Apple Likely Aiming for Late October Launch of Redesigned MacBook Pro

[maflynn]

Every month I wait, they say its coming in the next 3 months. Its been like this since june 2015.

Its been worse on the MacPro side of things

 

[Ethosik]

Yes, most of us are aware of that. It's about a closer cooperation between Apple and Intel so Apple's product timeline isn't so silly that with a product launch, your chip is already a year or more late. That's what I'm talking about. Wouldn't be beneficial for Apple to get newest and much better technology than to settle for much worse option? The update is already much overdue so waiting a few more months to get the right chips wouldn't make a difference.

If the Skylake processor that the rMBP uses came out just recently, how is it a year or more late?!

 

[Queen6]

I'm not frustrated, and even if the Iris Pro hasn't been included doesn't mean Apple cannot include the dGPU.

Apple got greedy and let the configurations for the MBP slide as they wanted to maximize profits, pure and simple.

For the sake of argument, that the Skylake processor is not available, does that mean there's no Broadwell chipset available for Apple to use - because the 15" MBP is still running Haswell? Apple has to have known what is coming and what is not coming from intel, they're not in the dark, like every other major customer, Intel keeps them informed and Apple most certainly could have done something, instead they sat on their laurels when other makers did not.

Very much agree, the Mac is in the current situation due to Apple and solely Apple`s decisions. The whole industry didn't stall due to Intel`s manufacturing difficulties they got on with business. Apple allowed the Mac to stagnate, yet still charges the same premium prices..

Even the new 2016 MBP is looking to be underwhelming, predominantly the 15" with yet another mediocre dGPU and cutting mm off the chassis does little other than reduce thermal headroom and battery capacity.

I can see the point to produce the Retina MacBook "thin & light", yet I see very little point in applying the same ethos to an alleged professional/prosumer notebook as the returns are ever diminishing. Personally I now view Mac`s as being too expensive for the average user, at the same time too diluted for many seriously users. So where does that leave the Mac? Exactly where it is today on the shelves...

Q-6

 

[Ethosik]

that's incorrect. My 2011 iMac is performing as if I bought it yesterday. I have never had a windows computer last this long.

Same with my 2010 Mac Pro. Sure, I put a EVGA GTX 980 in there and bootcamp on Windows to play games. But it is still running fine.
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It doesn't make any sense since production of current generation MBP continues and thousands of customers switch to Surface pro 4 - IMHO much more attractive solution compare to 2 years old MBP for similar price. I can see it in my university. 2 years ago Apple was default choice for most professors. Now about 50% switched to SP 4. Good job Apple!

I had a Surface Pro 3. It was absolutely horrible. Windows is still horrible with high PPI screens. Standard dialogs and buttons looked blurry. I would rather take an old rMBP which does scaling properly, than a brand new SP4.

 

[Johnny907]

That would need to be doing active work all day battery life. Not sitting in a meeting, spending most of the time listening and doing not much of anything. Yeah can take it to a meeting, but when get back to the desk and need to do some heavy computation. Can it do 5-6 hours of that, plus all of this other, low workload, stuff?

Or is there implicit presumption that the laptop will be plugged into a short, safe (free from accidental entanglement), docking station connector cord?




Thunderbolt still needs active cables. That is primarily why the bandwidth is substantially higher on the others. The others use cases are passive. So most of the probably usage is on passive ( as they crank up though will get onto slippery slope where they may need active also.) .



There is also lists of dodgy USB-C not quite complaint USB-C cables you need to avoid. USB-C cables are cheaper but they also have a "race to the bottom" factor also.

Yeah but thanks to early media attention, folks are pretty aware of crap USB-C cables, and how important it is to check reviews or buy from name brands. Belkin makes a great USB 3.0 to USB-C adapter that sells for half what Apple charges for their own, and the construction is much higher quality. Monoprice has a huge selection of USB-C to everything you could possibly need, again for a fraction of what Apple would charge. The sooner Apple ditches Lightning and adopts USB-C across the board, the better off consumers will be.

 

[cult hero]

Everytime I have ever used an AMD graphics card, it has been absolutely horrible. Both desktops and laptops. Maybe I am just getting them when AMD is "down" that generation, I do not know. All my NVIDIA cards have been great.

This is anecdotal though. I've had issues with nVidia cards in the past. I've issues with ATi cards. I've never had an issue since ATi was bought by AMD, but that was also the same time I stopped buying cheap video cards and bought quality brands.

I tend to look at the overall benchmarks (including power consumption) and leave it at that. It's a lot more valuable than, "I had some issues with X brand or my friend's sister's boyfriend always has a bad gaming experience with Y brand."

My last desktop was using an XFX AMD card and it was great (6950, so a little older but when it came out it was pretty close to the best aside from the really high end cards) and my MBP uses nVidia, also great.

 

[maflynn]

Everytime I have ever used an AMD graphics card, it has been absolutely horrible. Both desktops and laptops. Maybe I am just getting them when AMD is "down" that generation, I do not know. All my NVIDIA cards have been great.

Not for nothing, but I've been happy with my iMac and its AMD card, and I still remember all the failures that occurred on the 2009, 2010 and 2011 MBPs with the nVidia dGPU.

 

[Mac 128]

Sorry, that hole is round. It looks nothing like a lightning port.

I wasn't referencing that port. There will clearly be a 3.5mm jack on the next MBP, unless they've changed their mind since that case was milled. The picture shows that the Mag-Safe connector is missing on the opposite side from the headphone jack. What I'm suggesting is that they will simply machine a Lightning port into that space.

I think we've seen the last of the iPod updates. They'll probably continue to cash cow it until sales drop to the point where they can argue that it's no longer viable to continue production. The Apple Watch will replace the iPod nano and the cheaper iPhone SE will replace the iPod touch. Even young kids have a smartphone these days rather than an iPod, espeically since the widespread adoption of pay-as-you-go mobile plans which prevent kids running up huge mobile phone bills.

I give the iPod nano, and iPod Touch another year at most (the iPod nano is incompatible with Lightning headphones so it might get a software update). And agree that when the price drops the Watch will replace the nano, and the SE the Touch next year.

But, I do expect the Shuffle to continue on as the one, and only iPod. For the price, they make an effective entry-level device to the Apple ecosystem. At a minimum, I expect them to upgrade it with a Lightning port, and Bluetooth. But, I could also see them adding some health kit sensors, accelerometers, barometer, etc. to make it more of a dedicated FitBit kind of Watch entry-level fitness tracker/music player. In fact, I could see incorporating the watchOS software so that it synchs with the iPhone, not just a desktop PC. So music can be offloaded and managed from the iPhone. Heck, it could even be used with heart rate monitors an other BT fitness straps. This might be exactly what Apple needs to add to its lineup to compete with Fitbit in that price range, giving people incentive to upgrade to the Watch. It might also open up a whole new aftermarket for Shuffle wrist bands, the way the old nano did, something I could absolutely see Apple supporting themselves.

 

[cerberusss]

Soo, no HDMI, no MagSafe, no SD card reader, a gimmicky touch bar… just wow. Takes a lot of courage.

Skipping my opinion on the other ports, isn't HDMI on the way out? I mean, almost all monitors have displayport now, which supports everything HDMI does, and then some.

 

[elmaco]

How did you break the track pad?

Not sure, but it started with that I could not press down the track pad, probably due to dirt in under it, and then the pointer started to move around. I tried to clean the track pad and push it up, but it only works for a minute or two, so now I use a mouse. Same thing happened with my previous MBP.

 

[KPOM]

I still don't agree. USB-C will eventually match the current ubiquity of USB-A as peripherals transition and people replace their old peripherals.

Also, Apple is able to be more radical in its design because it has a captive audience (they alone sell OS X). It's users are often locked into that ecosystem, so they are forced into accepting Apple's decisions. However, if the rumors are true, I hope Apple users revolt by not purchasing this monstrosity.

I admire Apple products most of the time, but the current defense of such a move is in my mind unfounded. No one here who is advocating for only USB-C ports has expressed how overjoyed they will be when they have to pull out a dongle just to connect a thumb drive while away from a desk or tallied the cost of the necessary dongles or hubs (=quality dongles and hubs from trusted manufacturers and not Chinese counterfeits which risk damaging your Mac).

Enterprise notebook PCs to date have usually had proprietary docking stations. With Thunderbolt 3 we are starting to see universal docks. That's the ultimate promise, and the sooner we ditch ports the better. My office switched to all-WiFi a few years ago. Other than external monitors or mice (the latter of which could easily be replaced with BT mice) I rarely see peripherals hooked up to PCs at my office.

For personal use I've been using a MacBook and have rarely needed the adapter. Sandisk makes some affordable USB drives, including one with both USB-C and USB-A ports. But the bigger story is that customers learn to change their behavior. We don't "need" peripherals as often as we think we do. If anything, I'm surprised it seems that Apple is putting in 4 USB-C ports (presumably Thunderbolt 3), when 2 would suffice, particularly since there are docks with lots of legacy ports.

 

[tomnavratil]

If the Skylake processor that the rMBP uses came out just recently, how is it a year or more late?!

Check out when were Kaby Lake processors available for testing / OEM release. It's not exactly a year however if Apple worked with Intel just like in the past, they might get them. When they release Skylake, the machine will be already old.

 

[KPOM]

That's because businesses still use equipment with VGA connectors. You may find that to be antiquarian, but businesses drive adoption and businesses don't adopt every new technology when it comes out, especially smaller businesses whose margins are often razer thin.

But it's a vicious cycle. Because that VGA port is so ubiquitous NEW equipment that supported VGA hung around for a lot longer than it should have. We're at the point now where even Intel doesn't support it natively. Anyway, so many competing digital connections emerged over the years (DVI, DP, mDP, HDMI) that most of us need adapters regardless. So the typical port-salad notebook PCs don't really solve the problem of "needing an adapter" anyway.

We've heard this story over and over again. "Pros need SCSI/floppy drives/optical drives/VGA/Ethernet/SD Card slots!" and yet most of these are gone and in some cases long gone. It will be the same with USB-A.
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I think you give too much credit to Apple's influence on a market where the share of OS X users is minuscule compared to that of Windows.

No, just the opposite. My point is that I would like it if more PC OEMs went USB-C-only. For now it's limited mostly to niche devices like the HP Spectre.

 

[vpro]

NOW wait just a minute here stop the presses, I was under the understanding apple no longer made the MAC and their sole focus was on iPad/iPhones?

Even "Mac" rumor is mainly a "iDevices + watch" rumor site now ..............

 

[fastasleep]

No you don't get it. In the past, Apple used to have deals with Intel and was usually the first to get the chips once they've been released so the product releases were much better synchronised, which they are absolutely not at the moment. Of course, they are more variants both mobile and desktop but if the companies worked closer together.

Right, in that case, they should wait for Q1 2017 and release a product with much better specs when Kaby Lakes for MBP are released. Because you are saying - release the MBP with Skylake now even though a much better chip is coming in a few months.

I understand they need to release it for holiday season but this is just silly in the overall context. It just shows you how much Apple shifted in the last a couple of years and that they don't care about Macbook line or Mac Pro line in general.

"A few months" is highly speculative. You know the aforementioned Skylake chips were "launched" in January, yet are in no laptops still. It's ridiculous to suggest they hold off what looks to be at the very least several more months for a slight spec bump, when they're already so overdue.
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The Skylake Wiki shows that the 6970HQ processor has been available since Q1 2016, so perhaps its not been a year, but its been so long that Apple has no excuse.

Intel "launched" them in Q1, but they have not been seen in any product except for their own Skull Canyon NUC and those didn't appear until August if I recall. No laptops or other products are shipping with those chips. Do they exist in large yields yet? Does Apple have dibs on all that have been produced? Who knows, but the Iris Pro chips have most definitely not been available for longer than since late Summer.
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Check out when were Kaby Lake processors available for testing / OEM release. It's not exactly a year however if Apple worked with Intel just like in the past, they might get them. When they release Skylake, the machine will be already old.

The low power U/Y KabyLakes series yes, 45W quad core Iris Pro Kaby Lakes not so much.

 

[johngwheeler]

Fascinating. Definitive proof of alternative realities colliding. In my universe Sky Lake for MBP has not been available for a year nor are there Kaby Lake processors for MBP expected in time for an October release.

Curious, do you have a peculiar guy who also has a loose association with truth running for high office in your reality?

"We're going to build a wall along our southern border and Mexico is going to pay for it"...

"I'll tell Apple to make their products in America..."

"We're going to put Kaby Lake CPUs in all Macs in Q4 2016..."

I *think* he said all of those things.....

 

[Johnny907]

Skipping my opinion on the other ports, isn't HDMI on the way out? I mean, almost all monitors have displayport now, which supports everything HDMI does, and then some.

Why would HDMI be on the way out? HDMI-only monitors aren't hard to find, but show me a modern monitor that's exclusively DisplayPort and I'll be impressed.

 

[Made In Machines]

If the new OS is due for public release in November won't it be released at the same time as the macbook pro since they will ship with it, meaning the macbook pro won't ship until November? Anyway about time. Just don't mess with the headphone port, make it look decent like the macbook and give us enough USB ports and all will be fine!

 

[elmaco]

I wish all keys (not just the function keys) were OLED and programmable.

I'm going to US soon and can probably pick up the new MBP for roughly half the price (with company rebate, no sales tax and lower US price). Problem is, I will get a US keyboard. I don't think I will be able to manage that for three years.

 

[AppleBytes]

A spec upgrade w/o any of the gimmicky touch bar BS or removal of the MagSafe, headphone jack, SD slot, sounds perfect to me.

3-4 TB3/USB-C ports, SD slot, headphone jack, MagSafe, BTO options for 2TB SSD, 32GB ram, and God willing decent dGPU, and I'm happy.

Hell, go back to the non-retina 2012 form-factor with more serviceability/upgradability, and I'm running down main street naked, cheering!

apple.com/feedback

We'll be lucky to get a headphone jack, but there's no chance on Magsafe (covered by the usb-c slots) or SD, which isn't necessary going forward for prosumers (most new mid- to high-end cameras do wifi) and is maybe more a thing for Android users going forward. Also, no need for more than 2 USB-C Ports. I can also see Apple reducing the number of BTO options to "streamline" the experience (ie increase margins). Definitely no memory options, maybe choice of 2 processors and probably a single SSD option leveraged by "seamless integration with iCloud for storage of your photos and iTunes/iMusic so you don't even need to store your music and videos anymore".

I think the only surprises coming this time around might be no in-house Cinema Displays ever again. Apple in talks with LG might just be for an Apple branded LG 5K display exclusively available at the Apple Store with a built-in lightning port, built-in TB3->TB2 dongle for "legacy users" and touch layer.

Also, there's a good chance the 2016 Macbook Pro might be the final iteration of Apple products with Intel or AMD chips. 2018 will likely bring an all-ARM lineup including a macmini/AppleTV hybrid to replace the mini and the discontinuation of the MacPro due to poor sales/profits.
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If you look at USB's track record, odds are they will release USB-C gen2, USB-C gen 2 rev b, USB-C 4.0, and USB-C mini, all in the time that Lightning continues to exist.

It seems that people who advocate for UBS-C as the be-all end-all cable format seem to have a very short memory. USB is the king of making iterative new versions every year, which make all the old laptops and accessories incompatible.

Are you talking about all of the iterations of USB that are backwards compatible? The change to the C-type port has made old type-A accessories incompatible without a dongle, but they're still all compatible. You can use a USB 1.0 mouse from 1996 just fine with a USB 3.0 type-A port, for example, and I've used a USB 2.0 soundcard just fine via dongle with a USB-C port. Sure, new accessories with old computers is an issue (and always has been), but old USB accessories work just fine with modern computers, probably better than any other connector there is.

 

[KPOM]

I wish all keys (not just the function keys) were OLED and programmable.

I'm going to US soon and can probably pick up the new MBP for roughly half the price (with company rebate, no sales tax and lower US price). Problem is, I will get a US keyboard. I don't think I will be able to manage that for three years.

It may be difficult when it first launches, but you can order a different keyboard for pickup in the US. For example, on Apple's US website I can place an order for a custom keyboard MacBook for pickup on October 19th. You may need a card with a US address to place the order, though.

 

[AppleBytes]

You can count on it. No matter what Apple does.

Skylake now, because they are available: Whine.

Wait till next year for Kaby Lake: Whine

Kaby Lake "next year". That's a very funny delusion you have!

What a bunch of entitled crybabies we'll see in September 2017 when Tim Cook introduces the quad-core A101 chip in the Macintosh 1, the new line of lightweight notebook computers from Apple that will replace the MacPro, Macbook, MacbookPro, MacbookAir and MacMini and finally take humanity into the 21st century of computing. The keyboard will be replaced with a fully-multitouch second screen with haptic feedback, which feels better than mechanical keys, and when laid flat gives you effectually a 20" or 26" screen to watch movies or edit your photos on! Don't worry, if you want to keep the screen folded out as a desktop replacement, the built in proprietary W2 wireless chip will work seamlessly with a new generation of "built for Macintosh" peripherals, coming soon on the Apple Store. Unfortunately, bluetooth will no longer be supported, but don't worry, there WILL be a lightning 2.0 connector, which will be 30% smaller than lightning 1.0.

Available in 12" and 14" sizes, BTO options will include 12- or 36-month subscriptions to AppleMusic and AppleVideo, built-in 5G or Wifi-Only, real leather case and extended AppleCare+ coverage. Coming early 2018.

 

[Johnny907]

Kaby Lake "next year". That's a very funny delusion you have!

What a bunch of entitled crybabies we'll see in September 2017 when Tim Cook introduces the quad-core A101 chip in the Macintosh 1, the new line of lightweight notebook computers from Apple that will replace the MacPro, Macbook, MacbookPro, MacbookAir and MacMini and finally take humanity into the 21st century of computing. The keyboard will be replaced with a fully-multitouch second screen with haptic feedback, which feels better than mechanical keys, and when laid flat gives you effectually a 20" or 26" screen to watch movies or edit your photos on! Don't worry, if you want to keep the screen folded out as a desktop replacement, the built in proprietary W2 wireless chip will work seamlessly with a new generation of "built for Macintosh" peripherals, coming soon on the Apple Store. Unfortunately, bluetooth will no longer be supported, but don't worry, there WILL be a lightning 2.0 connector, which will be 30% smaller than lightning 1.0.

Available in 12" and 14" sizes, BTO options will include 12- or 36-month subscriptions to AppleMusic and AppleVideo, built-in 5G or Wifi-Only, real leather case and extended AppleCare+ coverage. Coming early 2018.

This was sarcasm, right? You did it so well I can't be sure.

 

[AppleBytes]

This was sarcasm, right? You did it so well I can't be sure.

Quasi-sarcastic. But bookmark my post anyways; I'd be surprised 4-5 of my predictions don't come true before the end of 2018 at least.

 

[Abazigal]

That is nonsense. Apple's decision to use only USB-C is not going to speed this transition. All of the other PC manufacturers are already adopting USB-C ports. The difference is that other manufacturers are providing a variety of ports to allow for a smoother transition while Apple only wants to sell dongles.

And in the process, also giving consumers a very strong incentive to simply ignore USB-C and continue using their existing peripherals. Which in turn stymies the adoption of USB-C and further fragmenting standards (because USB-C becomes 'just another port' instead of unifying all of them, which by definition means replacing all these older ports in terms of functionality and use).

If you think Apple is in it only to sell more dongles, then all I can say is - you don't understand Apple.

I admire Apple products most of the time, but the current defense of such a move is in my mind unfounded. No one here who is advocating for only USB-C ports has expressed how overjoyed they will be when they have to pull out a dongle just to connect a thumb drive while away from a desk or tallied the cost of the necessary dongles or hubs (=quality dongles and hubs from trusted manufacturers and not Chinese counterfeits which risk damaging your Mac).

I am not saying the transition won't hurt. I am saying that it will be worth it in the end.

Yes, if I were to switch to a hypothetical MBP with only USB-C ports, this would all but force me to either get a bunch of adaptors and or reinvest in a bunch of USB-C accessories. They will cost more, and again, this isn't something consumers might be willing to do if they didn't feel like they had a compelling reason to do so. Someone needs to start the ball rolling. Manufacturers will only start putting more more and cheaper USB-C accessories when there is a demonstrated demand for them, which cannot happen if people continue to stick with older USB flash drives because they "still work".

And maybe in the process of changing, I can find a newer and better way of working.

For instance, there is a neat monitor which connects to a laptop via USB-C and supplies both data and power. So I need to only plug in one cable (compared to the previous thunderbolt display, where I had to plug in 2). But it's made by only one company, and it isn't exactly cheap.

You can argue - Why should I be forced to change when I don't want to? I too can argue - Why should your reluctance to change impact my ability to enjoy newer emerging technologies? Continue to stick with your older laptops and your older ports and don't get in the way of people who wish to embrace the future.

Neither argument is wrong, and ultimately, companies listen the market. People have a choice of whether they wish to embrace that future or be dragged towards it kicking and screaming every step of the way. Which is why I am sincerely hoping that Apple can buck the trend and help spur the USB-C market by basically doing away with every other port in their new laptops. There is a limit to how much I can spend my myself, but queueing up for USB-C peripherals if and when the time comes for me to upgrade my laptop.