Apple Registers Several New Mac and iPad Models in Eurasia

[Erasmus]

It's a real shame that the touch-bar generation of MBP has been a commercial success. Because it unfortunately means more of the same. Fair play to Apple, I'm don't begrudge them succeeding here. But for many like myself, it was fairly horrifying seeing all their time and talent going in to developing a machine that is clearly intended to be used for web browsing and social media posting. We've long known that they hold the opinion that most people don't 'need' a computer. This was really that attitude put into practice for the first time in their Macintosh line.

And then you had this complete red herring situation with the ports. Which almost everybody focused on, and yet it was probably the only are in which they showed any kind of technological foresight. The specs certainly weren't designed with an eye on the future! It took absolutely all the heat off the main problem- these machines are now to be used in coffeeshops, not in studios. Because that's what people are buying them for, that's what people use them for.

Here's the biggest difference: Gaming.

Windows laptops need to have pro features. They need power, they need excellent screens, they need UI. Because people game on them. They might not use them in the way that us niche users use MBPs, but they damn well use that power, they need those screens, and they want innovation. It's an intense race between multiple companies, and Apple is not involved at all.

It's a real shame that Apple missed the boat on PC gaming, because a residual effect would have been powerful, portable Macs. They simply aren't in this market today.

The only difference between a gaming computer and a high powered workstation is some RGB LEDs, and a picture of a dude with a gun on the box.

Unfortunately, I think Apple have had a big hand in the current sorry state of PC gaming. If the iOS App store didn't exist, I don't think our world would be flooded with so many free-to-play loot-box gambling games, the mechanics of which are leaching into full-price games (if they can be called that anymore).

Anyways, I have a gaming computer, so I don't need a new laptop that can game. The fact that it would be a byproduct of having hardware that can competently do GPGPU and other engineering development however...

 

[ISanych]

Might be a mix of iMacs and MBPs

Filing said portable computers, so no iMac, mac mini or pro.

 

[Dorje Sylas]

iOS relies entirely on developers owning a mac and building apps for them.

And surprise surprise, it's the developers that are increasingly screaming for better and more serious work to be done on the Mac line. The return of missing ports. Better thermal profile even at the "cost" of increased thickness. An update to the MacMini (which used to be one of the greatest entry level development boxes to feed Apple's iOS ecosystem).

As a developer the only reason I'd consider getting a Mac these days (and the cheapest one I could) is to act purely as a System Development Kit for iOS. Basically treating it the same way I would an SDK for an Xbox, Playstation for Nintendo lock-box console. And that's only because Xcode is required for the final fondling of the app before it can be passed to the App Store for cert.

Apple should just stop playing pretend and release an iOS SDK box. One standardized over priced high profit margin lump of user-non-serviceable single cast aluminum, which has exactly one job. Be an Xcode Box.

 

[naturalstar]

Oooohh! This is nice to read. Been waiting on more iPad Pro news.

Thinking of replacing my early-2013 15” Pro in the near future also.

 

[charlituna]

Mac pro Apple said OFFICIALLY its a 2019 Product . But 80% chances to get a sneak peek

actually it makes sense that it would be a 2019 product and on this list. Apple has to jump these hoops in a lot of areas so starting a good 6 months before a conceivable launch gives them time to deal with paperwork and still hopefully get the product out on their timeline

 

[pat500000]

I'm awaiting some news on the iMac. Wanting to buy, but now is probably not the right time.

Imac or imac pro?

 

[sracer]

Understood. But if you have a decade or more of experience doing your workflow through MacOS, switching is too hard. A friend of mine just ordered a MacBook Pro 2017 (refurbished, thank god). He had to because he is starting a new consulting business as an independent. So he no longer has access to the Macs in his prior job and needs a powerful enough Mac. He has his first two gigs lined up for the Summer. So the need for hardware is now.

Absolutely! Anyone who is really leveraging their systems to their capacities will be heavily reliant on them. I'm in the same boat. Just a few weeks ago I had to replace my 2013 iMac due to severe system slowdowns caused by a harddrive that was hours away from failure (according to numerous S.M.A.R.T. diagnostics I ran). Although I have been exploring my exit strategy from Appleland should the time come, I wasn't ready to do it on the spot. I bought another iMac to replace it, and bought an external SSD drive for that old iMac so that I could repurpose the iMac for non-critical functions.
I will be ready when THIS iMac needs to be replaced.

But I'm not complaining about the current state of Apple products. I'm not begging and pleading with Apple for them to do things so that I can willingly give them more of my money (my openness to continue to buy from them should be incentive enough)

For those folks who are not satisfied with the current Apple products nor with the direction the company is going, now is the time to starting exploring and experimenting with a life-after-Apple.

It is difficult for me to muster up sympathy for people who continue to complain and continue to hand over their hard-earned money to a company that doesn't appear to be interested in what they need and feel is important.

Personally, I'm making due with a Windows machine at home since my iMac died. But I wish there was a logical replacement machine for me to buy now. Fortunately I have access to enough computing to get me through until the new Macs come out. But I'm not switching long term. I'm just too used to Mac OS (and this despite having always used Windows for work).

I can understand that. But just as switching from Windows to MacOS caused me to "think different" to get tasks done, that effort has made it easier for me to "think different" as I consider alternatives to MacOS.

 

[arkitect]

Please, please, please listen to your customers. We don’t need vanity metrics like thinner and beautiful product hero shots which only please your design team and frustrate your customers.

Reliable keyboard with key travel and are quiet. An honest 10+ hour battery life. Ports on the pro model. Decent resolution.

Honestly, look back to the older models your pros miss and lament and put in modern components. We don’t need thinner laptops for no reason.

And get serious about MacOS. We all know you folded the MacOS group into the iPhone group, and it shows in the lack of innovation and bugs.

I’m tired of every respected pro I know switching to Surfaces or at least considering it. And Windows, while still isn’t great, is getting better, and it’s doing so quickly. Your stagnation in the Mac line has not been ignored by Google, Microsoft, and Adobe.

Hell, even dumpy Twitter canceled their Mac client.

I agree with all of the above.

But will Apple listen? Do they ever?

Sometimes I wonder when they will branch out into cosmetics…

 

[Glockworkorange]

Would not be the first time Apple launched a new product on an old OS even though an update was due. Didn't the Retina MacBook launch with a "special" build of Lion (maybe it was ML, I forget) but remember Phil Shiller specifically calling it out during the product reveal.

Come on Apple, you can do this.

It launched with Lion, correct.

 

[ph001bi]

After years of wanting to go Mac, then switching and enjoying it last few years, at this point if I were in market I would get some form of Surface Pro/Lenovo combo pc/tablet device. The Macbook line is just not that great of a laptop, and I actually would like a touch screen laptop despite previously thinking it was a bad idea. The Macbook Pro is just not that great a machine and not at all innovative (except for this lackluster keyboard and this weird touch bar, wow great innovation).

[doublepost=1530800416][/doublepost]

It's called the Intel NUC or one of the HP super mini computers. They look quite nice. Shame Windows 10 is an annoying mess though with forced updates that will occasionally mess up your computer...

The NUC is a bit on the expensive side and I wouldn't need a dedicated GPU for my use. I've been looking at the Asus Chromebox too but I have no experience with ChromeOS and I am quite wary of Google practices. Windows 10 has no place in my house. I do enough of support of Colleagues, friends, and family laptops running that dog.

 

[Icaras]

I don’t believe the 13” MacBook exists, although I do still believe the MacBook is the obvious successor to the Air. That lineup will remain in one 12” flavor for consumers while multiple size options are saved for the Pro lineup. The price just needs to go down.

 

[Garage Battle]

Apple needs to address the first party dock situation. It is beyond asinine that Apple doesn't offer more than 2 ****** dongles that don't even support the full charging speed and are VERY precarious when removing USBA devices without pulling the whole dongle out. Want a dock? You have to research multiple vendors to find the only dock that is mostly compatible from a 3rd party and pay them $200.

How about an eGPU then? Thats fine, shop the 3rd party solutions for that, pick an Apple recommended one, and then when you power it on its fans are insanely loud even with no GPU installed. Does it work though? Sure as long as you don't ever need to go into Windows for anything - because WHAT PROFESSIONAL would ever need to go into bootcamp/Windows?


[doublepost=1530810998][/doublepost]

I don’t believe the 13” MacBook exists. That lineup will remain in one 12” flavor for consumers while multiple size options are saved for the Pro lineup.

It does already - its the 13" MacBook Pro nTB. It has a dual core low voltage processor (not pro), 2 TB3 ports (not pro), missing USB-A ports (not pro), and a light/consumer grade keyboard (not pro), no direct TB3 pipeline to the processor (not pro).

 

[lec0rsaire]

Please, please, please listen to your customers. We don’t need vanity metrics like thinner and beautiful product hero shots which only please your design team and frustrate your customers.

Dude they are not releasing a new design! It will just be a CPU/GPU update most likely with Coffee Lake. We won’t see a new hardware design until 2020 at the earliest. This design is not even 2 years old! The best anyone can hope for is a 3rd gen butterfly keyboard but I really doubt they will even do that.

 

[Dave245]

I don’t believe the 13” MacBook exists, although I do still believe the MacBook is the obvious successor to the Air. That lineup will remain in one 12” flavor for consumers while multiple size options are saved for the Pro lineup. The price just needs to go down.

I believe it does, it’s been rumoured by at least 2 reliable sources for a while now.

 

[Mizouse]

I just want an updated Mac mini with a quad core CPU and Thunderbolt 3. Is that too much to ask for??!

 

[69650]

Fingers crossed for updates of the entire Mac range, not just new MBPs.

 

[project_2501]

wishlist:

• keyboard that is both reliable and ergonomically pleasant for sustained use
• cooling that can support sustained professional loads without exceptional fan speeds and noise, throttling
• usb-a/c, hdmi, ethernet, sd-card
• 128GB RAM
• Nvidia (CUDA) dgpu option
• robust thick design that can take bumps
• 10+ hour battery
• magsafe
• HDR Retina display

 

[Spizike9]

I'm awaiting some news on the iMac. Wanting to buy, but now is probably not the right time.

Me too. I have been needing one for a while now.

 

[ChrisChaval]

I just hope and pray there won't be no innovation just for the sake of innovating (my ass) ...

change is welcome but only if it is not a step backwards (the concept of change can in fact be quite a double edged sword)

otherwise applies the old saying: never change a running system
[doublepost=1530813973][/doublepost]

wishlist:

• keyboard that is both reliable and ergonomically pleasant for sustained use
• cooling that can support sustained professional loads without exceptional fan speeds and noise, throttling
• usb-a/c, hdmi, ethernet
• Nvidia (CUDA) dgpu option
• robust thick design that can take bumps
• 10+ hour battery
• HDR Retina display

santa cook just said no to that, sorry

 

[sog1927]

Thin and light are exactly what MBP customers want. And not just Apple’s customers, all the other laptop manufacturers offer a similar form factor.

All they have to do is leave out the logic board, the RAM, the SSD, and the battery and they can make it really thin.

 

[frou]

It's not known what the rumored 13-inch MacBook would be priced at, but the MacBook Air sells for $999, a price point Apple has thus far been unable to match with the 12-inch MacBook ...

Unable? More like unwilling. They're unwilling to reduce their profit margin from YUGE to HUGE.

 

[macr_82]

Apple has registered new tablets and Macs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) this week, indicating that refreshes could be on the horizon. The filings, uncovered by French website Consomac, are legally required for any devices with encryption sold in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

iPad Pro concept (right) by Álvaro Pabesio​

The five Mac model numbers are A1931, A1932, A1988, A1989 and A1990, indicating two distinct ranges. The last three numbers may relate to expected refreshes for the 13-inch MacBook Pro (with and without Touch Bar) and the 15-inch MacBook Pro, while the first two could reference a refreshed 12-inch MacBook and a potential replacement for the aging MacBook Air, which Apple has been gradually phasing out.

Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook in the second half of 2018, which would serve as a replacement for the MacBook Air. Details have been scant about the rumored machine, but it could turn out to belong to the 12-inch MacBook family, and the model numbers A1931 and A1932 potentially reflect this.

It's not known what the rumored 13-inch MacBook would be priced at, but the MacBook Air sells for $999, a price point Apple has thus far been unable to match with the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro.

The five new iPad model numbers are harder to decipher, but Apple is expected to launch new models of iPad Pro later this year featuring slimmer edges, a faster processor, a custom Apple-built GPU, and a TrueDepth camera with support for Face ID.

One report has claimed one of the new iPad Pro models will have a display that measures in at approximately 11 inches, which is in line with reports suggesting the device could have slimmer bezels.

Perhaps the most curious details in the EEC filing are the OS references, with macOS 10.13 and iOS 11 given for the Mac and iPad models, respectively. It's conceivable Apple could refresh its Mac line before macOS Mojave is ready, but launching new iPad Pro models before the launch of iOS 12 seems less likely, given the number of features Apple is introducing in the new OS to accommodate iPads with Face ID and no Home button.

However, strings of code have been found in iOS 11 referring to a "modern iPad", which mirrors the "modern iPhone" nomenclature Apple used to refer to the iPhone X ahead of its release, so nothing is certain.

It's also worth noting that Apple registered several new models of iPhone with the EEC back in April that have yet to appear, so extrapolating launch dates from the filing is particularly difficult. Suffice to say Apple's Mac line-up is overdue an upgrade, while new iPads are expected to launch sometime around September.

Article Link: Apple Registers Several New Mac and iPad Models in Eurasia

[doublepost=1530819432][/doublepost]Is Apple still messing with Matt Wilson????

.....see Crazy Apple Rumors from May 8, 2007

Crazy Apple Rumors
May 8,2007
iMacs May Be Delayed.
Apple fans hoping that next months Worldwide Developers Conference would bring new iMacs will be disappointed to learn that their fate is still unknown. Crazy Apple Rumors Site has learned that new iMacs may delayed because Apple is totally messing with this one guy from Bloomington.

According to sources, new iMacs will not be released until exactly two weeks and one day after 36-year-old Matt Wilson of Bloomington, Minn., buys a current model, whenever that should be.

CEO Steve Jobs, senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller and chief operating officer Tim Cook were beside themselves with laughter recounting their treatment of Wilson.

According to Jobs, Apple has been tormenting Wilson since he emailed steve@apple.com in April of 2001 to inquire when new iBooks would be shipping. “I mean, like I’m going to tell this guy!” Jobs said. “I’m Steve Jobs! As if!

“Then he buys a Titanium PowerBook exactly two weeks and one day before we release the new iBook and he’s totally irate! “So we totally just had to mess with him after that. And we’ve been doing it ever since. USB 2.0 iMac in 2003. Click wheel iPod in 2004. iBook G4 in 2005. What a maroon.”

“And now… now…” Jobs said, barely able to control his amusement. “Now I’ve got my monkeys from the Mall of America store on constant alert, following this guy, and he keeps coming in and asking… [snort]…”

“Stop it!” howled Cook, who was lying on the floor, pounding it with his fist and heaving with laughter.

“Don’t say it again!” Schiller begged, clutching his stomach. “I think my spleen is going to pop!”

“He keeps asking ‘When are the new iMacs coming?’!” Jobs blurted, causing another round of unbridled amusement.

Unfortunately for others waiting for new iMacs, Wilson has had enough.
“I’m totally not budging on this,” said an oblivious but determined Wilson. “No way, man. I mean, I don’t know what force has been working against me lo these past five years… Fate? Maybe it’s fate. Maybe it’s Satan. Or some lesser demon… I don’t know… but I’m going to beat it this time. “Unless I have to rip some DVDs or something. Because 1 Ghz just isn’t cutting it.”

 

[PickUrPoison]

Then by definition that should be a Mac Book. A Mac Book Pro should be aimed at power users and therefor not be restrained (so severely) by dimensions and weight.

MacBook has a 5W CPU/GPU, while the 15” MacBook Pro has a 45W CPU plus a 35W GPU. The MacBook has a single 5Gbps port; the MBP has four TB3 ports that provide 160Gbps of I/O. Those are two of the biggest differences between Apple’s MacBook and their MacBook Pro.

MacBook Pro has never been the workstation/gamer machine that some need or want. Like all laptops, it’s a combination of trade offs between the CPU and GPU performance, display quality, battery runtime, size, weight, cost, etc.

Apple does a ton of market research to decide what the sweet spot is. They’ll never be able to satisfy everyone, but they know that.

 

[asiga]

In view of a similar news item before WWDC 2017, only 5 days before the keynote speech with the corresponding MB and MBP updates, it is not unlikely that we will see hardware updates on next Tuesday.

In fact, (as said in a newer article) next Tuesday is the 10th anniversary of the AppStore... quite suspicious...

 

[oldwatery]

A company with tens of thousands of employees and billions of surplus dollars still cannot find it in themselves to support their original user base by bringing out some real computers. This is a spit in the face of every pro and power user and is not lost on me, or many others it would seem. I will not buy into this any more. When my iMac dies, as it seems to be, I will take the plunge into the world of Windows and Surface Pro. Up yours Tim Cook. Screw your damn emojis, headphones, crap speakers, self drive cars, second rate tv shows and all the other detritus you are now into. You have taken a great company and made it into a money machine with no soul or groundbreaking innovation.