Why is Apple not using current graphics hardware?

[Gomff]

Erm, no they don't mate. You need to rephrase that. And if you want all those options then it's really very simple. Do not buy an Apple mac because Apple don't and never have really offered those options on the laptop range.
It's part of what differentiates them from Apple from Sony and everyone else and I for one really appreciate it.
And I would also like to add if you are a serious gamer, and you want a laptop, you would normally buy a laptop aimed at gamers with all the options you want to choose and it would run Windows by default. Now I know we all went off on one demanding full true 4 core CPU's and the highest end mobile graphics cards, however, Alienware offer these, and there laptops are ugly and massive, at least twice as thick as the MB Pro is (The M15x is 1.92 inches thick, the MB Pro is 0.95 Inches) plus they have battery life's of around 2 to 3 hours. People that buy them accept this as they know they will get the most powerful machine.

And this is also the second or third thread I've seen on this subject already. And 40 people aren't going to be able to demand Apple to change it's market plans for it's laptop range, especially when they are selling more then ever before happily with it's current plan and range of options. How many MB Pro's do you see photographers use, people editing on the go video in FCP use, how many are on the stages of massive music events. Lots, these are the 'Pro' users in the name.

This.

 

[iMacmatician]

I think even the MP is dated now...due for a refresh.

It wasn't as bad at this time last year, and as Hellhammer stated, it uses different components to the desktops.

FCP and LP are not hardware either...

Irrelevant.

The thing with the MBP's is the thin form factor and excellent battery performance (which I love, on my 5,1 anyway) necessitates low TDP on all the components in order to keep internal heat levels and power usage under control. So you gotta give up something in performance to get the gains in form and battery life. [edit] Which is perfectly fine in a notebook IMHO.

Why not have regular MacBooks with those features? What about those who need and use high performance hardware?

Actually, in this case, it is ridiculous.

No, it isn't. See above and below.

Most of Apple's product lines have a "Pro" in their name. It stands for the high-end product models from THAT line.

The MacBook Pro isn't even high-end. I've addressed the absolute argument for "not Pro," here's the relative argument. It starts at low-end and goes to high-end. And as you may have noticed most of the disagreements on the "Pro" moniker are related to the 13" and low-end 15" models. Going from that, what if the MacBook Pro topped out at 13" (with current specs)? Or if the Mac Pro was just a slightly more powerful Mac mini (or iMac)?

I don't see an "iPod Pro" either…

So don't compare a Mac Pro to a MacBook Pro. Please.

And you did…by saying they are both high-end.

 

[mac2x]

It's not ridiculous to compare a "pro" to a "pro." Mac Pro, FCP, LP are all highest-end hardware (or close) in their respective lines. MacBook Pro isn't.

[...]

[emphasis mine]

Not exactly irrelevant when you say something that's absurd. FCP and LP are software, not hardware. High-end in the software realm.

I do agree that the 13" Pro model is somewhat silly. Shoulda just added FireWire back and kept calling it a MacBook.

 

[Little Endian]

After reading all these posts, I still maintain my position that Apple could and should offer at least slightly "better" GPU options. However after reading most of the posts, I think there will still be a very small minority who would still want even better at which point Apple would have to go into the market of building 2 inch thick 9-10 pound plus laptops with sub 5 hour battery life.

Apple obviously won't go there though. While the newest MBP line could be improved I think 90% of the market is satisfied. If you really want the absolute best gaming performance or workstation class performance why even consider a laptop? Windows PC or Mac, if you are looking for the most power and biggest bang for the buck you won't find it in a laptop.

 

[cluthz]

I like the Gibson (the guitars) naming of hardware.
If you buy a "standard" you get the best hardware unless you go for custom.
Models labeled special, studio or pro are lesser hardware

 

[IntelliUser]

Who cares about GPUs.

 

[jonpwnz]

I just bought a CTO 15" i7 HiRes and here are my needs/reasons for spending the money.

- lets get this one out of the way I needed a high end laptop for its portability and on the go performance.
- I needed OSX for its ease of use and mac specific programs like final cut pro studio
- I needed performance for photo/web/video production on the go.
- I needed the best battery life
- I wanted the best trackpad for times when I dont have a mouse
- I needed a FireWire 800 port
- I needed 802.11n wifi built in
- I needed bluetooth built in
- I wanted a backlit keyboard
- I needed a HiRes Display
- I wanted something that looked good and was relatively thin
- and finally I wanted something reliable with a sturdy high quality build

NOW even when you take OSX out of the equation there is no other laptop on the market that fills these shoes exactly. so yeah I do think PRO means more than just 3 letters

AND by no means is the macbook pro i7 a HARDCORE HD gaming machine because thats not what its built for! thats what my PS3 is built for...that being said the i7 can handle computer games like starcraft 2,diablo 3,CoH,DoWII(you know..COMPUTER games!!! not full fledged console games) plus it will handle all of the soon to be Steam source games like hl2,lfd2,tf2,css...