Waiting for the 2018 MBP

[TheralSadurns]

Highly doubtful that they will sell models starting at 16GB outside of the 15".

Oh I only talk about the 15" (or hopefully a 17" version... which is unlikely to come though)... because screw the 13" version No offense to any of you coveting said machines!
Coming from a 17"... 15" will feel/be small already. I should clarify my posts though next time

 

[MrGunnyPT]

Oh I only talk about the 15" (or hopefully a 17" version... which is unlikely to come though)... because screw the 13" version No offense to any of you coveting said machines!
Coming from a 17"... 15" will feel/be small already. I should clarify my posts though next time

Do you travel a lot? I go to a lot of clients and really love the 13" but then again my work involves SAP/Office suff

 

[TheralSadurns]

Do you travel a lot? I go to a lot of clients and really love the 13" but then again my work involves SAP/Office suff

Yes I do.

Every day from home to work (with my computer) and also with this and another heavy 15" Windows machine to clients (this happens only like once a week though).

 

[c0ppo]

Yes I do.

Every day from home to work (with my computer) and also with this and another heavy 15" Windows machine to clients (this happens only like once a week though).

I also like bigger screens on laptops. And it's not about the weight, it's about the size.
Using 15" on an airplane isn't really an option. Even 13" isn't that great. That is the reason I have 12" MB

 

[zmon]

I don't. I want 16GB base, 32GB top end non-CTO version. 64GB CTO option. THEN I am happy. Max what the CPU allows for... they did in the past.

Unless Apple uses DDR4 instead of LPDDR3 for this year's 15" (which is extremely unlikely), you'll only see a max of 16gb as LPDDR3 tops out at 16gb. You're better off waiting for next years MBP if you want 32gb as Ice Lake will have LPDDR4 support.

 

[TheralSadurns]

Unless Apple uses DDR4 instead of LPDDR3 for this year's 15" (which is extremely unlikely), you'll only see a max of 16gb as LPDDR3 tops out at 16gb. You're better off waiting for next years MBP if you want 32gb as Ice Lake will have LPDDR4 support.

Oh I know. I'm more or less waiting for Ice Lake. This year will be another disappointment, I'm pretty sure. As long as my 2011 machine doesn't die ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Falhófnir]

Oh I know. I'm more or less waiting for Ice Lake. This year will be another disappointment, I'm pretty sure. As long as my 2011 machine doesn't die ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It’s going to be a tough decision to sink that much money into a machine when a switch to arm could be coming the next year - and I like my shiny new toys at quite rapid intervals

 

[ls1dreams]

Oh I know. I'm more or less waiting for Ice Lake. This year will be another disappointment, I'm pretty sure. As long as my 2011 machine doesn't die ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm really tempted to upgrade, but badly want AV1 hardware decoding. Probably won't happen until 2020, but MAYBE might get lucky and get it in late 2019.

 

[yeahtyeaht]

I don't. I want 16GB base, 32GB top end non-CTO version. 64GB CTO option. THEN I am happy. Max what the CPU allows for... they did in the past.

16GB base would be top. I want to buy MacBook Pro 13 with 16GB and 512gb ssd but it’s very expensive. I can afford it but I don’t if I’m ready to pay so much money. It costs 2.230€ here in Germany

 

[The Mercurian]

It’s going to be a tough decision to sink that much money into a machine when a switch to arm could be coming the next year - and I like my shiny new toys at quite rapid intervals

A switch to arm is not coming next year And if it was - thats more reason to buy the 2018 model. Switching to arm will be the death of them. Too many folks need x86 compatiablity

 

[Poki]

Yeah, and I'm not gonna wait another two years with my so-so working 2009 MacBook Pro just to get the questionable benefits of an ARM chip.

 

[Falhófnir]

A switch to arm is not coming next year And if it was - thats more reason to buy the 2018 model. Switching to arm will be the death of them. Too many folks need x86 compatiablity

I mean the year after 2019 (which will be the year Ice lake (should) make its way into MacBooks) - and I am very wary of investing into a machine when apple will be focusing much effort into a new architecture- though I suppose less messing with x86 macOS might actually improve the situation

 

[MrGunnyPT]

16GB base would be top. I want to buy MacBook Pro 13 with 16GB and 512gb ssd but it’s very expensive. I can afford it but I don’t if I’m ready to pay so much money. It costs 2.230€ here in Germany

2700€ here in Portugal, it's freaking expensive as hell.

My perfect combo is 13" 16GB + 256GB

 

[OzyOly]

Still no rumours. Guess we’ll have to wait it out until June.

 

[shoebobs]

It’s going to be a tough decision to sink that much money into a machine when a switch to arm could be coming the next year - and I like my shiny new toys at quite rapid intervals

I'm not very worried about a potential switch to arm in the near future for pro devices. I could definitely see it for the Macbook or Mac Mini (if an update ever comes), as those devices are not centered on top performance. However, for pro devices it can't be that easy to fabricate chips to compete with what Intel has/will be putting out in the near future at the top end. Intel has been doing this for decades, and as is currently being seen with the move from 14nm to 10nm, it's not an easy business.

Furthermore, if you look at Apple's Marketing/Keynotes in the past, they love to show the slides that spell out how much % faster current models are compared to the previous ones. I can't see them taking a potentially major step back in performance for pros just to own that part of the device build. Apple could definitely get there, but I find it hard to believe they'll catch up in as soon as a few years.

Additionally, the massively increased size of the mac app ecosystem at this point would require the transition to take place over a longer timeline than the last time Apple did this. Devs would need to rewrite their apps for the new architecture, and there's no better way to motivate pros to not buy your computers if the apps they rely on to make a living are no longer compatible or unstable at best.

I'm waiting until 2019 (Ice Lake) or 2020 (hopeful redesign to see if the touchbar has a future or will just be a waste on older machines as they drop it), but even then I would be confident I'd get 3-5 years out of the machine unless we hear something concrete. And 3-5 years is a good enough timeframe to make it a worthwhile investment until assessing the state of things for the next hardware purchase after that.

And even if Mac OS support goes away sooner than expected, you still have excellent hardware to run Linux on.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

I really hope Apple doesn't pull a Dual Core config on the 13" Pro, it's about time they took back the seriousness in the "Pro" line.

 

[richinaus]

I really hope Apple doesn't pull a Dual Core config on the 13" Pro, it's about time they took back the seriousness in the "Pro" line.

I don’t think the CPU in the machines has every really been the big issue, as the ones used have been solid.
It will be nice to see a quad core in the 13” though.

However, just wondering what are you planning to do with the extra 2 cores exactly in your pro use.
I cant imagine that many ‘pros’ do hardcore work on a 13”. I may be wrong, but I can’t [I have used both 13 and 15” extensively], and wont be using a 13” again for ‘pro’ use, whatever that really means.

The 13” surface book gets the specs better I think with the slower CPU and better GPU.

Just my opion of course.

 

[Martius]

I think this year is crucial for Mac. My colleague recently bought 2017 15" MPB and I have to honestly say that this is the first time I'm happy that I have an older device. It's actually very disappointing I'm not jealous, I love my 2015 and I'm afraid that my next laptop could be XPS 15. Apple just has to try harder. They cannot survive without Mac (devs need it to create iOS apps). Of course they will always make more money from iPhone sales, but it's the same case as Porsche. They make more money from the SUV sales, but 911 has the true spirit. You can create something using iPhone / iPad, but everybody knows you need fully featured OS to do real PRO work.

 

[Starlights]

Is it worth buying a base 15" 2017 at this point (16/256) for $2200? I know its just a month to WWDC but is there any significant upgrade expected in the base 15" model since it is already quad core with dGPU?

I understand its a different story for 13" & top tier 15" models....

 

[MrGunnyPT]

Is it worth buying a base 15" 2017 at this point (16/256) for $2200? I know its just a month to WWDC but is there any significant upgrade expected in the base 15" model since it is already quad core with dGPU?

I understand its a different story for 13" & top tier 15" models....

15" 2018 is expected to come with a Six Core CPU

 

[Starlights]

15" 2018 is expected to come with a Six Core CPU

All across, including the base model 15"? I guess in that case it may be worth the wait..

 

[socialwill]

All across, including the base model 15"? I guess in that case it may be worth the wait..

I would guess the base models will still be 4 cores, but you would be able to upgrade to a 6 core system.

 

[Falhófnir]

All across, including the base model 15"? I guess in that case it may be worth the wait..

Depends on what you mean by base model - if you mean the replacement for the lowest configuration of the 2017 model (7700HQ, Radeon Pro 555, 256GB SSD) then most likely yes it will get the 6 core chips. If you mean the $1,999 model from 2015 - if it’s updated it’s difficult to say what they will use in it.

 

[Starlights]

Depends on what you mean by base model - if you mean the replacement for the lowest configuration of the 2017 model (7700HQ, Radeon Pro 555, 256GB SSD) then most likely yes it will get the 6 core chips. If you mean the $1,999 model from 2015 - if it’s updated it’s difficult to say what they will use in it.

lowest configuration of the 2017 model (7700HQ, Radeon Pro 555, 256GB SSD) - its available on BH for $2200 and the one that suits my needs best.

For me, this model appears to be the best bang for the buck. I need to run a few Linux (Kali/Fedora) based VMs and Virtual OSX for regular usage for most part.

 

[zmon]

lowest configuration of the 2017 model (7700HQ, Radeon Pro 555, 256GB SSD) - its available on BH for $2200 and the one that suits my needs best.

For me, this model appears to be the best bang for the buck. I need to run a few Linux (Kali/Fedora) based VMs and Virtual OSX for regular usage for most part.

I'd just hold off for another month and see at least. If they're announced, past announcements show they'll be available on the same day to be ordered. Base CPU will most likely be the i7 8750H UNLESS they kill off the old rMBP and replace it with a non-TB model. Which, they could use a i5 8400H, which is just a 4 core/4 thread CPU oddly enough, but I don't see that happening as they've traditionally used the i7's in the 15's as base CPUs.

Intel just seems to make SKUs for the sake of having them. IIRC, the i3-7167u (with Iris graphics) was never even put into a product, and they seem to have repeated that for the Coffee Lake i3's with the 8109u.