Apple expected to unveil Retina 13" MacBook Pro at next week's 'iPad mini' event - Page 2

I agree. The reasons to re-design are many. There is a commercial need to refresh in order not to stagnate (move backwards), but Apple has always emphasized the relationship the user has with their device on an emotional level. Design can and in Apple's case does, change that relationship fundamentally. The lighter, the thinner, the longer the battery lasts and the less cables are involved the less 'technological' and more personal a device becomes. 

If it is indeed being billed as a Media Event, there would be various ways to incorporate both devices in a coherent way. If the introduction was about iBooks, possibly iBooks for Mac, and also a new and improved iBooks Author which also runs on the new Mac. And then in honor of the first keynote since a year of the passing of SJ..."Oh and one more thing!" A brand new iPad! Boom!

Remember when I said I thought the iMac was so beautiful as is that I couldn't imagine how a redesign could be more beautiful.

 

And then you have your typical A-hole response of "That's why you don't work for Apple".

 

 

Well- That's why you don't work for Apple.  Why you "work" for Appleinsider is beyond me.  The annoyance, arrogance, hypocrisy (see what I just said, what you just said, and then try to justify your a-hole response) is too much for words.  Even the other moderators seem to dislike you most the time.

 

Hey- you know what would make me like you more?  If you could make it where we could block/ignore moderators... that would be great.

Edited by Andysol - 10/15/12 at 12:49pm

 

Nit-picking your own arguments, eh? Even still, they're not the same.

 

How is it that a Cinema Display and a TV are similar, again? Is the visible design of a TV irreducibly complex? I don't think so.

 

 

And now you're on the other side of that argument, which I find interesting. 

Edited by Tallest Skil - 10/15/12 at 12:58pm

yes - i think he might have meant the 3009 or 2010 13 inch SILVER macbook, it was the last silver macbook that also had swappable battery. Graphics was discreet, GeForce 320M It was faster in the graphics department than the 13 MB(P) that i think followed it

 

If the event happens (likely it appears) and if it includes an iPad Mini, that's not as big an event as the new iPad was (which also spent a lot of time introducing the release of iOS 6 which the mini will be running, so little news there, except for possible customizations for the new device, and also since the big news about the Mini is its size, not likely any new unique tech).  And another retina MBP is not as big the first either.

So this would (could) be a raft of holiday-timed releases (headlined by the Mini but not limited to it), ergo possibly the 13 MBPr, a new thinner form factor iMac, and then going down from there in probability, a revamped Cinema display, new web and software revs or releases, and a few tweaks to other devices and programs, making good on Cook's promise to see virtually the whole Apple line-up refreshed in 2012. 

 

Ending with, "and so that's our holiday line-up" - then reviewing the new products introduced not only at that event, but all year long.

And possibly in a smaller hall than the iPhone 5 release was held in. 

When do you think we will see an 11" MBA with retina display? The form factor of that design intrigues me.

I already have a 3 year-old 13" MBP that I'm still quite happy with, other than the weight. But after getting the iPhone 5, I won't buy anything new from Apple these days unless it has the retina, and that includes the iPad mini.

True. I read on cnet that a new Mac Mini is also expected - which brings in the whole 'mini' idea. A launch of mini products. I think your speculation is more likely than the mini idea, however. But I still think a iPad mini launch is big news. The whole world is waiting for it so to dilute that free and very focussed marketing by bringing in another product doesn't seem right. What does seem right is to bring in a new, or re-launch an existing service/ software deal such as iBooks on the back of an iPad mini launch.

You must be referring to the phenomena of peeing in your pants voluntarily upon hearing the news that a smaller retina MacBook Pro is coming soon.

 

So if the tag line is "Small is Beautiful" we can expect the 13" MBP, the iPad Mini and the Mac Mini.  The new iMacs will just have to get a silent update the night before. :)

Discrete GPU please

 

Correction.  

One, of the three, separate, and differently constructed "leaked iPad mini cables" has turned out to have been for the iPod touch.  

 

So in fact, none have been "debunked," and only one of three has turned out to be for something else.

It seems like you are so scared of being proven wrong about the iPad mini that you are mis-remembering your facts now.  

 

What were the other two?

 

Keep your pants on. 

 

You need to download the patch to enable the rainbows.

 

for the 13" MBP I would take that over retina.  That would make it more pro to me.

 

This is just ridiculous reasoning.  

 

It *sounds* reasonable until you realise that you are talking about "retina" and "non-retina" screens as if they were completely different components when in fact they are variations of the same component.  

 

You want your argument to sound like "cars with wheels" vs. "cars without wheels" when in fact you are talking about "cars with regular tires" vs. "cars with whitewalls."  

 

To make a closer computer related analogy... it's not like dropping a laptop with an optical drive into an ecosystem of laptops without optical drives, it's more like dropping a laptop with a faster optical drive into an ecosystem of laptops with slower optical drives. 

 

One from France early on, one from somewhere else at the end (can't remember).  The leak in the middle (shot of two iPad mini and two iPhone cables), was the one that turned up in iFixit's teardown of the iPod touch.  

 

Also, keep the "pants" remarks to yourself.  If you want to insult me just call me a name (I can take it and I won't report you to your Mom), don't refer to clothing, stripping, taking my clothes off etc. as that's pretty offensive, and generally just an extremely icky and overly personal thing to say.  

 

And yes, reading between the lines, your posts seem to be chock full of sweaty panic as the day of the mini comes closer ... 

 

Of course, you won't admit to being wrong even when it happens.  Because ... immaturity.    

First off I'm not sure where the idea comes from that retina displays are in short supply. Apple has been pumping them out in iPads for almost a year now and much longer in iPhones.

Second there is this idea floating around that Apple needs a low resolution screen to meet some odd price point for the iPad Mini. This totally dismisses the fact that Touch exists. Apple is far more likely to simply price the Mini at whatever point is required to cover their margin requirements.

Third most of the speculation about a low resolution Mini comes from weak minded individuals that can't grasp reality as it is. Unless you have inside information, something nobody here has, you can't assume Apple will go discount with the Mini. History with Apple strongly indicates they would instead go the extra mile.

Fourth what difference does it make. They might even introduce a new Mac Mini which ships with zero resolution. Guys we are talking entirely different product lines here. One will not detract from the other especially if you as a customer are waiting for one device and not the other.

 

You mean slower into an ecosystem of faster, which amounts to the same question at the end.

 

 

How interesting that is, that you can't remember something. Maybe remember that next time you chastise someone else for forgetting something, as well. 

😒

 

 

I've already said I think it could very well exist. There's no longer any "wrong" for me to be in this scenario. You want to manufacture one, feel free. You'll just be laughed at. 

Not sure why my post was deleted- I guess if you can't take the heat- you delete the post that makes you look worse than you make yourself look?  And then you edit your post (bolded) to attempt to answer what I called out for in the deleted post?  You're atrocious man.... it's beyond sad.

 

My original post- that violated nothing- said that you avoided answering how a TV and computer monitor are not similar comparisons.  You still havent answered- what is a better comparison to a computer monitor than a television monitor?

 

Also- I mentioned that I never took a side of the argument- which you accused me of.  I'm indifferent to a cinema display redesign.

 

 

 

Is this where you tell me you deleted my post because it was off-topic?  Although you'll keep your derailing cinema-display talk in this thread and de-railing iPhone 5 naming talk in others?

 

Tallest Skil = the epitome of hypocrisy- like your "That's why you don't work for Apple" rhetoric.

Appleinsider- I beg of you- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE allow us to block/ignore moderators!!

Edited by Andysol - 10/15/12 at 3:18pm

Maybe they have good reason for a quiet launch. For example maybe they are expecting a tough production ramp.

As for the Mac Mini many of us don't like Apples attitude towards the device at all. So in that regard you can suffer along.

The other possibility is that they want to use this forum to release things of interest that are common to both platforms. IBooks on the Mac would be very nice. I'm actually a bit frustrated that Apple hasn't moved forward with this as an Apple supported book reader on the Mac would be ideal.

I have to agree to an extent, Apple needs to wise up about Macs and actually spend a bit of their massive fortune on engineering new and modern devices. At least for the desktop, they still have respect for the laptop market. The thing here is given the same engineering effort and modern design Apple could effectively grab even more sales from the Windows world where PC hardware is even more stagnate.

 

A new Apple product is going to get as much press if it's silent as if it's talked about in the keynote, I think. If anything, it just won't have three dozen extra articles about how "terrible" it is actually isn't. 😉

 

They really need to be more aggressive with it, agreed.

 

But we'd be called old fuddy-duddies for saying that. "Go where the money is", despite the Mac remaining absolutely crucial to getting that money. 

 

Right. But if they're not careful, when they start to replace laptops with larger iPads, they'll wind up with a problem like Intel had when they hit the megahertz cap. "The larger number", in this case, laptops, wouldn't be better.

I have to disagree somewhat. Most people don't even realize that the Mini exists. Seriously I was in the Apple store staring in disbelief when the associate showed a potential customer the Mini. I'm not sure she every actually believed that the little box was the whole computer. Ineptitude if you ask me. Especially at a time when Apple is the only company not showing massive slides in desktop sales. I really have no problem going for the money, especially when Apple has more than enough resources to pursue those dollars. The problem I have is that they have ignored the desktop market even when they are doing much better than the industry as a whole. My point being that they would be selling a hell of a lot more desktops if they would just pull their heads out of their butts.
I honestly expect to see laptop sales crash in a year or two. Really an iPad along with a performance desktop is a much better spend. It is a certainty that laptops would be needed by some for a very long time (I need one at work) but once you get the hang of iPad and its portability laptops look like dinosaurs.

The only thing I think Apple has wrong in this picture is iCloud and that is something that can evolve over time.

Personally I went from iPad1 to iPad3 and it was like going from a proof of concept to a highly workable device. If Apple can double performance of iPad 4 many people will really have to question the expense of a laptop.

 

But isn't that part of the draw? The magic, the mystique? That's what people said about the iMac! "So where's the rest of it?" Heck, Apple even made an ad about that. Talk about the Mini more loudly and that same sense of iMac wonder will hit it.

 

Child Protective Services would have come and taken it away by now were it a kid, is what you're saying. 

 

I don't entirely disagree.

 

What can we, as individuals, do to get that spurred on? Short of working at Apple and climbing high enough to make those decisions. Need a lot more people like you making calls up there. 

 

Problem is us computer field guys don't make the money. But it's very shortsighted to neglect a market that will not only be far more relevant in the future, but also was the reason in the past that they're relevant now.

You may be right but personally I can't see the iPad as anything more than media consumption device. In my work I spend the day ssh -ing into various unix boxes, copying files by ftp to various servers, ssl batch credit card uploads, tons of Adobe CS, SQL and AutoCad work, web development, networking to Windows boxes, scanning, printing, etc. Sure their are some apps for these tasks but I absolutely could not do my job without an OS X machine. Right now I rely on a Mac Pro 8 core with a 30" Cinema and a retina MBP. To work from home I use an iMac. 

 

I have the retina iPad, iPhone 5 and plan to get a mini when/if it is released but other than an occasional extremely brief email or txt, the iOS devices are never used for work whatsoever. Love the new MBP when I'm traveling. I always take my iPad too, why I don't know because I really don't need it but at least the new mini will be lighter and smaller. People who do a lot of computer related file management tasks verses memo writing type office related work can not get by with just an iPad in my opinion. I'm sure people will chime in that they can do all of that from their iPad but they are just simply being masochistic because it has got to be painful.

 

I agree iCloud is completely useless to me because it cannot accept my file types.

Edited by mstone - 10/15/12 at 6:53pm

 

Incorrect.  The 13" MacBooks never had discrete graphics.  They always had integrated graphics with shared system memory.  The Nvidia 9400M and 320M graphics were not discrete, they were integrated chips that shared system memory.  Only the 15" and 17" models had discrete graphics, as well as the older iBook and PowerBook models.

If this has a BTO of 768GB SSD and 16GB of RAM, I'm getting it. If they refresh the iMac with good specs, I'm buying the 27" too. And lastly, if they release a better Mac Mini.............you know the rest.

Fingers crossed and credit card ready.

The retina models are a joke.  At an arm's length, you can't tell the difference between the standard MacBook Pro and the MacBook Pro with Retina.  It is not like holding an iPhone or iPad in your hand, closer to your eyes, to see the higher resolution benefits.  The MacBook Pro Retina display is also scaled, and not set at its native resolution.  If you set it at the super high res native resolution, you can't read anything.  It is also overpriced.  Even Apple realized they screwed up with the base model with no build to order options, and quickly changed that so people wouldn't have to pay a premium just to upgrade it with flash memory that is actually usable.  256 GB standard flash drive memory is nothing for those that work with media or large graphic files.  Apple is also ripping people off by restricting memory upgrades, and forcing people to pay a premium if they want more memory at the time of purchase.  Apple could have used industry standard memory, and allowed people to buy and install their own memory.  You can expect the same with the new 13" retina model.  You will have small flash memory storage, no third-party memory upgrades, and a high starting price.  At least OWC recently began offering SSDs for the MBP with Retina for a lower price than Apple's option.

 

I found this smokin' deal last week, and it is still available.  I was surprised this model is still in stock, and it is new, not a refurb.  It is on clearance.  You can get the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro 15" Late 2011 model at B and H for $1,599, reduced from $2,199 (original price).  They marked it down to $1,999 when the June 2012 models arrived, but now it is reduced to $1,599 to move out the remaining stock.  They also have a discount on AppleCare for $244, and free Parallels 8.  Also, the Late 2011 model is fully supported with Mountain Lion, with AirPlay, etc.  It can also run Snow Leopard if you know anyone that has the Snow Leopard DVD that shipped with the Early 2011 15"/17" model, if you want Rosetta compatibility.  Thought I would pass this deal on to those that might be interested.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/827024-REG/Apple_MD322LL_A_15_4_MacBook_Pro_Notebook.html

 

This is a joke. You clearly don't get it.

Maybe you missed it but I was trying to separate out personal use from professional use. You highlight many professional uses that frankly will only get more demanding of computers in the future. However these are not the things most people use a laptop for when traveling. Frankly I also need a laptop at work, however that laptop stays there.
I suspect you work real hard to convince yourself of that. It is a very good tool for people on the move. Especially when the ease of cellular data use is figured in. Between cell and WiFi you are always connected something that can't be said for a laptop.

Speaking of which, if Apple where to produce an AIR with cellular and always on connectivity I might be tempted to get one and to use it like I do my iPad. That is important to you but 99% of the rest of the world would say who cares. In a way you are sorta supporting my point. Even laptops come up short when doing demanding work. This is interesting because I got an iPhone for personal use thinking I'd never use it for work. Come to find out it is extremely handy even in my line of work. You should just try leaving home without the laptop a few times. You have to adjust your way of doing things on the road but I prefer an iPad by a large measure when the bulk of a laptop isn't absolutely needed. It depends. One thing you have to accept is that the software landscape is really just getting off the ground. Do the apps for iOS and IOS itself need work, most certainly but that doesn't mean they aren't useful. Apps are rapidly evolving for the iPad too, DWG viewers have rapidly evolved to the point that they are useful for example.

However iOS was never intended to be a product that exposes the file system in a way commonly seen on UNIX boxes. I'd be the first to say it isn't perfect but it is a new way to look at the issue of how humans interact with a computer. I hate to say this because the comment will likely draw much negativity but I think Apple has a very long way to go before iCloud will be useful. It is sort of useful now in a limited sense but some of the design decisions just blow my mind and lead to frustration. Some apps are working well within the iCloud framework though, my password manager for one.

I suspect that your problem with iOS devices is that you have a lot of time invested in and skills developed around Mac OS and or UNIX like systems in general. That isn't a bad thing at all but I'd be willing to bet that you would find most Windows PCs just as unappealing as iOS devices.

Personally I revolted with Windows around the time Windows NT service pack 2 came out and trashed a well running machine. I went to Linux at the time as Mac hardware was just outrageous. The thing that drew me to a 2008 MBP was the underlying UNIX and the iPhone. The things that keeps me on the platform is the ease of maintenance ( far less breaks with each update), integration with the iOS devices and the general direction that Mac OS has been moving in. What I'm trying to say is my perspective is rather broad, but in many ways my iPad is a lot more useful to me than most of the old machines that I no longer have. That even if there are real frustrations along the way. In the end I have a computer that is more powerful than almost any of the machines I had in the past.

SWEET :D! Can't wait for the 13 in rMBP! I seriously hope it'll be on $1499 price tag :/
 

12-inch PowerBook (2003)
NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 with 64MB of DDR SDRAM / NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go with 32MB of DDR SDRAM

iBook G4 (12/14-inch Mid 2005)
ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 with 32MB of dedicated DDR SDRAM

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) / MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor / NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2012)
Intel Integrated LOL (enough for twitter & facebook, I agree, but that is a toy).

 

There hasn't been a 13" MacBook or MacBook Pro with a dedicated GPU. It doesn't make them toys by any stretch.

Any ideas on the price points and specs of the 13in rMBP?

It depends upon your point of view. Intel GPUs come up seriously short for some users needs. Thus they are unacceptable. Ivy Bridge is really the first of Intels GPUs that offers credible performance for professional use. Frankly that is only for a limited subset of professional users.

To give you a concrete example:
Autodesk Maya Certified Apple laptops
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/syscert?siteID=123112&id=18844534&results=1&stype=system&product_group=19&release=2013&os=134217728&manuf=7&opt=1

No 13" listed there...

A 13" MacBook Pro's CPU is well suited to run the Autodesk Maya 3D app.
But the lack of a GPU completely disqualifies it. IvyBridge will likely not change this.
Or in other words:
Maya might work just fine on you 13" MacBook Pro. But if it does not, you won't get your money back from Autodesk as it is not a certified hardware. It's even worse: you will not even get support for Maya from Autodesk, even if you paid for support, as this laptop is not on their officially certified hardware list. You are out of your luck. As a professional Maya user you better not buy a 13" MacBook Pro, despite its name it is not a 'Pro' laptop.

So yes, in other words, as for Maya the 13" MacBook Pro is a toy.
Shame because the CPU is more than capable to run it well, particularely in an SSD config.


Side note:
The 12" PowerBook of yesteryear was certified to run Maya because it had a dedicated Nvidia GPU.
If Apple could manage to put a GPU into a 12" laptop there is no reason they cannot do so in a 13". They are just cheapscates. Or in their lust for ever thinner laptops they started to sacrifice pro features.
If you want a small but powerful laptop you must look outside Apple hardware.
Edited by hobBIT - 10/17/12 at 6:29pm