I think Apple will start offering a 15" MacBook Air for people that want a bigger screen, but don't care about power (i.e. quad-core processor, dedicated graphics, etc). The MacBook Pro line will loose the optical disk drives so the 13" model will get a dedicated GPU, and the other two models will get more battery or a second disk drive. Maybe the MacBook Pro models will get a blade drive for the OS leaving the entire HDD/SSD for the owners' to use as they see fit.
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Ultra-Thin 15" Mac Notebook Getting Closer to Production
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I use a Core 2 Duo MacBook with 2GB of RAM and the spectacular Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics chipset. I still somehow manage to do a little more than email and browsing on it, which seems to be what many people in this thread think is the most we could hope for from a new 15" AirBook Pro.
I use Aperture, Photshop Express, the full MS Office suite, iMovie and some light games. They all run. Sometimes slowly, but they all run. If this new thin and light notebook ever sees the light of day, it will be vastly more powerful than my MacBook. Those who buy it may be planning to use only its browser and mail client, but they will absolutely have the option to do much more with it if they choose.
Personally, I feel like Apple will wait until Ivy Bridge is available, but we'll see.
Much of the complaining in this thread is predicated on the notion that Apple will EOL the Pro. My feeling is that this would be an additional product, not a replacement.
I use Aperture, Photshop Express, the full MS Office suite, iMovie and some light games. They all run. Sometimes slowly, but they all run. If this new thin and light notebook ever sees the light of day, it will be vastly more powerful than my MacBook. Those who buy it may be planning to use only its browser and mail client, but they will absolutely have the option to do much more with it if they choose.
Personally, I feel like Apple will wait until Ivy Bridge is available, but we'll see.
Much of the complaining in this thread is predicated on the notion that Apple will EOL the Pro. My feeling is that this would be an additional product, not a replacement.
The same arguments again on this topic 
I for one though do NOT believe they will drop the 'Pro' branding, I think we will get a case re-design, it will called the pro, have more powerful but energy efficient Ivy Bridge CPU's, the ODD will be dropped, they will have the or better graphics as the current range.
The ethernet port WILL stay, no reason for it not to, they can easily make room for it by placing it towards the back of the machine on the side the ODD is on, it will have thunderbolt, 3 USB on the 15", memory card reader Firewire. The machine will also be lighter.
You see all those ports can easily stay if they drop the ODD, that gives them two sides to place ports on, they could shave a tiny bit of the current model then edge it down to a wedge. I don't think the memory would be soldered on as that's dumb even for Apple, but I do personally believe they will use BLADE SSD drives as standard, some have stated this won't be the case and they will stick to normal size drives, we shall see I guess, they could alway's use both.
I for one though do NOT believe they will drop the 'Pro' branding, I think we will get a case re-design, it will called the pro, have more powerful but energy efficient Ivy Bridge CPU's, the ODD will be dropped, they will have the or better graphics as the current range.
The ethernet port WILL stay, no reason for it not to, they can easily make room for it by placing it towards the back of the machine on the side the ODD is on, it will have thunderbolt, 3 USB on the 15", memory card reader Firewire. The machine will also be lighter.
You see all those ports can easily stay if they drop the ODD, that gives them two sides to place ports on, they could shave a tiny bit of the current model then edge it down to a wedge. I don't think the memory would be soldered on as that's dumb even for Apple, but I do personally believe they will use BLADE SSD drives as standard, some have stated this won't be the case and they will stick to normal size drives, we shall see I guess, they could alway's use both.
An air style 15 inch is inevitable, and we'll probably see one pretty soon, I think.
However, the real question lies in wether or not this 15" will be a Macbook air or a Macbook Pro, and for both scenarios, what would happen to the macbook pro line.
I really think the macbook pro line would remain, to be honest, especially for 15 and 17 inch sizes. I could see them doing away with the 13" MBP, but I think they'll probably keep most of the MBP line and simply add a new 15" to the macbook air lineup.
But, there's also a very good chance that the new macbook pros, whenever they come out, will be a redesign of some sort anyway. They will probably have a slimmer more air like design, and it's also very likely that there will be no optical drive...
The main features that make a macbook pro a "pro" is a beefier processor, and usually a better GPU. That's really about it. I wonder if removing the optical drive will free up enough space so that with a redesign, we could still have good processors and GPU's in a thinner macbook air-like body? That would be the best of both worlds! Heat would probably be the biggest problem with that, but with a clever and innovative Apple redesign, it's certainly possible that this could happen. How great would that be?
I do have to mention though, that I really hope they fix the screen resolutions they currently offer. Some of them are lower than they should be, and it's also always bothered me that the 13" Air has a better resolution than the 13" Pro. I mean come on Apple!
But whatever, for now.
A redesign on the Pro's for the next release is extremely likely, so it'll be pretty interesting to see what happens!
However, the real question lies in wether or not this 15" will be a Macbook air or a Macbook Pro, and for both scenarios, what would happen to the macbook pro line.
I really think the macbook pro line would remain, to be honest, especially for 15 and 17 inch sizes. I could see them doing away with the 13" MBP, but I think they'll probably keep most of the MBP line and simply add a new 15" to the macbook air lineup.
But, there's also a very good chance that the new macbook pros, whenever they come out, will be a redesign of some sort anyway. They will probably have a slimmer more air like design, and it's also very likely that there will be no optical drive...
The main features that make a macbook pro a "pro" is a beefier processor, and usually a better GPU. That's really about it. I wonder if removing the optical drive will free up enough space so that with a redesign, we could still have good processors and GPU's in a thinner macbook air-like body? That would be the best of both worlds! Heat would probably be the biggest problem with that, but with a clever and innovative Apple redesign, it's certainly possible that this could happen. How great would that be?
I do have to mention though, that I really hope they fix the screen resolutions they currently offer. Some of them are lower than they should be, and it's also always bothered me that the 13" Air has a better resolution than the 13" Pro. I mean come on Apple!
But whatever, for now.
A redesign on the Pro's for the next release is extremely likely, so it'll be pretty interesting to see what happens!
As long as they keep a Firewire port, discrete graphics & an ExpressCard on at least the 17" model, I'll be happy. I already have an external CD/DVD/Blu-Ray burner so loss of a built-in ODD is not much of a concern for me. I don't mind a blade SSD as long as there are 3rd party upgrades & Apple doesn't have some proprietary hardware/firmware on it. I'd love to have Apple a bit more open to 3rd party upgrades, even if they don't officially support it.
This is what I'm hoping for as well, speed of the high end Airs but (fingers crossed) double the standard storage capacity? I can dream can't I?
15" Air only
All the 15" needs to do is run Final Cut Pro X well -- http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/
You can edit and deliver digital. So that means the obvious loss of the optical drive, but also an integrated SSD as media should be external anyway. The SSD will increase performance dramatically and may make up for the processors if they are weaker. Thunderbolt can replace all legacy ports. The main hit is in the graphics processor and it remains to be seen what they can do t offer a discreet solution, but it will probably go away in the 15"
I think the 17" will remain 'Pro' with discreet graphics and perhaps a second harddrive for storage. But Apple's definition of Pro, and what Pros need is changing and in fact is no longer the focus of their products.
All the 15" needs to do is run Final Cut Pro X well -- http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/
You can edit and deliver digital. So that means the obvious loss of the optical drive, but also an integrated SSD as media should be external anyway. The SSD will increase performance dramatically and may make up for the processors if they are weaker. Thunderbolt can replace all legacy ports. The main hit is in the graphics processor and it remains to be seen what they can do t offer a discreet solution, but it will probably go away in the 15"
I think the 17" will remain 'Pro' with discreet graphics and perhaps a second harddrive for storage. But Apple's definition of Pro, and what Pros need is changing and in fact is no longer the focus of their products.
This upcoming Apple model may reveal more about Apples plans for it's retail customers. Obviously they are far easier to influence than corporations, they upgrade more frequently, and rely on Apple to make up for the knowledge they lack. It's no wonder so much revenue flows directly from consumers to Apple.
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True. iOS has become the cash cow Apple has always dreamed of. It's only natural for them to place 98% of their focus & resources in this space.
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True. iOS has become the cash cow Apple has always dreamed of. It's only natural for them to place 98% of their focus & resources in this space.
Apple could provide only an TBolt port and hubs for most common ports. They could offer an iHub Basic (affordable price, 3 USB, 1 TBolt, 1 Ethernet, 1 audio port) and an iHub Pro (expensive, 4 USB, HDMI, FWire, 2 audio ports, 1-2 Gigabit Ethernets, TBolt, VGA and DVI).
At home I could have an iHub Basic; at work, a Pro version. This could allow Macbooks to become more compact and elegant.
At home I could have an iHub Basic; at work, a Pro version. This could allow Macbooks to become more compact and elegant.
This dooms the MB Pros, as IMHO the numbers don't justify a 17" MBP
Yes, rumor is 17" will be 18". But how big will SSD options be, what will be base? 128GB??
Great news, I'm all for a 15-inch MacBook Air. I don't think there will be a conversion between the two lines just yet. People like the Pro for the dedicated graphics and ability to change RAM and HDD, while people like the Air for the portability. There's no reason why there couldn't be two separate 15 inch laptops, just like we have a 13'' MBP as well as a 13'' Air.
I really hope they don't merge the two lines...
IF they make the new macbook pro ultra thin, it will get rid of stuff pros (or maybe just me) need.
1)RJ45 will surely be gone. I absolutely need this at work, you cannot play 1GB+ apple proress 422's over a wireless network.
2)No CD/DVD drive, means I can't burn dvds for clients while on the job without carrying a extra dvd drive.
3) Integrated graphics makes working in 3dsmax impossible and aftereffects rendering a bitch. Also, what if I want to drive 2 1920x1200 displays like I have at home? Good luck.
IF they make the new macbook pro ultra thin, it will get rid of stuff pros (or maybe just me) need.
1)RJ45 will surely be gone. I absolutely need this at work, you cannot play 1GB+ apple proress 422's over a wireless network.
2)No CD/DVD drive, means I can't burn dvds for clients while on the job without carrying a extra dvd drive.
3) Integrated graphics makes working in 3dsmax impossible and aftereffects rendering a bitch. Also, what if I want to drive 2 1920x1200 displays like I have at home? Good luck.
^I like it. You should be the CEO of Apple, seriously.
I'm sick of the same old same old bezel.
At this rate the Pro and the Air will both be gone in just a few short years. There'll just be a MacBook, which resembles the Air, but with the power of the Pro.
Thanks for posting this Retrofire. How could someone -1 the truth... I don't know. I have this very same drive in my 13" MBP and it is quiet and fast and has 1 TB of space which is important to me.
I use FW800 everyday. I'm no tree hugger and if the next machine has Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 I would expect to see a realistically priced Thunderbolt to FW800 adapter.
Are you serious?
512GB SSD, the price will be massive!
1GB Dedicated High-end GPU? hah! Theres no way they will stick a high-end GPU in a "macbook air" factor do you know how much power and heat they consume is mad... Also with Ivy Bridge 60% improvement over Intel HD 3000, thats pretty good and they wont stick a GPU into it when that is a 60% gain.
Your crazy.
Disagree, there's far more money in the consumer market than there is in the pro market. Take a look at the newish Final Cut if you want to see how seriously Apple now takes the pro market.
This is the one I'm holding out for at the moment.
I could envisage a 15" Air, but then a redesigned Pro which removes the ODD and takes cues from the Air, but is user upgradable, i.e. the ram isn't soldered and the ssd can be upgraded too.
This would then cater for those who require more screen real estate on a upgrade restricted air, whilst not limiting the pro users who will want to be able to upgrade the machine as and when ssd's get bigger, more ram becomes cheaper etc;.
I could envisage a 15" Air, but then a redesigned Pro which removes the ODD and takes cues from the Air, but is user upgradable, i.e. the ram isn't soldered and the ssd can be upgraded too.
This would then cater for those who require more screen real estate on a upgrade restricted air, whilst not limiting the pro users who will want to be able to upgrade the machine as and when ssd's get bigger, more ram becomes cheaper etc;.
I don't know why this post received - 4 thumbs down. SSD is the future. I, for one, will not purchase a HD based device again.
Like others have posted, RAM and screen specs are what I will check for first when the new 15" is available.
- David
It got 4 thumbs down because it was stupid.
I'm with you in getting an SSD for my next computer, but I expect to pay extra for it because they are still too expensive for the mainstream. 5400rpm HDDs may seem slow but saying they are so slow that the processor doesn't matter is just ridiculous. Some people would rather have 500GB of storage than a 10 second faster boot time, and don't want to sell their first born child to afford it.
As long as it has a discrete graphics card, I'm happy. None of that Intel integrate GPU crap, although I know they have improved a lot, I still want a dedicated GPU.
I also couldn't care less about the optical drive. The damn things break after a couple years anyway (and are expensive as hell to replace).
I also couldn't care less about the optical drive. The damn things break after a couple years anyway (and are expensive as hell to replace).
Point taken, I use computers for biz first, personal use second so I am not particularly price conscious.