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

[wizard]

The article said 15" AIR, it didn't actually say MBP replacement.

I don't see the MBP line going away all of a sudden. Rather the 15" AIR would simply occupy that AIR end of the lineup. The MBP would still be there as high end machines with a wider complement of ports, features and performance.

One question. If the Pro line adopts all of the features of the Air line (tapered, thinner design with no optical drive), then what's to distinguish them? Unless they're going to arbitrarily label the 11 and 13 inch models as Air and the 15 and 17 inch models as Pro.

That would be some reduction in laptop options for 2012: from 6 in 2011 to 4 in 2012. There would be more iPad models than MacBook models.

 

[rwilliams]

I'm torn on the optical drive debate. On one hand, I can certainly get behind thinner, lighter laptops with longer battery life. But on the other, some of us still buy CDs and/or DVDs and would have nowhere to rip them. I suppose we'll have to hold onto some old machines and use the drives in those, or purchase external Superdrives.

 

[KnightWRX]

I don't see the MBP line going away all of a sudden. Rather the 15" AIR would simply occupy that AIR end of the lineup. The MBP would still be there as high end machines with a wider complement of ports, features and performance.

Who cares what the article says ? At this point, it's all pure conjecture and speculation. For all we know, there is no ultra-thin 15" notebook coming.

I'm torn on the optical drive debate. On one hand, I can certainly get behind thinner, lighter laptops with longer battery life. But on the other, some of us still buy CDs and/or DVDs and would have nowhere to rip them. I suppose we'll have to hold onto some old machines and use the drives in those, or purchase external Superdrives.

You can have both. MBAs still ship with the CD/DVD kexts intact and any USB solution works. Total. Non. Issue.

 

[Eidorian]

Just do not mess with the processor or video card. This is considering how mainstream the Core i7 2630QM is.

 

[supremedesigner]

I hope Apple will come up not only 17" or 20" MBP (ultra) That'd be swell! haha

 

[pepitko]

It would make a lot of sense to make a 15 inch Air, if they can keep MBP "Pro-enough." Actually, it depends on the pricing, but if there was a 15 inch MBA out there I wouldn't have bought a 15 inch MBP this spring.

 

[Slurpy2k8]

a macbook pro isn't a computer that ought to miss an optical drive. Apple is on an artificial crusade to get rid of optical drives because it will push more people to buy programs and software via itunes and the app store.

this isn't gentle nudging and giving consumers decisions, it is literally telling consumers what to do.

makes me think about windows 8 and what the more consumer friendly windows market and hardware looks like.

Really? Artificial crusade? I wish you told me this earlier. I've used the optical drive on my MBP a total of once in the past 8 months. And enough with this 'APPLE TELLING CONSUMERS WHAT TO DO' ********. Apple can design their computers however the hell they want, and do so, just like every other company on the planet. It's not 'telling you what to do'. What the hell do you want them to do, make a online survey to dictate every single one of their design and corporate decisions?

Also, what is this silly notion of Apple needing to wait until every last person on the planet has stopped using optical drives before they drop them? Do you know how these things work? These transitions are NEVER a process left entirely to consumers, its always nudged by the components being phased out before they before obsolete. The optical disk, as a data storage unit, is so ridiculously archaic when you compare it to anything else available. It's insanely heavy, has a huge footprint and space requirement in a mobile device, holds very little data compared to modern usb disks, is SLOW, unreliable, noisy, error prone, and chugs battery like no tomorrow. The only thing going for it is that the disks are cheap and you can give them away, but this does not balance out all the negatives, and is not a strong enough argument to continue including this tech, especially when there are so many other options available.I'd jump on a 15' air in half a heartbeat- the only reason I'm sticking with my mbp now is because of the screensize.

Thank God theres at least one tech company that tries to constantly move things forward. Everyone else eventually follows, and the industry is better for it, but they would never have the guts to initiate the change.

 

[macosxuser01]

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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!

It would be stupid if Apple did not have an optical drive on there MacBook Pro line. So many people who are video editors, filmmakers, etc use the optical drive to burn DVDs, watch movies, and so on.

If you don't need an optical drive then buy a MacBook Air! Lol. The new ones just came out, punk the **** out of my 2010 MBP hahaha.

But right now the transition to no more optical drives is not ready yet. I use my optical drive to burn CDs, DVDs, and watch DVDs (from RedBox mostly). It

 

[andreiru]

Will be a hit.

 

[KnightWRX]

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It would be stupid if Apple did not have an optical drive on there MacBook Pro line. So many people who are video editors, filmmakers, etc use the optical drive to burn DVDs, watch movies, and so on.

If you don't need an optical drive then buy a MacBook Air! Lol. The new ones just came out, punk the **** out of my 2010 MBP hahaha.

But right now the transition to no more optical drives is not ready yet. I use my optical drive to burn CDs, DVDs, and watch DVDs (from RedBox mostly). It

My MBA can do all that. Who says the ODD needs to be internal ?

"Internal this, Internal that". Guys the way to upgrade and expand laptops is all through external connectivity. Internal stuff is overrated. External peripherals also don't need to be host based, they can live off your network, creating your own private cloud infrastructure that your whole household can use. Shared infrastructure in a household saves money on purchasing equipment.

I now couldn't live without my NAS and home server.

 

[pmjoe]

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.

As others have posted, by cutting features, Apple makes more $$$$ on fewer parts all in the guise of "thinness" and they get to push more people the iTunes and Mac App Stores.

Somewhere on the roadmap is probably a notebook where the only port is Thunderbolt - assuming manufacturers make the peripherals and hard drives stay more cost effective per GB than solid state.

 

[Airforcekid]

Haven't heard the where's the blu ray drive threads in awhile no chance they will add them at least to their notebooks.

 

[StoneyG]

a macbook pro isn't a computer that ought to miss an optical drive. Apple is on an artificial crusade to get rid of optical drives because it will push more people to buy programs and software via itunes and the app store.

this isn't gentle nudging and giving consumers decisions, it is literally telling consumers what to do.

makes me think about windows 8 and what the more consumer friendly windows market and hardware looks like.

Yeah, but, you still can connect an optical drive if you need one. The new Minis may lack an optical drive, but they cost less than their predecessors. Thirdly, most people don't use discs (and I mean just that, even if you can think of two dozen people off the top of you head who still use discs).

Apple's not telling you what to do (how dramatic). Remember that their music store eclipsed Wal Mart as the largest music retailer in the world while all of their machines (apart from the earlier Air, which sold poorly) still sported optical drives. In my opinion, you should be directing that energy at those who blindly buy anything Apple putts out there.

 

[Navdakilla]

Me thinks they are thinking of scrapping the 13 and 15" MBP. And having a 2012 line-up of:
11/13/15 MBA, 15/17 MBP (all updated models of course)

 

[srxtr]

It's rumors like this that makes me feel bad for jumping on the MBA.

But if I wait for new technology, I will end up always waiting and never buying...

 

[chrono1081]

a macbook pro isn't a computer that ought to miss an optical drive. Apple is on an artificial crusade to get rid of optical drives because it will push more people to buy programs and software via itunes and the app store.

this isn't gentle nudging and giving consumers decisions, it is literally telling consumers what to do.

makes me think about windows 8 and what the more consumer friendly windows market and hardware looks like.

I completely disagree. Take a look at most of the pro software out there, and most of the consumer software. Almost all of it is available via digital download. Many people simply do not use an optical drive that much but could use a boost in other components like hard drive space, or more battery. Everyone knew years ago that optical media days were numbered.

These "Apple is telling me what to do!" posts tend to get annoying. There is absolutely no reason to think that, not to mention if you don't like it, don't buy it. Simple.

 

[mcarling]

I so want one.

I hope it's a 15" MacBook Air rather than a 15" MacBook Pro sans optical brick. However, I would buy one either way.

I'm hoping that Apple drop all the legacy ports -- other than USB and audio out, which are still needed. In other words, I'm hoping that it will have exactly the same set of ports as the 13" MacBook Air.

Chances are there will be a Thunderbolt-->FW 800 adapter by the time this comes out.

Apple already sell a Thunderbolt to FW800 adaptor.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC914LL/A

when the next MBP refresh happens, it is going to be similar like MBA

except MBP will include
35 Watts TDP CPUs - as is it now
include optical drive
SSD - either the same format like MBA (to slim down the thickness) or keep 2.5" SSD - standard

it is 15" MBP not the 15" MBA.

The report indicates an "ultra-thin" notebook. Your idea of including an internal optical brick and an internal HD are incompatible with ultra-thin.

This design won't be at least until Ivy Bridge, so probably Q2 2012 or so.

Interesting speculation. However, there are 25W Sandy Bridge CPUs that would make great sense in a 15" MacBook Air and 35W Sandy Bridge CPUs that would make sense in a slimmed-down 15" MacBook Pro.

Wonder if it would come with the higher resolution of the 15" MBP AG as standard?

Given the resolution of the 11" and 13" MacBook Air, the trend in Apple products, and the trend in the industry, it would be a big surprise if a 15" MacBook Air did not have 1680x1050 resolution.

I think it is a great idea. nobody uses optical drives anymore. But I really need my ethernet port .

I'm confident you would need a dongle.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC704ZM/A

 

[cvaldes]

I'm torn on the optical drive debate. On one hand, I can certainly get behind thinner, lighter laptops with longer battery life. But on the other, some of us still buy CDs and/or DVDs and would have nowhere to rip them. I suppose we'll have to hold onto some old machines and use the drives in those, or purchase external Superdrives.

I bought the Mac mini server last year (no optical drive). A $50 external drive works fine.

Not a big deal.

 

[Ryth]

The truth of the matter is that even Pros need an Optical Drive with them sparingly. You don't run anything off your optical drive. You copy that stuff (apps, videos, etc) to your computer and then use them from your computer.

And if you do in fact need an optical drive frequently, its not too hard to pull out an external drive, copy the optical disks data to your computer, and stash it away.

The idea that a laptop should always be lugging around an optical drive was a flawed one even before digital delivery and cheap, huge hard drives, made Optical media far less relevant.

I can't remember the last time I put a CD or DVD into my optical drive on my Mac Pro. Everything sent to us is now digital or even on USB sticks/External drives since their sizes are so huge.

Optical drives need to die out. Sad but true.

 

[chrono1081]

My MBA can do all that. Who says the ODD needs to be internal ?

"Internal this, Internal that". Guys the way to upgrade and expand laptops is all through external connectivity. Internal stuff is overrated. External peripherals also don't need to be host based, they can live off your network, creating your own private cloud infrastructure that your whole household can use. Shared infrastructure in a household saves money on purchasing equipment.

I now couldn't live without my NAS and home server.

This a million times over. Aside from DVD watching optical media just can't hold enough info to be useful for more than dvd watching.

 

[jmcguckin]

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

except that I'm one of those "antiquated" audiophiles who won't settle for buying music in a lossy format (and without a physical booklet accompanying it) and will continue to buy all of my music on CD/movies on DVD until either of these formats have been completely phased out. if music companies offer a non-optical disc-based solution to this, then I'll gladly make the switch over, but until then, I don't like the idea of being forced to embrace everything Apple (i.e. Mac App Store vs. CD/DVD-based install media, or the iTunes Store vs., again, CD/DVD-based, lossless media) as a result of being a Mac user.

needless to say, if Apple phase out the optical disc drive in future MacBook Pro's before music/film companies have begun to offer a lossless-quality, solid state alternative to CDs/DVDs, then let's just say I'll be hanging on to my MBP for quite awhile! solid state components across the board might be the future, but I, for one, am not ready for it- and I can imagine I'm not alone in this.

 

[wizard]

Your opinion about storage is just that and frankly misplaced.

------
They didn't. Between WiFi, Ethernet, USB and Thunderbolt, you have plenty of storage options. Internal storage is overrated in a laptop. It's both unsafe and expensive.

Internal storage is a requirement for portability and reliability. Relying on a USB or Firewire connected drive is neither smart nor low cost. A bare HD stuffed in a laptop gets a fast SATA connection these days that is faster than most external connections. Beyond that magnetic drives are dirt cheap even in laptop formats.

As to safety, that is only assured via a good backup program. By program I mean multiple approaches to securing data that are actively pursued. In any event external drives are inherently unsafe because they are easily separated from the base machine.

IN a nut shell if you don't have the internal storage to cover your base needs then you are running compromised with external storage.

 

[3N16MA]

Right now Apple provides a choice between 13" notebooks with the MBA/MBP. Makes sense to offer a choice at the 15" level also. I can see the MBA line offering 11, 13, 15, 17 inch models in the future.

 

[Kentochan]

Would they have to use ULV processors? That'd be a deal breaker for me...

 

[bigp9998]

except that I'm one of those "antiquated" audiophiles who won't settle for buying music in a lossy format (and without a physical booklet accompanying it) and will continue to buy all of my music on CD/movies on DVD until either of these formats have been completely phased out. if music companies offer a non-optical disc-based solution to this, then I'll gladly make the switch over, but until then, I don't like the idea of being forced to embrace everything Apple (i.e. Mac App Store vs. CD/DVD-based install media, or the iTunes Store vs., again, CD/DVD-based, lossless media) as a result of being a Mac user.

needless to say, if Apple phase out the optical disc drive in future MacBook Pro's before music/film companies have begun to offer a lossless-quality, solid state alternative to CDs/DVDs, then let's just say I'll be hanging on to my MBP for quite awhile! solid state components across the board might be the future, but I, for one, am not ready for it- and I can imagine I'm not alone in this.

But do you really need to carry the optical drive around everywhere you go? It seems to me like the external optical drive is the best of all worlds--you can rip your 720kbps music at home if you want, but still have an ultrathin portable computer.