What's your realistic, best case scenario Early 2010 MacBook Pro build?

[maflynn]

I have a late 2008 unibody MBP so the odds of me getting a new MBP are between slim and none. And slim left town

I'd love to see a clarksfield version of the MBP, with a great GPU that doesn't feel like its operating on the surface of the sun.

 

[Richard1028]

Apple is going to get blu-ray--its just a question of when.

Not in the macbooks they won't (and I doubt in anything else either). They would have had it by now if they were ever planning on adopting this "intermediate" medium.

If the 17% production increase in macbooks without BR is any indication of how badly people want it... then it will never happen. You Blu-Ray whiners need to wise up, move on and find another solution.

 

[Yixian]

Apple would do well to maybe just release an external blu-ray drive. If they can popularise external optical drivers enough then they can start removing them from machines.

I'm actually starting to think Apple might wait for the HD 5000 series, the performance is just staggering. If they delay the MBP revision until Feb/March they can take Arrandale with an iGPU, an HD 5750/5770, with redesign case and a 16:9 display.

^ That would be probably the best laptop Apple has ever produced, and all fitting with ease into 1" of thickness.

I mean it'd be bad enough if we were buying iMacs with 4670s now, but if these MBPs are coming Q1 2010, you're literally seeing an astronomical jump when the 5000s are out almost immediately after - not even Apple can ignore that, it's premier notebook would be rendered graphically obsolete in weeks and people are going to flock to i5/i7 + HD 5000 combinations as some of the most powerful, power efficient laptops for their time ever produced.

 

[barkomatic]

Not in the macbooks they won't (and I doubt in anything else either). They would have had it by now if they were ever planning on adopting this "intermediate" medium.

If the 17% production increase in macbooks without BR is any indication of how badly people want it... then it will never happen. You Blu-Ray whiners need to wise up, move on and find another solution.

There is no other viable alternative to blu-ray at this time--and this has been discussed at length. Someone purchasing a cheap macbook probably doesn't really care about blu-ray and that's fine.

Apple traditionally lags behind other computer makers when it comes to incorporating new technology. The current screen resolution and processors on the high end MBP are also currently outdated but no one is saying Apple will never update these.

Despite this, Apple is still selling tons of computers because they are so well engineered and a joy to use. Eventually, time will run out and they will have to incorporate blu-ray and other technologies. Even the most beautiful, well designed horse drawn carriage in the world is still obsolete when compared to a car.

 

[rhysmorgan]

Seriously? USB3, Lightpeak, Blu-ray.. yea right...

Here are more likely and realistic predictions:

13":
Same specs as now (C2D, 9400M) with slightly higher clocks and bigger hd

15":
Low-end: Same as 13"
Mid: i5 mobile, some ATI gfx card probably mobility radeon 4670
High: Higher clock i5 mobile, bigger hd, ATI MR 4670
BTO: i7 mobile, maybe higher res displays?

17":
i5 mobile, ATI MR 4850 maybe
BTO: i7 mobile

+1 to this. This is the most realistic answer so far.

 

[Richard1028]

Eventually, time will run out and they will have to incorporate blu-ray and other technologies.

Why?

Physical media in general is dying and BR will croak before it ever approaches universal acceptance.

Video streaming on the web is where all the R&D is being applied. Just ask Blockbuster.

I actually hope Apple takes the optical drive out of their macbooks one day. I'd rather have an eleven hour battery myself.

 

[mikes70mustang]

IDK, im sure i could steal a good idea from countless other threads exactly like this

 

[barkomatic]

Why?

Physical media in general is dying and BR will croak before it ever approaches universal acceptance.

Video streaming on the web is where all the R&D is being applied. Just ask Blockbuster.

I actually hope Apple takes the optical drive out of their macbooks one day. I'd rather have an eleven hour battery myself.

Standard definition physical media is on its way out. High definition media is here to stay for awhile.

1. Can you stream an HD quality movie from Netflix? Answer: NO

2. Does iTunes sell or rent 1080p movies or shows? Answer: NO

3. Has every other major computer maker incorporated Blu-ray into their computers? Answer: YES

4. Have the prices of Blu-ray players come down signficantly? Answer: YES

5. Do major retailers like Best buy and Target stock Blu-ray titles? Answer: YES

Pull your head out of the sand and admit that Apple is late to the game on this one.

 

[iMacmatician]

I actually hope Apple takes the optical drive out of their macbooks one day. I'd rather have an eleven hour battery myself.

I'd take a slightly larger battery and a second hard drive bay.

 

[gumbyx84]

I'd take a slightly larger battery and a second hard drive bay.

Agreed, but I would want a external DVD drive included. I still say they should offer a choice between an internal Superdrive or 2nd HD and external Superdrive.

 

[iMacmatician]

Agreed, but I would want a external DVD drive included. I still say they should offer a choice between an internal Superdrive or 2nd HD and external Superdrive.

I don't see why there wouldn't be an external optical drive either included or as a BTO (like the MacBook Air and Mac mini Server).

 

[gianly1985]

Standard definition physical media is on its way out. High definition media is here to stay for awhile.

Are people so geeky to prefer a Blu-Ray over a DVD and so rich to actually choose a Mac (and not just picking the cheapest machine they find) interested in watching blu-ray movies on a LAPTOP? Or on a iMac? How many of these people are there? How many of you reguralry watch EVEN DVDs on a laptop? Or EVEN on a iMac?

Me, I watch movies on my 50" TV and with a decent surround system...I think that anyone "tech-y" or rich enough to buy a mac or have a BLU-RAY collection wouldn't watch them on anything worse than a 42" plasma (or LCD)...and with a proper audio system....

You people complaining about BR are often pseudo-experts who "want it all" without considering the usage......I imagine you watching BLU-RAYs on a 16" rolleyes Acer laptop with cheap stereo headphones.....

 

[psingh01]

Realistic:

same thing you have now except max 3.33ghz core 2 duo and updated gfx card.

 

[AngryApple]

I want the highest specs on the MBP 15" with AppleCare, iWork and all that stuff to be $3,196.95 or less. PLEEEASE APPLE. Oh, and be a good thing to future proof. It would be stupid to future proof a C2D. But a quad-core seems better. I'll need it to last at least 10 years with usable performance. I'm secretly hoping the next couple will be horrible (but price be fine) so I won't have a reason to buy one.

 

[psingh01]

I can see why people want bluray. You can't take your 50" HDTV with while traveling. Buying the same movie in both bluray and DVD (for travel) isn't a good option. Besides, how else can you rip bluray without a drive?

 

[t0mat0]

A nce Yixian style HD 5000 series with Arrandale. Redesign to manage more GPU usage. IftHou could get a bluray SuperDrive with current SuperDrive dimensions Apple might make a BTO but I'd imagine Apple would rather push SSD. No OLED - but the LPS LED definitely.

FW 800 on the 17, we await the secretness of Intel on USB3 and Light Peak.
I'd imagine USB 3 soon but LP as soon as they can replace them.

Apple can always sort out hybrid GPU mode in the meantime! Using 2 GPU at the same time could be a great help.

 

[cluthz]

Whats the GPU hype?
Most laptop users doesn't use the GPU too much.
Having the best sub 25w GPU available is one thing, but wanting GPUs that are 40w++ like a lot do would make the MBP into what we hate a about bloated PC laptops!
In order to keep superior battery life, weight and not too hot Apple have to sacrifice something, and GPU is usually the best way to compromise on a laptop.
If it was possible and didn't ruin the design on todays MBP I'd take a nvidia 280GTX inside my MBP, but thats impossible!

As for today the ATI 4830 (should be around 30w) is the far best chip that can possibly be used in the MBP without a paradigm shift

"AMD published a current consumtion of about 45-65 Watt for the HD 4850-4870. Still it is unclear if this value represents the chip alone or the whole mxm board including the memory (which would include about 5 Watt)."

SO 4850 or 4870 is not possible atm!

The nVidia M260 GTX uses 60w too and the M260GTS uses 38w, both are out of reach.
The M250GTS is 28w and will probably be the best performance pr watt atm.

 

[harperjones99]

Whats the GPU hype?
Most laptop users doesn't use the GPU too much.

That's how I see it...it just isn't profitable to offer a special version that would require different casing etc for the amount of people who really want it. It would be nice for those who do want it if such a high end custom option was available but the R&D and manufacturing bottom line is what they are looking at.

I bet at soon as their engineers can reliably fit high end gpus into the current form factor they will. It is not in their best interest to get far behind.

 

[Yixian]

Whats the GPU hype?
Most laptop users doesn't use the GPU too much.
Having the best sub 25w GPU available is one thing, but wanting GPUs that are 40w++ like a lot do would make the MBP into what we hate a about bloated PC laptops!
In order to keep superior battery life, weight and not too hot Apple have to sacrifice something, and GPU is usually the best way to compromise on a laptop.
If it was possible and didn't ruin the design on todays MBP I'd take a nvidia 280GTX inside my MBP, but thats impossible!

As for today the ATI 4830 (should be around 30w) is the far best chip that can possibly be used in the MBP without a paradigm shift

Nobody has been suggesting 4850 or above, we've been talking mostly about the 4830.

4830 is a nice card indeed.

 

[MacModMachine]

Source? Blue OLEDs which are the rapidest dying lasts at least 14 000 hours which is about 5 years when used 8 hours a day. ALso the tech is developing all the time. It's not good enough for mainstream but a year or two it might be

oled has not been been in production for 5 years, it was barely being designed 4 years ago, so how one would know it lasts for 5 years i have no idea....

i have heard they do have a very short life span due to the drivers(electrical) being used to power the screens.

but that will be an easy fix.

 

[mrsir2009]

SSD might come standard, plus the price might go down and you can get bigger ones. Firewire I think will happen. USB3 will happen too I think. Blu Ray isn't going to happen, at best Mac OSX will support it, but no built in drives...

 

[Spudracer]

Standard definition physical media is on its way out. High definition media is here to stay for awhile.

1. Can you stream an HD quality movie from Netflix? Answer: NO

2. Does iTunes sell or rent 1080p movies or shows? Answer: NO

3. Has every other major computer maker incorporated Blu-ray into their computers? Answer: YES

4. Have the prices of Blu-ray players come down signficantly? Answer: YES

5. Do major retailers like Best buy and Target stock Blu-ray titles? Answer: YES

Pull your head out of the sand and admit that Apple is late to the game on this one.

Blu-ray and HD-DVD are DOA just like the high definition audio formats SACD and DVDA. As a consumer entertainment format Joe & Jane average have spoken and they said, no thanks. Some hard core audio / videophiles have bought into high definition media but the vast majority of people are not going to buy a HDTV, 5.1 channel audio system, and a Blu-ray player just to watch slightly better quality movies at home in a family room clogged with electronics and speakers. Ain't gonna happen. Just as people voted with their wallets and bought millions of iPods filled with highly compressed music rather than SACD's and all the paraphernalia that goes with it, most people find DVD, good enough.

As for using a laptop as a Blu-ray player to watch movies.....why? I'm one of those audio / videophiles I mentioned. I have a home theater with a 63" plasma screen and a 7.1 channel audio system. I've got about $30K sunk in the system. I've had Blu-ray in my system since mid 2007. If I want to watch a movie, I'm not reaching for my MacBook. But honestly, at 14 feet from my screen I just don't see or hear a huge difference between a well engineered and upscaled DVD and a Blu-ray disk.

The only reason I want Blu-ray on my laptop is for data storage of the HD video files I edit. That would be nice. But I'm only interested in a burner, not a player. However then comes the problem that I can only share my creations with those who have a Blu-ray player. Sadly, I realize I am an extreme minority. And I think Apple has figured this out too. I doubt you'll ever see a built in burner from Apple. I've focused on finding an external USB or Firewire machine.

Oh, and yes my Comcast On Demand currently offers a mix of about 50 new releases and older movies in HD format that I can stream to my system any time of the day or night. This will only improve with time. Blu-ray was dead on arrival just like HD-DVD. Toshiba & Sony were rolling in the dirt fighting their irrelevant format war while technology stepped right over them. Blu-ray won the right to die slowly.

 

[Icaras]

Blu-ray and HD-DVD are DOA just like the high definition audio formats SACD and DVDA.

I stopped reading your post after your first line. That was a lot of writing too. Shame.

 

[Yixian]

SSD might come standard, plus the price might go down and you can get bigger ones. Firewire I think will happen. USB3 will happen too I think. Blu Ray isn't going to happen, at best Mac OSX will support it, but no built in drives...

USB3.0 literally cannot happen. Would love SSD as standard, or as an equal priced option, but no idea how likely that is.

 

[cluthz]

Nobody has been suggesting 4850 or above, we've been talking mostly about the 4830.

4830 is a nice card indeed.

Strange, I just scrolled thru the thread and saw a 5870, 5850 two times and a 4850..

I'm just trying to explain why they are out of the question.
Gimme a 25w 4850/5850/5870 and i'll take it any day in my new MBP.