Next macbook pro will have design modifications

[dmccloud]

Having just graduated from university where 90 percent of my peers across all three years had either a MBP or a rMBP I would disagree with your statement about the students. Not one of them had an air.

Having said that I am fairy happy with the design, it might need a little refinement but I'm against them making it ridiculously thin and light at the expense of performance and features.That is why we have MBA and the new MB.The design will always be a little bulkier because it is supposed to be a PRO platform (with a combo of pro power/performance that has greater battery, space, ports and cooling requirements) and not a casual platform. A pro platform without extra ports wouldn't make much sense for me considering I am now a professional user.

There isn't a need to gut the rMBP for the sake of it and I really don't feel there will be any major changes other than the adoption of the new style keyboard so I personally think it is not too much of a risk in buying now, if people are concerned with weight and too many ports then they really would be silly to contemplate the MBP.

Just to piggyback on the point about which Macs college students are using. I judged at the US Universities Debate Championships two weeks ago, and the only people I saw using MBAs were a few of the coaches. Everyone else was using either a MBP or rMBP. It was also about 75% Mac usage overall. Since there were schools from almost every state, plus a few Canadian teams and even one from Zimbabwe, it's safe to say that the sample size was probably reflective of the wider trend on college campuses as well.

 

[jsnuff1]

Image

Overall height including the board underneath and solder points for it should come out to about 9mm.

The overall height INSIDE the port is a hair over 5mm. That's quite a big difference. nearly 50% of the port's overall height is not visible from the outside. The port's taking up pretty much all available space. You need a smaller port to go thinner.

You do realize that apple builds its own ports, and does not use the standard spec off the shelf USB parts. They could make the laptop as thin as the INSIDE height of the USB connector if they really wanted to and build the port inside the actual wall of the laptop.

 

[dusk007]

Image

Overall height including the board underneath and solder points for it should come out to about 9mm.

The overall height INSIDE the port is a hair over 5mm. That's quite a big difference. nearly 50% of the port's overall height is not visible from the outside. The port's taking up pretty much all available space. You need a smaller port to go thinner.

And these conacts necessarily need to protrude downward like in your picture. ^^
That is probably the layout for a desktop mainboard which has no space constraints but in notebooks these contacts neither need be quite this high nor do I think do they have to go down. They could just go back. Problem solved.

I am not opening my own to make a good picture but here I think one can see that the ports (top left) does not protude anywhere like the schematic you found.

 

[TheSteves]

Other than color, it can't get much thinner without ridding the USB-A and Thunderbolt ports which Apple won't do on their pro system.

And they would never ship one without DVD drive....

Kidding aside.

USB-C is the new standard and next thunderbolt will have smaller adapter. Maybe even integrated into USB-C

Of course they will go thinner as soon as they can. !!!

Just my opinion

 

[rekhyt]

Pasting in two posts that I've written in another thread (Upcoming MBP 15 refresh - hold off or buy now?).

...

And about graphics/general hardware, and a forward-looking statement, and why discrete GPUs on the MacBook Pro will not disappear (I'm sure I've argued about it before on another thread but I'll reiterate the points here):

The new retina MacBook 12" is the MacBook Air, essentially. The MacBook Air 11"/13" is, by this point, vintage hardware. The 2015 update is the last update that they'll get, and after they're discontinued, there won't be a new line replacing the MBA 11"/13" (In the most ideal situation, the MBA 11"/13" would be renamed the MacBook, and the rMB 12" would be called the MacBook Air instead. However, the logistical confusion is problematic (The 13" MacBook Pro was first released as the MacBook Aluminium 13", and then called the MacBook Pro 13" when it was released. Likewise, the MacBook (White) was called MacBook, changed to MacBook White, and then back to MacBook which was confusing in terms of branding)).

So we've established that the rMB 12" is the new MacBook Air (Built on the same ideology that Steve Jobs had in mind for the original MBA: Thin, light, portable, long battery life, no compromises on keyboard (Debatable, but we'll leave this debate for other people. We're talking about graphics hardware here on this thread.), trackpad and screen).

We've also established that the MacBook Air is a discontinued line (Superseded by the retina MacBook 12"). So that's out of the way.

What do we have left?

The MacBook Pro.

Before we explore that, we have to look for inspiration at Apple's other product lines: The Mac desktop, the (i)Phone and the tablet.

1. Mac desktop: Mac Mini (Redesigned, 2015/16). iMac (4K). Mac Pro
2. Tablet: iPad Mini. iPad Air. iPad Pro (2015/16).
3. Phone: iPhone 5S. iPhone 6. iPhone 6 Plus.

3 things. 3 product lines (So a reverse scenario of this: https://youtu.be/vZYlhShD2oQ?t=138)

If you notice, Apple likes to have a clear gradation.

Good. Better. Best.

For the laptop line I think they'll just reduce it to 'Good' and 'Best'. 'MacBook' and 'MacBook Pro'. (No point in having 'Better' in the form of the 'Air' because the difference between the MacBook 12" and MacBook Air 11"/13" is so small. They're both built off of the same underlying philosophy of the first MacBook Air.)

As such, I argue that Apple will be looking to strongly differentiate between the MacBook, and the MacBook Pro.

With that, proper hardware specs (Their CPUs are fine. It's the GPUs that need work on.) is in order.

nVidia 970M at the best scenario, 960M at the slightly optimistic and hopeful scenario, 950M at the :/ but still alright scenario.

...

Yep. It's definitely possible (Razer Blade 14" essentially copied the rMBP exterior design and the interior configuration, albeit with higher cooling capacity (More internal pipes), but as you said, highly unlikely.

It's always useful being hopeful in the tech sector. I myself was pleasantly surprised when they put i7 processors in the MBPs back in 2010/11(?), because it showed that they were being to be serious on that front, and not lag behind with i3 or i5s.

They've not abandoned Prosumers yet (New Mac Pro. iMac 5K. Logic Pro X. Final Cut Pro X. Aperture gone temporarily, may reappear in Aperture X.) so that's good.

As said in the original distinction, I think there is a real possibility of Apple emphasising the 'Pro' part of the MBP (With a price increase, naturally) by putting in proper parts. Including a proper graphics card would reinforce this.

I've seen some interesting thoughts on this forum, and there is a real possibility that they might reintroduce the 17". After all, Apple's all about configuration now. They've got the cash(flow) to do it (Multiple colours: Space grey, gold, silver. Multiple sizes: Big, bigger, biggest.).

Here's how they might do it:

MacBook: 12". 11" form factor with a 13"-esque screen. Thin. Ultra-light. Ultra-portable. Good battery life.
MacBook Pro: 14". rMBP 13" form factor with a 15"-esque screen. Thin. Lighter than the 2010-era rMBPs (Should weigh roughly the same as a MBA). Decent performance. Option of discrete graphics cards on 'ultimate' tier.
MacBook Pro (Might be called MacBook Pro X, or MacBook X): 16". rMBP 15" form factor with a 17"-esque screen. Thin. Lighter than the 2010-era rMBPs. More portable than the rMBP 15" 2010-era. Very, very good battery life (MacBook 12" 'layering' inside the big surface area of the laptop). Very, very good performance. Skylake. Option of very good discrete graphics cards (nVidia 970M), with the requisite cooling required for such performance.

Apple hired Anand Shimpi, founder and former lead editor at AnandTech (https://www.macrumors.com/2014/08/31/apple-hires-anand-lal-shimpi/). He's more of a hardware/tech guy, so I suspect he's in charge of redeveloping the Mac lineup.

 

[SSD-GUY]

I think the rMBP design is fine. If they can make the bezels a bit thinner, but more importantly, shave off some weight, I would upgrade when sky lake comes out in a heartbeat.

 

[whatos]

I enjoy my 15" MBPr tremendously.

It's so valuable because it can handle the work I'd otherwise have to do on a desktop. I carry it every single day easily. But then again I workout as a regular part of my life. Therefore in my case weight just isn't a factor.

I especially like it's durability and don't want that compromised.

 

[ValSalva]

IMO the design of the 13" MBPr is very close to perfection. I'd love a bit smaller bezel and a native resolution bump to 2880 x 1800 which scales at a "best for retina" setting of 1440 x 900. Replace a TB port with USB-C. That's it. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Sadly I think I'm in the minority and think Apple's obsession with thinness will continue as will overall consumer demand for change just for the sake of change.

I agree with you. The 2012 rMBP design still seems fresh to me. I got the original 2012 15" rMBP in June of 2012. I've had no image retention issues with it. In fact no problems. It's still the best laptop I've ever owned.

 

[diggy33]

If the rMBP is too heavy: Hit the gym. You need it badly.

I want to tell this to so many people at work when the complain about the weight of a 13 rMBP or 15 rMBP

 

[apolloa]

All they need to do for the next 15" model is keep the same design, improve the cooling system, swap one of the USB 3 ports for USB C, keep all the other ports but update them to the latest spec, update the wireless and Bluetooth to the latest spec, fit Skylake and keep the discrete GPU option with a GTX950m option, if the cooling is good enough then offer the GTX960M but Apple would probably increase the price for that.
They also need to fit the new keyboard from the Retina MacBook and the new trackpad with haptic feedback.

If they do change the design then they could trim about 5mm from the sides, maybe a centimetre, redesign the speaker system to suit, use the new battery tech to make the laptop tiny bit thinner say 2 or 3mm. But they should not do any of that by ditching ports or performance and options.

 

[snaky69]

You do realize that apple builds its own ports, and does not use the standard spec off the shelf USB parts. They could make the laptop as thin as the INSIDE height of the USB connector if they really wanted to and build the port inside the actual wall of the laptop.

Source? And you still need a PCB which add height no matter how you play around with the sheetmetal connector.

 

[apolloa]

Hmm reading into it, Apple will not be able to use anything higher then the GT750M without changing the cooling system, the new GTX 950M is over twice the TDP!

Maybe Nvidia will update its GT mobile range this year?

 

[Traverse]

I want to tell this to so many people at work when the complain about the weight of a 13 rMBP or 15 rMBP

It's not the weight as much as the footprint.

I wish they would slim the bezels down on the 15" and make it a little narrower.

 

[dusk007]

Hmm reading into it, Apple will not be able to use anything higher then the GT750M without changing the cooling system, the new GTX 950M is over twice the TDP!

Maybe Nvidia will update its GT mobile range this year?

Nonsense. The 950M is the same TDP as 750M. Just look at the notebooks it shows up in. They all effectively replace one with the other with unchanged cooling system (well the 750M with the 850M and now the 950M, not like Apple that does not ever update GPUs). The 950M is more than twice as fast but no hotter, even cooler in many situations.

 

[Kal-037]

Question **off topic... But is the GT 750M that bad or just that it isn't the updated series? I mean from almost all the reviews I've seen the 750 handles games, photo editing and 4k video extremely well. Am I crazy to have bought the 2014 MPB 15" with 750M? I thought it was a great Graphics Card.
Or am I dead wrong?


Kal.

 

[dmccloud]

You do realize that apple builds its own ports, and does not use the standard spec off the shelf USB parts. They could make the laptop as thin as the INSIDE height of the USB connector if they really wanted to and build the port inside the actual wall of the laptop.

Having taken apart my share of Macs when working in a repair shop, this is patently false. The blueprints are part of the official USB specification, and there really isn't any wiggle room to modify the design in the manner you suggest and remain within the specification. You seem to overlook that you need the port itself, leads to connect to the mainboard, the mainboard itself with all of its connectors and chips, plus cooling and a battery all in the system. You make the laptop too thin, then something has to go in order to balance performance with the thermal profile.

 

[apolloa]

Nonsense. The 950M is the same TDP as 750M. Just look at the notebooks it shows up in. They all effectively replace one with the other with unchanged cooling system (well the 750M with the 850M and now the 950M, not like Apple that does not ever update GPUs). The 950M is more than twice as fast but no hotter, even cooler in many situations.

I googled it again, and found this site that backs up your claim:

http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/nv...eforce-gtx-960mgtx-950m-and-geforce-940m.html

Others implied it to be a lot higher and they stated that was the mobile version?
Well we could see the GTX 950M in the next MacBook Pro then

 

[SHNXX]

I had a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Mac Pro and iMac as a student.
Ended up giving the air to my sister because it was pretty useless.

 

[bunnspecial]

The weight arguments always amuse me.

As others have said, I carried 3-5 textbooks in my backpack most days through middle and high school. In college, I could usually shave it down to 2-3 textbooks but also carried a 15" Windows laptop daily(I'd put it at 5-6lbs).

I still use a non-Retina 13" MBP. I don't carry so many books anymore, but do tend to carry a lot of papers and the like. I also sometimes carry an older PPC laptop-sometimes a TiBook or a 15" AlBook. The 13" MBP disappears in my backpack-when I do a big purge about once a semester and take out papers, I honestly feel like my backpack is empty even with the laptop in it.

 

[DanGoh]

Mbp is still too heavy i believe for students.

You can't really speak for all students. Seriously.

 

[Yoshi Yogurt]

You can't really speak for all students. Seriously.

Agreed, he think there are too few ports as well. Just wow. I could use another USB port, I already use one for my mouse and iphone charger, and I'll have nowhere to plug in my mechanical keyboard if I buy one.

The rMBP is already crazy thin as it is.....

 

[dusk007]

Question **off topic... But is the GT 750M that bad or just that it isn't the updated series? I mean from almost all the reviews I've seen the 750 handles games, photo editing and 4k video extremely well. Am I crazy to have bought the 2014 MPB 15" with 750M? I thought it was a great Graphics Card.
Or am I dead wrong?
Kal.

It is bad for a notebook that sells today for the price of the MBP. Usually a new generation of GPUs is 20-40% faster than the old. The 850M was 100% faster. So as gpus go the new gen was an important stop. In comparison the cpus get some 10% faster each generations it barely makes a difference. Now we already have the 950M which is another 20% on top of the 850M. It is okay to forgo a new gpu that isn't a big improvement but this one was. And Apple does not lower its prices either. It is really just horrible value for the price.
The 750M is also not good enough for many newer games which you can only play at low/medium settings. The newer gpus are a significant step up.
Also Iris Pro is in some things not even slower than the 750M and even where the 750M leads the difference is like 30%. A 950M is 2-3 times as fast. So there actually would be a difference worth the hassle of switching graphic cards.
The current MBP 15" is only worth buying imo if you aren't interested in the dGPU option anyway.

@ apolloa Nvidia does not publich the TDP numbers and most of these TDPs for mobile are just guesses. Judging by the designs of notebooks the 750M/850/950M are probably more in the 25-30W class. Apple also does not use the Turbo feature which probably makes the 750M in the MBP more like 25W. Maybe with full turbo it could reach 35W. Eitherway nvidia just runs them at whatever clocks to put all the X50M in the same basket. So notebook manufacturers know what they have to work with.

 

[nanogirl21]

I belive its been 3 yrs the mbp had the same design, the couples years were always internal upgrade.

I bought a mbp a couple weeks earlier but decided to return it, i just bought a gold mb at bestbuy at its been working fine.

Mbp is still too heavy i believe for students. I handle the mb one handed with no problem but the mbp feels so clunky. So many ports yet i dont use any of them except usb.

What do you guys think? Is buying the mbp now rhe worst time since the cycle is ending design speaking

MBP is not heavy at all. Especially for students. I believe that students are just lazy and don't want to carry stuff. I understand that books (do they even still carry books?) could be a bit heavy, but adding an extra few pounds from a laptop isn't going to hurt them. It's not cluncky at all either. Sometimes I wonder what people expect from a machine. A computer/machine is never going to be weightless. Yes, the device could be thinner and lighter. I am not denying that. However, it is not clunky or heavy. If you don't use the ports the MBP isn't for you. I personally could use 2-3 more USB ports. I'll rather have those than the thunderbolt ports. You are complain about size weight and ports. Go with a MB.

 

[LoveToMacRumors]

MBP is not heavy at all. Especially for students. I believe that students are just lazy and don't want to carry stuff. I understand that books (do they even still carry books?) could be a bit heavy, but adding an extra few pounds from a laptop isn't going to hurt them. It's not cluncky at all either. Sometimes I wonder what people expect from a machine. A computer/machine is never going to be weightless. Yes, the device could be thinner and lighter. I am not denying that. However, it is not clunky or heavy. If you don't use the ports the MBP isn't for you. I personally could use 2-3 more USB ports. I'll rather have those than the thunderbolt ports. You are complain about size weight and ports. Go with a MB.

I do get what you mean but it's also important to know that technology is advancing and we customer especially spending those amount of money should at one point expect better products years after years.

The Macbook Pro design is starting to get really old, People who bought the laptop in 2013 has the same design at of 2015. The MBP just got new internal upgrades so we don't expect anything this year, but as of 2016, The Next Macbook Pro should have design improvement. especially weight wise, thinner bezels, thinner body, less ports since Apple seem to go that way with the new Macbook.

The 2 thunderbolt pots and the HDMI port can definitively replaced by one USB-C port.

 

[T5BRICK]

The 2 thunderbolt pots and the HDMI port can definitively replaced by one USB-C port.

I'd prefer to keep the useful ports and don't have any desire to adopt USB-C at the moment.

If you don't plan on using multiple external devices with your computer, why not just buy a retina MacBook or MacBook air?