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Slimmer 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros Reportedly in Production
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Laptops are for adults. That's why I want it to come with inferior hardware so I can use it as a facebook machine.
Hipster style and anorexia trumps functionality every time.
How can the poor dears be expected to be burdened with more than 5 pounds of sleekness?
Noooo
NOOO!!!
If they gimp the MacBook Pro line by removing the option for an optical drive, I will be so pissed off. I use my MacBook Pro's optical drive CONSTANTLY. It's almost the entire reason I own the computer in the first place! WTF APPLE?! Why are you so freaking retarded??
NOOO!!!
If they gimp the MacBook Pro line by removing the option for an optical drive, I will be so pissed off. I use my MacBook Pro's optical drive CONSTANTLY. It's almost the entire reason I own the computer in the first place! WTF APPLE?! Why are you so freaking retarded??
Don't forget that by purchasing PC you usually subside Windows by paying Microsoft around $50, since manufacturers put it on almost all PCs.
This is the reason I am not getting Sony Vaio Z which outperforms everything in terms of hardware, but I don't like paying for something I don't need.
Give the ODD a rest.
What is with the obsession with the ODD? These have traditionally been the component that breaks most often in laptops (they don't deal well with being moved around). Plug one into your thunderbolt display and boom you have it along with everything else when you plug in a single cable. It's not even a big deal to carry it in a laptop bag, have you seen how small the air superdrive is?
For every person that seriously needs a built-in ODD, there are 100 people who would prefer to have 4 hours more battery, or a better graphics card, or SSD+HDD combo, or 16GB RAM, or be thinner, etc. It would be ridiculous for Apple to hold progress back simply because a handful of people find an optical drive essential. Time to accept fate.
What is with the obsession with the ODD? These have traditionally been the component that breaks most often in laptops (they don't deal well with being moved around). Plug one into your thunderbolt display and boom you have it along with everything else when you plug in a single cable. It's not even a big deal to carry it in a laptop bag, have you seen how small the air superdrive is?
For every person that seriously needs a built-in ODD, there are 100 people who would prefer to have 4 hours more battery, or a better graphics card, or SSD+HDD combo, or 16GB RAM, or be thinner, etc. It would be ridiculous for Apple to hold progress back simply because a handful of people find an optical drive essential. Time to accept fate.
You know what? F&$& you and your self-righteous, condescending, ignorant attitude. MANY of us use optical drives for work constantly. I work in a retail camera store. CD/DVD are how we deal with customer submissions to our photo lab. USB sticks simply result in broken USB ports and they get mixed up because you can't write names on most of them.
CD/DVD is super cheap and convenient. We generate many GB of data for our customers each day (scans and digital files burned to 100-year archival CD/DVD). It would cost far more for us to use USB media for this and it wouldn't be archival.
I often check out library books that have accompanying CD or DVD media.
I will be SUPER PISSED OFF if Apple pulls this TOTAL BULLS%#{ on its loyal customers!! Because that's exactly what this is, TOTAL F€%#ing BULLS^%#!!!!!!
In my band I am constantly using the burner to save CDs of our music to sell at shows. Now get off your freaking high horse and ****.
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You are simply wrong. All research suggests that Americans on average use CD/DVD around 15 minutes per day. In rural areas it's much higher.
Nearly every device I sell in my camera store includes user manuals, software, and possibly drivers on CD-ROM. Usually the software cannot be acquired other than through the CD.
An optical drive is a necessity for most people. You are delusional in your belief that tech-obsessed, bleeding-edge nerds outumber regular people by a 100-to-1 ratio. Quite the opposite in fact is true, though I think people like you who exist in a bubble are incapable of realizing it.
What Apple is doing by gimping its machines, is to fight its ridiculous format war against Blu-Ray at the expense of its customers. We have been asking for a Blu-Ray-equipped MBP for YEARS! And this is what they give us?! To remove the option for an optical drive entirely!? That is BULLSH£$.
I do not want to settle and compromise. I do not want to lose my ability to burn important files to disc and hand them out to people.
Make no mistake: this is purely about Apple wanting to control the flow of information. It has NOTHING to do with how thin the computer can be or what tech-obsessed nerds who live in bubbles think they want or need.
I've been thinking about picking up a MacBook Pro for the past few years. However, as I like the 13" form factor, when it came to the crunch, the absence of a dedicated GPU put me off picking one up. My current machine from 2008 is a 13", no ODD (came with an external) and a dedicated GPU (NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT). Basically a similar spec to the late 2008 15" MBP.
As I have little need for an ODD, its absence would be great if it allows a dedicated GPU in the 13". This might finally be my opportunity to move over from Windows!
As I have little need for an ODD, its absence would be great if it allows a dedicated GPU in the 13". This might finally be my opportunity to move over from Windows!
Yaaaay. Optical drive RIP. Out out you substandard piece of kit.
(You can tell they never liked optical drives by the low quality one they used. Apple optical drives love to break. If I need one I shall plug in a shiny high quality one.)
(You can tell they never liked optical drives by the low quality one they used. Apple optical drives love to break. If I need one I shall plug in a shiny high quality one.)
The reason why SSD pricing is so high is that Apple is the largest purchaser/consumer of the kind of chips used within:
iPhone
iPad
iPod Touch
iPod
This has occurred for over 4-5yrs now. I'm assuming that Apple, being the largest buyer MAY have the power - purchasing power - to affect SSD drive pricing over the next few users due to exclusivity.
Possible?
I recall years ago during the Leopard days stating that Apple would dismiss ODD for many reasons and introduce wireless media for their primary delivery method, and man, was I SLAMMED LOL
Personally, the only benefit I can justify in removing ODD's is environmental as so many throw out DVDs that sit in landfills. It's rather alarming the e-waste they produce.
Otherwise, I still use mine, granted it's a Blu-Ray burner on my Mac Pro which I use for hard data redundancy of important documents alongside "Time Machine" as well as movies/film that require Blu-Ray size media. Until the day arrives in which WiFi availability increases in locale as well as speed (try downloading large files - and by large I mean anything over 500 MB's - at your local Starbucks, hope you brought a book), optical media will still be needed. Flash drives are too expensive to hand out like optical discs, and carrying around a USB superdrive is silly.
I'd like to be in your industry. Currently, on BestBuy, an HP 8GB is selling for $9.99 (normally $19.99, or so they state), and a 4GB is $6.99. On Newegg, a Transcend 32GB USB is retailing for $29.99, with 8GB's running from $8-$19. Throwing around USB drives as optical discs certainly adds up. Optical media retails for far less. Example, a Verbatim DL DVD+R (8.5GB/disc) 20 pack retails for $24.00 on Newegg. That's $1.20/8.5 GB disc before tax (and shipping), compared to 6-8 x that for a USB flash drive. Might seem like nothing but that adds up when one gives out 10-20 optical discs/week.
Personally, the only benefit I can justify in removing ODD's is environmental as so many throw out DVDs that sit in landfills. It's rather alarming the e-waste they produce.
Otherwise, I still use mine, granted it's a Blu-Ray burner on my Mac Pro which I use for hard data redundancy of important documents alongside "Time Machine" as well as movies/film that require Blu-Ray size media. Until the day arrives in which WiFi availability increases in locale as well as speed (try downloading large files - and by large I mean anything over 500 MB's - at your local Starbucks, hope you brought a book), optical media will still be needed. Flash drives are too expensive to hand out like optical discs, and carrying around a USB superdrive is silly.
I'd like to be in your industry. Currently, on BestBuy, an HP 8GB is selling for $9.99 (normally $19.99, or so they state), and a 4GB is $6.99. On Newegg, a Transcend 32GB USB is retailing for $29.99, with 8GB's running from $8-$19. Throwing around USB drives as optical discs certainly adds up. Optical media retails for far less. Example, a Verbatim DL DVD+R (8.5GB/disc) 20 pack retails for $24.00 on Newegg. That's $1.20/8.5 GB disc before tax (and shipping), compared to 6-8 x that for a USB flash drive. Might seem like nothing but that adds up when one gives out 10-20 optical discs/week.
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I think the new MBP design will be thinner, but symmetric front-to-rear vs. the wedge/asymmetric design of the MBA. That would give the engineers consistent space throughout the entire chassis, and more flexibility about where the components need to be placed. Probably a few mm in the top/display part of the case too for size reduction.
What will be interesting is if they leave room for a 2nd HDD/SSD drive. I mean, if they want more battery life, discreet GPU, good thermal management +and+ a thinner case, I’d suspect they would take the old ODD space and repurpose it for those needs.
I suppose it’s possible they might use the integrated style SSD of the MBA (which I believe takes much less room vs. a 3rd party SSD), and provide a mounting spot for a traditional HDD (that’s user upgradable). Maybe even sell combined setups at BTO like 256GB SSD + 720GB HDD[?]
I wouldn’t be surprised though if the ODD is gone along with the option to mount two drives.
ODD has got to gooooooo! And I believe it is! Yay! I can't wait for the new MBP with no ODD, it's going to be awesome.
Yeah. In their cars , auido/video systems, XBox/PS3 , etc. Most people own a CD/DVD player. Many people own multiple ones. They don't need a laptop to play them. Sony Disman's (or any portable CD player) are not major sellers anymore.
However, it is highly dubious that there is a study that shows most laptop users play CD/DVDs 15 minutes per day. Just as it is highly dubious that there is a study that shows most TV users play CD/DVDs with a player inside their TV. TV+DVD combos exist but they are not the dominate format, nor particularly desirable for most people to buy either.
LOL. If you want the most outdated version of some products drivers you take the CD-ROM that was pressed 6-16 months ago.
Do the patches and security updates for that software also solely come on CD's ?
Software installation is one of the poorest excuses for permanently inserting a DVD reader in a laptop. It is something that doesn't happen that often. An external drive at home (where going to keep the device's CD-ROM anyway) works just fine. No one is saying remove DVD/CD drives from the market entirely. They are saying you don't have to carry one around with you everywhere you go. They are not used everywhere and all the time by a large number of people.
You are equally delusional if you think it is the the opposite ratio. It is not 100-to-1 but laptop DVD/CD-ROMs are not the bulk of those format's active daily drive usage at all.
You don't loose it by it not being permanently enclosed inside the device. There are external devices.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MRSSBD4X/
If you need it and it has value for you, just buy one. For a fixed place of business (an immobile computer) there is no significant difference. You can "subvert" Apple's jihad against Blu-ray at the same time by buying one. If all you do is wave your arms in the air about Apple not selling you a Blu-ray drive and don't buy them ...... Apple is winning that debate.
There real issue being swept under the rug is that the assumption that the "lowest common denominator" storage format is the CD-ROM is being rendered obsolete with the removal of the ODD. Well that already happened years ago with the MBA. That horse left the barn a while back.
Nor it is some high tech nerd thing to use USB Flash drives for "Sneaker Net" storage.
" .... The first design decision the Tulis made was to give the Aakash a full-sized USB port. “Most tablets out there have mini- or micro-USB ports, or even proprietary ports like the iPad,” says Tuli. “But the way that Indians carry around and manage data is the USB stick. ... A USB stick is how urban Indians carry their lives around.” ...."
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/01/08/the-inside-story-of-indias-50-computer-tablet/
This whole notion that USB drives aren't on the huge upswing with non-nerds for "sneaker net" file distribution is a joke.
They don't clearly dominate CD-ROMs in terms of being super cheap but far more "computer like" devices have some sort of USB connectivity in the world than ODDs. ODDs are not the singular lowest common denominator anymore.
You know I was thinking last night about how whatever comes out in terms of this refresh could phase out the 13" MBPro because the 11-13" inch range really belongs more to the MBAir and the 15" -17" more the Pro. The 13" sort of floats in no-mans land and I haven't seen many 13" MBPros ever at least in my industry (Post/Design). The one's I've seen have been for people who were in journalism/scripts/etc. The MBAir would suite them just fine. I think the 13" MBPro gets the axe in this refresh.
I was thinking along other Apple products that the iPod Touch really seems to be the odd step child and these rumored 7" tablet things could actually be the new iPod Touch or iTouch.
The iPod really now is not selling that much compared to the iPhone (which can do your music anyway) and is really becoming a niche product...more of the work out buddy since it's tiny and light (the nano and shuffle).
I could see them phase out the iPod Touch since it's just a bastard iPhone without a voice carrier and make a 7" tablet that not only mimics the iPad but has a Voice plan/LTE/Data plan. It could be for people who want the combo tablet/phone and think the iPhone is too small to do anything on and think the iPad is too big for portability and have a nice front/back camera with flash.
And no, you wouldn't hold it up to your ear to talk. Put in a ear piece with microphone. =P
I was thinking along other Apple products that the iPod Touch really seems to be the odd step child and these rumored 7" tablet things could actually be the new iPod Touch or iTouch.
The iPod really now is not selling that much compared to the iPhone (which can do your music anyway) and is really becoming a niche product...more of the work out buddy since it's tiny and light (the nano and shuffle).
I could see them phase out the iPod Touch since it's just a bastard iPhone without a voice carrier and make a 7" tablet that not only mimics the iPad but has a Voice plan/LTE/Data plan. It could be for people who want the combo tablet/phone and think the iPhone is too small to do anything on and think the iPad is too big for portability and have a nice front/back camera with flash.
And no, you wouldn't hold it up to your ear to talk. Put in a ear piece with microphone. =P
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Carrying around a USB drive is simple and smaller. Using a 8GB optical disk to transfer 500MB of files is also silly. There is not just e-waste in people throwing away the DVDs after they have transferred the files there is waste in that the media itself may be overkill because it is inflexible and not reusable.
The expense here is primarily driven by the 8GB size. Drop down to 2GB (or special order 1GB generic ones) and the cost drops substantially. Retailers tend to not even want to sell the smaller versions because the prices have dropped so low.
Sure this doesn't work in the subset of contexts where do need to transfer over 1-2GB of data.
"Hand me your Flash drive and I'll make a copy for you" has an additional media cost of $0.00 . That is infinitely cheaper than the DVD media cost if doing 10-20 times per week and more eco-friendly. But yeah, if interacting with folks remotely or spontaneously with single digit GBs, a DVD works.
The solution doesn't have to cover all cases, just most for there to be a switch in value for most users.
You have to figure out why the 13" is not selected.
Is it primarily because the screen size to too small to get work done?
Is it primarily because the 'horsepower' of the 15" is a better match?
In the second case if Apple can put the 'horsepower' of a 15" (or 17" ) in a 13" chassis then it does not make sense to drop the 13" model for the 13" MBA. [ There is no way Apple is getting 15"/17" horsepower into a MBA body for at least several years. ]
It depends upon people's working set-ups. A 13" screen size disadvantage can be offset in static contexts by the user just plugging into a large screen/docking station. If the laptop is primarily used while station in multiple places ( desire for something small enough to carry home/"second work site"/"on the road at remote work sites" ) then having the internal 'horsepower' is the primary factor.
If folks need more screen room while remote without a augmenting monitor then can drop the 13".
My guess would be that most users would rather have a 15" functionality ( dGPU , quad core , etc. ) at 13" prices.
The bigger issue is what do they add to the 15"/17" that is added value to keep them from dropping in sales volume. I think SDD+HDD combos and dual TB ports could be used to do that.
There is a huge performance gap between ULV i5's and quad cores. Sure if you leave the MBP 13" at a dual and put them on same graphics foundation at the ULVs there is overlap. However, there is no need to with the Ivy Bridge options that are available (and some revisions on component priorities ... i.e., ODD vs "more diverse horsepower" ).
That or they make the Touch with a iPhone4 screen. I don't see them going for 7" 'normal' resolution screen though. They have worked so hard to keep the spectrum of screen resolutions the same. Either the 7" would have to match the iPhone 4 pixel dimensions or it would be a new "odd ball" size. Going from "odd step child" to "odd step child" isn't really an improvement.
At first the touch got the new stuff first. More storage/CPU/etc. Now with it languishing on screen/CPU/storage/'crappy camea' ... it isn't going anywhere.
NOBODY needs a 7" phone. A 7" data only plan perhaps but voice??? it is not a phone. It is goofy enough the screen sizes are creeping up on 5" .. 7" no way.
If trying to remove differences between Touch and iPhone just drop the voice radio and GPS from the phone's body and just sell that. Like the iPad... just a minor difference in the logic board and sell the same shell.
How about a 3.5" floppy drive?
What a silly statement. Using the same logic, why don't you want a 3.5" floppy drive included as well? After all, you are paying a premium...?
Point is, optical media is being phased out, in favour of online distribution.
Also, don't forget that what seems basic to you, may well be an unnecessary extra to most people who would happily trade the built-in ODD for a 2nd drive (HDD+SSD) and more battery capacity.
What a silly statement. Using the same logic, why don't you want a 3.5" floppy drive included as well? After all, you are paying a premium...?
Point is, optical media is being phased out, in favour of online distribution.
Also, don't forget that what seems basic to you, may well be an unnecessary extra to most people who would happily trade the built-in ODD for a 2nd drive (HDD+SSD) and more battery capacity.
Eh? Not. The volume of flash usage is generally driving prices down, not up.
Flash prices have not cratered on the path they were on a couple of years ago, but that is normal. That was really an unsustainable path the suppliers were on.
From a historical perspective, SDD prices are much lower than they have been. What is missing if the flawed expectation that Flash prices where magically going to drop as low as HDD prices in "just 1-2 years". That was always hand-waving hogwash. The only thing propping that up now is the Thailand floods which have raised HDD prices 40% or so (much higher than that in the initial panic at the drop in capacity.)
Apple has zero rationale to keep the prices of flash memory high. Higher flash prices mean lower margins for Apple. Apple is always looking for higher margins.
Apple charging higher prices (than industry average) for flash is a different story than the flash memory actually costing that much.
An optical drive would be good to have as an option, and not as an external. Almost certainly won't happen, although it is ludicrous to claim that an external is as convenient as a built-in - to me, that defeats part of the purpose of the all-in-one laptop.
As far as the debate raging, most of the people I know use the internal ODD quite a lot.
As far as the debate raging, most of the people I know use the internal ODD quite a lot.
How convient is your internal DVD when it brokes down? 250 USD for repairs, 25 USD for external.. Which one you will choose?
I think only silly old fashioned people use DVD-R disks anymore when you got gigabytes of space in your mobile phone.
2gb USB stick costs about 2-3 USD each and you give good impression to a client when you give them one for free or maybe you can charge them for it lets say 1 USD so the losses wont be so enormous.
If 2 USD "loss" per client is too much then the business perhaps is quite bad anyway.
"well but I constantly give my customers 7 gigabytes of data"
yeah right....