Apple to disrupt notebook space with radically redesigned MacBook Pros

1235717

Comments

  • Reply 81 of 321
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Yeah, let's ignore the future for a port that doesn't even have HALF the throughput of ports already shipping on all but one Mac model.



    He's also ignoring that Intel won't add support for USB3.0 until Ivy Bridge, which will be on the next round of Macs.
  • Reply 82 of 321
    I use my MBP in clamshell mode with external monitor almost all of the time for heavy photo work. About the only time I take it from the house is for vacations. I use my iPad for going out into the world each day. I am not happy about losing my 750GB HDD and SD card slot to skinny up when I already have my iPad.
  • Reply 83 of 321
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post


    You do not need 500GB of storage. You do not need ethernet.



    Apple has spoken.



    Or you can buy external dongles and drives. Nothing says sleek and sexy more than a bunch of shit hanging off a laptop.



    A 15 inch air should have room for ethernet at least. Not sure if they can cram a traditional drive in there though. I actually prefer the blade design SSD in the current air, as it's faster than a SATA SSD. Hopefully the RAM will be upgrade-able without a soldering iron.



    Actually, between the 3GB Time Capsule and the 27 inch Thunderbolt Cinema Display I lack neither of these things, and my work area looks like a Goddamn Zen garden.



    As an added bonus, my wallet also now looks like a MBA.
  • Reply 84 of 321
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    What is it about people not grasping that a laptop is a portable device and that carrying around external dongles for port that are easy to include internally is a waste! That doesn't even get into the fact that USB dongles don't work very well.



    The same thing applies to external storage, it isn't the right solution.



    A portable computer also fails if it tried to be everything for everyone to the point it's no longer a desirable portable device.



    Remember how the MBA was laughed at when it first arrived. Remember the pundits and myopic stating that it will never sell and how it was proof that Apple has lost its way? Not only did it sell but it also heralded in a new era of consumer notebook computer that dominated CES this year with OEMs playing catch up.



    I can make an argument for both sides of this issue. How common is Ethernet usage at this point across Mac notebooks? If they can go with a thinner bottom chassis at the back edge that doesn't allow for the port interface I think that is the most important question to ask. I'm thinking it's not very important ? I certainly don't use it ? despite my personal preference to retain the Ethernet port.
  • Reply 85 of 321
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    They should rebrand the Air and the Pro and bring out 4 MacBooks: 11, 13, 15 & 17" versions. Would be clean and very Apple-like.



    Completely agree. From this lay / outsider's perspective, the distinction in names is more confusing than informative. Most consumers just think in a dichotomy: desktop, or laptop. The average person isn't going into Best Buy weighing the various specifications of ultrabooks, netbooks, MB Airs, MB Pros, etc.
  • Reply 86 of 321
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member
    A MacBook Pro needs to be more than just a MacBook Air with a larger screen.
  • Reply 87 of 321
    chiachia Posts: 713member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    What is it about people not grasping that a laptop is a portable device and that carrying around external dongles for port that are easy to include internally is a waste! That doesn't even get into the fact that USB dongles don't work very well.



    The same thing applies to external storage, it isn't the right solution.



    It's also wasteful to have extra cost and weight built in for something you hardly ever use.



    As for external storage, that can actually be a bonus, if your laptop gets lost, stolen or damaged, all your work isn't lost with it.



    Furthermore, even if you have cavernous internal storage, surely you should be backing up your professional work that's essential to your livelihood?
  • Reply 88 of 321
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lvidal View Post


    Even Jobs said it when he announced the first Air.



    I don't think SSD are going to be used by these machines. Memory cards will.



    Unless they are using PCI-Express they are the same thing. Ideally they would make use of PCI-Express to have a future growth path.



    Quote:

    They are a lot less expensive and easy to replace. I suppose 128GB cards will be the standard. 4 of these and you can have 512GB. On a laptop that's plenty of space.



    Not even close buddy. Secondary storage fills up real fast these days and that is before any significant media or documents are loaded. I went past 70 GB a couple of days after getting my MBP. Install developer tools, Eclipse, a few office apps and some misc. stuff and those fat HD don't look so fat afterwards.



    Not to mention is the space taken up by backing up our iOS devices.

    Quote:

    Most people didn't use even 256GB. And you can always have a USB HD for extra space, until those cards get to 256GB each.



    And you clearly don't know what you are talking about.

    Quote:

    Optical drives are dead. Dead, dead, dead. I have used the one on my MB Pro like 5 times, and not for me, but for other people.



    Well this I agree with.

    Quote:



    I think we could see these new machines by June.



    ...And sure, at least one model will have a retina display.



    June is a long time, I really think it will be earlier than that. As for retina displays I suspect all of the Pros will go that route. Retina on Pros would better set them apart from the AIRs which don't have decent GPUs to drive them.
  • Reply 89 of 321
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dickprinter View Post


    I didn't see the words "rumor" or "purported" in the headline and it's Kaspar.....the big man, head cheese, grand poobah of AI, himself, writing the article.....so I guess this is true!



    I am not sure I would trust a person who names themselves after an allegedly friendly ghost.

  • Reply 90 of 321
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    The USB dongle works perfectly well.



    It's not Gigabit, that's the problem. The Cinema Display is there for someone who wants an external monitor (and can justify the cost) and at least the port on that is Gigabit. I guess you could do IP over Thunderbolt, but I honestly don't know if that's an option at this point.
  • Reply 91 of 321
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by old-wiz View Post


    But what about people who need 500 GB storage? or wired ethernet?



    Or a "pro" graphics card?
  • Reply 92 of 321
    zunxzunx Posts: 620member
    What is needed is a truly portable MacBook Air, 400 to 600 g for the pocket or purse. The Mac with you. Always.
  • Reply 93 of 321
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CMF View Post


    It's not Gigabit, that's the problem. The Cinema Display is there for someone who wants an external monitor (and can justify the cost) and at least the port on that is Gigabit. I guess you could do IP over Thunderbolt, but I honestly don't know if that's an option at this point.



    So you're alright with a USB Ethernet dongle that is 1000BASE-T, which will be possible once USB3.0 is added?
  • Reply 94 of 321
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by old-wiz View Post


    But what about people who need 500 GB storage? or wired ethernet?



    Why don't you wait and see exactly what's announced and then ask these questions? Apple may just have all of that covered. After all, the MacBook Pro line will more than likely keep the "Pro" designation for a reason.
  • Reply 95 of 321
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    A portable computer also fails if it tried to be everything for everyone to the point it's no longer a desirable portable device.



    Computers marketed as Pro devices need to be desirable for that market segment. In that regards Ethernet support is still needed for a couple of years. I could see Thunderbolt replacing it in the future but the infrastructure isn't there yet.



    In any event Ethernet is often had for free in a chipset with little additional expense implementing the physical port.

    Quote:



    Remember how the MBA was laughed at when it first arrived. Remember the pundits and myopic stating that it will never sell and how it was proof that Apple has lost its way?



    Are you having a memory failure here? The original AIR sucked royally, didn't sell worth a damn and actually is a demonstration of what happens when form is emphasized over function. AIR didn't do anything for Apple until the arrival of the current generation machines.

    Quote:

    Not only did it sell but it also heralded in a new era of consumer notebook computer that dominated CES this year with OEMs playing catch up.



    Initially AIR was a complete failure with very weak acceptance in the market. I'm not sure why you are trying to rewrite history here. OEMs are catching up to the current generation AIR.

    Quote:

    I can make an argument for both sides of this issue. How common is Ethernet usage at this point across Mac notebooks? If they can go with a thinner bottom chassis at the back edge that doesn't allow for the port interface I think that is the most important question to ask. I'm thinking it's not very important ? I certainly don't use it ? despite my personal preference to retain the Ethernet port.



    Excessive thinnest is not just a Ethernet issue, it also impacts secondary storage and other fat objects like GPU and CPU fans. There is a real fear in the community that Apple is going after thin in the MBP at the expense of performance. This would be very sad if true because people have always looked to the MBPs as higher performance machines. The AIRs and formerly the Mac Books filled the lower performance niches.



    I can see Apple reconfiguring the machine and making it somewhat thinner without creating the limitations many fear are coming. But all of this talk about AIR like machines is disheartening. The option of an AIR already exists, MBP need to remain as machines that are available when AIRs aren't the right solution.
  • Reply 96 of 321
    pxtpxt Posts: 683member
    I think they should make the Airs more air and the Pros more pro.



    My 12" air is fantastic, so the airs are in good shape, but the pros seem a bit lost and the idea of making them more like airs seems a bit committee-like.



    I wonder what would make a pro more pro in an Apple way. Graphics for sure, to seriously challenge the gaming industry and support media pros ( who probably crave battery life too). High quality sound, maybe Jonny Ive can work with bose to figure out how to laser waveguides into the chassis.



    No, making the pros more airy would make them half-baked as airs and as pros. Professionals need the power, so it's going to be weighty, so go the other way. One thing should be for sure - it would be expensive.
  • Reply 97 of 321
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sierrajeff View Post


    Completely agree. From this lay / outsider's perspective, the distinction in names is more confusing than informative. Most consumers just think in a dichotomy: desktop, or laptop. The average person isn't going into Best Buy weighing the various specifications of ultrabooks, netbooks, MB Airs, MB Pros, etc.



    This is complete garbage. People spend inordinate amount of time choosing computers, it isn't like grabbing a box of cereal. Often the selection process begins well before the trip to the store.
  • Reply 98 of 321
    cmfcmf Posts: 65member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    So you're alright with a USB Ethernet dongle that is 1000BASE-T, which will be possible once USB3.0 is added?



    Sure. Although, given recent events, it seems like they would want to do this with Thunderbolt and GigE on the same cable. My big gripe with USB has always been the lack of things like Target Disk Mode and full speed pass-through if you daisy-chain multiple devices. I avoid USB external drives like the plague (Save for my Mom's machine - Early 2009 Unibody MacBook - No FireWire)



    Thunderbolt (at least in terms of capability) is closer to FireWire, but hopefully the Intel support will help this finally take hold.
  • Reply 99 of 321
    sebseb Posts: 676member
    I know I'll be in the minority but I hope it's got built in ethernet.



    While a USB to Ethernet dongle is good enough for many. In an overly secure enterprise environment, a USB Dongle or even a Thunderbolt Display ethernet option is a a security risk.



    If you use MAC Address filtering as part of your security setup, as we do, having a dongle or display as the solution is considered a security risk. We suffer enough with folks who want to use MBAs, and have wireless as their only option, as it is.



    Try creating a local account via AD, by just signing in, without being physically plugged into the network. Can't be done.



    And I've yet to find any sort of 'encrypted' or secured USB to Ethernet adapter/dongle.



    Cheers,



    seb
  • Reply 100 of 321
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by old-wiz View Post


    But what about people who need 500 GB storage? or wired ethernet?



    Use the Cloud with WIFI.
Sign In or Register to comment.