thin macbook pros, that would be cool
iil enjoy my current 2011 macbook pro 15inch while ti lasts. quad cores ftw!
iil enjoy my current 2011 macbook pro 15inch while ti lasts. quad cores ftw!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Finishing Up Work on an Ultra-Thin 15" Notebook
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Device sales whether iOS or Android or Windows Mobile are software driven. Each offers specific software benefits the others do not.
For example WM has compatibility with Outlook/Exchange. Now, you might say Android and iOS have secure messaging options. There is in fact an undeniable Outlook/Exchange infrastructure and ecosystem that needs some sort of iOS access point IMHO. Show me one.
Other examples abound. iOS developers should address those fringe "needs".
Just Rocketman
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; de-de) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)
Wrong, I use my optical drive almost daily. ;-)
hamidb83 said:I think it is a great idea. nobody uses optical drives anymore. But I really need my ethernet port.
Wrong, I use my optical drive almost daily. ;-)
There are many reasons to give up physical media, not the least of which is that it is less reliable than many other forms of media. However, no one is talking about giving it up. This is talking about not having to carry it around with you all the time, for the 2 times the vast majority of the people in the world will have to access physical media. For those who do need regular access, an external will serve just fine (better actually, since Apple's Superdrives are notoriously poor quality).
An easier, cheaper, and much more reliable solution is to do a Time Machine backup. Optical media degrades quickly even without usage. But, either way, if you wanna play DVD's, get an external Drive.
When did the internet become controlled by Apple? You do realize you can download software from outside the Mac App Store, right? And how is physical media better? You are restricted by retail stores which have limited space, and may simply stop selling your S/W even without malicious reasons, but simply to manage inventory better.
Most of your arguments are terrible. The ONLY reason to use optical (not physical...HDs, and Flash drives are also physical) media is for watching DVDs, and Blu-Rays, since you cannot get DVD/Blu-Ray quality media legally online.
Another, extremely infrequent, reason would be to install large bits of S/W because your internet is too slow, or its only offered on CDs (rare).
Thats about it. All the backup, etc. reasons are empirically bad.
Not surprised
I don't see this at all being surprising. There are two key points - wireless and product range consolidation.
Apple (Jobs) is committed to wireless and will continue to pursue this goal. They will not get there completely, but Thunderbolt gives them the single connection for data they need today, and the rest can be relegated quite quickly. Wireless charging is on the cards soon, wireless OS5 is just round the corner and the thought of using a CD drive is just legacy technology which has already been relegated to an option / accessory.
The apple product range is very diverse at the moment, and consolidated range, based around the current "air" format makes a lot of sense, particularly when you consider the use of new manufacturing technology, hardwired SSDs etc. I am also awaiting the introduction of liquid metal tech assuming it is still valid.
Personally, I applaud Jobs's vision to dispense with old tech (even if it challenges what we think of as 'old') and keeps the market moving forward. If my ISP was as forward thinking the whole machine would work better, but as an early adopter I am happy to put up with a bit of pain.
M.
I don't see this at all being surprising. There are two key points - wireless and product range consolidation.
Apple (Jobs) is committed to wireless and will continue to pursue this goal. They will not get there completely, but Thunderbolt gives them the single connection for data they need today, and the rest can be relegated quite quickly. Wireless charging is on the cards soon, wireless OS5 is just round the corner and the thought of using a CD drive is just legacy technology which has already been relegated to an option / accessory.
The apple product range is very diverse at the moment, and consolidated range, based around the current "air" format makes a lot of sense, particularly when you consider the use of new manufacturing technology, hardwired SSDs etc. I am also awaiting the introduction of liquid metal tech assuming it is still valid.
Personally, I applaud Jobs's vision to dispense with old tech (even if it challenges what we think of as 'old') and keeps the market moving forward. If my ISP was as forward thinking the whole machine would work better, but as an early adopter I am happy to put up with a bit of pain.
M.
No big surprise here. Apple called the new MacBook Air design the "next generation of MacBooks," and it's clear they don't like optical drives. They like the App Store and iTunes. Lion's lack of an installation DVD just sealed the deal. This is the 15" Pro. It will be interesting to see if they leave the optical drive on the 17". Seeing as it's the last with an ExpressCard slot, I'm guessing they will for now.
I wonder what this means for the 13" Pro, since there is already a 13" Air? Will they reposition it as a budget model (like the old white MacBook)?
I wonder what this means for the 13" Pro, since there is already a 13" Air? Will they reposition it as a budget model (like the old white MacBook)?
You cannot compare gaming to potentially personal and sensitive documents. There are personal files I have never uploaded and don't intend to. Not to mention that the cloud utterly fails once you're not connected to the 'net or other technical issues occur (recall the recent Amazon Prime outage).
I bet the 17" "air" (oxymoron) has room (heat budget) for a fan and dual quad core i7, and GPU acceleration . . . . .MacRumors Update said:
If wishes were unicorns.
I'd like to see: Ivy Bridge, discrete graphics, USB 3, TB, 256GB, 4GB RAM, black Liquid Metal or black brushed aluminum body. For $1599.
Well said.
Additionally, users that require those tasks rarely do those tasks on their laptops. The laptop exists so they can tinker with stuff on the plane, or while visiting a client. i.e., While faster is always better, there are many other things that they would be willing to sacrifice a little bit of speed for instead (e.g., battery life).
Excellent - count me in!!!!
I hope they have the edge to edge black glass though - really like the black strip around the screen....
I hope they have the edge to edge black glass though - really like the black strip around the screen....
It's about time they toss the optical drive from the MBP for more room for a second drive or SSD. Imagine a quad-core MBP with dual SSD RAID, or SSD + hard-drive combo. It would be great if Apple also add some more connectivity ports on the freed up space on the right side, maybe some extra Thunderbolt and USB ports. I also felt the previous refresh of MBPs was not that great other than the addition of Thunderbolt. I mean the MBAs have higher res screens than the MBPs!
You are right about that. However, it will be interesting to see if USB gets replaced by Bluetooth 4.0 instead (although that wouldn't meet all use cases either, since you can't charge the plugged in device).
15" MBA = buy
First off I would buy a 15" MBA in a heart beat. All I would require was one more port than the current MBA (hopefully ethernet but I'll settle for 3 USB ports) and a weight that comes in under my current 13" MBP. The only thing stopping me from the 13" MBA is the lack of ports and limited upgradability.
But I do think that it will be a 15" MBA and not a super thin new MBP. Not that the next MBPs won't lose optical drives. They probably will but I still find it hard to believe that the next MBPs will lose spinning harddrives. Could you imagine having 256 GB as your max internal storage or 512GB for a $3000+ laptop (just my estimate). I think that is too much and I also think that Apple will try to keep the cost of a 15" MBA down by forgoing dedicated graphics. Otherwise the 15" MBAs are going to be really expensive. Just look at the price of the 13" MBA compared to the 13" MBP. I think Apple has learned its lesson about pricing notebooks outside the range of consumer interest with the original airs.
Anyway I really want a MBA of some kind eventually. They just keep getting better so it should be interesting to see what Apple does next.
First off I would buy a 15" MBA in a heart beat. All I would require was one more port than the current MBA (hopefully ethernet but I'll settle for 3 USB ports) and a weight that comes in under my current 13" MBP. The only thing stopping me from the 13" MBA is the lack of ports and limited upgradability.
But I do think that it will be a 15" MBA and not a super thin new MBP. Not that the next MBPs won't lose optical drives. They probably will but I still find it hard to believe that the next MBPs will lose spinning harddrives. Could you imagine having 256 GB as your max internal storage or 512GB for a $3000+ laptop (just my estimate). I think that is too much and I also think that Apple will try to keep the cost of a 15" MBA down by forgoing dedicated graphics. Otherwise the 15" MBAs are going to be really expensive. Just look at the price of the 13" MBA compared to the 13" MBP. I think Apple has learned its lesson about pricing notebooks outside the range of consumer interest with the original airs.
Anyway I really want a MBA of some kind eventually. They just keep getting better so it should be interesting to see what Apple does next.
No... I like the size and weight of the MBP.
I guess if they keep it to 15" only and leave 17" alone I'll be fine.
I guess if they keep it to 15" only and leave 17" alone I'll be fine.
Love hearing all the luddites on here preening after their optical drives. These are the same idiots who decried a phone without a physical keyboard.
I've got an early '08 MBP. Give me an MBA inspired MBP update with no optical drive, SSD and discreet graphics and I'll have my credit card out in a heart beat.
I've got an early '08 MBP. Give me an MBA inspired MBP update with no optical drive, SSD and discreet graphics and I'll have my credit card out in a heart beat.
I still have and use my tactile keyboard Nokia E71. I do not have my optical drive in my macbook pro.
Nice generalization.
The possibility of not having an ODD is a real let down. I realize there are numerous arguments for why it's no longer needed, but there are many instances where having an ODD is useful. Most Apple products are designed for convenience and ease of use, not having an ODD and having to purchase an additional peripheral is inconvenient and something that goes against the purpose of buying an apple product in the first place (mainly to eliminate clutter compared to a windows machine).
Apple should "baby" in the loss of an ODD and give consumers the option of ODD as a BTO upgrade (or downgrade depending on where you stand).
Apple should "baby" in the loss of an ODD and give consumers the option of ODD as a BTO upgrade (or downgrade depending on where you stand).
Burned optical discs are ~5 years depending on the quality. 20+ would be a stretch.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/107607/Storage_expert_warns_of_short_life_span_for_burned_CDs
http://www.pcworld.com/article/124312/do_burned_cds_have_a_short_life_span.html