rMBP 15'' with new processors - when?

[alpi123]

I want to buy the new Macbook (high-end) but I don't want to regret it when I see that they update it with the new processors in the next 3-4 months. Do you think it will happen in the beginning of the year or June/July, as usual?

 

[jetjaguar]

possibly in the summer but no one knows

 

[mcnallym]

Can't see them refreshing the mbp range in Jan/Feb after just launching the new ones.

Suspect that the 12" mb range will go kaby lake then, with possibly June/July or possibly even moving to an October slot for the mbp.

 

[alpi123]

Could someone share if there is a huge difference between kaby-lake and sky-lake? I'm planning to use it for Adobe, Logic etc so I guess it's important for me

 

[jk76]

Under current Intel strategy, this transition is definitely going to happen first on the lower end. Benefits are biggest there, particularly for the new MacBook. Benefits for the higher end, especially quad-core CPUs are much smaller, and there's a real chance Kaby Lake is skipped entirely...

Disclaimer: I have worked for Intel and its subsidiaries for several years in the past.

 

[Make Apple Great Again]

I want to buy the new Macbook (high-end) but I don't want to regret it when I see that they update it with the new processors in the next 3-4 months. Do you think it will happen in the beginning of the year or June/July, as usual?

The last time Apple released a MBP in October they refreshed the specs the following summer in June/July at the WWDC...

HOWEVER, the current MBP's are selling like hot cakes, and I think Apple likes milking every last cent of a current model before refreshing it... my bet is they stick to a yearly cycle, and wait till after the back to school promotion to upgrade to Kaby Lake... however the earliest point I see them potentially upgrading is at WWDC...

They would anger a lot of people if they would update in 3/4 months, considering most people are still waiting for their orders.

But like I said, if I was a betting man, I would say next September/October will be the best bet, as the Kaby Lake chips will be cheaper (As the following years models will be in production/getting released), and Apple loves those margins.

 

[jackoatmon]

Could someone share if there is a huge difference between kaby-lake and sky-lake? I'm planning to use it for Adobe, Logic etc so I guess it's important for me

Oh goodness there's no reason to wait. The only thing of interest for that kind of stuff coming up in Kaby lake is some improvements to how it handles 4k video playback. But the current line is super fast and smooth for everything in Adobe CC (with the reported exception of Premiere – but just use FCPX, it's a much better program anyway). Logic is going to be suuuuper fast already because Apple makes it, and their hardware integration is impeccable on their own production apps.

Processors aren't much of a draw anymore. They just get like 1-2% faster and 5-10% cooler every 18 months. The latest ones already run cool and quiet under load.

 

[thats all folks]

I hope to see the update by June. new processors and mobile RX 470/480.

keep an eye on this page,
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/95544/7th-Generation-Intel-Core-i7-Processors#@Mobile
once there is a 35-45 watt quad core part, there is a new MacBook Pro CPU at the ready.

 

[chabig]

My bet is on next fall.

 

[Make Apple Great Again]

Oh goodness there's no reason to wait. The only thing of interest for that kind of stuff coming up in Kaby lake is some improvements to how it handles 4k video playback. But the current line is super fast and smooth for everything in Adobe CC (with the reported exception of Premiere – but just use FCPX, it's a much better program anyway). Logic is going to be suuuuper fast already because Apple makes it, and their hardware integration is impeccable on their own production apps.

Processors aren't much of a draw anymore. They just get like 1-2% faster and 5-10% cooler every 18 months. The latest ones already run cool and quiet under load.

I think the big reason is battery life honestly... there is definitely improvements in kabylake vs skylake CPU's in terms of battery life... but overall, as someone who's been waiting over a year for the skylake computers, and being 99% sure they would come at WWDC 2016... No one really knows how Apple's team thinks...

 

[leman]

Probably 2018. Apple can choose to update to Kaby Lake for some minor performance differences (but thats it), or wait another year until we get CPUs that can support LPDDR4.

 

[magbarn]

Kaby Lake is basically almost a Skylake rebadge with some minor upgrades to the iGPU. Coffee Lake is another 14nm redo of skylake. In other words Intel is almost turning into the GPU manufactures with perennial rebadging of the same silicon process as they're basically stuck at 14nm. (AMD/Nvidia were stuck at 28nm from 2012-2016!) Even Cannonlake is only going to be low power versions that might find a home on the rMB and rMBP 13, but not the rMBP 15. Intel has the whole industry on standby as they're having a really hard time ramping up yields at 10nm.

 

[littlepud]

Kaby Lake brings very little new to the table above and beyond Skylake. Kyle from HardOCP has a few articles up already.

http://m.hardocp.com/article/2016/12/05/intel_core_i77700k_cpu_synthetic_benchmark_sneak_peek/
http://m.hardocp.com/article/2016/12/09/intel_kaby_lake_core_i77700k_ipc_review/