Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Umm, I could be wrong, but the macbook pro retina display has an hdmi port:

HDMI can't do 2560x1600 external displays.

Also on the ethernet, both matrox and belkin will release a hub, that has usb3, dvi, ethernet that connects to a single thunderbird port.

Yes. Unfortunately, the Matrox one lacks Firewire, and Belkin lacks being a company that hasn't done really sleazy stuff (like embedding malware in one of their routers).

of course the thunderbolt display is in itself a hub on top of being a display.

Yes. If it weren't glossy I'd use one and be happy.
 
The problem is, there is no laptop that suits my needs. Apple is the only company that could make one, and they've chosen not to.

I'm assuming that you therefore need either the 17" MBP back, or the new non-Retina MBP with Retina added, since that's the only thing pretty much missing from it?

While I'm sad to see the 17" go, I understand it - sales were pretty low. Still, I'd expected it to be around for one more generation, at least.

As for adding Retina to the new full blown MBP... I suspect that's more due to technical issues than anything else. I'm, in fact, rather surprised by the Retina MBP -- I wasn't expecting the panels and the battery issues to be resolved quite so quickly and didn't expect that for another couple of months.

But there, they had the ability to redesign the case and inside, thus allowing more battery space and a rework of the cooling. With the new non-Retina MBP, they didn't do a case redesign, so if they put in a Retina display for that, even as a BTO option, you could probably expect battery life to suffer considerably.

IMHO, we'll probably see a Retina display come to the full MBP sometime next year - probably when the desktop machines are upgraded. And that will once again put that machine back on the top of the laptop food chain where it belongs.
 
FW is something that has not been used by normal people in many years. It is mostly a few stubborn people in photo/video production who have a baseless fear of new technology, while clinging to the things that they knew best. Even the iPod and most Apple consumer electronic products have not used it for nearly a decade, that tells how arcane and ineffective this interface really it. It's simply time to upgrade people's drives, peripheral, cameras, etc, and move on from this anachronistic monstrosity.

This is wrong on so many levels. Firewire 800 is infinitely superior to USB. Though USB 3 and Thunderbolt are both superior interfaces, thunderbolt drives are still pretty much only sold as massive desktop drives, with prices to match, and neither interface is really prevalent.

As a film student who needs a fast, reliable, AND portable external drive for editing off of, firewire is really the ONLY choice for me. Why? Because of comparability. I can use it on my mac, on my desktop pc, and on the schools macs in our large editing suites. This enables me to always have my project with me, and to work on it from anywhere.

When I purchased this drive, I considered USB 3 drives and thunderbolt drives as well. My drive IS technically USB 3, I believe. But thunderbolt drives come with ONLY thunderbolt out, and theres no way to convert thunderbolt out to firewire or USB 3 in as of now, so they're only useful as a solution where they will always be with a modern mac, or always be with only 1 computer. USB 3 only wouldn't have enabled me to use it on any computer I or the school currently owned, at least not at the faster speed I needed for video editing.

Plain and simple, firewire will still be necessary for the foreseeable future because of compatibly. I desperately wanted to move to a thunderbolt drive, but it just wasn't an option.
 
They should have released the new MBP as the new MBA.

it would have side stepped a lot of critiscm its getting ATM.

right now the "new mbp" has just taken away any versatility its been renowned for within the mac laptop ranges.
 
People keep saying this as though it makes any kind of sense at all.

The problem is, there is no laptop that suits my needs. Apple is the only company that could make one, and they've chosen not to.

Yes, and it is their prerogative to build a product they want, and feel their customers need. Unfortunately your needs are not met 100% so you have to choose.

My point is, don't be angry or frustrated.
 
The problem is, there is no laptop that suits my needs. Apple is the only company that could make one, and they've chosen not to.

Then don't buy one. No one is holding a gun to your head. Or are they? Please dial your local police emergency number or at least let us know where you're being held via Morse code.

----------

They should have released the new MBP as the new MBA.

it would have side stepped a lot of critiscm its getting ATM.

right now the "new mbp" has just taken away any versatility its been renowned for within the mac laptop ranges.

What "versatility" is Apple renowned for and what has the new MBP taken away from you?
 
yes, like others has said, for those not wanting the new mbp, having no fw, ethernet and optical. They still sell the macbook pro without the retina display.

I believe this is a transition. Even Apple, a company that is renowned to make a hero something (laptop in this case), admits that. By having the old design still be available, they can cater for both.

So people that have no problem having no FW, ethernet and optical can buy the macbook pro with retina display. I'm one of those people, my DSL provider has a free wifi router for me. I never used my optical drive, neither do I have Firewire gadgets. The new macbook pro with retina display works for me, so good for me.

Now do I represent a big percentage of Apple customers? Maybe, or maybe not. Time will tell, that's why they have the old macbook pro design still available. For people that don't want the new design. So depending on the sales, I guess we know for sure.

So no need to gripe, the old design is still there and very available. And Apple loves you.
 
Then don't buy one. No one is holding a gun to your head. Or are they? Please dial your local police emergency number or at least let us know where you're being held via Morse code.

Boy, that's a totally helpful response.

Okay, here's the thing. I like OS X. Most of my work is done on OS X. I use OS X for my finances, my programming, all that stuff. I would like to continue doing so. I would like to have powerful machines on which to do so.

But I can't, because Apple refuses to sell them or let someone else sell them.

So here's the thing. One of the purposes of a discussion forum is for people to talk about things, and how those things affect them. This can be a pretty cool experience, but it's frustrating on Apple forums, because a bunch of the people have nothing better to do with their time than be smug, insulting, and derisive about how stupid it is for anyone to want Apple to make the best hardware they can, instead of cutting corners and abandoning users who have been relying on them.

If you aren't one of the "pro" users the MBP line used to be targeted at, that's fine; you don't have to want these features to be a good person. But it would sure be cool if you would refrain from insulting and deriding people for wanting Apple to continue making excellent high-end hardware with all the cool functionality that they could put in a machine if it were designed in terms of what it could do, not how thin it would be.

The MBP forum is, I think, for users of MacBook Pros, and people who would like to use them in the future, to talk about what they want. Reacting with blatant hostility and derision whenever someone wants something you don't personally need is not improving the quality of these forums. Come on, you can do better.

The idea that someone's needs from a computer are only relevant if they are being forced to buy at gunpoint is stupid. Yes, I know it's a rhetorical device, but it's a stupid one, because obviously the question is not "forced to buy" but "would very much like to buy". I make a fair bit of money doing things using Apple's products. I would like to spend that money on more Apple products, but for me to do this, they have to start making some products that are designed for the historical market of the "MacBook Pro" line -- people who might want a couple of extra ports. People who might be willing to put up with a laptop that's an eigth of an inch thicker in order to get a machine that's faster, or more powerful. People who keep laptops long enough that the ability to upgrade drives and memory is genuinely important to them. You know. "Pro" users.

Heck, I could probably make do (which is a phrase that has been coming up more and more often in my Apple experience over the last few years) if they just had Retina MBPs and Thunderbolt displays which weren't glossy.
 
Then don't buy one. No one is holding a gun to your head. Or are they? Please dial your local police emergency number or at least let us know where you're being held via Morse code.

----------



What "versatility" is Apple renowned for and what has the new MBP taken away from you?

new MBP has taken away:

1) my ability to stream 1080p content in networks of interference with the loss of ethernet
2) my ability to play DVDs
3) my ability to use firewire enabled devices i bought because i owned a freaking mac
4) the ability to EASILY upgrade RAM/HDD w/o voiding warantee - i.e. the ability to have a miniature upgrade in 2-3 years time rather than buy a whole new mac
5) ability to write data (i.e. to a disc)

also basic points... big resolution = big resolution video/pics... yet we are restricted by HD and camera. apple are making it very hard to get the best ouf ot he screen without buying more peripherals which no doubt they hold a monetary share in. :O

the mac/deluded/stupid fanboy will suggest handing over ever more money on adaptors but the point is when people blow 2k+ on a laptop, they usually want it to be able to do a lot out of the box.

take off your retardedly biased specs and analyse the situation. rather than including mainstream ports for peripherals we already have, they includer thunderbolt ports = for macs = mac specific hardware = tieing you into the mac ecosystem = them having a share in most thunderbolt companies = thunderbolt device companies over pricing = more of your money. that includes adaptors, HDDs etc.



oh and lol at the argument: OMG DONT BUY ONE DEN STOP CIRTISING APPLE AND JUS BUY SUMMAT ELSE LAWLZ!. what an idiotic response to something on a forum. rather than having a reasonable debate about whether or not the upgrade is good, you just say OMG DONT BUY IT THEN AND BEE QUIET LAWLZ!! People are raising valid points because they're valid and your retarded fanboy responses are ridiculously annoying.

just as u tell people not to talk bad about apple on an apple forum... if you can't take critism of a dicussion, the internet & forums are not for you.

do u understand how stupid that sounds? its like someone is telling you your girlfriend is cheating on you and you're putting your fingers in your ears saying LALALALALALALALA.

im sure you can think of 398398393 ways to counter these problems which will result in me paying another 200-500 dollars. last year, i bought my MBP and it had everything I needed apart from a HDMI port (which i was pissed off at, props to them including it this year).

----------

Exactly! Let the average user buy the MBA if they want light and airy, stripped down laptops. Keep the PRO line for us photographers/videographers who need optical drives and musicians who need firewire ports and probably want optical drives as well. Stripping the MBP down to look like the MBA line is just stupid and redundant.

exactly. this latests update i can't help but feel is telling professional users what their usage should be rather than them actually tailoring to what they need.

luckily they kept the old line going but i really feel like this way too much, way too soon much alike when the MBA first hit town.
 
Then don't buy one. No one is holding a gun to your head. Or are they? Please dial your local police emergency number or at least let us know where you're being held via Morse code.



That is really a tired line. People WANT to like it yet it does not meat their needs, that is the basic reason why most people state their issue with many things.

The MBP forum is, I think, for users of MacBook Pros, and people who would like to use them in the future, to talk about what they want. Reacting with blatant hostility and derision whenever someone wants something you don't personally need is not improving the quality of these forums. Come on, you can do better.

I notice that a bit, "I don't need it so they should lose it" however if it was there at least people that want it CAN use it, if not then don't. Some people do a few extra things with their computer and need it to work for them.

People who might be willing to put up with a laptop that's an eigth of an inch thicker in order to get a machine that's faster, or more powerful. People who keep laptops long enough that the ability to upgrade drives and memory is genuinely important to them. You know. "Pro" users.

Mac is a little too obsessed with thinness, cool and all as long as you can still get work done. A super thin laptop that has nothing on it would not be too useful.

[quote[exactly. this latests update i can't help but feel is telling professional users what their usage should be rather than them actually tailoring to what they need. [/quote]

I get that feeling from Apple a lot, be like saying, I need that, no you don't, yes I do, nope.........-_- I am quite sure WE know what we want. I WANT to like Apple computers, because of their limited nature I will unlikely be able to buy such a system in the future, I want the ports, blu-ray optical drive etc.. I want options, and having to get a ton of adapters and external drives is silly when you are buying a laptop.
 
take off your retardedly biased specs and analyse the situation. rather than including mainstream ports for peripherals we already have, they includer thunderbolt ports = for macs = mac specific hardware = tieing you into the mac ecosystem = them having a share in most thunderbolt companies = thunderbolt device companies over pricing = more of your money. that includes adaptors, HDDs etc.



oh and lol at the argument: OMG DONT BUY ONE DEN STOP CIRTISING APPLE AND JUS BUY SUMMAT ELSE LAWLZ!. what an idiotic response to something on a forum. rather than having a reasonable debate about whether or not the upgrade is good, you just say OMG DONT BUY IT THEN AND BEE QUIET LAWLZ!! People are raising valid points because they're valid and your retarded fanboy responses are ridiculously annoying.

just as u tell people not to talk bad about apple on an apple forum... if you can't take critism of a dicussion, the internet & forums are not for you.

do u understand how stupid that sounds? its like someone is telling you your girlfriend is cheating on you and you're putting your fingers in your ears saying LALALALALALALALA.
My apologies. I guess the problem is that is have been debating these points, but I got bored after seeing the same thing being repeated for the 100th time. It feels like one is just repeating themselves, but obviously with different people. I guess that's the problem on a sub-forum with hundreds of people all trying to get their point in. Once again, my apologies.
 
Not if someone wants both, that is the entire problem, people would not be making such an issue about it if it was that simple.

Looking at the size of the battery in the RMBP, some compromises would have had to be made in the old shape. You would definitely lose the ODD. I guess at the end of the day Apple is signifying this is the way they are moving forward. I still can't believe that analyst at KGI was right about introducing a completely different MBP alongside the old shape models.

It's pretty clear that if the old shape models don't sell well in comparison to the new RMBP, it will be axed some time in the future. Possibly even as soon as next year.
 
My apologies. I guess the problem is that is have been debating these points, but I got bored after seeing the same thing being repeated for the 100th time. It feels like one is just repeating themselves, but obviously with different people. I guess that's the problem on a sub-forum with hundreds of people all trying to get their point in. Once again, my apologies.

Respect for being reasonable, I honestly wish people would discuss and debate rather than negrepping and being the apple fanboys everyone makes fun of
 
The annoying thing is that if you BTO a MBP to match the Retina MBP it ends up being several hundred dollar more expensive thanks to the liberal markup Apple has on SSDs. But then you have the optical drive firewire and ethernet.
And of course you can get around all the ethernet/firewire "problems" with an Apple 27" Thunderbolt display. I honestly had no idea those came with ethernet and firewire connectivity?!
Still, when you compare the cost of a MBP+SSD with Retina MBP+TB display I find myself leaning towards the retina MBP. It gets pretty good performance scores on geekbench and is lighter.
The question is if the firewire performance of the thunderbolt display (plus USB superdrive natch)is up to par for professional use? If it is I can justify it. If it throttles the FW800 down to FW400 or FW200 speeds. Or if it introduces a large amount of latency...
 
Respect for being reasonable, I honestly wish people would discuss and debate rather than negrepping and being the apple fanboys everyone makes fun of

I realised that I was being an *** when I had typed a similar response in a Mac Pro thread that you had typed to me. :eek:
 
Not if someone wants both, that is the entire problem, people would not be making such an issue about it if it was that simple.

Well, want away. Apple haven't built that machine, and it is likely due to trade-offs that were required to support the screen and form factor.

The new machine has 2 thunderbolt ports, you can add the legacy ports if/when needed.
 
new MBP has taken away:

1) my ability to stream 1080p content in networks of interference with the loss of ethernet
2) my ability to play DVDs
3) my ability to use firewire enabled devices i bought because i owned a freaking mac
4) the ability to EASILY upgrade RAM/HDD w/o voiding warantee - i.e. the ability to have a miniature upgrade in 2-3 years time rather than buy a whole new mac
5) ability to write data (i.e. to a disc)

also basic points... big resolution = big resolution video/pics... yet we are restricted by HD and camera. apple are making it very hard to get the best ouf ot he screen without buying more peripherals which no doubt they hold a monetary share in. :O

No it hasn't.

The MBP has taken away the ability to have that *and* a retina display. But since you don't actually *need* one of those, if one of the legacy bits is a mission critical piece for you, they sell a brand new MBP with all those features.

You just can't have the super high-resolution screen. But if Apple was the only laptop maker capable of providing previously, that means you were doing fine with their older type of screens.
 
No it hasn't.

The MBP has taken away the ability to have that *and* a retina display. But since you don't actually *need* one of those, if one of the legacy bits is a mission critical piece for you, they sell a brand new MBP with all those features.

You just can't have the super high-resolution screen. But if Apple was the only laptop maker capable of providing previously, that means you were doing fine with their older type of screens.



I was talking about the retinaMBP in my post, which is what most people on this thread are talking about. I am fully aware apple are still updating their current lines of MBP, thank you.

I feel the rMBP could have been more than what it is, considering the very high price for a screen which really isn't going to realise its potential with a 720p resolution camera, limited harddrive space to store 1080p content, no DVD drive, no ethernet port to stream content at very high bitrrates and beyond and a graphics card which any PC gamer would tell you is fairly underpowered for the resolution its going to support for I'm guessing atleast a 3-5 year lifespan of a laptop.

Of course, I could go out and buy an external drive, an adaptor for ethernet, a thunderbolt HD... but I feel thats for very very rich people who care less about value and more about fashion because technologically, apart from the screen, this MBP is not really an advancement in anything other than form factor and how much you can lose from a product yet keep the price very high.

A lot of you people were jerking off to MBPs LED battery indictator, massive connectivity, reasonable price point for good build quality, smooth experience, the fact it "just works", the option for easily upgradable RAM/SSD to give your laptops another lease of life in a few years...

A bit of marketting really does do wonders doesn't it...


i laughed my ass off in the press conference when they actually critisised and said the glass screen "gets in the way"... rewind a few years ago and the glass screen was one of the biggest and best innovations for high contrast ratio... oooh apple. :/
 
Fast and Thunderbolt DVD R/RW

Is there any sign of a fast and Thunderbolt-connected external DVD R/RW, I whisper, for the new MacBook Pro 15''?
 
I'm fine with all of these things not being built in for as infrequent as they get used, but I do wish that Apple would have included the Ethernet, FireWire, MagSafe adapters and external SuperDrive in the box for at least the first generation MacBook Pro with retina display. Having to spend $150 in adapters to make your $2,200 laptop usable with today's technology is kind of a bitter pill to swallow.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.