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Steve Jobs would have not approved it.

He already did. He passed away with many things in the pipeline....they didn't just decide on October 6 "hey, let's get rid of the optical drive of the MBP line, make it thinner, and add more power/storage".
 
Since Apple's thin obsession has spread to the MBP now too, I'd say they will eventually solder everything to one board.

This would be a HUGE MISTAKE if they turn their main laptop line into non user serviceable or upgradable systems. Upgrading a drive or memory is basic stuff and the price Apple charges is criminal at best. Having the option to do it yourself and use higher end components at 1/5 the cost is a must.

I expect they will do this and it will be a step backwards for their Mac product lines and a selling point for Dell, HP, and Windows 8.
 
What sucks about losing the optical drive is that then you have to buy an external one, and carry it if you need it off site. Sometimes I need to burn boot and repair discs when working on old PCs and servers. I also still burn CDs for my car.

I don't really see the point. How thin do you need a MacBook to be? The 13" MacBook Pro is already incredibly thin, small, and light weight. I honestly don't see why Airs are all the rage when the Pros offer more power. The difference in weight and size is miniscule.

For the record, I know a couple people who went with PC notebooks because of built in blu-ray drives when they would have liked to go with MacBooks. I would much rather see a MacBook Pro with blu-ray and a retina screen instead of yet another Air model, which is what the new Pros sound like they will be.

The ONLY reason to ditch the optical drive is to have a SSD and HDD at the same time. Apple should offer Pros with blu-ray burners or SSD/HDD combos as a build option.

What rocks about losing the optical drive is that if you don't need it, you don't have to buy it or lug it around. Only those who need it will have to buy the external optical drive, and for those who own multiple macs without an optical drive, they can save money by buying only one and using it with the device that needs it.

When the Mac Mini lost the optical drive, its price was reduced by $100. The external drive only cost $79, I think, so most people saved $100 and even those who needed the drive saved over $20, or more if they bought a non-Apple branded one.
 
When will they be dead, the holo disk is still to come out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_Versatile_Disc

Ok initially Drive will be US$15,000, and a single disc around US$120–180.

Of course this will drop. But why would you need such a thing on a laptop. These may be used as a backup storage medium for servers etc but not mainstream. Things are finally going non-moving parts on laptops - with SSD's and fanless design - less to break less power required - I can't see them going back.

solid state holographic cubes are in the works too though without moving parts.Now that is cool.
 
I kinda need an optical drive for my business I transfer VHS, Hi8, Mini-DV, and will be starting super 8 to DVD :) will stick with my mid 2009 MBP for a while yet, its maxed out anyways with 8 gig of ram :) Might have to opt for an iMac eventually

Hopefully they'll ditch the DVD drive in the iMac refresh this year as well.
 
Ok initially Drive will be US$15,000, and a single disc around US$120–180.

Of course this will drop. But why would you need such a thing on a laptop. These may be used as a backup storage medium for servers etc but not mainstream. Things are finally going non-moving parts on laptops - with SSD's and fanless design - less to break less power required - I can't see them going back.

solid state holographic cubes are in the works too though without moving parts. Now that is cool.
Well i want moveing parts and i am not shareing apples idea of not let me move my files arround as i wish to!
 
Stop calling people who want a dedicated graphics card children. You don't know what you talking about. First of all people do a lot of graphics work on laptops, using it as a desktop replacement rather than placing it on their legs. That doesn't work so well with the 17" for example.

Besides if an adult wants to play a PC game or two they are allowed to do so without your patronising tone.

thank you lol I know I would be using it for rendering 1080p motion and final cut pro projects as well as graphic needs so all the help I can get in the portability of a notebook the better
 
There will be only slim MacBookPro as the news said.

No more optical drives.

You dont need powerful GPU in a laptop. If you are a gamer, you play with iOS or Xbox perhaps even AppleTV will have some games.

Laptops are for adults. Not for gaming children.

People need an advanced GPU if they are doing photography work on the road. Scientists who are working on the road, although some may even use them for running experiments, also benefit from advanced GPUs because certain software packages use the GPU for performing mathematical calculations. Other people, may even want to use their laptop for playing the odd game whilst on the train, at a conference etc.

So get you, and your silly child-like logic - should you be allowed a laptop? :)
 
That's exactly why I bought the 15" MBP - the screen. I prefer the size of the 13" and indeed I had a 2010 model, but found that VM's just killed the performance (I do lots of install and config). When I upgraded I didn't see the point in getting another 13" because of the lack of screen options, even though Sandybridge is much quicker than Core 2, so I forfeit portability for a matt screen.

The 13" MBP needs the biggest refresh of all if it's to keep the 'Pro' badge and I really don't see why Apple don't' offer this model with a matt screen.
Yeh I have the 15 as well, but the 13 is really the perfect size, just so much easier when traveling on planes, I've had times where the 15 felt crammed on the seat tray, and for lounging around the house etc I like the 13's size. Apple treats it like their bastard child lol.
 
I want a higher resolution display on my next MBP

I don't if they call it Retina. I don't care if they don't call it Retina. I don't care if you care whether they call it Retina. Retina is a marketing term, and the marketing term is not what my decision will be based on.

I want full HD or higher resolution on a 15" MacBook Pro. (MacBook Pro is also a marketing term, so I also don't care if they call it MacBook Air or just MacBook.)

Higher resolution is not my only want. I also want the ODD to be an external option, and I want it to be faster than the current models. I need at least 8GB memory, preferably user expandable. Thinner, lighter.

And one more thing... I want at least one surprising new feature that will make me think "why haven't notebook computers had this all along". I don't know what that feature is (if I knew, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?), and if they don't deliver on this, I'll probably still upgrade from my current 15" MBP.
 
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They are not going to keep it for the minority. Ever heard of an external optical drive? Go google it.


Have you considered googling for lessons on social skills?
 
I haven't followed computers for years.. but how would these stack up against the current line of Mac Pros? A 2.8GHz quad-core Nehalem with 7 gigs memory? If the MBP has 8 gigs also. The Mac Pro is what we have at work at a design agency.. I just want to know if the new MBP can open 1-2 gig photoshop files without a sweat..
 
I view this purely as a business move. By eliminating the ODD they not only remove a component less and less people are using, but they also get to increase the battery size. Not only that but Apple sells digital content through iTunes (apps, music, games, etc...) so now they'll force consumers to purchase and use their iTunes platform to RENT and BUY movies and TV shows, BUY music through iTunes (instead of physical disks), and PURCHASE applications instead of borrowing a friends version of whatever software they need.

Business 101. Funneling profits to another platform through the form and function of 1.
 
Hopefully they'll ditch the DVD drive in the iMac refresh this year as well.

really? I don't get why everyone is so excited to get rid of the DVD drives... I actually use mine, and let's not pretend that this is meant to save on space it's a ploy to get everyone to buy there media through iTunes. I for one won't buy my movies through iTunes as long as they keep the damn DRM, they got rid of it on music forever ago and the pricing is not very good.

I really hope they don't get rid of the drives in the next iMac refresh, as that was my next planned purchase, but if that's the case I may have to check out windows 8 options when they're released. I've been a Mac guy for over 10 years, just don't really care for the direction everything's going lately
 
No optical drives?
What's the difference between these and the Air? Specs? They better throw in a retina display or SOMETHING extra fancy... preferably a 1TB hard drive, standard.
 
I’m glad I got my MBP when I did. I wouldn’t buy one without the DVD drive. I have already burned a few DVD’s and CD’s. It is not ready to go away yet. People need to back stuff up for other people and DVD is a hell of a lot cheaper than USB stcks. :(
 
I’m glad I got my MBP when I did. I wouldn’t buy one without the DVD drive. I have already burned a few DVD’s and CD’s. It is not ready to go away yet. People need to back stuff up for other people and DVD is a hell of a lot cheaper than USB stcks. :(

Get an external drive.
 
I’m glad I got my MBP when I did. I wouldn’t buy one without the DVD drive. I have already burned a few DVD’s and CD’s. It is not ready to go away yet. People need to back stuff up for other people and DVD is a hell of a lot cheaper than USB stcks. :(

Again, you can get a slim external DVD drive for $35. It takes up almost no space and can be powered off of USB. For the majority of consumers they use an optical drive on only rare occasions to burn a CD/DVD or read media they can't just download or stream off the net. For those occasions you pull your external DVD drive and use it. It's not hard.
 
I want full HD or higher resolution on a 15" MacBook Pro. (MacBook Pro is also a marketing term, so I also don't care if they call it MacBook Air or just MacBook.)

Didn't do any math, but a full HD resolution on a 15" would most likely qualify as retina given the view distance.
 
i want a..

I do want a macbook pro 15 with retina display, no need for optical drive, but must be 200 cheaper than previous model,ivy-bridge i7 quad over 2.4GHZ, 8mb cache, 16gb ram, 512-1024ssd,2g GPU amd rather than nvidia.

Or a 17 inch retina not needed, with optical drive,ivy-bridge i7 quad over 2.4GHZ, 8mb cache, 16gb ram, 512-1024ssd,2g GPU amd rather than nvidia.
 
Get an external drive.
I don't want to lug an external. Why lug two devises? That is the stupidest thing I ever heard. How about people like you buy an MBA?
Fanboys! :rolleyes:

----------

Again, you can get a slim external DVD drive for $35. It takes up almost no space and can be powered off of USB. For the majority of consumers they use an optical drive on only rare occasions to burn a CD/DVD or read media they can't just download or stream off the net. For those occasions you pull your external DVD drive and use it. It's not hard.

You can also buy a MBA
 
I do want a macbook pro 15 with retina display, no need for optical drive, but must be 200 cheaper than previous model,ivy-bridge i7 quad over 2.4GHZ, 8mb cache, 16gb ram, 512-1024ssd,2g GPU amd rather than nvidia.

Or a 17 inch retina not needed, with optical drive,ivy-bridge i7 quad over 2.4GHZ, 8mb cache, 16gb ram, 512-1024ssd,2g GPU amd rather than nvidia.

A MBP with those specs from Apple would cost $4,000+
 
Add me to the people who want and need an optical drive in their Macbook Pro. Removing it is the wrong direction -- they should be getting off their high horses about Blu-ray and upgrading it to a Blu-ray drive instead. I use it for work and non-work purposes. I use it on the road - and more on the road than I do at home. So if the optical drive were taken out of the laptop, I'd have to lug around an extra device, which means a larger case, extra cable, maybe an extra power brick, possibly a USB hub, and so on. It's ridiculous.

So it makes the MBP a bit thinner... So what? My MBP is plenty thin enough already. If I wanted thin and didn't care about an optical drive, I'd be using a Macbook Air instead of a MBP -- and suggest that you optical drive naysayers ought to be looking in that direction as well.

It's NOT, BTW, the same as when they pulled floppy drives - because they had a sufficient replacement for them in the optical drives. (USB sticks are *not* a sufficient replacement for optical drives, sorry.)

As for the guy who thought that Mac laptops didn't need good GPUs - think again. The GPU is used for a lot more than games -- the various apps and the Operating System itself uses them.

And games are a perfectly valid use for laptop users. The Mac is much better positioned for games than it has been in many years, and the market is responding with more Mac games released, and more Mac game players. And *most* of those Mac game players are on laptops, according to statistics from Steam and other sources. So giving Macbook Pros better GPUs simply feeds into that market. And if you think Apple isn't targeting the games market, go back and look at the things they've done in recent years to support that market. Subtle, but the trend is there.
 
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