Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacBook Pro Supplies Tightening Ahead of Potential Refresh

What I'm looking forward to....

I'm replacing my 2007 MB White pre unibody. Good thing I checked here and found out a refresh is forthcoming.

Like I said in previous posts 13" doesn't even compute on my mind for MBPs If I was gonna get a 13" I would go for another MB White. 17" is too bulky though I like the screen real estate. 15" is just right IMO. Would love it if this refresh brought a SSD+HDD BTO option. I can live w/o the OD.

Seriously, remove the OD and gimme options for HDD2, another battery, etc.
 
Low-end 13" MacBook Pro
2.5GHz Core i5-2520M
4GB DDR3-1333
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics+ 512GB GDDR5 GT525M
13" 1440x900 screen
DVD Superdrive
$1299

Dream 13" mbp right now.....IF this happens I may not be able to wait for the free ipod touch program.
 
Why Tuesdays?

I noticed earlier in the thread that people were talking about the "Waiting for Arrandale" thread and how their hearts were broken every Tuesday. Was wondering, why Tuesdays? Do these things have a habit of getting released on Tuesdays, like books and DVDs? I don't think I've ever noticed that before.
 
greytmom said:
I noticed earlier in the thread that people were talking about the "Waiting for Arrandale" thread and how their hearts were broken every Tuesday. Was wondering, why Tuesdays? Do these things have a habit of getting released on Tuesdays, like books and DVDs? I don't think I've ever noticed that before.
Click to expand...

While not always the case, Apple does normally release updates on Tuesdays.
 
Yebubbleman said:
(1) Barring any thing that involves the external SuperDrive as that is truly inconvenient, how do I take my MacBook Pro to my girlfriend's house and watch one of her movies on my computer without an optical drive? How do I do that with one of the movies she owns digitally? If my computer fails while I'm at her house, how to I reinstall all of my software (which I carry in my laptop bag), especially if the Internet at her house is flakey?...
Click to expand...
Just stream something from Netflix, Amazon, or Apple's own iTunes Store, DVDs aren't really that useful anymore. In any case, why would your girlfriend have a DVD and no means to watch it at her home? As for the rest, pretty simple, how about a USB thumb drive or an SD card? Much smaller, more rugged, naturally R/W, potentially much faster for access and way faster than CD/DVD +/-RW, and holds significantly more than a CD or DVD, and just like the thumb drive that Apple now ships for system restores on the MacBook Airs.
Yebubbleman said:
...(2) The Mac App Store is still way young; you don't see any Adobe or Microsoft apps there. You don't see Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio, or the "Express" equivalents there (presumably because they are too huge). You'll never see trials, betas, or demos there. It is an incomplete offering. Jobs himself said that it would never be "The only place to discover apps, just the best."...
Click to expand...
As I said, if you need an optical drive just get one, no real reason to penalize everyone with the inclusion of a large and mostly unused optical drive just because you want to install Office or Final Cut (something you typically do once or twice during the entire lifetime of your computer). Besides that, as I mentioned earlier, if Apple begins to remove optical drives from the MacBook Pros the software companies are going to be pretty much forced to go to online distribution. Either that, or if worse comes to worst, they will just ship on flash-memory-based media (again, like Apple does for the system restores on the MacBook Airs).
Yebubbleman said:
(3) Streaming/VoD Rentals will replace physical disc rentals. Hell, they already have. The same isn't true of purchases. Quite the opposite, actually. This is why DVDs are still being sold, but rental places are going out of business. It makes sense for rental media to come over the Internet. It doesn't make sense to purchase media that way unless it's music.
Click to expand...
Purchase or rental? I don't see that those terms make a difference when it comes to software. Technically, you really don't purchase software or movies, you may "own" the physical media but you merely have a limited license for the content. In any case, your argument doesn't negate the convenience and cost savings that you get with internet-based delivery. Furthermore, with software you eventually end up transferring the content to your computer's hard drive which generally isn't the case for movies on DVD and Blu-ray. Let's face it if you HAD to transfer a movie from a DVD before you could use it wouldn't you consider the DVD a mere transfer medium, one that might be considered a kind of nuisance to store and maintain -- other than for backup? So, if the content (movie or software) was always available online, safe and secure wouldn't that be a good alternative? And why do you exclude the example of downloadable music versus audio CDs -- was it because it didn't support your argument?
Yebubbleman said:
(4) The 13" MacBook Pro could get a discrete GPU if Apple took out either the ODD or the HDD, and I don't think they'll do either as doing so will make the computer cost even more money, making it not fit in the line anymore. It's unrealistic, which is why I dismiss your arguments. It's a nice fairy tale, but I wouldn't bank on it and neither should you.
Click to expand...
If you strip out the optical drive and do away with the NVIDIA chip set then you could probably afford a mid-range discrete GPU with only a minor increase in price (I've already proposed that a Sandy Bridge-based 13" MacBook Pro with a discrete GPU might increase in cost by $100). This also neatly eliminates your main justification for elimination of the 13" MacBook Pro -- that being that it isn't "pro" enough and is too close in features to the existing white MacBook. Frankly, I don't think that the white MacBook is ever going to be redesigned again -- it will stay with the Core 2 Duo and NVIDIA integrated graphics until it is discontinued within the next year. That means that there is plenty of room for a really "pro" 13" MacBook between the current low-end at $999 and the cheapest 15" MacBook Pro at $1799. That price range doesn't seem to be a "fairy tale" to me.
Yebubbleman said:
(5) 10 hours (7, realistically, and 3-4 while gaming) of battery life is plenty. I don't know anyone who needs to be without their MagSafe adapter any longer than that. So what's the point of extra battery life then?
Click to expand...
Even more battery life isn't better? I think you're overreaching for a justification. Besides that, if they don't go for a larger battery then they can just go for a smaller and more light-weight system, more ports, more features, or all three. There are lots of things they could do with the space that is currently being used by the optical drive. I will admit, though, that one problem with the MacBook Airs is their limited battery life and that does make the white MacBook an attractive offer for those who need longer battery life.
 
arl2823 said:
Low-end 13" MacBook Pro
2.5GHz Core i5-2520M
4GB DDR3-1333
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics+ 512GB GDDR5 GT525M
13" 1440x900 screen
DVD Superdrive
$1299

Dream 13" mbp right now.....IF this happens I may not be able to wait for the free ipod touch program.
Click to expand...

Yes please! Except I want a 256GB SSD.
 
Great news...love the Apple hardware refreshes! Super exciting! Have anyone heard if the iMac would possibly be refreshed along with the MBP's? In the market for the 27" iMac and wondering if I should pull the trigger now or wait for a refresh? Looking at the BG looks like its be a 3Q refresh on average....
 
Ok as long as when it do comes out it should have:

*for 17inch MBP:
Quad SNB
SDD
USB 3.0
Longer battery life
And
No ODD
 
Design Change

Do you think they would change the design of the Macbook pro this time around? The current design is amazing, but im starting to feel that it looks slightly outdated.
 
probably gonna get new laptop in least 5 years


mid 2010 mbp is good for me

this revision will have bit improvement than the last.

who gonna cares to able encode 10 sec faster than last gen can?
 
Yebubbleman said:
More like 128GB, and for the people who only buy the 13" MacBook Pro because it's shiny, they (a) can clearly afford to spend $200 on looks, and (b) won't mind the smaller capacity, because all they do is check their e-mail/facebook on it anyway. Alternatively, it's not like you can't just buy a refurbished white MacBook of current and slap in a traditional 256GB SSD drive for barely over $1050. Breaking the bank in terms of SSD-based Mac options? I think not.
Click to expand...

aluminium based macbooks are more durable than the plastic counterparts and
they don't look like coming out from a coal mine after 1+ year of usage , current macbook whites are prone to dirt , and yes its plastic .
what do you mean by smaller capacity ? i can slab my 500GB on my current notebook without inflicting any additional costs if it still has the HDD slot

and you can't buy a macbook white + 256GB SSD for the price less than $1199

third is that , i don't think many consumers are ready to accept SSD as their main storage mainly because of the cost per GB .
 
If they keep the C2D in the 13in I hope it's at least the 2.66 and they get rid of the 2.4.
 
interesting, i've been waiting for the new core i5's to come out. looking to buy a cheapo laptop in the $600 to $700 range and a new iPad. so far only the new i7's are being sold. Intel says mobile core i5's are coming 2/20/2011.

wonder if Intel and Apple worked out some kind of deal and everyone else has to wait?
 
This is what I can see Apple doing, and what I personally believe they should do.

- Drop the price of the 13' air to $999, and the 11' to $899
- Rename Macbook Air to Macbook
- Discontinue the white macbook.

With the new affordability of the Airs, and the similarity of the 13' Macbook Pro, the current Macbook is looking less and less needed. They should get rid of it, and simplify their product line, which should also serve to unify it. It simply does not need to exist anymore, and by pushing the Air to the mainstream and rebranding it as their standard notebook, they will sell a ******** and will make people more comfortable with the idea of SSD storage and no optical. They should still be able to make a profit from it from the margins with economics of scale. Those who need a more traditional laptop can go for the 13' pro, which Apple can also discount slightly to make it a smoother transition from the white Macbook. All we need are some slight pricing adjustments to make the white Macbook irrelevant.

I hope they do this. It makes sense on all levels, especially if they want to push digital downloads and increased mobility.
 
Good, I need a new one!

My original model MacBook Pro is getting long in the tooth. It has served me well, but it's time for a replacement. After suffering the indignity of being sat on by my father in law, it looks like my mac's superdrive slot is always smiling at me. Frankly, I'm amazed it still works. I don't dare bend it back.

So, Apple, here's what I would like in my new MacBook Pro 15":

-- Antiglare high-res screen (Why do you charge more for the anti-glare?)
-- A blade SSD like the MB Air models
-- A replacement for the HD with a secondary SSD
-- 8GB Ram
-- Sandybridge architecture
-- GeForce 550M or 555M GPU
-- Intel i7-2920XM or i7-2820QM CPU
-- Multi-touch screen?
-- Drop the internal optical drive. It's dead weight.


I think that about covers it. :)
 
Last edited:
Advice needed

Hey all~

I'm in desperate need of a new laptop, still rocking the Powerbook G4. Needed for class now, needed for trip to Japan at the end of April.

Wait for an unkown re-vamped model, unknown release date?

Buy one now because it's here now?
 
Is there an unofficial im waiting for sandy bridge thread? I'm not in the market for a new macbook pro, but the I'm waiting for Arrandale thread was just so much fun last year lol :p
We made it all the way up to part i7!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back