First Real-World Photos and Video of New MacBook Pro Models Begin to Surface

[DeepIn2U]

Not only those DELLs don't have a notch but they also come in OLED. ?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️

Dell XPS 15 OLED review: The best keeps getting better

The Dell XPS 15 is fast, beautiful, built right, and offers up a gorgeous OLED display. It's a dream machine for creative types and power users.

www.digitaltrends.com

Lol hilarious that the haters can only call out the cosmetic thing itself about iPhones or the 2021 MBP.

Nothing though on performance, price, build quality, warranty etc all the REAL things people buy and use a laptop for primarily.

Interesting isn’t it?
Poison pill for the troll

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

It's mostly Apple people here. They aren't complaining about performance, build quality, warranty, etc because those things are spectacular. They want one (too) but this one thing bugs them... or maybe two things for those see "thick" in spite of actual measurements.

Attempted redirection to the great stuff doesn't make the part that bugs them less visible. It's right there, staring them in the face... unlike the spectacular guts that makes this arguably the most powerful of all Macs (except maybe a highly loaded Pro for many times this price).

Step back in time just a week or two. What did we all want in new MBp?

More Power? ✔️
New Design? ✔️
Revival of certain useful ports and magsafe? ✔️
Thunderbolt 4/USB 4? ✔️
More RAM capacity? ✔️
More configuration options? ✔️
Multiple Monitor support? ✔️
Better battery life? ✔️
Better FaceTime camera? ✔️

How many of us were wishing/longing/hoping for a notch?

 

[dan98]

I couldn't care less about the notch personally - it's nothing more than a first world mini-crisis for those that do.

But in terms of Apple and their traditional design ethos, it's total garbage.

Beautifully 'perfect' conceptual works of industrial art..I could say that for many of the designs from the Jobs era, but products now are just a showcase for what happens when a company loses it's way, or the shareholders profits take precedence over the original dream and vision of the company.

Huge bulging lumps sticking out the back of the iphone, silly little notches and design fudges appearing all over the place etc. Jobs would've screamed and screamed at the designers until it was put right, or some ingenious elegant solution was found.
Anyway whatever, they'll continue to sell by the zillions no doubt.

 

[Marshall73]

Dell seems to think this is mostly a non-issue or they wouldn't be putting the displays in warrantied XPS laptops.

Probably because they end up in the trash after 3 or 4 years like most windows laptops.

 

[Dr.Ravencroft]

How many of us were wishing/longing/hoping for a notch?

We were wishing/longing/hoping for a better webcam and thinner bezels. And I fail to see the logic in bringing in the Dell XPS 13/15 example, as their tiny webcams are terrible; even compared to 2020 m1 MBP they are bad. Almost every single review of the 2020 M1 MBP said they wished for a better webcam and thinner bezels.
This reminds me of a quote from Oscar Wilde, "There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."
Additionally, I feel there's a misconception that the notch is taking up from the 16:10 space. It's not. In full-screen, the apps having a black bar on top are in 16:10 ratio that we are familiar from the previous gen MacBooks. Anything else to the right and to the left of the notch is extra space.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I didn’t mention Dell anything. My comparison was “better webcam” in iPad Mini 6, notchless, thin bezel vs. same(?) webcam in MBp bezel plus notch. My question was how much more bezel would it take for Apple to do what they did in iPad Mini 6. Best I can subjectively tell, not much.

I also didn’t say anything about 16:10 either. Basically, my point is that it looks like the new “whole” screen with “extra” could have been shifted down as little as 2-3mm and still fully fit a 1080p Facetime camera in the bezel with no notch... because Apple did it with iPad Mimi 6.

If so, those on both sides of this debate would get what they want in full.

 

[Dr.Ravencroft]

I didn’t mention Dell anything. My comparison was “better webcam” in iPad Mini 6, notchless, thin bezel vs. same(?) webcam in MBp bezel plus notch. My question was how much more bezel would it take for Apple to do what they did in iPad Mini 6. Best I can subjectively tell, not much.

I think the issue here could lie in the reduced thickness of the screen on the MBP compared to the thickness of iPhones or iPads. I guess we'll know more once iFixit has published their teardown.

 

[bradman83]

Was that bottom chin necessary?

DELL XPS
View attachment 1874946

The XPS has a webcam too. So no, not only was the bottom chin not necessary, but neither was the notch.

Not a snarky question: how did Dell get such a thin bezel and fit their camera without a notch? I might be missing something wrt hardware but, it seems like Apple should be able to pull this off too. I don’t follow Dell, so maybe someone on this thread knows the answer.

If Dell XPS laptops can make it, Apple could do it too.
It a shame since Dell XPS are flawed by bad thermals and Intel, Apple could make it sexier easily with no notch and less besels.
Don't get me wrong it's one of the biggest upgrade ever in the laptop industry but I'm convinced Apple opted to make an "iconic" look for brand recognition (huge notch "iPhone like", bottom bezel still here) rather than make the best one.

I think the chin your actually seeing the hinge of the MacBook more cause of the angle of the photo.

The telling thing about this though… the XPS looks like it has a webcam and NO notch.

If Dell can have small bezels and camera in then I wonder why Apple couldn't do the same. The notch is not needed especially this big so wonder why they put it there

Only Dell can apparently make an almost edge-to-edge screen. And what's with the chin?

Yup. I certainly don't but Apple couldn't have made a significantly smaller camera module. Every other manufacturer is capable of doing so - why didn't they?

Exactly what I was thinking. Even move the entire screen down so we have no bottom chin and a bigger top chin so the notch is hidden.
Also why does the XPS have no notch?
We all know there's no way Jobs would have accepted this...

Better question: Was that notch really necessary?

As others have said but I’ll say again - the webcam on the XPS is TERRIBLE. Dell went with a tiny sensor that produces awful results in order to fit in in a top bezel that’s thicker than the new MBP. There isn’t a single manufacturer who has solved this. They either put the webcam in a weird location on the main deck of the laptop which creates an awkward angle, or they use tiny sensors with inadequate quality. Many just don’t include a webcam. People complained the MBP’s bezels were too big. They complained the webcam was lousy. Apple’s approach tries to solve both by putting the webcam in otherwise unused space extended beyond the standard aspect ratio area.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I think the issue here could lie in the reduced thickness of the screen on the MBP compared to the thickness of iPhones or iPads. I guess we'll know more once iFixit has published their teardown.

Possibly. But iPad mini needs the whole computer + battery inside the screen (plus camera module for the other side). New MBp has a 1080p camera in it just like iPad Mini6. However it is implemented to fit the screen wouldn’t have to change. My guess is that it is the very same module.

if so, it’s just about placement. Put it closer to the top just like Apple did with Mini 6. Make the bezel what appears to be 2 or 3mm thicker to match the thin bezel of Mini 6 and you get a 1080p camera (upgrade) just like Mini with no notch just like Mini.

But that would eat some of that “extra” screen to the left & right of notch right? Not if the whole screen shifted down only those 2 or 3mm. Bonus: that would add even more “extra” screen where the notch now resides.

Is there room for that shift at the bottom? In Apples own pics, it looks like there is.

 

[lowkey]

It's mostly Apple people here. They aren't complaining about performance, build quality, warranty, etc because those things are spectacular. They want one (too) but this one thing bugs them... or maybe two things for those see "thick" in spite of actual measurements.

Attempted redirection to the great stuff doesn't make the part that bugs them less visible. It's right there, staring them in the face... unlike the spectacular guts that makes this arguably the most powerful of all Macs (except maybe a highly loaded Pro for many times this price).

Step back in time just a week or two. What did we all want in new MBp?

More Power? ✔️
New Design? ✔️
Revival of certain useful ports and magsafe? ✔️
Thunderbolt 4/USB 4? ✔️
More RAM capacity? ✔️
More configuration options? ✔️
Multiple Monitor support? ✔️
Better battery life? ✔️
Better FaceTime camera? ✔️

How many of us were wishing/longing/hoping for a notch?

Depends who you ask. As a former 2017 15”MBP and current 2019 16” MBP owner I was hoping for:-

A cooler running chip
More CPU power
Thinner (back to the 2017)
Lighter (back to the 2017)
6 uSB-c ports.

The 2019 MBP was already getting too big and heavy for a mobile computer and was considerably more so than the 2017 model.

It’s hard to imagine that getting rid of the Intel 8 core i9 chip could result in a computer that’s thicker, bulkier and heavier.

The whole machine, beyond the chip design (no doubt a separate department) just looks amateurish compared to Apples usual attention to detail and ability to innovate.

“It doesn’t fit”
“That’s ok, just make it a bit thicker”

Seemed to be the design process. Perhaps they outsourced the design to Dell or HP this time around??

 

[0423MAC]

Depends who you ask. As a former 2017 15”MBP and current 2019 16” MBP owner I was hoping for:-

A cooler running chip
More CPU power
Thinner (back to the 2017)
Lighter (back to the 2017)
6 uSB-c ports.

The 2019 MBP was already getting too big and heavy for a mobile computer and was considerably more so than the 2017 model.

It’s hard to imagine that getting rid of the Intel 8 core i9 chip could result in a computer that’s thicker, bulkier and heavier.

The whole machine, beyond the chip design (no doubt a separate department) just looks amateurish compared to Apples usual attention to detail and ability to innovate.

“It doesn’t fit”
“That’s ok, just make it a bit thicker”

Seemed to be the design process. Perhaps they outsourced the design to Dell or HP this time around??

Well, let's spin this another way when considering what's under the hood according to Apple's graphs.

An RTX 380 is an absolute beast of a GPU. As power efficient as this new AS design is, there is just no way for this kind of horsepower to run cool to the touch especially when compared to those Intel iGPUs running at full tilt. In terms of raw horsepower it blows those AMD GPUs in the old 16" models as well.

Let's compare what we find on newegg on the PC side of things. Specifically the MSI Stealth since I believe they are the best at squeezing the most performance on these high end machines in a somewhat sleek and attractive design.

Now you see a bunch of vents and if you are familiar with gaming laptops they scream and I do mean SCREAM at full load.

Now let's look at the 14" images apple has on their site:

We haven't even touched on the battery life yet and the fact that Apple has claimed that this type of performance on a laptop with a 14" display in a form factor that is just a tad larger than their 13" laptops.

If the claims made by apple are to be believed (good indication we should believe them), then I expect nothing short of incredible reviews across the board. This is all done being powered by a 96W PSU included in the box & a CPU that should obliterate those core i9 processors that the "budget" M1 macs already go blow to blow with or exceed in most tasks.

I expect them to run whisper quiet at the majority of the time for MOST users and only the most extreme cases of hardcore 8K video rendering to start forcing those fans to start spinning quickly.

I find what apple has done remarkable here and the most excited I have been for one of their laptops since 2015.

edit: it looks even better from real world shots:

 

[smoking monkey]

How many of us were wishing/longing/hoping for a notch?

There is no notch. The notch is actually a menu bar with a hole in the middle of it. Think of it as a touch bar on the screen (that you can't touch!). Full screen 16x10 exists below the notch. The notch hasn't eaten into the screen. The screen has eaten into the camera. There is a fundamental difference.

This is not the same as an iphone. I hate the notch on my iphone. I'm totally fine with the notch on the computer due to get more screen because of it. I don't see the problem. More screen = notch and it's actually implemented well (or so we are being led to believe)? Hell yeah, more screen please!!!

 

[thislsmadness]

Depends who you ask. As a former 2017 15”MBP and current 2019 16” MBP owner I was hoping for:-

A cooler running chip
More CPU power
Thinner (back to the 2017)
Lighter (back to the 2017)
6 uSB-c ports.

The 2019 MBP was already getting too big and heavy for a mobile computer and was considerably more so than the 2017 model.

It’s hard to imagine that getting rid of the Intel 8 core i9 chip could result in a computer that’s thicker, bulkier and heavier.

The whole machine, beyond the chip design (no doubt a separate department) just looks amateurish compared to Apples usual attention to detail and ability to innovate.

“It doesn’t fit”
“That’s ok, just make it a bit thicker”

Seemed to be the design process. Perhaps they outsourced the design to Dell or HP this time around??

There is a reason many believe the 2016-2019 MBPs are Apple's worst generation. Apple didn't reach that level of thinness through some sort of innovative or ingenious design. They literally just removed ports, produced a flat keyboard that is considered the worst they've ever made, and struggled with good thermal design. It's not a generation that will be remembered fondly.

"It doesn't fit"
"That's ok, remove it and make it thinner."

I'm glad the obsession with thinness is over. And hell yeah it's ok for a Pro device to be a little thicker if it means you can add more to it. MBPs are not ultra portables, that's what the MBA is for. The only thing I'm disappointed about is that there isn't enough ports.. I'd love ethernet and a usb a port.

 

[0423MAC]

There is a reason many believe the 2016-2019 MBPs are Apple's worst generation. Apple didn't reach that level of thinness through some sort of innovative or ingenious design. They literally just removed ports, produced a flat keyboard that is considered the worst they've ever made, and struggled with good thermal design. It's not a generation that will be remembered fondly.

"It doesn't fit"
"That's ok, remove it and make it thinner."

I'm glad the obsession with thinness is over. And hell yeah it's ok for a Pro device to be a little thicker if it means you can add more to it. MBPs are not ultra portables, that's what the MBA is for. The only thing I'm disappointed about is that there isn't enough ports.. I'd love ethernet and a usb a port.

The board will hold a vote to remove Tim Apple if he were to let a product in the wild that cuts into their $19-$49 accessory market they love selling us ?

What will fill the sides of the stores?

 

[theorist9]

A Linus Tech Tips blog mentioned one of their commenters offered a great way of understanding what the notch means for Apple's design thinking when it comes to the MBP's:

The notch gives more usable vertical real estate (a plus for function). But at the same time, it is ugly (a minus for form). I.e., it tells us Apple is willing, in a very obvious way, to put function over form. This is consistent with the other design changes in these MBP's (e.g., the blockier cases, which are needed for the 50% better thermal dissipation they claim). Thus the notch can be seen as one more aspect of Apple trying to make these true pro machines.

 

[nsayer]

Yeah, imagine "aiming" a laptop webcam at your face.

That would be nuts.

/sarcasm

Ha ha. Face ID is not the same thing as a webcam, dufus.

 

[lowkey]

There is a reason many believe the 2016-2019 MBPs are Apple's worst generation. Apple didn't reach that level of thinness through some sort of innovative or ingenious design. They literally just removed ports, produced a flat keyboard that is considered the worst they've ever made, and struggled with good thermal design. It's not a generation that will be remembered fondly.

"It doesn't fit"
"That's ok, remove it and make it thinner."

I'm glad the obsession with thinness is over. And hell yeah it's ok for a Pro device to be a little thicker if it means you can add more to it. MBPs are not ultra portables, that's what the MBA is for. The only thing I'm disappointed about is that there isn't enough ports.. I'd love ethernet and a usb a port.

There are less usable ports on the 2021 model for me and many others. 4 USBC ports vs 3. Um…legacy HDMI2.0? No thanks I use DisplayPort monitors. SD card? Nope, my sampler has a CF card, so that’s useless.

These are still laptops. If you want think, heavy laptops with legacy ports there are hundreds of models to choose from. LOL.

 

[dogstar]

It's another topic but I would be very curious how Dell will answer to this MBP line-up with their XPS ?
I have the feeling that even 2022 XPS will be outdated vs these ARM based MBP.

I would love to see a very optimized ARM based fanless laptop (XPS or Thinkpad like) on W11, maybe in 3 years ? ?

Michael Dell the billionaire and heir apparent to Steve Jobs should 1) buy a arm silicon firm, 2) develop his own chip comparable to the M1 pro max and 3) **** intel in the ass.

 

[0423MAC]

There are less usable ports on the 2021 model for me and many others. 4 USBC ports vs 3. Um…legacy HDMI2.0? No thanks I use DisplayPort monitors. SD card? Nope, my sampler has a CF card, so that’s useless.

These are still laptops. If you want think, heavy laptops with legacy ports there are hundreds of models to choose from. LOL.

You are clearly in the minority. The fact that Apple out of all companies realized the error in their ways is proof enough that HDMI and an SD card slot are anything BUT legacy and a much welcomed return for Pro users.

 

[lowkey]

A Linus Tech Tips blog mentioned one of their commenters offered a great way of understanding what the notch means for Apple's design thinking when it comes to the MBP's:

The notch gives more usable vertical real estate (a plus for function). But at the same time, it is ugly (a minus for form). I.e., it tells us Apple is willing, in a very obvious way, to put function over form. This is consistent with the other design changes in these MBP's (e.g., the blockier cases, which are needed for the 50% better thermal dissipation they claim). Thus the notch can be seen as one more aspect of Apple trying to make these true pro machines.

Yes, but weight and bulk are “function” not “form” when you are talking about laptops. They are designed for portability you know.

The 2021 model is less easily portable than the 2019 model which was less easily portable than the 2017 model.

If weight is irrelevant to you, get a desktop.

 

[lowkey]

You are clearly in the minority. The fact that Apple out of all companies realized the error in their ways is proof enough that HDMI and an SD card slot are anything BUT legacy and a much welcomed return for Pro users.

So Dell was right all along was it? LOL

 

[theorist9]

Depends who you ask. As a former 2017 15”MBP and current 2019 16” MBP owner I was hoping for:-

A cooler running chip
More CPU power
Thinner (back to the 2017)
Lighter (back to the 2017)
6 uSB-c ports.

The 2019 MBP was already getting too big and heavy for a mobile computer and was considerably more so than the 2017 model.

Could you live with a 14" display? I'll understand if the answer is no but, if you could, and portability is a high priority for you, that would give you everything else you want*: A much more powerful and cooler-running computer in a smaller, lighter package: The new 14" is the same thickness as the 2017 15", has a smaller footprint, and is a half-pound lighter. [*Except the 6 USB ports--does any laptop offer this??]

It’s hard to imagine that getting rid of the Intel 8 core i9 chip could result in a computer that’s thicker, bulkier and heavier.

The whole machine, beyond the chip design (no doubt a separate department) just looks amateurish compared to Apples usual attention to detail and ability to innovate.

“It doesn’t fit”
“That’s ok, just make it a bit thicker”

Seemed to be the design process. Perhaps they outsourced the design to Dell or HP this time around??

I don't think there was any more or less attention to detail this time around than last time. It's all about trade-offs, and this time they just picked a trade off in form over a trade-off in function.

I.e., if this time it was: “It doesn’t fit”. “That’s ok, just make it a bit thicker”.
Then last time it was: “It doesn’t fit”. “That’s ok, just make it hotter, noiser and less powerful”.

 

[0423MAC]

So Dell was right all along was it? LOL

I don't bother thinking about what Dell does/doesn't do. What IS clear however is that Apple was wrong on multiple fronts for the past 5-6 years when it came to their laptops in enough eyes of THEIR pro consumers, not Dell's.

Your obsession for a pro laptop that's a few grams lighter and centimeters thinner doesn't mean customers all over the world should have to travel around with multiple docks - which of course negates the very weight and "bulk" those older macbooks saved .

Don't like it? The MacBook Air still exists and will continue to exist.

 

[theorist9]

Yes, but weight and bulk are “function” not “form” when you are talking about laptops. They are designed for portability you know.

The 2021 model is less easily portable than the 2019 model which was less easily portable than the 2017 model.

If weight is irrelevant to you, get a desktop.

"If weight is irrelevant to you, get a desktop" isn't a serious comment. It's a strawman. I never said weight was irrelevant, it's about trade-offs. Your comment is in the same category as "If weight is everything to you, get an iPad". Or: "If weight is everything to you, maybe you need to spend more time in the gym".

Plus your comment is pure snark. Note that, in responding to you, I went out of my way to be polite ["Could you live with a 14" display? I'll understand if the answer is no but, if you could,..."]. Looks like my civility was wasted on someone who's really only interested in trolling. Nice social skills, by the way.

 

[lowkey]

Yes it’s about ease offs. An HDMI cable can be connected to the 2019 with a small cable by those who need it. That is more functional than designing a computer that no longer fits in a bag designed for a MacBook Pro!

An HDMI port is useless for anything but an HDMI 2.0 connection. Bad luck if you need HDMI2.1, DisplayPort or USBC.

It’s lazy design work to not be able to fit an M1 based chip into a machine that used to have an Intel i9.

These laptops have really pushed the boundaries of weight and bulk. The 2019 model was borderline. These are next level bloat.