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Apple Said to Ship New 'Ultra-Thin' 13" and 15" MacBooks by June-July

inkswamp said:
Apple needs to seriously consider scrapping the iMac and Mini and replacing them with a better consumer desktop offering, something designed from the ground-up better suited to current demands. I can only hope the current team at Apple is thinking like that. When you get the point where removing useful features to slim the machine down and make it more aesthetically pleasing is your best innovation, it's time for a do-over.
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Apple has it's head shoved too far up it's ass to do any of that. You think they care what consumers want or should get? Hell no. They'd rather sell you a gimped desktop with cooling so bad that the CPU downthrottles to keep it from overheating. Slap in some non-removable parts and Apple's got you by your BALLS. 2 years down the line when your computer starts to suck, your course of action isn't an upgrade, it's to trash the old comp and buy a whole new one.

But you know what? As incredibly asinine as that is of Apple to do... NONE of that is even close to being the stunning failure on the part of all the ignorant Apple fanboys by sitting around and shaking their heads up and down letting Apple make completes fools out of them and then actually AGREEING with Apple.

Non-removable? YES PLEASE!
Non-upgrade RAM? YES PLEASE!
False advertised CPU speeds due to downthrottling? YES PLEASE!
Cheap crap mobile GPU in a desktop? YES PLEASE!
$500 charge for a 3 year old SSD that costs $150 off the shelf? YES PLEASE!
One usb-port? YES PLEASE!
$100 dollars for a basic adaptor? YES PLEASE!
Screen so glossy it doubles as a mirror? YES PLEASE!

My god... the average Apple consumer has turned into such a brainless puppet. Consumers have been begging for a 'headless iMac' for about 10 years... there's no WAY Apple is going to start respecting it's customers now. They've created a bunch of lemmings that will do as Apple says... a bunch of 'yes men'.
 
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I have to say, I'm still not feeling like I need to upgrade my 2011 17" MBP, even though it's now 5 years old.

Intel's CPUs have not increased in power all that much in that time, which is rather disappointing. GPUs have, but I don't game on my MBP anymore, after building my own desktop PC, so don't care all that much.

I am a big fan of the design principle of the older MBPs, which seemed to be ~100W total system maximum power draw, with a ~100Wh battery. That meant the power was there when you needed it, with a battery that could keep the entire system thrashing itself for a perfectly reasonable full hour. But if you're just writing, or web surfing, 8 hours of operation is pretty much guaranteed.

The only real issue I have is that the cooling system was not up to scratch. Maybe it's worse now as it's aged, but my CPU throttles almost immediately under even moderate load.

This is why I worry about the constant quest for thinness. In my opinion, a decent MacBook PRO should be designed around a roughly 100W power envelope. Thinner and lighter is always good, but once you get to the point where you can't fit a top-end mobile CPU, and a "performance" level mobile GPU, while still keeping the whole thing running smooth and cool under load, then thin has gone too far.

Apple already caters to the ultra-thin-and-light market with the MacBook, and MBA. The MacBook Pro needs to be designed for heavy video editing, computational simulations, and other heavy tasks. That doesn't mean it will be exclusively bought by those people, but as the MBP is Apple's flagship notebook, the capability needs to be there.
 
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MacRumors said:


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But those waiting patiently for a Mac refresh may not have much longer to wait, as DigiTimes today reported that Apple will begin shipping new "ultra-thin" 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks at the end of the second quarter.

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Link: Apple Said to Ship New 'Ultra-Thin' 13" and 15" MacBooks by June-July
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I have not been waiting patiently. I have been on a 2010 15" MBP for almost exactly 6 years. I have been ready for an update for about three years. But I am looking for a *lighter* laptop - with a strong leaning to a 15" screen (yes, *obviously* a 13" laptop can get way lighter, but I do appreciate the screen real estate.).

This could totally fill that bill.

... but I'll still probably buy a 9.7" iPad Pro, because I do want the Pen and keyboard cover, and I want to move my "idle at work" iPad off 30 pin.

*Seriously* hoping for a new laptop. I'm too much of a troglodyte to give up a "real computer" (for now). But that may change some day. (Heck, my mom is operates very well from her iPad! :)
 
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A 15" Pro quad-core that's thinner than a MacBook Air? The thermal throttling will be unacceptable, unless there's some new alien cooling tech incorporated *hopeful*. This is one revision I'd be happy to hang back on, just to make sure that isn't an issue.
 
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Make it as thin as you'd like, as long as it:
1) supports external GPU, so I can set up a powerhouse when I need it;
2) adequate key travel - not a fan of the macbook keyboard...current rMBP key travel is about the minimum.
 
I just hope they don't skimp on performance in the MacBook Pro purely to make the device thinner. Performance is important in "Pro" notebooks.
 
bladerunner2000 said:
Do you really believe any of what you just wrote?
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Have you ever even used a Mac?

You just use the stolen Hackintosh in your signature?

If you went out and bought a Mac and used a Mac to write real software (and gained an appreciation for the amazing unified tools at your fingertips), you wouldn't have such an attitude.
 
This sounds like a big fat 'guess' from Digitimes. I could make my own guesses and I bet they won't be too far off, because the writing was on the wall as soon as Apple released the new MacBook.

New 13" & 15" MacBook Pro's as thin at the MacBook Air. (I mean they're not that far off already)
An updated 12" MacBook as powerful as the current MacBook Air's at some point this year.
Then next year even more powerful 12" MacBook when the technology allows it with a bit of a price drop and goodbye MacBook Air.
 
Mmmm.. I think folks better get used to the Butterfly key mechanism keyboards, perhaps with slightly more travel. They wouldn't praise it only to not use it in their more powerful line up. It's really not that bad, and with a bit more travel, it would be awesome.
 
Oppenheim said:
Have you ever even used a Mac?
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The same could be asked of you... People in glass houses and all that...

You just use the stolen Hackintosh in your signature?
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Where does it say it was stolen? The sig also lists a 2012 MBP...

If you went out and bought a Mac and used a Mac to write real software (and gained an appreciation for the amazing unified tools at your fingertips), you wouldn't have such an attitude.
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That's software. Apple software is top-notch, and most reasonable people wouldn't argue otherwise. The hardware is different. In some areas, Apple hardware is incredible. In others, it is incredibly lacking.

Or are you suggesting that Apple hardware isn't relatively non-upgradeable, or that it doesn't often have thermal throttling issues due to poor cooling?
 
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shadowmatt said:
The constant heating and then fast 5000rpm cooling causes the chips to go bad from the inside, doesn't matter what manufacturer.

My 17" laptop is currently running at 65 C, if pushed it will hit 80 C before the fans decide its cooling time.

A 980Ti I own never goes above 60 C even when pushed, the i7 in that computer rarely goes above 35 C when pushed.

There is a world of difference between cooling a chip to allow you to do more and running chips near their max temperatures so your machines can be a little thinner and a little quieter under normal operation.
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My 2011 17" MBP lasted until 2016 so I just about got those 5 years. Luckily it was heat related design fault so they replaced the logic board for free.
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They quoted me over €1000 for a repair on the iMac I had before I got this one.
I was 3 months too late for a replacement program they had been offering.

Heat issue as well. The good old ATi/AMD graphics chip problems.

My 2011 iMac suffered this too, but I was in-time for a replacement.

Certainly at those prices I'd expect either lower cost out-of-warranty repairs or a reasonable warranty period.
They don't have to, people buy their machines in droves anyways and they begun to act like it, that's the difference compared to several years ago.

Glassed Silver:mac
 
I personally love the MacBook Pro 2012 model… And If my sources are correct, its still one of the best selling models to date. I believe it should be updated, but keep the same kind of form factor. I think you should get rid of the CD drive, and in its place, put in a second Hard Drive, offering more storage for pro users. With that extra space, you can get a bigger and better graphics card, one of the best in laptop computing to date. The ports should be updated too. First, get rid of the FireWire port, because it is unfortunately dead. Second, add another Thunderbolt 3 connector, 1 USB-C connectors, and still have 2 USB 3.0. Keep the Ethernet port, just because with pro users, a lot of times they want the fastest possible, and currently nothing beats Hardwiring to your router. With this update, you should keep the same form factor, the battery tester on the side, and the IR blaster. It should have an updated screen. Also should come standard with a HDMI. If you bring these improvements, along with hardware improvements, you can make possibly the strongest laptop people would want. If that ever happened, and you left it upgradable, it would most likely become one of the best laptops in years. I for one would definitely upgrade.

In summery, MagSafe 1 or 2, doesn't matter. Ethernet port, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports, 2 USB 3 ports, 1 USB-C port, Headphone Jack, an HDMI port, and a SDXC Card Reader. You will still have the IR blaster, and the Battery tester. You will get rid of the CD drive. There should be 2 drives built in, and recommended set up in a RAID 0 Configuration, to extremely boost the speed of the laptop. It will have the skylark chip built in, and the best graphics card you ca get reasonably. It will come with 8 GB of ram, but can be upgraded rather at the store or at home. It has to be user-upgradable. A brand new retina display should be on board. It will still retain the form factor of the current 2012 MBP. This computer Idea will drive the sales of the MacBook Pro up. The name should be The MacBook Pro Plus series..
 
If they thin up the MBP's I can officially say I am out. I can already see Ive talking pompously in front of that white background. But OMG it has 4 USB c ports yay! No magsafe though but it's really thin because customers are complaining left and right about it being too thick)

That.... is..... what..... the..... Macbook air..... is ...... for...... you ......idiots....

Apple doesn't "get it" it wasn't about thin it was about hardware and software integration. Strange they can't see what's right in front of em. Customers seem to buy the 12 inch garbage Macbook. It is garbage for having one port, fact. Every review should have gave it no higher than a 6 just for that. So they'll buy it anyways clearly. Just like gaming got ruined by morons buying seasons passes and GTA and COD non-stop every month in the top 10, the same ones found their way to ruin Macs. great job *slow clap*

Odd for all this thin nonsense that Ive and Schiller can't seem to watch their waistlines. Hypocritical if they can take care that.


I'm okay though *Thumbs up*

Could roll with the broad well rMBP for 3 years though.... keeps Win10 advertising edition far away. There is a silver lining and hopefully in that time Apple crumbles and gets humbled and releases better un-gimped hardware that isn't overly thin.
 
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freediverx said:
I've had two top-of-the-line MacBook Pros with failed logic boards. One had to be trashed because its AppleCare coverage had expired. The other (a 2013 model) was covered under AppleCare and repaired for free last year. The cost of the repair would otherwise have been over $1000.
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I think most if not all PB/MBP repairs I've had over the years have been covered by their "flat rate" repair fee when not covered by recall stuff (free). That's like $319 for a 15" MBP and they've covered a new logic board, top case and display all in the same repair before.
 
zzLZHzz said:
don't worry, by intel track record, kaby lake will be delayed.
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And I can't see anything about Kaby Lake that has me excited, anyway.

I can't see CPUs becoming interesting until at least next year with Cannonlake, where we MIGHT get consumer-level 8-cores. Otherwise, it just seems to be 5-10% speed boost here, some minor improvements to chipset features, ports and intra-system communications, and better integrated graphics. Nothing particularly revolutionary at a CPU level.
 
Erasmus said:
And I can't see anything about Kaby Lake that has me excited, anyway.

I can't see CPUs becoming interesting until at least next year with Cannonlake, where we MIGHT get consumer-level 8-cores. Otherwise, it just seems to be 5-10% speed boost here, some minor improvements to chipset features, ports and intra-system communications, and better integrated graphics. Nothing particularly revolutionary at a CPU level.
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I think the era of anything interesting being able to be achieved by an Intel CPU that a consumer can purchase is over. The direction of computing is to at least require GPUs, perhaps many of them, to perform cutting edge tasks such as deep learning, or perhaps even custom-designed ASICs such as Bitcoin mining.

In any event, Apple does not seem interested in selling machines to consumers that can handle the heat generated by more special purpose computing hardware.
 
13", Retina Display, User replaceable SSD, 8GB RAM as default, Battery life comparable to Macbook Air 13", Skylake, Iris Graphics Grade, Two Thunderbolt, at least 2 USB 3.1 port, one USB Type-C 3.1 port, HDMI port and USB 3 speed card reader, Standard mechanism keyboard, Force Touch touch pad, an Ethernet (slim one, similar with nowadays windows ultrabook), IR blaster and battery indicator.

discrete GPU is not needed, just update the system to make eGPU setup hassle free, using Thunderbolt to PCIe box (unfortunately super expensive now, hopefully in the future it is so much cheaper)

No need to be thinner or lighter, but design changes is highly desirable.
 
So, more utter rubbish in the pipeline then eh?

How about making an actual laptop that is worthy of the "pro"-name than making thinner and thinner e-lifestyle status symbols for rap music videos?
 
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