The new MacBook 2017 coming out soon?

[hangkous]

Based on how things are being described, it seems like if there was going to be a small update, it should have happened in April.

Unless they want a bigger bundle of updates, with the iPad Pro (12" is short on delivery), carpool karaoke (is delayed), apple "speaker", etc.

 

[bill-p]

More reason for a small update now (camera, 2nd gen keyboard) and a bigger one in 9-12 months. If the big update would come within 6 months, a small update would be a waste of resources.

Couple reasons why they should not:

1. The name change from m5/m7 to i5/i7 will confuse users.

2. The performance improvement is not enough to justify retooling the manufacturing plants and reworking supply chains.

3. They might as well just tack the newer keyboard and a newer camera on to the current hardware and then release it at the current price. But you can already find the current computer for $350 off, and seriously, would you pay $350 more for a nicer webcam and keyboard?

Most of the problem lies with Intel. Apple doesn't control what Intel releases, or when. And Intel has actually been behind on their delivery schedule this time around (as evident from the link I posted there), which forces Apple into a waiting game as well. Apple is probably waiting as anxiously as we are for the new chips to come out. But alas, Apple's hands are tied as long as Intel does not release what we want.

 

[palmwangja]

Why can't 7Y75 just use the same 16GB ram config as other new macbook pros do?

https://macdaddy.io/macbook-pro-limited-16gb-ram/

Samsung just came out with 8GB mobile LPDDR4 modules approx. 6 months ago, so there's a good chance the next Macbook will have 16GB of RAM.

But that's only if it supports LPDDR4. And Kaby Lake won't support LPDDR4. Hell, i7-7Y75 doesn't support DDR4 at all. DDR3L or LPDDR3 only.

https://ark.intel.com/products/95441/Intel-Core-i7-7Y75-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz

And no Thunderbolt 3 either.

If a Kaby Lake update comes out, the higher end configuration would probably be...

Intel Core i7-7Y75
8GB LPDDR3
720p webcam
2nd gen butterfly keyboard
NO Thunderbolt 3, still single USB-C port

So basically we're paying more for NOTHING at all. Kaby Lake is barely <10% faster than Skylake. If even. The difference between Kaby Lake and Skylake has been benchmarked to be even less than Skylake m5 -> m7. There's a reason we haven't heard much fanfare about Kaby Lake for the past half year.

Guys, seriously, all signs point to either a useless update by WWDC, which I don't think Apple wants at all, or an update straight to Cannonlake somewhere around the end of the year. It's most likely going to be October/November at this rate.

Edit: and even that is looking pretty "optimistic":
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3186...c-chip-shipments-may-slip-into-next-year.html

The problem basically is that the "upgrade" to the next chip is currently not even an "upgrade" at all. It's just like they're renaming the higher-end configurations of the MacBook to i5/i7.

 

[bill-p]

The article you linked to basically answered your question: power consumption.

16GB needs more RAM modules than 8GB
More RAM modules = more power draw

The MacBook is much more limited in battery capacity than the MacBook Pro so any amount of power consumption reduction will have a pretty dramatic effect. This is also the same reason why I don't think Apple will try to squeeze a Touch Bar into the MacBook, because the effect on battery life will be much more detrimental than what has already happened to the MacBook Pro.

But having said all of that, if a MacBook comes out with 16GB RAM, I'd probably be among the first folks to purchase one.