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MacBook Pro 2011 predictions

Hellhammer said:
Final Cut Suite may be a bit too much as it's like 40GB. Other apps such as iLife, iWork, Aperture etc would be easy. Some of them are already available.

However, Apple could switch to flash media like they did with MBA's install media. All Macs have a USB port so that's not an issue. It costs a bit more but in e.g. Final Cut, it wouldn't matter as the whole suite is quite expensive.
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That's a great solution. 64 GB USB drive would be cheap for a software company to include (purchased in bulk) and with $500-$1000 software suites, they should be able to keep profit margins close to the same level as compared to DVD based software.
 
croooow said:
That was my original point. If they make all their software available at the MacApp store (or some other location for download) then I can see removing the ODD. If they still sell software that is available only on disc, the computers they sell should be able to load the software without an additional cost.
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I'm not sure whether your issue is the actual removal of the ODD (to presumably make room for better things) or the fact they might charge you extra for the external drive?

There will most definitely be applications too large to download from the App Store (Final Cut, Adobe CSS, etc).

But these things cost so much the $15 expense of a USB memory stick will be negligible IMO. (Especially if you can afford these apps to begin with and need them to earn a living).

Don't get me wrong. The built-in SuperDrive is Ok but I would gladly make due *if* Apple needed to remove it for something I'd use every day like longer battery life, graphics, better CPU power, etc.

If they removed it solely to achieve less bulk then no, it would not be worth it to me. But they already did that for the Air so again, *if* they do remove the ODD it will be for a generally good reason that will most likely appeal to the masses.
 
croooow said:
There are many places where you have to use Ethernet for security reasons. Most of these places are businesses or government locations that are dominated by Windows, but there are Macs there.

I have worked on some Federal Government contracts and have seen Macs at some agencies (USDA, U.S. Marshals, DOD where I work now) and they cannot use wireless.

Sure, when you are out in public or at a hotel, Wireless is King. But there is a reason to keep that Ethernet port!
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OK, that makes sense. I am a bit surprised though that an "outsider" is allowed to plug in her/his laptop there.

Or are we talking about regular employees that happen to use a MacBook at the office?
 
croooow said:
That's a great solution. 64 GB USB drive would be cheap for a software company to include (purchased in bulk) and with $500-$1000 software suites, they should be able to keep profit margins close to the same level as compared to DVD based software.
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64GB might be too much as the cheapest I found in NewEgg is 95$ (of course it would be cheaper for Apple as they would buy huge quantities but it would still cost quite a lot compared to DVDs). 16GB sticks seem to be around 20 bucks each so couple of them might be a better option.

I guess most Final Cut users use an iMac or Mac Pro so on the other hand, Apple could keep distributing FCS in DVDs. People who use that on MBPs would likely need an external ODD anyway as projects are usually burnt to DVDs.

Most apps can definitely be distributed through the Mac App Store. These few are exceptions but their user base is relatively small as well.
 
Richard1028 said:
...If they removed it solely to achieve less bulk then no, it would not be worth it to me...
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I think I agree with you more than disagree.

I trust that Apple would not just get rid of the ODD and not provide the MacBook Pro with some benefit in it's place (more powerful processor, 2nd drive bay, longer battery life, etc)

It's not really the cost of the external drive that bugs me, it's the notion that I should be happy to buy any additional piece of hardware to load software. So even if it was $.99 then it would annoy me (but at that price, I'd get over it pretty fast :D) and I would be happy with which ever direction Apple wants to go (1-get away from physical optical media with the Mac App store/USB for larger suites or 2-keep optical around for a while but include external devices so that we can load our software, burn DVDs with iDVD, and other things that are not done often enough to build it internally.)

Hellhammer said:
64GB might be too much as the cheapest I found in NewEgg is 95$ (of course it would be cheaper for Apple as they would buy huge quantities but it would still cost quite a lot compared to DVDs). 16GB sticks seem to be around 20 bucks each so couple of them might be a better option.
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How much data is on the USB drive that come with the Air?

Hellhammer said:
I guess most Final Cut users use an iMac or Mac Pro so on the other hand, Apple could keep distributing FCS in DVDs. People who use that on MBPs would likely need an external ODD anyway as projects are usually burnt to DVDs.

Most apps can definitely be distributed through the Mac App Store. These few are exceptions but their user base is relatively small as well.
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True, if it's just a few big suites and Apple moves everything else to Mac App Store then it will be just a few users that I'm talking about (FCS on a MBP) so they might just have to be forced to buy an external drive to use FCP.
 
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K42 said:
OK, that makes sense. I am a bit surprised though that an "outsider" is allowed to plug in her/his laptop there.

Or are we talking about regular employees that happen to use a MacBook at the office?
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Regular employees and the Mac Pro or MacBook (I usually see Mac Pros) is owned by the company/government. Generally in those places you cannot plug in a computer that isn't configured/screened by the IT dept. So even if you are an insider, you can't just bring in your personal laptop and plug it in.
 
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This might be a slight aside from a 2011 predictions themselves but I was wondering why the accepting logic is that the new MBP will be released in April. Looking at the buyers guide, that will be a huge space of time from the previous updates. Is February considered as a plausible possibility?
 
ChristopherM said:
This might be a slight aside from a 2011 predictions themselves but I was wondering why the accepting logic is that the new MBP will be released in April. Looking at the buyers guide, that will be a huge space of time from the previous updates. Is February considered as a plausible possibility?
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There was some rumors suggesting that the new mbp will be released in April, but no source was cited.
February is also plausible.
 
croooow said:
We should send Apple a link to the guide so they know when to release new products!;)
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I agree with you that Apple does not care about the guide. However, they would be the only company which releases notebooks on a yearly basis. The computer industry changes quite a lot in a short amount of time and it is not recommendable to offer a one year old notebook for such a high price.
 
aimbdd said:
That was my though... those fun fun days of "Where did i put disk 11?!?"
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yeah, or you put a disk in the second floppy drive of a Mac || at work, heard "kloink" and then discovered that it did not actually have a second drive.:rolleyes:
 
Yin said:
The computer industry changes quite a lot in a short amount of time and it is not recommendable to offer a one year old notebook for such a high price.
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Makes sense academically, but in real life Apple isn't have any problems moving units. And such unification makes it easier on the supply chain.
 
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