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Seriously. Apple is becoming like Dell, Acer or HP.

I kind of agree. My first thought was that this leak reminds me of Sony Vaio circa 2004 or so. That's not necessarily a bad thing, some consider that the golden era of Vaio. However, I think that is the beginning of the downfall of the Vaio line, where they kind of started throwing all sorts of ideas into their products. Every feature was simultaneously a compromise and a new feature that looked futuristic. The thing with Sony back then was the new features sort of didn't have purpose, and did not justify the prices in light of the compromises. I hope Apple is not making that same mistake...
 
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When I bought my MacBook Pro, I thought I wouldn't need Ethernet. Turns out I was wrong, ended up spending twice the Apple Store price on a Thunderbolt Ethernet GB adapter in my country. I have only forgotten it once when I am travelling, but its annoying when you do. The worst part is, its expensive and you are actually paying more. Its not like the MacBook Pro gets cheaper as it loses ports, you end up spending so much more on accessories to have a fully functional system.

When Apple launched the Retina lineup, I guess they were expecting a proliferation of free open Wi-Fi networks. Well, it didn't happen and that future just doesn't look its going happen or needs to happen.

Apple needs to have one no compromise revision of the MacBook Pro Retina that uses the pre-retina chassis. Keep it at 15 inches, with lots of standard ports, 4 USB 3, 2 thunderbolts, 2 USB C, HDMI, SD Card reader, audio jack, Mag Safe, no butterfly keyboard.

Let it use the advances where possible, taptic touch pad, OLED display, 16/32 GB RAM configuration, Core I7, SSD.

In fact, in a 15 inch profile, the display could probably be expanded to 17 inch.
 
It's the same arrow layout as my 2009... so I'm not sure what you're expecting. Only my wired numpad keyboard has full sized arrows.

Fair enough, and one could surmise that most people that are using their laptop in an office setting have it hooked up to monitors and are using another keyboard. All of the little "trims" that are performed with every new iteration irks me, however. There is room for an SD Card slot, there is room for a full size arrow key, there is room for MagSafe. Why the obsession with form over function? USB-C is a real reach at this point in time unless Apple knows somethings that I don't. A couple of years out from not having to use a million adapters, and this is all for the sake of? Form.
 
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I kind of agree. My first thought was that this leak reminds me of Sony Vaio circa 2004 or so. That's not necessarily a bad thing, some consider that the golden era of Vaio. However, I think that is the beginning of the downfall of the Vaio line, where they kind of started throwing all sorts of ideas into their products. Every feature was simultaneously a compromise and a new feature that looked futuristic. The thing with Sony back then was the new features sort of didn't have purpose, and did not justify the prices in light of the compromises. I hope Apple is not making that same mistake...

I think I'll be grieved if they roll out something like this at wwdc. The keynote in March was horrific to watch, to see them do this to my beloved and heavily relied on MacBook Pro...
 
I keep reading about carrying dongles... If you need HDMI, don't you already carry an HDMI cable? Can't the dongle just travel with the cable? What am I missing here? The SD slot - that's another story...

Why should you carry an HDMI cable? If there is a projector with HDMI-in, there will be an HDMI cable.
 
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I was skeptical while buying the 2015 rMBP in Feb because I thought the processor upgrade may be round the corner (boy was I wrong!). But now I am happy that I bought it. I just don't understand how having multiple USB C ports and only USB C ports is a good thing. I cannot justify having to spend extra to make my laptop compatible with basic technologies after already paying premium price for the laptop itself. Not the innovation I would like. This is all assuming the rumored photos are accurate of course!
 
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A well designed machine - no matter what it is - should not need multiple adapters to take advantage of its features. That is the entire point of paying top dollar for a product! That's why BMW's cost more than some other brands; the features and benefits are built-in.

Adapters are accessories. Accessories are fashion items. Apple clearly wants to be a fashion accessory company. Why else would they hire someone like Angela A? She knows nothing about marketing computers, but I bet she had a say in all those new watch bands....just saying.


I completely agree with your take on adapters, but BMWs are horrible and need adapters. I know this is an Apple forum, but BMWs don't make block heater, have a third party trickle charge, some models have the snap in adapter for phones, and can't install remote starters. So they are pretty closed just like Apple and don't have accessories because things aren't compatible!

I hope Apple kicks butt with their car, and mega props to Elon Musk for pushing the auto industry forward. As for the new Macbook, I wish it had more ports and I hope it has a regular USB and SD card slot. It's odd that the mag-safe isn't there though as there isn't anything where the charging port would normally be. And I was hoping for an HDMI, as that is one useful port!

I'm liking the OLED on the key board!
 
No, we won't have to get that adapter.

We'll only need an adapter if we want to attach it to a display using an HDMI cable.

I don't think anyone is stupid enough to buy an HDMI adapter if they do not intend to connect the laptop to a display using the HDMI port.
 
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I do not get all the griping about "Pro" machines requiring ports. It's something people spout like it's law. It's not.

I have to use a serial port with some regularity to deal with Cisco routers and other network devices. This requires a USB-serial adapter. "ON NOES!!!!1 TEH LAPTOP IZ NOT TEH PRO!" USB-C is the future guys, and like the the death of other ports and floppy drives, some of you will go kicking and screaming into it. (Or not. Make good on your threat to go to Windows, by all means.)

Seriously, how often do you need a ton of ports when you're on the go?

When at home, I have a Thunderbolt dock and before that I used a USB hub. I had this exact setup even when I had ports. Same at the office. I work from both locations. When I travel? I just bring the laptop. If you need Firewire on the go, you also need other equipment so I fail to see how an adapter is a big deal. Heck, if you're moving that much equipment, bring a dock. Done.

When are you honestly on the move, need a ton of ports, AND aren't already lugging around a bunch of equipment anyway? I work at multiple locations, plus service remote computers and networks. I have a little bag of adapters I bring with my tools that I carry ANYWAY. Can someone please enlighten me about a situation where this is an actual, honest-to-God hinderance and not just another reason to complain for the sake of complaining?

As for "well-designed" machines not needing adapters... why not? I doubt most of the people here need Firewire anymore. Why have it? Why is having a bunch of ports that take up space that the user NEVER uses somehow a better design than me being able to get an adapter for WHATEVER I actually use. I would have preferred SATA over Firewire but I was stuck with Firewire. These multipurpose ports allow you to customize your machine as you need. Need 2 Firewire? How about 4 ethernet? (And Thunderbolt variants are VASTLY superior than vanilla USB, especially with ethernet.)

(The adapters are overpriced and at initial launch that does suck because there won't be any third-party options but that's life when you're using the latest and greatest.)
 
This makes me happy. I love my 2012 classic MacBook Pro. i7 2.9, 16 gigs of ram, 1TB SSD, thunderbolt, SD reader, USB ports... If it had a Retina display it would be perfect.

I think my classic 2012 is better then the newer MacBook pros on the market currently due to how versatile it is, has an i7 and I can upgrade it.
 
Anyone else notice the up arrow key is missing? Fake?

I thought the same but then I saw the keyboard on the Macbook Retina and it looks the same. Two giant left/right keys and two tinny up/down keys. Ridiculous if you ask me.

Also, this may confirm it will have the same keyboard mechanism as the Macbook Retina, which I think sucks.

This only makes me not regret buying Applecare for my mid 2014 rMBP.. will be keeping it for as long as it lasts.
 
I do not get all the griping about "Pro" machines requiring ports. It's something people spout like it's law. It's not.

I have to use a serial port with some regularity to deal with Cisco routers and other network devices. This requires a USB-serial adapter. "ON NOES!!!!1 TEH LAPTOP IZ NOT TEH PRO!" USB-C is the future guys, and like the the death of other ports and floppy drives, some of you will go kicking and screaming into it. (Or not. Make good on your threat to go to Windows, by all means.)

Seriously, how often do you need a ton of ports when you're on the go?

When at home, I have a Thunderbolt dock and before that I used a USB hub. I had this exact setup even when I had ports. Same at the office. I work from both locations. When I travel? I just bring the laptop. If you need Firewire on the go, you also need other equipment so I fail to see how an adapter is a big deal. Heck, if you're moving that much equipment, bring a dock. Done.

When are you honestly on the move, need a ton of ports, AND aren't already lugging around a bunch of equipment anyway? I work at multiple locations, plus service remote computers and networks. I have a little bag of adapters I bring with my tools that I carry ANYWAY. Can someone please enlighten me about a situation where this is an actual, honest-to-God hinderance and not just another reason to complain for the sake of complaining?

(The adapters are overpriced and at initial launch that does suck because there won't be any third-party options but that's life when you're using the latest and greatest.)

People use SD card slots, HDMI cables as well as USB ports very frequently. On the go or otherwise. Making them pay for connectors, when these ports should be standard is ridiculous. Your situation is not everybody's situation. And that is what companies need to keep in mind when making a product. Also, Apple has not been making anything latest and greatest for a while now. They are playing catch up in almost all lines of products.
 
Smack Down Applied! Brad9893 is now back in last week, lol.

Nice finger wagging there. Honestly, I've embraced more changes than you even realize existed unless you took a course in ancient computing. So your comments do come off as thin, yes. The fact that the HDMI port and SD card are not important to you is not the standard of a pro machine. Again, Apple makes two nice laptop lines that do not have these options, if that is what you are looking for. But generally people buying a high end computer want as many of the likely ports they might encounter internally so as to avoid schlepping extra dongles. That is one of the reasons you pay the big $ for the MBP over the MB.

HDMI is still the video standard for TVs. People, that's professional, do on occasion make presentations and hook in their computer to a monitor. So to say workflows are changing, well, the presentation hasn't changed that much yet. And the SD card, it's just convenience. It costs Apple minimal and it just sits there patiently until it's needed. That is a lot more useful than shaving off a few mm of the case. I don't see how workflows are enhanced by a thinner case in that regard.

I have no bones about the move to USB-C. In fact I've been cheering it on here at MR. Glad to see it, but, in addition to the other ports like HDMI and SD slot and, yes, even a dedicated TB3/MDP port. A $2K pro machine with just 4 USB-C ports -- one which must be used for power unless, hey, you have a dongle -- is ridiculous, not tech forward.

And as for your Jobs history lesson -- He ditched the floppy on a brand new model first, the iMac. It was a couple years before the pro machines didn't have a floppy and by that time they really were obsolete because of CD-R. In fact, I owned the first PowerBook w/ no floppy. Fantastic machine.

Old Apple I/O - you mean like NuBus and SCSI? They were obsolete dinosaurs too when they were ditched. Nothing like HDMI today.

Optical drives - again Apple ditched them when it was clear there were better alternatives. As I write today, TV monitors still use HDMI almost exclusively, and cameras largely use SD, with a few top end DSLRs using CF. So yes, HDMI and SD are still relevant in 2016 unlike all the examples you chose to give.
 
And what if the power button will be in the same place as now but they'll make it to be a home button too... with Touch ID built in. That would be cool.
 
I would have expected it to have 2 USB-A + 2 USB-C, which definitely would have been more convenient in the short term.

Keeping USB-A would've meant they couldn't make it Thinner™.

I have to say that MagSafe will be greatly missed. This was a true innovation that Apple proudly patented. I will also miss the glowing Apple logo. We all know that it will be going as well.

I won't miss the glowing logo. It's a relic from when Apple used to be cool for those that wanted to show off that they have a Mac. The problem is it lights up a dark room regardless of the content on the screen, so say you're watching a dark film it creates a glow in the room. This can annoy partners too at night. But MagSafe? WTF Apple!

How about Apple including a flush-thin USB-C to Magsafe converter, so that one can attach magsafe to either side?

USB-C is smaller than MagSafe 2 so it couldn't be flush.

This makes a lot of sense. The F keys and their system mapped keys (brightness, volume, exposé, etc) have changed positions more than anything else over the years. This would allow the user to move them where they want them and an OS update could change them to a new layout. I like that idea a lot.

I like the potential for Application-specific layouts and icons too.
 
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Sweet! I'd love havin 4 USB-C's. I don't have ANYTHING USB-C but it's still cool knowing I have 4 ports that are extremely versatile, I can charge, HDMI out, connect any USB stuff, etc etc etc just assuming I have the proper adapter while the market adjusts. In a couple years, this will be awesome.

I've never had a MacBook so I don't know MagSafe but I'm pretty sure I saw on here that there's a third party USB-C MagSafe-like thing, you plug the little magnetic dongle into the computer then you always have the other magnetic cord to hook up to it.

The OLED display seems like it will be kinda interesting. What if it somehow becomes the dock as well as function keys? Would free up some precious space on Apple's notebooks. Many interesting things to do there, I'm sure apples got something up their sleeve. Or maybe it's just a gimmick to save room in favor of thinness *rolleyes*

I'm hoping the butterfly keys are given more travel space, because ooof. I don't like the retina MacBook's keyboard. A butterfly key with more travel would actually be really good I think. Fingers crossed that's what we'll get.

I really hope this MacBook starts at 256GB... 128GB is too small, especially for a "Pro" laptop. Considering that the retina MacBook, positioned below this (even though price is the same?) starts at 256GB, I think Apple would be crazy to start the rMBP at 128GB. I mean, damn the iPhone 7 Plus could possibly have more room than a MacBook, jeez. iPads already can. I don't think Apple will let that happen. Maybe we will start at 16GB of RAM (configurable to 32GB) in all models as well to differentiate from rMB and compete with the rest of the industry? 13" MacBook Air just got a starting-RAM-bump, and the rMB starts at 8GB too so maybe it's time?

I'm hoping there's a space gray rMBP like the rMB, that computer is beautiful in my opinion. By the way, does anyone think they will remove the illuminated Apple logo with this laptop? I feel it could go either way, but leaning more toward it getting removed for thinness..
 
I keep reading about carrying dongles... If you need HDMI, don't you already carry an HDMI cable? Can't the dongle just travel with the cable? What am I missing here? The SD slot - that's another story...
No you don't. You get to an office where there is a projector, normally a cable (VGA or HDMI) is provided. That is why industry standards (that Apple very often likes to ignore) are useful.
 
People use SD card slots, HDMI cables as well as USB ports very frequently. On the go or otherwise.

I'm sorry, but while my situation isn't everyone's, neither is yours. In my family there are four different MacBooks and the ONLY person that makes any use of adapters or most of the ports is me. I would say most users don't use much at all. You simply think my "not everybody's situation" is somehow less important or a smaller demographic than yours. Okay. So what?

I honestly can't say that Firewire belongs on a Macbook anymore. There's nothing wrong with niche users having to get adapters.

Even USB-A is becoming less common on Apple's laptops. Users are regularly using Bluetooth for input devices and modern scanners and printers regularly function on networks. The people plugging in directly are becoming the minority

Making them pay for connectors, when these ports should be standard is ridiculous.

What should be standard?

USB-A? Firewire 400 or 800? Serial? eSATA? VGA? DVI? DisplayPort? Mini DisplayPort? HDMI? Ethernet? Thunderbolt? USB-C?

I currently use every single one of those ports except for USB-C for one task or another. USB-C will ultimately replace all of the above in one way or another. I'm personally thrilled. I already have to use adapters for most of those connections anyway and still had to use plenty even before I transitioned to a Thunderbolt-equipped Air and now rMBP.

You guys are talking about a company that removed arrow keys from their keyboard to force developers to write applications for a windowed, mouse-driven environment decades ago. So while you might be bent about this, I keep seeing comments all over about how this is a Tim Cook thing. This is an Apple thing. This is the same Apple that killed the floppy early and passed on Blu-ray. This is the same Apple that has already adopted Thunderbolt when few others have and forced its initial adoption. This is the same Apple that adopted SSDs across its mobile line long before everyone else, despite gripes about lack of storage for the 1% who had their 1TB media collection on their laptop.

Also, Apple has not been making anything latest and greatest for a while now. They are playing catch up in almost all lines of products.

That's a matter of opinion. I know a lot of you rate a computer based purely on the processor, but I don't. OS X is by far the best OS I have ever used and yes, that's subjective, but anything else is a massive downgrade for my use. As my family's chief tech support agent, I can say that since transitioning them to Macs, the frequency of calls has gone down dramatically, so for "average" users, my experience has always been that Macs perform better. The trackpad, one of my main input devices when away from my desk, has been vastly superior for like... almost a decade now.

What's better? Battery life or processor power on a laptop? It depends on needs. I don't measure my computer by GHz. I would probably care more if I was a videographer, but I'm not. As a programmer and a network engineer, I love these machines. The lack of ports has just never been a problem. It isn't on my Pro. It wasn't on my Air. The one Thunderbolt port allowed me to use my Air for everything I needed.

Yes, I needed adapters. Why should the ports or adapters be standard though? The average user ISN'T using them or the ports because they don't need nor use them.
 
Doesn't that really sum up all of Apple products these days. I think there are a lot of us "old timers" here who were serial updaters or jealous when it wasn't the right time for us. Everything I see now is just one big pile of meh. I detest Windows, so not going there, but I feel like one -- update only when the machine breaks or is unusable. Apple sans Jobs has sucked all the joy out of its products.
The problem with blaming the lack of enthusiasm we "old timers" are suffering on Apple is that it could also be due to us getting old, and our priorities have changed.

Since Steve Jobs died, Hollywood has stopped making movies that are compelling enough for me to see them in a theater.

Since Steve Jobs died, the world has become less interesting to me. Just a couple of international trips, the last in 2013. I let my passport expire. I don't even fly that much domestically. I have million miler status on American Airlines, but I've only made two trips in the past year, both short visits to my employer in another state. In fact, I often don't leave my home for days at a time, except to take out the garbage or make a run to the grocery.

Since Steve Jobs died I spend less time doing "fun" things on my computers. I bought a new 27" iMac after the last refresh. I thought it would give me the joy I remember from previous computer purchases, but weeks go by when I don't even switch it on.

A lot has changed since Steve Jobs died. The arrival of a baby boy in 2012 could have something to do with it. Another baby boy showed up 13 months ago. And the twins made their debut seven and a half months ago.

Four kids under four years old might explain why I don't get as excited about things that used to take up the bulk of my time. But it can't be a coincidence that it all happened since the death of Steve Jobs. Can it?
 
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