Thinner 15-Inch MacBook Pro Coming with Retina Display and USB 3.0?

[BK.]

Just buy the external optical drive for when you really need one. It is a lot smaller than a Mac Mini, which also doesn't have an optical drive. People said the same thing when the iMac dropped the floppy drive. Get over it. In a few years, we won't be using optical drives at all anymore.

You're missing the point. And "get over it"? Sorry buddy, but the 90s are over with.

It's not the fact they've removed the ODD. If they had removed it for a good reason, to add some super awesome new feature in its place, that'd be cool.

They've removed it to make the design thinner.

When they already have the Air.

D'oh.

THAT is where my issue lies.

(Assuming this is/comes true).

 

[MarkBubba]

Just buy the external optical drive for when you really need one. It is a lot smaller than a Mac Mini, which also doesn't have an optical drive. People said the same thing when the iMac dropped the floppy drive. Get over it. In a few years, we won't be using optical drives at all anymore.

Please notify HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo, Asus, and Fujitsu of the fact they need to dump their optical drives and they'll tell you that you're full of ****. I plan on using optical drives until I'm dead and I'm young; I still play vinyl records too. Not everybody likes paying for highly-compressed digital content online.

 

[GREEN4U]

You guys should read the 9to5Mac article. It really drills home how much the retina display is the biggest update ever, IMO, since the switch to aluminum casing w/ the G4. This is going to be huge.

Steve Jobs is smiling somewhere.

 

[skellener]

Just buy the external optical drive for when you really need one.

You can get a Bluray drive and even play Bluray movies back on Mac OS X with MakeMKV and VLC!

 

[BK.]

Please notify HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo, Asus, and Fujitsu of the fact they need to dump their optical drives and they'll tell you that you're full of ****. I plan on using optical drives until I'm dead and I'm young; I still play vinyl records too. Not everybody likes paying for highly-compressed digital content online.

It's not even that, though. At least not for me. Give me a good enough reason and I'll kiss goodbye to the ODD.

Tell me you're getting rid of it to make the design thinner when you already manufacture the MacBook Air, and I'll just laugh.

 

[deconstruct60]

...

The casing of the forthcoming MacBook Pro reportedly includes ports for the MagSafe power connector, two USB ports, and audio in/out jacks along the left side, with a battery level indicator also included along the same side. The right side is said to offer a pair of Thunderbolt ports, another USB port, an SD card slot, and a Kensington lock slot.

This is a bonehead port layout.

Far , far, far, far, better would be:

MagSafe , [ FW port ] , 1 USB port , 2 Thunderbolt , and battery indicator. On the other side, [ Ethernet ] , 2 USB ports , SD card , Audio in/out , lock slot .

First, you put the Power connector with the Thunderbolt connectors on the same side. Like on the current design for MBP If they need to be physically separated for interference reasons either keep the FW port or just use blank space (or just make this side with two USBs) . Having a USB ports on both sides is good; so at least one here.



On the other side, if keep Ethernet it can go here. Otherwise the rest. Placing the audio ports between the two "slots" helps differentiate them on distance as well as size.

Given its height, the Ethernet port is one of the primary features limiting how thin the MacBook Pro can be, and it appears that Apple may simply have removed the port entirely in order to achieve the thin design it desired.

I can't remember where I saw it but think there as a chart that Intel put out that showed which ports/sockets did/didn't fit into various case heights for laptops ( ultrabooks ). Ethernet is probably tallest after get rid of a slot loading DVD drive ( the pop-out trays can squeeze thinner but Apple won't go that way).

However, if I recall correctly Apple could have gotten the thickness down to 0.80 inches ( from the current 0.90 inches). It would have been thinner. I don't think this is a good call. While 801.11ac is coming there are dismally small number of deployments that are going to be in place for over a year or so.

I guess they are betting folks will buy docking stations ( perhaps small portable ones). That's probably as bad a bet as 1 USB socket MBA's (another idea taken to the extreme that wasn't particularly well thought out).

The new MacBook Pro may also forgo FireWire connectivity, although the report appears unsure on that point.

Funny how this "may forgo" totally doesn't show up in the mock. I'm sure this "Apple kills FW" theory will generate many more ad views than one that just leaves it in place.

The report indicates that the USB ports on the new MacBook Pro will support USB 3.0, a feature some had questioned whether Apple would adopt given the move to Thunderbolt connectivity.

Another extremely dubious theory that has the distinct benefit of generating many more ad views. Thunderbolt never was a viable replacement for USB.

Apple was being lazy about deploying USB 3.0 but there was never anything creditable that they were going to skip it over the long term. (i.e, buy 10's of millions of chips that support USB 3.0 and then not enable it.but make users pay for it anyway. ) 2011 was "roll out TB" and 2012 will likely be in part "roll out USB 3.0".

Turning "TB vs. USB" makes for good "family feud" show, but it makes no sense as the two address largely different markets with only a limited amount of overlap.

 

[7enderbender]

Which interfaces are you looking for exactly?

Any. At this point I'm willing to switch from Cubase to Pro Tools or even Logic. Looks like FireWire may be on its way out (again) on the Apple side of things. USB2 is not really fast enough to get good latency. So I'm asking which interfaces there are that do USB3 or Thunderbolt or really anything else instead that will be around for a while. I can't find ANY. Professional audio interfaces are Firewire and probably will stay for a while. I don't know the technical details but I believe there are reasons for that. Speed isn't everything in such power hungry applications like multitrack audio processing and live recording. FW has proven to be working. I'm not aware of any alternatives as of yet.

Sure, there may be an adapter, but what will that mean in the real world? Especially if there is a need to hook up another monitor and a lightning fast external disk at the same time?

And yes, I know that there are reasons not to use a laptop at all for audio recording and photo editing. Fair enough. But I'd like to have the option at least for the basics. Desktop will then perhaps follow on the same platform if I like what I see.

If Apple really turns this machine into a piece of nice industrial design and leaves out real life needs then it looks like another PC desktop plus one of the mediocre PC laptops out there for me. Let's be clear: for me as a PC user a Macbook Pro with a great screen COULD be a selling point. Not so much the iMac but I may ADD one if I start liking the Mac. But not like this. I could have bought a MB Air if I wanted a fancy looking toy.

 

[cocky jeremy]

A lot of people in here have apparently never heard the term "wifi" before, or USB 3.

 

[theSeb]

Please notify HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo, Asus, and Fujitsu of the fact they need to dump their optical drives and they'll tell you that you're full of ****. I plan on using optical drives until I'm dead and I'm young; I still play vinyl records too. Not everybody likes paying for highly-compressed digital content online.

I use an external LG BR writer. It does the job magnificently. I also buy optical media that I then rip at highest possible quality to keep as digital copies. Surely you would have switched to a PC laptop by now if having the latest optical disk drive with you at all times with uncompressed digital content was a priority? Why would I want to carry all of my optical media with me? I have a proper BR player connected to my AV system and to my TV. I have a hi-fi system to listen to my music. If I want full quality BR movies, then I pop in a disc. When I travel it's far more convenient to compress a couple of movies/series from my digital collection and put them onto my laptop or iPad.

If you tell me it's about the music, then you can purchase high bitrate music online that is much better quality than a CD.

Digital is also easier than carrying hundreds of discs. I used to lament at the loss of the optical disk in the mini, but I get it now.

 

[varsis]

Is it possible future non-Apple TB monitors might not allow for daisy-chaining?

Is DisplayPort dead already?




I doubt Apple will ever include another adapter with their computers.
Are there currently any non-Apple TB to Ethernet adapters?




Only problem is 11ac is still 'draft'--not finalized.




It would be nice to at least retain one FW800 port to use with audio hardware.




So how many $50.00+ adapters am I supposed to buy? and carry?

My concern with the rumored new models is the unseen costs: adapters (TB to ethernet; TB to FW; TB to VGA/DisplayPort/HDMI); external optical drive (for games, software installation, audio and video work, etc.). TB isn't widespread yet and windows support is still developing reliable drivers for TB. IMO, until Windows includes reliable support for TB, its adoption and product development will remain lagging and expensive. Unless Apple lowers its pricing on its notebooks, its value proposition compare to Windows may drop precipitously. I love OS X and Apple's design philosophy (mostly), but it seems like they are pushing out hardware which still lacks (and will lack into the considerable future) widespread peripheral hardware support. Support fo USB 3 on upcoming models may help mitigate some problems, but then what is the point of TB?

What is really needed is an affordable (i.e., cheaper) option for a TB hub which includes ports for ethernet, FW, USB2/3, VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort, etc., and which does not restrict how many ports may be used at full speed simultaneously.

Is it still in draft?
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/buffalo-beats-others-to-the-802-11ac-wifi-punch/

 

[theSeb]

Any. At this point I'm willing to switch from Cubase to Pro Tools or even Logic. Looks like FireWire may be on its way out (again) on the Apple side of things. USB2 is not really fast enough to get good latency. So I'm asking which interfaces there are that do USB3 or Thunderbolt or really anything else instead that will be around for a while. I can't find ANY. Professional audio interfaces are Firewire and probably will stay for a while. I don't know the technical details but I believe there are reasons for that. Speed isn't everything in such power hungry applications like multitrack audio processing and live recording. FW has proven to be working. I'm not aware of any alternatives as of yet.

Sure, there may be an adapter, but what will that mean in the real world? Especially if there is a need to hook up another monitor and a lightning fast external disk at the same time?

And yes, I know that there are reasons not to use a laptop at all for audio recording and photo editing. Fair enough. But I'd like to have the option at least for the basics. Desktop will then perhaps follow on the same platform if I like what I see.

If Apple really turns this machine into a piece of nice industrial design and leaves out real life needs then it looks like another PC desktop plus one of the mediocre PC laptops out there for me. Let's be clear: for me as a PC user a Macbook Pro with a great screen COULD be a selling point. Not so much the iMac but I may ADD one if I start liking the Mac. But not like this. I could have bought a MB Air if I wanted a fancy looking toy.

There are two Thunderbolt to Firewire adaptors available right now and there will be more in the future. The Apple Thunderbolt Display is the one adaptor. The other is the Sonnet Express card adaptor, which connects to your Thunderbolt port. You can then buy a 3/4 express card with Firewire ports.

Here is another one that will ship later in the year

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/belkin-details-thunderbolt-express-dock/

 

[Porco]

Sure, there may be an adapter, but what will that mean in the real world?

It means wait until there's an adapter before you buy the machine.

If they include two Thunderbolt ports you're better off than if they included one Thunderbolt port and one Firewire port, because Thunderbolt is faster than Firewire but can replicate firewire (perhaps even multiple Firewire ports) for things that need it.

As long as the adapters turn up, which I think they will, Thunderbolt really solves all the problems. If you have specific devices, you just leave the adapter on the device's cable and forget about it. Now it's a Firewire800/400-over-Thunderbolt device. And when you're not using that device, you have a faster port for other things.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

I'm ready to plop down some cash this summer!

I totally understand the complaints of all the pro users out there... Although as a consumer I love the changes! But that's just probably another sign that the "pro" in MBP is in name only.

I love that it's thinner, but I also am glad it doesn't taper like the air. I've never really understood the point of tapering quite so much. I'd prefer faster and longer battery life to the tapering. But I wouldn't mind a light taper or rounding on the edges (particularly on the arm rest).

Good riddance to the optical drive (for me).

I have not once in 5 years used the firewire, and probably used the ethernet port just 4-5 times for some hotel rooms. So I'm all in favor of removing those. (I'm also anticipating the future will involve one LTE data plan from my iPhone which I will tether to my laptop where ever I am).

I'm torn between either a large SSD or a SSD and HD combo, because I understand the price/size limitations on the current SSDs, but then again this will be my laptop for the next 5 years and spinning harddrives will look so foolish, slow, loud, hot, etc in the coming years. Ideally I'm thinking just SSD and then use some sort of external drive on my home network. Also, I'm hoping that as iCloud develops it will further remove the necessity of so much local storage.

USB3 is an obvious inclusion.

Ivy Bridge.. can't wait.

Retina display, I'll have to see it, but honestly I've never been one to freak out about these retina display's. I love the display on my iPad 2, granted it has a PPI of 132 opposed to the 13" mbp with a PPI of 113... But then again I've also never looked at my 5 year old whitebook and thought it really needed an increase in resolution... I'd rather increases in things like viewing angle, glare reduction, washout from the sun, color saturation, etc.

touchscreen.... jk

 

[shurcooL]

No Firewire?

Who needs 800 Mbps firewire when there's USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) and Thunderbolt (10 Gbps)? Think forward man. Leave the past behind. Use an adapter if you need the port for a year or two.

 

[KPOM]

They've removed it to make the design thinner.

When they already have the Air.

D'oh.

THAT is where my issue lies.

(Assuming this is/comes true).

There is no 15" Air, at least not yet. If this is true, this would let them add the Retina Display (which I don't think the next Air will have) and more powerful processors while still offering some of the benefits of the Air (portability). Even "pro" users like to carry less weight.

 

[MagicBoy]

No ethernet or FW800? It was inevitable if they removed the optical drive.

Now you know why I happily bought a Late 2011. Buy one while you still can!

Who needs 800 Mbps firewire when there's USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) and Thunderbolt (10 Gbps)? Think forward man. Leave the past behind. Use an adapter if you need the port for a year or two.

That being the adapter included for free with the £999 Thunderbolt 27" display?

No such thing as USB3.0 to Firewire. It wouldn't work properly anyway.

 

[N10248]

Who needs 800 Mbps firewire when there's USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) and Thunderbolt (10 Gbps)? Think forward man. Leave the past behind. Use an adapter if you need the port for a year or two.

Can't capture DV over USB or Thunderbolt (only via the thunderbolt display which is a bit too big for an adapter for my liking.

 

[KPOM]

Please notify HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo, Asus, and Fujitsu of the fact they need to dump their optical drives and they'll tell you that you're full of ****. I plan on using optical drives until I'm dead and I'm young; I still play vinyl records too. Not everybody likes paying for highly-compressed digital content online.

Uh, Apple makes a lot more money on PCs than HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo, ASUS, and Fujitsu. There is lossless digital content. Plus, there are these things known as external optical drives.

If we left PC design decisions to HP, Dell, Acer, etc. we'd still have parallel ports, VGA ports, floppy drives, and other useless oddities "just in case" someone is still using them. Personally, I HATE taking my Windows work notebook with me because it is so bulky, partly because it includes the optical drive, VGA port, and RJ-11 modem port that I never use.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Firewire has been "done" as a future AV connection for a while now. USB has improved enough in latency and audio handling for most of the inexpensive devices.

Thunderbolt is taking over the high end and because it's based on PCI-Express it's easy to create docks and accessories that work at full speed.

Removing the ports is likely going to be inconvenient today but if you look at where things are going tomorrow the decisions make sense.

 

[shurcooL]

Never mind...

 

[brownpaw]

Like many others, I'm excited at the prospect of USB3 but disappointed about losing gigabit ethernet. 95% of the time I'm on reliable wireless, but sometimes I need to move some massive files between computers and it is ***** fantastic to be able to plug into the wired gigabit network to do so quickly.

 

[KPOM]

And "get over it"? Sorry buddy, but the 90s are over with.

So then why do you want you Macs to continue to have 90s technology?

Apple has NEVER prioritized backward compatibility. Anyone with a cursory understanding of Apple's design philosophies knows that. It was obvious to me in January 2008 when the Air was first unveiled that it was the future of notebook computers. Apple made that abundantly clear when they called the 2010 Air the "next generation of MacBooks," and when Steve Jobs said Blu-Ray was a "bag of hurt," and when Apple opened the Mac App Store. Apple wants to be rid of optical drives. They are slow, take up lots of room, and add more moving parts that can break. This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.

----------

Like many others, I'm excited at the prospect of USB3 but disappointed about losing gigabit ethernet. 95% of the time I'm on reliable wireless, but sometimes I need to move some massive files between computers and it is ***** fantastic to be able to plug into the wired gigabit network to do so quickly.

I think the addition of USB 3.0 will also mean that Apple will offer a Gigabit Ethernet USB adapter. In any case, they already exist as third-party add-ons.

 

[shurcooL]

Can't capture DV over USB or Thunderbolt (only via the thunderbolt display which is a bit too big for an adapter for my liking.

These are software problems that can be fixed, not hardware limitations. FireWire 800 is technologically inferior to USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt (in size and speed).

Removing it means software will need to be patched sooner as people will have no choice but to jump to capturing video over USB/Thunderbolt. Keeping it around promotes stagnation.

If they remove Firewire from MBP, they'll likely add a small/cheap USB/Thunderbolt<->FW800 adapter (without a display built-in).

 

[donx]

Hi everybody, I am new on this forum.

I would like in new 13 inch MBP better graphics card, some kind of ATI with 1GB, that will be nice. Do you think is possible ?

 

[Tsunami911]

No optical drive its going to be annoying for installing games guess i need to buy an external one, but overall i love the idea of a thinner design but i hope this doesnt effect the memory it should be 500-750gb standard.

Not only installing...a lot of game require the CD/DVD to be in the drive to boot.