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KensaiMage

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May 25, 2017
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What possible improvements can we get in 2018?

Is a macbook pro 2018 with 4k screen and 1080p webcam realistic?
 

green86

macrumors 6502a
Sep 27, 2007
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North Carolina
They could change the screen, but I feel like that is unlikely. Apple seems to wait for full redesigns to make major changes to the display type/technology. I really don't understand how someone, anyone, could utilize and appreciate a higher resolution then we have no on these tiny screens.

Webcam is on the table though. Apple seems to skimp on webcam resolution and it my not be a major priority for them. Besides that I think we are looking at specification bumps and improvements for the next 3-4 years until the next redesign.
 

Samuelsan2001

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Oct 24, 2013
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Yeah Displaymate who do some of the best display/screen reviews, say it themselves, 4k on anything less than 20 inches really is not worth it, however I expect we'll get 4K with OLED when it arrives because that will be the standard.

The webcam at 720p is really a nod to travel and poor internet bandwidth, its perfectly fine for video calls and conferences and uses far less bandwidth than 1080p, when you don't have access to fibre broadband.
 
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Macalicious2011

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May 15, 2011
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Yeah Displaymate who do some of the best display/screen reviews, say it themselves, 4k on anything less than 20 inches really is not worth it

I bet he was also one of those said used to say 1080p is pointless on any screens under 50 inches.

4k on a Macbook would be as noticeable as the update from HD to Retina was.
 

Samuelsan2001

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Oct 24, 2013
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I bet he was also one of those said used to say 1080p is pointless on any screens under 50 inches.

4k on a Macbook would be as noticeable as the update from HD to Retina was.

Really?? because I have taken a look at 4K screens on laptops and those on the MacBook pro and the pro's look better and I see no pixellation on either of them.
 

Macalicious2011

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Really?? because I have taken a look at 4K screens on laptops and those on the MacBook pro and the pro's look better and I see no pixellation on either of them.

Which laptops are those?

More importantly did you view 4K or high resolution content on them? I have toggled between 1080p and 4k on my screen and the difference is resolution, clarity of objects in the background and colours is staggering.


It's far more noticeable in battery life than display sharpness :eek:

Understandably battery life is a concern and could be the reason why Apple will hold off with 4K MacBooks until they can offer 6-8h battery life at a reasonable cost. High resolution screens are a drain on graphics resources and I know that from upgrading from the iPad 2 to iPad 3. The 3 was heavier and borderline underpowered for the extra workload created by the screen. It wasn't until the iPad Air that the Retina screen and hardware was optimized.
 

New_Mac_Smell

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Oct 17, 2016
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Which laptops are those?

More importantly did you view 4K or high resolution content on them? I have toggled between 1080p and 4k on my screen and the difference is resolution, clarity of objects in the background and colours is staggering.




Understandably battery life is a concern and could be the reason why Apple will hold off with 4K MacBooks until they can offer 6-8h battery life at a reasonable cost. High resolution screens are a drain on graphics resources and I know that from upgrading from the iPad 2 to iPad 3. The 3 was heavier and borderline underpowered for the extra workload created by the screen. It wasn't until the iPad Air that the Retina screen and hardware was optimized.

4K would just add resolution, does nothing for anything else like colours. The thing is in the current resolution, I can't make out pixels. Which is exactly what I want, it's great being able to design and have no pixelation - makes a big difference. I wouldn't be opposed to a higher resolution, but at the moment it would add zero benefit whilst offering diminishing battery and performance. If and when it becomes negligible, then sure by all means add 4K or 5K or even 8K. We already have P3 displays so the colours are pretty good, the next thing I'd like to see is true 10bit displays.
 
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Samuelsan2001

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Oct 24, 2013
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Which laptops are those?

More importantly did you view 4K or high resolution content on them? I have toggled between 1080p and 4k on my screen and the difference is resolution, clarity of objects in the background and colours is staggering.




Understandably battery life is a concern and could be the reason why Apple will hold off with 4K MacBooks until they can offer 6-8h battery life at a reasonable cost. High resolution screens are a drain on graphics resources and I know that from upgrading from the iPad 2 to iPad 3. The 3 was heavier and borderline underpowered for the extra workload created by the screen. It wasn't until the iPad Air that the Retina screen and hardware was optimized.

There were a couple in my local computer shop, a dell inspiron and an HP something or other. 1080p and 4k content is not the point, 4K looks just as good sharpness wise on the MacBook pro and the colours and calibration were better as was the brightness, 1080p also looks better on the MacBook. OLED is going to make a difference blacks are important but I am yet to see one on a computer in the flesh.
 

Macalicious2011

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4K would just add resolution, does nothing for anything else like colours.

That's a common misconception. 4K doesn't just eliminate pixelation but bring more of the frame in focus. When watching 4k there is clarity in objects that are not in the foreground that would otherwise be blurry and less legible in 1080p. 4K isn't just a higher resolution but a higher bit-rate that carries more colour information. Let's not forget HDR and higher frame rate. There's more to 4k than just additional pixels.

Given that the Macbook Pro is a professional device capable of 4K video editing, a 4k display would make sense for previewing what the intended audience would.


There were a couple in my local computer shop, a dell inspiron and an HP something or other. 1080p and 4k content is not the point,

Content makes all the difference. If it didn't we would still watching VHS or DVDs and not bother with 4K let alone HD.

I've compared the same movie in 1080p and 4K at 60fps and the difference was a lot greater than just "better resolution". I have then played the same movie 1080p on the my Macbook Pro and iPad and the experience was significantly degraded.

There is no doubt that UHD content on a 4K Macbook Pro would looks utterly stunning.
 

Samuelsan2001

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Oct 24, 2013
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That's a common misconception. 4K doesn't just eliminate pixelation but bring more of the frame in focus. When watching 4k there is clarity in objects that are not in the foreground that would otherwise be blurry and less legible in 1080p. 4K isn't just a higher resolution but a higher bit-rate that carries more colour information. Let's not forget HDR and higher frame rate. There's more to 4k than just additional pixels.

Given that the Macbook Pro is a professional device capable of 4K video editing, a 4k display would make sense for previewing what the intended audience would.




Content makes all the difference. If it didn't we would still watching VHS or DVDs and not bother with 4K let alone HD.

I've compared the same movie in 1080p and 4K at 60fps and the difference was a lot greater than just "better resolution". I have then played the same movie 1080p on the my Macbook Pro and iPad and the experience was significantly degraded.

There is no doubt that UHD content on a 4K Macbook Pro would looks utterly stunning.

Just goes to show screens are about preference. :)
 

green86

macrumors 6502a
Sep 27, 2007
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North Carolina
That's a common misconception. 4K doesn't just eliminate pixelation but bring more of the frame in focus. When watching 4k there is clarity in objects that are not in the foreground that would otherwise be blurry and less legible in 1080p. 4K isn't just a higher resolution but a higher bit-rate that carries more colour information. Let's not forget HDR and higher frame rate. There's more to 4k than just additional pixels.

Wow. Your so off base here, and there is no nice way to say it. I’m not sure where you get your misinformation, but 4K refers to the resolution alone. HDR is separate. Might want to check yourself before you go on talking about misconceptions.
 
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Samuelsan2001

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Oct 24, 2013
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It's not or else we would all dismiss OLED and even HD screens and stick with CRT.

Not at all I prefer brightness and colour accuracy to the dubious improvements of increased pixels on smaller screens, that's a preference we don't share. However I do prefer the blacks and colour and contrast of an OLED screen whether its 4K or not.
 

New_Mac_Smell

macrumors 68000
Oct 17, 2016
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That's a common misconception. 4K doesn't just eliminate pixelation but bring more of the frame in focus. When watching 4k there is clarity in objects that are not in the foreground that would otherwise be blurry and less legible in 1080p. 4K isn't just a higher resolution but a higher bit-rate that carries more colour information. Let's not forget HDR and higher frame rate. There's more to 4k than just additional pixels.

Given that the Macbook Pro is a professional device capable of 4K video editing, a 4k display would make sense for previewing what the intended audience would.




Content makes all the difference. If it didn't we would still watching VHS or DVDs and not bother with 4K let alone HD.

I've compared the same movie in 1080p and 4K at 60fps and the difference was a lot greater than just "better resolution". I have then played the same movie 1080p on the my Macbook Pro and iPad and the experience was significantly degraded.

There is no doubt that UHD content on a 4K Macbook Pro would looks utterly stunning.

Are people really sitting down and watching an entire 4K film on their MacBooks? The laptop is a balance of performance and power, with the option of plugging in a 4K monitor if desired. But video editors are not watching the film back on a computer screen, it's normally on a large TV - as that's previewing it for the intended audience. Computer for work, TV for watching a film surely?

As I said I'm not against 4K at all, I'm just against having a TV standard put on my computer and halving the battery life so the Starbucks brigade can watch a film in the cafe. OLED would be great, and if/when they sort the screen burn that'd be a good addition. And as I said 10bit would be brilliant.

Also your mention of 4K being a higher bitrate is purely relating to media at this point. None of that adds anything to the screen itself, you're referring to something like h265 compression. 4K computer screen is literally just 4K pixels, and currently we have what 2.6K-ish? So it just makes things sharper, and to my eye things are plenty sharp enough.
 
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Kulfon

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Nov 4, 2013
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Judging from the current trend, the new macbooks will be around animoji and face ID. I think it will go more and more towards consumer rather than professional market, which makes sense from the business stand point. It will not be a Photoshop monster for sure.
 

New_Mac_Smell

macrumors 68000
Oct 17, 2016
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Judging from the current trend, the new macbooks will be around animoji and face ID. I think it will go more and more towards consumer rather than professional market, which makes sense from the business stand point. It will not be a Photoshop monster for sure.

Hmm, if the MacBook Pro was a phone I'd be inclined to agree. Sadly basing future design trends of a computer based on a mobile phone is usually pointless. You could probably make comparisons to the iPad though, that'll likely get FaceID and stuff soon. Otherwise not sure what you mean by current trends, the Macs are essentially the same machine they were 10 years ago, just slimmer, lighter, and more powerful, it's not like they've suddenly gotten pop out touch keyboards and portrait mode recently.
 

leman

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Oct 14, 2008
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Display (as anything else) is a balancing act. Brigthnes, conrast, resolution, color accuracy, color space and battery life. Right now, Apple has probably the best balance of any currently shipping laptop display. Its very bright and has best-in-class contrast, while offering very good color accuracy and wide-gamut DCI-P3 color space, and has power consumption on par with "old" non-HDPi displays. The 4K displays currently found on window laptops often consumes much more power, without offering clear advantages. For example, contrast the MacBook Pro with the XPS 15" (often hailed as one of the best display in the PC laptops currently). The MacBook Pro is brighter, has better contrast, and is much more power-efficient. The XPS 15" has higher resolution and 100% coverage of Adobe RGB color space. However, one must also say that 100% Adobe RGB is not necessarily better, its just different. The MBP uses DCI-P3 instead of sRGB, so its able to display shades of color that XPS 15" can't. Its just a different design choice (Apple is following movie industry/projector standards here and not printer standards).

(but then again, MBP can display colors that XPS can't since sRGB is not a superset of P3).

Is higher resolution worth the tradeoffs? I don't see why it would be. I can't see any aliasing artefacts on my MBP 15" display with my eyes, so I can't imagine what would be the benefit of having "real" 4K (except of course marketing boasts). Not to mention that the MBP uses 16:10 aspect ratio instead of 16:9 used by the mainstream, so you a bit of extra vertical space thats very nice when you work with text.

As to webcam, I suspect that its still rather bad simply because the display assembly is very thin and a better camera can't be fit inside as of now.
 
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