacy machines on the book without updates for a long time. The current Air is one example of that. And the final non-retina 13" machine hung on for a couple of years without updates before finally being decommissioned. So personally I wouldn't bet against the non-TB model lasting at least until next year, possibly longer, with no updates. And my guess is it will eventually be removed rather than updated: it's the last non-TB model going, and its only purpose is to provide an entry model into the "Pro" range, and perhaps to be so underspecced by comparison that it makes the more expensive models look like good value.
 
Just out of curiosity, does the differences between the touch bar and non touch bar models only apply to the 2018 versions? I currently have a refurb 2017 nTB 13 inch, and was thinking about returning it for a refurb 2017 TB 13 inch.
 
AJAAY said:
Just out of curiosity, does the differences between the touch bar and non touch bar models only apply to the 2018 versions? I currently have a refurb 2017 nTB 13 inch, and was thinking about returning it for a refurb 2017 TB 13 inch.
Click to expand...

The nTB was introduced in late 2016 along side the TB. They updated both in 2017, but in 2018 only the TB was updated.
 
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Hadron said:
Apple have previously kept legacy machines on the book without updates for a long time. The current Air is one example of that. And the final non-retina 13" machine hung on for a couple of years without updates before finally being decommissioned. So personally I wouldn't bet against the non-TB model lasting at least until next year, possibly longer, with no updates. And my guess is it will eventually be removed rather than updated: it's the last non-TB model going, and its only purpose is to provide an entry model into the "Pro" range, and perhaps to be so underspecced by comparison that it makes the more expensive models look like good value.
Click to expand...

Apple have only typically kept entry level machines on for years at low price points. That doesn't really match up with the nTB 13" MBP which sits above the MacBook Air. If the Air gets replaced at lower price points it'll likely get a quad core 8th generation CPU such as the i5-8250U which would make a 2017 nTB MBP look very oddly positioned without a price cut.

If the Eurasian filings from July are to be believed there are 3 more lines of portable Macs to be revealed. We've had the A1989 (MBP 13" TB) and A1990 (MBP 15" TB) already and we can assume the 12" MacBook is the A1931.

The A1932 could then be a replacement MacBook Air leaving us the A1988 which in theory should be the MBP 13" nTB but for a lack of suitable CPU from Intel.

I have theorised that A1932 could turn out to be a 13" MacBook (without Thunderbolt ports) which could be built down to a price of $999 or $1099 to replace the MBA.

And A1988 could be something a bit different - a 15" MacBook. It may or may not have Thunderbolt ports (model number and the fact it replaces the nTB MBP suggests yes it would) but you could imagine Apple saving money by not fitting touch bar to this model, sticking with a cheaper quad core CPU, and not using top of the line dGPU to run the display. I'm thinking they wouldn't use the 28w Iris Graphics part to prevent like for like comparisons with the 13" MBP with TB.
 
It's also possible that if a revamped Air or 13" MB were to appear the nTB could be quietly discontinued. But it remains the entry level in the "Macbook Pro" range so I don't know what that's a given. Anyway we don't yet know the specs of those machines; if they actually happen they could still lie below the nTB in significant ways.

I'm not sure what you mean by "not having Thunderbolt ports" though. I think future machines using USB-A are very unlikely, though I guess they could provide less capable USB-C ports.

Time will tell.
 
The nTB MBP sets awkwardly between the MBP and the rMB. It seems like the model never really caught on as an MBA replacement. This might be because the MBA is still part of Apple’s lineup. Also, the model naming is unfortunate, since the nTB MBP really is not a Pro spec machine.

I think Apple will try to rebrand the nTB model by replacing it with a model that has the Air moniker featuring the wedge shaped lower case design. It will probably get a some iupdates to the internals. The top case/display, ports, keyboard etc.. will basically be the same as the nTB MBP. So, it might have many of the same reliability issues that have plagued the current rMB/MBP models......which is a bummer. The price point will probably remain at $1,299. If there is a $1,000 MacBook, it will probably be a lower spec rMB with 128 GB storage rather than 256 GB.

There is a chance Touch ID could be introduced for non-Pro models. Or, it could be an up sell feature.
 
Is it safe to say 2017 and 2018 nTB 13 inches are the same machine? Just the 2018 has “2018” slapped on the title.
 
I'm waiting for October to see what ends up being released in terms of the new 13" mabook or macbook air (however they end up calling it), but I'm 99% percent sure I'll end up buying the 2018 13" i5 MBP with touchbar (16gb/512gb) because I'm certain it will be a better value, just by looking at the specs and current price of a 16gb/512gb 12" macbook.

The price difference of the new 13" to the base 13" 2018 MBP will likely be $200-$300, but the difference in specs will very likely merit spending the extra $300. (i.e. I think both will be overpriced, but also think the new 13" air/macbook will be more overpriced considering specs than the current 2018 base MBP).
 
AJAAY said:
Is it safe to say 2017 and 2018 nTB 13 inches are the same machine? Just the 2018 has “2018” slapped on the title.
Click to expand...
the 2018 touch bar models have a quad core processor; the 2017 non touch bars don't. There's a significant difference between the two.
 

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