Next gen MacBook Pro wishlist:

[RyanFlynn]

Hey friends, I’m a graphic artist and mainly use a pc for my high intensity work, but I absolutely love osx and wish Apple would make a laptop powerful enough for me to dump the windows machine.

Wish list:
6-core cpu
32gb memory
gpu with at least 4 teraflops performance
Oled display.

A boy can dream can’t he?

 

[twelvebore]

Hey friends, I’m a graphic artist and mainly use a pc for my high intensity work, but I absolutely love osx and wish Apple would make a laptop powerful enough for me to dump the windows machine.

Wish list:
6-core cpu
32gb memory
gpu with at least 4 teraflops performance
Oled display.

A boy can dream can’t he?

I'd settle for:

- a keyboard that doesn't suck
- return of a MagSafe-style power connector

To be honest I think you're more likely to get your wishes than I am mine

 

[MBX]

Why is everybody bitching about the keyboard. I think it's great except for the loud noise.

 

[groove-agent]

Why is everybody bitching about the keyboard. I think it's great except for the loud noise.

... don't forget the relatively high failure rate. That was a deal breaker for me.

 

[Royksöpp]

How bout some ports? Just sayin..

 

[Sterkenburg]

Why is everybody bitching about the keyboard. I think it's great except for the loud noise.

Because there is increasing evidence that the failure rate is alarming to say the least (how high we'll never know, but enough that Apple techs often admit the issue when directly questioned), and the out-of-warranty repair price is staggering. A deal breaker, indeed, on an otherwise really good machine.

As for the wishlist:

6 cores --> Quite likely on the next top-end 15"
32 GB RAM --> When LPDDR4 support comes, i.e. late 2018 or early 2019 with Cannon Lake
GPU --> I wouldn't bet on anything close to 4 Tflops, since it is basically twice of what the 560 is capable of (iirc), but AMD Vega cards should give a substantial boost (whether they'll be in the next refresh is another question)
Screen --> Display usually stays the same for a few years following a redesign, I might be wrong but I don't think Apple is going to upgrade it soon.

 

[maflynn]

Why is everybody bitching about the keyboard. I think it's great except for the loud noise.

Partly because some people don't like the travel, and feel, but mostly because of the high failure rate. It seems for many people (no idea how many), various keys stop working. Others have stated that in talking to various Apple geniuses they (the apple geniuses) have stated the keyboard failure is a somewhat common issue that they see.
[doublepost=1512906477][/doublepost]

How bout some ports? Just sayin..

I've gotten used to the fact that USB-C is here to stay and I can live with the existing ports, though I'm still bummed about but the lack of SD card.

Overall, as I look to buy a new laptop in 2018 (hopefully), I'm more interested in seeing a sturdier keyboard assembly more then anything else.

 

[leman]

If you are a graphic artist, why do you want an OLED display? It was my impression that OLED has some issues with color reproduction?

 

[RyanFlynn]

Because there is increasing evidence that the failure rate is alarming to say the least (how high we'll never know, but enough that Apple techs often admit the issue when directly questioned), and the out-of-warranty repair price is staggering. A deal breaker, indeed, on an otherwise really good machine.

As for the wishlist:

6 cores --> Quite likely on the next top-end 15"
32 GB RAM --> When LPDDR4 support comes, i.e. late 2018 or early 2019 with Cannon Lake
GPU --> I wouldn't bet on anything close to 4 Tflops, since it is basically twice of what the 560 is capable of (iirc), but AMD Vega cards should give a substantial boost (whether they'll be in the next refresh is another question)
Screen --> Display usually stays the same for a few years following a redesign, I might be wrong but I don't think Apple is going to upgrade it soon.

Regarding the GPU, just because apple chose to go with something underpowered doesn't mean they can't improve! The surface book ii has a Nvidia 6gb 1060 card than hits 4 teraflops. Thats a tablet!

Thanks for all the responses everyone! This is fun!
[doublepost=1512908834][/doublepost]

If you are a graphic artist, why do you want an OLED display? It was my impression that OLED has some issues with color reproduction?

My work requires that I don't crush the blacks. Obv, I can use a histogram, but the oled lets me see more contrast.

 

[Sterkenburg]

Regarding the GPU, just because apple chose to go with something underpowered doesn't mean they can't improve! The surface book ii has a Nvidia 6gb 1060 card than hits 4 teraflops. Thats a tablet!

Oh, believe me, I would love if they did! It just doesn't seem likely, given Apple's track record of sticking with mid-range GPUs for their discrete graphics solutions. This is something that has never changed since the very first Intel-powered MBPs were released, so I'm just saying I wouldn't hold my breath for it, particularly now that Apple is supporting TB3 eGPU enclosures as their official workaround for users who need beefier cards.

It's basically a matter of what the maker regards as the best compromise to stay within the thermal constraints of the machine. Apple usually puts the top-range 45W i7 CPUs in the 15" and keeps the GPU within the 40W range, while Microsoft chose to give up on a little CPU power (~20W on the 15", iirc) in exchange for a beefier GPU.

 

[Altis]

I'd say 17" model, but I'm sure it'd cost over CAD $4,000. Even the base 15" now costs CAD $3,200.

So a 17" model and some reasonable pricing.

 

[leman]

Regarding the GPU, just because apple chose to go with something underpowered doesn't mean they can't improve! The surface book ii has a Nvidia 6gb 1060 card than hits 4 teraflops.

The surface book also uses a low-power CPU and based on benchmarks I’ve seen throttles heavily and it’s barely a tablet, it’s footprint is larger than that of a 15” MBP.

 

[HerbertDerb]

If you are a graphic artist, why do you want an OLED display? It was my impression that OLED has some issues with color reproduction?

OLED might not be AS colour accurate than IPS. But OLED displays have many advantages over LCD-displays. (Mainly screen uniformity is an non-issue & black levels/back-light bleed)

 

[Naimfan]

Lose the obsession with thin. The 2012-2015 models were thin enough; the new ones are anorexic - it is not necessary, and prevents the use of more than 16 GB RAM, a bigger battery, etc.

Shrink the trackpad; use a reliable and better keyboard that isn't like typing on glass, take away 2 of the USB-C/TB3 ports and add 2 USB-A, magsafe, and the SD slot. In case Apple hasn't noticed, the rest of the world still uses USB-A.

Get rid of the touchbar.

Stop ripping us off on storage. 256 GB for $2,399? That's absurd. And nobody can tell the speed difference without synthetically benchmarking it.

Stop ripping us off on accessories - $79 for the same power block with a different connector and then $19 on the charging cord and $19 more for the extension is a giant **** you to your customer base.

 

[jerryk]

Nvidia 1050/1060 GPU
6-core

 

[Sam Luis Obispo]

Lot of ink spilled on the keyboard. What I am missing is the magnitude of the increase in failure rate with the new keyboard. Is it a factor or 10x increase, a factor of 100x increase??? More? Put another way, if I had to replace my 2011 MBP tomorrow, should I go for the 2015 model because these new ones are that bad?

 

[ZapNZs]

Lot of ink spilled on the keyboard. What I am missing is the magnitude of the increase in failure rate with the new keyboard. Is it a factor or 10x increase, a factor of 100x increase??? More? Put another way, if I had to replace my 2011 MBP tomorrow, should I go for the 2015 model because these new ones are that bad?

There is no available data on the exact numbers of keyboard issues. Some will say that the issue is so prevalent that all MBPs will be affected. Others will say that there is no problem at all. IMO, the commonality of such issues sits somewhere in between.

 

[shaunp]

My number 1 thing for the next MBP is to stop making it so thin. It doesn't need to be thin, there are plenty of other Mac laptops that are thin. It can then have all the features buyers of a workstation class laptop (which Apple markets the MBP as), such as ports and decent key travel. There is no need when buying a workstation class laptop to have to carry dongles around. All of the ports a working professional needs should be there. Sure put some USB-C/TB3 ports, but also include USB-A sockets, an SD card reader, and Ethernet because there is more chance these will actually be used. I'd also like a matte screen option and up to 64GB RAM, like the Lenovo P51 and Dell Precision 7520.

Some of you will say things like 'hey don't need Ethernet, why should have to carry round the "extra weight" of this port'. Then don't. Apple already has you covered with plenty of thin laptops. Buy one of those. What Apple doesn't provide right now is choice. It's a thin laptop, with no ports, a keyboard with no travel and a glossy screen or nothing. Other than the cooling there was nothing wrong with the form factor of the 2010 MBP. I would have been happy for Apple to carry on with that, improve the speed and increase the storage and RAM limits. I don't need a flashy laptop, I just need it to work.

 

[ncrypt]

OLED might not be AS colour accurate than IPS. But OLED displays have many advantages over LCD-displays. (Mainly screen uniformity is an non-issue & black levels/back-light bleed)

However OLED does suffer from burn-in, and macOS and the desktop environment in general with windowing etc has plenty of static elements that could trigger this.

 

[Hater]

- Magsafe
- Keyboard that doesn't suck
- No storage, RAM or discreet video card, just open slots where you decide what storage, RAM and discreet option you want... won't happen but hey.

 

[The Mercurian]

For me, essential:
- Hexcore
- 32GB
- NO Touchbar
- NO FaceID
- Fixed keyboard reliability issues

Very desirable:
- User replaceable RAM and SSD

Desirable:
- Magsafe
- SD card slot
- Not thinner than current
- What the hell....4K display

 

[Samuelsan2001]

My number 1 thing for the next MBP is to stop making it so thin. It doesn't need to be thin, there are plenty of other Mac laptops that are thin. It can then have all the features buyers of a workstation class laptop (which Apple markets the MBP as), such as ports and decent key travel. There is no need when buying a workstation class laptop to have to carry dongles around. All of the ports a working professional needs should be there. Sure put some USB-C/TB3 ports, but also include USB-A sockets, an SD card reader, and Ethernet because there is more chance these will actually be used. I'd also like a matte screen option and up to 64GB RAM, like the Lenovo P51 and Dell Precision 7520.

Some of you will say things like 'hey don't need Ethernet, why should have to carry round the "extra weight" of this port'. Then don't. Apple already has you covered with plenty of thin laptops. Buy one of those. What Apple doesn't provide right now is choice. It's a thin laptop, with no ports, a keyboard with no travel and a glossy screen or nothing. Other than the cooling there was nothing wrong with the form factor of the 2010 MBP. I would have been happy for Apple to carry on with that, improve the speed and increase the storage and RAM limits. I don't need a flashy laptop, I just need it to work.

That's apples vision for portables described right there powerful enough for most use cases but thin and light and easy to travel with; as the technology allows they will push the boundaries of this, the 2010 form factor was incredibly thin and light for its time as well. If that's not what you want then apple don't make the laptops for you simple as that get over it and buy something else.

As for the original question this years upgrade will use 4 and 6 core intel chips and AMD graphics, I think they'll have to come up with a solution for 32gb in the 15 inch even though intel have let them down again there, but if you want it you may well take a hit in battery life. Other than that it will be exactly the same.

 

[fitzsimonsjl]

• A 17" model - one can dream!
  
• A refreshed 15" non-touchbar model
• Change two of the four USB-C ports to USB-A. HDMI port would be nice too (though I can live with 4 USB-C)
• A bit more keyboard travel if we're going to stick with the butterfly mechanism, though I'd rather the previous 2015 and below keyboard.

 

[richinaus]

That's apples vision for portables described right there powerful enough for most use cases but thin and light and easy to travel with; as the technology allows they will push the boundaries of this, the 2010 form factor was incredibly thin and light for its time as well. If that's not what you want then apple don't make the laptops for you simple as that get over it and buy something else.

As for the original question this years upgrade will use 4 and 6 core intel chips and AMD graphics, I think they'll have to come up with a solution for 32gb in the 15 inch even though intel have let them down again there, but if you want it you may well take a hit in battery life. Other than that it will be exactly the same.

I think this is a pretty accurate description of what will happen. Same case, maybe tweaked keyboard, new intel 4+6 core CPU and AMD GPU. I dont think they will go 32gb yet.

Also you are right in the direction they are going - thin and light with performance suitable for the majority.
Power users need to look elsewhere.

 

[shaunp]

That's apples vision for portables described right there powerful enough for most use cases but thin and light and easy to travel with; as the technology allows they will push the boundaries of this, the 2010 form factor was incredibly thin and light for its time as well. If that's not what you want then apple don't make the laptops for you simple as that get over it and buy something else.

As for the original question this years upgrade will use 4 and 6 core intel chips and AMD graphics, I think they'll have to come up with a solution for 32gb in the 15 inch even though intel have let them down again there, but if you want it you may well take a hit in battery life. Other than that it will be exactly the same.

There's always one of you. LOL
[doublepost=1512987044][/doublepost]

I think this is a pretty accurate description of what will happen. Same case, maybe tweaked keyboard, new intel 4+6 core CPU and AMD GPU. I dont think they will go 32gb yet.

Also you are right in the direction they are going - thin and light with performance suitable for the majority.
Power users need to look elsewhere.

Why should power users have to look elsewhere? That's a pretty rude stance to take for customers who've invested a lot of time, effort and money into a platform.