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Apple to Announce New MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Possibly MacBook Air at WWDC
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Well, I have MacBook Air 6.2 (early 2014) and I am ready for update. I was used to buy a new machine each 3 years and usually the new machine meant for me a significant upgrade.
My current MacBook Air 13" has 512 GB SDD and 8 GB of RAM and battery life around 10 hours.
There were rumours the MacBook line is the successor for the MacBook Air line, so I was hoping for MacBook 14" or 15" with Retina display that would have at least 1 TB SSD, 16 GB RAM, and 10 hours battery, but there is no such machine offering right now.
I guess there is a lot of potential buyers with similar preferences so at least bumping MacBook Air's specs could make a good job if Apple is able to put in Retina display, or just give us a bigger MacBook with more ports and big SSD.
And that's the gist of it .
If Windows was better, or OSX cross-platform, Apple would be forced to make the Macs customers want, not what they dream up in their ivory tower .
I'd love a 14'' Macbook with one more port, but I'm afraid its cost would be similar to the MBP without touch bar.
I own a 2012 MBA and honestly apart from the retina display I don't see a reason to upgrade since performances are still good.
In the past my laptops served me for about 3 years, but since prices are getting higher I think I'll switch to a 6 years upgrade cycle.
Ironically, I agree that there won't be a announcement at WWDC even if this does happen because it would just be a spec bump, but for me 32GB of RAM would be HUGE and worth crowing about. Personally, however, I'd be shocked to see it, as it hasn't been THAT long since release.
After some investigation, it appears that programs like Parallels are smart enough to flip the function keys on for you when you are running windows apps like Visual Studio. And when I'm back in MacOS land, the touch bar gives you options for brightness, etc instead. That's more than enough reason for me to think 'soft' function keys are a good idea. It will improve my everyday life significantly - my Fn key will no longer wear out quicker than all the other keys.
After some investigation, it appears that programs like Parallels are smart enough to flip the function keys on for you when you are running windows apps like Visual Studio. And when I'm back in MacOS land, the touch bar gives you options for brightness, etc instead. That's more than enough reason for me to think 'soft' function keys are a good idea. It will improve my everyday life significantly - my Fn key will no longer wear out quicker than all the other keys.
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I contributed to that spike. Sealed in hard drives was one innovation too many for me. Pro computers should not be built from the designs of a netbook. If this next refresh confirms Apple's intentions towards upgradability then this is the last Apple computer I shall ever buy.
"Many" in this forum did buy the 2015 rMBP...but also "many" did actually buy the 2016 model....
So until Apple release the real numbers it is impossible to know for sure...but if Apple really redesign it after only 9 months we will know...
So until Apple release the real numbers it is impossible to know for sure...but if Apple really redesign it after only 9 months we will know...
I'd prefer this came as a pack-in feature covered under warranty rather than having to rely on some third party thing.
Kaby Lake still doesn't support LPDDR4 memory so we're looking at either continuing a cap on 16GB LPDDR3 or 32GB regular DDR4 as an optional extra. This would come at the expense of battery life but for heavy users of VMs it may be worthwhile as a trade-off.
This'll be the MacBook Pro I upgrade to, unless the battery hasn't been improved from the 2016 model and it becomes likely that the next version will fix that. Once again, I'm considering an iMac instead but with Thunderbolt 3 and a new Apple display on the horizon I think my mind is already made up. Staff discount and the best of both worlds in terms of portability and power
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How about removing the touchbar and reducing the cost by $300
There have been a few different rumours / numbers thrown around that I've seen
Some reports show that the biggest sellers were still the 2015 MBp and the MBA. The new MBp didn't get quite the sales they were expecting, as many people who were just "waiting" to see, decided to opt for the 2015 model instead.
Estimated shipping numbers for Apple's computer lineup were up marginally, but not in record numbers, and not significant value to change their relative market share position in the industry. Record revenues were however realized despite the fairly inconsequential increase in volume.
what does this tell us?
We have no ****ing clue what we know
Well this particular rumour says, very clearly, "internal changes only" so we're probably just talking about adding Kaby Lake chips - which has to happen sometime but is not going to be a spectacular update.
The other things they've really got taken to task over are (a) no 32GB RAM option (Personally, I don't need that - but some do) and (b) battery capacity (the two problems being related to some extent). We've seen technical justifications for those issues and, maybe, if the tech issues have been solved, they could also be fixed without an external re-design.
Another big problem is the price issue: the 12" MacBook and the 13" non-TB MacBook Pro are the obvious successors to the MacBook Air 11" and 13", respectively, but they're just too darned expensive for that. Remember the history of the MacBook Air - it started out as an eye-wateringly expensive executive toy with only one USB port, but after a couple of years dropped in price and became entry-level machines. One or both of the rMB or the non-TB-MBP needs to get a price haircut so Apple can have a credible sub-$1000 offering. If that can't be done with the existing spec then maybe go for a lower-resolution display (look at the MS and Dell Mac-wannabe ranges: they don't start with retina-class screens).
Actually, you could improve the non-TB MacBook Pro significantly by simply removing "Pro" from the label. At least, then, it makes sense as the 12" MB's big brother.
Apple's other option - if they want to keep their margins and not do any U-turns - would be to keep the 2016 MBP range as is and add a new "portable workstation" model, focussed on power rather than portability, to keep the video pros and power users happy. Intel have mobile Xeon processors they could use, it could maybe have 32GB (or maybe more) ECC RAM, space for a second SSD blade, TB3 ports and legacy ports etc. and would be clearly distinct from the 2016 MBP, only really overlapping with the fully tricked out 15" models. The problem is, it would probably not sell in huge numbers or make massive revenues - what it would do is help keep the Mac OS ecosystem attractive to pro users, developers, gamers and enthusiasts. The trick would be not to be too clever (= expensive) with the design - competing PCs are grey bricks (or, in the case of gaming laptops, grey bricks with lots of coloured LEDs) - Apple would be charging a premium over those anyway and should be able to swallow a pound of aluminium pellets and puke a better design without breaking the bank.
I doubt that Apple will backtrack on the whole USB-C/TB3 thing on the existing MacBook line, but that doesn't mean they have to go down the same route on the next iMac or a hypothetical mobile workstation. By the time the fabled new Mac Pro comes out in a year or two, all-USB-C might be a different proposition anyway.
tl;dr
My wife HAD to have a new computer last Augustrolleyes so we got her a MacBook Air. I really wanted to hold off and either give her my old MacBook Pro or get her a new tbMBP, but she HAD to have her own portable machine right then. So went with a 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM MacBook Air. And truth be told, I actually find it to be a nice machine for portable everyday use that I think would still work just fine for most people. Plenty fast, light and portable and plenty of connections. But most importantly, it doesn't break the bank like a new tbMBP would. To get rid of the only somewhat affordable portable machine left in the lineup would be a big mistake, IMO.
My wife HAD to have a new computer last August
rolleyes so we got her a MacBook Air. I really wanted to hold off and either give her my old MacBook Pro or get her a new tbMBP, but she HAD to have her own portable machine right then. So went with a 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM MacBook Air. And truth be told, I actually find it to be a nice machine for portable everyday use that I think would still work just fine for most people. Plenty fast, light and portable and plenty of connections. But most importantly, it doesn't break the bank like a new tbMBP would. To get rid of the only somewhat affordable portable machine left in the lineup would be a big mistake, IMO.
Agree. with a 2013 Macbook Air still going strong. I'd be more open to a strong update of the MB air than anything else. Like the tapered shape too.
You buy one of the adapters from a good manufacturer it'll come with a warranty. And depending on what you get you might be able to have a system that allows you to use the same charger for your phone, tablet, laptop, etc. I'll take that over another proprietary charging plug any day.
Won't happen.
Whilst i think Magsafe is kinda cool, USB-C is here to stay. And whilst magsafe is nice for the cable disconnection, the rest of the industry is going USB-C, and i'd much rather have a USB port than a magsafe port. I simply do not drop my macbook or trip over the cable. Battery life is good enough on the macbooks these days that you don't need to have them constantly tethered when using them on your lap or some place not on a secure desk anyway.
So yeah. sad that magsafe is gone, but USB-C is worth the loss IMHO.
What I'd really like to see from a refresh?
Lower prices. Current MBP pricing is BS. Even the 2015 spec models got jacked up in price compared to what i paid for mine - by 500 bucks for the exact same spec i bought in 2015 in australia.
More RAM. 16 GB should be standard on the PRO machines. vs. the total BOM cost, an extra 8 GB of RAM is cheap. Shipping only 8 GB is being stingy. Option for 32 GB would be nice.
What I'd REALLY like to see is an officially supported Apple dock that can handle PCIe cards.
So that i can finally have the holy grail, of a MBP 15 with a quad core in it, and a thunderbolt dock with a Geforce 1080 or similar spec AMD card in it when i put it on my desk (i will then get rid of my desktop PC).
I DO NOT WANT an onboard discrete GPU. I don't care about blowing battery power on a discrete GPU when i'm not at a desk. And when i'm at a desk, i may as well use something that's AC powered and in a dock.
A friend has been running eGPUs on Macbook airs for 5+ years. They work, well. Pull your finger out apple! Put out an officially supported thunderbolt peripheral for it!
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Agree, but on the other hand, other analysts, like the infamous KUO (who I believe has well established links inside Apple's supply chain) and has been right more often than not, reported that MacBook Pro will be "the most significantly redesigned product this year" with desktop-class RAM to appeal to high-end users.
Thinking more about it, it really maddens me that Apple have not put out a TB-PCIe dock.
They're supposedly pushing thunderbolt, yet a massive, massive, PC-killing use-case for so many people would be external GPUs for their Macs. Other than putting ports on the machine, Apple do basically nothing to support thunderbolt.
Seriously. If i could hook up an eGPU, my Mac budget goes way up because i'm not also building a desktop gaming PC. A Macbook with eGPU would be "good enough" by a long shot.
Right now i'm refreshing two computers (mac and PC) because i want a GPU that doesn't suck, but i also want a portable. Give me e-GPU without me having to dodgy something up myself, and that PC budget goes to my Mac....
Alternatively - put out a big box consumer spec Mac with a couple of slots. No, i don't want a Xeon Mac Pro style thing.. i just want a slot or two. Then i could probably live with a desktop mac and an iPad Pro - in a pinch.
They're supposedly pushing thunderbolt, yet a massive, massive, PC-killing use-case for so many people would be external GPUs for their Macs. Other than putting ports on the machine, Apple do basically nothing to support thunderbolt.
Seriously. If i could hook up an eGPU, my Mac budget goes way up because i'm not also building a desktop gaming PC. A Macbook with eGPU would be "good enough" by a long shot.
Right now i'm refreshing two computers (mac and PC) because i want a GPU that doesn't suck, but i also want a portable. Give me e-GPU without me having to dodgy something up myself, and that PC budget goes to my Mac....
Alternatively - put out a big box consumer spec Mac with a couple of slots. No, i don't want a Xeon Mac Pro style thing.. i just want a slot or two. Then i could probably live with a desktop mac and an iPad Pro - in a pinch.
Why?
They don't now.
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Well, with a generation-newer CPU, and all that implies, I wouldn't call that a "re-release".
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So, you're "pissed" when Apple takes slightly over a year to update the MacBook Pro from 2016 to 2016, and now you're "pissed" that Apple updates in 7 or 8 months.
So, pray tell, what EXACTLY is the Refresh Interval that you will not be pissed about?
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Uncle Phil and Uncle Freddie were very specific about being unspecific regarding exactly when we would be seeing those updated iMacs and the "re-imagined" Mac Pro; but I believe they were alluding to the fact that they would be unlikely to show up in 2017.
Except that's not integrated and creates a weird, bizarre nodule on the side of my Macbook that I don't want.
You mean the MacBook "Head in the Sand" edition.
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Why would ANYONE buy that ancient-hardware in the Surface Studio???
Have you taken a look at the specs?
I think we're talking two separate rumours here:
(1) Kaby Lake MBPs and MB (and maybe even Airs) in June. Kaby lake is really nothing to get excited about: the most interesting rumoured feature - integrated Thunderbolt controller, which could have seen the 12" MacBook gain 'proper' Thunderbolt 3 and possibly a reduction in the cost of the MBPs - didn't see the light of day.
(2) Hypothetical new, redesigned 32GB-capable MacBook Pro-means-Pro late 2017 (as per the MacRumors roundup page). Probably around the same time frame as the hypothetical "iMac Pro" hinted at in the March press conf.
Event (2) would be an opportune time for shaking up the "Macbook/Pro/Air" branding trainwreck.
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...someone for whom the alternative was an iMac plus an large-screen (==really expensive) Wacom Cintiq tablet and a much bigger desk?
...yes - not what a tech enthusiast would buy for bragging rights, or (with no better-than-USB3 i/o) a great system for 4k+ video editing, but perfectly adequate for someone doing 2D drawing/painting/CAD or even light 3D CAD.
Anyway, I'm not sure how hard Microsoft is really trying to sell their Surface range, as opposed to delivering a swift kick to the derrière to the rather stagnant third-party PC market.
....
the color red is also not an existing iphone 7 color, wouldn't call that a re-release either!
... lol ~ whatever