Slimmer 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros Reportedly in Production

[djrobsd]

I just need someone to please come out with a Thunderbolt to USB 3.0 adaptor... PLEASE!!!!

Otherwise, I guess I'll be FORCED to upgrade my shiny March 2011 MBP with a new 2012 model when it comes out.... JUST to get USB 3... Because everything else on my MBP is perfect and I wouldn't change a thing.

Picked up a 8 gig ram upgrade for $27 after MIR at Frys
Picked up a 256 gig SSD for $220 after MIR at NewEgg

Saved myself $600+ from what Apple would have charged me for those upgrades... LOL

 

[ncaissie]

Like I said, I already have my first MBP and looks like it will be my last.

 

[macintoshi]

A MBP with those specs from Apple would cost $4,000+

Give it tome, i pay

 

[Crzyrio]

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.

The internet is a sufficient replacement?

I have never used my optical drive, or a usb stick. All my data is stored online where i can fetch it at any time. All of my software is bought online and downloaded. It is just so much more efficient.

I understand the optical drive is still useful and I am sure there will be the odd time where I wish I had it to burn a dvd/cd while on the go but the majority of the time it will be just a waste of space.

 

[scoobydoo99]

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!

Why should WE all have to lug around an archaic INTERNAL optical drive, adding weight, thickness and power consumption, just because YOU want one? Now that's the stupidest thing I've heard today!

Removing it allows the majority of us to use our MBPs unencumbered, while you can still get an external if you need it.

 

[dukebound85]

There is math. It may be a marketing term but it is grounded in some truth. http://www.tuaw.com/2012/03/01/retina-display-macs-ipads-and-hidpi-doing-the-math/

so it is just a coincidence that retina for the ipad is merely a 4x times in previous resolution. pretty convienent

 

[Twohothardware]

You can also buy a MBA

Not if you want the highest-end mobile processor, dedicated GPU, and more storage options which are some of the main reasons to go with a MBP over the MBA. Getting a legacy optical drive which most people use once a week if they're lucky is not the reason they opt for the MBP over the MBA lol.

 

[dukebound85]

This sure looks like math to me.

Looks like math trying to justify that the same 4x in resolution = retina for both the ipad and iphone

 

[dtaylor322]

This is like arguing to keep a record or 8-track player in your new 2013 Audi.

Apparently you missed the part where I said I sometimes NEED an optical drive on site when I work on and repair PCs and servers. The vast majority of computers on Earth right now can boot from and use CDs and DVDs. That is a far cry from a record or 8-track.

The difference in weight and size is HUGE.

If you think half an inch and 1.5 pounds is HUGE then perhaps it's time for you to join a gym?

Seriously, there is already a MacBook Air option for those who want a MacBook Air. Why does it have to be shoved down everyone's throat? Apple doesn't need to lose the optical drive, they need to upgrade it to blu-ray.

Wouldn't you rather have an all-day MBP? Or one with much more power or better discrete graphics?

I already have an all day MBP. And I doubt Apple is going to use the space for more CPU cores or discrete graphics. I could care less about the graphics any way. My MBP is for work, not games.

 

[vandeetz]

Get an external drive.

how does this help the original poster for need of cheap media? I'm not exactly in the habit of loaning my external drives out to people every time I need to transfer some larger files to them.

DVD-R media is cheap and I don't have to worry about getting it back.

 

[314631]

Consumers have spoken they don't want ODD, Ethernet, Firewire, or USB connectors on their MacBook Pros. Apple will do the right thing with the refresh and eliminate all these ports. We all want a super-thin, powerful, professional laptop. I don't even care if the memory is upgradeable as long as we can max out the onboard to 16gb. These are exciting times.

 

[Twohothardware]

Apparently you missed the part where I said I sometimes NEED an optical drive on site when I work on and repair PCs and servers. The vast majority of computers on Earth right now can boot from and use CDs and DVDs. That is a far cry from a record or 8-track.

If you think half an inch and 1.5 pounds is HUGE then perhaps it's time for you to join a gym?

So buy a $35 external slim DVD and pack it with your MBP when your going out and think you may actually need it. They're powered off of USB so all you have is the drive and a USB cable. If you think something that small is too big for you to easily carry along with your MBP then maybe your the one that needs to join a gym.

Seriously, there is already a MacBook Air option for those who want a MacBook Air. Why does it have to be shoved down everyone's throat? Apple doesn't need to lose the optical drive, they need to upgrade it to blu-ray.

For someone that works on and repairs PC's you wouldn't think you'd be missing something so obvious but there are a host of reasons one chooses the MBP over the MBA and the optical drive is one of the very least if at all. The MBP is meant as a desktop replacement and offers the highest-end mobile CPU's, dedicated graphics, 15" and 17" screens, and more storage, all of those things which you don't get from the MBA.

I already have an all day MBP. And I doubt Apple is going to use the space for more CPU cores or discrete graphics. I could care less about the graphics any way. My MBP is for work, not games.

Again for someone that works on and repairs PC's you'd think you'd realize that people use dedicated graphics for real WORK and not just to play games. Also the additional space would have nothing to do with adding more CPU cores. But regardless of whether Apple makes use of that space to add additional SSD storage options or not I would happily take a thinner and lighter MBP over a legacy optical drive which I rarely use and can easily replace with an external one.

----------

how does this help the original poster for need of cheap media? I'm not exactly in the habit of loaning my external drives out to people every time I need to transfer some larger files to them.

DVD-R media is cheap and I don't have to worry about getting it back.

But your in the habit of loaning out your MBP? They can just as easily purchase a cheap external drive as the next person. If they can afford an $1800+ laptop they can afford a $35 accessory.

 

[vandeetz]

this is what kills me with apple right now, it just seems that they want to meld all their product lines together. they already offer much less options than the other PC manufacturers.

I don't see why they can't have a line that has all the ports and bells and whistles and also have and air and air pro line for those that want to go small. Most people buy laptops and not desktops and all-in-ones, so if most us set it on a desk why does it matter if its light and thin? I'd rather have the best of all worlds in a desktop replacement.

as someone mentioned earlier, hoping they would do away with ODD in the iMac line, for what purpose do we need to get that machine lighter? it is essentially a desktop computer and I don't want to have to have a external disc drive plugged in all the time.

my problem is more with people wanting to do away with the drives on desktop setups, though i'm not happy with either as I currently only have a laptop as my primary machine.

 

[LaWally]

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.

Apple is clearly focussed on the mass consumer market these days and the more they do that the more (I fear) they will try to "protect" consumers from themselves, which will mean fewer [real] options even for their Mac "devices".

BTW, I like to use the words "unconscionable" and "obscene" when describing the cost of Apple's memory upgrades. I mean really, $600 to upgrade a BTO iMac from 2x2GB to 4x4GB, when I can get 4x4GB from OWC for under $100?

 

[vandeetz]

But your in the habit of loaning out your MBP? They can just as easily purchase a cheap external drive as the next person. If they can afford an $1800+ laptop they can afford a $35 accessory.

this is simply a moronic statement, obviously you can tell from the context of my message that I'm not in the habit of loaning out my external drive, so I'm certainly not loaning my MBP out to people.

an external hard drive isn't only going to cost me $35 I could get a usb thumb drive for that, but then have to deal with them crapping out all the time... talk about a waste of time, money, and resources.

 

[Twohothardware]

this is simply a moronic statement, obviously you can tell from the context of my message that I'm not in the habit of loaning out my external drive, so I'm certainly not loaning my MBP out to people.

an external hard drive isn't only going to cost me $35 I could get a usb thumb drive for that, but then have to deal with them crapping out all the time... talk about a waste of time, money, and resources.

And the optical drives in the MBP never fail? Not to mention the time it takes to burn the DVD vs just transferring the files to a flash drive of which an 8GB one costs less than $10.

And why would you need to loan out your external DVD drive if you did buy one? These people buying expensive MBP's can't afford to buy one themselves?

 

[KoolKid]

I haven't used an optical drive for 2 years now! Get rid of them, Apple! Get rid of them all!

I have nothing against CDs, but come on people. The year is 2012.
There are better alternatives.

 

[anush3]

One of the things I want in new MBP is to remove optical drive, that alone would be good change . Not that I don't have CD/DVD but that they have been licking dust from years and not sure if they will work or got damaged, they are not reliable. CD/DVD are going to die in couple of years anyway(like Floppy Drive, remember).
Removing them from MBP will reduce weight and open up space for better things e.g. SSD.
I believe USB Thumb drives are better replacement than CD/DVD, keep a 16/32 GB thumb drive with you and copy the stuff from CD/DVD if you needed to carry. Copy all stuff from old CD/DVD to Storage Hard Drive and throw all CD/DVD garbage or give it to kids to play with its colors

 

[Psychj0e]

Personally, if this laptop is released in the UK I think I'm going to leave Apple and migrate to Linux:
http://www.itproportal.com/2011/11/11/lg-takes-ultrabooks-xnote-p330/

 

[diamond.g]

Retina Display is the new Resolution Independence.


Honest Question, why hasn't Apple made a PowerVR GPU for their Macs?

 

[camomac]

i think it is wrong to discontinue having an optical drive.
to me the MBP is the portable equivalent to a MP.
if you want a desktop without an optical drive you buy a mini.
if you want a laptop with out an optical drive you buy an air.
simple.
now bring the F'n bluray to the "pro" line.
if that is what you can even call it these days.

 

[anthony11]

If the optical drive is removed but there is no space for a secondary drive, (currently I have SSD + HDD, one for OS X and the other for storage) I will have no reason to buy another MacBook Pro as it will officially negate it being marketed as a 'Pro' laptop.

SSD drives are too expensive to have as a single drive solution and for mass storage.

You do understand, I hope, that the whole point of a laptop is portability? If you have a need for "mass storage", either get off your high-horse and pick up a FireWire external disk, or get a Mac Pro.

My Civic can't tow a bus. A tow truck can't fit in my parking space or get 35 mpg. Neither is a flawed design.

As for integrated vs dedicated graphics: yes, it pretty much *is* about gamers. Integrated graphics are plenty fast for everyone else.

 

[vandeetz]

And the optical drives in the MBP never fail? Not to mention the time it takes to burn the DVD vs just transferring the files to a flash drive of which an 8GB one costs less than $10.

And why would you need to loan out your external DVD drive if you did buy one? These people buying expensive MBP's can't afford to buy one themselves?

everything has the ability to fail, I for one have not had any of my ODD on any of my mac's fail in the last ten years *knocks on wood*

and seriously... i'm talking about sharing files, why would I loan out an external dvd drive for these situations. I would give out the discs created on it. You end up loaning these crappy thumb drives and never get them back and they fail all the time... the tech in those things is flawed for these large file transfers. you're going to end up spending more money on these than an external drive over the course of a few years.

as long as we're locked into USB 2.0, file transfer is slow anyway. don't count on USB 3.0 from Apple with the push toward thunderbolt. sure thunderbolt is faster, but the peripherals are too expensive and if given the choice, in the short term people will choose USB 3.0 peripheral devices.

I'm done dealing with you, you're either slow in the head or being deliberately daft to get a response.

 

[ryannel2003]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B176 Safari/7534.48.3)

I wouldn't be too sad if Apple does in fact remove the ODD from the MBP. Ive only used mine once to install Windows so if they can improve the experience and make the computer faster than I'm all for it. Is the material going to change or will it continue to be aluminum?

 

[Twohothardware]

i think it is wrong to discontinue having an optical drive.
to me the MBP is the portable equivalent to a MP.
if you want a desktop without an optical drive you buy a mini.
if you want a laptop with out an optical drive you buy an air.
simple.
now bring the F'n bluray to the "pro" line.
if that is what you can even call it these days.

Again, you guys are missing the differentiation between the MBA and MBP line thinking the optical drive is even one of the top five differences.

The MBA is completely about portability and long battery life and as such uses low voltage CPU's, integrated graphics, has limited storage options, no ethernet or firewire, and is only available in an 11" and 13" screen size.

The MBP however offers high-end mobile CPU's designed for max performance instead of battery life first, has dedicated GPU's, more storage options, has ethernet, firewire, more USB, and is available in 13", 15", and 17".