When can we expect a new industrial design for MacBooks?

The previous MacBook Pro design was 5-years-old before it was phased out for the new aluminum unibody construction. Obviously I don't expect Apple to wait THAT long. But I do think we can see this current design last another revision.

You are right I thought the new MBP line would be more of a resemblance like the new MBA line.What happened to the flash they were touting so much? same 5400 HD used.At least the i5 is a new processor than the core 2 duo they were using from 2010 which is an old one.\

I suspect that we will see a new chassis redesign with another release later this year, using the same Sandy Bridge processors, or in early 2012 with the Ivy Bridge processors.

My logic:

1. The MBPs just released can be considered minor refresh. Yes, they came with Sandy Bridge, but that was really expected, just to keep the laptops up to speed with the competition. The only real groundbreaking element to this refresh was Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt was likely included: a) to give this release some "Umph" and b) to first the first to market with Lightpeak. Otherwise, nothing real exciting about these models.

2. This release was overshadowed by the March 2 iPad announcement. Apple would not release two major hardware product enhancements at the same time...especially with the iPad garnering all the attention right now. Apple saw an opportunity to quell disappointment about no major MBP refresh with a big announcement quicker soon after. It worked, didn't it?

3. Apple IS moving to smaller and lighter across their product lines. It's inevitable. The success of the iPad and the Macbook Air foreshadow similar improvements to the Pro line. SSD (blade or drive) storage and ODD removal to increase battery life are coming sooner or later. The fact they didn't come this time (to everyone's surprise) just suggests they are now closer to reality.

4. The upcoming MobileMe/Cloud announcement further supports point #3 above. When people can store media and data (without cost?) in the Apple cloud, what do we need optical drives or huge quantities of local storage for? Once Apple's cloud picks up steam, storage parameters for laptops can change and smaller form factors will result.

5. The weakest of these arguments: the design is long in the tooth. It's still effective and attractive, but there is a large percentage of people who want to see something new and different...just for the thrill of it. Plus, who know? Some features in Lion might REQUIRE form factor changes (e.g. new multitouch gestures, etc.)

Thus, my own guess would be September or October of this year we'll see a chassis change...probably after the release of Lion. This would put the design ahead of Ivy Bridge, making the following updates easier. A 2012 revision might include: additional Thunderbolt ports, enhanced display, and longer battery life due to the die shrink. If the redesign doesn't happen later this year, it will be this time next year at the latest. JMO.

You forgot thte release of os x lion beta at the same time. The mbp are forced to share the spotlight with that.

My logic is a redesign this year in October, November time.

They said the average refresh time is 10 months. That would put it on Christmas eve. January would be 11 months and October would be 8 months. Its also the perfect holiday sales boost lion just came out. Then they release a new mbp just in time for the holiday season.

Makes logical sense to me.

Refreshes are contingent on new processors. The next MacBook family update will be with the clock boost of Sandy Bridge, whenever that will be.

2012.

Is it me? Or in the movie "The Mechanic" we see a new design in the Macbook Pro? At first sight seems a Macbook Air of at least 15". Could it be bigger screen MBA? Someone have a closer look and tell me if i am crazy.

Don't get the wrong impression here as a love my MBP! However I was realky surprised at the extent of the upgrade when the Unibodies came out later in the year.


I was certainly expecting more myself, mostly in the way of SSDs. Specifically blade storage, maybe Intels screw up blew such a release away.

By the way I don't expect major changes to the body of the MBPs. You will need a certain thickness to accomodate the fan units. Since these are pro machines you will need a certain amount of power dispation capacity to provide bleeding edge performance. Of course that would keep Apple from tapering the case or do other things to modify the case.

Some of the machines did get some impressive bumps in performance. This actually has me trying to restrain myself. The thing is I more or less agree with your point of view, the next release could offer up even more.

What would be that "more"? Well I think the front runner is much higher resolution screens. That can't really happen now with Snow Leopard but might be supported well enough in Lion to allow Apple to 2X the displays. Some rumors are already afloat with respect to the possibility of resolution independence.

The other item of interest is the blade SSDs. I'm realy surprised that Apple did nothing here, though Intels last minute chipset screw up is likely an issue here. I'd actually like to see four of those slots in a MBP, maybe a combination of the blade slots and a conventional form factor slot.

The sad truth is nobody knows for sure. My experience tells me to wait until after the fall release or at least until Lion is released. Once everything about Lion is known, we will pretty much know what Apple is up to for the next two years. Well OK, even after Lion it is still unproven conjecture. Without resolution independence there is a lint to how far Apple can go with screen resolution. There would be a big market for 2X screen resolutions so it will come eventually.

You're crazy. I don't need to see the movie. Apple doesn't do that.

I would love to see this. Are there any panel manufacturers sampling these types of panels? Anyone know? I'm assuming a new panel will be 16:9.

I think we'll see a new unibody MacBook Pro design when Intel's Ivy Bridge processor (the die shrink of Sandy Bridge) becomes available in early 2012. Around the same time, we'll also see a die shrink for SSD solid state hard drives and a price reduction per gigabyte that will at last make it economically viable as a mainstream option. Both form factor reductions and price reductions will enable Apple to create a much slimmer enclosure to offer a machine that sells for more or less the same price as current models

The launch is likely to be dependent on Intel's timeline for Ivy Bridge. While early 2012 seems likely, it could slip to June 2012. This redesign will also mark the end of the integrated DVD drive on-board. When the new machines arrive, we should see a MacBook Pro that weighs little more than a MacBook Air, but that packs a much greater punch in terms of raw processing power. I suspect that all drives will become SSD with a minimum capacity of 256 Gb on low-end models and and possibly 1 Terabyte drives on high-end models. (Personally, I think 512 Gb is now a minimum.)

Screen resolution will improve and possibly be accompanied by a move to 16:9 display sizes. The track pad will grow in size, with Apple adding an increased suite of gesture controls. By 2012, OSX 10.7 Lion will be out in the wild so the new hardware will be able to take advantage of its many touch enabled features.

A few things remain uncertain. What will happen to USB? If Apple moves to Light Peak (Thunderbolt) entirely, then USB 3.0 may never see the light of day in a MacBook Pro. We may still need legacy ports to run existing peripherals, or Thunderbolt adaptors. Will FireWire also be junked? And will Apple offer a 3G / 4G card slot so we can surf without WiFi / Ethernet access?

It has also been rumoured that Apple is considering new materials, such as lightweight carbon fibre and new alloys. Even if it sticks with the current aluminium material, new smaller components and the lack of a DVD drive should allow worthwhile weight savings.

For me, the most significant new technology on the horizon is light reflective colour screens, i.e. displays that can be read in natural light without the need for backlighting. This is the same technology used by the Kindle, but it is advancing to produce radically new display designs that are akin to viewing an animated colour page from a glossy magazine. It has to be seen to be believed,

In summary, the next generation of MacBook will merge the Pro line-up with the Air line-up. Beyond the next generation of of MacBook Pro, I believe we will see the convergence of the iPad and the MacBook Pro, with touch screen technology providing a fundamentally new computing experience than the one we're used to.

I like your air of thinking Tailpipe, heres my pennysworth... there are three rechnowlogies that still have to come together and culminate in the next significant generational leap of Both iMac and the Macbook Pro.

First - Cloud computing will have to firmly arrive offering all media replacing the need for the legacy Dvd drive, and also reducing the need for so much onboard local memory space too, this will need ISPs to open up fast internet links to everyone, i'm betting demand will become widespread by next Christmas.
second - The price of the blade SSD will have to come down to a reasonable level to be able to put a significant amount 1Tbt into a Pro machine, also the SATA interface will need to be replaced with a faster direct pci route as thunderbolt eliminating the serialized bottlenecks plaguing all computers.
third - the new mobile ivybridge processors will have high speed ssd buffer zone on the logic board and will be 22nm as is the next generation AMD graphic chips to be which will reduce the overall internal heating effects significantly on the logic board thus reducing fan requirement size.
additionally most legacy interface sockets will have to go reducing the amount of sockets to the next generation optical thunderbolt and then the macAir type of case formate can be adopted to house the next generation mac pro's maybe with super high definition Retina laptop displays.

My best guess this will not all realistically converge until next March 2012, but this next generational bump will be significant in it will see all local computing changing to the cloud computing experience, and that will need a bit of re-educating folk to think of all their stuff will exist mostly in cyberspace and less on their machines.

I for one am looking forward to this change but I can understand alot of peoples apprehension with the unknown, before iPad arrived I said it was going to be a significant game changer, well cloud computing will change the whole experience again into total video television hifi applications convergence and the design of machines we experience it all on, yes rather than buy DVDs, Bluray discs and players, hard disc storage devices ect we'll be streaming it all online direct to screens on probably paid demand.

The future is coming...

I think we'll see a new design within a year. I wouldn't be surprised that there are many design ideas on the "cutting board" right now. I think that with their computers, in particular, Apple wants to choose a design that will last a few years.

I think there is something so fundamentally right about the design of Apple's entire computer line-up (except the Macbook) that I can't think of any improvements other than -maybe- a smaller footprint for the MacPro.

To me they are truly one of the great achievements in industrial design.

No. Needs to be larger.

I want that more than anything.

I would expect another MBP release before Ivy Bridge. The reasoning is pretty simple, it could be well over year until Ivy Bridge is ready. Now as to a new design that is an open question but I have to think that the current models are Apples rendition of playing it safe to get Thunderbolt established. So a fall update could bring on a new chassis or it could just be a bump.

I have to agree with your position with respect to SSD size. My personal usage makes it tough to run on a 200GB drive and that is with Itunes on a separate 1TB drive.

Screen resolutions will only improve if Apple gets off its duff and finishes resolution independence. Frankly I'm really hoping for some sort of statement from Apple about this at the coming WWDC.

I really don't think Apple has any intention of replacing USB entirely. USB is a perfectly good low speed port and frankly isn't even in the same class as Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt will lead to the dropping of Firewire, which I consider to be useless, and possibly other ports.

What surprised me with the release of Thunderbolt is that Apple really didn't debut systems or solutions built around it. That is the docking station or monitor that we were expecting. This could come with the next rev of the MBP or the AIRs. In any event there is little in the way of info on just what Apple intended to use Thunderbolt for.

I don't really care what Apple builds the machines out of as long as it is durable! Aluminum seems to be a very good compromise here.

The R&D going into alternative solutions for screens is just mind boggling, it is really difficult to predict what Apple will be suing six months down the road much less a year or two. As to the reflective displays I don't think they have a a reason to go into an Apple laptop but the iPad would be another story.

As to the Mac Book I'd rather see Apple offer up something that is significantly cheaper. Like in the $600 to $700 range. Something that leverages modern chip technology to produce a functional but low cost machine.

As to convergence I really don't like how that concept is pedaled. The use cases for tablets and laptops/desktops is so different that I don't ever expect complete convergence. Frankly Touch screens actually suck when it comes to many desktop productivity uses and would actually be a step backwards. Of course there are always those apps where touch might make sense on a laptop or desktop machine, it is just not the norm.

Really? Industrial design that forgets functionality is crap. Apples desktop line up has a massive gulf in capability between the Mini and the Mac Pro with the iMac as a side show. There is nothing rational at all about Apples approach to the desktop world. They have done much better with the laptop line up as they have many potential users covered with a wide array of machines.

Wizard69,

I agree that there could well be another bump later in the year before a new MacBook Pro appears in 2012. As you say, it is all about Ivy Bridge availability, but the 22 nm die-shrink that this next generation encompasses is still at least 12 months away. The reduced size of this processor and its board is what will facilitate a smaller, thinner enclosure. Thinness and lightness will also come from the loss of the DVD drive.

There's another reason to delay the new MacBook Pro's arrival and that is to give the MacBook Air more 'air time'. I look forward to the refresh as I think it'll get new processors and possibly more SSD memory, 512 Gb, but this discussion is a whole other thread. Whatever the next REv of the Air brings, Apple needs to sell more of them to achieve the desired ROI. A new MBP would impede that.

Going back on topic, If I were to anticipate how the new MacBook Pro is likely to look, then I'll say it will be identical to the current model except much thinner, i.e. i think it won't have a sloped keyboard a la MacBook Air, and lighter.

I really hope that Apple will soon provide an easy and legal means of copying DVDs to iTunes. Once I've converted my entire collection to digital files, I will no longer need a DVD player.

New screen technology is absolutely essential. Better resolution is a given, but the ability to view screens in ambient light would not only provide a better user-experience but reduce battery power consumption. This is where I'd be investing my considerable cash resources, if i were Apple.

Will this be a great advantage over the 2011 Sandy Bridge Processor they are using now?

Depends on what you mean by great. I wouldn't think any more than a 25% boost, and that's the "insane optimist" end of the scale.

There is no indication that Intel will significantly refresh mobile SB cpus before the end of the year. Last year they did so for Arrandale, but I have to say that the original batch was not that great (very low clocks from the start). Apple didn't refresh the 2010 MBPs later, they just offered a couple of faster cpus as BTO options, it may well be the case again this year, yet the faster models may just be 0.1GHz or 0.2GHz updates (up to 10% boost).

It's probably better to expect yearly updates on all Apple products now, and be surprised from time to time.

No. Why? I'm not talking about clock speed increases within Sandy Bridge, I'm talking about the process shrink in Ivy Bridge. We'll see at least one clock speed change for Sandy Bridge before the year's out, and then Ivy Bridge'll be out in spring 2012.

January is usually when Apple releases complete redesigns of their MacBook pro line.

And indeed, I think January 2012 is when we will see the next one for the MacBook pro.

Or at least that is my guess from all the rumors floating around and the direction Apple has been moving towards.

The phasing out of the optical drive is coming, and I think this will be part of the redesign. The popularity of the MacBook air and the inclusion of an SD card slot on all their laptops is also a sign. The CD/DVD is on it's way out. Movies and songs are being streamed and downloaded now. The extra space of doing away with the optical drive will allow for thinner and lighter laptops, not to mention more space for other things like extra SSD drives, bigger batteries etc.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe that redesign won't happen till January 2013....but I think not. I think it's time has come. Bwa-ha-ha!

Yes you are:

In any case, why would Apple "refresh" the MBP before the year's out, they didn't do it last year, they just offered more BTO options. The models stayed the same at the same price.

Nope... try again.


Because in every year before the last one Apple released at least two MacBook Pro revisions. Last year they stuck with Penryn because Clarksfield drew too much power. Apple COULDN'T update anything.

Sure you were, a few weeks may have passed between your posts (and with St. Patrick's day in between...), but that was a follow-up on the same question.

If at least you had use "may" or "could" instead of "will",... You don't even know if the "clock boost" of Sandy Bridge will happen, if so, when it will happen, and if it will be significant enough for Apple to choose to release an update.

Since when is Apple THAT predictable?
2003: 2 PB updates
2004: 1 PB update
2005: 2 PB updates
2006: 3 MBP updates
2007: 1 MBP update
2008: 2 MBP updates
2009: 1 MBP update
2010: 1 MBP update
So, is it really "every year before the last one..."?

And I disagree, they could have updated to faster penryns (2.40/2.66-2.53/2.80), and to faster Arrandales (2.40/2.66-2.53/2.80).