I have heard that Apple is redesigning the 15 and 17 inch MacBook pro's and that they might be released late this year but I wanted to know if the 13 inch would be included in such an update as I have heard no mention of it in any update speculation so would it be more likely to receive an update next year when the new Ivy Bridge processors are released?
But if the new Ivy Bridge processors are coming Mid 2012 doesn't that leave a large gap between updates?
Large is relative. I don't think Apple has any trouble selling computers, so what is their rush? They've taken their time before. The 2010 MBPs were well over a year away from the previous gen. Also, why would they make an update if there was nothing to update? People suggest that Apple will include USB 3 when Intel makes it native. That could be mid 2012 as well. There is also a chance for a design update, screen updates, optical drive updates, and whatever Tim Cook decides to refresh his company.
Mid 2012? Wikipedia says Ivy Bridge will be released February/March 2012, which isn't that far away now.
I'd hate to see the MBP 13" turned into an MBA. I use firewire for backups and I use the DVD drive to watch movies. The 13" MBP sells very well, so I can't see Apple simply dumping it. Until SSDs are much cheaper, the MBP will not go full SSD. Can you buy a 750 GB SSD for 10% more than a 750GB HDD? I think not. Even the base 13" MBP has a 320 GB HDD - could you match the price with a 320GB SSD?
I would hate to lose the optibay option, i don't know what i will do if they remove the optical drive and fill the space with something else.
I'd really hate to lose firewire; I could use USB since the drive has both connectors, but why give up the speed?