I just got my computer and after realizing how little I liked it I started searching around. People REALLY hate it. I seem to remember Apple completely reversing course once or twice after they realized they had a flop. Heck they called Apple TV a "Hobby" the year after it was released.
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Waiting for the 2018 MBP
- Thread starter benface
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I just got my computer and after realizing how little I liked it I started searching around. People REALLY hate it. I seem to remember Apple completely reversing course once or twice after they realized they had a flop. Heck they called Apple TV a "Hobby" the year after it was released.
Well, I'm really curious to learn what Apple wants TB to be. To me, it looks like they themselves don't have a clue.
I would argue, Mike, that other companies follow suit not because they are run by forward looking engineers who see a better mousetrap in ever thinner MBPs but rather by their accounting departments who see $$$ in following Apple's fashion lead. When I look around Starbuck's shops and see hip 20- or 30-somethings lighting up the environment with their MPBs (oh, wait, the Apple logo doesn't light up anymore--case probably too thin to accommodate it), I wonder: are these informed computer enthusiasts, choosing on technical merit, or fashionistas following social and market trends. I suspect that we who post on this site and worry about technical progress are a decided minority of Apple's purchasers. Do we really think Apple makes their machines ever thinner because that is a better way to make computers? I wonder. And about that keyboard... YMMV.
I would argue, Mike, that other companies follow suit not because they are run by forward looking engineers who see a better mousetrap in ever thinner MBPs but rather by their accounting departments who see $$$ in following Apple's fashion lead. When I look around Starbuck's shops and see hip 20- or 30-somethings lighting up the environment with their MPBs (oh, wait, the Apple logo doesn't light up anymore--case probably too thin to accommodate it), I wonder: are these informed computer enthusiasts, choosing on technical merit, or fashionistas following social and market trends. I suspect that we who post on this site and worry about technical progress are a decided minority of Apple's purchasers. Do we really think Apple makes their machines ever thinner because that is a better way to make computers? I wonder. And about that keyboard... YMMV.
From my personal view, I do review the specs and tend to know what I need in the hardware to run my apps. However I know quite a few people who will just order a MBP or something and haven't really got a clue what they are getting. A glaring acknowledgement of the the thinner vs performance issue was when a colleague who does the same design work as me complained about the $4000 she had spent on the brand new top end 15" MBP and it wasn't as fast as she thought it would be. I had already bought one and sent it back.
This didn't happen 5-10 years ago.
I would say that the uninformed people actually expect to be getting a fast enough computer for their money. Its like going to the Mercedes showroom and buying their best car to be overtaken by a car half the price. The Mercedes would look better and be better built though.
There is also a practical element leading in this direction, smaller, thinner, more efficient = less material usage = lower bill of materials = higher margins and profits.I would argue, Mike, that other companies follow suit not because they are run by forward looking engineers who see a better mousetrap in ever thinner MBPs but rather by their accounting departments who see $$$ in following Apple's fashion lead. When I look around Starbuck's shops and see hip 20- or 30-somethings lighting up the environment with their MPBs (oh, wait, the Apple logo doesn't light up anymore--case probably too thin to accommodate it), I wonder: are these informed computer enthusiasts, choosing on technical merit, or fashionistas following social and market trends. I suspect that we who post on this site and worry about technical progress are a decided minority of Apple's purchasers. Do we really think Apple makes their machines ever thinner because that is a better way to make computers? I wonder. And about that keyboard... YMMV.
They are not all following suit exactly however. The Dell XPS line is thin and pretty for sure - but not so thin that it sacrifices function. You can get a 32GB one, and they have user replaceable RAM and HD/SSD. Their is a fine line between form and function.
This doesn't necessarily apply. Material (like aluminum) costs are often a very marginal compared to machining and labour costs. Smaller and thinner unibody like-parts might use less material, they have much more narrow tolerances & higher requirements, which tend to drive up the cost high compared to "bulky" parts, they have more material however they are significantly easier to manufacture.
Its not the first time this has appeared on there, there was a previous posting on GB. Still it could be simply a test model that they decide not to manufacture. Or, perhaps, it is some enthusiast with skillz who made their own one ?
No chance they will wait till WWDC - they simply cannot afford to wait that long. People don't seem to realise - adding 2 cores is not a normal update that they can ignore for 6 months or longer. For one thing - any corporate buyers who have a choice between Apple or Windows machines will not buy Apple machines with 2 cores less than the competition.
The biggest cost drivers you didn't mention - shipping and packaging. Reducing weight and package volume contribute more to bottom line than slightly less aluminum.
Most corporate buyers would in fact go for low cost and sufficient performance rather than bleeding edge with a premium price point.
Exactly. But they can go for low cost AND bleeding edge - 13" XPS quad core is cheaper than a 13" MBP dual core currently.
What? Thinner laptops are much harder to produce and require more r&d. The only way it directly benefits Apple is via logistics since they can transport more at once.
It's not as thin as the new MBP though. I own one for my work laptop (13") model, and its a bit thicker than my new 15" MBP.
Their predictions tend to be based on past patterns more than anything, and the MBPs haven’t been strictly following one as late so I wouldn’t put too much weight on that outside of iPhones
I put as much stock in that as I do any of the other rumours floating around!
Difficult to find any other release date predictions about MBP on the web.
Given that they call the move to Intel's 8th generation CPUs a "mincor spec bump", I wouldn't put too much credit into this prediction.
Right, but the article only refers to the 8th generation "Kaby Lake Refresh" (which would be a minor spec bump) and makes no mention of moving to Coffee Lake.
Kaby Lake Refresh is NOT a minor update. Even though there are only minimal architecture improvements, adding two more cores still results in much better performance in a lot of workloads.
And this will only become more true as more and more software is updated to take more advantage of multi core setups. I understand in a lot of cases only so much parallelisation can be done, but I wouldn't be surprised if we are entering a period where multi core is developed out to it's full potential, however much that is.