Slimmer 13" Retina MacBook Pro, Dual Mic MacBook Air Expected at WWDC

[barkmonster]

I mostly use my laptop like a desktop, so if there was one change to the MBP it would be a second Thunderbolt so I could drive two monitors. Then we'd have a user-upgradeable laptop with speed and strength enough to last 2 to 4 more years.

Check out some of the hardware from Matrox. You can drive 2 x 1080p screens directly from a mini-displayport with this:

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/digital_me/

They also do a desktop version than can drive 3 screens off 1 displayport connector.

 

[barkmonster]

which would be just another thing to lug around and have to plug in to use it.

I agree. They need to integrate more into the systems. This is the specs for a £1,200 Dell laptop with a 15.4" 1080p screen. Add another £200 for the Apple tax, a higher res screen and better industrial design and it would wipe the floor with Apple's current offerings:

Intel® Core™ i7-3632QM processor (2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.20 GHz - 2GB Graphics & TPM)
Windows 8 64bit, English
Silver Aluminium LCD Back with 15.6" FHD(1080p) True Life WLED Display and Skype-Certified HD Webcam
8GB2 DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive + 32GB m-SATA SSD
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
2GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M Graphics Card

Imagine it with a 1600 x 1050 screen pre-configured as a fusion drive with a faster CPU running Mac OS X and it gives some idea of how much Apple are ripping people off with minimum spec systems for high spec prices.

 

[iRun26.2]

I think the days of upgrading a computer every 6-7 years are behind us. New cloud/agent/data integration will likely see people compelled to upgrade within 5 years.

To me, a three year old computer is old b

 

[Ubuntu]

What files do you use that get only get launched in full-screen Metro apps?

The vast majority of the files, be it image/video files, etc. As I said, I soon changed that but it just seemed like such a counter-intuitive thing to do in the first place.

 

[iRun26.2]

Well I'd never buy a Windows PC. You couldn't even give me one cause I woulnd't take no matter how good the specs are. If it's running Windows it's crap in my book. But sadly that's the one upside to a Windows PC. It's upgradeable. The Macs more and more are not. Apple panders to the throw away crowd yet they say they are "green" and environmentally friendly. I guess my next Mac (a refurb likely) will be my last cause it will have to last me the rest of my life somehow.

That sounds like something a pouting child would say.

I hate the way Apple refuses to provide an option for a high end screen in the 11" MBA, but I live with it.

 

[RedRaven571]

Air should be mostly about thickness (as slim as possible given the available technology), meaning it should be portable as **** and fit in everything (which it basically already does) and deliver solid performance for all office-work (on the go) and some basic functionality in other applications.

Pro should be mostly about flexibility in a professional environment and the best technology the market has to offer at the given time.

This! Air should be the cross-over/transition between a tablet and a full fledged computer; thin, light and very portable but capable of creating content. MBP should be what the name implies, something a professional who requires more of a workhorse computer would use to perform more demanding tasks (while still being reasonably light and thin).

Personally, I don't need my portable computer to be so thin that I could slice bread or pick my teeth..... If I did, I would buy an Air.

 

[iRun26.2]

I think the 13" Macbook Pro Retina might be getting an IGZO display (Sharp has already announced they've started making displays in this size category). And since IGZO requires smaller LED Backlight to achieve the same brightness as Amorphous silicon, the display assembly will naturally be thinner, perhaps even thinner than the non-retina Macbook pro. A slimmer display clamshell assembly would mean a thinner laptop without redesigning the bottom unibody casing.

That makes it sound like those displays are perfect for the MBA where 'thin-ness' is a main selling point.

 

[iRun26.2]

Touchscreen would make a haswell 13" rMBP instabuy; I can't see how anyone -at all- could pass that up. Without touch capability, it just seems like a shame. Even if it ticks every single other box!

Touchscreen in OSX would be a major change. Microsoft has proven touch does not work well on a laptop.

 

[Prof.]

Touchscreen in OSX would be a major change. Microsoft has proven touch wield well on a laptop.

Have they?

 

[avkills]

Check out some of the hardware from Matrox. You can drive 2 x 1080p screens directly from a mini-displayport with this:

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/digital_me/

They also do a desktop version than can drive 3 screens off 1 displayport connector.

Welcome to 5 years ago; they had the exact same devices first being run over VGA, then DVI; now DisplayPort. (I think they have a HDMI one now also)

It would be a lot better if Apple would support some of AMDs GPUs which have up to 8 DisplayPort outputs and allowed customized "large" tiled desktops of any configuration.

-mark

 

[tuna]

I suppose a thinner form factor for the 13" rMBP precludes going Haswell quad core + GT3e graphics with 128MB embedded L4 cache shareable between CPU and integrated GPU. Anand Lal Shimpi just did his review of Haswell and the new graphics platform, and GT3e comes within ~20% graphics performance of nVidia GT 650M with much much smaller footprint, power, and cooling requirements.

I had hoped that the 13" rMBP would move to quad core CPU + GT3e graphics for Haswell while the 15" rMBP can stick with new nVidia GT 750M which will still have an appreciable performance advantage over Intel graphics, although getting slimmer with every passing year.

That extra 128MB of high performance memory could have worked wonders when trying to get integrated graphics to run a 2560x1600 resolution screen, often at simulated 2880x1800. Oh well.

 

[Tech198]

Good Stuff...

Lets hope it's the same price there a-bouts.

 

[notjustjay]

Have they?

An interesting question indeed. I've played with some Windows 8 touch laptops at Best Buy and I'm fairly tempted to buy one (Yoga 13 is the top contender) but admittedly that's based on the "toy" factor. Touch is fun for occasional elements (the Metro layer, couch browsing) but maybe not so useful for day to day tasks.

I think it's a fun additional input (along with the traditional keyboard and mouse/trackpad). But adding a touchscreen means impacting the weight, thickness, and battery life, which is the polar opposite of what Apple typically does with its designs. So, Apple wouldn't include a touchscreen unless it was a very, very compelling solution.

On the other hand, who but Apple popularized the touchscreen phone and touchscreen tablets? Who knows. We'll see...

 

[Nik]

Take a look at this:


First, Apple hires Carbon Fiber experts:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/11/apple-hires-carbon-fiber-expert-kevin-kenney-to-posit-composites/

And there is a patent in which Apple describes how to make a carbon fiber MacBook Air/Pro:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/19/apple-patent-may-mean-future-unibodies-get-woven-from-carbon-fib/

A very recent rumor:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...-fiber-in-completely-different-way-than-usual

Finally, there are other manufacturers who already use carbon fiber materials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDsD_kQ3gvo

The Retina MacBook Pro will be redesigned according to the reliable KGI guy. Will the redesign bring an entirely new chassis with carbon fiber?

 

[Toltepeceno]

Thank you for the advice, but, actually, that's not a possibility. The laptop is very expensive here due to the incredibly high taxes charged by the government. If I buy a laptop abroad and have it delivered here to me, I'll have to pay taxes that will equal or even supersede its price. I'll end up paying 60% of import taxes and 18% of VAT, plus 6% of tax over the currency exchange, at least (I guess there are also some other taxes such as IPI and PIS/COFINS which will apply). And the taxes apply over the price of product plus shipping. So, it's just not feasible, and the prices will be outrageous anyway...

The options would be either to buy the laptop while I am there or to buy it when I'm back here in Brazil.

Same here in mexico. It's much more expensive here than the US even though the apple mx site is in the us and the items ship from there. I have mail forwarding, but anything made in china is hit with something like a 98% tax. I chanced a used cell phone a couple of years and paid about double for it, still cheaper than here though. Trips up north are for these things.

 

[Shadyriley]

Anyone else think were going to see black anodized aluminum macbook pros?

 

[Xiroteus]

Anyone else think were going to see black anodized aluminum macbook pros?

I would like to see that.

This! Air should be the cross-over/transition between a tablet and a full fledged computer; thin, light and very portable but capable of creating content. MBP should be what the name implies, something a professional who requires more of a workhorse computer would use to perform more demanding tasks (while still being reasonably light and thin).

Personally, I don't need my portable computer to be so thin that I could slice bread or pick my teeth..... If I did, I would buy an Air.

With the iPad and the Macbook air I'm not sure why they are overly obsessed with getting every system so small. The Mac Pro also should not worry about being insanely small because there is the Mac Mini and people that buy the Mac Pro want the power.

It does seem that the 13" Air and Macbook will end up being about the same. There should be at least one PRO machine were focused is placed on power then making it even thinner.

 

[iRun26.2]

Haswell power efficiency should allow for a 13" Air with smaller chassis and bezel, that could be priced at $999 with reduced specs, so the 11" Air could be eliminated.

Why do you make the reduction assumptions to the 13" MBA and not the 11" MBA?

 

[devilcm3]

Take a look at this:


First, Apple hires Carbon Fiber experts:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/11/apple-hires-carbon-fiber-expert-kevin-kenney-to-posit-composites/

And there is a patent in which Apple describes how to make a carbon fiber MacBook Air/Pro:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/19/apple-patent-may-mean-future-unibodies-get-woven-from-carbon-fib/

A very recent rumor:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...-fiber-in-completely-different-way-than-usual

Finally, there are other manufacturers who already use carbon fiber materials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDsD_kQ3gvo

The Retina MacBook Pro will be redesigned according to the reliable KGI guy. Will the redesign bring an entirely new chassis with carbon fiber?

Not going to happen, manufacturing a carvon fiber chassis takes a lot more time compare to aluminium milling. CF materials are use only in a very small market

 

[iRun26.2]

...

The Surface Pro really is the first Windows PC based laptop that appears to be doing things right if that is what someone is looking for.

But, if few people are looking for what it can do, can it really be "doing things right"?

 

[Xiroteus]

But, if few people are looking for what it can do, can it really be "doing things right"?

In part at least. There needs to be something out there and not just clones of each other in the tablet market. The iPad is great and all yet some do want a full OS with functions like wacom for artistic reasons ability to play flash which I still need. I see the Windows Surafce RT as almost useless for my needs yet the Surface Pro as just about perfect from the looks of it.

At the same time a full OS on a tablet can really bog it down.

 

[MartiNZ]

Have they?

Absolutely. It now really annoys me that I didn't opt for the bto touchscreen on my xps 18 months ago, although I'm not sure that would have been glass-covered, which may just have meant fingerprint city.

Anyway, yes, a week on my surface was enough to make it really hard to go back to non-touch. Even on external displays it really bugs me - I keep reaching out to every screen going ><. And it certainly works well. Saw a Surface Pro the other day, and even at 1080p resolution the Windows Desktop works well for touch - they had it up at 150dpi I admit, which just made it look 'normal' ... it scales really nicely, unlike OS X on the retina displays.

 

[iRun26.2]

Touchscreen in OSX would be a major change. Microsoft has proven touch wield well on a laptop.

Oops! There was a typo.

Microsoft has NOT proven to me that a touch screen works well on a laptop. I have no desire to ever have my hands moving that far away from my keyboard.

(They simply added touch to Windows 8 to get their foot in the door in the tablet market)

 

[Risco]

Anyone else think were going to see black anodized aluminum macbook pros?

It will look like crap after a month if the iPhone 5 is anything to go by...

 

[iRun26.2]

It will look like crap after a month if the iPhone 5 is anything to go by...

I agree, my 'naked' iPhone 5 has lots of noticeable nicks already (but to keep it lightweight and thin, I'd never consider using a case).

I'd much rather have pure aluminum...or carbon fiber!