Waiting for the 2017 MBP (Kaby Lake / Cannonlake / Coffee Lake??)

[creamz]

Sure - so, let me elaborate.

A very very large sector of creative professionals from a visual standpoint and video editing standpoint work with MacOS. The Mac Pro is all but dead with no indication of it coming back. It's been years. The MacbookPro is the next viable option.

If you work with high fidelity images or 4K video files and you're running a pretty standard multi-tasking workflow in a professional environment you're probably using a good amount of system RAM. Let's say 10-12GB possibly. Cool - but in 2-3 years, it won't be so cool, it'll be an issue. For some users, it already is.

For me specifically, I'm a software engineer. A large community of software engineers work on MacOS, we prefer a Unix based OS and Mac is traditionally a viable solid option.

Removing the function keys on the 15" (or, not even letting it be an option, like it is for the 13", which, is a dual core and certainly not viable) and moreover running a limit of 16gb without user upgradability (this wasn't always the case) severely limits the lifespan for developers. No big deal, right? Except.. many of the awesome tools you use today, and probably many of the programs you use are developed by people like me.

Apple has traditionally been a beacon for this community.

As far as technical reason for limiting ram and running DDR3? That's not totally true. Yes - it would have impacted the performance of the battery, but we have windows machines (specifially, XPS15) that does support 32 and frankly the battery life change is negligible.

A Pro laptop is meant for power use. If your professional setting is Office Suite (with the exception of heavy excel use with intricate macros) you are a professional who uses a laptop - you don't quite need a pro-grade laptop.

It is ABSOLUTELY an oversight because - by marketing the 'Pro' laptop at standard consumers (previously, years ago, just the macbook line would have done this) they've completely nudged out the creative and engineering professionals who are (especially corporate-wise) some of their larger customers.

Frankly, those people don't have a tangible option on MacOS now. That's pretty unfortunate. I think you're misinformed or ignorant if you really believe what you typed out.

EDIT:

TL;DR

Pro Laptops are meant to offer tools for advanced computing professionals - that's always been their draw. The average US working Professional needs a basic computer for basic office tasks and email. They are not (previously) a candidate for a $4,000 dollar laptop.

Creative and technical professionals who require heavy spec machines have been left out in the cold because frankly, this machine is not offering any heavy specs.​

[doublepost=1480695829][/doublepost]And - for what it's worth - I work on a 2015 Macbook Pro. I will continue to for a little while. From a benchmark standpoint, (bare in mind, the 2015 MBP performance wise was not really an upgrade from the 2013 era even..) the brand new MBP doesn't offer any real advantage as far as horsepower.

If apple upgrades the next interation to include up to 32GB RAM.. I'm sure my company will continue to provide us with Macs. If not, like most companies, we'll end up with weaker build quality, and bloatware on a Lenovo machine.. but hey, at least it'll be able to provide the specs for us.

What does that mean for apple users? Less dev support, less solid applications, and more support for windows/android.

GG apple... GG

You are right on about the Pro. I am coming from a consumer standpoint not a professional and I bought the Pro. My reason was simple, I bought the pro because the air which was for consumer has a lousy screen.

After reading your post, I suddenly realize that I should not be solely looking at the pro but looking at both the Macbook and the pro. It is just like because I had bought the MBP, I restricted myself to just the MBP. Now that I see it I find the Macbook suits my needs fine. I won't mind buying the 13" TB base spec either.

Other than that I feel the MBP catalogue is fine just that the 15" needs a 32GB RAM.

 

[gdeputy]

You are right on about the Pro. I am coming from a consumer standpoint not a professional and I bought the Pro. My reason was simple, I bought the pro because the air which was for consumer has a lousy screen.

After reading your post, I suddenly realize that I should not be solely looking at the pro but looking at both the Macbook and the pro. It is just like because I had bought the MBP, I restricted myself to just the MBP. Now that I see it I find the Macbook suits my needs fine. I won't mind buying the 13" TB base spec either.
Other than that I feel the MBP catalogue is fine just that the 15" needs a 32GB RAM.

I agree

 

[cayetanogil]

Cancelled my order with B&H this morning after month and a half of waiting with no news.
Waiting times plus all the glitches observed in the first gen are reason enough.

Joining this thread expecting a better and refined machine coming next year

 

[DavidDoyle]

No worries. Honestly I think it's mostly down to poor software optimization right now. Apple seems to be having a hell of a time getting Skylake and macOS to work nicely together.

That's the price you pay for getting the latest cutting edge processors immediately after release.

 

[punchwalk]

I'm curious as to whether Apple will update the MBP at all in 2017 (aside from a minor CPU bump). I won't be surprised at all if MBP isn't refreshed before Spring 2018. It's longer than I'd like to wait, but my late 2013 model should hopefully make it until then as long as the screen delamination doesn't continue to worsen too much.

 

[vatter69]

Did exactly the same last week. 5 weeks after my order and i still didnt even have a delivery date.

Im at a complete loss as to what to buy now.

Cancelled my order with B&H this morning after month and a half of waiting with no news.
Waiting times plus all the glitches observed in the first gen are reason enough.

Joining this thread expecting a better and refined machine coming next year

 

[pier]

Im at a complete loss as to what to buy now.

I needed a new laptop so I invested in a 2015 15'' MBP.

It's clearly overpriced for such old specs, but performance of CPU and SSD is still very good, even compared with the 2016 models. I already have a gaming rig so I don't need a ton of GPU. The screen is flawless when calibrated for sRGB (very few people need P3 color space). And still has one of the best keyboards ever made in a laptop.

Most importantly it's a reliable machine.

I couldn't care less about a thinner or smaller laptop, a ridiculously huge trackpad, or USB-C / Thunderbolt 3. I've never used Thunderbolt 1 or 2 on any of my Macs for anything other than connecting a display. Also the new keyboard, the GPU problems, and the touchbar were deal breakers for me.

 

[Alessiot]

Will kaby lake make a big difference in battery vs sky lake?
I'm also confused about the 4K aspect of kaby

 

[spaceballl]

I'm on the waiting train. I had the money all set aside to buy the current version, but it really bothered me that they actually increased the price. Sigh... saving up a bit more money now, as I'm sure that my current 2012" model will go down in value more before the next one is released. Oh well... the extra savings time will let the Thunderbolt / USB-C monitor market mature a bit.

 

[Trent0341]

I'm on the waiting train. I had the money all set aside to buy the current version, but it really bothered me that they actually increased the price. Sigh... saving up a bit more money now, as I'm sure that my current 2012" model will go down in value more before the next one is released. Oh well... the extra savings time will let the Thunderbolt / USB-C monitor market mature a bit.

I'm waiting too... I really hope the release an updated version in the spring. Pretty disappointed really. Essentially they raised their prices for what will soon be an outdated processor, smaller battery, and limited ports. If they don't release a Kaby lake variant in the spring I'll be looking elsewhere. I'm not waiting another year for what will most likely be a minor update. I have used a mac for the last 12 years. I hope that is not coming to an end.

 

[Uni Grad]

I'm curious as to whether Apple will update the MBP at all in 2017 (aside from a minor CPU bump). I won't be surprised at all if MBP isn't refreshed before Spring 2018. It's longer than I'd like to wait, but my late 2013 model should hopefully make it until then as long as the screen delamination doesn't continue to worsen too much.

Put on a screen protector and the delamination should stop in its place.

 

[haydn!]

I'm curious as to whether Apple will update the MBP at all in 2017 (aside from a minor CPU bump). I won't be surprised at all if MBP isn't refreshed before Spring 2018. It's longer than I'd like to wait, but my late 2013 model should hopefully make it until then as long as the screen delamination doesn't continue to worsen too much.

Considering the teething problems with the first Gen. Apple will almost certainly push out a revised version within 9-12 months that irons out issues software fixes couldn't address plus bumps the specs marginally. After than, I can see 12-18 month cycle becoming the norm until the next major redesign in about 4 years.

 

[hajime]

As of today, when would be the earliest month (hopfeully in 2017) that a KabyLake suitable for MBP 15" or Surface Book 2 be available?

 

[havenyoung]

As of today, when would be the earliest month (hopfeully in 2017) that a KabyLake suitable for MBP 15" or Surface Book 2 be available?

Benchmarks of laptops with i7-7700hq just started to surface in the recent days and we should hear more about it at CES. But with an improvement that marginal (2-6% so far I see), it's really hard to guess if Apple will choose to upgrade the 15" with it or just skip Kaby Lake for the 15".

 

[maflynn]

when would be the earliest month (hopfeully in 2017) that a KabyLake suitable for MBP 15"

There's two things, one is when Intel releases the chipset to computer makers, and the second, is when Apple will upgrade their MBPs. I'd say for the latter, we'll see updates come in the fall of 2017, regardless of when Intel releases Kaby Lake.

 

[Naimfan]

Benchmarks of laptops with i7-7700hq just started to surface in the recent days and we should hear more about it at CES. But with an improvement that marginal (2-6% so far I see), it's really hard to guess if Apple will choose to upgrade the 15" with it or just skip Kaby Lake for the 15".

Terrific. Apple commits to using older CPUs in machines with futuristic pricing. Good formula.

 

[RaveHole]

I'm curious as to whether Apple will update the MBP at all in 2017 (aside from a minor CPU bump). I won't be surprised at all if MBP isn't refreshed before Spring 2018. It's longer than I'd like to wait, but my late 2013 model should hopefully make it until then as long as the screen delamination doesn't continue to worsen too much.

Nobody knows but there sure is a chance that 2017 will see zero updates in the macbook line.

The 13" MBA and old 13" rMBP were just kind of repositioned to entry level laptops in their corresponding segments. Seems unlikely that there will be any change in the entry level lineup in early-mid 2017.

Some managers could conclude that skylake is good enough and the benefit of kaby lake is negligible. That together with the fact that macbooks do not contribute significantly to the overall profit may very well postpone updates to 2018.

I can imagine an early-mid 2018 event where the rMB and MBPs are updated to coffee/cannon lake. Slight redesign of the rMB to support touch id. Price drops across the line and legacy models phased out.

 

[JohnnyGo]

Nobody knows but there sure is a chance that 2017 will see zero updates in the macbook line.

The 13" MBA and old 13" rMBP were just kind of repositioned to entry level laptops in their corresponding segments. Seems unlikely that there will be any change in the entry level lineup in early-mid 2017.

Some managers could conclude that skylake is good enough and the benefit of kaby lake is negligible. That together with the fact that macbooks do not contribute significantly to the overall profit may very well postpone updates to 2018.

I can imagine an early-mid 2018 event where the rMB and MBPs are updated to coffee/cannon lake. Slight redesign of the rMB to support touch id. Price drops across the line and legacy models phased out.

+1

Except I think Apple will keep the MBAs for sale through 2018 and phase them out only in 2019 (when the rMB will replace it at the $999 price point.

 

[hajime]

There's two things, one is when Intel releases the chipset to computer makers, and the second, is when Apple will upgrade their MBPs. I'd say for the latter, we'll see updates come in the fall of 2017, regardless of when Intel releases Kaby Lake.

When will be the chipset for computer makers? Given that we need need to wait for another two years for Apple to release the next MBPs, I shall also consider laptops with quad cores Kaby Lake from Lenovo, Microsoft, HP. Is that March 2017?

 

[maflynn]

When will be the chipset for computer makers?

I think that's more or less internal to Intel, though people I think expect early 2017.

Given that we need need to wait for another two years for Apple to release the next MBPs

Why do you say that, apple has released new MBPs annually, I think its safe to assume we'll see a new generation of MBPs next year.

 

[hajime]

Will Apple need to do some redesign of the current MBPs for the Kaby Lake CPUs?

 

[JohnnyGo]

Will Apple need to do some redesign of the current MBPs for the Kaby Lake CPUs?

Nope. Drop in and voilá !

 

[maflynn]

Will Apple need to do some redesign of the current MBPs for the Kaby Lake CPUs?

That haven't needed to do any design changes for the last several chipsets, though the pre-2016 models were getting long in the tooth. That is Apple needed to add new features and change the design to be fresh and relevant. They did that with 2016 and so we'll not see a new design for the next few years.

 

[hajime]

That haven't needed to do any design changes for the last several chipsets, though the pre-2016 models were getting long in the tooth. That is Apple needed to add new features and change the design to be fresh and relevant. They did that with 2016 and so we'll not see a new design for the next few years.

So, if Apple decided to release rMBP with the Kabe Lake CPU, it will probably just be a change of CPU? i.e. The keyboard will be the same type, no HDMI, no USB-A/B ports, etc. What if they change the GPU?

 

[JohnnyGo]

So, if Apple decided to release rMBP with the Kabe Lake CPU, it will probably just be a change of CPU? i.e. The keyboard will be the same type, no HDMI, no USB-A/B ports, etc. What if they change the GPU?

No ports except USB-C. Like Ford model T: any color you want as long as it's black