Waiting for Haswell MBP Mega Thread

[Cyrax]

High price does not make buyers experts in the internal workings of the products they buy. 100 years ago, people generally understood the internal workings of everything they bought (except animals). That is far from true today. Most people buy everything as a "black box" with no knowledge of internal workings.

High price makes people expect that a computer they buy does what they want to do. The Iris Pro on gaming, for example, is inferior to last year's GPU, and last year's GPU wasn't that great. That's pretty disappointing for a computer they want to charge $2000 for.

If you don't care, you don't care, but I expect products to get better over time, especially when they are positioned and priced as high-end.

 

[siyer]

If the MacBook Pro's will be released in October, which I think they will be, then these will be the specs (with an optimistic mindset - a very optimistic mindset). Below is what I think the specs of the upcoming Macbook Pro 15 Retina inch will be (of course this is mere speculation):

15-Inch base:
- Intel® Core™ i7-4950HQ Processor (released)

15-Inch mid:
- Intel® Core™ Core i7-4970HQ Processor (not released)
- dGPU

15-Inch max:
Intel® Core™ Core i7-4990HQ Processor (not released)
- dGPU

Features:
- Thunderbolt Version 2
- USB Version 3
- HDMI Version 2
- IGZO? (it would be a dream come true)
- Better Pixel Per Inch (noting that Chrome Book Pixel has a better PPI than the retina macbook pro 13' let alone 15')

 

[ValSalva]

Surely that is evidence to a September drop...

Yes it is. But be prepared to be disappointed. It's going to be October

 

[Ironsyde]

Can we please just accept that there won't be a release until October and then plan accordingly?

It's crazy to see that this sort of reasoning has survived since February despite all of the warning signs...

It just hurts to think that we are waiting until (late) October for a new model with an extra hour or two of battery life and a downgraded GPU, which could've been released in July.

 

[toppernh]

Below is what I think the specs of the upcoming Macbook Pro 15 Retina inch will be (of course this is mere speculation):

15-Inch base:
- Intel® Core™ i7-4950HQ Processor (released)

15-Inch mid:
- Intel® Core™ Core i7-4970HQ Processor (not released)
- dGPU

15-Inch max:
Intel® Core™ Core i7-4990HQ Processor (not released)
- dGPU

Are these chips anyone has heard are being released? I can't find any reference to them.

I don't see Apple using HQ-series chips if they use a dGPU.

 

[Erphern]

Agreed. There's ample proof in the past of Apple releasing hardware weeks before a new OS. The most recent example was last year when they released the retina MacBook Pro a little over a month before Mountain Lion.

If I were releasing new hardware, and if it were an option, I wouldn't want to release a new O/S at the same time. Shipping a stable existing O/S sounds a lot safer. Waiting for Mavericks doesn't make a compelling argument.

 

[Atomic Walrus]

Can we please just accept that there won't be a release until October and then plan accordingly?

It's crazy to see that this sort of reasoning has survived since February despite all of the warning signs...

That doesn't sound like fun at all. Conspiratorial speculation is way more interesting, otherwise there's not much to talk about in this thread other than relative GPU performance graphs.

I'm still voting for a September refresh running 10.8.5. Yes, I'm aware that all of the facts make this unlikely.

 

[PDFierro]

That doesn't sound like fun at all. Conspiratorial speculation is way more interesting, otherwise there's not much to talk about in this thread other than relative GPU performance graphs.

I'm still voting for a September refresh running 10.8.5. Yes, I'm aware that all of the facts make this unlikely.

My thoughts exactly. I'm holding out hope for a release on Tuesday or soon after. I guess we will find out soon.

 

[Erphern]

That doesn't sound like fun at all. Conspiratorial speculation is way more interesting, otherwise there's not much to talk about in this thread other than relative GPU performance graphs.

I'm still voting for a September refresh running 10.8.5. Yes, I'm aware that all of the facts make this unlikely.

Yup! We all know, deep down, that a release next week or so is probably not going to happen. But! What's the point of the Internet if not for the rush of a futile dopamine loop?

 

[ValSalva]

If I were releasing new hardware, and if it were an option, I wouldn't want to release a new O/S at the same time. Shipping a stable existing O/S sounds a lot safer. Waiting for Mavericks doesn't make a compelling argument.

I agree. I don't think Apple is waiting for Mavericks. I think they are waiting for special high performance top-bin Haswell processors from Intel. It takes time for them to be available in quantity.

I believe it's a coincidence that Mavericks may be coming out at the same time as the Haswell rMBP's. But the hardware isn't that new. It's expected to just be a processor bump in most respects. It shouldn't be a problem with a new OS that isn't that much different than Mountain Lion too.

 

[Watabou]

Are these chips anyone has heard are being released? I can't find any reference to them.

I don't see Apple using HQ-series chips if they use a dGPU.

No. He most likely made them up. And the 4950HQ is the best mobile Haswell processor money can buy, until Intel releases the 4960HQ . The 4750HQ will be the base CPU.

I think people just refuse to believe that 2.4GHZ could be the max clockspeed.

 

[Atomic Walrus]

I agree. I don't think Apple is waiting for Mavericks. I think they are waiting for special high performance top-bin Haswell processors from Intel. It takes time for them to be available in quantity.

I believe it's a coincidence that Mavericks may be coming out at the same time as the Haswell rMBP's. But the hardware isn't that new. It's expected to just be a processor bump in most respects. It shouldn't be a problem with a new OS that isn't that much different than Mountain Lion too.

I think that's probably the real answer. Apple wouldn't want to hold back the hardware release for a new OS version, but they probably don't have a choice.

The Haswell CPUs in question really aren't out there anywhere. We've seen other ULV CPUs like the ones in the Air in other laptops (for example the Vaio Pro), but have any of the top end 28W and above TDP CPUs with Iris that we expect to see in the Pros actually shown up in the wild yet?

Edit: Even after typing it my first thought was "because Apple bought them all," so obviously I can't help myself on this one.

I think people just refuse to believe that 2.4GHZ could be the max clockspeed.

Obviously the whole clock range thing ends up being confusing to people. I suspect that a Haswell CPU that boosts to 3.6 should be roughly equivalent to the current model that boosts to 3.8, but at far lower power draw (TDP alone tells us that).

 

[toppernh]

No. He most likely made them up. And the 4950HQ is the best mobile Haswell processor money can buy, until Intel releases the 4960HQ . The 4750HQ will be the base CPU.

I think people just refuse to believe that 2.4GHZ could be the max clockspeed.

That's what I figured but I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss something.

I agree 4750HQ base and 4950/4960HQ best makes sense.

 

[youdontsay]

The point is, I need a new laptop for the end of september. If apple does not release something, there is absolutely no way I'll buy a one year old hardware ! I'm looking right now at Asus to see what's coming (haswell updates). But people who are in the same boat as me are probably not more than 10% of buyers I guess...

I know there's been some exemples in this thread but does anyone knows a good alternative at rMBP right now or that's coming before the end of september ?

 

[Atomic Walrus]

The point is, I need a new laptop for the end of september. If apple does not release something, there is absolutely no way I'll buy a one year old hardware ! I'm looking right now at Asus to see what's coming (haswell updates). But people who are in the same boat as me are probably not more than 10% of buyers I guess...

I know there's been some exemples in this thread but does anyone knows a good alternative at rMBP right now or that's coming before the end of september ?

I think you'll find that other manufacturers are in a similar situation as far as CPU supplies. If anything I expect Apple to launch before most of the equivalent competition because they have some arrangements with Intel about this kind of stuff.

Uh... buy an Air from Amazon at the end of this month and return it within 30 days if you can't stand that TN panel? By then the refresh will have happened.

 

[youdontsay]

I think you'll find that other manufacturers are in a similar situation as far as CPU supplies. If anything I expect Apple to launch before most of the equivalent competition because they have some arrangements with Intel about this kind of stuff.

Uh... buy an Air from Amazon at the end of this month and return it within 30 days if you can't stand that TN panel? By then the refresh will have happened.

Yeah you're probably right. Am I the only one who think that updating all the PCs and mac between the end of september and the beginning of novembre is a really bad schedule ? I mean I know everyone don't need a laptop at the same time of course but do you think there is more laptop bought for christmas than for work or college ? Is it a strategy to push people to update more often ? I'm just curius.

 

[PDFierro]

Yeah you're probably right. Am I the only one who think that updating all the PCs and mac between the end of september and the beginning of novembre is a really bad schedule ? I mean I know everyone don't need a laptop at the same time of course but do you think there is more laptop bought for christmas than for work or college ? Is it a strategy to push people to update more often ? I'm just curius.

It has nothing to do with that. It's all about the availability of the Intel chips. How would they release the laptops earlier in the year when they have nothing new to put in them?

 

[Agent-P]

Features:
- Thunderbolt Version 2
- USB Version 3
- HDMI Version 2
- IGZO? (it would be a dream come true)
- Better Pixel Per Inch (noting that Chrome Book Pixel has a better PPI than the retina macbook pro 13' let alone 15')

For me, if the refresh literally only included Haswell with Iris Pro and IGZO (and included nothing else) then I'd still be happy. Those two combined with Mavericks would give me the battery/graphics boost I'm looking for in the 13" rMBP. I know potential 15" rMBP buyers wouldn't happy with just that though.

As for that last point, I don't think Apple will change the screen resolution this year. The Pixel only has 100 more pixels vertically than the 13" rMBP, so the difference is negligible from normal viewing distances.

 

[Jordan-D]

For me, if the refresh literally only included Haswell and IGZO (and included nothing else) then I'd still be happy. Those two combined with Mavericks would give me the battery/graphics boost I'm looking for in the 13" rMBP.

As for that last point, I don't think Apple will change the screen resolution this year. The Pixel only has 100 more pixels vertically than the 13" rMBP, so the difference is negligible from normal viewing distances.

I'd love to have IGZO too but is there a company able to build lots of them?

 

[Agent-P]

I'd love to have IGZO too but is there a company able to build lots of them?

Sharp is the company that would be making them, but it doesn't seem like they'll be available in time unless they've been secretly producing the panels early for Apple (who certainly has the money to do so). I know it's wishful thinking, but I really hope a deal like this was made.

 

[PDFierro]

Yeah, I don't see how increasing the PPI really matters at this point. The Retina screen looks great as-is. Besides, that would mean increasing the resolution. And Apple won't do that just yet.

 

[Creep89]

3360x2100 would be great. But I don't think this will ever happen.

 

[radiohead14]

off topic.. but this thread is getting a little repetitive...

this is fun:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/6/4700754/sony-vaio-multi-flip-crazy-windows-8-pc

 

[PDFierro]

All these Windows computer-tablet combos drive me crazy.

 

[Atomic Walrus]

off topic.. but this thread is getting a little repetitive...

this is fun:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/6/4700754/sony-vaio-multi-flip-crazy-windows-8-pc

Image

Hey, look at that... the first one of those that doesn't look terrible. Has some degree of pen support too apparently, which is a big deal for me. I'll probably have to seriously check it out next year (usually try to avoid 1st gen devices if possible).