What does the new 2011 MBA's mean for the next MBP's?

[mark28]

Can we expect the next MBP's to opt for flash storage instead of hard drives, higher res screens, and even further improved battery life?

Will the extremely small logic board allow the 13" MBP to move up to i5 processors and finally sport discrete graphics?

MBP with Flash memory that you can't replace.
High res screen will be standard.
longer battery life
No backlit keyboard.
Thinner.
Similar case design like the Sony Z just as the MBA is.

 

[Perdification]

Optical drive is going and the Mac App Store is its coup de grâce. The new MBP may use 8GB flash just to boot from and then kick over to an SSD or 2.5" for mass storage. Once the new MBPs are out I think the white MacBooks will be discontinued.

The white macbooks are the cheapest of the line, and the white theme suits Apple. Furthermore, some people love the white macbook over the aluminium one, so i guess it's here to stay for a long long time.

 

[dark knight]

just going on previous years, has a small speed bump to the MBP line meant that a revision is NOT a few weeks away? seems odd they would bother to add a speed boost for such a short period of time. plus christmas is a bit too close.

 

[DesmoPilot]

just going on previous years, has a small speed bump to the MBP line meant that a revision is NOT a few weeks away? seems odd they would bother to add a speed boost for such a short period of time. plus christmas is a bit too close.

Well, what would they exactly upgrade to? No new processors til at least Q1 2011 (now that the 2.8 i7 is a CTO option), while sure there's newer GPUs they could slap in an MBP, this is Apple, great GPUs are never their concern. No USB 3 from Intel (yet) and LP is farrr off. IMO We'll probably see new MBPs around march/april (With SB and some other generic mid-range graphics card, possibly with some design queues from the new Air).

 

[cube]

The next MBP:

- Should have a thin Blu Ray burner (NOT remove)
- Should have SATA 6 Gbps (NOT replace standard drive by built-in flash)
- Should have USB 3.0
- Should have FW 3200
- Should have Bluetooth 3.0
- Should have an ExpressCard 2.0 slot
- Should have an eSATA port
- Should have 10Gb Ethernet if it's cheap enough
- Should be quad-core

 

[DTphonehome]

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The next MBP:

- Should have a thin Blu Ray burner (NOT remove)
- Should have SATA 6 Gbps (NOT replace standard drive by built-in flash)
- Should have USB 3.0
- Should have Bluetooth 3.0
- Should have an ExpressCard 2.0 slot
- Should have an eSATA port
- Should have 10Gb Ethernet if it's cheap enough
- Should be quad-core

Dream on. That's a crazy feature list.

I expect:
Higher res screens
Flash option (with prices much lower than the current SSD options), possibly standard
No optical drive
Thinner case (but not as thin as the MBA, in order to accommodate i5/i7 procs)
Better battery life
Instant on
Maybe FW1600 (but prob not)

I think they will retain the backlit keyboard and likely the standard HD option.

 

[Demosthenes X]

I think they'll ditch the optical drive and add the instant boot flash drive for main drive plus a secondary 2.5" ssd or hdd option(kinda like the new imac's SSD+HDD option).

This.

I'm hoping for a smallish Flash drive for the OS + Applications, and a regular HDD for data. I wouldn't mind ditching the optical drive for this and/or discrete graphics... not convinced Apple is quite ready to let go of optical media on their mainstream machines yet, but they're close (putting the OS on a USB stick on the Air and removing the CD from the iTunes logo hint that Apple is quickly moving away from optical media, imo). If they don't ditch optical drives in the next revision, I think they'll go away in the next major redesign of the MBP.

I think higher-res screens on the new 13" is a given now. It's just economies of scale: better to buy all the same screen, rather than buying two different 13.3" displays.

And knowing Apple, it will probably be even thinner + lighter (should be easy if they do ditch the optical drive).

 

[cube]

Dream on. That's a crazy feature list.

I forgot to list the FW3200 that it should definitely have.

 

[josh2012]

What I'm hoping for in the 2011 13" MBP

1440x900 display
256gb flash storage with 512gb option
ditch the optical drive
i5 2.4ghz processor
discrete graphics
12 hr battery life
usb 3.0
retain the same form factor

 

[elpmas]

here we go again! speculations! <3
can't wait until the next revision :}}

 

[Goure]

This is a scary possibility; assess for a minute WHY the MBA just lost it's backlit keyboard. Hint: it has nothing to do with battery life because the keyboards are power sipping LEDs, and they were able to effectively double the battery life of the MBA (given the new testing measurements) as it is, so it has *nothing* to do with battery life.

Look closely. Steve couldn't bear the thought of a power button in the casing, so he HAD to move it into the F row of keys, and something had to be sacrificed. Unfortunately, that something was the keyboard backlighting.

So it was yet another pure form over function move, and a pretty dastardly one at that IMO.

There are two scary parts about the way this was done:

1) It looks doubtful that they will be able to put the backlit keyboard back in later as you might expect to make everyone feel they NEED to upgrade to the better, new model, unless they want to add another key to the F row, making them smaller, which I doubt they will do because then it wouldn't be "full-sized".

2) Expect the power button to migrate into the F row on the MBPs during the next redesign down the road. What do you think will be sacrificed?

I think in the next redesign, we will lose the optical drive, get the F row power button, and get a wedge shape.

On the F row of keys, why wasn't the Eject button sacrificed? There is no optical drive in the MBA, so what is it used for?

 

[bakasam]

1440x900 display
256gb flash storage with 512gb option
ditch the optical drive
i5 2.4ghz processor
discrete graphics
12 hr battery life
usb 3.0
retain the same form factor

I'd like these updates too though the flash storage would be an optional thing

 

[SatyMahajan]

Most people imagine a second hard drive where the optical drive is. But imagine if they used that space for more battery....15 hour 13" MBP....want!

 

[DTphonehome]

The next MBP:

- Should have a thin Blu Ray burner (NOT remove)
- Should have SATA 6 Gbps (NOT replace standard drive by built-in flash)
- Should have USB 3.0
- Should have FW 3200
- Should have Bluetooth 3.0
- Should have an ExpressCard 2.0 slot
- Should have an eSATA port
- Should have 10Gb Ethernet if it's cheap enough
- Should be quad-core

I forgot to list the FW3200 that it should definitely have.

There's no way Apple can secure enough unicorn tears to produce a MBP with those specs.

 

[josh2012]

Most people imagine a second hard drive where the optical drive is. But imagine if they used that space for more battery....15 hour 13" MBP....want!

That's exactly what I was thinking with the 12 hour of battery life, by doing away with the optical and hard drive that should create enough space to put in a discrete gpu and still have plenty of space for a larger battery to at least break the 1/2 day of use threshold.

 

[MacOCD]

They won't ditch the HD until flash storage becomes cheaper.

 

[Osirison]

The next MBP:

- Should have a thin Blu Ray burner (NOT remove)
- Should have SATA 6 Gbps (NOT replace standard drive by built-in flash)
- Should have USB 3.0
- Should have FW 3200
- Should have Bluetooth 3.0
- Should have an ExpressCard 2.0 slot
- Should have an eSATA port
- Should have 10Gb Ethernet if it's cheap enough
- Should be quad-core

Why would they bring the ultimate macbook on the market while they can also drain your wallet by releasing this in 5 refreshes of the MBP

 

[DTphonehome]

They won't ditch the HD until flash storage becomes cheaper.

I agree. Makes sense to lose the HD in an ultralight like the MBA, but the MBP is still a "power" machine that needs lots of storage space. Even 256GB of flash is too little, and very very expensive compared to a regular HD. They couldn't get away with a 64GB entry-level capacity on a MBP.

 

[Temuco]

Question is.. WHEN will we see next MacBook Pro?

I'd like to decipher a realistic date when they will release the next macbook pro.
Will it be April?

And will it have the Sandybridge processor?

 

[iphone1105]

Optical drive is going and the Mac App Store is its coup de grâce. The new MBP may use 8GB flash just to boot from and then kick over to an SSD or 2.5" for mass storage. Once the new MBPs are out I think the white MacBooks will be discontinued.

I sure hope not, I love my white macbook, I could've afforded a pro, but I wanted the white...(and yes even my wifey laughs at me from behind her MBP) Hey, I like the white....Uni MB..

 

[WelshBluebird]

Judging by the new MBA, its obious that Apple have managed to ensure supply of at least some C2D chips beyond the end of this yea / the start of next year. So perhaps we will still see a C2D in the 13"?

 

[DesmoPilot]

Judging by the new MBA, its obious that Apple have managed to ensure supply of at least some C2D chips beyond the end of this yea / the start of next year. So perhaps we will still see a C2D in the 13"?

They probably just bought out as much as they could of Intel's remaining C2D stock of models Apple uses (and whatever they will produce until the EOL of the C2D models concerned). EOL means EOL, not EOL with exception for XX company.

 

[DVD9]

MBP13 will most likely stick to the C2D line of processors. nVidia & Intel need to get their act together.

It's Apple that needs to get their act together. They could easily have fixed the problem, but that would cost some money for new engineering and retooling. Instead they put in an old cheap processor and increased their bloodsucking profit margin.

Look closely. Steve couldn't bear the thought of a power button in the casing, so he HAD to move it into the F row of keys, and something had to be sacrificed. Unfortunately, that something was the keyboard backlighting.

Why would a keyboard button be necessary for backlighting? That's what software is for.

If they are not going to put in an i5 processor though they might as well forget it. The i3 is crap that you can buy in a $650 laptop from Sony, Dell or HP right now. It's Intel's intentionally crippled i5 to slot into their monopolistic price structure. Totally unwelcome in a $1,200- laptop.
--

 

[DTphonehome]

They probably just bought out as much as they could of Intel's remaining C2D stock of models Apple uses (and whatever they will produce until the EOL of the C2D models concerned). EOL means EOL, not EOL with exception for XX company.

If I'm not mistaken, it's a very low voltage (therefore very low heat-producing) version of the C2D. Not the same as the one they used on prior models.

 

[demic]

re. ditching the optical drive -
speaking as a DJ and someone who rips all the time I hope Apple don't. If I buy a CD or get promo ones 'on the road' (as I do from time to time) I want it there to be used in my set and not carry an external CD drive.
I see the MBP as a work horse used by DJs, musicians and photographers to be taken out and used for all situations not some cut down laptop evolving before it needs to.
By all means I may be in the minority so give the option to loose it instead of 'as standard' though, I can't see it happening in the near to mid-future...