robgreene
macrumors 6502
How does "thinner" – which has nothing to with performance – make the list, while "cellular" gets left off?
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MacBook Ultra: 5 Features That Could Justify the Name
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Mr_Ed
macrumors 65816
Correct. But as I mentioned in another comment, there is little if any practical up side to trying to use applications built for keyboard/mouse (like those running in MacOS) via touch screen.
Do we need to add another SKU to Apple's MacBook lineup?
Keep it at 3 tiers to keep it simple.
I know the MacBook Air is the mid-tier offering, but why not actually make this the slim lightweight offering?
Add a with a faster M4-series Neo model to fill the space.
MacBook Pro (14"/16") > Fastest and likely docked
MacBook Air (13"/15") > Faster, but thinnest, lightest for portability
MacBook Neo (13") > Affordable and fast
Keep it at 3 tiers to keep it simple.
I know the MacBook Air is the mid-tier offering, but why not actually make this the slim lightweight offering?
Add a with a faster M4-series Neo model to fill the space.
MacBook Pro (14"/16") > Fastest and likely docked
MacBook Air (13"/15") > Faster, but thinnest, lightest for portability
MacBook Neo (13") > Affordable and fast
Why are we acting as if just because it has a touchscreen that automatically has to become the new default input?
Mark Gurman, believe him or not, has been pretty consistent throughout his newsletters that even Apple sees the touchscreen on the MacBook as a *secondary and optional* input.
It’s for those, like me and like several other people I know, who instinctively reach up to do quick scrolls, flicks and taps on the screen, completely forgetting that it is not touch capable. This is a lot more people than you would think.
The iPad’s trackpad support is pretty similar, clearly not meant to be the primary input of the device, but an option for those who use it.
Excellent. Make this a new product and sell it at any price point you wish! I was seriously worried about Apple making all that nonsense changes in the regular MBP and bumping its price because -- the more the betterer! I couldn't care less about an OLED screen (I don't need the contrast or saturation or parts of the screen being always on), the touchscreen (If I can have proper oleophobic coating, I'll take it -- no fscking fingers on my screen!), thinner devices with worse thermals or dynamic islands nonsense. I would take a larger screen though...
needsomecoffee
macrumors 6502a
360 degree hinge or go home Apple. If the hinge does 360, and Apple does it well ("Think Different")... then Ultra it will be. HTH, NSC
Mr_Ed
macrumors 65816
Nothing I said implies that, or precludes anyone using it however they see fit. I simply stated my perspective, which is based on the idea that a desktop application often has input elements that require more precise aim than can be provided by a finger. Why? Because desktop app developers didn’t have a requirement to accommodate a fingertip. I’m sure some desktop apps would be fine with touch input, but many would not because they rely on that precision to pack more elements on the screen.
If your preference is (for example) to let go of a mouse and reach for the screen to scroll, great. I find it more efficient to slide the scroll wheel already at my fingertips and keep on trucking.
rembert
macrumors regular
Never believed I was an Ultra, and this is one confirmation: this won’t be a laptop for me. I don’t need a thin lightweight OLED touchscreen (the horror) laptop. I need a powerhorse, which can be fat and ugly as long as it is capable to help me doing my work. Currently an 16” M4 Max MBP with nano coating. That laptop would be perfect if it did have a UTP port.
The Ultra described here sounds more like a variant of the Macbook Air to be honest.
The Ultra described here sounds more like a variant of the Macbook Air to be honest.
2128506
macrumors 6502
soyazul
macrumors 6502
1) If the current MBP is kept on sale, I wonder if it would receive the M6 update.
2) If the current MBP is kept on sale, the new MacBook Ultra would be more of an ultrabook than a workstation like the current one?
3) If the current MBP is kept on sale, it would be just for a short period of time, and end up being replaced by the new ultra, as Apple did in 2012 with the MacBook Pro Retina. Otherwise, the current MBP design should also be updated as Apple does every 4/5 years.
4) My guess is that the new MacBook Ultra would offer a vapor chamber cooling system. My concern is performance and sound quality due to the thinner design.
2) If the current MBP is kept on sale, the new MacBook Ultra would be more of an ultrabook than a workstation like the current one?
3) If the current MBP is kept on sale, it would be just for a short period of time, and end up being replaced by the new ultra, as Apple did in 2012 with the MacBook Pro Retina. Otherwise, the current MBP design should also be updated as Apple does every 4/5 years.
4) My guess is that the new MacBook Ultra would offer a vapor chamber cooling system. My concern is performance and sound quality due to the thinner design.
This MacBook was so lovely to have, until my butterfly keyboard started acting like I smothered it with sticky molasses. Terrible design choice there. If they would bring that body back with updated internals / modern keyboard / cellular it would be a hit and likely sell way more than the “ultra”.
much new, very unheard of, so unprecedented.
i mean i thought i going overboard when i wanted to buy ram in 2024 and 64gb ddr4 was like 120 quid. i bought "only" 32gb at 65 quid.
daniesy
macrumors 6502
Why would you put a notch/display cutout in a laptop. This is beyond stupid.
1) Laptops require keyboard usage, so touching a key for touch I.D. is an effortless step.
2) Face I.D. happens without intentional user activity. Many businesses [IMO wisely] prohibit such autonomous laptop authorization.
3) Face I.D. requires an always-on camera. Many businesses and government entities prohibit such cameras for obvious security reasons.
CATiNTHESTORE
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Yeah, right? Simple, secure in terms of hardware privacy and soo smart implementation.
What is wrong with choice? MBPs are now so strong, why not make a thinner less all-powerful model for those who prefer thinner/lighter but do not need their mobile laptop to be as powerful as a Studio? I doubt if Apple will remove the uber powerful desktop replacement MBP choice from the alternatives.
switz
Contributor
We have four laptops in the house: 14" M4 Max MBPro with 64GB ram and 4TB SSD, 15" M4 MBAir with 32GB ram and 2TB SSD, 16" M4 Max MBPro with 128GB ram and 8TB SSD and a MB Neo with 8GB memory and 51GB SSD. My M1 Ultra Mac Studio has 128GB of ram and 8TB SSD.
I am in no hurry to purchase new gear with inflated prices with less memory size choice and less SSD size choice.
It was a sad joke that the most recent Ultra Mac Studio top processor was a M3 vs a M4. Now it seems a M5 Ultra chip may exist in the near future, but the devil is in the details and 512GB of ram along with 16GB SSD were on offer before.
I am in no hurry to purchase new gear with inflated prices with less memory size choice and less SSD size choice.
It was a sad joke that the most recent Ultra Mac Studio top processor was a M3 vs a M4. Now it seems a M5 Ultra chip may exist in the near future, but the devil is in the details and 512GB of ram along with 16GB SSD were on offer before.
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Some of us prefer to amortize a couple of $thousand extra over 5-7 years to spend the next 5-7 years using best hardware rather than using low end hardware. The cost delta is less than an Starbuck's plain black coffee every day.
Agreed the MBA and the Neo are great value. Each of us chooses.
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eltoslightfoot
macrumors 68040
To be fair, depending on one's needs, a Neo or Air could also last 5-7 years. For instance, I have a beefy windows 16" Lenovo Legion Gen 10 with an RTX5090. I pair that with an M4 Macbook Air 16GB/512GB. That "low end" MBA will last me definitely 5 years if not longer, because anything that requires heavy lifting, I just do on the Windows laptop.
Because many, many users far prefer laptop form and function to tablet form and function. Given generations now having been baby-sat with tablets starting as toddlers, I do suspect that more users all the time are tablet-centric.
Surface pro hinge for a true 2 in 1, not interested in a touchscreen laptop in any way whatsoever. A dual purpose machine, “shut up and take my money”
Having owned an iPad Pro M4 with that dual layer OLED, I am VERY excited to see the same panel tech in an Apple laptop, and it will be well worth the money too. Apple does displays, end off. Every one of theirs I own is stunning. Latest is my Apple Watch Ultra 3 and I don;'t know how they did it, it's OLED, looks gorgeous yet is a bit glossy but I can easily see it in ANY light, even directly under the bright sun we have at the moment, screen is still extremely clear. I even get impressed the more I use my new Studio Display, even if it's old tech, and LED, it is still fantastic with great colours.