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Your post goes against the design curve of EVERY product in history - thankfully. Imagine us still driving around in Model T's or still using the rotary phone? It might not be this next update, but very soon the current interface and look of the MBP will feel truly dated. The writing is on the iPhone.

As for "years to come" - for someone like you there will always be an antique MBP on sale in the world of eBay so you won't have to be affected as great technological advances are made. There are of course people that still drive around in Model T's and play 78 LP's.

PS If you want to be nostalgic about Apple design, the old (8 years ago) Pismo Powerbook was much more ergonomically shaped than the PB's and MBP's that subsequently replaced it.
In which way does the Macbook Pro look old?

It looks light years ahead of any PC laptop on the market, so how does it look old?
 
In which way does the Macbook Pro look old?

It looks light years ahead of any PC laptop on the market, so how does it look old?

My thoughts are of course subjective (but then I was responding to your very subjective post saying that you hoped the design of the current MBP would remain for "years to come"). I have owned the 17" PB since early 2003 and just bought my son a maxed out 15" MBP four weeks ago (he couldn't wait for the update). There are some differences but overall they both feel like the same design - a bit thick and boxy (to me).

When the Pismo was replaced by the Titanium PB certain trade-offs were made and one was the loss of the extremely comfortable and curved hand rest for typing. For just typing, the Pismo was for many of us a better feeling machine. Still, designs change and the new PB's and MBP's that you love so much were better in almost every other way.

Now, after using the 3G iPhone, all the current MB's and MBP's look dated to me (I prefer that to the word "old" that you used). Because Mac has always gone in the direction of continuing to make their mobile devices more mobile (translate as smaller, thinner, and lighter) and their interface more intuitive with each generation, I believe that very soon we will be offered a completely different way of interacting with our laptops which will make the current line feel like using a rotary phone. Again, this is just my opinion. I hope the update I am expecting will be in two weeks but most likely it will be in a year.

BTW, not sure if the current Apple laptops are "light years" ahead of the PC market. I like Apple better, but at this moment it's more about the OS rather than the hardware (except for the iPhone which is radical).

You have no worries. We'll be more than happy to sell you our MBP's if a new a different design comes around! :)
 
If I'm thinking what you're thinking, Apple probably won't go to multi-touch screens in computers for a couple years. I think the iPhone is babysteps.
 
If I'm thinking what you're thinking, Apple probably won't go to multi-touch screens in computers for a couple years. I think the iPhone is babysteps.

Yea, I really have no clue as to the time frame - I just hope sooner than two years. Dell is rolling out multi-touch tablets so I hope Apple has some magnificent surprises for us in the near future.

Appleinsider just posted this detailed article of next-gen multi-touch for the upcoming Mac tablets:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...n_multi_touch_techniques_for_tablet_macs.html
 
The writing is not of Apple's usual quality

We don't need the photos to decide that this ad is fake. The writing style is a flawed imitation of Apple's usual crisp and economic style. They would weave twice as many facts into that amount of text space...with elegance.
 
I dont really care if this is real or not, just hope there will be a new macbook, thats all :)

notice the copy right on the bottom, NOT FROM APPLE!!!!!!

it says....Michael Ciarlos
 
Your post goes against the design curve of EVERY product in history - thankfully. Imagine us still driving around in Model T's or still using the rotary phone? It might not be this next update, but very soon the current interface and look of the MBP will feel truly dated. The writing is on the iPhone.

LOL You're so off base it's silly! Truly excellent designs are timeless and endure for years. Change simply for the sake of change is idiotic.

Look at the Porsche 911 for example. Same body style/lines for 45 years now! In fact, they used the same chassis for the first 35 years - the doors, engine lid, all of the interior, etc. is bolt-on swappable between a 911 built in 1963 and one built in 1998. Why mess with perfection? :cool:

Same goes for many products out there, Swiss Army knives, several high-end furniture brands, several high-end kitchen appliance brands, several high-end shoe makers, most swiss watch makers, several alcohol distillers, the list goes on and on of very successful brands and products that have been made the same way, in the same style, for decades.

Fact is, some companies get it right the first time and will only alienate their core customers when they take a nearly perfect design and start monkeying around with it.

FWIW I still find the design of my ~3 year old Powerbook to be far superior to nearly every NEW wintel laptop out there. Most laptops I see in stores feel plasticy and cheap, and none have the slick, polished, refined look and feel of my Powerbook G4. I'm in line for a new MBP once they are released, but I will be *very* disappointed if the new model is a significant departure from their current design.
 
LOL You're so off base it's silly! Truly excellent designs are timeless and endure for years. Change simply for the sake of change is idiotic.

Look at the Porsche 911 for example. Same body style/lines for 45 years now! In fact, they used the same chassis for the first 35 years - the doors, engine lid, all of the interior, etc. is bolt-on swappable between a 911 built in 1963 and one built in 1998. Why mess with perfection? :cool:

Same goes for many products out there, Swiss Army knives, several high-end furniture brands, several high-end kitchen appliance brands, several high-end shoe makers, most swiss watch makers, several alcohol distillers, the list goes on and on of very successful brands and products that have been made the same way, in the same style, for decades.

Fact is, some companies get it right the first time and will only alienate their core customers when they take a nearly perfect design and start monkeying around with it.

FWIW I still find the design of my ~3 year old Powerbook to be far superior to nearly every wintel laptop out there. Most laptops I see in stores feel plasticy and cheap, and none have the slick, polished, refined look and feel of my Powerbook G4. I'm in line for a new MBP once they are released, but I will be *very* disappointed if the new model is a significant departure from their current design.

Not that silly. Unless you still play VHF's, LP's (or 78 LP's), or stick with any other technologie that has been superseded. All I can say is "wait" and when what comes next goes against what you want, buy what I will sell you on eBay. I'll be happy to sell my outdated products to you.

PS Nothing in your examples compares to the extraordinary and swift changes of the PC world.
 
Not that silly. Unless you still play VHF's, LP's (or 78 LP's), or stick with any other technologie that has been superseded. All I can say is "wait" and when what comes next goes against what you want, buy what I will sell you on eBay. I'll be happy to sell my outdated products to you.

PS Nothing in your examples compares to the extraordinary and swift changes of the PC world.

I don't think that Wotan is saying Apple won't ever update it, just that Apple has hit upon a decent design and, like many companies, probably won't change it up too much in the near future. Not to say they won't update it, but with everything new and fun they put in, they'll keep the same basic design idea - clean, simple, modern, with a minimum of fuss - for the foreseeable future.
 
I don't think that Wotan is saying Apple won't ever update it, just that Apple has hit upon a decent design and, like many companies, probably won't change it up too much in the near future. Not to say they won't update it, but with everything new and fun they put in, they'll keep the same basic design idea - clean, simple, modern, with a minimum of fuss - for the foreseeable future.

I don't own a crystal ball (and I assume you don't have one either). So my opinions are based on observations on how our interfacing with computers is rapidly changing.

The current MBP looks and feels "dated" to me - to you it might be "classic". I still own the first gen 5 gig iPod - to me it feels both "dated" and "classic". I love it but don't use it. I use the much thinner more versatile iPhone (or even the the 5 gen video iPod). Now if someone responds saying that the original iPod was the ultimate classic design and any changes (other than a larger HD) would be a terrible design crime, well, I would suggest that they continue to use the original iPod.

This is the same with the MBP. It will change - it will be thinner, lighter, and eventually almost all touch interface (but we'll have to wait a couple of years for that). But for those that don't want a newer and maybe different design and interface, they should continue to use the current models (or what ever model they preferred like the Pismo which was a favorite of mine - although it sits on a shelf and just gets dusty).

Not quite sure why this is a debate on this thread. Designs change - especially as technologies change. And in this specific industry, the technologies are in constant motion.
 
Lighter? I'm all for lighter. But not thinner. If they want to claim that it's the thinnest MBP ever, take 1-2mm off. If they do it right they'll keep the internals the same and take the height from the lid assembly. If they do it VERY right, they'll give some more headroom to the bottom chassis so we can get 12.5mm HDDs and optical drives.
 
In which way does the Macbook Pro look old?

It looks light years ahead of any PC laptop on the market, so how does it look old?

it may look years ahead of any pc laptop, but it looks years behind a macbook air
 
I don't own a crystal ball (and I assume you don't have one either). So my opinions are based on observations on how our interfacing with computers is rapidly changing.

The current MBP looks and feels "dated" to me - to you it might be "classic". I still own the first gen 5 gig iPod - to me it feels both "dated" and "classic". I love it but don't use it. I use the much thinner more versatile iPhone (or even the the 5 gen video iPod). Now if someone responds saying that the original iPod was the ultimate classic design and any changes (other than a larger HD) would be a terrible design crime, well, I would suggest that they continue to use the original iPod.

This is the same with the MBP. It will change - it will be thinner, lighter, and eventually almost all touch interface (but we'll have to wait a couple of years for that). But for those that don't want a newer and maybe different design and interface, they should continue to use the current models (or what ever model they preferred like the Pismo which was a favorite of mine - although it sits on a shelf and just gets dusty).

Not quite sure why this is a debate on this thread. Designs change - especially as technologies change. And in this specific industry, the technologies are in constant motion.

I really liked the Pismo as well and felt that is a much better look than the plastic white MacBook. Even the black one has nothing on the Pismo. That was a great case and if they were moving to the metal casing for the Pro they should have kept it for the MacBook/iBook line.

However, your Model T argument is weak. This debate is about the case & look of the computer & not the technology/internals. I think people would still love Model Ts as long as they handled well and had a modern engine & interior. Look at the resurgence of antique or older cars...the Bug, the Mustang GT, Dodge Charger, The Rabbit and the one that started the whole thing the PT Cruiser. Chevy has one that looks like Bonny & Clyde's getaway car....and I can't remember the name but there's one out (by Chrysler maybe?) that is a low rider...w/ the front wheels unusually coming out the side of the front end. Anyways thats the point, these designs are timeless and "progress" isn't always best when you've got something that just works.

I could see Apple moving all their laptops towards that Air look but wouldn't be surprised if they left the MBP more or less distinct on its own w/ minor physical tweaks & updates. Even though its looks more or less the same as the fist TiBook, it has been slowly evolving all along. Myself, I wouldn't be upset if they left it alone, I really hope the keyboard & screen size remain as they are, don't want a glass trackpad but would love a magnetic latch and a few other improved tweaks.
 
However, your Model T argument is weak. This debate is about the case & look of the computer & not the technology/internals. I think people would still love Model Ts as long as they handled well and had a modern engine & interior.

Enjoying the design of the Model T (or any antique car) and it being able to handle and have the safety features of a contemporary automobile are two VERY different things. I've enclosed an image of the handsome - but outdated - model T just so that we know that we're talking about the same car. A Model T that "handled well and had a modern engine & interior" would no longer be a model T! Look at the photo! What would you have to change on the body to have it handle well - or what we consider by current standards to handle well and be safe for highway driving? Everything! And that is what they did more than 80 years ago. The comparison is not weak, just like my reference to the change of the iPod from the much thicker, larger, and heavier 1st Gen 5 gig model with the classic analogue dial to the much thinner versions we use 8 years later is not weak.

You mention that "This debate is about the case & look of the computer & not the technology/internals." Well, in case you haven't been keeping up, the "technology/internals" of PC's have been changing month to month and it sure is going to keep effecting the externals ("case & look").

Whatever Dieter Rams inspired designs that Jonathan Ive comes out with next will still be beautiful so I don't know why everyone thinks the current MBP is the end all of all laptops. Fact that a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) knocked over on the keyboard can immediately fry an MBP already shows its age (the iPhone will survive it most likely).
 

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Enjoying the design of the Model T (or any antique car) and it being able to handle and have the safety features of a contemporary automobile are two VERY different things. I've enclosed an image of the handsome - but outdated - model T just so that we know that we're talking about the same car. A Model T that "handled well and had a modern engine & interior" would no longer be a model T! Look at the photo! What would you have to change on the body to have it handle well - or what we consider by current standards to handle well and be safe for highway driving? Everything! And that is what they did more than 80 years ago. The comparison is not weak, just like my reference to the change of the iPod from the much thicker, larger, and heavier 1st Gen 5 gig model with the classic analogue dial to the much thinner versions we use 8 years later is not weak.

You mention that "This debate is about the case & look of the computer & not the technology/internals." Well, in case you haven't been keeping up, the "technology/internals" of PC's have been changing month to month and it sure is going to keep effecting the externals ("case & look").

I like how you conveniently sidestepped my main point (you brought up the Model t - an extreme example) that car manufacturers are finding all these revised designs aren't selling yet there's a goldmine in retro looks like the Mustang, Bug & PT Cruiser. Wow did those 80s Mustangs ever look like ass. Did Ford just come out w/ a 70s model replica? No, they took that design and brought it up to date so it was modern.

I never said Apple shouldn't change their laptop design, I just think they have a proven winner and will probably update it gradually and keep it up to date. I don't think it needs a complete overhaul so it looks like the Air/iMac's illegitimate child some people are hoping for.
 
I like how you conveniently sidestepped my main point (you brought up the Model t - an extreme example) that car manufacturers are finding all these revised designs aren't selling yet there's a goldmine in retro looks like the Mustang, Bug & PT Cruiser. Wow did those 80s Mustangs ever look like ass. Did Ford just come out w/ a 70s model replica? No, they took that design and brought it up to date so it was modern.

I never said Apple shouldn't change their laptop design, I just think they have a proven winner and will probably update it gradually and keep it up to date. I don't think it needs a complete overhaul so it looks like the Air/iMac's illegitimate child some people are hoping for.

Hey MD - I addressed every point that was relevant to the discussion. I stuck with the Model T (and not every other car that you mentioned) because first, it was among the original examples I used (along with the rotary phone, first gen iPod, etc.), and second, because you critiqued it as being a weak example. I didn't go into discussing nostalgic retro designs of contemporary automobiles because this forum isn't Car Talk.

I keep writing this: Stick with the current MBP if you love it. I tried doing this with the Pismo but eventually had to switch to a 17" G4 PB to keep up. However, based on what Apple Insider has posted (http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._macbook_pro_spotted_in_matching_outfits.html) the next MBP may look like "Air/iMac's illegitimate child" in your eyes. And you may hate it and you don't have to buy it.

As for me, I might love the new and trimmed MBP and will prove it by dropping $3000 next month. Such is taste. I never liked the boxiness of the PB compared to the Pismo's beautiful (in my eyes) curves. But that is just my "taste". It doesn't make me right and other people wrong.

So, if you respond, let's leave the car analogies alone. Let's continue our discussion with rotary phone analogies! Yes, I know, they make push button "rotary phones" and there's an app for the iphone that lets you virtually dial a rotary phone. LOL
 
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