Next MacBook Pro to Get New Case Design

[HarryKeogh]

Could just be me, but I think the design is perfect. Apple is still way ahead of the competition with the unibody design. How much better can it get?

When my mom was a cool, happening chick in the early '70s and added avocado green appliances to replace those big, white 50's-era appliances she looked around her new kitchen and thought to herself "Wow. Gorgeous! How much better can it get?"

And I'm sure in 15 years my kids will tell their friends "Ugh, my parents have that 2010-era stainless and granite kitchen. So hideous".

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm hungry.

 

[Kedest]

I just wonder what this will mean for storage space (SSD is expensive!) and for discrete graphics. The refresh can't be as thin as the Air itself if they want to keep room for a graphics chip.

 

[aiqw9182]

For those wanting retina displays:
No modern GPU can display anything past 2560x1600 on a single screen.

 

[danielwsmithee]

But I fear what Apple has in mind is basically an entire range of Macbook Air laptops. The Air is a fine computer, no doubt, but it's not the portable desktop I want and never can be without supporting two drives and discrete graphics in one way or another.

That is exactly what I envision for the next Mac Book Pro. Take a MacBook Air make it just thick enough to handle an additional 2.5" Hard Drive, dedicated graphics, and a high performance processor. Ditch the optical drive, make SSD+HD the standard configuration.

 

[Aldyn]

When my mom was a cool, happening chick in the early '70s and added avocado green appliances to replace those big, white 50's-era appliances she looked around her new kitchen and thought to herself "Wow. Gorgeous! How much better can it get?"

And I'm sure in 15 years my kids will tell their friends "Ugh, my parents have that 2010-era stainless and granite kitchen. So hideous".

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm hungry.

Hahahaha this.

 

[jafd]

granite kitchen. So hideous

Granite kitchen. Like a granite tombstone...

 

[gri]

Well they arent going to get worse are they!!

They could, e.g. by leaving out features we got used to and like (see back lit keyboard in current MBA)

 

[Bubba Satori]

What do you mean, "you people"

Image

Best post of the day.

 

[jafd]

(see back lit keyboard in current MBA)

And replace backlight with Braille print? Cool, it would save some battery juice at night. By the way, I don't look at the keyboard when typing. Are you?

 

[rlmccormick]

Just because the design might be happening at Quanta (still a rumor) doesn't mean Apple is not doing the designing (if it wasn't their designs, why hasn't anyone else been able to make a unibody laptop yet?).

I think the confusion is that most of us (myself included) believe that Apple is designing their hardware in California. Because of that it was a little bit of a shocker to hear that someone in Asia could be designing a case for their new laptops.

 

[mrsir2009]

Yes!!! Can't wait!!!!

 

[URFloorMatt]

As far as reducing thickness goes, you have to kill the Ethernet and Firewire ports before you have to kill Superdrive.

Ethernet and Firewire are toast. Smaller bezel/smaller footprint, higher resolution screen, additional Thunderbolt port, possibly additional USB port (perhaps a 3.0 port), larger trackpad, SSD (or some flash equivalent) standard--these seem like obvious possibilities.

Not sure how they can improve on the design, to be honest. And, as others have pointed out, not sure how they maintain the Air lineup if the MBP is going to adopt most of its features.

 

[Cpt.N00B]

Stock SSD? probably not

Thinner, no optical...perhaps SSD only?

I'd prefer a smaller bezel the same color as the MBA. Say, 1/4" or a little smaller? Larger trackpad for more gestures?

I doubt they will make optical drive external and have SSD as default. The price of SSD is still very expensive for its capacity. And taking out the optical loses part of the pro feature. (Ultra-large MBA? haha)

Anyway, I would love to see a new case design. The current MBPs get scratched too easily, maybe a harder material (may be more expensive though). Better screen can be pretty nice as well.. )

 

[scottgroovez]

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2012 is a long way off. Buy now, enjoy it now and sell and upgrade when the time comes. I'm terrible for getting caught in the waiting game. You just wait for eternity.

I'm not sure the pros will lose the DVD drive. It'll encroch into MBA territory and pros are meant more for industry use where the drives are useful.

MBA for casual use. MBP where nothing is compromised.

13 needs a better screen though. I've just bought my first 13 MBP and the soft resolution is a bit disappointing.

Would you disagree that, just perhaps, in these industries where the DVD drive is so crucial that they might just have external drives? Apple is trying to sell these MacBooks to everyone, not just pros. It's 2011, the internet and App store are capable of doing the exact same thing as DVDs (for most computer purposes). For everything else, buy the external superdrive. 15% of MBP customers might need a DVD drive, but we know Apple isn't going to ignore the 85% who don't.

Those who don't want the superdrive have the option of an air. People in the music industry will always have a use for CD's. I just think no superdrive makes it an air varient not a pro.

 

[Full of Win]

For those wanting retina displays:
No modern GPU can display anything past 2560x1600 on a single screen.

Please

Do you mean they lack the power or that its not a selectable option? They have the power, have had it for years. Dual 2560x1600 screen setups off one graphics card is easily attainable.

 

[Steel28]

Nice. My 17 MBP (Early 2009) will be getting close to the end of its life cycle by then, allowing me to easily slide into a new MBP.

same here, I have late 2008 13" MB and looking forward to the redesign

 

[SMacDuff]

That is exactly what I envision for the next Mac Book Pro. Take a MacBook Air make it just thick enough to handle an additional 2.5" Hard Drive, dedicated graphics, and a high performance processor. Ditch the optical drive, make SSD+HD the standard configuration.

This!


Please do not make a MBP line with carbon fiber (sooo 2008!). It looked ok then but now I'm just sick of it. I truly believe Apple has other plans for their Liquidmetal purchase, my guess is for future battery tech as described a few months ago. The optical drive is finished. All signs point to Apple getting rid of it and the sooner they do so, the better. The only foreseeable problem with the OP's suggestion is cost. Given the MB Air's price point, what happens to the prices in the MBP line?

 

[aiqw9182]

Please

Do you mean they lack the power or that its not a selectable option? They have the power, have had it for years. Dual 2560x1600 screen setups off one graphics card is easily attainable.

Then show me a single modern GPU displaying more than 2560x1600 on a single display. I'd love to see it.

 

[jafd]

Those who don't want the superdrive have the option of an air. People in the music industry will always have a use for CD's. I just think no superdrive makes it an air varient not a pro.

Ehrrrm, a superdrive is what invariably fails first and gives your laptop almost an extra kilogram of weight you need to carry around. Because taking it off means losing warranty.

A superdrive is not a trait of a "Pro" laptop. The speed and reliability are. Imagine a RAID array of SSDs packed together in a package the size of a superdrive. Imagine a pico projector in that slot — this is what Toshiba is going to do real soon now.

 

[MacintoshMan]

Nice! I can't wait, i've survived without having to buy the unibody design which I loath so much. The edges are too sharp, the keyboard was better on the old one, in efforts to keep it cool the laptop had to be underclocked. Also, for me as a traveler I often do allot of work on the road and I don't mind carrying extra battery, but with this design its impossible for me to swap out.

Not to mention the unipad trackpad just isnt for me, in programs like photoshop you end up doing things on accident. But that's prolly going to stay so im going to be out of luck

 

[danielwsmithee]

Those who don't want the superdrive have the option of an air. People in the music industry will always have a use for CD's. I just think no superdrive makes it an air varient not a pro.

The optical drive doesn't make it "Pro" it makes it "outdated" and "unnecessary." If you need an optical drive by an external one, there is no need to hold up the majority that never use them.

 

[mrsir2009]

And replace backlight with Braille print? Cool, it would save some battery juice at night. By the way, I don't look at the keyboard when typing. Are you?

I don't need it either, but it looks cool

 

[danielwsmithee]

. The only foreseeable problem with the OP's suggestion is cost. Given the MB Air's price point, what happens to the prices in the MBP line?

I don't think cost will be that big of a deal. My hunch is the base configuration comes with a 64GB SSD + 500 GB HD which I would be pretty happy with. Of course there will be options to upgrade to 512GB SDD and 1 TB HD for those willing to drop the cash.

 

[mrsir2009]

I wonder if they'll go SSD and maintain the price-point by saying bye-bye to the superdrive? I hope so, i'd prefer SSD speed over a disc drive which i hardly use anymore.

Also, i'm thinking the black bezel might go. In my opinion, the black hinge doesn't look too good when the rest is metal.

Bigger trackpad, for Lion's gestures?

I hope they don't go sloped, like the air. But then again, when it comes to design, Apple always make it sexy, so i don't mind really.

Can't wait anyway, i was recently thinking of buying a MacBook Pro, glad i didn't jump in too soon

Sorry, but the cost of an 80GB SSD is about $500 NZD, while an optical drive costs $30 NZD. Don't think it'll quite cover the cost Oh, and if you want something like a 500GB+ SSD your looking at $1000+

 

[jafd]

One single needed feature worth a redesign

Those having glossy screens sure will need an automated screen wiper to go with their new laptops. They've got no touch screens and we take care to not touch them, but eventually the screens get dusted and/or fingerprinted all over.

Look at this iPad. Isn't it disgusting?

Sure it's not how it looks in ads. It's a real thing in real use.

I also expect a screen wiper in iPad 3, by the way. Screw the liquid metal and gimme the ol' good wiper, please. Or make it matte/Pixel Qi, for heaven's sake.