MacBook Air and 13" Retina MacBook Pro Updated to Improve Speed and Battery Life

[Tech198]

More force touch...

I don't really see the need to touch harder, go faster... but if it works well..

i currently get about 9 hours on Retina 13' (Late 2013), there abouts, so i'm ok with that.

The idea now, this now looks like my Harmony remote

the same press will do whatever app your in and action which will take place...

Life used to be simple But this one button approach is really pushing the boundaries.... After mult-touch gestures was where i drew the line..

Now this will come to iphone/ipad... just wait...

i just have to say "either i'll be soo confused as to remembering.... which app will this do it in again???" or i'll be just making heaps of mistakes. Better be possible to disable this ..

 

[piyusht17]

Hi Guys,

Yesterday, I bought new MacBook air MD760HNB, I was not having any idea abt updates from Apple.

Now, I want to change it to updated one.

Is it possible to replace?
I bought it from I store Bangalore.

Please advice.

 

[srp0039]

Hi Guys,

Yesterday, I bought new MacBook air MD760HNB, I was not having any idea abt updates from Apple.

Now, I want to change it to updated one.

Is it possible to replace?
I bought it from I store Bangalore.

Please advice.

Of course you can! "You have 14 calendar days to return an item from the date you received it."

 

[Shanghaichica]

That's nuts. They don't even offer Returning with restocking fee? Just out of curiosity was this a major retailer or some discount store

It was a major store, PC world. It kinda sucks but I'm not that bothered as I'm not a heavy computer user. I prefer to use my ipads or iPhone wherever possible so I don't need the latest and greatest.

 

[haruhiko]

Too bad I just bought a new retina macbook pro eight days ago. Kind of glad I didn't get the force touch trackpad though. Sounded kind of weird to me.

You're within the return window of Apple Stores.

 

[TN0403]

The 15" Pro went up by $500 in the Australian store I was waiting for today to see if there were going to be any changes to the 15" before I bought it. Now I'm 500 behind buying one now, even with education pricing.

It's not too late to get the old prices - buy it from other apple stockists. e.g. Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, Officeworks etc - they will have the old prices, if not in store than online. I just checked a moment a ago with DSE for example and they still have the top of the line 15" MBPr at the old price of $2999.

Better hurry though, because it is only a matter of time before they update the prices.

 

[iLondoner]

The 12" looks great. Too bad they didn't make a 14" with the same design... 12" is quite small.

There was talk some time ago about a 14-in for the Asian market. Small is beautiful and the new Macbook is a great alternative for the 11-in Air, but I'd like a 13/14-in with Retina.

Why retina? Not for the pixel doubling but so I can run at a higher perceived resolution—such as the 1680x1050 of the 13-in MacBook Pro.

But I also use a GoPro camera, so need a card slot. And I need a standard USB to transfer stuff between my Zumo sat nav and also to charge the GoPro batteries. Not keen on a power connector that doesn't easily release.

I suppose the answer is to buy a 13-in Pro, but I don't need the higher processor power, nor the extra weight.

 

[srp0039]

I bought a refurbished Macbook Air (Mid 2013) last week with the following specs:
1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 4MB shared L3 cache
8GB memory
512GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 5000

And now with the new Macbook Air update, I'm wondering if I should return it and get this one:
1.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz
8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel HD Graphics 6000

Both are around the same price - $1500..

Basically the more important thing for me is speed and battery life.. Any advice will be very helpful! Thank you!

 

[beachcruiser]

For ****s sake, Shiller, you rotund shirt tucker. You had one job. ONE GOD DAMNED JOB. Put a retina display in the existing MacBook Airs. That's all you had to do. Instead, you managed to do everything else but that.

Why do I want a Macbook with weird port connectivity that is somehow underpowered vs my current 2013 Macbook Air? Why do I want do give myself a CPU and speed bump on my current Macbook Air when every other device you put out at that size has retina? What the hell is your problem?! Aaaaaaarrrggghhhhh

why would Apple spend the R&D dollars to "put a retina display in the existing MacBook Airs" when the MacBook Air is clearly DEAD? isn't it obvious? the Air will be the cheap entry-level model until being sunsetted. entry-level models don't get Retina.

only the new generation MacBook (of which the just announced 12" is the first example) will remain alongside a new generation MacBook Pro that has yet to be announced.

seems pretty clear that Apple gave the old MacBook Airs one last life extension with some minor upgrades before putting them out to pasture. Airs no longer have a place after the marvel of engineering that is the new MacBook. same thing they will do/are doing with the current generation of Pros. a little extra battery life, new trackpad, a speed bump and then CYA.

"weird port connectivity?" what is weird about an ultra-portable, powerful, sexy-as-***** laptop that runs for hours? u want a desktop replacement with lots of ports? that's what the MacBook Pro is for. or get a dongle if you are that worried about it.

the spirit of the new MacBook is fast and light. it is designed to accomplish what everyday Apple users most commonly do in the most elegant laptop chassis in history. users are connected to wifi, everything is in the cloud, and they are on the go. makes perfect sense.

perhaps you would be more comfortable with an iPhone 4 grandpa?

 

[Breaking Good]

Advice, please...

I've been ready to pull the trigger on a decked out 15" and was waiting for this day with hopes that there would be some kind of upgrade, knowing that the processors aren't ready.

So, for those of you who are more used to this kind of dilemma than I am, would you...

1.) Take the gamble waiting for a new 15" version, knowing that it might not even happen at all this year... the processors are supposed to be ready by end of July, but nobody knows for sure.

2.) Get one of the new 13" versions, fully decked out and save myself a few hundred bucks.

3.) Just buy a fully decked out 15" that is available now and forget today ever happened.

Any advice would be fantastic... thanks!

Perhaps you could purchase a 15" Apple refurb today. Then, Apple does finally release an upgrade later this year, you can sell the refurb and buy a new one.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Shut up with the "RIP 15" MBP" nonsense!

I know this has been stated time and time again, but for the chicken littles who foretell the doom of the 15" MacBook Pro because it didn't see an update today don't know at all what they're talking about. I know I'm not the first to say this in this thread, but you guys really need this rammed down your throats.

QUAD-CORE MOBILE BROADWELL CPUS (suitable for the 15" rMBP) ARE NOT RELEASED YET! GIVE IT SOME TIME!

As for buying advice, this also seems like a no-brainer. If you were saving up for a 13" MacBook Pro, hooray, they were updated, go out and buy the new ones that just came out! If you're on the fence about the 15" MacBook Pro, obviously an update is in development and if you can wait, you should wait. If you absolutely, can't, buy now. If you fall into the latter camp of prospective 15" MacBook Pro owners and you don't want to feel crappy that you're buying something that will be replaced in the relatively near future, go to the "Refurbished Mac" section of the Apple Online Store and buy yourself a recent model 15" MacBook Pro and call it a day. It's really that simple.

 

[MacBH928]

When shall we expect the upgrade for the "Pro" lines because I care about power more than a lighter weight? I was hoping that new Pro's are coming by June-July but Apple updated the Pro line with new trackpads and faster processors.

Does this mean there is at least another 6 months wait?


Also, I don't understand why is this not the new MacBook Air? Isn't the Air models are supposed to be the lightest? They could have rebranded the old Air as the Macbook (for entry model-low price) and named this the new Air. It would have made more sense.

 

[newellj]

When shall we expect the upgrade for the "Pro" lines because I care about power more than a lighter weight? I was hoping that new Pro's are coming by June-July but Apple updated the Pro line with new trackpads and faster processors.

Does this mean there is at least another 6 months wait?

Did you read the post immediately above your post? There are dozens of posts in this thread that answer your question, including the one most recently posted before your post. The people with the specific date answer are at a company called Intel.

 

[caddison]

If you fall into the latter camp of prospective 15" MacBook Pro owners and you don't want to feel crappy that you're buying something that will be replaced in the relatively near future, go to the "Refurbished Mac" section of the Apple Online Store and buy yourself a recent model 15" MacBook Pro and call it a day. It's really that simple.

You save just about as much buying a refurbished rMBP as you do from buying a new one with an educator's discount... which is only a couple hundred bucks.

If savings on a refurb was more substantial, I could see your point... but, as it is, I'm not sure going that route makes decision making any easier.

 

[ManNBlack]

Sorry, Newb Question

Sorry if this has been indirectly covered and I missed it.

When new Intel chips are releases suitable for the 15" Macbook Pro, we expect an update. Do we ALSO anticipate ANOTHER 13" update at that time or do we think we are done with 13" improvements until next year or so?

Thanks!

 

[caddison]

Sorry if this has been indirectly covered and I missed it.

When new Intel chips are releases suitable for the 15" Macbook Pro, we expect an update. Do we ALSO anticipate ANOTHER 13" update at that time or do we think we are done with 13" improvements until next year or so?

Thanks!

From what I gather, it would depend on whether they decide to go for a release with the quad-core Broadwell processor on the 15 when that is available, similar to yesterday's 13 update, or if they will bypass that and wait it out until Skylake is ready and do a major update on the 13's and the 15's at that time.

I am not an expert and I'm only relaying what I've read that makes the most sense to me... it's a total gamble at this point, as far as I can tell.

 

[newellj]

From what I gather, it would depend on whether they decide to go for a release with the quad-core Broadwell processor on the 15 when that is available, similar to yesterday's 13 update, or if they will bypass that and wait it out until Skylake is ready and do a major update on the 13's and the 15's at that time.

I am not an expert and I'm only relaying what I've read that makes the most sense to me... it's a total gamble at this point, as far as I can tell.

I was going to say the same thing. It probably all comes down to Intel's timing with the quad core Broadwell vs. Skylake CPUs (including whether Intel makes the full range of Skylake CPUs available at nearly the same time, or staggers them as they have with Broadwell).

 

[ManNBlack]

From what I gather, it would depend on whether they decide to go for a release with the quad-core Broadwell processor on the 15 when that is available, similar to yesterday's 13 update, or if they will bypass that and wait it out until Skylake is ready and do a major update on the 13's and the 15's at that time.

I am not an expert and I'm only relaying what I've read that makes the most sense to me... it's a total gamble at this point, as far as I can tell.

Yeah, I really want a decked out 13" but if a new processor is released in six months, I may kill someone.

 

[ryansc375]

Too bad I just bought a new retina macbook pro eight days ago. Kind of glad I didn't get the force touch trackpad though. Sounded kind of weird to me.

Same boat as you, but Apple let me return the one I purchased so I could get the new one. Just in case you're interested in doing the same!

 

[Altis]

....
Basically the more important thing for me is speed and battery life.. Any advice will be very helpful! Thank you!

I think the newer one should give better battery life thanks to Broadwell and more efficient graphics, and if I'm not mistaken the new PCIe flash storage is faster.

So while the processor isn't quite as powerful in some regards, it should be better overall for you. I suspect they aren't all that different, though.

 

[ManNBlack]

MacBook Pro and Sunsetting Thunderbolt?

One more:

Do we think even MacBook Pros might sunset Thunderbolt ports? If so, it could make sense for me to get the new 13" now.

Thanks!

 

[MacBoook160]

MacAir vs. new MacBook

The Mac Book is a joke, buy one of the Airs instead or if you really want retina a MBP.

Just checking specs out, I think I'm coming to that conclusion. I have a 2011 MBP that I'd like to keep as a back-up computer, and though I was hoping for a MacAir with Retina, I'm really not enamoured of the single port (you all also make good points about potential early adopter issues). And with this new MB, I doubt that they're going to provide a Retina MBA anytime soon.

I'd still like to compare them side by side, by I'm thinking the MacAir 11" may be a better bet, for all that it's a whole .38 pounds heavier.

 

[toke lahti]

No it doesn't the 15" will still be a lot faster because of edram

So 5200pro is using edam, but 6100 is not.
Thanks for the info, I thought they'd have same chips, since Apple always want to use same chips as far as putting mobile chips to desktops, to save money on bigger orders.

 

[toke lahti]

One more:

Do we think even MacBook Pros might sunset Thunderbolt ports? If so, it could make sense for me to get the new 13" now.

Hard to foresee, but since typeC is specced only for 15W and Apple is already using it for 29W, they might do whatever.
Official usb spec does have ability to carry even 100W, but it's not specced to typeC connector: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Power .

Since many people have waited for very long time and paid steep prices for their TB devices, I'd think that Apple at least leaves TB port to some top end models. Or they could just do what they've used to do: leave old model to market: if you need outdated features, just buy outdated model (with not outdated price).

Even if Apple rolls out real usb3.1 ports with 10G speeds, there are still some pros, who need TB's 20G, but the price gap will be even bigger as time passes...

 

[dbanderson1]

Ddr4??

That thing better have Skylake! If they opt for Broadwell...

I don't follow really follow CPU roadmaps that closely ... will Skylake have DDR4 and can we expect Apple to make the jump to DDR4 as soon as it is available? Or will they wait for DDR4 prices to drop?