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

If Apple brings the 13-inch rMBP to unibody MacBook prices from yesteryear and subsequently lower the rest of the MacBook and iMac line while introducing a new US-built Mac Pro, this PC cannibalization will be lessened. I can't help but think this is self-inflicted by Apple due to their pricing schemes. Yes, their profit margins will lessen, but moving more units and recouping that in iTunes, Mac App Store, etc. sales with more units in the wild has to be something the financial departments should entertain, right? iPads are selling well not only because they're mobile and easy-to-use, but they don't cost an arm and a leg. The only reason I have a MBP is due to my scholarship from undergrad. I wouldn't pay this much for it out of my pocket, but I love my iPad mini and iPhone 4S and did pay for them myself. Apple's making a killing on their profit margins on their mobile divisions. Lower their PC prices, gain market share by moving more units, and watch even more users tie into the ecosystem.
 
If Apple can make this for little more than they currently charge for the Macbook Pro and include either a 1600 x 1050 or retina display, they'll be onto a winner. If not, the competition are getting better and only the obedient drones buying into the thinner = better marketing drivel Apple are pushing these days (including iMacs... pointlessly) will disagree.

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-15-l521x/pd?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Imagine that done the Apple way? It would be the perfect laptop!
 
I don't know about the rest of the cMBP owners here, but I'm glad I bought my 15" cMBP when I did (July 2012). Whilst the retina screen is beyond gorgeous, something tells me it's still not ready for the average consumer (burn-in issues and all). I'm perfectly happy with my non-retina and having the ability to add more RAM in the future (theoretically 32GB, even though nothing I do would require that much), along with updating the HDD to an SSD. Maybe I'll be more willing (I'm sure forced) to buy a retina when I upgrade in 2018. :p
 
skaertus said:
Although desirable, that's unlikely to happen. Apple has already dropped the price of rMBPs, and it will likely not drop them again this time. As for a retina Air, Tim Cook already said not to expect a significant hardware release until this fall. And a rMBA would be considered an exciting new product (although Tim Cook has seriously downplayed the importance of Macs in favor of the much-hyped iOS devices).
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If they drop the non-Retina 15" MBP like I expect them to at WWDC, then they will have to reduce the price of the 15" MBP-R to fill that gap and boost flagging sales.
 
As the 13inch gets slimmer and slimmer, what is the actual point in the MacBook Air?
 
Really? Has he actually seen a retina MacBook Pro? The only way to go thinner is to remove the USB ports. They're about the tallest things on there. Also, if Apple was to keep the normal Pros alone and not update them, people would view them the same way they view the Mac Pro.
 
Prof. said:
I don't know about the rest of the cMBP owners here, but I'm glad I bought my 15" cMBP when I did (July 2012). Whilst the retina screen is beyond gorgeous, something tells me it's still not ready for the average consumer (burn-in issues and all). I'm perfectly happy with my non-retina and having the ability to add more RAM in the future (theoretically 32GB, even though nothing I do would require that much), along with updating the HDD to an SSD. Maybe I'll be more willing (I'm sure forced) to buy a retina when I upgrade in 2018. :p
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The low resolution screen of the MBPs have been an issue for me in the later years. I'm currently using my wMB with a resolution of 1280x800 and it's just painful. The 15.6" screen with a 1920x1080 resolution in my other laptop is just so much better to work on... I have to say that, if it weren't for the retina display, I wouldn't buy another Mac, and would buy a Windows machine instead.
 
MBA dual Mic that's it? What's up with the minor spec bumps

nothing exciting from Apple recently no WOW factor I have to get this
 
AnonMac50 said:
Really? Has he actually seen a retina MacBook Pro? The only way to go thinner is to remove the USB ports. They're about the tallest things on there. Also, if Apple was to keep the normal Pros alone and not update them, people would view them the same way they view the Mac Pro.
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No, it's not. In fact, the 15" rMBP is slightly thinner than the 13" rMBP. The 15" rMBP is 0.71", while the 13" rMBP is 0.75". Small difference, but there is. I guess what Kuo meant is that both laptops will have the same height (0.71").
 
jmoore5196 said:
I'm still rocking my early-2011 15" QCi7 MBP because the 15" retinas don't offer a compelling reason to upgrade. The 13" MBPs - retina or classic - sacrifice too much raw processing power.

I realize I'm a distinct minority ... I keep my MBP tethered to a Thunderbolt display. Except on those rare occasions when it leaves my desk, a retina display isn't of much use to me.

What I would buy - in a heartbeat! - would be a sort of "super-pro" 13" rMBP with a QC i7 processor and discrete graphics capability. I could then replace my 2011 MBP and my 11" MBA, which I use for travel.

I remember years ago when new hardware was something to lust after. As Apple's focus continues to shift to iOS, I imagine lust-worthy hardware upgrades will be few and far between.
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Literally in the exact same position. Hopefully, by 2014ish when I'll upgrade, the 13" retina Pro will be more powerful than my early-2011 15" cMBP, while being cheaper than it is now. A lot to ask, but it's what I'd ideally like!
 
AnonMac50 said:
Really? Has he actually seen a retina MacBook Pro? The only way to go thinner is to remove the USB ports. They're about the tallest things on there. Also, if Apple was to keep the normal Pros alone and not update them, people would view them the same way they view the Mac Pro.
Click to expand...
How long until USB/Thunderbolt/etc follows the disk drive? As wireless home internet becomes faster and faster the need for ports will become nonexistent. It could happen.
 
The main thing I need is a Haswell MacBook that is affordable with a sensible amount of storage, 512 minimum. If SSDs are really pushing the price up, then add fusion drives to the MacBook line as a cheaper option. If they can't do that, then for Jobs sake, make them user replaceable. Thinness and unibody construction are useless to me. Repairability and upgradability are much more helpful to the user.

I would like retina but the res on the air is enough.
I would like 15" but 13" would do.

If Apple don't have any impressive upgrades then they absolutly must bring the prices down to a more reasonable level.

They really need to start selling macs that normal people can afford. They would sell a lot more and make more money, just like they did with iPads. It's good business sense if nothing else.
 
Shaun said:
If they drop the non-Retina 15" MBP like I expect them to at WWDC, then they will have to reduce the price of the 15" MBP-R to fill that gap and boost flagging sales.
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Apple could drop the prices of the 15" rMBP to US$ 1,999 and US$ 2,499, but not further, I guess. The lower-end model will hardly cost US$ 1,799, even if Apple dropped the 15" cMPB.

That said, I guess the 15" rMBP was not a bad seller, considering Apple's expectations. On the opposite, it sold quite well, for the price range. The problem has been the 13" rMBP, which at US$ 1,699 and US$ 1,999, was too expensive. Now, at US$ 1,499 and US$ 1,699, it is more palatable and should sell more. Still, it has stiff competition from the MBA.
 
C'mon people!!!!! You have to remember this is all rumor! If it's not coming out of Apples mouth, it hasn't quite happened yet. We will find out on the 10th. Then you could bitch and complain all you want. Chill out and grab a beer.
 
downpour said:
The main thing I need is a Haswell MacBook that is affordable with a sensible amount of storage, 512 minimum. If SSDs are really pushing the price up, then add fusion drives to the MacBook line as a cheaper option. If they can't do that, then for Jobs sake, make them user replaceable. Thinness and unibody construction are useless to me. Repairability and upgradability are much more helpful to the user.

I would like retina but the res on the air is enough.
I would like 15" but 13" would do.

If Apple don't have any impressive upgrades then they absolutly must bring the prices down to a more reasonable level.

They really need to start selling macs that normal people can afford. They would sell a lot more and make more money, just like they did with iPads. It's good business sense if nothing else.
Click to expand...

You should write to Apple and/or Tim Cook complaining then. I just don't see Apple strategy going this way.

When I see Tim Cook speaking, he only talks about iOS devices. It is the bulk of profit for Apple, it's the reason why Apple is a giant now, and it seems like it's all Tim Cook cares about. The iPad is the computer of the future in Tim Cook's mind. So, the average user may well get an iPad for US$ 499 and leave the Macs to the professionals.

I don't agree with it, of course, but it's clearly where Apple is heading to.
 
Baws said:
They should upgrade the processors one last time and announce that they're discontinuing it.
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What kind of accomplishment is that?
Why not just eave it unchanged and take money from customers who want to buy yesterdays tech?
When you miss the boat, you don't call the captain to turn around and pick you up. You have to get on the next boat.
 
jmoore5196 said:
I'm still rocking my early-2011 15" QCi7 MBP because the 15" retinas don't offer a compelling reason to upgrade. The 13" MBPs - retina or classic - sacrifice too much raw processing power.

I realize I'm a distinct minority ... I keep my MBP tethered to a Thunderbolt display. Except on those rare occasions when it leaves my desk, a retina display isn't of much use to me.

What I would buy - in a heartbeat! - would be a sort of "super-pro" 13" rMBP with a QC i7 processor and discrete graphics capability. I could then replace my 2011 MBP and my 11" MBA, which I use for travel.

I remember years ago when new hardware was something to lust after. As Apple's focus continues to shift to iOS, I imagine lust-worthy hardware upgrades will be few and far between.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's because Apple focuses on iOS but because the marketplace and Intel have decided to move on. The past few iterations of the x86 processors have made conscious efforts to improve more on the areas other than the raw CPU performance, with the biggest improvements being in the battery efficiency and the integrated GPU.

A "super-pro" is a non-starter for 13" unfortunately. It'll be thick and power hungry and that'll make it less lust-worthy to most consumers. What'll eventually happen in a year or two is that Intel's integrated graphic will be as good as the older discrete GPU and it'll allow Apple to make a thin, long-lasting 13" laptop with mostly acceptable GPU performance that's on par or better than something like today's 650m.

Also I think a Retina display is a huge lust-worthy item. Unfortunately it doesn't fit your use case but I doubt most laptop buyers make a purchasing decision based on an external monitor.

iGrip said:
Even with a slimmer design? WTF? How could the public ignore such innovation?
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Because the public no longer about personal computers all that much. There are too many older computers that are still perfectly serviceable and when they buy a laptop, it's often the cheapest one possible. Also Apple could sell less units but still make up with higher price per unit since they'll presumably sell more of the higher end models.

We're still in the transition period where SSD and high resolution panels are too expensive on an Apple laptop.

skaertus said:
When I see Tim Cook speaking, he only talks about iOS devices. It is the bulk of profit for Apple, it's the reason why Apple is a giant now, and it seems like it's all Tim Cook cares about.
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The media and the public do not care much about Macs either it seems. Apple had the biggest release year for Macs in sometime last year with the new rMBPs and the newly designed iMacs and nobody really talked about them. If there was much talk it was mostly complaints about Mac Pros not getting new updates.
 
I know it's an analyst saying it so it might not be true but it's a worrying trend to see apple completely dump PRO users from the equation in their new laptops.

The desktop has been ignored for three years!

The retina mac is great but some people need large magnetic HDDs and a DVD drives or use the space for additional storage. SSDs just don't hold enough space. I admit it's very close in laptops but for anyone who does work on a laptop as a desktop replacement machine. Then Apple is polarising us.

I like the retina but I want a thicker retina mac with loads of space. I can take or leave the drive if it means there is more storage.

I remember when apple used to make the best machine for purpose rather than what is selling most. Their laptops have never sold huge amounts but to totally kill the line of workhorse laptops in favour of thinner ones with much much less to offer is so strategic and slithering.
 
skaertus said:
.....the retina display dazzled me, and the thin and light body of the rMBP is what I was expecting from a laptop. So, I guess I'll have to surrender to the wonders of the rMBP and be embraced by the siren song once again.
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I would also like to get one but I'll replace my maxed-out Air with a rMBP if and when:

a) Haswell
b) Improved graphics, with higher frame-rates
c) 802.11.ac across the line, incl. the Time Capsule and Airport devices
d) 1TB of SSD availability, with slightly lowered SSD pricing

We may get one or two of the above items this year, but I'm in no hurry. That 'little Air' is doing quite nicely augmenting the desktop.
 
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