ProMotion?

[DHagan4755]

Since the first Apple silicon Mac is rumored to be the 13" MacBook Pro, what are the chances it will come out of the gate with the 120Hz ProMotion technology from the iPad Pro? It would be quite amazing if this happens.

Looking at the current MacBook Pros screen resolution vs. the largest iPad Pro, it seems doable. And since there is a minor impact to battery life by ProMotion, the MacBook Pro has a much larger battery than the iPad Pros. In concert with the energy savings of switching the MacBook Pro to Apple Silicon, it seems like ProMotion would be totally doable.

Screen resolution

12.9" iPad Pro	13" MacBook Pro	16" MacBook Pro
2732 x 2048	2560 x 1600	3072 x 1920

Thoughts?

 

[MyopicPaideia]

I’d like to see it. Like FaceID, if they are planning on it, it will probably come with the redesigns that bring mini-LED with them.

 

[theSeb]

I am going to go with 90% chance judging by my Chinese sources.

 

[DHagan4755]

I’d like to see it. Like FaceID, if they are planning on it, it will probably come with the redesigns that bring micro-LED with them.

You mean mini LED. (I know, confusing)

 

[MyopicPaideia]

You mean mini LED. (I know, confusing)

Yes, of course, I was even thinking mini, just wrote it wrong 🤣

 

[thenewperson]

I think redesign as well. They can focus on just stability of hardware for this first batch. Though I do think that more applies to laptops, since rumours indicate any ASi iMac will be a redesigned 24”. I could see it showing up immediately for that.

 

[UltimateSyn]

I want it to come this fall along with the transition so every ASi Mac laptop supports ProMotion. Unfortunately they will probably limit it to the 'Pro' machines, so I'm thinking it will come next Summer or Fall along with the 14"/16" redesigned MBPs. I want to be wrong, though. They could get me to be one of the earliest of adopters if they included ProMotion on whatever laptop they announce next month.

 

[boss.king]

It'd be kinda disappointing if they didn't include it (and FaceID) in this release, but not at all surprising either. If I had to put money on it, I'd say this years will just be a guts swap with basically all hardware features remaining unchanged, and next year will be an incremental spec bump with a lot more focus on hardware changes (FaceID, 120Hz display, whatever else they come up with).

 

[ascender]

I'll be really disappointed if they don't debut a new physical design with the first Apple Silicon laptops. They wouldn't just change the internals would they? I know in the past they've sold models with the same external design but an option of different CPUs inside, but I'd have thought as this is such a big thing they'll not want anybody to be in any doubt if a machine is Intel or Apple inside.

As for ProMotion, I'd hope we'll see that on all of the new laptops, but maybe they'll reserve that (and FaceID?) for the "Pro" laptop, like they've done on the iPad Air?

 

[DHagan4755]

I'll be really disappointed if they don't debut a new physical design with the first Apple Silicon laptops. They wouldn't just change the internals would they?

Yup. I'm expecting it to be the same enclosure except with Apple silicon. Maybe they'll thin it out a little bit, back to the previous thinness of the previous 13" MacBook Pro model. Hopefully that doesn't impact the quality of the speakers. Of course I hope that I'm wrong!

It would be awesome to see the 14" MacBook Pro come out — even if it doesn't have mini LED. That would be a real looker with thinner bezels. It'd probably sell like hotcakes.

 

[ascender]

Yup. I'm expecting it to be the same enclosure except with Apple silicon. Maybe they'll thin it out a little bit, back to the previous thinness of the previous 13" MacBook Pro model. Hopefully that doesn't impact the quality of the speakers. Of course I hope that I'm wrong!

It would be awesome to see the 14" MacBook Pro come out — even if it doesn't have mini LED. That would be a real looker with thinner bezels. It'd probably sell like hotcakes.

Personally, if they do that, it will be such a letdown and an anticlimax.

I get that the laptop form factor is something which has been refined to the point where its kind of perfect, but I'd expect Apple to want to do something new for this landmark - still evolution rather than revolution.... So maybe we are both saying the same thing after all!

I am slightly wondering if a new direction will dictate a change in form factor - i.e. if there's going to be a touchscreen? FaceID and a 1080 camera might also mean the screen/lid needs to be thicker for example.

 

[DHagan4755]

Personally, if they do that, it will be such a letdown and an anticlimax.

I hear ya. But I don't see the direction changing all that much. It is really quite good now. Outside of Apple silicon running the show, here are improvements I see happening in order of possibility:

• 802.11ax (WiFi 6)
• Thinness back to 0.59 inches (vs. 0.61 inches of 2020 model)
• Bigger battery for even longer battery life
• ProMotion
• Increase max screen brightness (greater than 500 nits)
• 1080p webcam
• Face ID
• Touch Bar removed
• Increase screen size to reduce bezels (possibly 14")

 

[guzhogi]

Some people seem to have forgotten how little Apple changed some of the enclosures in the PowerPC → Intel transition. The iMac barely changed, the Power Mc G5 → Mac Pro only really added a second DVD-drive.

Differences I would like to see in AS Macs:

• Better webcams (1080P, maybe even 4K)
• FaceID in laptops/iMacs
• 4K screens in laptops
• HDR screens
• Touchscreens with Apple Pencil support (especially since we'll be able to run iOS/iPadOS apps)
• iMacs with no chin/bezels, and thinner. No bump, maybe flat backside

I know, doubtful, but a guy can hope.

 

[DHagan4755]

Some people seem to have forgotten how little Apple changed some of the enclosures in the PowerPC → Intel transition. The iMac barely changed, the Power Mc G5 → Mac Pro only really added a second DVD-drive.

Differences I would like to see in AS Macs:

• Better webcams (1080P, maybe even 4K)
• FaceID in laptops/iMacs
• 4K screens in laptops
• HDR screens
• Touchscreens with Apple Pencil support (especially since we'll be able to run iOS/iPadOS apps)
• iMacs with no chin/bezels, and thinner. No bump, maybe flat backside

I know, doubtful, but a guy can hope.

The only problem with 4K webcams is do they make a 4K webcam that will fit into the thin Apple display & FaceTime is limited to 1080p right now (I believe). I don't see Apple increasing the resolution of the display to 4K quite yet. Maybe they will at some point. They would do something that is 3x so they can have the icons scale properly. Touchscreens are out on the Mac. And I would love a chinless iMac!

This is why I created this thread. Of all of the things, I think having ProMotion would be desirable especially since I think Apple wants to expand its games over to the Mac from iOS/iPad OS, so in concert with its prowess in SoC graphics in the A14, that would portend well to that effort.

 

[guzhogi]

Touchscreens are out on the Mac.

This is why I created this thread. Of all of the things, I think having ProMotion would be desirable especially since I think Apple wants to expand its games over to the Mac from iOS/iPad OS, so in concert with its prowess in SoC graphics in the A14, that would portend well to that effort.

May I ask why touchscreen is out on Mac? Honest curiosity. With AS Macs being able to run iPad apps, I'm sure it'll confuse consumers as to why they can't touch the apps like they can on iPads. Plus, I think large touchscreens w/ Pencil support would greatly help creative people (eg graphic designers, photographers, doodlers, etc.). Plus, I'd rather have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.

 

[DHagan4755]

May I ask why touchscreen is out on Mac? Honest curiosity.

 

[nol2001]

Given iPad Pro had ProMotion in 2018 I want it to come to Macs soon - hopefully by 2022.

 

[ascender]

May I ask why touchscreen is out on Mac? Honest curiosity. With AS Macs being able to run iPad apps, I'm sure it'll confuse consumers as to why they can't touch the apps like they can on iPads. Plus, I think large touchscreens w/ Pencil support would greatly help creative people (eg graphic designers, photographers, doodlers, etc.). Plus, I'd rather have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.

Given Big Sur, I'd expect to see touchscreen Macs within a couple of years. That Craig Federighi video is 4 years old and a lot has changed in that time. I'd argue that a lot has changed with the coming-together of macOS and iOS in the last 12-18 months.

All the noise over the last couple of weeks has convinced me that we'll see no new design at all on Tuesday, just Apple Silicon in the current laptop chassis'.

 

[Falhófnir]

I think it's a possibility for Tuesday, probably as an Air->Pro upsell feature. Relatively easy and inexpensive thing to add but will grab a reasonable amount of attention.

 

[ChromeCloud]

I'm hoping for ProMotion to be implemented in the first AS MacBook Pro, but they will probably keep it for the rumored mid 2020 models with 14" and 16" Mini-LED displays.

 

[guzhogi]

Given Big Sur, I'd expect to see touchscreen Macs within a couple of years. That Craig Federighi video is 4 years old and a lot has changed in that time. I'd argue that a lot has changed with the coming-together of macOS and iOS in the last 12-18 months.

Things can definitely change in a few short years. When introducing the iPhone, Steve Jobs didn't want to have a stylus. Yet here we are today with iPads that can use Apple Pencils. In my experience, never say never, and don't say someone else doesn't need something because you can't imagine a need for it.

 

[thenewperson]

Things can definitely change in a few short years. When introducing the iPhone, Steve Jobs didn't want to have a stylus. Yet here we are today with iPads that can use Apple Pencils. In my experience, never say never, and don't say someone else doesn't need something because you can't imagine a need for it.

Aside from the fact that iPhone's still don't use a stylus, the Pencil is simply an accessory not the primary way to control the iPad, which was the context of his dismissal of a stylus anyway. So I don't think this example is great.

I'm curious though, aside from the 'gorilla arm' issue, is there any other raised by Apple regarding adding touchscreen support?

 

[Falhófnir]

Aside from the fact that iPhone's still don't use a stylus, the Pencil is simply an accessory not the primary way to control the iPad, which was the context of his dismissal of a stylus anyway. So I don't think this example is great.

I'm curious though, aside from the 'gorilla arm' issue, is there any other raised by Apple regarding adding touchscreen support?

I thought their main argument was the Mac interface was optimised for mouse and keyboard, and adding touch would mean redesigning it for touch targets - though I find that a false dichotomy as you can easily have an interface optimised for mouse and keyboard, with touch enabled as a secondary method of interaction.

I think they may use the native iPad apps as the ladder to let them climb down on this, assuming it happens (as looks likely with the Big Sur interface changes).

 

[Andropov]

I thought their main argument was the Mac interface was optimised for mouse and keyboard, and adding touch would mean redesigning it for touch targets - though I find that a false dichotomy as you can easily have an interface optimised for mouse and keyboard, with touch enabled as a secondary method of interaction.

I think they may use the native iPad apps as the ladder to let them climb down on this, assuming it happens (as looks likely with the Big Sur interface changes).

Their main argument was ergonomics, and that hasn't changed. See Steve Jobs in 2010 talking about a touchscreen MacBook.