Here's when and why the new MBP will hit
Okay folks.
It's time to think logically about this so you can stop posting annoying threads like this one.
Sticking a shiny new Penryn in the MacBook Pro isn't enough to make it shiny or new.
Geeks like us my get excited about something like this, but in order to drive the average consumer to pull out their wallet, the new MBP has to look shiny and new and contain new features whose benefits are obvious on the surface. A smaller processor with 1-200 mhz faster clock speed is not enough to wow most people, and a new GPU may not even be enough in that regard. So I think redesigning the entire machine is the only way to make it appear "new".
A redesign at this point will almost certainly include the usual talked about features:
Multitouch trackpad
New Keyboard
Mag Latch
New Magsafe connector
LED
BTO SSD
New Case design
With this understood, it wouldn't make much sense for Apple to do this now as in a couple months time the Montevina chipset will be released from Intel. It has been said that this chipset due to it's dimensions would force a redesign of form factor.
My opinion is that since Apple is in the business of redesigning their "Pro" laptop line every 5-6 years, it would seem highly unlikely they would redesign it twice within a matter of a couple of months.
If Apple updates the MBP tomorrow or any Tuesday for the next few months between now and Montevina it's gonna be disappointing because it's likely to only contain Penryn and a possible GPU upgrade, though very doubtful. This may seem like a lot to some, but I doubt it will translate into mega sales figures for Apple, and thus seems an unlikely move.
You watch though, it'll be released tomorrow and have blu-ray drive standard.
It's time to think logically about this so you can stop posting annoying threads like this one.
Sticking a shiny new Penryn in the MacBook Pro isn't enough to make it shiny or new.
Geeks like us my get excited about something like this, but in order to drive the average consumer to pull out their wallet, the new MBP has to look shiny and new and contain new features whose benefits are obvious on the surface. A smaller processor with 1-200 mhz faster clock speed is not enough to wow most people, and a new GPU may not even be enough in that regard. So I think redesigning the entire machine is the only way to make it appear "new".
A redesign at this point will almost certainly include the usual talked about features:
Multitouch trackpad
New Keyboard
Mag Latch
New Magsafe connector
LED
BTO SSD
New Case design
With this understood, it wouldn't make much sense for Apple to do this now as in a couple months time the Montevina chipset will be released from Intel. It has been said that this chipset due to it's dimensions would force a redesign of form factor.
My opinion is that since Apple is in the business of redesigning their "Pro" laptop line every 5-6 years, it would seem highly unlikely they would redesign it twice within a matter of a couple of months.
If Apple updates the MBP tomorrow or any Tuesday for the next few months between now and Montevina it's gonna be disappointing because it's likely to only contain Penryn and a possible GPU upgrade, though very doubtful. This may seem like a lot to some, but I doubt it will translate into mega sales figures for Apple, and thus seems an unlikely move.
You watch though, it'll be released tomorrow and have blu-ray drive standard.
Comments
The limiting factor affecting how thin the MacBook Pro can become is not so much the size of the chipset but the thickness of the required ports. It is unlikely that a MacBook Pro will be much thinner than 20 mm (versus current 25 mm), not just because the video and ethernet ports alone take up some 15 mm of depth, but also because the biggest packaging headache is the DVD drive. Besides, if the MBP were too thin, it would cut across the MacBook Air's market niche. In other words, Montevina isn't going to force a redesign.
The major advantage of Penryn over Santa Rosa is that it runs colder and offers longer battery life. For these reasons, it is highly likely that Apple can release a redesigned thinner MacBook Pro without any significant packaging problems. Moreover, if I'm interpreting various reports right, Montevina has already slipped to June. Whether it has or hasn't, and, assuming Apple releases any updated MBP now, no Montevina model will hit before August/ September. That's a long time for the faithful to wait.
I don't think the MBP will continue to sell well without a significant upgrade now. Some would argue that the only way Apple can drive sales in a tough economy is to launch exciting new models sooner rather than later. Right now the MacBook Pro needs the new keyboard, the gesture trackpad and a better magsafe connection. Any revised model that doesn't offer these things will be a non-event. The point is, if Apple does provide these things now, it isn't going to redesign the MBP in six months time.
So I fully expect a brand spanking new MBP tomorrow with most if not all the features you mentioned, all except Centrino 2.
Reports coming in today are suggesting tomorrow is increasingly likely to see the update. I still hold that it will be a disappointing one for many though. I agree with you that Penryn will hold some advantages for thermal envelope as well as battery usage, but I don't think it will be drastic.
I'm betting that the redesign is coming with Montevina.
Thinness is an irrelevant factor with the MacBook Pro as far as I'm concerned. It's thin enough already. Sacrificing features for the promotion of asthetics is MacBook Air's deal.
March: Slightly faster MBP with Penryn. Basic speed bump. MT Trackpad.
May: MB released with Penryn, just in time for college sales
Aug-Sept: MBP moves to Montevina, along with MBA.
Oct-Nov: MB moves to Montevina.
Keep in mind that Apple doesn't always use Intel wireless chips. If they don't, then the MB/MBPs won't be "Centrino"s. They'll just have the new chipset and DDR3.
Just curious, but does the Penryn use the same socket, so this basically requires no motherboard change?
Current Penryns do. There's not really a new motherboard to switch to. But they'll be switched to a new socket (with 1066 MHz FSB support) with Montevina in June.