New MacBook Pros Said to Launch in 2017 With Price Cuts and Up to 32GB of RAM

[R99_Photography]

Just found this review by a "pro" user, since some people say to stop whining:

https://medium.com/@trentlapinski/w...ook-pro-and-touch-bar-a9a094af1e0b#.hz4hlkogg

Just read that review, he focused the point. There is a "law" in the electronic and IT world that Apple looks like to break continuously: year by year, hi-tech stuffs are more efficient, powerful and cheaper than the previous generations. We get bigger sized SSDs for the same price or same sized ones at lower prices (if you preferred), the same for CPUs, RAMs or so. Now Apple has just introduced a new MCBpro model with almost the same features (overall speaking) as the previous model, but with a 20% price increase and more. At the same time, the preceding model price has been unchanged.
Unfortunately, I must admit that they are not "stupid" and they probably weighs their decisions very carefully. In this forum I continue reading disappointed users, users who will never upgrade their rigs or users who is assessing to leave Apple for PC platform, but I guess at the same time there are a lot of people who don't care about insane prices of this release.
Apple clearly looks at them...

 

[tmiw]

Nearly HALF is a little bit more than "a bit", IMHO.

Compared to other Windows laptops, the difference is likely less.

 

[ignatius345]

Sure. I'll wait another year. Maybe the next one will have an even worse keyboard and zero ports. #courage

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Ok, let's just compare the specs with my personal mid-2012 15" nrMBP, which was the last of the "classic" Unibody MBPs:

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP694?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

This machine, although I love it dearly, and even though it has an SDHC card slot, a SuperDrive, an Ethernet port, a FireWire 800 port, a Thunderbolt 1 port, and two USB 3.0 ports, is absolutely no match for the 2016 MBP, especially in the I/O department! We won't even discuss the display differences, since I elected to get a non-retina version (although I did opt for the hi-density display).

My MBP has a total of 21 Gbps of raw I/O bandwidth on its dedicated Ethernet, FW, USB and TB 1 ports. And, other than the TB port (which pretty much ALWAYS gets turned into a monitor-out), those are DEDICATED ports. Don't need Terrestrial Ethernet, but DO need another Display Out? Too bad! Don't need FireWire, but DO need TWO Terrestrial Ethernet ports? Too bad!

But with the 2016 15" MBP, you have FOUR identical, multipurpose, USB-C/TB 3 Ports with a total of 80 Gbps of I/O Bandwidth, and which can be easily and fairly cheaply turned into WHATEVER you need WHENEVER you need...

Oh, and of course, my trusty old MBP doesn't know what a Touch Bar is...

And that HUGE freaking Trackpad: It's like having an iPad mini as a Trackpad! Actually, they've just about put a Magic Trackpad on the laptop itself... And that hardly even rated a mention during the presentation!

So, in three short years, Apple has actually made some DRASTIC UPGRADES to the MBP; but all anyone wants to do is WHINE.

You Sir, could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo.

In reality, I bet 3 people ever will get 80Gbps of bandwidth out of this unit. 99.99% of the others will never need such an impressive number. In other words, who cares.

 

[brynsmith23]

So with no KabyLake Macbook pro CPU's on the horizon, well this year anyway and Cannonlake due maybe in 2018...

Im surprised apple hasn't dropped Intel and found a better solution, Intel has really dropped the ball lately, who is going to step up.

i've noticed most people just look at a PC Laptop and compare the CPU, when the Macbook Pro uses a GTe3 CPU

x86 based chips are great for those using Parallels and VM, it would be a shame to go back to the pre 2006-2007 days.

 

[volcomvenom]

Just put in my order, just kidding.

Good one.

 

[x0vash0x]

This "leak" is a thank you to all the people on MacRuomrs and similar forums who have been highlighting the shortcomings of last week's announcements.

Visited two Apple stores yesterday. Both had the new 13" MBP without the Touch Bar in stock, and neither of them had had a collection or a sale. Also visited a department store where they had run out of the old 15" MPB, selling all their stock in the two days after the keynote.

Am told that post-keynote orders are running at under a fifth of projections; described as an "self-inflicted disaster".

"am told" LMAO... Yeah. Okay. You sound like an analyst yourself.

 

[manu chao]

The new base MBP is in no way a replacement for the Air.
It has 2 hrs less battery, different keyboard, ports, screen, much higher price. Only weight is the same.

The no-Touch Bar 13" MBP has a battery that is 11% larger than that of the Touch Bar 13" MBP. It is lacking the Touch Bar and the T1 processor driving it and it has a 15-W TDP CPU instead of a 28-W TDP in the Touch Bar model. It therefore will have at least an 11% longer battery life (based on battery size alone) and probably more like 20% longer battery life than the Touch Bar model which is also rated at 10 h. Apple is much more likely to downrate the battery life on the no-Touch Bar model than uprate the battery life on the Touch Bar model (nobody complains when he or she is getting a longer battery life). Therefore, I am pretty sure that "2 h less battery" complaint will essentially be unfounded.

And yeah, it has a different keyboard and ports. That is what happens laptops every four years or so. The ports on the MBA line have changed noticeably over the years. It started with (a) USB2 + micro-DVI, changed to (b) USB2 + mDP, then to (c) 2x USB2 + mDP, then (d) 2x USB2 + TB1, then (e) 2x USB3 + TB1, then (f) 2x USB3 + TB2. And the screen, isn't going retina is what everybody without exception wanted to the MBA to get?

I'm saying, keep MBA 13" shape, ports and all, but with a spec bump at the same price point.

Faster horses.

It is really funny. Whenever there is any change to the case design including port changes, a large proportion of people say they don't want any such change. But if nothing gets ever changed, we'd still have Firewire and VGA and 25+ mm thick laptop (or pick any other point in history).

The price is the only way, this is not a full MBA replacement. But note that in 2012, when the retina MBP was released, the 13" model was also $500 more expensive than the 13" cMBP. Yes, the prices on all the newly released Macs are high, that is their biggest flaw but not unprecedented (see the retina transition of the MBP in 2012 or the original MBA release in 2008). Overall, I think Apple is pushing things a bit too much with prices (current model 9.7" iPad is $100 more expensive than it was for the first five year of the iPad). But anybody who thought they would get a retina screen at the same prices as the non-retina model was having unrealistic expectations.

Hey, they kept the 2012 cMBP around for 4 years. The MBA 13" is only 18 months old.

And they are keeping the 2015 MBA around for a second year now. So, if you approve of the cMBP move, you should be happy.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Maybe by SnowfLAKE they will have it right.

Otherwise, yes the best way to buy Apple is to outwait them, until they have what works for you.

On the positive side the MBPs are well built and seem to last forever.

I am in the process of retiring my 2008! 17"MBP (sniff) as it only recognizes 6GB and lately quits when I ask it to do too much at the same time.

I have a 2014 MBP 16GB which does everything, but I like to not even carry that from work to home.
(Lazy, but I try not having to remember anything to take or carry)
I can work on whatever I have to work on via dropbox and if I forgot stuff on the work MBP, I'll look it up via Teamviewer.

Both MBPs are hooked up to monitors, external keyboards and external trackpads. No desktop needed.

Like others I do not need a new MBP, but I wanted one to get into 2016/17.

But, now I'll buy a used 2014 maxed out and wait until 2018. Didn't think the 2015s were much better than 2014 and don't need force touch.

I do agree that most prosumer users will not need 32GB or higher, but as PRO models that option just has to be there for those who need it.
Plus, when I buy an MBP I like to future proof it with everything maxed out, being on a 4 -8 year cycle.

That's one of the things I have always appreciated about Macs, even the pre 1998 models, they do maintain their longevity as they age. This is the case for all models, not the maxed out ones too.

 

[fpsBeaTt]

Horsefeathers. Most printers and scanners are not wireless.

Connect it to a router then...
[doublepost=1478047549][/doublepost]

The evidence you provide is anecdotal yet your assertion is universal. It's amazing that you don't know what's wrong with your argumentation even when others point it out for you.

MBPR Mid 2012, which I own, does have a widespread flaw, which is image retention. You can search this very forum to find out how widespread it was. So even the evidence you provided in your reply to me is erroneous.

You know neither the meaning or intent of the words you read and employ.

 

[manu chao]

The XPS 15 ($2000) has the same specs as the new macbook (minus the touch bar, which I'm not a fan of) is $3499 which is insane

Let's say has similar specs. I just googled it a bit. It has a higher resolution screen (though that might be of limited utility at 15") but fails behind in colour gamut and brightness against the MBP. It has a higher RAM limit but it seems that is payed for with a shorter battery life (which generally seems to be lower on the XPS). I doubt it matches the SSD speed of the new MBP (3.1 GB/s). It also has only one port that is faster than 5 Gbit/s.

 

[tentales]

....tldr;

Faster horses.

It is really funny. Whenever there is any change to the case design including port changes, a large proportion of people say they don't want any such change.

It is funny how some people will defend Apple no matter what. Your analogy isn't even close.

 

[manu chao]

It is funny how some people will defend Apple no matter what. Your analogy isn't even close.

It is not about defending Apple, it is about accepting the world as it is and not to go ballistic whenever something happens that I don't like.

 

[ConnorMcJeebus]

You see, I just don't believe you do own those Apple products. Because, you see, the technologically literate see the 2014/15 rMBP to be mediocre mediocre and overpriced, especially when compared to the first generation release, and the idea of buying something as generic and overpriced as a time capsule genuinely makes me laugh. Based on your comments, you honestly seem to be quite ignorant as to the technical aspects of hardware in general.

No benefits for you? I honestly don't believe you're knowledgeable enough to make that judgement, even if it is relating to your own requirements. The quality of life improvements in the new MBP are significant, and the inclusion of four full-speed TB3 ports is groundbreaking, which opens up possibilities that simply could not be entertained with previous iterations. I will now be running both of my 27" 1440p 144Hz monitors off a single port, a USB + gigabit adapter (highly mobile) off another single port, and the other two for whatever other reasons I see fit at the time, such as an external GPU or high speed storage solution. If I need more, I can daisy chain, without any performance degradation.
If I'm leaving the house, I'll take at most two adapters (the USB C multimedia adapter and USB + ethernet adapter), that's it. This new machine will allow me to streamline my workflow on OS X like never before, and you, and others like you, choose to pollute every single thread that I've read with ill-informed regurgitated proforma and whining over a contextually minor price increase, swearing that this is the worst release ever. It's boring.

Now, I mean this sincerely; educate yourself on the capabilities and qualities of the products you're so thoroughly condemning, instead of just rehashing EVERY SINGLE DONE-TO-DEATH cringe-worthy whinge.

Before you go off criticizing others for not being knowledgeable enough, for being technologically illiterate, and for not educating themselves on capabilities of the new MBP, you might want to read this. Apparently, the 13 MBPs only have 2 TB3 ports running at full-speed (the 15s have 4 at full speed), and there are limitations to how many devices the MBPs can power (which would also limit how many devices you can daisy chain to it). Those limitations might not affect your workflow but it certainly may affect others. My point is, why are you assuming that it fits everyone else's needs just because it fits your own?

 

[Ethosik]

I want 128gb ram, 4tb ssd and bazel free screen or I'm not buying! Oh and 2 nvidias 1080!

According to people here, that is the ONLY WAY a system is classified as Pro.
[doublepost=1478053287][/doublepost]

200 or no deal.
[doublepost=1477997852][/doublepost]
I said it concerns not only issues, but performance and feature trade offs as well as price. learn to read.

Don't go down this road please. Guess what? Next year there will be a new Dell, or HP, or Lenovo, ... they will all have better performance. No matter when you get a computer, a better upgraded one is coming soon.

Oh, don't get the GTX 1080 either, the GTX 1080Ti will be out soon. And the 11xx will be out in a bit too!
[doublepost=1478054041][/doublepost]

So my $2300 laptop will lose 25% of its value because its used, and in 6 months it will lose another 25% because the updated models are out, but because the newer models are actually cheaper than the model I bought by $300-$400 that means I will lose another 25% of my investment...

Making my $2300 '15 Macbook just about worth $700 in second hand market in 6 months...

nice...

Don't be rediculous. I can get $850 from my early 2013 rMBP from Gazelle. That retained its value A LOT.
[doublepost=1478054203][/doublepost]

People are making such a huge issue out of the 32GB RAM. Why do you need more than 16GB? There are very few processes out there that require more than 16GB. And if something requires it, you're probably not using something like a laptop to do it.

More does not always equal better, especially with RAM. There's a point of diminishing returns, and 16GB is pretty much that point. In most cases, architectural changes to the CPU, newer GPU, etc will offer much better performance gains than simply piling on more RAM.

Not to mention when the SSD has 3GB/s of performance. These aren't the days of 5400 RPM drives when ram swapping is a serious issue. I use a 2013 rMBP and SURPRISE I am able to get work done.

 

[germinator]

It also has only one port that is faster than 5 Gbit/s.

ONE Thunderbolt 3 port at 40 Gbps is all you need if you connect a dock.

 

[Ethosik]

Would people please get a grip. Laptops are not desktops. So you need 32, 64, or 128GB of RAM to run dozens of VMs? Use a desktop! I prefer thinness and lightness on a LAPTOP! I carry it around all day. Any little bit helps. I am able to get by with 16GB of RAM for Pro tasks. One professional is not like another professional. Why can't people get that? "I need 32GB of RAM, therefore, these computers are not professional!"

 

[fpsBeaTt]

Before you go off criticizing others for not being knowledgeable enough, for being technologically illiterate, and for not educating themselves on capabilities of the new MBP, you might want to read this. Apparently, the 13 MBPs only have 2 TB3 ports running at full-speed (the 15s have 4 at full speed), and there are limitations to how many devices the MBPs can power (which would also limit how many devices you can daisy chain to it). Those limitations might not affect your workflow but it certainly may affect others. My point is, why are you assuming that it fits everyone else's needs just because it fits your own?

Way to respond to something I clearly wasn't talking about. If I say four full-speed TB3 ports, then you can assume I'm obviously talking about the 15". Regardless, its capabilities far exceed that of the previous model, for my purposes, and the person's to whom I was responding. So, before you act like a sanctimonious knight, know what you're talking about first.

 

[Ethosik]

This.

The product was late. It was always going to be controversial by removing ports. The touch bar is not an obvious improvement (short term at least). So, the price hike was just a kick in the nuts.

Well, see ya later Apple. Not shopping at the greedy store any time soon.

Yes no other business is greedy or wants money. New computers with new designs and better internals should NEVER cost more!! /s

 

[Ethosik]

Since you're comparing the Dell XPS 13 to the MBP 13", you forgot to mention the Dell includes Thunderbolt 3 PLUS 4K display, normal USB ports, SD card reader, and next-gen processors that Apple won't come out with until next year at the soonest. Thankfully, Dell has't crippled their notebooks with only useless ports.

And we just got a new laptop at work that has VGA on it. Sometimes including old ports is bad. Nobody will want them gone.
[doublepost=1478055402][/doublepost]

This macbook is just a let down. Time to move to windows. Apples days are numbered. I mean did anyone see the MS Studio! Thats what the iMac should have been. It so sad.

With no SSD option possible?

 

[Ethosik]

Regardless of the XPS battery life, the MBP already has a maximum spec'd battery life without DDR4 (somewhere around 10 hrs). With 32GB DDR4 that battery life will go down, to what is anybody's guess, but clearly to a level that is not acceptable to Apple. I would not mind having 32GB with less battery life, too, but as someone stated above, there would probably be an outcry if the battery life was significantly lower than the 16GB model. IMO it makes sense to forgo this option in 2016 for a low power 32GB option in the future.

Agree there. Batter life is way way way way more important on a LAPTOP than 32GB of RAM. my 2013 rMBP is starting to suffer in terms of battery life and it is irritating!

 

[tentales]

It is not about defending Apple, it is about accepting the world as it is and not to go ballistic whenever something happens that I don't like.

If Steve Jobs had accepted the world as it is, you wouldn't even have the chance to have this opinion.
People will disagree with you and that's part of the world also.
The fact that you think I'm going ballistic speaks volumes how butthurt you must feel about people criticizing Apple.

I accept there are fanboys in the world if you can accept there are realists.

 

[Ethosik]

With an invite as hopeful like ‘Hello again’ the iMac (announcement) ought to have been there, I agree.

Why are people focusing on 'Hello Again' with relation to computers? Didn't we just have an announcement from Apple about the iPhone 7? So Hello Again is because of that.

 

[Bootleg Gucci]

2017 MBP refresh include an SD/microsd card slot by any chance? Lol. Calculating how many adapters I need to order.

 

[Santabean2000]

Yes no other business is greedy or wants money. New computers with new designs and better internals should NEVER cost more!! /s

Hey, if you feel like getting ripped off by large corporations, (especially Apple, with more money than anyone), is ok with you, then all good. Don't expect everyone else to bend over and take it quietly.

Greed is ugly in all its forms and I'm happy to call Apple out for it.