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MacBook Pro Lineup Set For 'Most Significant Overhaul in Over 4 Years'

ValO said:
Sjeez, everybody was screaming for a new MacBook Pro . Now that it is in sight, most of you are just wining.....
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Now we have one rumor. Still no MacBook Pro to buy. Still should have been something to maintain interest back in the spring, even if it was only a RAM or SSD bump.

Wait till we find out that it has no 3.5mm headphone jack...
 
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i don't think i've ever gone more than 3 years with the same computer, and i'm currently on the late 2013 mbp.

usually what drives an upgrade is getting substantially faster performance for for my 3d / motion graphics work, but it feels like performance has barely moved in the past 3 years. while some of the rumoured additions sound "neat", i think i've moved past the point of caring if its any thinner or the bezel is smaller, or even dynamic OLED function keys (i don't look at my keyboard - a shortcut key is a shortcut, no matter how it's prettied up).

all i want is more ram for heavier projects, a faster cpu for rendering, and a faster gpu for game/vr dev.

i will say this to apple's credit: we have beefy windows boxes at work, built with up to date desktop hardware, and they're godawful. this 'old' mbp still inexplicably renders faster than a windows 10 desktop on certain software. plus you still have to deal with all the endless update patches (i waited for 238 to install yesterday!) and driver issues that i thought surely must have improved since i switched in 2005. nope.
 
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Apple is so late to the party, just release the MacBook Pro in the Apple Store. We don't need a "next big thing" event to talk about a thing that is years late in arriving. We don't need to delay an event so it does not take away from the PR value of the new iPhones. iPhones are the Apple's honey, sure make a big event for them, just release the Mac Pro as soon as possible.
 
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bladerunner2000 said:
It is better;
  • DVD drive can be removed giving you an additional bay to insert a secondary drive (2tb max storage per drive)
  • Battery can be removed and replaced with ease
  • screen came with a matte finish option that didn't act as a mirror like the new glossy ones
  • GPU and CPU are not all that far behind in performance even after 4 years (check geekbench)
  • the parts inside aren't as disposable as the new one, you can remove/replace many of the components if need be
  • And most importantly, the RAM modules can be upgraded, Crucial makes single 16gb dimms, so you can get up to 32gb of RAM whereas the current MacBooks are maxed out at 16gb thanks to the soldered RAM.
But that's Apple's whole philosophy now with their products; make something that is GREAT and is perfectly reliable and easy to use far more than the competition but then give it a major drawback but sell it at 3X the price. It just so happens that the drawback these days is the fact that it's disposable seeing how you can't upgrade / swap any of the internal components.

Apple's essentially spitting in the face of all of it's consumers but nobody seems to mind.
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Yet the Retina model has faster Flash than if you put 2xTB SSDs in RAID on the cMBP. 2-3 hours more battery life. Thinner. Lighter. Much better display. Better GPU. Better CPU. Quicker RAM. 2x Thunderbolt 2 and HDMI. Keep your upgradability, but people buying a new Mac directly from Apple should avoid the cMBP like the plague. Just far too expensive for what it is.

Still a great deal if you buy it second-hand for 50% off RRP, of course. But new? You get a lot more for your money with the rMBP.

And no, you can't get 32GB of RAM in that model. Yes, Crucial make 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 DIMMs and the CPU can support up to 32GB RAM. However that CPU will only support a maximum of 8GB DIMM per slot, so the only way to get 32GB RAM would be to have four RAM slots.

The same applies for the 15" 2012 cMBP (regrettable, as I'd love to have 32GB RAM in mine).
 
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I'm sure that the announcement will be at the macOS Sierra release.
I'm sure at will be at the iPhone event, it makes no sense.
They can always move the watch and the big iPad Pro, because the 9,7" has been updated already.
The watch event would also be filled with accessories, so they can waste all the time they want with the watch and the iPad Pro.

... and I really hope there will be a MacPro before Christmas with TB3 and HDMI 2,0.
 
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redheeler said:
The USB-C is what worries me about this otherwise great MacBook Pro update. If it only has USB-C, no less than five standards (MagSafe, USB-A, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt 2, SD card slot) are being dropped all at once. Many people (myself included) who use these Macs aren't ready for that yet.
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There are adapters and hubs that work for all. My guess is that they will be Thunderbolt 3 ports on the MacBook Pro.
 
theluggage said:
Now we have one rumor. Still no MacBook Pro to buy. Still should have been something to maintain interest back in the spring, even if it was only a RAM or SSD bump.

Wait till we find out that it has no 3.5mm headphone jack...
Click to expand...
And when there had been a slight upgrade, you would have nagged when Apple released an entirely updated MacBook, because you just bought an updated one, and just a few months later these beancounters release an entire new model, and that this is not fair.
 
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baryon said:
I'd say never buy a first generation Apple product: it costs more, it's incompatible with current tech, it has unnecessary limitations (only 1 USB port on first MacBook Air and current MacBook, no 3G on first iPhone, etc) and it's untested so will probably fail a lot more (first retina MBPs had lots of display issues). The 2nd or 3rd gen will be cheaper, better tested, and by then the tech will have become more widespread and compatible. But for this to happen, the 1st gen has to come out, people have to buy it, etc... Just don't be those people.
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Don't be so quick to generalise for everyone.

I bought the first 15" rMBP (Mid-2012). I'm typing on it right now.

Yes, I optioned 16GB of RAM to help it last longer. I don't feel any particular need to upgrade it yet. When I bought it I upgraded from a 2009 15" MBP. I appreciated the thinner form and the lighter weight.

I thought I would miss the DVD drive, so I bought a USB one. Never used it, but it made me feel comfortable having one, just in case.

I thought I would miss the ethernet port, so I bought an adapter. Used it about 5-6 times, for network troubleshooting and setting up network devices. Glad I had it.

Still have the old MBP, which sits on a cupboard running a server 24x7. On the occasions I use it for server maintenance, I can't believe how heavy it is compared to the rMBP, and how much the (matte Hi-Res) screen sucks compared to the rMBP.

Oh, and I never had any display issues. And from what I read, most that did didn't know they did until they read it on the internet.

pgwalsh said:
I don't need thinner, I need beefier. Make it bigger and give us more, not less. I'd really like to see a workstation class laptop, with features you just wouldn't find in a typical laptop.

I feel like they're trying to blur the line between the iPad Pro and Laptop line.
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Yes, that would be nice. They had that with the 17" MBP. It didn't sell well so they canned it.

Then they sold the 2012 MBP along side the 2012 rMBP. It didn't sell well so they canned it.
 
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Mark-Technology said:
I would have completely agreed with you in the last 5 years, however, AMD really stepped up their game with the Polaris architecture. The 480 is a magnificent card for its price and if similar options are placed in the MBP, then I won't be completely disappointed.

This is coming from an owner of a 2011 Late MBP with the stupid ****** 6750M (which I hate btw).

Also, we can never move Apple away from their love of efficient battery power, thinness and overall aesthetics which only AMD gpus can fulfill sadly.
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IF the rmbp was going to sport Polaris 10 which the 480 was based off of I would agree with you. Unfortunately the mobile AMD lineup for the rmbp power envelope looks like to be the Polaris 11 which the 460 uses. So far the 460 looks like last gen performance for a little power savings. So far glofos 14nm looks like samsungs 14nm vs TSMC 16nm: much less power efficient. The upcoming 1060m is going to destroy AMDs equivalent in pure speed and performance per watt. An example, The 480 uses more power as the much more powerful 1070. Before release, 460,470,480 were really hyped up. Now it looks like AMDs 14nm process looks like it just beginning to match Nvidia's 28nm Maxwell generation in performance per watt, I'll let that sink in for a bit.
 
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I recently had to get a new MacBook Pro to replace my old one that was developing problems. I'm not sorry I couldn't wait because there are a few things in the current models I'd miss in what is rumored about the new ones. The MagSafe charger saved me a few times when I tried to grab my old MBP without unplugging it. I'd miss having full-size USB ports. The OLED touch bar would have been nice, and a Touch ID power button would have been convenient. I wouldn't have liked a MacBook style butterfly keyboard, because I find those keys too closely spaced, and the lack of key travel was uncomfortable for me.

I'm glad to see that Apple is giving attention to the Mac line, but "change for change sake" isn't always good.
 
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bigchrisfgb said:
I'll be dissapointed if they don't have a MagSafe charger, even if the MagSafe bit was on the actual charger. When I first moved to a Mac that was a big selling point amongst others.
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I agree. I really don't get the appeal of getting rid of what is the best charger plug ever and replacing it with something is insecure both in the hardware (can pull the Macbook off a table if you trip over the cord) and in the software world (compromised USB chargers can gain firmware-level access through a USB-C port).

I'm all for USB-C. Get rid of TB2, get rid of USB-A, get rid of HDMI, whatever else. Fine. But let chargers be chargers, and MagSafe is the best charger.
 
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ValO said:
And when there had been a slight upgrade, you would have nagged when Apple released an entirely updated MacBook, because you just bought an updated one, and just a few months later these beancounters release an entire new model, and that this is not fair.
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Speak for yourself. 4-6 months between a spec bump and a major upgrade is not bad. Annoying is something like the iPad 3 - a major update that only lasted 6 months.
 
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Can't wait, I will buy a monster MBP 13" and use a external graphic card for video and gaming thanks to Thunderbolt 3
 
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Moonjumper said:
I like the touch screen bar idea. It would also be nice if they did the same for the touch pad.
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Yes on the bar, no on the touchpad. Apple's multitouch gestures are brilliantly fluid and quick. Far more efficient than touch and infinitely quicker for working/navigating compared to a touchscreen.

They'll only be adding more multitouch gestures to the trackpad IMO. Especially if they're making it bigger.
 
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