Predicted MBP 16" apple silicon release date & other

[nquinn]

What's your estimate on when Apple will release the new 16"?

Also, do you think this model will have a chassis redesign or not?

Things to consider:
- Is the cpu the biggest bottleneck? gpu?
- My guess: trying to fit all that power on one die will be tough: 8+4 cores or similar, bigger igpu, and more ram, which is all on the same SoC! Might need to be a massive die
- Waiting on chassis?

 

[Tankmaze]

It will definitely be the same chassis, the current 16" MBP chassis were meant for the 10nm Intel which never came.

I'm hoping for WWDC next year for Apple to release the 16", but the rumor points to Q3 2021 launch.
So we could be waiting for about 7-9 months from now.

 

[terminator-jq]

My guess is we will see the “next step in the Mac transition” at either a March event or at WWDC. The M1 obviously targets the entry level products so at this next even Apple will introduce an M1X or something of that nature that is appropriate for the 16” MacBook Pro, iMac and high end 13” MacBook Pro. Perhaps we also get a Mac mini pro??? CPU wise the M1 is already killing it so my guess is that this new chip and the entire focus of the event will be all about graphics power.

Design wise, I’m thinking the 16” stays the way it is. However, I do think we will see some advancements in screen quality. With high refresh rates and HDR becoming the norm I think Apple will fit the 16” and the high end 13” with a MacBook Pro version of the XDR screen (similar to what they did with the iPhone). 1000nit peak brightness, Dolby vision and HDR 10 support, much better anti reflective technology. Mini LED is certainly a possibility.

We can see from the last event that Apple is pushing their devices towards content creators and my guess is they will design and market the 16” as the ultimate laptop for creators.

 

[bill-p]

Yeah, but no chance for high refresh rates, HDR, higher brightness, etc...

Simply because the 16" MacBook is a battery-operated device. Such screens will absolutely destroy battery life. In fact, if that's what Apple wants, they might as well go with OLED over standard LED or Mini LED, because OLED will be more efficient for HDR and refresh rates, while being "just bright enough".

I don't get why people talk up Mini LED. It's technically inferior to OLED in a lot of ways (refresh rate, HDR quality, and power consumption, and heck, cost!) and it's harder to implement. Apple already has a good legacy with OLED screens on their iPhones. They might as well go OLED on iPad, and then MacBooks + iMacs. OLED is mature technology now, and Mini LED still has many drawbacks that make them a poor fit for mobile devices.