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Intel's Processor Roadmap Leaves Uncertainty for Apple's 2014 Mac Updates
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teknikal90
macrumors 68040
Just curious - what do you do that makes a mid 2010 "long overdue" for an upgrade?
I have a late 2011 and man I feel like that thing still has looong legs ahead of it
Gudi
Suspended
Mee too, a 13" with Core2Duo. That makes me how many cpu generations behind? I lost count. 😀
AppleScruff1
macrumors G4
It's probably a matter of profit, the lion's share comes from the iPhone and iPad. Mac sales are becoming a very small percentage of overall Apple sales. I don't think they are going to abandon the Macbooks, but I won't be surprised to see them become a bit more iOS device like, if that makes any sense.
KindredMAC
macrumors 6502a
Honestly if the iPad is becoming your main computer then you never needed a MacBook Pro to begin with. An i7 is overkill for you. You should be running an 11" MacBook Air then. It doesn't get hot like a Pro. The battery life is better and the screen is still bigger than an iPad.
I wonder if Apple would be further ahead by going back to discrete GPU's in these models again as a way of making up for the lack of processing power. Anyone who uses video or design software knows that a system with a discrete GPU will always trump an integrated chip.
kazmac
macrumors G4
...
Some folks here mentioned Broadwell delays so seeing these means waiting longer. Whatever I get to replace my aging 2010 iMac I'd like to it have that chip. I'm leaning toward a Mac Mini as a replacement, but if the MBA goes retina I might choose that instead.
Hopefully my iMac will hang in there for a long while yet.
Some folks here mentioned Broadwell delays so seeing these means waiting longer. Whatever I get to replace my aging 2010 iMac I'd like to it have that chip. I'm leaning toward a Mac Mini as a replacement, but if the MBA goes retina I might choose that instead.
Hopefully my iMac will hang in there for a long while yet.
Apple didn't let you think the 17 inch MBP would slowly die off by not upgrading it though... they actually killed it. There's a difference.
AppleScruff, it makes total sense. I'm a Mac loyalist but I do understand that Apple is a business and the iDevices are very important to the bottom line.
Thanks for the response.
I actually use photoshop and indesign. I also do gaming with my friends, but some games I can't play because the graphics card sucks.
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haha. Same as me. I guess if I start saving now I might have enough to buy one with the broadwell chips when they come out.
As you can see all INTEL offers are minor spec bumps anymore. Apple buys at the top end of the chip pool, and the gains just aren't there for having to reengineer a whole system for 10%. Desktops like the Mini don't need the power, the real reason for the power improvements is that the smaller dies make INTEL more money per chip. I have a 2009 MacBook and the only thing holding I'd back are crappy graphics because Intel hijacked the whole bus... For more money.
Blame Intel. At least the other manufacturers of Intel-based laptops will be in the same boat (and AMD is falling way behind too). No wonder Apple is pushing forward to making its own chips.
They could offer some new GPU options in iMacs and 15" rMBP but that's about it.
he explained it to you and you still didn't get it. Resolution is not the same as screen estate!!!! Just cause I can have 1920x1200 on 15" doesn't mean i'm getting the same 1920x1200 on 17". 17" wins by miles here simply as you have more screen estate!!! Otherwise we would all be having ipads as those can have even higher resolution. So, your browser window would shrink so much that you would not be able to read it. (i hope you will get it now)!
to the op about 17" - yes, please bring back 17" If they reduce the bezel etc. then the new 17" wouldn't even be much bigger and I would sell my 15" rMPB crap immediately!
Burger Thing
macrumors 65816
I love my 17" MBP for video editing. But out of curiosity I went to an
Store and played with the 15" MBP Retina and set the resolution to a scaled equivalent of the 17" and fired up FCP X, which was installed on the demo model. Compared to my 17" MBP it ran like crap - the UI felt sluggish.I am not sure, if you ever used some professional content creation software, but if you did, you would have probably realized, that UI elements can get very small on a 15" screen (talking After Effects, Cinema 4d, etc)
By looking at the MP we might can seen where
is heading. External expansion via TB, HDDs, etc, but with the 17" I like the fact, that I was able to remove the DVD drive to replace it with another HDD. 2 TB internal, really fast storage, which hold my video raw files and then some. On the road I don't have to mess with external HDDs - or external Monitors... 😀
teknikal90
macrumors 68040
I bought a macbook pro i7 because i am in a band and we use lots of synth that runs through as patches on MainStage 3. outside of that (and work), i use my iPad - hence it becoming my 'main' computer.
Constable Odo
macrumors 6502
Agreed. I don't think Apple has any need to try to keep pushing performance boundaries for its core customers. Apple doesn't really seem to be competing with the Windows PC users at this point. I have a late model Mac Mini i7 2.3 GHz model and I'm satisfied with it but I did wish it came with a better GPU or a type of GPU that could be used by some video encoding applications to process things faster. I think for most users it would be deemed as satisfactory and I'll probably be using it for years to come like most of the Mac products I've owned.
I think Apple is more concerned about reliability than speed and is mostly focused on product margins. They always want to get back more than they put into a product. I don't see that as a problem for Apple satisfying the mainstream Apple product user.
What are you smoking ?
Aging? I know people still using 10 year old macs. I myself am still using a 2008 Mac Pro. 16 GB RAM, 8 Processors, and its still running like a bat out of hell. Macs do tend to last a lot longer as far as productive years so why should anyone worry. Apple knows, this and probably doesn't feel like it needs an upgrade avery year for every machine.
Aging? I know people still using 10 year old macs. I myself am still using a 2008 Mac Pro. 16 GB RAM, 8 Processors, and its still running like a bat out of hell. Macs do tend to last a lot longer as far as productive years so why should anyone worry. Apple knows, this and probably doesn't feel like it needs an upgrade avery year for every machine.
iPad already has all this. And very optimised. So just add a keyboard to an iPad internals, at a similar size to the 11" MacBook Air.
iPad Air,
iBook Air,
MacBook Air.
11" MBAs already have the same
It's possible they'd replace Airs entirely, or they could offer 2 options. My money would be on an iBook Air and a small bump to MacBook Airs in 2014, and discontinue MBA in a year when sales are low.
iPads can already run pages, numbers, iPhoto, iMovie, Safari, Email and many many apps.
Yes it could compete with Chrome laptops very well.
Rafterman
macrumors 604
I just upgraded my 3 year old Macbook Pro 15 Core I7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD with a 15 inch Retina, 16GB with 512GB SSD. And the speed difference was minimal. In fact, the older system seemed faster more times than I would have liked after buying a $2600 laptop. I'm guessing most of it is from the fact that the Retina has to push a 2800x1800 screen.
But the reason I really upgraded was ports and radios. Out went USB 2.0, wireless N, bluetooth 3.0, a 256MB DGPU and Thunderbolt 1 and in came USB 3.0, wireless AC, bluetooth 4.0, a 2GB DGPU and Thunderbolt 2 (and a better battery life). Now, some stuff, like Photoshop now being able to run its 3D features, and having USB 3.0 and its wicked fast transfer speeds, are now possible.
Processors from 3 years ago are just as capable as what we can get today, but its the "side" features than sometimes force you to upgrade.
But the reason I really upgraded was ports and radios. Out went USB 2.0, wireless N, bluetooth 3.0, a 256MB DGPU and Thunderbolt 1 and in came USB 3.0, wireless AC, bluetooth 4.0, a 2GB DGPU and Thunderbolt 2 (and a better battery life). Now, some stuff, like Photoshop now being able to run its 3D features, and having USB 3.0 and its wicked fast transfer speeds, are now possible.
Processors from 3 years ago are just as capable as what we can get today, but its the "side" features than sometimes force you to upgrade.
I have a 256gb SSD + a 4TB drive and made a fusion drive out of it, so my disk is fine. My problem isn't the speed, my problem is external storage is slow. I want USB 3 + TB so I can offload a bunch of crap to externals without taking much of a speed hit.
For most of the stuff I do the machine is fine, but occasionally Aperture sort of bogs down. Plus once I top out my storage I'm SOL.
I should probably look more at a used Mac Pro than a Mini, except I can't stick a thunderbolt card in the cheaper, older ones.
Not really sure the main point of articles like this...
If people need a new computer, there are many acceptable products on the market right now. All are fine products. If people look into .1 GHz into making their purchasing decision, I question their actual need for a new computer.
If people need a new computer, there are many acceptable products on the market right now. All are fine products. If people look into .1 GHz into making their purchasing decision, I question their actual need for a new computer.
Gudi
Suspended
You're holding it wrong! 1920x1200 here and 1920x1200 there, is exactly the same. The rest is viewing distance, which is variable anyway.
What do you mean, "otherwise"? We are all having iPads and we all use them as browsers. The whole internet is getting optimized for touch. No, I don't get it. Because the 17" MBP never was a bestseller, the 13" was. And the 8" iPad mini is outselling them both.
Instead you have to mess with internal HDDs and internal 17" screen in your 3 kg schlepptop*. You only have internalized all the trouble, you don't like to have externally. Next thing you add is an internal ODD. And than a FDD.
*(to schlepp + laptop = schlepptop)