Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How can Apple top their current design/build?

M

macDonalds

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 8, 2007
448
0
I'm still relatively new to Apple products. I've only seen a few years worth of revisions and they seem to get better each time (you would expect that!).

The Unibody's are a real peace of work. They look great and they feel great. Flex, what's that? I mean this seems like the pinnacle of laptop build. The only problem I see is the reports of the aluminum bending. It appears we traded one problem for another: crack vs bend (plastic vs. aluminum).

So where does Apple go from here? What can they do to improve the design or build quality?
 
macDonalds said:
I'm still relatively new to Apple products. I've only seen a few years worth of revisions and they seem to get better each time (you would expect that!).

The Unibody's are a real peace of work. They look great and they feel great. Flex, what's that? I mean this seems like the pinnacle of laptop build. The only problem I see is the reports of the aluminum bending. It appears we traded one problem for another: crack vs bend (plastic vs. aluminum).

So where does Apple go from here? What can they do to improve the design or build quality?
Click to expand...

Somehow make it lighter. Also, make the aluminum less denatble.
 
Well, they could:

* Make it lighter (not by much, but every gram counts)

* Add higher screen resolution ( 1280*800 is OK, but higher would be good)

* Add internal 3g modem (come on Apple, PC laptops have had this for a long time now)

* Optional Blue-Ray

* Modular drive bay (so that the user can choose if he want a extra HDD or a CR-ROM)

Other than that, there's little I miss or can come to think of right now ;)
 
The unibody design looks great closed. But opened? Not so much for me. I prefer the all-silver/grey interior. And although the black bezel does give the illusion of a bigger display, I still prefer the aluminum/silver bezel.

The all-silver interior made the MacBook Pro such a sleek design, an Apple signature. The new interior just made it common.
 
Interesting, I think we'll obviously see changes with the evolution of technology, but I think one area which you can always improve is in the overall size and weight. Obviously by size I don't mean shrink the screen and such, but rather the thickness, etc.
 
suburbia said:
The unibody design looks great closed. But opened? Not so much for me. I prefer the all-silver/grey interior. And although the black bezel does give the illusion of a bigger display, I still prefer the aluminum/silver bezel.

The all-silver interior made the MacBook Pro such a sleek design, an Apple signature. The new interior just made it common.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

I'd kill to have it like the older macbook pro's but with a unibody casing.
 
Aesthetics (are always a matter of taste)
- make it black

- lose the gaudy glowing logo, please

Functionality (is always a matter of application)
- offer dual SSD. With SSDs, there is no reason to use the standard 2.5" hard drive configuration. It is used because it is easy to conform to existing applications. A dual SSD for someone who uses Pro Tools or Final Cut or Photoshop would be fabulous, as it would negate he need to carry an external Firewire drive.

- bring back the ExpressCard

- matte as an option

- higher resolution on the 15"

- DisplayPort that plays nice (and also carries audio as it is specified to do)
 
Make the whole thing out of titanium, make it as thin as the thinnest part of the Air, and offer a black DLC version.
 
Kobra said:
Well, they could:

* Add higher screen resolution ( 1280*800 is OK, but higher would be good)

* Add internal 3g modem (come on Apple, PC laptops have had this for a long time now)

* Optional Blue-Ray

* Modular drive bay (so that the user can choose if he want a extra HDD or a CR-ROM)
Click to expand...

All of the above PLUS

* Fixed the light bleed on the backlit keyboard

* stiffer and wider angled hinge

* add a trackpoint with 3 buttons like a thinkpad (you don't know how good it is until you've owned one)

* matte screen and higher res on the 15" too

* make it all black (silver is distracting, glaring and in general annoying, see here: http://www.colorwarepc.com/p-183-stealth-macbook-pro.aspx )

* make it cooler (as in heat) to the touch - i don't care if it's thicker

* fix how stiff the trackpad is to click

* eSATA port, more USBs spaced wider and...would rather have HDMI, but that's unlikely

* Modualr bay as above PLUS option for an extra battery

* multimedia keys (back/forward/play/pause/stop/volume not as functions) so I can refresh my browser AND change the volume without using key combinations.

* "backspace" (like a delete key in Windows) page up/down keys and browser forward and back key please

In case you didn't notice - I like buttons and not combinations :)

I agree - lose the glowing logo - it's dorky
 
Matte screen option and at least one USB port on the right side of the machine.
 
mcdj said:
Make the whole thing out of titanium, make it as thin as the thinnest part of the Air, and offer a black DLC version.
Click to expand...

Apple have already done the titanium route. Also, aluminum is lighter, so you'd be adding weight by going to titanium, rather than reducing it assuming the size stays the same. If they are able make it thinner like you suggest, some of the weight benefits from dropping the size are lost due to heavier materials. Of course, there is the argument of structural strength as well.

I'll just say that I thought the previous MBP/Al PB design was stunning (but getting stale). Then I saw the unibody. With the exception of the glassy screen, I think the design is flawless. But Apple will keep innovating like they always do and we will almost certainly be blown away be the design and engineering marvel that is the new style.
 
getz76 said:
Aesthetics (are always a matter of taste)
Click to expand...

Then enough said.

Functionality (is always a matter of application)
- offer dual SSD. With SSDs, there is no reason to use the standard 2.5" hard drive configuration. It is used because it is easy to conform to existing applications. A dual SSD for someone who uses Pro Tools or Final Cut or Photoshop would be fabulous, as it would negate he need to carry an external Firewire drive.
Click to expand...

My thoughts here are similar, although is a 2 part process:

#1: Revise OS X so that the /user/ directories can be very easily moved (via System Control Panel) off of the boot drive to another HD.

This "move the Account" can currently be done in Unix at the Terminal, but it isn't a drop-dead simple routine.

#2: put in a fast & small SSD for the boot drive (OS & Applications).

This would allow the OS & Apps to load fast and make the machine be snappier, while also retaining the current strength of spinning disk storage: a low cost per Gigabyte.

- bring back the ExpressCard
Click to expand...

And make it EC-54, so that adaptors for Compact Flash ... and US Government CAC (Common Access Card) authetication ... readers don't have to stick out a mile. There's gaining momentum within the Federal Government to open the door again to Macs, and Apple is going to miss it (again) if they can't be bothered to figure out how to cleanly support a CAC interface, since a USB dongle isn't particularly viable on a portable machine.

- matte as an option

- higher resolution on the 15"

- DisplayPort that plays nice (and also carries audio as it is specified to do)
Click to expand...

Other good & worthwhile ideas.



-hh
 
i want a gold one. not plated, solid 10k gold, i want them to replace the kensington lock with two solid titanium hoops on both extremities of the mbp s i can wear it as a chain ALSO if possible put it on 2.2" spinner rimz
 
there's always
 

Attachments

  • macbook-touch-beta-20.jpg
    macbook-touch-beta-20.jpg
    329.2 KB · Views: 770
I'm surprised no one has thought of these:

1. Internal renewable power source.

2. Make it anti-gravity.

3. Biometric brain wave pattern security / login features.

4. It uses the same brain wave pattern scanning technology to allow the user to type, use programs, etc. telepathically - no keyboard, no mouse needed. Just think it.

Someday...;)
 
Put the anti-fingerprint coating from the iPhone on the screen. White Keyboard or keys that don't go shiny.
 
-hh said:
There's gaining momentum within the Federal Government to open the door again to Macs, and Apple is going to miss it (again) if they can't be bothered to figure out how to cleanly support a CAC interface, since a USB dongle isn't particularly viable on a portable machine.

-hh
Click to expand...

Federal Government support may not be a good thing for the Mac. While it would bring exposure and the obvious increase in user base, it would also provide more hackers/virus programmers with incentive to develop viruses and trojans for Macs, since they could now doubly function to screw with government systems as well. I am frankly happy with the government continuing to use its inferior M$ crap, including Windoze '98 (true story - a friend who works for Commerce says he still has Windoze 98 on his office computer. Apparently, the government mentality is that since the OS has been around for a while, it has been developed to be "more resistant to viruses" than newer systems. You argue for Macs with that logic in place.)
 
macDonalds said:
I'm still relatively new to Apple products. I've only seen a few years worth of revisions and they seem to get better each time (you would expect that!).

The Unibody's are a real peace of work. They look great and they feel great. Flex, what's that? I mean this seems like the pinnacle of laptop build. The only problem I see is the reports of the aluminum bending. It appears we traded one problem for another: crack vs bend (plastic vs. aluminum).

So where does Apple go from here? What can they do to improve the design or build quality?
Click to expand...

Do you own one? There are plenty of these they could improve on--quality control being one of them.

1. Both of my units developed a creaking hinge. So the first thing I would address is reinforcing the hinge so it doesn't creak, and so that it stays up on its own at all angles. The hinge cannot support the screen right now at all angles.

2. Fix the bottom panel flex.

3. Fix the bowing on the lid/screen.
 
Anti-glare anti-fingerprint glass for the glossy option.

Rounded edges for the front so your wrists don't hurt against the edge of the palmrest.
 
Improvements that would be helpful are:

1) lose the logo on the monitor - very distracting to colleagues in meetings
2) matte finish on the monitor (I have uMBP 15" and hate the gloss)
3) higher resolution
4) quad core processor
5) more RAM - Dells are running up to 16GB
6) HDMI in and out - can do now with adapter
7) make the battery smaller (I rarely use battery power for more than an hour) and use the space for second hard drive
8) user configurable keyboard - there are some keys I don't use and would like to assign to other characters/actions. throwing in a couple extra keys would help too. - oops - already there
9) round the edge on the uMBP a bit so it doesn't cut into hands and wrists so much

10) start planning for sata 6 now so there's no repeat of the EFI 1.7 disaster
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back