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

[IlluminatedSage]

Most significant overhaul:

- 2.5" 15mm SATA Express bay
- M.2 SATA/NVMe slot full length
- 4 DDR4 RAM SODIMM slots
- Removable battery
- 10GBase-T port
- Updated ExpressCard slot
- DP 1.4 port
- USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port
- 4 well separated USB 3.1 Type A ports
- UHD Blu-Ray burner
- 6 core
- Discrete graphics card with Vulkan and proper OpenCL.

Optical Drive? Well, doubtful on any optical drive, Apple has had a stick up their derrière for years on this one.
removable battery? if only!
Expresscard Slot? you in yesteryear?
Ram slots? user upgradable would be awesome, apple needs to let consumers do this and other minor upgrades.

 

[brinary001]

Soooo what I'm hearing is that maybe I shouldn't have upgraded to rMBP last year..?

 

[Mythos99]

How long have you been using one?

Reminds me of the huge pushback when Apple released the first iPhone. So many insisted it was doomed to fail in the market because of its "glass keypad" for text entry rather than having mechanical/physical keys used by other phone manufacturers.

Not saying it's bad, i just personally don't need it. Don't see what's wrong with that.

 

[GHDpro]

Soooo what I'm hearing is that maybe I shouldn't have upgraded to rMBP last year..?

There is always going to be new hardware. I don't think you should feel bad if you upgraded last year.

...now if you just bought one last week I guess that would be a different matter.

 

[Rob_2811]

Any PC laptop? Most Windows laptop has DVD bay and removable battery. RAMs are easily upgradable

Have you just awoken from a rather long coma?

You think most Windows laptops that have been released this year have a DVD drive, removable battery and easily upgradeable RAM?

You might want to double check that..

 

[Kusakun]

Not a fan of the oled bar, for me personally it's just a gimmick, but the question is, how expensive is that gimmick gonna be. Hope the prices don't change that much :/

Thats exactly what I think. I really want to know about -Retina Display Resolution, Processor Speed, Graphic Card Model and the keyboard they are going to use. The Connection is going to be all by USB C. A bummer because i will have to use adapters. But if the computer is good in the other things the Oled is going to be welcome too at a reasonable price

 

[Mr Fusion]

So there's zero rumors about the display itself being OLED? Seems odd to have a laptop where the highest quality and most advanced display is a tiny strip at the top of the keyboard.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

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.

Get ready for it man. USB-C replaces every single one of those ports. Yes, it will be a little painful to have to use adapters to get more life out of your non-USB-C accessories, but Apple is designing this MacBook Pro to last for the next 4 years and that means USB-C for data, displays, and charging with Thunderbolt 3 equipped USB-C ports for high-speed data replacing the now legacy Thunderbolt 1/2 MiniDisplayPort connector.

It is better all around and I don't wan't Apple making an all-new MacBook Pro thicker and heavier than it needs to be simply so a handful of people can be stuck in the past and keep using older accessories dongle-free. Bring on USB-C!

 

[lolatlogan]

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.

I've been waiting for a new refresh for the Macbook Pro for a while now. I have a Mid-2010 Macbook Pro 15". It is more than out dated but it was the first line with Core i3/i5/i7 processors. With the new line coming out, I am extremely tempted to buy new but I realize there are certain advantages to buying a year older. I could most likely get it for substantially cheaper than a new model, I just don't know how much cheaper though. I am also tempted to buy new because I want to hold onto it for 5-6 years much like I did with my current model. Hell, I'll probably end up using my current model as a desktop.

Anyways, I wanted to hear your opinion and how substantial the difference is from someone buying a high end Mid-2015 15" vs. buying he low-mid 15" end line they are about to announce.

 

[8692574]

With good reason if that were the case. They could have done a processor bump as an interim measure. The real question is will the product be as good in reality as the pundits (or Apple) promise? Will the offered configurations be fairly priced without having to upgrade every single significant component? Will we see it in stores before the new year?
I hope it delivers because I really want to replace my aging iMac. The iMac- does Apple really care about it anymore? It's getting a little long in the tooth with is base 5400 RPM drive. I would actually prefer a nice iMac but I don't think I will wait until some decent upgrades occur to the line.

I know that won't happen... it was a what if situation..

The iMac is actually the most loved machine at Apple (also the most "up to date"), it is the only one currently using the latest CPU.....sure they sell a cheaper version with slower drive, but that depends on you (they actually offer better versions)!

 

[laz232]

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.

Agree - for people that do work (real work) on their computers, having an external monitor interface (HDMI or Mini-DP) and at least 2x USB3 ports is pretty much necessary.
The Ethernet dongle is already a hassle (yes, I control 1M USD test equipment via wired ethernet, no there are no Wifi options for such equipment).

Apple has a bad track record when it comes to ports: Apple Desktop Bus (ADB), AppleTalk, Thunderbolt (completely over-hyped, very few peripherals))... and a lack of ports: first MB Air, Macbook Retina 12"...

Who wants to travel/work with umpteen dongles?

 

[Nimrad]

So there's zero rumors about the display itself being OLED? Seems odd to have a laptop where the highest quality and most advanced display is a tiny strip at the top of the keyboard.

It makes sense that it's an OLED considering what it will be used for. Doesn't need to be turned on where it's black and is very thin for instance. Oh, and by the way, OLED has its disadvantages too as laptop screens. It's not like it's superior in every way.

 

[Mr Fusion]

It makes sense that it's an OLED considering what it will be used for. Doesn't need to be turned on where it's black and is very thin for instance. Oh, and by the way, OLED has its disadvantages too as laptop screens. It's not like it's superior in every way.

Which disadvantages are you referring to? I'm familiar with gripes of blue levels (which is a moot point in a laptop as you can calibrate the display as required) and possibly battery consumption (shouldn't be a huge difference though if any.) Is there anything I'm missing?

 

[Schwyz]

CAN'T.
WAIT.
ANY.
LONGER.

 

[mcapanelli]

What about tim cooks pc replacement comment

“I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?”

Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people
. -Tim Cook

I can't speak for tim, and this is just my take on it, but I think he's referring to the average end user. Form myself, an iPad pro could never do some of the heavy lifting I need and expect from my pro.

 

[2ilent8cho]

I really like the idea of the touch strip for the function keys, it might just be enough for me to justify getting another Mac. The only down side i have noticed since switching to Mac is they still perform so well even when they are old.

My 2012 Macbook Air is over 4 years old now, but still runs as good as they day i got it and the battery is still great. Before i was getting a new Acer or HP almost every year as they would start overheating, fans would start roaring non stop, batteries would start to diminish greatly so become less portable as it was always plugged in. I'm sure i could get the same 4 years again out of the Macbook as its cycle count is only on 550.

 

[SMIDG3T]

Didn't Apple JUST tell us we don't need computers?

Apple can't win. If they don't update their Mac's, people complain, when they do, people complain...

 

[adamjackson]

If true, losing MagSafe, losing NVIDIA chips, getting thinner, more touch-buttons, possibly less I/O.

Looks like I'll be buying a top of the line Refurb model of today's MacBook Pros when I need to upgrade next year.

 

[mcapanelli]

Make it touchscreen and I'll switch from windows 10

I've always been curious as to why anyone would want a touch screen on a laptop? I found it to be an empty marketing gimmick myself. What advantages do you think it gives you?

 

[Nautilus007]

The perfect launch surprise would be alongside release, they fire Tim Cook

 

[pmau]

I've always been curious as to why anyone would want a touch screen on a laptop? I found it to be an empty marketing gimmick myself. What advantages do you think it gives you?

People are so dumbed down they need to point at stuff and say "Daahh!"
It's hard to find eloquent users sometimes.

 

[gorbag42]

Nobody has mentioned IBM 604 compatibility, a necessity in a 'pro' device.

 

[MarkMoseley1]

It would be nice to see a Macbook Pro in Space Gray or Space Black.

 

[melchior]

I have been using a rMB as my main computer for a few months now. USB-C peripherals and adapters are kind of flaky. Direct USB-C USB-A female adapter work well, but I cannot use power and a device at the same time.

I have come to the conclusion that I need a minimum of three USB-C ports. One for power and two for peripherals. If they have this, then I might upgrade.

 

[Rob_2811]

Apple can't win. If they don't update their Mac's, people complain, when they do, people complain...

Yep. Most of the complaints are purely industry standard these days. Removable batteries, easily upgradeable RAM and Optical drives are largely a thing of the past, even in Windows machines. Usb C is similar, thats where the industry is headed.