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The next processor update choice for the "15 inch MacBook Pro all depends on Apple's motives. If they want to truly update the machine they will wait for Skylake, which includes thunderbolt 3, improved power, efficiency and battery life. It also has wireless charging (if Apple activates it), wireless connection to monitors, and can run DDR4 memory. This is the best upgrade choice for consumers. However, Intel is trying to get ride of broadwell to make room for skylake which means Apple can purchase the broadwell chips at a great discount. Doing this increases profit margins. So I wouldn't be surprised if Apple chooses Broadwell.
 
Apple would be shooting itself in the foot if they don't upgrade the rMBP; the current 15-inch model is outdated for a $2k+ computer.

Put in a Broadwell quad-core chip when they become available and refresh the GPU asap, then upgrade everything again when Skylake is out next year.

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Apple Mac updates are tied to Intel's ability to produce new CPUs in production quantities in a timely manner. In an ideal world those CPUs would offer substantial performance gains year after year.

Don't like Apple's update progress or the performance improvements offered? Blame Intel.
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For CPUs sure, but what about the outdated GPUs used in many models?
 
It would be nice to see a new desktop mac with a desktop processor ( unlike the iMac ) use something equivalent to say an i7-5960X with eight cores. Keep the high end Xeon E5/E7s in the Mac Pro and keep the current laptop CPUs in the iMac ( unless engineering redesigns the iMac to handle 140 watts TDP which undoubtedly isn't happening ). Currently the only path to an i7-59xxX class is hackintosh. Such a machine would be screaming fast. This would give customers three tiers: laptop CPUs, Haswell extreme and at the top end the Xeons. This would also provide a high-end machine for those who need power but don't really use multi-processing capabilities of the Xeon.

The Retina iMac uses desktop-class CPUs. I may be interpreting your post incorrectly, but you seem to be implying the iMac uses laptop CPUs.
 
I3, i5, i7 does not represent generations, but tiers of intels CPUs... For generations Intel uses code names like sandy bridge, ivy bridge, haswell, broadwell etc...

That, as well as the model number that comes after i3 or i5 or i7.

Sandy Bridge:
i7 2600k/2700k

Ivy Bridge:
i7 3770k

Haswell:
i7 4770k/4790k

There are desktop models as I'm more familiar with their number scheme, but you get the idea.

Back on topic... Intel has delayed broadwell for so long now that I'm skipping it entirely and waiting for Skylake. I think it's entirely possible Apple won't bother with a mid cycle refresh this year. Or more accurately, the mid cycle refresh may be skylake vs merely higher clocked broadwell CPU.
 
I've said for a while now they may move to 12" 14" and 16" devices rather than the current 11/13/15". It just makes sense.

.....

That would make me happy, a 17 inch even better, but I could live with 16 inch. People that want small have iDevices, people that need portable real computers need more.
 
looking forward to new 15s. My mid 2012 is getting a little long in the tooth

Now 16" would be awesome. Not happening in 2015 though
 
My mid 2012 is getting a little long in the tooth
Heh, I've got an early 2011 and my wife's is a 2009. I'm hoping for a decent upgrade so I can give her mine and her sister will get hers. Her sister's is from 2004.

Let's all try to remember that our wait is an upper middle class, first world problem. ;)
 
From a low-tech graphic chic

I have a layman's question, sorry if this has been asked but I did not see anything similar. Does/will the suspected chip difference (Broadwell vs Skylake) really make a noticeable difference for a Graphics and photography driven user? I'm curious about short term and long-term.

I work with some very large files, sometimes designing larger than life murals in adobe. I use almost no animation but that could change in the future. I have a higher end 27" mac purchased about 1 year ago but I do work a lot from my laptop also while on site or traveling, so its a work horse.

My current laptop in 5 years old and I hate the thought of waiting an entire year to upgrade, 2 months, even 6 would be an option but a year or more sounds like toucher, my late 2009 just can't keep up with the software I use any more.

Any thoughts my tech friends?
 
These will include the force touch track pads right?

Should do, if the 13" is anything to go by.

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Anybody have a best guess as to when a new generation will be released? I'm waiting to upgrade from my early 2013 rMBP but I want a design refresh, not just a spec bump.

The unibody MacBook Pro was released in 2008.
The thinner, Retina MacBook Pro was release in 2012.

On that time frame, next year?

I'm still amazed I'm going to buy a 15" Retina MBP and it will weigh the same as my current MacBook.
 
I have a layman's question, sorry if this has been asked but I did not see anything similar. Does/will the suspected chip difference (Broadwell vs Skylake) really make a noticeable difference for a Graphics and photography driven user? I'm curious about short term and long-term.

I work with some very large files, sometimes designing larger than life murals in adobe. I use almost no animation but that could change in the future. I have a higher end 27" mac purchased about 1 year ago but I do work a lot from my laptop also while on site or traveling, so its a work horse.

My current laptop in 5 years old and I hate the thought of waiting an entire year to upgrade, 2 months, even 6 would be an option but a year or more sounds like toucher, my late 2009 just can't keep up with the software I use any more.

Any thoughts my tech friends?

Sounds like you'd benefit more from the graphics chip upgrade that should come along with the next big update. Whether that will come with a small CPU bump (e.g Broadwel) or the bigger Skylake one is still unknown to us. Likely you'll have to wait 6 months until Skylake when Apple puts in a 900 series NVIDIA chip. That would be a big boost in CPU, GPU, and battery life. Worth waiting for it if you can limp along on the 2009 or buy a interim machine with plans to sell at a loss.
 
The timing is excellent. I'm in the market to upgrade from an early 2011 15" MBP. Not too hung up on Broadwell vs Skylake considering the Sandy Bridge i7 it's packing is still going strong. Wouldn't mind a matte option on that retina display, though...
 
Well I will get flamed for this, but I want an ARM based Mac please. Apple has almost total control of the supply chain for the iphone, ipad, and Watch (well okay they seem to have no control whatsoever on the watch right now). But on the Macs, they are beholden to intel. The ARM chips are really powerful these days and I would even bet that the A8 is as powerful as some of the intel Atom chip (probably more powerful but I will play it conservative).

If there was ever a Mac product that would have an ARM chip, it would have been the new MacBook. But, no.
 
I'm currently also in for an upgrade, as I chose upgradability over Retina in 2012 and am still using my MBP13 non-Retina. But it's slow, and small, and I don't like the screen. Intel, hurry up!

If you chose upgradability you should consider putting an SSD in it and upgrading the RAM. I have a 15" 2012 cMBP and I put the 1TB 850 pro in it a couple months ago. It's a whole new computer. Although, I completely agree on the screen. I don't mind mine as much as I sprang for the hi-res 15" screen.
 
Updates to the Macintosh product lines from Apple are a joke.

Do they update graphics chips when new chips come out? Nope

Sure it sounds reasonable to wait for Intel, but apple has been know to sit on models for 1-2 years before a modest refresh or minor update.

I was hoping for a new Apple after the new Mac Pro was released, but that has sit on the shelf since release.

Add to this the anti-consumer practices of not allowing user updated RAM. Glueing computers together and more... It's not hard to see why more and more are getting interested in dual OS hackintoshes. I don't have one, but I'm waiting to see what comes from wwdc.
 
I'll skip this one too but when Skylake drops (Early 2016 ?) I will upgrade for sure. ForceTouch would be nice also :) .

Still very happy with my Late 2013 15" Retina MBP.
 
Most Apple customers will not buy an upgraded Mac if the only upgrade was a bump in GPU. In fact, many would complain - like many do here.

Disagree on this one. Lots of people would be happy if Apple did a refresh every six months or so to make sure the products were fresh and cutting decor when they are bought.
 
If you chose upgradability you should consider putting an SSD in it and upgrading the RAM. I have a 15" 2012 cMBP and I put the 1TB 850 pro in it a couple months ago. It's a whole new computer. Although, I completely agree on the screen. I don't mind mine as much as I sprang for the hi-res 15" screen.

I've been running my MBP with a 256GB SSD 830 and 16 gig of RAM since day one, and although there are faster SSDs out now, I don't see the point of investing another ~200$ in a soon obsolete machine.

But you're right: Replacing a spinning drive with an SSD really makes any computer feel like it's totally new (compared to before the upgrade).
 
... suggesting a potential refresh for the non-Retina iMac might use that Skylake chip rather than the older Broadwell chip.

No, there isn't going to be another update to the non-Retina 27" iMac. A Skylake update and price drop for the Retina iMac in the fall is very likely.

Actual Mac news is like a needle in a haystack around here now-a-days.

+1. It also seems like Apple Watch shipping times are news now. :rolleyes:
 
Ah, Broadwell smodwell, that 'tic' chip has been delayed so long it's getting to be old news. Why even bother releasing it for a 6 month run. The only buyers to take that bate will be the ones either unaware the next gen chip is around the corner or just plain need a laptop now.

I want the 'real' update, Skylake is the 'Toc' that'll make the next gen rMBP worth investing in.

(God knows my 2008 Unibody finally needs to be mercifully put down :))
 
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Ah, Broadwell smodwell, that 'tic' chip has been delayed so long it's getting to be old news. Why even bother releasing it for a 6 month run.

They won't do it that way. They'll release EP processors on Broadwell due to long refresh cycles and presumably extensive hardware validations. They'll stagger the rest, so you'll see some things operating on Broadwell while others have switched over. Its impact may be somewhat variable relative to the hardware in question.
 
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