MacBook Pro 2011 predictions

[gianly1985]

There is no way in hell apple will put 512GB SSD on MBP without charging an arm for it. So, don't dream..

What if apple makes the MBPs premium priced machines again, like, starting at 1399€ for the base 13" model? The 800-1200€ range is getting so crowded (MBAs, ipad 2, MB). Can't say apple would leave high school kids, cheap college students and email-checking-granmas without options.
The repositioning of MBPs would allow for standard 300-512gb SSDs. Also don't forget that SSDs prices will suddenly drop in 2011 tnx to 22nm flash chips. Kinda the summer 2009 drop tnx to 34nm chips. We're talking double the capacity for the same price tag.

I want to believe.
(in SSD-only 2011 MBPs)

Anyway i'd be just as happy with an iMac27-like hybrid ssd+hdd solution. I would call it unnecessarily complicated (for an apple laptop) but since it's already happening on imacs, it could happen on MBPs.

 

[Yin]

What if apple makes the MBPs premium priced machines again, like, starting at 1399€ for the base 13" model? The 800-1200€ range is getting so crowded (MBAs, ipad 2, MB). Can't say apple would leave high school kids, cheap college students and email-checking-granmas without options.
The repositioning of MBPs would allow for standard 300-512gb SSDs. Also don't forget that SSDs prices will suddenly drop in 2011 tnx to 22nm flash chips. Kinda the summer 2009 drop tnx to 34nm chips. We're talking double the capacity for the same price tag.

I want to believe.
(in SSD-only 2011 MBPs)

Anyway i'd be just as happy with an iMac27-like hybrid ssd+hdd solution. I would call it unnecessarily complicated (for an apple laptop) but since it's already happening on imacs, it could happen on MBPs.

you can't be serious about the price of the ipad 2... an ipad can also not be compared with macbooks...
512 gb ssd is madness... just look for the arguments yourself.

 

[apolloa]

What if apple makes the MBPs premium priced machines again, like, starting at 1399€ for the base 13" model? The 800-1200€ range is getting so crowded (MBAs, ipad 2, MB). Can't say apple would leave high school kids, cheap college students and email-checking-granmas without options.
The repositioning of MBPs would allow for standard 300-512gb SSDs. Also don't forget that SSDs prices will suddenly drop in 2011 tnx to 22nm flash chips. Kinda the summer 2009 drop tnx to 34nm chips. We're talking double the capacity for the same price tag.

I want to bel512gbieve.
(in SSD-only 2011 MBPs)

Anyway i'd be just as happy with an iMac27-like hybrid ssd+hdd solution. I would call it unnecessarily complicated (for an apple laptop) but since it's already happening on imacs, it could happen on MBPs.

Because that would make the shareholders vomit and Steve Jobs would be diccapitated by them because the profits and sales would dive bomb, you know, business and all that... rather then dreaming predictions....

Plus you are also WAY of the mark of the price, you need to add around $900 to the price of the current 13" Pro for 512gb SSD, a small thing that practically everyone has forgotten on this thread, Apple charge you $300 to go from 128 to 256 in the Air....

 

[gianly1985]

you can't be serious about the price of the ipad 2... an ipad can also not be compared with macbooks...
512 gb ssd is madness... just look for the arguments yourself.

1) I meant Ultimate 3G 64gb of course.

2) i don't care what can be compared to what (and for sure i didn't imply MBs and ipads are comparable), i just know there are TASKS and hitech stuff to fulfill those TASKs, if my 55yo mom just want to check emails and read recipes, in 1999 I would have bought her a Pc, in 2006 a macbook and today an ipad. Tasks, needs, targets market holes to fill somehow, withou arguing about what is technically comparable to what.

3) look for yourself what happened to ssd prices after the last flash technology shrink (50nm ---> 34nm). And I said 300gb-512gb. Not 512gb period.

 

[gianly1985]

Because that would make the shareholders vomit and Steve Jobs would be diccapitated by them because the profits and sales would dive bomb, you know, business and all that... rather then dreaming predictions....

In fall-winter 2008 and spring 2009 ppl had no problem paying 1399€ to have a backlit keyboard on a no-firewire ante litteram 13" MBP. Where are you getting that sales would dive bomb? 999€-kinda-people will just buy a MB or an Air, what's wrong with that? Air-money stinks?

Plus you are also WAY of the mark of the price, you need to add around $900 to the price of the current 13" Pro for 512gb SSD, a small thing that practically everyone has forgotten on this thread, Apple charge you $300 to go from 128 to 256 in the Air....

A 300gb 22nm intel g3 SSD (or analogous other brand 22nm SSD) looks feasible to me on a 1399€ 13" machine. Let's wait and see where this shrink takes retail ssd prices.

 

[Yin]

1) I meant Ultimate 3G 64gb of course.

2) i don't care what can be compared to what (and for sure i didn't imply MBs and ipads are comparable), i just know there are TASKS and hitech stuff to fulfill those TASKs, if my 55yo mom just want to check emails and read recipes, in 1999 I would have bought her a Pc, in 2006 a macbook and today an ipad. Tasks, needs, targets market holes to fill somehow, withou arguing about what is technically comparable to what.

3) look for yourself what happened to ssd prices after the last flash technology shrink (50nm ---> 34nm). And I said 300gb-512gb. Not 512gb period.

look at apples price policy.
you said 300 -512 gb. as far as i know this includes the 512 gb ssd. think about it.
of course the ipad can fullfil those tasks. you do NOT need to buy the ultimate 64gb version for checking mails. however when you want to buy a mbp (and willing to pay around 1100$) you have other needs which cannot be fulfilled by either the air or the ipad.

 

[Hellhammer]

No need for Apple to force everyone to pay more for an SSD. They can just include it as a BTO for those who want it. Not everyone wants an SSD, average Joes doesn't even know what it is!

 

[adnoh]

I've been reading this thread for quite a while, and i made up my mind by joining some of my ideas with some of your thoughts:

My Prediction (based on facts):
13":
-No Optical Drive (Apple is moving that direction)
-Still No Discrete Graphic Card
-1440x900
-New Sandy Bridge Processor, which one is difficult to predict...all i5 are 35W anda few LV at 18W and Apple always used 25W processor in their 13" so the only processor available is the LV i7 (i think an LV i7 is too expensive, a crazy option would be using a LV i5 + AMD discrete graphic but this is science fiction...)

Core 2 duos haven't always been less than 25w and have been used in MacBooks. I think they will go with one of the 35w processors.

-RAM stays 4GB standard with 8GB options a bit cheaper
-Hard Disk, this is the most complicated prediction, SJ said the macbook air would have showed the way towards all laptops will go...assuming this is true i would say SSD ONLY

15"-17":
-No optical Drive in at least 2 15" models

Why? The 15" mbp is not space constrained like the 13".

-Discrete Nvidia Graphic 435M seems in line with old predictions
-core i5 in 2 models and i7 in the most expensive model
-Hard Disk, Here they will offer SSD+HDD (SSD+HDD won't be in the 13" model, that would make it too much a "pro" model and woud drop the battery time)

.

Also, If the DVD drive was removed and blade ssds were used then that gives apple a lot more space. I think a dedicated gpu would add heat and reduce batterynlife so I think we would get a thinner mbp with bigger battery.

 

[icebiker]

Those predictions are not based in any facts what so ever. Like everyone else on here you are just 'wishing' for this but I'm afraid you will be disappointed, Apple are not going to turn the pros into an air which is all it will be. And if the laptops are any thiner then expect less powerful components then they already use because it'll be almost the thinnest laptop on the market yet you all are still going to expect i5's and i7's and discrete graphics 😱 and people think they are hot now??!!

About 90% of people in this thread are playing on Steve Jobs words and 'hoping' the odd gets ditched. It won't. And as for 'retina', their is no such thing with computers, no other screen calls itself a fancy name so why would Apple? They only invented retina for the market and sales pitch, something people could relate to. And the higher the screen resolution the less chance the computer has of playing any games at that resolution.

I don't know why I even bother to post in here, it's like every other MacBook Pro prediction thread from the last 2 years, half the people have only joined in the last two months and the majority of the predictions are BS, just like all the other threads and when the refresh is launched it's all like 'told you so' because Apple unsurprisingly didn't do any of the said predictions.
I suppose next year we can look forward to newbies predicting quantum computing.......

XD you are so funny...i swear that when the new MBP come out i'll write you and we'll see who got the best prediction eheheh...just kiddind....man seriously take it easy...

Anyway he ODD will be dropped...it just doesn't make any sense to have it on th 13"...and the MBP will be slimmer not like the Macbook Air, same shape but slimmer...

I guess to make a good prediction you have to see what's happening around you...look at all the signals that are coming...

no cd on itunes icon anymore ---> mac app store ---> what's gonna happen next?

it's easier to connect to an app store and download your copy of ilife or iwork or whatever you want and download it to your pc then getting it from a store...that's the way lots of people got used to with the iphone/ipod touch/ipad...


I was thinking what HELLHAMMER said about the average JOE and SSDs....the average person doesn't care about having a blazing fast SSD, but he/she likes to have a fast computer and if he/she is given a 128GB 13" MBP is gonna be all right...he is not gonna complain about space and he/she needs more space will just buy a external drive...

I forgot the LIGHTPEAK chapter...that will be a great innovation, hope it's gonna be in the next generation of MBP...i definetly cannot see it happening in february...that's way i would say a april or june launch...

 

[gianly1985]

No need for Apple to force everyone to pay more for an SSD. They can just include it as a BTO for those who want it. Not everyone wants an SSD, average Joes doesn't even know what it is!

Apple also cares about how average joes PERCEIVE things.
Current MBAs showcased in retail stores FEEL faster than MBPs. They boot faster and load apps faster. Can ANY (any) new apple laptop be a step backward in that regard? Maybe. Maybe this is all about the MBA-iPad analogy ("instant boot" and stuff). But maybe not and the part to focus is "MBAs are the future of notebooks". Hence SSDs (at least for boot disk) on every 2011 apple laptop. Or good luck explaining to average joes why last year 999€ MBA feels snappier than their brand new 2011 HDD-booted 1499€ 15" MBP.

 

[gianly1985]

. however when you want to buy a mbp (and willing to pay around 1100$) you have other needs which cannot be fulfilled by either the air or the ipad.

This sentence means little (leaving out the ipad, god forgive me for having mentioned it).
Bring me numbers. How many 13" MBP users actually use GigE. How many highly rely on FW800. How many update RAM and HDD/SSD at home during the lifespan of the machine. How many use the ODD so often to need it internal ODD rather than a USB unit dusting in a drawer. How many do CPU intensive tasks so often that a 2.4ghz C2D is life changing vs a 1.4-1.6ghz LV C2D.
Face it, the MBA has now a new role in apple line up. It's not the 2008 Air anymore.
Lots of 1100$-kinda-people could now make the jump from MBP to MBA. Just read these forums. Just take a walk outside and look at what people do on 13" MBPs. Not everyone could make the jump, but lots. Hence, even leaving out the ipad, I repeat that the circa-1000$/1000€ mark is crowded at the moment. And the "few" fw800 gigE backlit keyboard enthusiasts would accept (not without ranting here) anyway to pay a MBP 1399€ and up.

 

[Yin]

This sentence means little (leaving out the ipad, god forgive me for having mentioned it).
Bring me numbers. How many 13" MBP users actually use GigE. How many highly rely on FW800. How many update RAM and HDD/SSD at home during the lifespan of the machine. How many use the ODD so often to need it internal ODD rather than a USB unit dusting in a drawer. How many do CPU intensive tasks so often that a 2.4ghz C2D is life changing vs a 1.4-1.6ghz LV C2D.
Face it, the MBA has now a new role in apple line up. It's not the 2008 Air anymore.
Lots of 1100$-kinda-people could now make the jump from MBP to MBA. Just read these forums. Just take a walk outside and look at what people do on 13" MBPs. Not everyone could make the jump, but lots. Hence, even leaving out the ipad, I repeat that the circa-1000$/1000€ mark is crowded at the moment. And the "few" fw800 gigE backlit keyboard enthusiasts would accept (not without ranting here) anyway to pay a MBP 1399€ and up.

the air has not the same consumer range as the mbp. it is true that the specs of the air are sufficient for most everyday tasks. but you have less battery and a way higher price for the 13" model. the 11" does not have the power to replace a
and most of the things you said are not making your point. i never said anything about odds. there are MANY other things which distinguish the pro and the air.

 

[apolloa]

In fall-winter 2008 and spring 2009 ppl had no problem paying 1399€ to have a backlit keyboard on a no-firewire ante litteram 13" MBP. Where are you getting that sales would dive bomb? 999€-kinda-people will just buy a MB or an Air, what's wrong with that? Air-money stinks?

A 300gb 22nm intel g3 SSD (or analogous other brand 22nm SSD) looks feasible to me on a 1399€ 13" machine. Let's wait and see where this shrink takes retail ssd prices.

Yes but what you said was for the entire range to have it's prices increased, have you not seen the prices of Apple's competitors, do you not think there is a business reason why the prices are as they are currently? The share holders will not endorse a price increase as it WILL mean less sales and less profit to them. share holders could not care less about you, the economy, the recession, they care about big returns on those big investments.
And SSD drives are still VERY expensive, just why do you think all of a sudden a 256gb SSD that's of decent speed is going to only cost $200??? It won't and not for a while.

XD you are so funny...i swear that when the new MBP come out i'll write you and we'll see who got the best prediction eheheh...just kiddind....man seriously take it easy...

Anyway he ODD will be dropped...it just doesn't make any sense to have it on th 13"...and the MBP will be slimmer not like the Macbook Air, same shape but slimmer...

I guess to make a good prediction you have to see what's happening around you...look at all the signals that are coming...

no cd on itunes icon anymore ---> mac app store ---> what's gonna happen next?

it's easier to connect to an app store and download your copy of ilife or iwork or whatever you want and download it to your pc then getting it from a store...that's the way lots of people got used to with the iphone/ipod touch/ipad...


I was thinking what HELLHAMMER said about the average JOE and SSDs....the average person doesn't care about having a blazing fast SSD, but he/she likes to have a fast computer and if he/she is given a 128GB 13" MBP is gonna be all right...he is not gonna complain about space and he/she needs more space will just buy a external drive....

I am nothing of the sort mate, I've just read and responded in the last two massive MacBook Pro prediction threads from last year and the year before, the EXACT same thing happened, LOTS of people claimed they would have this and that, the ODD would be dropped and guess what? NONE of those predictions came true.
So you go right ahead and believe that jo public is happy with a standard 128gb SSD drive for that much money. You make up your FACTS and read into where there are NO facts, like yeah the changing of a flipping icon states the future of Apples laptops specs 🙄🙄
And perhaps you should read what the 'pro's' are saying rather then jo blogs too because they are the ones that refuse to have $2000 wort of software 40GB in size made download only.
Does the world have fibre optic BB everywhere with speeds of 1000mbps? No it does not, hence why that argument is already flawed.

 

[Yin]

Apple also cares about how average joes PERCEIVE things.
Current MBAs showcased in retail stores FEEL faster than MBPs. They boot faster and load apps faster. Can ANY (any) new apple laptop be a step backward in that regard? Maybe. Maybe this is all about the MBA-iPad analogy ("instant boot" and stuff). But maybe not and the part to focus is "MBAs are the future of notebooks". Hence SSDs (at least for boot disk) on every 2011 apple laptop. Or good luck explaining to average joes why last year 999€ MBA feels snappier than their brand new 2011 HDD-booted 1499€ 15" MBP.

I went to the apple store when the air came out and wanted to buy one. the "instant on" or the fast bootup is nothing more than crap, at least on the 11" model.
it took over 32 seconds to boot. that is way more than my notebook at home which has about the same specs and NO ssd.
and hybrid would not be a step backwards. a ssd-only model on the other way would be, as it is way more expensive or does not have the storage space of the old 13".

 

[mickey23]

Does the world have fibre optic BB everywhere with speeds of 1000mbps? No it does not, hence why that argument is already flawed.

Im with you i followed the waiting for arrandale thread... and nothing really happened...

i personally use my ODD would like to see that stay

and i kno wmy internet plan is a 1.5mbs 25 gig plan and i pay $49 a month...

so let me buy my software in diskform please

 

[Yin]

Im with you i followed the waiting for arrandale thread... and nothing really happened...

i personally use my ODD would like to see that stay

and i kno wmy internet plan is a 1.5mbs 25 gig plan and i pay $49 a month...

so let me buy my software in diskform please

no internal odd would not mean that there would not be software disks anymore.

 

[jvmxtra]

Do we have any educated guess on when it's coming out?

IF ipad 2 is coming out in april and iphone in june, can we safely assume that mbp will come out in feb??? I would like to ponder about when it's coming out as I will be buying 2010 or 2011 mbp one way or the other when it comes out... Sooner the better but I would like to hear some educated guesses here.. if possible.

 

[Yin]

Do we have any educated guess on when it's coming out?

IF ipad 2 is coming out in april and iphone in june, can we safely assume that mbp will come out in feb??? I would like to ponder about when it's coming out as I will be buying 2010 or 2011 mbp one way or the other when it comes out... Sooner the better but I would like to hear some educated guesses here.. if possible.

IF those release dates are correct, it is highly probable that the mbp will come out in february.

 

[jvmxtra]

IF those release dates are correct, it is highly probable that the mbp will come out in february.

Yeah, I really hope so. I am sick of using my wife's mb... I need my own mbp...!!!!!!!!!

This year we didn't do any xmas shopping for ourselves since we will be shelling out mucho dinero to mr.jobs..

 

[Yin]

Yeah, I really hope so. I am sick of using my wife's mb... I need my own mbp...!!!!!!!!!

This year we didn't do any xmas shopping for ourselves since we will be shelling out mucho dinero to mr.jobs..

me too 🙂 can't wait to replace my old notebook.
however, i think that the ipad will be released before the mbp. so it looks like the mbp will be released around april :-(

 

[jvmxtra]

me too 🙂 can't wait to replace my old notebook.
however, i think that the ipad will be released before the mbp. so it looks like the mbp will be released around april :-(

Well, I hope you are wrong.. I really hope so.. even though we are getting all apple stuff next year(2 iphone, 1 ipad 2, mbp).. I need mbp the MOST)

 

[Hellhammer]

Apple also cares about how average joes PERCEIVE things.
Current MBAs showcased in retail stores FEEL faster than MBPs. They boot faster and load apps faster. Can ANY (any) new apple laptop be a step backward in that regard? Maybe. Maybe this is all about the MBA-iPad analogy ("instant boot" and stuff). But maybe not and the part to focus is "MBAs are the future of notebooks". Hence SSDs (at least for boot disk) on every 2011 apple laptop. Or good luck explaining to average joes why last year 999€ MBA feels snappier than their brand new 2011 HDD-booted 1499€ 15" MBP.

Good luck explaining why 300$ netbook has more storage than 1799$ 15" MBP... Apple can't go SSD only unless 25nm provides substantial price cuts (at least 1$/1GB, which I doubt will happen). What would you tell to a customer who asks why his last year's MBP has 500GB but the new one has only 128GB? MBA never had more than 128GB in the past, thus it wasn't an issue for Apple to make it SSD only. However, that's not the case with MBP and 512GB SSDs cost more than the actual computer. You can't force ALL buyers to be stuck with 128GB/256GB or force them to pay another grand for 512GB SSD.

SSD + HD combo is something that Apple could offer since 64GB SSD would be sufficient and it wouldn't be too expensive. That would need some changes like removal of the ODD though because there is simply no space for an SSD, not even for a blade type SSD like in the MBA. Moreover, Apple would have to do something for the OS X because small SSD like 64GB or 128GB will be filled fairly quickly if things like Home folder are in it. May not be the simplest setup for a newbie unless Apple locks the SSD or something.

It's quite obvious that there are plenty of options but none of us really knows what Apple is going to do....

 

[63dot]

No need for Apple to force everyone to pay more for an SSD. They can just include it as a BTO for those who want it. Not everyone wants an SSD, average Joes doesn't even know what it is!

I didn't even know it as a PhD computer engineering candidate a few years ago. 🙂

 

[Erasmus]

Based on simple logic: Pretty much irrefutable fact.
- Slightly higher resolution displays are likely. Much higher "retina" displays are not.
- MBPs might get a bit thinner. They will not get a lot thinner. As in, maximum 2mm thinner. Maybe more rectangular case, iPhone 4 style.

Based on extrapolated logic: Would bet on it.
- At least 64GB blade SSDs standard on all MBP models. Almost certainly with a secondary large HDD. MBPs aren't for "newbies" who can't manage 2+ storage drives.
- Automatic switch to hibernate with "instant on" waking after long periods of sleep (like MBA)
- Quad core CPUs at least as options on 15" and 17", more likely standard. If Apple don't do this, MBPs won't be able to compete with a lot of other offerings, and they will lose a lot of sales.
- Faster GPU on all models.
- No Blu-Ray

Moving down to quite likely's:
- More RAM standard. Quad core MBPs start with 8 GB. Maybe with options for 16GB, if it's possible.
- Much faster AMD GPU's on 15" and 17"
- ODD removal. Based simply on whether Apple can put them in alongside everything else

And finally the maybe's and unlikely's
- USB 3, Apple have to do it eventually!
- Light Peak
- Extra USB port

Release Date: Probably everything in mid Feb. Slight possibility of 15" and 17" with quads released mid-late Jan, and 13" with dual core released mid-late Feb.

 

[articcine]

Fingers crossed for february, but the feeling says april. Unfortunately. I don't want to wait that long.