Intel's New Core i9 and Coffee Lake Chips Pave Way for Quad-Core 13" MacBook Pro, Mac Mini Refresh, and More

[Agent OrangeZ]

And Apple still putting mechanical hard drives into base iMac in 2018...

 

[curmudgeonette]

What’s the deal with Intel dragging its feet to include lpddr4?

The control interface for LPDDR4 is dramatically different from LPDDR3/DDR3/DDR4. LPDDR4 has a six bit wide control/address bus. The latter have a ten bit wide bus. Supporting LPDDR4 would almost require a completely separate memory controller. For this reason I expect Intel to never include LPDDR4 support in high performance parts.

LPDDR4 is not a low power version of DDR4. It is its own thing that has diverged from the DDR/2/3/4 family. It is primarily meant for mobile phones where package size is important, but absolute performance is not.

 

[Xgm541]

Whose going to buy a new intel mac now we know that Arm based ones are the future ?

Let me give you a quote directly from the Bloomberg article that states this rumor:

said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information

Not only is this rumor coming from anonymous sources, even if apple does take to going with an ARM based architecture, it will be YEARS before the whole Mac market switches from x86. Also, until Apple makes an announcement directly, who knows if this project "Kalamata" will even see the light of day.

So to base your 2018 Macbook buying decision purely on a rumor that may or may not be true, and even if it's true, is not going to change the way you do things for years to come, is silly.

 

[Ener Ji]

The control interface for LPDDR4 is dramatically different from LPDDR3/DDR3/DDR4. LPDDR4 has a six bit wide control/address bus. The latter have a ten bit wide bus. Supporting LPDDR4 would almost require a completely separate memory controller. For this reason I expect Intel to never include LPDDR4 support in high performance parts.

LPDDR4 is not a low power version of DDR4. It is its own thing that has diverged from the DDR/2/3/4 family. It is primarily meant for mobile phones where package size is important, but absolute performance is not.

What's the roadmap for getting 32GB of battery-friendly RAM on a thin-and-light but powerful laptop then?

What’s the deal with Intel dragging its feet to include lpddr4?

Intel's lack of support for low-power DDR4 RAM on their new chips lineup just blows! It's unbelievable it's taking them this long to implement this.

The OP that started this thread stated that these chips don’t support the low power DDR4 variant of RAM. This is in the context of last year where Apple stated that lack of support is why the last gen systems only go up to 16GB, they only want to use the low voltage variant of DDR4. Its concerning to me that Intel, a whole generation later, still hasn’t built in that support.

My understanding is that Intel originally planned to launch Cannonlake on 10nm in 2016, and then Ice Lake as a brand new architecture in 2017. I've read informed speculation that Intel had been planning to support 32GB in some kind of battery-friendly way on Cannonlake, or worst case on Ice Lake as a fall-back.

Unfortunately, extensive issues with the 10nm process has resulted in Cannonlake being mostly cancelled and Ice Lake delayed until 2019, and consequently, 32GB of battery-friendly RAM has also been delayed.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

You can get a Dell with the new chips next months.

Apple will wait until they're on the discount shelf and then get them cheap. THEN let us have them. :]

...at full original market price anyway. :|


...7 years from now. :/

 

[BaccaBossMC]

I want to see a 17" MBP with the 6-Core processor and a decent NVIDIA GPU, like a Max-Q 1070 or 1080. It should have a 99 Wh Battery (Legal limit), 32 GB RAM, 1TB/2TB M.2 SSD, and a 4TB mechanical drive. 2500P display, and more than a measly 4 ports. Time to make the MBP a real pro machine. They did some good stuff for the iMac Pro, now it's the Macbook Pro and Mac Pro's turn.

Of course, they will have to thicken it a bit. Thats totally fine with me.

 

[bananataffy]

But it would still be a POS Dell. If you need a reliable PC shop elsewhere.

Erm, what? It's widely known that the Dell XPS line has been some of the best, if not the best Windows-based laptops in the market for quite some time now. Taking form-factor, hardware, & reliability into consideration, it's essentially the closest you can get to a MacBook Pro but with Windows OS. Also bonus points for Dell integrating the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU as an option.

Would be sorely disappointing if Apple decides not the implement these new chips in their next MBP revision. Hell, I'm still using my dual-core 2009 MBP and have been waiting a couple years for Apple to release something decent. Don't care about the touchbar crap. Sign me up for the i9...

 

[lec0rsaire]

I see your point. However, in my experience....my 2009 27-inch iMac is still motoring on. I just replaced my 2008 MacBook (unibody, that been uncased in a backpack for the past few years. Still works, though) with a 2017 MBP.

Especially now with everything being solid state, it seems like if it's not a factory/manufacturing defect, you have even less chance of anything "going bad". Not saying all electronics are perfect, but Apple obviously knows more about the system that the user. I was SO resistant to upgrading to my new MBP because of all the trash-talking about it on these message boards, and as it turns out....I love it! The keyboard is amazing and it's definitely a worthy successor to previous model that hadn't changed that much (physically) is many years.

I agree. The 4th gen MacBook Pros have gotten an unfair bad rap. They’re excellent machines. Yes, they’re not user upgradeable but they offer many advantages over their predecessors. 4 TB3 ports are really a big deal and TB3 is getting more support by the month. eGPUs are now a viable option and we’ll see a lot more TB3 stuff that doesn’t require the use of dongles. The main complaint is the lack of built in USB Type A ports but those will be on the way out. Apple always kills older tech early and they’re usually never wrong. They killed the floppy, the CD drive, the DVD drive, were one of the first companies to embrace Wifi and all of the subsequent standards. There’s a lot of freedom in choosing what you want to use each port for.

People in general have a hard time adapting to change but eventually come to embrace it. I bought a 15” 2016 as soon as it was available and I’ll upgrade when 32GB Ram is offered along with a CPU much better than the 6820HQ in my machine.

 

[snortpig]

Did Intel announce a 15W SKU with Iris Pro graphics? If not, does that mean the nTB will be getting a 28W part?

 

[iGobbleoff]

I love my Mini for day to day tasks but as I do more and more FCP Projects I’d love to see an update. And I’m in the market for a new MBP so bring it on.

To the poster who wasn’t sure about why you’d get a mini, I like the separate products, I had an iMac at one stage and it was great at the time but since ditching it and going with separate products it’s more my (and others) style.

 

[Attirex]

"not everyone" actually = probably 97% of computer purchasers on the planet.

97% of computer purchasers want 32GB of RAM? Not sure to which planet you are referring but, here on Earth...uh......no.

 

[snortpig]

I agree. The 4th gen MacBook Pros have gotten an unfair bad rap. They’re excellent machines. Yes, they’re not user upgradeable but they offer many advantages over their predecessors. 4 TB3 ports are really a big deal and TB3 is getting more support by the month. eGPUs are now a viable option and we’ll see a lot more TB3 stuff that doesn’t require the use of dongles. The main complaint is the lack of built in USB Type A ports but those will be on the way out. Apple always kills older tech early and they’re usually never wrong. They killed the floppy, the CD drive, the DVD drive, were one of the first companies to embrace Wifi and all of the subsequent standards. There’s a lot of freedom in choosing what you want to use each port for.

People in general have a hard time adapting to change but eventually come to embrace it. I bought a 15” 2016 as soon as it was available and I’ll upgrade when 32GB Ram is offered along with a CPU much better than the 6820HQ in my machine.

I'm fine with the TB3. I'm waiting for a keyboard that I can trust not to break before the warranty is up.

 

[Ploki]

There have been plenty of other processors in recent years that have been passed over. And how often has a processor been announced by Intel and then Apple adds it in a new laptop 2 months later? Not gonna happen with this round of refreshes.

there was no significant CPU upgrade to 15" since 2011 (7 years, when first quad-core MBP was introduced).

They're due for it.

 

[rixax]

Better hurry up. I'm shopping 32 gig ram laptops.

 

[Galatian]

Not sure if MacRumors just missed this but Kabylake-G is the Chip that will probably be uses. 4 Cores with AMD Vega Graphics at 100 and 65W TDP simply has Apple written all over it. The 65W Version will be the base 15” Model and will also go into the Mac Mini for the beefed up version. 100W Chip for the top end.

 

[ph001bi]

This is what you can get right now with Linux.
Apple needs to Step Up.

From System76.com

Kudu Laptop

Base Price $969
Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS (64-bit)
17.3″ Matte 1080p LED Backlit Display
3.8 GHz i7-7700HQ (2.8 up to 3.8 GHz – 6MB Cache – 4 Cores – 8 Threads)
Intel® HD Graphics 630
32 GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2400MHz (2× 16GB) $359
United States Keyboard
1 TB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD $735
1 TB 2.5″ SSD $435
WiFi up to 867 Mbps + Bluetooth $20
External USB DVD-RW Drive $55
1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty
Normal Assembly Service
Product total: $2,573

I stopped reading at 1080p

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Let me give you a quote directly from the Bloomberg article that states this rumor:



Not only is this rumor coming from anonymous sources, even if apple does take to going with an ARM based architecture, it will be YEARS before the whole Mac market switches from x86. Also, until Apple makes an announcement directly, who knows if this project "Kalamata" will even see the light of day.

So to base your 2018 Macbook buying decision purely on a rumor that may or may not be true, and even if it's true, is not going to change the way you do things for years to come, is silly.

It only took like 1.5 years to switch from PowerPC to Intel if I'm not mistaken.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Better hurry up. I'm shopping 32 gig ram laptops.

This won't bring 32GB to Apple laptops. None of the announced processors support the lower power RAM that Apple has made VERY clear they're sticking with.

 

[ph001bi]

Not everyone needs 32GB

People don’t always buy 32GB because they need it but because they want it and they can have it.
I can think of one nameless company buying Dell 7480 with i7 and 32GB not because they need them but because they can have them.
Apple doesn’t offer 32GB and is therefore losing out on these lucrative sales.
I for one is perfectly happy with my 2016 Mbp retina with 16GB but if the 32GB had been available at the time, I would have bought it.
Not because I am stupid but, just in case..

 

[snortpig]

Not sure if MacRumors just missed this but Kabylake-G is the Chip that will probably be uses. 4 Cores with AMD Vega Graphics at 100 and 65W TDP simply has Apple written all over it. The 65W Version will be the base 15” Model and will also go into the Mac Mini for the beefed up version. 100W Chip for the top end.

These were released today? I don't think any of the MBPs use 100W, do they?

 

[ph001bi]

Erm, what? It's widely known that the Dell XPS line has been some of the best, if not the best Windows-based laptops in the market for quite some time now. Taking form-factor, hardware, & reliability into consideration, it's essentially the closest you can get to a MacBook Pro but with Windows OS. Also bonus points for Dell integrating the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU as an option.

Would be sorely disappointing if Apple decides not the implement these new chips in their next MBP revision. Hell, I'm still using my dual-core 2009 MBP and have been waiting a couple years for Apple to release something decent. Don't care about the touchbar crap. Sign me up for the i9...

I am sorry but I don’t want people in full view of my nostrils when on skype or FaceTime. The camera positioning on these XPS totally blows and don’t get me started on Windows 10. Why would anyone want that ?

 

[bananataffy]

I am sorry but I don’t want people in full view of my nostrils when on skype or FaceTime. The camera positioning on these XPS totally blows and don’t get me started on Windows 10. Why would anyone want that ?

Yes, the webcam placement is the biggest issue for the XPS laptops. It's a compromise since the screens have "edge-to-edge" slim bezels. Other than that, the general consensus is they wipe the floor compared to most other Windows laptops. They're excellent value computers...especially whenever Dell comes out with their new gen models and the previous gen. gets discounted, sometimes quite heavily.

 

[nitropowered]

I'd like to be more mobile and get rid of my Skylake 5K iMac and Late 2013 13" rMBP and just go with a top spec 15" MBP. While 16gb won't be a deal killer, I'd like 32 since I would be doing lots of photoshop and FCPX

 

[Spartan23]

I like this! I'll be buying my first MacBook Pro since 2009 when the new ones come out unless I can grab a TouchBar 2017 Model for a great price. I miss the OS of a Mac.

 

[sublunar]

Did Intel announce a 15W SKU with Iris Pro graphics? If not, does that mean the nTB will be getting a 28W part?

I noticed the lack of 15w CPU with Iris Graphics too. They could opt to use the i5-8250U which is a downgrade in GPU performance and clock speed in return for 4 cores and 8 threads.

Or they could segment by using the i3-8109U which has 2 cores, 4 threads, 3Ghz base frequency and Iris Plus Graphics 655 but is a 28w part and will need the involvement of the marketing team to explain why the proper touch bar models using i5-82509U are better with 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.3Ghz base frequency and the same Iris Plus Graphics 655.

Or, being Apple, the 2017 non touch bar models stay on sale as they are with a price cut if we're 'lucky'...

I'd say that the non touch bar models are better off keeping the same CPU (only losing the controversial touch bar and 2 TB ports) and leaving more room below for a MacBook Air with the aforementioned i5-8250U and maybe a HD IPS panel and the kind of ports that many users wanted to keep.
[doublepost=1522793895][/doublepost]

Not sure if MacRumors just missed this but Kabylake-G is the Chip that will probably be uses. 4 Cores with AMD Vega Graphics at 100 and 65W TDP simply has Apple written all over it. The 65W Version will be the base 15” Model and will also go into the Mac Mini for the beefed up version. 100W Chip for the top end.

100w is probably a bit too much for the current 15" body shell. I can't see Apple using it since the current 15" MBP uses an 87w USB-C power adaptor.

It would go very nicely in a redesigned Mac Mini though