MacBook Pro 2011 predictions

[ddomike]

tendency

the tendency is clear. Apple will leave ODD and harddisks too in the future macbooks. For me the questin is: when they do this?

The ssd drives are still very expensive, that's why now apple can't eliminate the HDD-s, because they must ensure about 500GB space in the pro line. An SSD/HDD hybrid is likely for me, and later in the next upgrade they can change to only ssd versions.

But there is no obstacle to leave the ODD. They can put more batterys in, they have an external superdrive option, and thats a fact that only a few people use this outdated and oversized technology.

My prediction is an i5/i7 in the highend 4 cores processors, a stronger ATI ot nVidia card, and ssd/hdd combos

 

[hcho3]

if the upgrade does have

standard ssd
better cpu+gpu
better battery life
design change

I really really hope they stick with the $1199 price tag. they need to still worry about affordability, no?

if apple could put all that in 13inch laptop at that price that will truly be innovative.

Standard SSD...
That will already push the price tag over the edge. If 64GB is all you need for memory, then pass. But, Pro users usually want more like 256GB.

 

[Hellhammer]

The toshiba SSDs are slower than intel or sandforce based drives though, and there are no sandforce or intel drives in that form factor to replace the drive with :-(

The difference is something you won't notice. It doesn't matter what the benchmarks say because in real life, Toshibas, Intels and SandForces will feel the same.

 

[kppolich]

I for one would love to see a keypad, especially on the 17" Doubt it will happen though.

 

[wizzlez]

The difference is something you won't notice. It doesn't matter what the benchmarks say because in real life, Toshibas, Intels and SandForces will feel the same.

Yeah I've found for pretty much any mainstream app you wont notice a difference unless the benchmark difference is more than 15%, which probably wont happen between the current SSD's on the mainstream market.

 

[Richard1028]

And Toshibas can easily be scaled if needed. 128GB could be double sided like the 256GB to make it 1/2 of the length

They would have to. No way Apple is going to take the current MBP13 keep the same name, then cut the storage capacity in half. (250 HD vs. 128 SSD).

The more I think about this, the more I feel we're just going to see some beefed up "Airs". If the next Macbooks don't resemble them then Apple is lying:

 

[ddomike]

apple will teach us, how to not use a lot of diskspace maybe they release some kind of cool external wireless hdds.

 

[articcine]

The more I think about this, the more I feel we're just going to see some beefed up "Airs".

That thought has occured to me as well, the 2011 pro might look like a beefed up MBA. If the design is changing, I don't see what else would be "logical" to do. They might just make it slightly thinner and give it somewhat more rounded edges.
I don't think the statement below the MBA on the picture should be taken too literally. It's a quite obvious thing to write considering it's Apple, they might not mean more about it than "HEY LOOK, this is the newest laptop."

 

[fortunecookie]

I really want an ssd on the next MBP and no more ODD, replaced by lots of batteries. I don't particularly need a lot of hdd space in mbp since an extenal harddrive is going to take care of that.

 

[SilverOnemi]

apple will teach us, how to not use a lot of diskspace maybe they release some kind of cool external wireless hdds.

What? I thought this already existed and that it was named time capsule?

 

[K42]

This thread made for a pretty cool read. I'm still sporting my 2 ghz 13'' macbook from like 2006/2007 and aiming to upgrade, but i'll hold off for the updates.

As a normal consumer (in university), i'd say the idea of a 13'' mbp without a OPP is bizarre. Non of my friends get why you'd get an mba unless you were rich. Nobody thinks of getting an external, they'd wonder why not to just put it in the computer. The MBA is seen has a luxury item. I'm sure that mindset is changing though. And if that's the way apple goes, then I think it'll still confuse some people.

I use my drive a lot for watching DVDs and burning music to itunes. Especially if i'm on a plane, or when i'm away from my home and i brought movies to watch. I get why it wouldnt' be used for some people, but i'm not sure i'd get rid of them. I use mine a lot. All music, movies, programs are sold on discs unless you're downloading digital. For music people, that sucks cause the quality is worse, and i don't want movies taking up space. Why would i want something that needs an outside drive to use them. It's easier to pop on my bed and watch a show on DVD's than have to rig up an external. bleh. That makes it harder for people i'd say.

I really want to get a MBP 13'' in the updates, i hope it still has its OPP.

I am all in favor of consumer-grade products with glossy (touch)screens that are able to play DVD's on the road.

But I would appreciate it if Apple keeps/creates a clear distinction between consumer-grade products and professional ones. Professionals may have a need for the ODD for burning DVD's and installing software, but I guess that they would hardly need to do that while on a plane. In many situations an external drive will do.

It is not that I dislike optical drives, but if I must choose I would rather have:
* a fast machine (with a fast HD and fast graphics).
* a robust machine.
* a nice matte screen _without_ fingerprints on it.
* good battery life.
* a good keyboard, and a form factor that supports easy typing for extended periods.
* more memory slots (so I can run multiple virtual machines).
* a good way to dock my machine to external monitors/drives/network without having to plug in a separate cable for each.

For ordinary laptops (not Apple's) the drive bay is a notorious weak spot in terms of structural strength. And in particular in a 13" machine it takes up an tremendous amount of space. If loosing it increases the chance that any of the above becomes better, for whatever reason, I am all for it.

 

[K42]

I for one would love to see a keypad, especially on the 17" Doubt it will happen though.

I hope not. I do like to have the main keyboard right in the middle of the screen and not on the side.

On the other hand, I would love to see a more wedge-like design similar to the MBA, if that means that the keyboard gets tilted slightly, similar to an external keyboard, and without an "high" edge at the front (whatever that means at less than an inch).

If that means that it is going to be thicker at the far end, I would not mind, but I somehow doubt that Apple is going to do that.

 

[calaverasgrande]

It also occurred to me that they could go one step further towards a skinnier notebook by replacing the standard sized USB and 1394 jacks with the smaller "micro" sized versions. Sure it would be a PITA for some, but a lot of us already have regular USB to micro USB cables, ditto for firewire. They already did it to the video jack. Heck isnt it almost time again for a new random video connector? Displayport micro extreme?

 

[wizzlez]

It also occurred to me that they could go one step further towards a skinnier notebook by replacing the standard sized USB and 1394 jacks with the smaller "micro" sized versions. Sure it would be a PITA for some, but a lot of us already have regular USB to micro USB cables, ditto for firewire. They already did it to the video jack. Heck isnt it almost time again for a new random video connector? Displayport micro extreme?

If they manage to slim the chassis down to the point that it is too skinny for ethernet, then they would probably be putting light peak in and would give you or more likely force you to buy light peak adapters, which id probably prefer as i want to make the transition to lp asap.

 

[joecool99]

2011 MBP graphic card

what GPU can we hope for in hi-end 15" or 17" ?

at least, apple needs to pickup the slack and do 512MB standard with 1GB on the top models! what a disgrace that 2010 still had only 512MB!

Also, any preliminary test on the Sandy Bridge for laptops performance ?
What CPU will we see ?

 

[SilverOnemi]

what GPU can we hope for in hi-end 15" or 17" ?

at least, apple needs to pickup the slack and do 512MB standard with 1GB on the top models! what a disgrace that 2010 still had only 512MB!

Also, any preliminary test on the Sandy Bridge for laptops performance ?
What CPU will we see ?

This has been discussed before, bigger ram allows the card to load bigger textures models etc, but if the processor can't handle the load, then the extra mb's are a waste of resources.

if you look at the bench marks of today's pros, which graphic memory goes has low has 256 and has high has 512, the difference between those is around 1 fps, this including the i5 to i7 processor difference.

apple could be loading 10 gb's and you wouldn't notice any difference.

 

[elhungarian]

my hopes/predictions

-higher res 13" (use macbook air's screen)
-onboard flash SSD option (for those of us who prefer speed over large capacity) option
-perhaps a cpu upgrade? C2D is a little old school now
-get rid of superdrive or not, i don't care, just gimme great battery life.

I'm looking at getting my first osx machine, would love at least the higher res screen and ssd on board flash option for $1200-1300.

 

[vipergts2207]

It also occurred to me that they could go one step further towards a skinnier notebook by replacing the standard sized USB and 1394 jacks with the smaller "micro" sized versions. Sure it would be a PITA for some, but a lot of us already have regular USB to micro USB cables, ditto for firewire. They already did it to the video jack. Heck isnt it almost time again for a new random video connector? Displayport micro extreme?

FFS, there's no need for the MBP to be so thin that it can't even accommodate a standard USB port. You do know computer internals need to be sufficiently cooled don't you?

what GPU can we hope for in hi-end 15" or 17" ?

at least, apple needs to pickup the slack and do 512MB standard with 1GB on the top models! what a disgrace that 2010 still had only 512MB!

Also, any preliminary test on the Sandy Bridge for laptops performance ?
What CPU will we see ?

My first guess for the GPU would be the nvidia 425m. They may use the equivalent ati 6000m series card. They could also just continue using the 330m, which I think would be incredibly disappointing.

The processors we'll likely see are the 2.5 GHz 2520M and 2.6 GHz 2540M i5's and the 2.7 GHz 2620M i7.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I don't think the statement below the MBA on the picture should be taken too literally. It's a quite obvious thing to write considering it's Apple, they might not mean more about it than "HEY LOOK, this is the newest laptop."

Nope, I don't think so. I have been following Apple for quite some time and I think this is exactly what they mean - this is how the next generation of Macbooks will be. Question is which part do they mean? Just the design? No ODD? Lame CPU? Only SSD? Instant on?

 

[gebbl]

All this talk about SB and the 13" MacBook Pro, could Apple just keep the Core 2 Duo?

 

[Windows]

All this talk about SB and the 13" MacBook Pro, could Apple just keep the Core 2 Duo?

It would be a disgrace for Apple to call their Pro line of MacBooks "Pro" if they have a 1 generation old technology inside of them.

1 generation old + the time it would take for them to perform a refresh.
That would be unnacceptable in my opinion.

 

[gonnabuyamacbsh]

One more thing

They need to improve the quality control of their laptops. I'm reading too many posts and know know too many people that are having issues with their brand new apple machines. I shouldnt have to shell out extra for apple care and dont want to. Making me real nervous about buying from apple.

 

[Hellhammer]

One more thing

They need to improve the quality control of their laptops. I'm reading too many posts and know know too many people that are having issues with their brand new apple machines. I shouldnt have to shell out extra for apple care and dont want to. Making me real nervous about buying from apple.

All Macs come with 1-year warranty so you don't need to buy AppleCare. Apple will cover it if new machine has issues. Besides, stop reading forums if they affect you too much. People don't come here telling how perfect their new MBP is, they come here if they have issues. Take a look at any other computer forum and there will be people doing the same, regardless of the manufacturer.

 

[joecool99]

My first guess for the GPU would be the nvidia 425m. They may use the equivalent ati 6000m series card. They could also just continue using the 330m, which I think would be incredibly disappointing.

The processors we'll likely see are the 2.5 GHz 2520M and 2.6 GHz 2540M i5's and the 2.7 GHz 2620M i7.

425M - about 35W TDP, 330M TDP is 23W - i don't think it's happening
All those CPU are still duo-core (4 virtual). Why not getting the 2.8GHz i7 now ?
How can SB be faster ?

 

[Hellhammer]

How can SB be faster ?

Clock speeds and cores aren't everything. The micro-architecture is better, thus SB will be ~15% faster clock for clock, i.e. 2GHz SB is as fast as current 2.3GHz. Sure, it's not revolutionary but it's possible that MBPs will get quad cores, at least as BTO option.