How about a thicker rMBP?

[Blackberryroid]

Yes, we're all professionals. We do intense programming, Xcode, Dreamweaver, Aperture/Lightroom, Logic Pro, FCP X, stuff like that. And some of us got the rMBP.

It's a Pro computer. It doesn't have to be thin. I bet if it was as thick as an ordinary MBP, it would have more power. But if Apple was to make it thicker, would you agree with that decision and have more power or stay with thin?

I don't think Pros like you would even care about thinness (do you?) as these Pro computers serve as a portable desktop replacement. It's not like we're mixing audio on the road in Logic Pro. Or sit down in Starbucks sipping coffee, thinking about next line in Xcode. Or in the park bench, designing the logo for your App in Photoshop and Illustrator. So that pretty much means that we might not need it's thinness.

Again, are you in favor of a thicker yet more powerful rMBP?

 

[miles01110]

Doesn't matter if you're in favor of a thicker one or not - it's not going to change anything. As long as it's functional I don't see why it even matters.

 

[Blackberryroid]

Doesn't matter if you're in favor of a thicker one or not - it's not going to change anything. As long as it's functional I don't see why it even matters.

It's not just about it's thickness. It's about the performance too.

 

[stuaz]

I prefer it being thin. Its already quite a work horse to be honest. I think devices getting thinner is the way forward really.

I just am reminded of things like Alienwares, where they are massively thick and yet still do not preform well in both price and performance as a tradditonal desktop.

If you want more performance and are not bothered about portability - get a Desktop?

 

[urkel]

It's not just about it's thickness. It's about the performance too.

And lengthening a product life. personally, I find "thin" to be a gimmick once it reaches the point that we lose functionality.

If a slight increase in thickness will give us the standard Magsafe, SSD and Memory upgreability then fatten it up. SSD prices are dropping much quicker than Apple would ever adjust for so the idea that saving a millimeter will cost extending a products life for another two years just doesnt cut it for me.

 

[Blackberryroid]

And lengthening a product life. personally, I find "thin" to be a gimmick once it reaches the point that we lose functionality.

If a slight increase in thickness will give us the standard Magsafe, SSD and Memory upgreability then fatten it up. SSD prices are dropping much quicker than Apple would ever adjust for so the idea that saving a millimeter will cost extending a products life for another two years just doesnt cut it for me.

SSD and Memory is already available. However, those extra millimeters are probably giving you an additional performance in Graphics and Processing. I think it's worth it.

There could even have more room for more battery. So in case you REALLY are doing Aperture while on the park, you would last longer.

 

[cruggles]

What "more power"?

It has the same power as the thick classic MBP.

 

[Surfin10]

... It's not like we're doing these intense tasks on the road (do you?)...

Actually, that's exactly what I do.
I might not be a 'professional' yet, but as a last year student going into the film/media industry, I need something that's super portable and powerful. Honestly, if portability isn't an issue, why get a laptop?

 

[gokart mozart]

I prefer it being thin. Its already quite a work horse to be honest. I think devices getting thinner is the way forward really.

I just am reminded of things like Alienwares, where they are massively thick and yet still do not preform well in both price and performance as a tradditonal desktop.

If you want more performance and are not bothered about portability - get a Desktop?

Yeah...

What would you want in a MBPr that would make it thicker? A second discrete GPU, or a full sized desktop GPU that would suck the battery dry? A HDD (why?)? An optical drive (pointless, bulky upgrade unless they added blu-ray compatibility)? Or would it merely be a placebo effect? You already have one of the best batteries in the industry, a quad core processor, integrated gpu, discrete gpu, and two fans. It is getting bench scores on par with last years iMac. That is pretty damn good for a laptop.

 

[Blackberryroid]

Yeah...

What would you want in a MBPr that would make it thicker? A second discrete GPU, or a full sized desktop GPU that would suck the battery dry? A HDD (why?)? An optical drive (pointless, bulky upgrade unless they added blu-ray compatibility)? Or would it merely be a placebo effect? You already have one of the best batteries in the industry, a quad core processor, integrated gpu, discrete gpu, and two fans. It is getting bench scores on par with last years iMac. That is pretty damn good for a laptop.

Nothing is good enough when it comes to performance. There is always room for more. But the problem with more performance would be the thickness.

I'm not sure if Apple could give that extra power for that few MM, but if they could, there's the issue.

Or even more battery life would be nice. I'll be buying an rMBP soon and I want it to last my entire day at work without having to bring the power cord.

And as for the SSD, we're talking about a Pro computer. I want 1 TB on this thing. Even 2 TB. And you just simply can't have that with an SSD. My Aperture and Lightroom library, I want them stored locally. I don't want to dig around my bag for my external HDD. It's frustrating, with all those cables.

 

[DTKblaster]

If they switched out the 650M with a GTX 680M, and used the extra space for better cooling and battery capacity, I would have considered it. But jumping from a 40W GPU to a 100W one would require serious cooling, and I doubt apple could bring it upon themselves to cut more gaudy ventilation holes into their fashion icon of a laptop.

 

[Krazy Bill]

I think we have too much time on our hands.

How about we solicit opinions on whether the sun should rise in the west. (I could sleep in longer).

Same difference.

 

[Blackberryroid]

I think we have too much time on our hands.

How about we solicit opinions on whether the sun should rise in the west. (I could sleep in longer).

Same difference.

Well, that would be nice, except it's not an interesting topic for me and it's not the topic that this thread started.

There's no such thing as too much time. You can't give time through quantities. You'll always get the same amount of time until you die.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

If they switched out the 650M with a GTX 680M, and used the extra space for better cooling and battery capacity, I would have considered it. But jumping from a 40W GPU to a 100W one would require serious cooling, and I doubt apple could bring it upon themselves to cut more gaudy ventilation holes into their fashion icon of a laptop.

yea and bring the battery life down to 1 1/2hr.. I'm not sure even if it was bigger what performance things they are losing out on. Besides a HD for more storage and optical drive which I don't care for.

 

[MCAsan]

Not only no...but heck no. I like the rMBP very much as is.

 

[tninety]

The only faster mobile CPU is the Intel Extreme one with a higher TDP, and even that's not much faster than the 2.7 GHz processor offered in the MBP unless you overclock it.

If you want a laptop significantly more powerful than the rMBP, you'll have to move into desktop-class processors.

The GPU could be better though, but that's it.

 

[gentlefury]

If you want a desktop with a screen attached Apple might not be for you.

http://www.originpc.com/Laptops/Gaming/Eon15-s/Default.aspx?TAB=FEATURES&ACTIVE=TRUE&SYSTEMID=4

This computer is FIERCE if you want to put the money into it. You can spec it out with a 6-core i7 3.8ghz CPU, 32GB ram, a 4GB graphics card, and a 512GB Samsung 830 SSD for about $3900 (about the price of the highest end config of the rMBP). The problem is, it only runs windows, and its 2" thick and weighs 7 lbs and at that spec would get about 20 mins of battery life!!! Also the screen resolution is 1920x1080...which is admirable for a 15" laptop, but with that much power it could easily slaughter any game at 2880x1800, so it's unfortunate.

I personally like Apple computers. They are very well built. They hold their value. And while they aren't the fastest on the market on a white sheet, they perform amazingly well!

 

[Blackberryroid]

The GPU could be better though, but that's it.

Definitely worth it, considering that the rMBP has a retina display.

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.......................lol

Image

I don't get it.

 

[pgiguere1]

Making the body thicker won't make Intel magically ship new faster CPUs.

If you want a faster machine, either get a desktop or wait for Haswell, making the body thicker won't help.

This is what Intel offers right now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors

Best you could do by making thicker would be to put in a 3920XM (2.9GHz) with 55W TDP. Look at its cost though, $1096 for the CPU alone.

If Apple offered an extra BTO option to get a 2.9GHz CPU for $1000 more than the current 2.7GHz option, how many people do you think would get it, considering it would also make the body thicker and draw more battery life?

Even for the consumer, the tradeoff (and obviously the price) isn't worth it, so for Apple it's even worse considering they would sell next to none.

 

[Blackberryroid]

Making the body thicker won't make Intel magically ship new faster CPUs.

If you want a faster machine, either get a desktop or wait for Haswell, making the body thicker won't help.

This is what Intel offers right now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors

Best you could do by making thicker would be to put in a 3920XM (2.9GHz) with 55W TDP. Look at its cost though, for the CPU alone.

If Apple offered an extra BTO option to get a 2.9GHz CPU for more than the current 2.7GHz option, how many people do you think would get it, considering it would also make the body thicker and draw more battery life?

Even for the consumer, the tradeoff (and obviously the price) isn't worth it, so for Apple it's even worse considering they would sell next to none.

In that case... then why is the classic old MBP thick?

 

[GGJstudios]

It's a Pro computer. It doesn't have to be thin. I bet if it was as thick as an ordinary MBP, it would have more power.

In what way do you think thickness has anything to do with power?

 

[maflynn]

Its not thinner by a lot, but I love the design and I think its a great where its at.

 

[Textureboy]

It's not just about it's thickness. It's about the performance too.

So you're trying the rMBP isn't powerful enough?

 

[Benbikeman]

I think people are misunderstanding the question. The thinness is why the rMBP isn't upgradeable. Keep it like the classic but with the retina screen and you have something you can upgrade later with more RAM and a bigger SSD and the machine will remain usable for longer.

 

[charlieegan3]

Voted thinner because thinner = lighter.