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

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No optical drive?

I'm a videographer whose clients almost always request a DVD of a video.

I also have a large collection of CDs I'd like to import into iTunes.

No optical drive will make both these points a problem.

Apple gets too far ahead of itself for the sake of a slim design.

I regularly use my optical drive to burn things as well, but I personally don't mind getting a slim line external one as long as Apple use the freed up space for a larger battery and ssd+hd.

 

[vojnik]

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.

Same goes for USB, i havent encountered a motherboard PC or Mac that cannot boot from USB.

 

[freelancer27]

When available in store?

Hi,

this is just great news that new 15" MBP are already in production!!! I am desperately waiting to get one (if the new specs are still MBP style).

Question is: How long does it usually take Apple from production to sales?
When do you think will there be an official announcement/ when will you be able to buy them in stores?

Thx.

 

[iisdan]

Im buying this

If theres no disk drive, thinner, SSD, Retina, with the same specs or better im buying it on the spot.

 

[joepunk]

I'm just happy that we are getting some MBx rumours. I was getting a little bored of seeing rumours only about the iPad/iPhone and other stories that revolve around the products and third party companies (at&t for instance).

 

[Twohothardware]

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.

Good for you. Some of us have had very few flash drives die when you buy a quality name brand one as well and if one does die it's covered under warranty for a replacement.

What kind of files are you sharing all the time that those people can't downloaded themselves off the internet? You do realize that there are countless online storage options for uploading and saving files that anyone can access right? And for the large files that you share from time to time there's no reason why you can't use an external DVD drive or USB thumb drive. NO reason at all.

You talk about the cost of replacing USB drives when one fails occasionally but what about the costs of DVD media? What happens when the DVD gets scratched or you just burn a coaster from not using quality media? DVD's may be a little less failure prone than USB flash but they aren't cheaper or more efficient for transferring files back and forth between computers. And if you just HAVE to burn DVD's then buy the external slim burner and use DVD's.

I mean seriously, how many people do you know that will have the latest 2012 MBP that you'd need to loan out your external DVD drive to share files off a DVD? If they're that interested in those files what is stopping them from buying their own external DVD or flash drive?

You're obviously inept at adapting to current technology and are trying to hang on to what you've been using for the last several years even though it is less efficient than all the other alternative options you have today but comon. I have yet to hear one single viable argument as to why you cannot function without a built-in optical drive in the MBP.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

For all those whining about the loss of the optical disc drive and how, if you don't use one, you should just purchase a MacBook Air, consider that for months the same people have been suggesting that the MacBook Pro should (and will) magically shrink to the teardrop design whilst retaining the optical drive.

Hmm...

 

[cheksai]

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.

Completely agree. Has the rest of the world stopped watching DVDs? I have to for my work and am constantly on the road. In fact, I keep my MBP on Region 2 because of all the flipping regions I've worked with, I've amassed a library of Region 2 titles even tho I live in the US.

A new MBP w/ out optical drive is a seriously manipulative manoeuver by Apple to force users to buy/rent content thru their store.

Shameful.

 

[Twohothardware]

A new MBP w/ out optical drive is a seriously manipulative manoeuver by Apple to force users to buy/rent content thru their store.

Shameful.

Or force you to buy a $35 accessory when your able to spend $2,000 on a laptop and then simply carry it along with you when you need it. Not to mention almost all of Apple's customers who buy MBP's are constantly on the road watching DVD's on their laptop as well. The shame of it all.

 

[darthraige]

No optical drive?

I'm a videographer whose clients almost always request a DVD of a video.

I also have a large collection of CDs I'd like to import into iTunes.

No optical drive will make both these points a problem.

Apple gets too far ahead of itself for the sake of a slim design.

I'm a videographer and editor and my high end clients don't bother with DVDs anymore. They want digital files and Blurays. There's a cheap $99 DVD/Bluray portable burner by LG that is USB that works great. Time to do away with DVDs.

That and I can't wait for the new MacBook Pro 13". Been a long time coming. I'd take more battery and extra stuff over an optical drive any day.

 

[jsquared]

Should I be mad I just got a 13 inch?

 

[ersatzplanet]

I have a MBP 17" and I can't see the pixels at normal viewing distances. Curves are smooth enough for me and all media looks great on it. I don't need the "retina" display.
As for the ODD - I hardly use mine and have been thinking of the SSD replacement kits OWC sells. As for the "hassle" of carrying around an external drive - You guys who are burning DVDs on the go for clients are already carrying around blank DVDs, just carry less of them when you have to carry the drive.

 

[wikus]

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.

Excuse me?

Is your logic supposed to apply to every user on the planet? You can't possibly be that arrogant to think 'I don't need mass storage, therefor nobody else does' ???

I have a 120gb SSD drive as my boot drive for applications which is using only 25gb. I removed the ODD and put in place a 1TB drive which holds everything else INCLUDING an installation of Windows 7 which I need for certain things when developing (because, believe it or not, OS X is not the holy grail of operating systems, it has its weaknesses).

Also, you'll be happy to know that your Mac Pro suggestion is *useless* as I had a Mac Pro 1,1 and sold it seeing how my 2011 MBP performed better.

I'm baffled. Only on Macrumors do I receive this kind of condescending attitude where its Apple's way or the highway.

 

[Craigjw]

Insane

It is insane for Apple to remove the optical drive from its PRO LINE.

The Pro line is intended for people who expect top of the line performance and value THAT more than portability, slimness or weight.

My MBP is my primary machine. I do all my work on it. I bought it because I want to be able to take it places and still have the unit's COMPLETE functionality with me wherever I go. The optical drive is a necessary part of the unit's functionality.

If I wanted a netbook, I'd have bought a MBA.

 

[stefmesman]

they can not make the macbook pro much thinner without losing the ethernet port and firewire port. and i am bound to say that if they do get rid of those it will not be a ''pro'' machine anymore. And for those who don't say they care if they get lost, buy an air, the pro was not made for you unless your an hipster that brags about its mac. Your are an average consumer, not a pro user. Facebook and mail also runs on an macbook air.

The death of the ODD seems a good step. those who really need it (i guess around 5%) will have to carry an external if they need.

Im hoping for dual drive bays and 4 memory slots. not that i will be buying but it would be an great improvement. a slight battery bump to up the work hours to maybe 9 hours. Retina will probably not come with this update. 13'' will probably not have an discrete graphics card.

 

[Murgatroyd314]

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.

GPUs have uses beyond mere gaming. For instance, I do 3D modeling and rendering, and several of my tools use the GPU extensively. Portability is also important. Therefore, I do need a good GPU in my laptop.

 

[Xtremehkr]

I don't think I've ever used the ODD in my MBP. The App store and flash drives should make ODD's obsolete. ODD's use far too much valuable space for the amount they're used anymore.

If that space could be used to provide more storage and more battery capacity I think consumers would be happy with the tradeoff. As it is, my MBP is thin enough, it doesn't need to be much smaller than it is. It could use a couple hours worth of additional battery power though. Removing the ODD opens up a number of different possibilities, all of which are more exciting than a nearly obsolete form of media storage.

 

[stefmesman]

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.

you're saying consumers have spoken they want an professional laptop? A laptop that is professional means it needs these ports. you're a moron thinking because people like you who never use the full power of such an machine are entitled to make such comments. What you want is an macbook pro, but what you need is an macbook air. and you are by no means a professional user.

 

[Acidsplat]

Everyone that is really frustrated and perturbed about Apple dropping the optical drive, just take a breather and look at some ideas.

The MacBook Pro line is getting a little long in the tooth. There hasn't been really any change from a design perspective in the past 4 years.

Its not a secret that the Intel HD 3000 and the AMD graphics in the current MacBook Pro are pretty underpowered for something in this day and age. The reason there is integrated graphics on the 13-inch is because there is no simple way to fit a full graphics chip into it in such a small package, and a similar reason for the okayish 6750m and 6770m in the 15 and 17-inch, even though its suitable for those that purchased them.

By removing the ODD, it opens a whole new window for possibilities especially in the 13-inch. The drive itself takes up a major portion of the MacBook that, in my opinion as I have no statistics, a majority of the MacBook Pro users rarely use.
By removing it, Apple could fit a bigger battery so they last even longer, or they can finally add some form of dedicated graphics in the 13-inch that can be adequately cooled. And they could fit an even better graphics chip in the 15 and 17.

It is no secret that Apple pushes forward at a much faster rate than the industry; in a lot of cases, they force the industry forward. But there are so many possibilities and ideas that Apple could enact by getting rid of the one thing that they have been trying to discontinue for years.

 

[deconstruct60]

For all those whining about the loss of the optical disc drive and how, if you don't use one, you should just purchase a MacBook Air, consider that for months the same people have been suggesting that the MacBook Pro should (and will) magically shrink to the teardrop design whilst retaining the optical drive.

The point isn't purely about shrinking the laptop's case. It should be whether more people can get value out of a HDD + SDD combo ( or laptop with 2hrs more battery time or ) than out of a HDD + ODD .

The case may shrink slightly but the substantial difference between the MBP and MBA would remain.

CPU -- probably quad cores all around for MBP and MBA's stuck at slower duals. [ The MBP being a better desktop replacement than MBA ]

storage -- HDD still present. MBA stuck at a 128GB cap while MBPs drive into the 0.5-1.0 TB range. If a smaller SSD is used as a cache for the hybrid set up then MBP would also have the "instant on" features like MBA but not run of space as quickly.

graphics assistance -- The MBP 13" at this point has close to MBA class graphics ( a bit better because the HD3000 isn't underclocked like the MBA, but same infrastructure). Pairing the 13" with a discrete GPU would bring it back into parity with the reset of the MBP line up (and make it different than MBA ).

Apple doesn't have to go down to MBA height to make it "slimmer". Just going from 0.9 inches to 0.8 inches would be slimmer and slighltly lighter weight without going to MBA like "diet" on trimming off the case. Still could have all the same ports, if not more (e.g., 2 Thunderbolt ports by moving a USB port to other side. ). If a quad core + dGPU + SDD/HDD 13" MBP is more popular than a MBP 13" with an ODD drive, then Apple will probably pull the trigger.



So it isn't just "thinner" this issue. It is a better usage of what volume is there with a different combination of components.

Besides an external ODD is going to have higher diversity anyway. This Blu-ray, bus powered option http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MRSSBD4X/ costs about as much ($97) as Apple's less flexible one http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC684ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0Nw&s=topSellers ($79)

By refusing to go to Blu-ray, Apple is choking the life out of an ODD option. Blu-ray may not turn out to dominate digital distrbution but it is certainly going to kill off DVDs. If Apple isn't going to deliver, then let the 3rd parties in.

 

[1=1?]

Now I can't optibay in a second drive Dislike. I'd like the same size more fuxing usb ports

 

[ls1dreams]

I'm all for removing the ODD if it means we get either:
1. Dual hard drives (SSD + bulk storage), or
2. A discrete video card

If it is dropped simply to become thinner or lighter, I'd rather just keep it around for compatibility.

 

[Renzatic]

GPUs have uses beyond mere gaming. For instance, I do 3D modeling and rendering, and several of my tools use the GPU extensively. Portability is also important. Therefore, I do need a good GPU in my laptop.

No, man. He's right. You can tell by his condescending attitude. GPGPU, Cuda, OpenCL? BABY TOYS! Real grownups only use their professional grade laptops for spreadsheets and networking while attending power brunches. For that, all you need is an integrated graphics card...and Tofurkey sandwiches with cucumbers.

 

[1=1?]

Now they can start selling us external optical drives!

 

[stefmesman]

No, man. He's right. You can tell by his condescending attitude. GPGPU, Cuda, OpenCL? BABY TOYS! Real grownups only use their professional grade laptops for spreadsheets and networking while attending power brunches. For that, all you need is an integrated graphics card...and Tofurkey sandwiches with cucumbers.

gotta love sarcasm