Alleged New Part Numbers Suggest Over a Dozen New Mac Models Coming at WWDC [Updated]

[HatterZero]

Apple is killing hard drives and optical drives. They've telegraphed this for a while now and literally the only thing stopping them from SSD everywhere is the price difference.

I know this but with the huge price difference and the failure rate of SSDs I planned on getting a new 13 MBP this year if they don't I will just keep this one until they fix the SSDs. I love my SSD but the prices are just crazy outrageous.

Though I may get rid of my 27" and get a Mac Pro

 

[MassTownie]

Amazon prices just went up!

Been checking daily...MBP 13" just went up $35 from 1,099 to 1,134...strange.

So basically in my attempt to save money...I just lost $35 over night!

 

[NAG]

I know this but with the huge price difference and the failure rate of SSDs I planned on getting a new 13 MBP this year if they don't I will just keep this one until they fix the SSDs. I love my SSD but the prices are just crazy outrageous.

Though I may get rid of my 27" and get a Mac Pro

Better failure rate than the junk hard drives in the first gen Macbook Air. Man those things sucked (slow and died easy).

As far as prices, yeah that is why I got myself a Drobo for my home machine. I moved all my media over to it and got iTunes Match for sideloading on the go. It works pretty well. For a laptop as your only machine, yeah you'd be kind of sol.

 

[xgman]

Indeed. Tim Cook is ALL ABOUT lineup consolidation and streamlining of manufacturing/cost reduction. This is what is going to happen:

- Updated MBA 11";
- Merging of the MBA and the MBP 13" (under the MBP brand but NO optical drive);
- Updated MBP 15" (with ONLY the 15" having an optical drive);
- MBP 17" GONE for good;
- Updated iMacs 21" and 27" (same form factor);
- Updated Mac Pros also with the same form factor (unfortunately).

Major updated features:

- Ivy Bridge processors across the board;
- 802.11 ac support across the board;
- the usual RAM and storage increases;
- Retina display ONLY in the 11" MBA.

Good thing you're not in charge of Apple's product development.

 

[HatterZero]

Better failure rate than the junk hard drives in the first gen Macbook Air. Man those things sucked (slow and died easy).

I would not of caught me EVER buying the first gen MBA we still have people coming into our store asking why they don't work anymore yet their 2006 or 2007 Macbook does.

 

[DocNYz]

Several folks I know went for the 17" as a "luggable" primary machine. It seems more portable than my 15" with all its accessories in a bag. The 17's typically travel in a satchel and that's it.

Rocketman

That's what I do. Just because something isn't selling a lot does not mean it isn't pro. In fact it's usually the other way around. They're not going to get rid of the most powerful machine just to sell more lower end ones, that's what the Pro moniker means.

 

[deconstruct60]

"one man's desktop replacement is another man's mobile desktop"

If Apple cranked up the 15" resolution so it was as many pixels or more than the 17" resolution I can see some folks being OK with that. (video , photo , etc. where folks are looking at the pixels of big pictures). Apple should be able to relatively easily pack the same CPU/GPU/etc. into the 15" model as the 17".


Similarly, as a desktop replacement an external monitor would more than make up the "loss" of screen size. The desktop system had a large panel. So the desktop replacement may have a large panel. At least when immobile sitting at the desk.

The only folks left are those who need to carry around bigger pixels on a larger monitor to remote locations. They exist but that may not be enough to keep the 17" model going as an option.

I can see the 17" disappear much more so than the MBP 13"

 

[50548]

Good thing you're not in charge of Apple's product development.

Check back here after the WWDC announcements...and don't cry too much, OK?

 

[h0mi]

I'm waiting for the mac mini and imac updates. Plan on getting 1 of each.

I'm likely going to get this from best buy though. Does best buy sell customizations (like I want the trackpad not the mouse)?

 

[Rogifan]

Hahahahaha

The guys at Apple are not scared of Tim Cook as they where of Steve... "We are going to double on security...". Yeah, Tim, sure...

Now that Steve is not here I bet there are going to be a LOT of leaks.

So the iPhone 4 left in a bar didn't happen under Steve?

 

[Blues003]

Question. Considering the Intel chipsets for 15" have been available since late April, but that the oens for 13" have only been available since early June, would it be possible that the MBP 13" is still announced but simply isn't put for sale yet because Apple hasn't yet had the time to mass-produce them?

 

[bushido]

I love my SSD but the prices are just crazy outrageous.

SSDs already seem to get cheaper now that HDDs are on a all time high. i just recently bought a 256 GB SSD for 189€, it was over 300€ just a few months ago

 

[manu chao]

The major disconnect is that the MBP 13" model is the most popular MBP model. Large numbers of people bought it instead of the MBA because it had more value. The only reason the MBA issn't dead last among the Mac models (including the Mac Pro) is because Apple peeled out the $999 price point for the MBA. [ The 11" model is where the bulk of its unit sales come from. Before the introduction of the 11" model the MBA was dead last on Apple's online store in Mac popularity line up.

Putting the 13" Air (SSD) entry model just $100 above the 13" MBP entry model did help the 13" Air a huge deal compared to being $500 more expensive previously (the first 13" Air with SSD compared to the entry 13" MBP).

 

[Shacklebolt]

Conversion rate of AUD to USD is 1:1 right now. That means there's a MBP on its way with a $3,199 base price?

Sucks to be Aussie.

 

[manu chao]

How is it any different with Steve and Tim Cook?

Both have/had the exact same power. Unless you're trying to suggest Tim doesn't have the ability to hire and fire lol?

Tim Cook might not have the power to scare people as much as Steve Jobs did. This is soft power compared to the hard power of firing somebody.

 

[koyoot]

Question. Considering the Intel chipsets for 15" have been available since late April, but that the oens for 13" have only been available since early June, would it be possible that the MBP 13" is still announced but simply isn't put for sale yet because Apple hasn't yet had the time to mass-produce them?

No. Nothing will happen to MBP line, except the Spec bump. The 3K dollar Machine is a 15 inch Macbook Air, or a totally new Computer, which Apple will disclose on WWDC.

 

[bilbo--baggins]

Watch the 13" and 17" MBP models get dropped.

17" - not selling enough.

13" - might as well get a 13" MBA with higher resolution screen, faster drive, lighter

---------

15" - Apple's only Pro laptop

Very sensible suggestion. As the MBA becomes a mainstream portable device (due to the obsolescence of optical media and the transition to SSD) there are fewer reasons for having both models, especially in the 13" size. Keeping the 15" a pro model with dedicated graphics etc makes sense - but the 13" MBP doesn't have that anyway (unless dropping the optical drive allows addition of graphics).

 

[ancelrick]

what are standalone kits?

AppleCare. maybe?

 

[NAG]

SSDs already seem to get cheaper now that HDDs are on a all time high. i just recently bought a 256 GB SSD for 189€, it was over 300€ just a few months ago

And the speed increase is insane. High capacity SSDs are still too expensive though.

 

[HatterZero]

SSDs already seem to get cheaper now that HDDs are on a all time high. i just recently bought a 256 GB SSD for 189€, it was over 300€ just a few months ago

Yeah but I can buy a HDD 1TB for a standard laptop for $130 where my SSD cost me 260 a few months ago. Until the prices get a bit lower for the storage, I run all my programs on the SSDs but for my 100 gigs of movie rips and 30 gigs of music plus pictures and other media the SSD wont hold. When I can get a reliable SSD that is 1TB for about 250 bucks I will be happy.

The thing that bothers me is how much of a pain it is to change out the storage and memory of the airs. If they make them easier to switch out I might buy one and just take my seagate satellite with me especially since the macs *should* have USB 3.0

 

[PVisitors]

Tim Cook might not have the power to scare people as much as Steve Jobs did. This is soft power compared to the hard power of firing somebody.

I dunno. Just because Tim Cook might not shout at people and verbally insult their integrity doesn't mean he can't make employees 'fear' the consequences of leaks if he sets a precedent for it by dealing with culprits by sacking them etc.

He is so early in his tenure as permanent CEO that employees don't really know what to expect. If Cook delivers on his 'doubling down' words and begins to fire Apple employees caught leaking information, either intentionally or being reckless, then employees will soon wise up and realise just because he isn't going to call you a **** doesn't mean he isn't ruthless and firm when dealing with discipline issues.

 

[deconstruct60]

Its a start! Who knows how 802.11ac will mature in terms of hardware.

I'm a bit dubious 802.11ac will achive much of that top end benchmark outside of test labs. Similarly reasons why folks "poo-poo" USB 3.0 top theoretical bandwidth. It is going to be difficult to achieve once the reality of walls, other electrical radios, other monster 8 antenna boxes to contentious appetite for same radio frequencies, etc. all come into play in the real world.

Sure if all the devices are in the same room it will probably work. But spread out with all of the elements that will block that bandwidth .... not going to get close to that.

It is going to be way better than previous 802.11 bandwidth. Going to put physically wired Ethernet out of business? .... I don't think so. If more affordable inexpensive fiber cables show up (so can run 10GbE like speeds in non data center environments ) .. even less likely.

 

[cvaldes]

AppleCare. maybe?

Doubtful.

AppleCare is an existing product that works with the current lineup. There's really no reason to introduce a new SKU unless there's a material change.

Even a price change wouldn't merit a new SKU.

 

[Peace]

The prices for the Mac Pro are actually cheaper.

Quad Core : $2999 AU. US $2499.

Quad Core Server model : $3599 AU and $2999 US

8 Core : $4199 AU and $3499 US


This tells me the Mac Pro is going to be cheaper in the US.

 

[manu chao]

Second, the TC stays on all the time.

Mine certainly doesn't. No need to keep it running while I am asleep or away.

For the TC it is a different story. It doesn't have the internal bandwidth a Mac Pro has. There are two relatively slow HDDs inside.

You are mixing something up, the TC only has one HDD inside.