Apple Finishing Up Work on an Ultra-Thin 15" Notebook

[KnightWRX]

Its extremely arrogant and ignorant to tell someone how they should manage their files.

Yes it is. But it needs to be said. Do you also tell your doctor he's arrogant and ignorant when he gives you health advice ?

Just be happy I didn't charge you a consultant rate for my IT advice.

I want all my files on one single computer spread across two drives, with an external that I use for backing everything up. I nor anyone else needs to be told how to manage their data.

You want it there, but that doesn't make it safe or even useful. How is an AFP based NAS sitting on your home network different than having the data sitting on your laptop unused ? Well, it's different in that if you get your laptop stolen, your datasets are still online and ready to use, you don't have to restore them from your backup.

Again, feel free to follow my advice or not and feel free to tell your doctor all about how he's arrogant in giving you health advice, your car mechanic, how he's really ignorant about lubricants for your engine.

 

[saviour]

Dunno 'bout what's going on with the lineup. The secrecy doesn't help either.

I just got an MBA for my "wife" if you know what I mean, complementing a high end iMac at home and a MBP for the road/office. My MBP is now due for a replacement...

I am seriously considering going for a Thinkpad this time if they keep restraining the 13" pro machines. They are called "pro" for a reason. Being an architect, I *badly* need dual boot (windose) with all the space requirements that come with it and *badly* need a good graphics card. Optical drive (or lack of) would only hurt me at home on the iMac (that's why I dont get it why they got rid of it in the mini). It would be insane if I had to archive everything on my NAS as I'd run out of space on day 2.
From all the comments here I have the distinct impression that people have either too much money to spend on flash drives to clients (more than me anyway) or don't live in the real world.

For my laptop, I'd be probably be OK without it, though it would be nice if it was retained along with improved specs.

IMO, a pro machine should focus more on performance and less on form factor.

I really hope that thing is a 15" Air.

 

[cvaldes]

I know you guys on macrumors will love to praise steve jobs as if hes actually looking out for you, he really isnt. He wants whats in your wallet.

No different than any other company. As a reminder, the primary responsibility of any publicly traded company is to increase shareholder value.

It's worth pointing out that Steve does a good job, especially in light of his annual salary (one dollar).

If you want to gripe about anyone, start with most of the other 499 companies in the Fortune 500. Ask them why aren't they as profitable as Apple and why their CEOs are getting paid so much more.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Honestly, this is the most exciting rumor I've heard in a damn long time. I would love a MacBook Air-like 15" MacBook Pro. To me, the SuperDrive is useless. The only big question on my mind is processing power. Would this thing be quad core, or at least a very powerful duel core?

The laws of physics would suggest not. You don't se these things in the 13" Air, it is doubtful that you'd see much better in the would-be 15".

Good.
Drop the optical drive, add the MBA's blade SSD for OS drive then have standard 2.5" drive for storage (probably 128GB/750GB base & 256GB/1TB HD 256GB/512GB SSD options). With the extra room from losing the optical I'm sure all models can fit discrete graphics(fingers crossed for CUDA friendly GPU).
Quad core standard if it retains the Pro moniker(hell it should be standard on the airs soon too)

Extra room goes out the window when you make it thinner. Or did you not read the title of the article?

I wouldnt care as long as the benchmarks and real world performance show it to be an improvement over the current generation macbook pros.

A lot of you guys are forgetting about the graphics card. Would you give up an ATI Radeon 6750M? I'm not sure if I could.

I sure as hell wouldn't and anyone who thinks this puppy would get that kind of performance on a 15" Air (even if it is branded as "Pro") really doesn't know anything about computers.

The space they'll get by removing the optical drive should be used for a bigger battery, better cooling system, more powerful dedicated GPU.
The Pro's are mobile power machines and it should stay that way.
If someone wants an ultra portable MB they can go for the Air. They should add a 15" Model to the air family and add more features to the Pro's.
About the SSD, it should be standard with the Pro's AND an additional HDD for storage.
This is my opinion.

You disregard the fact that (a) the optical drive is thinner than the Ethernet port and the FireWire 800 Port and (b) the article was about an ultra-thin 15" machine, in which case the idea of "using all of that reclaimed space" goes out the window.

 

[manu chao]

Plus, an optical disc can last 20 years plus, while a hard drives usually last 3-6 years.
I bet somebody has lost data on there back up drive and had to go to fry's to buy there 4th external HD

Harddrives can last 20 years as well, I still have one 20 GB FW400 drive in use that I bought, I think, in 2001.

And I had so far exactly one harddrive fail on me, within days of purchase. I have had many more optical disks fail on me (but then I also used more optical disks than harddrives).

 

[John-117]

There is no post-pc future. These laptops will be the PCs for the next generation. Offering the power of a 'desktop' OS but also being incredibly light and portable like their tablet siblings.

The notebook, tablet and smart phone will all exist alongside one another while the traditional tower PC will fade away. Laptops will be the power houses that simply need to attach to a large monitor to gain the functionality a Mac Pro had.

The PC isn't dying, it's transforming.

 

[Hunabku]

see ya optical drive

OK - lots of whining going on about potential loss of optical drives.

Well if you like to whine about rapid phasing out of older technology then of course you'll be crying your eyes out over apple.

Apple is in a place now where they can advance the process even faster by having an increasingly controlling market share of non-disk-based content delivery devices. Not to mention itunes and others such as netflix pushing us forward.

Besides think of the environmental benifits with all those plastic discs not going to the dump. Now if we used more renewable energy for electricity we'd really be able to have an impact on global dumbing.

 

[chukronos]

I've got no beef with getting rid of the optical drive, if it speeds up graphics in the process. Hell, you already have to buy an external blu-ray player to burn HD. It wasn't that long ago that everyone was complaining that the superdrive was outdated and we needed internal blu-ray. Now, everyone is screaming to hold on to the superdrive.

Most people don't need an optical drive that often. And, most pros have external drives and storage. On the rare occasions that you need an optical drive, you can get a cheap external DVD drive, or upgrade to the better BD drive.

I do not think that Apple is forcing you to give up an optical drive. I just think they are removing something that is used rarely and replacing it with better performance (I hope).

Either way, optical drive or not, it will not matter to me. I will be more concerned with the performance of the machine.

 

[Liquinn]

This just puts me off buying a MBP, as I don't want to buy something and they get updated

 

[manu chao]

I would not at all be surprised if this is the 15" MacBook Pro (Pro spelt A-i-r) - especially if they can manage a quad core in it.

The 13" Air has a similar processing power than the 13" MBP, mainly just clocked a third lower (1.8 vs. 2.7 GHz). Graphic card is the same. Of course the extra RAM (8 GB now, 16 GB maybe affordable next year) helps the Pro additionally as the option to get faster SSDs (or go really nuts with dual SSDs).

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It's a great idea, and probably inevitable, given the development of the technology, the success of the MBA models to date, and the fact that the market will be more than ready for it.

I'll admit that I will watch developments with a fascinated eye, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Apple will come up with.

 

[Liquinn]

I've got no beef with getting rid of the optical drive, if it speeds up graphics in the process. Hell, you already have to buy an external blu-ray player to burn HD. It wasn't that long ago that everyone was complaining that the superdrive was outdated and we needed internal blu-ray. Now, everyone is screaming to hold on to the superdrive.

Most people don't need an optical drive that often. And, most pros have external drives and storage. On the rare occasions that you need an optical drive, you can get a cheap external DVD drive, or upgrade to the better BD drive.

I do not think that Apple is forcing you to give up an optical drive. I just think they are removing something that is used rarely and replacing it with better performance (I hope).

Either way, optical drive or not, it will not matter to me. I will be more concerned with the performance of the machine.

Yeah true, I agree with you 100%.

 

[wikus]

Yes it is. But it needs to be said. Do you also tell your doctor he's arrogant and ignorant when he gives you health advice ?

Just be happy I didn't charge you a consultant rate for my IT advice.



You want it there, but that doesn't make it safe or even useful. How is an AFP based NAS sitting on your home network different than having the data sitting on your laptop unused ? Well, it's different in that if you get your laptop stolen, your datasets are still online and ready to use, you don't have to restore them from your backup.

Again, feel free to follow my advice or not and feel free to tell your doctor all about how he's arrogant in giving you health advice, your car mechanic, how he's really ignorant about lubricants for your engine.

You realize that its a LAPTOP and work is done from more than one location, right? I take my computer almost everywhere. Think about that for a moment.

 

[transmaster]

I would not be abverse to dumping the optical drive. I rarely ever use the ones I have. The disc player in my truck has been used once just to see if it worked. With a fully integrated iPod control built in and a 64 gig iPod Touch who needs it. In lap tops jump drives are so cheap I would rather use them. If I need an optical drive I can always plug a portable one into one of the USB ports. Not having the big opening in the case will keep all kinds of evil things out of the innards

 

[Apple...]

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I woud never buy a laptop without an optical drive, i don't feel we are at the point where they should be totally phased out. I wouldent want to buy an external optical drive either. I realize I can use another computers drive but much of a hassle especially if I'm out it traveling. That is why I like the fact that they now give you the option with the MacBook air and just the standard MacBook and MacBook pros. And from what I know many students buy the lower end MacBooks and MacBook pros, and I'm telling you it would be a major deciding factor.

What does anyone need an optical drive in 2011 for? USB sticks FTW!

I'm wondering the same thing.

 

[Yebubbleman]

OK - lots of whining going on about potential loss of optical drives.

Well if you like to whine about rapid phasing out of older technology then of course you'll be crying your eyes out over apple.

Apple is in a place now where they can advance the process even faster by having an increasingly controlling market share of non-disk-based content delivery devices. Not to mention itunes and others such as netflix pushing us forward.

Besides think of the environmental benifits with all those plastic discs not going to the dump. Now if we used more renewable energy for electricity we'd really be able to have an impact on global dumbing.

This is a short-sighted and narrow-minded analysis. I'm not saying that you are as a person, nor do I mean any offense, but this is really short-sighted. This assumes that we only rent content and don't own it. This assumes that we don't transport or back up content on disposable media. This assumes that the way Apple has us doing things is the only way to do them and that we, their sheep, will do things their way because they are so forward thinking. No sir, I'm sorry, I am not that kind of sheep and I can tell you with great confidence and certainty that most Mac users not on this evangelical forum will agree with me.

I've got no beef with getting rid of the optical drive, if it speeds up graphics in the process. Hell, you already have to buy an external blu-ray player to burn HD. It wasn't that long ago that everyone was complaining that the superdrive was outdated and we needed internal blu-ray. Now, everyone is screaming to hold on to the superdrive.

Most people don't need an optical drive that often. And, most pros have external drives and storage. On the rare occasions that you need an optical drive, you can get a cheap external DVD drive, or upgrade to the better BD drive.

I do not think that Apple is forcing you to give up an optical drive. I just think they are removing something that is used rarely and replacing it with better performance (I hope).

Either way, optical drive or not, it will not matter to me. I will be more concerned with the performance of the machine.

Intro to the Optical Drive debate: Those in favor of it disappearing are either devout fanboys or are convinced that Apple will actually do something with the space left-over. While Apple DID just do this with the higher-end Mac mini, they didn't with the low-end model for no real reason and their philosophy with their mobile products seems to make them thinner and thinner, thusly lending no real credence to the idea that they'd do anything with the reclaimed space except by removing it altogether. Meanwhile those that don't want it gone use it enough to warrant complaining about it or don't want to be inconvenienced by having to buy a separate external drive for the few times that they will actually use it.

 

[YourHerojb]

I keep thinking that they're crazy for eliminating the optical drives. Especially with the Mini.

Then I realize that I've only used my drive about 4 times in the year I've owned my MacBook Pro.

 

[Liquinn]

If only Apple would make it possible to import the DVD movies I already own into itunes like I can do for music CDs...

 

[435713]

Awesome how they have soooo much choice in their laptop line. I want a 15' for around a thous..... nevermind. haha

Going thinner and thinner more form over function crap. I have already moved a majority of my stuff to the Windows camp where I get a lot of choice. Will keep a Mac around for niche stuff perhaps.

If you find 5 lbs heavy and the models currently available as being fat, you need to see a doctor immediately. Psychologist for the latter.

 

[jonnysods]

This is totally my next machine

 

[tigres]

I woud never buy a laptop without an optical drive, i don't feel we are at the point where they should be totally phased out. I wouldent want to buy an external optical drive either. I realize I can use another computers drive but much of a hassle especially if I'm out it traveling. That is why I like the fact that they now give you the option with the MacBook air and just the standard MacBook and MacBook pros. And from what I know many students buy the lower end MacBooks and MacBook pros, and I'm telling you it would be a major deciding factor.

You will be if your staying with , as the optical is going bye bye.

 

[NAG]

There is no post-pc future. These laptops will be the PCs for the next generation. Offering the power of a 'desktop' OS but also being incredibly light and portable like their tablet siblings.

The notebook, tablet and smart phone will all exist alongside one another while the traditional tower PC will fade away. Laptops will be the power houses that simply need to attach to a large monitor to gain the functionality a Mac Pro had.

The PC isn't dying, it's transforming.

post-PC ≠ sans-PC

Regarding the "Apple just makes stuff thinner" meme. Has it ever occurred that the lack of something taking up space may in fact be doing something with that space (i.e. giving it back to the user)?

 

[F.Vind]

I beg for an Air/Pro hybrid:
Pro enclosure but with Air-style SSD and RAM, making room for better CPU and GPU and perhaps better speakers. A display with the Air displays pixel density would also be sweet.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Replacement for white MacBook maybe?

That'd be the 11" MBA

 

[jamied95]

This is how I see it panning out:
There will be a MacBook line, which is the convergence of all the MacBook lines of current - notice how there is no 13" Pro rumour.

It's possible that Apple decides to cull all desktop devices except the iMac, they don't make up much of their business anymore and the iMac seems to be the most Appley desktop they do (everything included, just works, no fiddling with wires). They may keep the Mac Pro as a business/server device...

iPods are seriously scaled back, maybe to just the iPod touch.

This would create a very clear distinction between their products and cut any waste, but cover all markets.

iPod --> iPhone --> iPad --> MacBook --> iMac

And then the Apple TV as another branch, as such.