March 1st as Possible Date for New MacBook Pros?

[altecXP]

*sigh*

again, there is no good reason to keep the optical drive. after you install your final cut, after effects, logic, etc from an ODD one time, you're left with a big unused hole inside your computer.

the idea is to just use an external ODD on those rare occasions when you need to install software not available for download.

Many people bring DVD's with them while they travel, or rent them from netflix. Lots of people have no idea how to rip a DVD, and they don't want to re-purchase it from iTunes or another service.

If you work in adversing many clients want a copy of their site and any video you did on CD or DVD. At my office we have synchronized folders that have a size limit of 5GB, after you hit that limit w tell our employees to make a copy of any files they want to keep in long term storage on a CD then delete the copy on the server.

Heck even in 2006 we had clients giving us copies of legal documents on floppy drives.

 

[Yebubbleman]

*sigh*

again, there is no good reason to keep the optical drive. after you install your final cut, after effects, logic, etc from an ODD one time, you're left with a big unused hole inside your computer.

the idea is to just use an external ODD on those rare occasions when you need to install software not available for download.

Man, when are you people going to understand that the world, let alone the Mac world, doesn't revolve around you and the way in which YOU use a computer. Everyone is factored in and while numbers on this site (already a niche group) may suggest a higher number of goons that are down with the lack of the optical drive, the fact of the matter is that most people would rather it stick around as (a) The external is inconvenient and (b) the Mac App Store is both inefficient as a means of installing software and incomplete in its offerings and always will be until they let in utilities demanding root access like Disk Warrior. When software is packaged on thumb drives and when we have ubiquitous 4G Internet on these things, then maybe you'll have a point, but until then buy a MacBook Air and leave the rest of us to buy a full featured computer. If you want a discrete GPU, suck it up and buy a 15" MacBook Pro, that's what it's there for. Take your over-glorified "MacBook" at face value and realize that it was never really all that "Pro" of a machine to begin with.

The easy solution for apple software is to have them available for download via the Apple website. Then if you need any kind of additional software you could always buy the optional external optical drive.

I would really like to acquire a 13" Pro without an ODD, but including more features that come with the 15" and 17".

Read above. Suck it up and buy a 15" if you want powerful graphics. The 13" MacBook Pro isn't a "Pro" machine, it's an over-glorified "MacBook". Treat it at face value.

I would like to see some proof about that. On Apple's site, MBA does not even make it to the top 6 that you can see, lead by MBP in spot #1.

True, though that is only on Apple's site and not necessarily everywhere. But I could see those numbers being true elsewhere too. It's a shame that they don't list the individual models by size so we can see by how much the 13" or 15" is over any other specific model.

There are lots of good reasons. They aren't used only for installing software.

TRUE STORY!

 

[435713]

Man, when are you people going to understand that the world, let alone the Mac world, doesn't revolve around you and the way in which YOU use a computer.

That 5-10% of Mac market will surely dictate the future. All large stores within two months will not ever have an optical disk in stock ever again. Amazon will no longer sell them. Steve no longer uses an optical drive so no one else should either.

 

[Nein01]

When software is packaged on thumb drives and when we have ubiquitous 4G Internet on these things, then maybe you'll have a point, but until then buy a MacBook Air and leave the rest of us to buy a full featured computer. If you want a discrete GPU, suck it up and buy a 15" MacBook Pro, that's what it's there for. Take your over-glorified "MacBook" at face value and realize that it was never really all that "Pro" of a machine to begin with.

i would never buy an air, a 13" or a 15" because they don't meet my needs. i'm getting a 17" because i need a full-featured machine with a discrete GPU, lots of resolution, and preferably something useful in that gaping hole where the ODD has been taking up almost 30% of the inside - like a second HDD and more battery or cooling power.

 

[Yebubbleman]

That 5-10% of Mac market will surely dictate the future. All large stores within two months will not ever have an optical disk in stock ever again. Amazon will no longer sell them. Steve no longer uses an optical drive so no one else should either.

You'd think that people on here are actually serious about that stance though. Kinda makes me wonder how much koolaid they drank at the "Back to the Mac" event.

i would never buy an air, a 13" or a 15" because they don't meet my needs. i'm getting a 17" because i need a full-featured machine with a discrete GPU, lots of resolution, and preferably something useful in that gaping hole where the ODD has been taking up almost 30% of the inside - like a second HDD and more battery or cooling power.

Man, I get that you don't dig the optical drive and I feel for you. Same with everyone else. Where I get mad is when you guys act like everyone else in the world has the same point of view that you do and the fact of the matter is that you're all wrong. The populace on these forums isn't representative of anything other than a niche group of people who like to follow Apple's every move on this website, which in and of itself, is irregular.

 

[mdgm]

I still find optical drives useful and sometimes use the optical drives on all 3 of my Macs at once. Even if an external would be quicker using the internal optical drives is convenient.

So whilst some think the ODD is no longer necessary, for others they are still demonstrably very useful.

 

[Ice Dragon]

i would never buy an air, a 13" or a 15" because they don't meet my needs. i'm getting a 17" because i need a full-featured machine with a discrete GPU, lots of resolution, and preferably something useful in that gaping hole where the ODD has been taking up almost 30% of the inside - like a second HDD and more battery or cooling power.

I would love to have a 17" MBP myself but the cost escapes me for now so I'll have to try for the 15" or 13".

15" would be my minimum as I want discrete graphics too, though I may take the 13" if costs don't permit me at the time.

I would love for the optical drive to be gone myself. I think the idea of it going away is great. Cooling is probably my first worry. I can use an external HDD and just use an SSD for bootup and apps.

I have researched Apple for years and can't wait to finally take the plunge. I know those in the Macrumors chat will finally be relieved when I quit my procrastinating.

 

[diamond.g]

i would never buy an air, a 13" or a 15" because they don't meet my needs. i'm getting a 17" because i need a full-featured machine with a discrete GPU, lots of resolution, and preferably something useful in that gaping hole where the ODD has been taking up almost 30% of the inside - like a second HDD and more battery or cooling power.

Wouldn't the notebook need to be thicker in order to improve the cooling?

 

[apeman88]

Last I checked there were a number of law offices using Word Perfect. I would not exactly model technological innovation and forward looking moves based on the whims of law professionals.

Aaaaanyway...DOWN with the optical drive! Lets all move on, and the rest can use USB drives.

I am an attorney and regularly use my 17" MBP on a plane (less regularly lately due to the iPad,but when I need to look at a ton of documents on multiple DVDs on the way to a deposition, the MBP is right for the job.)

My MBP weighs less and has higher resolution than the 15" HP laptop it replaced, so to me it's quite practical. And when I am at a client and he hands me a cd I don't have to be the douche at the conference table with peripherals scattered all about.

What do you use it for?

I still find optical drives useful and sometimes use the optical drives on all 3 of my Macs at once. Even if an external would be quicker using the internal optical drives is convenient.

So whilst some think the ODD is no longer necessary, for others they are still demonstrably very useful.

 

[Mikey7c8]

The ODD needs to go. Those people who insist on travelling with DVD's can use an external drive if they really feel the urge.

To be completely fair I wouldn't be opposed to having two models - one with ODD, one without - but that just doesn't feel like apples style to me.

FWIW, I haven't used mine for software or music *at all* since I bought my 13" pro 2 years ago.

 

[thikon]

i 've a plan to buy mbp13, could i buy it or wait for new once ?

i don' t serious with new hardware spec , but i just use for develop ,isn't ok ?

wait ? or buy it ?

 

[sagnier]

Suck it up and buy a 15" if you want powerful graphics. The 13" MacBook Pro isn't a "Pro" machine, it's an over-glorified "MacBook". Treat it at face value.

but... surely a 'pro' machine is a 'pro' machine if it's called a 'pro' machine? what does 'pro' mean? does it mean 'in favour of?' like 'im pro-choice' or 'im pro-death penalty'? is it short for something? people have said its a contraction of 'professional'. im a 'professional'. that is, i earn money doing stuff. some of which i do with a laptop. sometimes its a macbook i use. but not a macbook 'pro'. so when im using a plain old macbook does that mean im not a 'pro'? should i give back the money i earned doing the work? i dont understand. could you please help me? i wish i could 'treat [sic] it at face value' - you make it sound so simple. my life is falling apart since reading your cruel jibe at the expense of apple's marketing boffins, and i just dont know what to believe in anymore.

 

[Dasher99]

I've been wanting a thirteen for more than a year now, finally got the money. The last update with the C2D though made me wait for this update. Now I'm hearing a total change in summer??? I guess if SSD is taken in as standard, a killer SB processor, and no more optical drive to make room for other pluses is placed it'll look amazing. Whats the opinion for the thirteen? Get this refresh if SSD, no optical, and SB are in, or wait for summer?

 

[Erasmus]

Some Perspective

Well, I think lots of people here have lost perspective of their place in the Apple world, so I'll remind us all.

Apple cares about two things. One, is their profit margins. In order to help this, they therefore also care about The Consumer. You and I are consumers, but none of us are The Consumer. The Consumer is a conceptual ideal of the average needs of the largest pocket of target consumers, and doesn't actually exist.

ie. Apple does not make products specifically for you or me.

That means that Apple doesn't care about the opinions of you or me, and just makes products. Which means no amount of screaming and arguing on this forum is going to change Apple's mind. Hell, the new MBPs have likely already been built, and are just waiting for stocks to increase enough to be released.

So, FFS can we please quit the sniping? If you're going to challenge someone's opinion, you'll be more likely to be listened to if you do it nicely.

 

[TigerWoodsIV]

How about making a poll to see what the majority of users here in the forum would prefer?


Optical Drive or no Drive?

Probably the only way to figure it out...I for one would rather just have the external bc using disks on the go seems like something very few people would do. I saw something about people not knowing how to rip a DVD, well if you buy a $2,000 computer you should probably know how to do it or could easily figure it out, or you didn't need that expensive of a computer in the first place.

Apple will probably not toss it all together if they do go that route, because I'm sure some people have no control over disk usage (what they are required to do for work) and therefore having one would still be valuable. But with the Mac App Store, digital media, and cheap USB storage, the need is quickly dying. Also, storage space isn't a huge issue anymore with portable external drives, USB drives, etc. So the only way I could see the drive being useful is for Blu-Ray discs, because the quality of video is not often found online and the amount of space it can hold is enormous, but Apple doesn't do Blu-Ray.

While I understand the points people are making in both directions, SJ's mind was made up a long time ago. They try to make products that the consumer will want, before they know what they want. The floppy drive died, the OD is next. The enormous amount of space required to haul around in a portable machine could be used for something greater that will be used on an everyday basis. This is why for most people it's not an extremely important thing to have and at least having the option of it being removed is nice. The amount of files that can be stored on a much more portable thumb drive and can be edited and rewritten on the same drive essentially makes CDs obsolete. Also, a portable external hard drive that can hold at least a terabyte isn't really bigger than a CD case. If you need to edit data and give it to a lot of people do you carry around a stack of discs to burn? I think not, and if you do you are clearly being inefficient.

I think that once ODs are removed on a larger scale than just the MBA, people will start to realize that they truly don't need them on hand at all times and having a larger battery or better cooling or more storage space for files or a lighter machine would be more useful overall.

 

[Erasmus]

How about making a poll to see what the majority of users here in the forum would prefer?


Optical Drive or no Drive?

Quite a few already exist. Use the forum search.

 

[torbjoern]

I will laugh out loud if the next MBP 13" comes with ODD and C2D... or even worse: ODD and SB+Intel IGP

 

[jjahshik32]

If the ODD is taken out then it would be more plausible for the quad core sandy bridge.

 

[darkeartg]

I still find optical drives useful and sometimes use the optical drives on all 3 of my Macs at once. Even if an external would be quicker using the internal optical drives is convenient.

So whilst some think the ODD is no longer necessary, for others they are still demonstrably very useful.

me too, i got my mbp last month and already had to burn a copy of windows 7 to a dvd then install it, among other things.

I couldn't possibly imagine how long it would take to download a game like starcraft 2 from the internet... actually i can cause i tried it when i was at school and had to reinstall it. It took 2 hours at least.. not counting the actual install time

 

[Tapiwa]

Many people bring DVD's with them while they travel, or rent them from netflix. Lots of people have no idea how to rip a DVD, and they don't want to re-purchase it from iTunes or another service.

If you work in adversing many clients want a copy of their site and any video you did on CD or DVD. At my office we have synchronized folders that have a size limit of 5GB, after you hit that limit w tell our employees to make a copy of any files they want to keep in long term storage on a CD then delete the copy on the server.

Heck even in 2006 we had clients giving us copies of legal documents on floppy drives.

Aren't you kind of defeating your own argument with this sentence?

Should laptops in 2006 have had internal floppy drives because some businesses still relied on those?
Should laptops in 2011 have internal dvd drives because some businesses still rely on those?

I'm not saying I want to see the ODD completely gone, just reflecting on this argument...

Personally, I'm hoping for the ODD to be removed from the 13" MBP to avoid the compromises that have to currently be made because of the lack of space.
I think it should stay in the 15" and 17" MBPs so people who need it still have access to powerful all-in-one machines...

 

[mdgm]

What do you use it for?

Does that matter to you? The point is that the optical drives are still useful and that by using multiple Macs at once you can read/write to CDs/DVDs using each of the machines and get the job done much quicker than with a single Mac.

If Apple removed the optical drives then the effective price of Macs would likely go up as they'd likely keep the US price the same, but charge for the external optical, not make it an included accessory.

I'd also rather not have to carry around an external optical drive.

 

[devilcm3]

Does that matter to you? The point is that the optical drives are still useful and that by using multiple Macs at once you can read/write to CDs/DVDs using each of the machines and get the job done much quicker than with a single Mac.

If Apple removed the optical drives then the effective price of Macs would likely go up as they'd likely keep the US price the same, but charge for the external optical, not make it an included accessory.

I'd also rather not have to carry around an external optical drive.

people start to rant about how uncomfortable it is lugging around the optical drive , but as time goes on they just forget about it and get used to it .

they prices would be the same for those who doesn't need an optical drive but for those who need well its kind of unfortunate .
but heck most of the forum members here i believe have at least one macbook so of course theres an external drive enclosure for it

 

[rjbruce]

I will laugh out loud if the next MBP 13" comes with ODD and C2D... or even worse: ODD and SB+Intel IGP

I heard the MBP 13" was coming with an ARM A9 and iOS, but sadly no ODD...

 

[imikem]

I almost waited for the Sandy Bridge, but decided that the trailing edge of the previous generation made more sense for me due to concerns over reliability of the first examples of SB. Not specifically the SATA 2 port issue, but the various weird niggling things that always seem to surface early on. I am often required to hop online to troubleshoot network issues at crazy hours. This is not a scenario where the very latest in bleeding edge will benefit me very much.


So off I went and purchased the existing model, which arrived Friday afternoon. My new 17" is upgraded with a Seagate Momentus 7200 rpm/500 GB + 4 GB SSD hybrid drive and 8 GB RAM. It seriously does everything I can imagine it needing to do, and does it with speed and good looks. I couldn't be happier with it.

The one thing I'd really like to see is for resolution independence to finally show up for real in the OS. My eyes aren't getting any better with age, and some of the UI elements are looking awfully small on the lappy screen (there's a nice big monitor at the office). I don't want to be stuck with fewer screen pixels just so the UI is, umm, usable.

Even Windows 7 seems to be in better shape for this, with a publicly exposed selectable scaling factor, though granted it has issues with application support as well.

 

[mdgm]

Good for you imikem. Enjoy your new Mac. Sounds like a great setup.

Waiting for updates can be overrated though I'm waiting.