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MacBook Pro 2011 predictions
- Thread starter shyam09
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check this out : http://preyproject.com/
A bit late now, but you can use it for your next mbp
About the release date, I would bet before mid-march. There's been a very long time since last upgrade, it's only logical to upgrade them in feb-march.
It seems many want a SSD drive in the MBPs in this refresh.
I don't think that will happen (except as CTO).
Why?
I expect the price tag to stay roughly the same for the different models.
I am interested in the 13" myself, so if we take that model...
If the price from the Best Buy rumor is correct the "low" level MBP stays at the same price, i.e. 1199$.
I guess the screen resolution will get a bump and it seems we might get the Sandy Bridge CPU. An SSD is simply to expensive to fit in an 1199$ price tag.
If you CTO a 13" MBP today through the apple store with an 128 GB SSD today it costs you 1549$
What costs would be reduced to be able to fit the SSD within 1199$ ?
Throw out the ODD you say? An ODD costs what? 60-70$ to buy an internal one maybe?
Thats not enough.
I heard some time ago that that computer technology develops in such a speed that the capacity is doubled and the price cut in half over 2 years. That is the general rule of thumb.
This could mean that SSD will not be the default storage for another year at least. Not without premium prices anyway...
But I hope I am wrong.
I don't think that will happen (except as CTO).
Why?
I expect the price tag to stay roughly the same for the different models.
I am interested in the 13" myself, so if we take that model...
If the price from the Best Buy rumor is correct the "low" level MBP stays at the same price, i.e. 1199$.
I guess the screen resolution will get a bump and it seems we might get the Sandy Bridge CPU. An SSD is simply to expensive to fit in an 1199$ price tag.
If you CTO a 13" MBP today through the apple store with an 128 GB SSD today it costs you 1549$
What costs would be reduced to be able to fit the SSD within 1199$ ?
Throw out the ODD you say? An ODD costs what? 60-70$ to buy an internal one maybe?
Thats not enough.
I heard some time ago that that computer technology develops in such a speed that the capacity is doubled and the price cut in half over 2 years. That is the general rule of thumb.
This could mean that SSD will not be the default storage for another year at least. Not without premium prices anyway...
But I hope I am wrong.
Forget comparisons with the current 13" MBP ... those model specs and options are completely obsolete and overpriced. SSD drives are really not that expensive. The 11" MBA has 64Gb SSD for $999 and the 128Gb SSD model is $1200, the 13" MBA with 128gb is $1299. Those drives are SSD flash which is an even more expensive technology than regular sata SSD drives. It is totally possible and rather likely for the future 13" MBP base model to include a 128gb SSD.
today, as in 10 months ago?
A 128gb ssd could (or at least, should) easily replace the current 250gb hard drive (which should already be more than that...) at the same price.
Btw i was at apple's site a sec ago (to check the current gb) and it lagged really much took a minute+ to load, maybe new macs INC?
im just hopin...to sum up, an ssd is easily possible as a standard.
today, as in 10 months ago?
A 128gb ssd could (or at least, should) easily replace the current 250gb hard drive (which should already be more than that...) at the same price.
Btw i was at apple's site a sec ago (to check the current gb) and it lagged really much took a minute+ to load, maybe new macs INC?
to sum up, an ssd is easily possible as a standard.
Agreed. Furthermore, Apple likely has a contract deal for HUGE amounts of flash memory. Doesn't Apple control something like 50% of flash memory produced (complete guess)? If they wanted to push the standard, Apple could easily undercut the rest of the market on SSD prices.
Just noticed on the Apple Refurb store...now the 2010 MBPs have dates listed on them; "Originally released April 2010." These designations were previously only used to differentiate the older models from the newer ones by marking them "Originally released mid 2009."
This may be a sign they're going to release the new Macbook Pros sooner rather than later. OR it could mean absolutely nothing.
This may be a sign they're going to release the new Macbook Pros sooner rather than later. OR it could mean absolutely nothing.
Completley obsolete might be a bit harsh... If I buy one today I think it would last me 3 or 4 years, but I get your point.
This is my first "waiting for refresh" so I don't know how much the MBP is upgraded in a refresh historically speaking.
today, as in 10 months ago?
A 128gb ssd could (or at least, should) easily replace the current 250gb hard drive (which should already be more than that...) at the same price.
Btw i was at apple's site a sec ago (to check the current gb) and it lagged really much took a minute+ to load, maybe new macs INC?
to sum up, an ssd is easily possible as a standard.
Well, with Apple today and 10 months ago is actually the same thing...
Yes, the Apple guy I talked to said they are the biggest buyers by far of flash memory (but most of it go to the iToys).
I asked him if the MBA would get a lower price after a MBP refresh, but he didn't think so because Apple are so big when it come to flash memory.
Anyway. Thanks you three. My hope in an SSD is somewhat restored!
Having "only" 128 GB of SSD would also be good from a business perspective as people would want to buy TC for external storage. Win-win for Apple.
Completley obsolete might be a bit harsh... If I buy one today I think it would last me 3 or 4 years, but I get your point.
This is my first "waiting for refresh" so I don't know how much the MBP is upgraded in a refresh historically speaking.
Well, with Apple today and 10 months ago is actually the same thing...
Yes, the Apple guy I talked to said they are the biggest buyers by far of flash memory (but most of it go to the iToys).
I asked him if the MBA would get a lower price after a MBP refresh, but he didn't think so because Apple are so big when it come to flash memory.
Anyway. Thanks you three. My hope in an SSD is somewhat restored!
Having "only" 128 GB of SSD would also be good from a business perspective as people would want to buy TC for external storage. Win-win for Apple.
Isn't Apple already working pretty hard to keep a "low" price on the MBAs? I wouldn't expect Apple to cut the prices on those any more, but I would expect MBPs to soon come in at equal pricepoints with SSDs standard (with Apple taking a similar cut to the MBAs). If you spec it out now, a 13" ultimate MBA is actually cheaper than a 13" MBP with the same size SSD. This is not likely going to stick, since MBAs are historically more "premium" than MBPs.
My prediction (wishes!)
I am a professional web developer who requires a powerful yet portable laptop for work, so I'm going for the Macbook Pro 13" as soon as the 2011 models are released (currently I have an iMac i5 27").
Here's what I'm planning to order, or what I'd like to see in the 13" model:
Anyway, for me the most important factors are the i5 and the 1440x900 resolution, and the new models should definitely be able to pack that in. My prediction is that they will be available for order in April.
I am a professional web developer who requires a powerful yet portable laptop for work, so I'm going for the Macbook Pro 13" as soon as the 2011 models are released (currently I have an iMac i5 27").
Here's what I'm planning to order, or what I'd like to see in the 13" model:
- i5 Dual Core (Quad Core won't happen for the 13", only for the 15" and 17").
- 1440x900 matte screen (glossy sucks for outdoors, and therefore for mobility).
- 4 gb RAM (I will upgrade to 8gb if it's reasonably priced).
- 500 gb HD at 7200 rpm (I will upgrade if necessary. I dont really care for SDD).
- Discrete GPU (I don't think it will happen on the 13" model).
- Integrated 3G (I don't think it will happen)
- No CD drive (I don't think it will happen, but in all honesty I haven't used CDs or DVDs in over a year, and I can always buy an external drive for those once-in-a-bluemoon occasions).
Anyway, for me the most important factors are the i5 and the 1440x900 resolution, and the new models should definitely be able to pack that in. My prediction is that they will be available for order in April.
+1 I'm expecting the same changes and I'll like to see a "killer" new feature like LightPeak or Liquid Metal
Just noticed on the Apple Refurb store...now the 2010 MBPs have dates listed on them; "Originally released April 2010." These designations were previously only used to differentiate the older models from the newer ones by marking them "Originally released mid 2009."
This may be a sign they're going to release the new Macbook Pros sooner rather than later. OR it could mean absolutely nothing.
Good Eye. I've been in the market for a new MBP and noticed the addition of the dates to the Refurb Store. I'm hoping they will discount them even more when the new models are announced/released... but then there is always the argument that you should just spend the little bit extra and get a new one, especially is the speculated updates come to fruition.
The currently equipped C2D MBPs have been out since 2006, that's dinosaur years in computer tehcnology, the upcoming SB equipped MBPs will mean a double skip in chip generation. That added to faster bus speed RAM and SSD hard drives, and you've got yourself one major upgrade, benchmark scores will double if not triple or even quadruple. Of course if you just use your notebook to surf internet and play itunes, you will hardly notice a difference in between the current MBPs and the next gen. However i wouldnt be so sure that in 3 or 4 years, when streaming a uber HD movie or even a next gen online game from the cloud to your idevice via your notebook, on a power hungry OS XX, you will be glad you waited a couple weeks and got the latest tech gen...
The Blade SSD's could actually resolve quite a bit of the Intel/NVIDIA problem.
As per the lawsuit, NVIDIA can not house a graphics card on the motherboard due to chipset issues. But they can have a separate graphics card off-motherboard.
So if Apple throws the Graphics Card where the Hard Drive is currently, they could occupy some areas with the Blade SSD's.
What we may see is that this is the standard, and that on the 15 and 17 inch models a HDD will be an option. Likely a larger option for similar price. (ie: 128 GB SSD blades, or a 750GB-1TB HDD.)
Hell, they could even offer on the 15 and 17 inch models a standard of having 64 GB blade SSD, Plus a 500 GB hard drive.
Dual Storage, Baby! Yeah!
As per the lawsuit, NVIDIA can not house a graphics card on the motherboard due to chipset issues. But they can have a separate graphics card off-motherboard.
So if Apple throws the Graphics Card where the Hard Drive is currently, they could occupy some areas with the Blade SSD's.
What we may see is that this is the standard, and that on the 15 and 17 inch models a HDD will be an option. Likely a larger option for similar price. (ie: 128 GB SSD blades, or a 750GB-1TB HDD.)
Hell, they could even offer on the 15 and 17 inch models a standard of having 64 GB blade SSD, Plus a 500 GB hard drive.
Dual Storage, Baby! Yeah!
Sounds good since I have decided to wait for the refresh.
One thing that is (almost) never mentioned when talking about the speed increase going from C2D to Sandy Bridge is the higher speed of the memory bus. From 1066 MHz to 1333MHz (I might be wrong on the numbers).
That sounds like a solid improvment to me.
I'll be getting a 17", and here's what I'm hoping for, in order of importance to me:
Quad-core sandy bridge
SSD + HDD, no ODD
Light peak (copper is fine)
AMD graphics
Improved iSight camera (iPhone 4 quality, with a new rear-facing lens)
Better battery life
Built-in 3G
Liquid metal casing (icing on the cake)
I really don't care what they do with the 13 and 15" models
Quad-core sandy bridge
SSD + HDD, no ODD
Light peak (copper is fine)
AMD graphics
Improved iSight camera (iPhone 4 quality, with a new rear-facing lens)
Better battery life
Built-in 3G
Liquid metal casing (icing on the cake)
I really don't care what they do with the 13 and 15" models
the only way the date would be getting further is via time-travelling to the past. and i think if you had a time-travelling machine you would go 2 months ahead and open www.apple.com, not go into the past
oh yea it definitely is right and an improvement. also sata III (bring on the sata III ssds)
check this out. (i dont know who posted it originally but thanks)
http://www.semiaccurate.com/2011/01/02/introduction-sandy-bridge/
Maybe quad core and probably better battery but Lp rear camera 3G liquid metal and 5mp iSight and and graphics are not happening
i can't find a 256gb ssd, but 120gb ones cost 250$ (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Intel&#...lver/1592311.p?id=1218270598219&skuId=1592311)
which means you get a macbook pro with 120gb ssd for 1450, whereas the mba (with worse processor) costs a lot more. ofc if you ask apple to put an ssd as a bto you will pay way too much, you shouldn't compare to that.
I mean they ask for 800$ for a 256gb ssd AND they keep the original drive??? that's theft!