Redesigned 14-Inch MacBook Pro Expected to Feature Brighter Mini-LED Display With Slimmer Bezels and More

[umbilical]

I had a 16" MBP before I got my M1 Air. The Touchbar does have some usability (previews in presentations and documents) feature and some things it does better (volume and brightness slider). I miss these on my M1 Air. To me, once they gave the Touchbar a dedicated escape key it became more of an "OK, that is nice" instead of "where the heck is the escape key" frustration.

I don't want sounds like a snob or something like that, but if I tell the true about what I think of touchbar?
I think touchbar is only for amateur users or basic users, I mean I do everything with shortcuts or gestures I don't have time to see my keyboard when type, my hand do the job, I feel! the keys, I don't need stop my life to check/see the touchbar to do things.

 

[dalestrauss]

HDMI and USB-A fans: please hold a connector next to your MacBook Pro, and tell me if the thickness of the MacBook would support it.

No it won't.

Just buy the $1 USB-A to USB-C connector already.

I don't see them making the chassis thick enough for a full size HDMI - so a microHDMI (as some commentators have predicted) would be stupid - might as well carry a USB-C to HDMI adapter as a separate specialized cable.

Most likely there will be an Intel version because the M1 systems can not do everything an Intel processing system can do at the moment. I can see this model being the last of the dual processor selection configuration. You could order it with a Intel or a M1 depending what you are doing with it. Apple still has some issues they need to work out on the M1 and this would give them one more year to work out the engineering designs.

Everything I've read indicates this fall is the end of the Intel Mac line, so doubtful it will even be a BTO option.

 

[businessnumbersmoneypeopl]

I don't see them making the chassis thick enough for a full size HDMI - so a microHDMI (as some commentators have predicted) would be stupid - might as well carry a USB-C to HDMI adapter as a separate specialized cable.


Everything I've read indicates this fall is the end of the Intel Mac line, so doubtful it will even be a BTO option.

Again, MBP is already thick enough for a full size HDMI. The current case just gets thinner toward the edges, which won't happen (at least not in the same extent) with the rumored brick-like design.

 

[devinher]

Am I really the only person in the world who actually likes the Touch Bar?

Much like the idea of the iPhone replacing physical buttons depending on app context - it's actually useful when compared to a row of utterly useless buttons marked "F". I don't understand the hatred, or why Apple are caving

I like it. Not as useful as I had hoped but it occasionally shows its value. The volume slider is something I use all the time. Still think it has potential but I won't miss it terribly and its demise may help keep the cost reasonable.

 

[Tozovac]

Yep. Wrapping the cable around the hooks is a good way to break the power cable where it goes into the charger on those older Macs. Apple even said don't do that.

Nor did I ever. Hopefully most users recognized that themselves. If ever someone wanted to say “Apple makes things that break quickly and promote re-buying,” it’s those bricks that with wraparound-hooks. Awful idea.

 

[Artemis70]

Am I really the only person in the world who actually likes the Touch Bar?

Much like the idea of the iPhone replacing physical buttons depending on app context - it's actually useful when compared to a row of utterly useless buttons marked "F". I don't understand the hatred, or why Apple are caving

Same here. I love the Touch Bar. Looks like I will be going back to an unused row of keys at the top of my keyboard instead of the Touch Bar that I frequently use.

 

[elmateo487]

HDMI and USB-A fans: please hold a connector next to your MacBook Pro, and tell me if the thickness of the MacBook would support it.

No it won't.

Just buy the $1 USB-A to USB-C connector already.

It definitely could if the edges were not tapered. Which this design is showing square edges. so......

 

[aknabi]

Shut up and take my money! 😍

That's what I told her...

 

[BigHit]

Apple plans to unveil new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Mini-LED-backlit displays in the second half of this year, according to industry sources cited by Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes. The report claims that Radiant Opto-Electronics will be the exclusive supplier of the Mini-LED backlight units, while Quanta Computer is said to be tasked with final assembly of the notebooks.

The report lines up with information shared by well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who expects new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models to launch in the second half of this year with brighter Mini-LED displays, Apple silicon chips, a new design with a flat-edged top and bottom, an HDMI port and SD card reader, classic MagSafe charging with a magnetic power cable, and physical function keys instead of the Touch Bar.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has also corroborated many of these details, and he was first to report that an SD card reader would be returning to the MacBook Pro.

Similar to how the 16-inch MacBook Pro replaced the 15-inch MacBook Pro in 2019, the 14-inch model would likely replace the Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro that Apple currently sells, with slimmer bezels around the display allowing for the 14-inch MacBook Pro to have only a slightly larger footprint than the 13-inch model.

If all of these rumors pan out, it would be a significant overhaul to the MacBook Pro, with many fan-favorite features returning. There is also lots of anticipation surrounding next-generation Apple silicon given the already-impressive performance of the M1 chip in lower-end machines like the MacBook Air and base model 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Since 2016, the MacBook Pro has only been equipped with Thunderbolt ports and a headphone jack, forcing users to purchase adapters or docks to gain access to an HDMI port, SD card reader, USB-A ports, and other connectivity offered on older MacBook Pro models. Apple touted its "thinnest and lightest MacBook Pro ever," but the decision was criticized by many users and became known as "dongle hell."

It's unclear exactly when Apple would announce the new MacBook Pro models. The "second half of 2021" timeframe could refer to a fall unveiling in September, October, or November, but the new MacBook Pro models could also be announced at WWDC in June and then begin shipping in July, which falls within the second half of the year. The timeframe given by Kuo is simply too broad to pinpoint an exact launch at this time.

Apple is also widely rumored to be planning a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Mini-LED display for release in the first half of 2021, with some reports having claimed that the device could be announced as early as March.

Article Link: Redesigned 14-Inch MacBook Pro Expected to Feature Brighter Mini-LED Display With Slimmer Bezels and More

I really hope the reason they are rumoured to be adding MagSafe power, HDMI and a card reader slot is not because there will still be a 2 Thunderbolt / USB4 port limit on the next Apple Silicon revision chip! If that limitation still exists that would be a major disappointment. Fingers crossed that is not the case though 🤞🏻

 

[mac.ross]

I strongly hope they at least offer a non-touchbar option.

Jumping from the 15" Late 2013 MacBook Pro to a 16" MacBook Pro I HATED the touchbar and I'm glad the 13" M1 Air has the function keys again.

To me the touchbar is a flashy gimmick targeting basic users rather than power users that don't even look at the keyboard when typing.

 

[twolf2919]

Well, on a Mac, they're not marked "F". You have brightness controls, volume controls (that can be done with one tap) the exposé button which I use all the time, the launchpad button, etc. I had a TouchBar Mac for three years and hated it. Knowing how to type means you shouldn't have to look at your keyboard to know what you're doing. It's as dumb as touch controls all over new cars.

I am touch-typist, but my main/only gripe with the original touch bar (on my 2017 work MBP) was that it included the ESC key, which I, as a programmer and heavy 'vi' users, use all the time. My 2019 personal MBP fixed that shortcoming. I don't know too many people who use function keys so often that they do so by touch. I'm certainly not one to set brightness, volume, etc. every minute of the day. I've actually grown to like one of the features the touch bar enables: it lets me auto-complete online forms much more quickly by suggesting first/last name, addresses, etc.

Having said that - I could really not care less whether they keep it or remove it.

 

[Artemis70]

I know that Apple will be making many people happy, reading the comments. I really want the Silicon based processor. I will also like the bigger screen. I will be really unhappy if magsafe charging will mean not having a charge port on both sides of my MacBook Pro. Having charge ports on both sides is a killer feature in my book. The HDMI port can be useful at times. I have no problem using a dongle the few times that I want to import pictures from an SD card. But the biggest bummer for me is that the Touch Bar is going. Before the Touch Bar, the function keys were never useful for me. Every application used them differently and the applications I use most have never provided good use for the function keys. The Touch Bar turned the space previously occupied by the function keys into a useful area. I get some of the criticism that the Touch Bar received. I would have wished that Apple had taken care of the criticism while keeping the Touch Bar. But apparently that wasn't worth it for Apple. I'll go back to have an unused line of keys like all those years before the Touch Bar.

 

[AdamJD]

I'm so torn. I don't really need the power of a Pro, but I also don't want to get the M1 Air and have a 2011-era laptop design for the next few years if something modern is right around the corner.

I hear ya...and I'm editing video on a 2014 MBP! So, you're 2 years ahead of me. Patience.

 

[mithion]

The design updates, although nice, are of little importance to me. It needs to be fast and functional with great battery life. I think this new design will tick a lot of those boxes.

 

[MallardDuck]

I know that Apple will be making many people happy, reading the comments. I really want the Silicon based processor. I will also like the bigger screen. I will be really unhappy if magsafe charging will mean not having a charge port on both sides of my MacBook Pro. Having charge ports on both sides is a killer feature in my book. The HDMI port can be useful at times. I have no problem using a dongle the few times that I want to import pictures from an SD card. But the biggest bummer for me is that the Touch Bar is going. Before the Touch Bar, the function keys were never useful for me. Every application used them differently and the applications I use most have never provided good use for the function keys. The Touch Bar turned the space previously occupied by the function keys into a useful area. I get some of the criticism that the Touch Bar received. I would have wished that Apple had taken care of the criticism while keeping the Touch Bar. But apparently that wasn't worth it for Apple. I'll go back to have an unused line of keys like all those years before the Touch Bar.

One issue they never addressed was using the touchbar while it's plugged into a real monitor. If they were really serious about it, we'd have seen a magic keyboard with the touchbar (but that would have had to be plugged in all the time).

Right now I have 4 USB-C/TB cables plugged in. Two docks, one power, and an SSD. Would hate to lose that capability for an HDMI port that's only occasionally useful (on the road at customers - it's displayport at home), an SD slot that would literally never be used (CFExpress), and a single-sided magsafe charge port that's good for nothing else. I wasn't a fan of dongles, but in the end, i've made peace with it because of the flexibility it gives.

My fear is that magsafe in this case actually means using magsafe on the palmrest or lid to charge your phone...that'd be almost as brain dead as putting magnets on the phone in the first place.

 

[mrchinchilla]

I really don’t like the rounded screen corners. Maybe it’ll grow on me, but along with the brutalist flat corners, it looks like something out of a prediction of “future tech” from the 1950s.

 

[nph]

Am I really the only person in the world who actually likes the Touch Bar?

Much like the idea of the iPhone replacing physical buttons depending on app context - it's actually useful when compared to a row of utterly useless buttons marked "F". I don't understand the hatred, or why Apple are caving

Nope, I love mine as well so if it goes away I am happy I have the MBP M1 already.

 

[The Clark]

I'm incredibly excited for the 14/16 inch macbooks. My dual core 2020 intel MBA is already overdue for an upgrade 😂

 

[ZZ9pluralZalpha]

Because Touch Bar is terrible. Anyone who knows how to type is looking at the screen, not the keyboard. But it is impossible to use the Touch Bar without looking at it. And since no pressure is required to press the “keys” on the Touch Bar, high speed typists are constantly accidentally triggering touchbar functions by merely brushing it with stray fingers. So it actually makes the computer *worse* for a lot of people - we can’t even pretend the touchbar doesn’t exist.

I can’t claim to be one, but I doubt many Olympic-level typists flail away at the keyboard so wildly that they regularly brush the row above the number keys. And even if this is an issue, it could be very simply fixed by software update to require a brief hold to trigger a Touch Bar control, as Apple keyboards already do for the Caps Lock key.

 

[darngooddesign]

I haven't seen a full SD card in ages, so why return to such a port and be left with an adapter protruding out of the side. Perhaps a microSD port, so that the card is flush with the laptop's side, which can be ejected through the OS or slight press, would be better.

And what I wouldn't give for a single USB-A port, instead of some expensive bulky adapter.

I use SD Cards regularly in my cameras; they are the most common photography and video card format. I don’t have an issue with the cards sticking out fit the times that I’m importing files and the SD format drives are half sizes so they remain relatively flush.

 

[skitidetdu]

The wait is almost unbearable! Come on Apple just bring it on!

 

[Fomalhaut]

HDMI and USB-A fans: please hold a connector next to your MacBook Pro, and tell me if the thickness of the MacBook would support it.

No it won't.

Just buy the $1 USB-A to USB-C connector already.

This ^. The body would need to be 1.5-2mm thicker. Not sure if Apple would do this, because it would appear to be regression.

 

[Fred Zed]

Am I really the only person in the world who actually likes the Touch Bar?

Much like the idea of the iPhone replacing physical buttons depending on app context - it's actually useful when compared to a row of utterly useless buttons marked "F". I don't understand the hatred, or why Apple are caving

Touchbar is glorious.

 

[cmaverick]

Because Touch Bar is terrible. Anyone who knows how to type is looking at the screen, not the keyboard. But it is impossible to use the Touch Bar without looking at it. And since no pressure is required to press the “keys” on the Touch Bar, high speed typists are constantly accidentally triggering touchbar functions by merely brushing it with stray fingers. So it actually makes the computer *worse* for a lot of people - we can’t even pretend the touchbar doesn’t exist.

I am a touch typist and have been for like 40 years. I type like 80 to 90wpm. But I LOVE the Touch Bar. First of all, if you're a trained touch typist and you are accidentally hitting the function bar OR the touch bar with any level of regularity, you probably aren't as good of a touch typist as you think. And the problems would still be there with physical keys.

But the problem is all of the TouchBar haters think "well, everyone is just like me so since I hate this everyone should". So really, it's that you either don't care about it or the function keys are better for you. And those are fine reasons to not like it. But you can't assume that it's not useful to other people.

It all depends on what you want to do. I never look at the keyboard when I'm just typing words. I don't need to. But when it comes in handy is when I am doing something modal. If you do a lot of video or audio editing (which I do), then it's great. The modal switching for screenshots is great. I love having an audio visualizer in Adobe Audition that I can scrub through with my index finger. The one thing I hated was the loss of the physical escape key, and the newer version fixes that. Having dedicated Touch Bar screen buttons to lesser used function key functions is better for me in every way. And it's not like you've been able to use the FKeys with one touch in years anyway. You've always had to hold FN or you're changing your volume or brightness. More common quickkey settings have keyboard bindings anyway. So I love it. I only wish I could buy an external keyboard that had it for my desktop.

And of course there are a LOT of computer users who ARE NOT touch typists (probably most of them) who find it very useful.

I get why other people DON'T like it. But I don't get why all the haters want to pretend that people like me or @mattsmith24 either don't exist or have something wrong with them. Honestly, what would be ideal if if they either just made a Touch Bar row ABOVE an a physical function key row or made two options and let us buy whichever keyboard we wanted. But at this point I feel like people would still complain that the option shouldn't even be there "because reasons"

 

[vanylapep]

So all the Ive designs are gone.. lol. Even the "FLAT UI" iOS 7.0 is bye bye lol.