New MacBook Pro Still Planned for October, USB-C MacBook Air Also in the Works

[fastasleep]

If you are young and/or just starting out in the Mac World, removal of legacy ports may not seem like a big deal. But if you have built pro rigs around "older" ports, you end up with "dongleitis" and potential latency issues for video and audio work. I know coz been through this before. Worse, Apple will introduce all new I/O ports and cables in just a few years and USB-C will be replaced with the "port du jour". Would be nice to throw existing users a bone and leave a couple legacy ports in at least for transitional reasons. And yes, I am having cheese with my whine.

Do we really have to do this EVERY. TIME. THOUGH. Seriously, if it weren't for pushing forward we'd still all be on SCSI-1 trying to find a terminator in our bag and ADB and freezing our Macs if we unplugged the keyboard.

No amount of whining is going to stop progress.

 

[djbuddha]

The great thing about my mid-2012 MBP Retina w/ SSD is that its still running amazingly well. I painfully paid a boatload of money for it over what I would have paid for a similarly powered Windows laptop. But 4+ years (and one battery replacement) later its still feels as fresh as the day I bought it. My wife is waiting for me to replace it so she can inherit it. Apple is still doing an awesome job of supporting it with macOS. It's disappointing that its taken Apple all of this time to come out with a real refresh but at least when they do build/sell something it lasts, hassle-free, for many years.

I maxed mine out in 2012, 16 gig ram and a 768 gig ssd (2.6 ghz. Ivy bridge though, didn't want to go to the absolute top)

I edit videos all day on this thing and it's only slow to render out and in certain workflows. But it's a solid machine. Taking it to Mexico in a few weeks so it's getting a new battery this weekend. Kinda bummed the new one isn't out yet but I'm hoping it's right around the corner, and as well as this thing is built, I'm ok waiting just a little longer if we're getting similar build quality along with all of the other rumors.

 

[sarge]

If you're a full time photographer, you undoubtedly carry a huge backpack with multiple heavy lenses, maybe more than one camera, a 15" rMBP, perhaps extra batteries et cetera.
Now I can understand you'd be annoyed, but surely it wouldn't be that big of a deal to carry an SD card reader?

No more annoying than wearing ceremonial tassels and sash every day. I'll just drape my dongles over my shoulder then and see how that goes.

 

[netwalker]

Finally, getting rid of all the standard ports and replacing them with a bunch of usb-c ports that need adapters for all my devices.

Still using your ADB Keyboard, parallel port printer and Firewire 400 drives?

 

[djbuddha]

Do we really have to do this EVERY. TIME. THOUGH. Seriously, if it weren't for pushing forward we'd still all be on SCSI-1 trying to find a terminator in our bag and ADB and freezing our Macs if we unplugged the keyboard.

No amount of whining is going to stop progress.

While I agree with his post to a point, one day I realized that evolution is what it is. I undersrand the port thing now and understand that we have to move on from this (and use the direct PCI lane access of thunderbolt to try to alleviate lag with docks and such)..... but something Apple does which drives me nuts is disable compatibility for perfectly functioning high end equipment on the software side. I had an audio interface from digidesign that the company got so frustrated trying to build a driver for-that they had no choice but to abandon support for it on El Capitan as Apple decided to make it impossible. So I see both sides of this. I guess it is what it is, and you can't really affect the inevitable so you just gotta deal sometimes.

 

[Amorie]

I'll believe it when I see it. Been waiting a LONG time for a new MBP.

 

[kyykesko]

(bunch of mumbo jumbo about usb-c monitors and usb-c hubs) -> That's what I've been doing for the last 7 years with my late 2008 Macbook. With Thunderbolt 3 hub it would be even better, because I wouldn't have to connect neither displayport or magsafe, just one cable.

So go buy a desktop. We were talking about a Pro laptop here. Or were you planning to drag that monitor around with you?

 

[netwalker]

Several usb-c makes sense but no sd card slot would be a big surprise and a mistake. (...) its something all photographers use and would need an adapter.

On my 2012 rMBP the SD card slot is extremely unreliable. Most of the time I use a small USB3 card reader. I could certainly do without that SD card slot and why add something only a small group of users ever uses.

So hopefully that is wrong since there are no usb-c DSLRs or mirrorless.

An USB-C to Micro-B (or whatever your camera uses) cable should solve that. That is not even an expensive white Apple adapter. Just a cheap cable for a few dollars.

 

[Crazy Badger]

13" Retina MacBook Air? With multiple USB (C?) ports? I like the sound of that...

I'd buy one of these on launch day, but it ain't gonna happen

 

[kyykesko]

I am just a guy who browses the internet, any modern computer will do, but if I was like you depending on my computer for a living I would have moved to Windows long time ago. Cheaper and seriously more powerful.

Thank you for that insight. I depend on my computer for living and that IS the reason I've chosen Macbook Pro's so far. Stick the shallow keyboard in it and I WILL move to Windows competely. I do have some Windows machines but if I need to get things done I do it with Mac. Because it just works.

Still, it doesn't work that wonderfully I'd be ready to move to a keyboard with no feel. I write _a lot_ each day.
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I don't know about that number, it's probably much higher. The number of Audio/Video pros who need mobility as well as power is constantly increasing. They need mobile MacPro's basically, and they're all ready to pay for the top of the line MBP.
I was content with my old MP+MacMini for Audio/Video work, and a MB Air for the small stuff, but now I'm ready to buy the most expensive top of the line MBP to replace them as I'll be travelling more. But I fear the new ones are going to be already underpowered...

The majority of people buy the MBP for the big screen, not the raw processing power, and they buy the least expensive version. Which is why I always thought Apple should have had a 15" MacBook Air for those consumers, it's cheaper and lighter than the MBP.

FFS they should make a 15" Retina Air macbook for those who want a thin computer with huge screen and 1,5h battery life. Stick in the one or two USB-C's and those people will be happy. Don't screw up a working concept. Rather take the current pro, update it to this day, throw in 2+ USB-C ports in addition to what's there already, make it thicker and use that thickness to add a battery that increases battery life to at least twice of what it is now. Preferably more. And DO NOT TOUCH THE KEYBOARD. Do that and you can stick as many OLED panels on it as you want. Personally I'd rather see those on that 15" retina air too. Then again, I can live with them. Above is a list of things I can't live without.

 

[kareem_klas]

I wonder if the launch date will be 27th October.

I seem to remember another thread where an event (earnings call?) that was expected to be on that date was postponed due to a clash. At the time of the thread we didn't know what the clash was, maybe it's launching the new MacBook Pros, and updated MBA 13".

It had indeed to do with the 'Earnings Call' event which was set on the 27th of Octobre. However for unknown reasons this event has been rescheduled to the 25th of Octobre, not postponed. Most people think it was a strategical decision to start with bad news followed up with groundbreaking news.

 

[kyykesko]

Doesn't make sense. With all the cables and chargers dangling of their heavyweights lights, flashes, strobes, and they're freaking out because they need to plug a 20$ adapter on their MBP ?
A traditional small photo backpack looks like this already :

Coincidentally that's pretty much what your new laptop bag will look, too, with all the dongles you will need with the new macbook pro - assuming the rumors are true.
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You should see the rumored Mac Pro coming out... no USB ports, power cable, headphone plug, memory, processor, graphics or case. It is stunningly thin. Like nothing they haven't create before.

Seriously though... a thunderbolt dock for the MacBook Pros would be helpful with all the ports missing.

It helps only when you're at the office. If that's all you need your computer for you could just as well buy a desktop right away. And yes, I do have a TB dock. I've plugged my macbook into it maybe 6 times this year. Then again, I move around probably more than the average user.

 

[thettareddast]

As it's been said, your internal SD slot can fail, too. Also, you can carry two, just in case...they're small and cheap and if one fails you still have backup.

Seriously, don't make a big deal out of a non-issue.

ive had more broken external sd card readers than i can count.
sd card readers built into larger devices tend to be of higher quality, because of their relative "permanence"

but that's entirely beside the point. it is the onus of the manufacturer to provide accessory support on their "pro" level device, not for the user to have to bring along dongles and adapters.

apple helped lead the movement against optical drive. it made sense because cd/dvd drives were on their way out. sd and are still popularly used on basically every photo device - one of the target market of the mbp.

seriously, would it be a "non-issue" if apple ditched every port for 1, single USB-C port? if you already have to carry a charger, you can carry hubs to expand the port and daisy-chain accessories, right??

 

[kyykesko]

Because they were a strictly professional computer company before and didn't cater to regular consumers ? Did you just land on planet earth ?
Can you cite a time in Apple's history were they were only releasing machines and software for pros and nobody else ? It's almost like you've just discovered the existence of Apple . You have no idea what you're talking about.

The axing of Xserve and the FCPX blunder ( which is now a fine piece of software and has been substantially overhauled ) happened actually under Steve Jobs. It's not like it's a recent move.

Who claims that? He said they used to do plenty of Pro stuff earlier IN ADDITION to all the iToys. These days ALL The do are iToys. Why keep the Pro in the name? The devices certainly are going further and further away from that description.

It always helps to actually read what others are saying. It'd be even better if you understood it, too.

 

[Ankaa]

but that's entirely beside the point. it is the onus of the manufacturer to provide accessory support on their "pro" level device, not for the user to have to bring along dongles and adapters.

And who decides what accessory support NEEDS to be in a machine and what isn't necessary? Guess what, there are a LOT more pro ports than hdmi and SD, many of which haven't been part of Macbooks for many years and are still in use...at the end of the day, it's highly subjective. I'm pretty sure folks who work with audio mostly don't care for SD slots...just for example. You know, there are many many more pro users besides photographers.

seriously, would it be a "non-issue" if apple ditched every port for 1, single USB-C port? if you already have to carry a charger, you can carry hubs to expand the port and daisy-chain accessories, right??

Gotta ask that the MB users

I for myself can say from experience: I owned the very first MBA, that one wit one single USB port. I bought the external CD drive, I bought a whole bunch of dongles...of which I've used one once in a while, that one to connect my device to projectors. And I've owned that machine for a good 5 years, been a student, been a field scientist, been a photographer, travelled a LOT...somehow, miraculously, I managed.

It's really not as bad as people make it seem. Maybe in the beginning, but that will change with time. E.g., what do you use hdmi for? Connecting to TVs? Projectors? In my current university, ALL projectors are connected via AppleTV. Most TVs nowadays can wireless etc. If you need it for pro equipment, I'm sure a single dongle won't kill you.

For monitors? So your LAPTOP is sitting on a desk? Again, what's the big deal when using a dongle?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Well today is the 18th. Next week is the last full week of the month. If this is suppose to be a major update with all the "special event" trimmings then invitations need to drop today or tomorrow. I'll remain skeptical until I see an invitation. If the next MBP is just a quiet press release launch then it's because it's more flash than dash or Apple doesn't give a crap about computers anymore and it's just an obligatory release, not ready to get out of the computer business just yet.

 

[kyykesko]

The TB2 is being superseded by TB3/USB-C connector. BTW, adapters exist, even though they are quite expensive at the moment. As to offering legacy USB ports alongside the USB-C: I think there is more to this. Of course its more convenient to the customers to have the legacy ports available. However, at the same time it allows the industry to ignore the new tech and just stick to the inferior old solutions. What I have always admired about Apple is how aggressively they push for new stuff. This forces the industry to keep up. The quicker the industry converts to USB-C, the better for the customer. The funny thing is that strictly speaking, going all USB-C is not a good move for Apple, as they would certainly loose more traditional customers. But thats what makes Apple Apple. They are willing to take risks. And really, without Apple we would probably still work on plastic bricks with low-res displays.

Actually, the only risks they have taken in a looooong time were dropping the headphone jack from iPhone and sticking with obsolete hardware for much longer than any other company.

I'm willing to pay $3k for a new laptop. I'm not ready to pay $4k for a laptop and a bunch of dongles that are a hell to carry, break too easily, get lost and increase the computer footprint to almost double when you have dongles hanging out from every side. So far I've bought the best phone and the best laptop they make, year after year. I use them for work and only those are worth it. Some barely so. I've wasted so much money on very small upgrades but I felt it was worth it. I didn't see a point in "upgrading" to iPhone 7. It'd make my life more difficult and it didn't come with any improvements I care about. As a clarification, I don't care about the camera. I've got my huge camera bag for that. Even if it's less than half the size of the one somebody posted. Make a laptop that requires a horde of dongles and I can tell you I'm not interested. It works for iToy 12" retina, those are made for browsing facebook and using as a frisbee. It doesn't work for a work computer.

Macbook Air line is where they should innovate and replace ports with the newest and brightest. Hipsters love that crap and the line is made for them. Pro users prefer machines that just work. It doesn't need to be as small as possible, it doesn't need to be the cutting edge technology. It just needs to have enough power and connect to everything you need. 4 * USB-C is not it. Dongle hell is definitely not it. (and because I'm so damned afraid they will screw it up I will mention the useless shallow keyboard once again. THAT IS NOT IT. IT'S A CRAPPIER VERSION OF ONSCREEN KEYBOARD).

 

[netwalker]

But 4x USB-C, especially if one of them is used for power, doesn't leave much room for hanging things off the machine.

Ethernet - needs an adapter. MiniDisplayPort needs an adapter. USB 2 needs a different cable or an adapter. FW800 needs an adapter. SD card needs an adapter.

Just sitting here in my home setup, not working hard, not editing video or trying to handle multiple external drives, etc., a 4x USB-C machine is going to be out of ports in a huge hurry.

With power, ethernet and one video connection, there will only be one empty port! Thin/light's not very helpful if you need to carry around a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 hub to be a 'pro'.

Well, at home/in the office, a USB-C or TB3 docking station is the most convenient solution. I already use a Thunderbolt 2 docking station now to connect ethernet, monitor, USB devices and drives and Thunderbold drives to my rMBP. Just plug in one cable and everything is ready to go.
When traveling I don't have all these things to connect and a few usb-c ports would be enough for external disks etc. Some of those docking stations are also small enough to travel with if you really need it.

 

[kyykesko]

And who decides what accessory support NEEDS to be in a machine and what isn't necessary? Guess what, there are a LOT more pro ports than hdmi and SD, many of which haven't been part of Macbooks for many years and are still in use...at the end of the day, it's highly subjective. I'm pretty sure folks who work with audio mostly don't care for SD slots...just for example. You know, there are many many more pro users besides photographers.



Gotta ask that the MB users

I for myself can say from experience: I owned the very first MBA, that one wit one single USB port. I bought the external CD drive, I bought a whole bunch of dongles...of which I've used one once in a while, that one to connect my device to projectors. And I've owned that machine for a good 5 years, been a student, been a field scientist, been a photographer, travelled a LOT...somehow, miraculously, I managed.

It's really not as bad as people make it seem. Maybe in the beginning, but that will change with time. E.g., what do you use hdmi for? Connecting to TVs? Projectors? In my current university, ALL projectors are connected via AppleTV. Most TVs nowadays can wireless etc. If you need it for pro equipment, I'm sure a single dongle won't kill you.

For monitors? So your LAPTOP is sitting on a desk? Again, what's the big deal when using a dongle?

I also bought it. I still have it. I used it a while but moved quite quickly to a 13" Pro model and after that never touched it again. I thought I'd use it more but I just didn't see the point. The 13" Pro did everything so much better and easier even though it was heavier and bigger. Now I walk around with the 15" Retina because I needed the screen estate and the battery. I only wish the battery was bigger.

 

[MyopicPaideia]

If there is going to be an event in October, the deadline for invites is pretty much tomorrow, right? Can't imagine there will be a silent update if is going to be a chassis redesign as rumored...

 

[DMinTX]

No mention of Mac Minis?

 

[Rocketman]

Can't do Database design and administration on an iPad, regardless of the marketing "pro".

Can't easily transfer RAW images from my SLR and post process them in lightroom on the iPad. And none of the "light" iOS versions have the same featureset I already use on the desktop


the iPad is a good device. I own one. Its great for consumption, and with a keyboard I can see it being quite competent for email and other text entry style writing

But it is NOT a replacement for a "Pro" computer.

It might have been facitious.
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The sarcasm is strong with this one.

Feel the force Rocketman!

BTW I want to learn how to edit full res video on my phone/pad to reduce upload time for time sensitive 4k videos.

 

[lcseds]

Believe it or not, they still sell, and I still see lots of them out in the wild. They're easy to spot with all those ports and that SuperDrive slot. It's a decent little laptop for basic computing tasks for someone who decides to join Apple's ecosystem at a limited budget level (I know, I know), complementing their iPhone or iPad, especially if they also require legacy ports and/or an optical drive.

I actually bought one less than a year ago just to tinker for old-time's sake, got the upgraded 2.9GHz i7 processor and then installed 16GB of memory and a Sammy 850 PRO SSD myself. Apple insists you can only do 8GB, but a little research convinced me otherwise, and I can vouch that 16GB works without any issues.

Speed-wise I really don't notice any difference between it and my SSD desktop, although that would probably be debunked with a bench test. Its only practical limitation would be the Intel 4000 graphics, severely lacking for gamers, but for basic day-to-day tasks, this is a non-issue.

My daughter wanted one to go to college with. She wanted the optical drive built in, not any external drive with cable. Did not care about retina, i5 or i7, dual or quad core. Just a new MBP with the optical drive.
At least I got an edu discount and a pair of beats. Still cringed a little. But point being, not everyone needs or desires "the future" with regard to peripherals and how they are connected. Phasing ports out while integrating new ones is fine. Wiping old ports out with one swoop of Jony's Apple pencil is not so good.

 

[kyykesko]

Clearly enough people love them to justify their continuous existence, it's as simple as that. I have no opinion personally, since it just works.

Loving them has nothing to do with it. People weren't given a choice. People who love paper thin ultra small machine use them more for decoration than for actual work so obviously they couldn't care less about the quality of the keyboard. Putting the same abomination on a pro machine, on the other hand, is no go. As far as I'm aware they put it on the newest iMac. I've yet to see anyone who bought any of those. I tried it and decided against buying an iMac solely based on that useless keyboard. I do know I can buy a separate one, but I'm not going to give Apple a single cent on ANY machine that comes with the shallow keyboard. I hate it that much. And it's the only way for me to tell them how much I do NOT love it. I don't even tolerate it. And no, it doesn't work.
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Stop whining about MacBook Pros already and just get the replacement. iPad Pro.

I see your point. Rumors tell the new Macbook Pro will have nothing to do with "Pro". "Hey, but we already have iPad Pro that is JUST as non-pro!" -> Buy it instead. Too bad some of us actually need Pro machines. Or call it whatever you want. A big two-ton thing that has plenty of ports, plenty of power and plenty of battery. Oh, and an usable keyboard.

 

[KPOM]

In other words: You don't want PRO. Go buy the 12" macbook, it's all you need. Everything you describe screams "hipster" rather than "pro".
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You mean donglerbolt 3? And the DonglHDMI. And whatever else. Macbook Pro -the only 15" machine that requires more than 20" footprint on your desk!

Ever hear of a docking station? You can keep everything plugged into it at all times and then just connect your notebook when you are at your desk.

Your post screams of hipster who thinks he's a pro because he wants lots of ports.