An all-new MacBook Pro is coming

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
A month or so ago, I wrote a thread about the new MacBook Pro.



It was a case of putting two and two together and making five, based on only limited inside information. I knew that the MacBook Pro was ripe for an update in January and I also knew that Penryn would be the trigger for the new enclosure design to appear. So I assumed that the January update would be the new enclosure. This was delayed due to initial manfacturing problems with Penryn. Although I got the revised launch date right - 26th February - Penryn duly arrived but no new design. Boy oh boy, were we all disappointed that it was only a refresh.



Well, let me say again that a new MacBook Pro IS very much on the Apple Agenda. It will be as I described it before, except that the Penryn chip my friend was referring to was the Centrino 2 version: Montevina. While everyone is focused on Nehalem, Montevina is a major step forward and will offer a worthwhile booost in performance while reducing energy consumption. So the new machines will be well able to do the heavy lifting associated with video editing and other large file maniuplation. They'll run cooler and have a deeply impressive battery life. So Montevina is a much better reason for upgrading your computer than Penryn alone. (For those of you contemplating Nehalem chips, these are still a long way aff - 12-18 months - in Macs.)



From the little I know, the new MacBook Pro will essentially be like a MacBook Air with a larger screen, a DVD drive and all the ports everyone wants. Slimming the enclosure from 25 mm down to around 20 mm, allows for a substantial weight reduction. it will get a larger trackpad and a new keyboard, although it may not necessarily be black.



When you think about it, it would have been dumb to launch a new MacBook Pro at the same time as the MacBook Air. It would have cannibalised sales. By the time the new MacBook Pro launches, the MBA will be well established in the Apple line-up. Moreover, a revised MBA with its own Centrino 2 chip and larger SSD drives will be ripe for roll-out.



Speaking of SSD, I am sure that a 128/ 160 Gb SSD drive will be offered as an option on the new MBP. Faster read/ write times for both sequential and random file access will very soon make an overwhelming case for SSD over and above HDD in all laptops. We just need the price per Gb to come down.



Whatever the new MacBook Pro packs in terms of technology, the form factor alone will make it a sensational machine for those who need a lap top that can do pretty much any and everything.



The 17" version should be particularly svelte and desirable.



So, there you have it. I think we're talking about a June/ July release. I don't know for sure, but it is coming.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 50
    bjnybjny Posts: 191member
    I hope its specs are as good as this future Dell (MBA killer?)



    http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/21/u...-portables-wi/
  • Reply 2 of 50
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    How sure are you of all of this? The details seem sketchy. If you were to give it a percentage rating what would it get? 50%? 75%? 95% chance?
  • Reply 3 of 50
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DHagan4755 View Post


    How sure are you of all of this? The details seem sketchy. If you were to give it a percentage rating what would it get? 50%? 75%? 95% chance?



    There is a 100% chance that a new Mac Book Pro will come out. The question of course is when and what will it contain. Likewise there is a 100% chance that Apple will come out with something to replace that brand new MBP.



    Dave
  • Reply 4 of 50
    tailpipetailpipe Posts: 345member
    I'm 100% sure a new MacBook Pro will arrive this year. My money is on a June launch.
  • Reply 5 of 50
    vtorchvtorch Posts: 17member
    I suspect that this Macbook Pro will still be dual core and not quad?



    We are so close to quad core technology, I would hate to spend my money on an updated Macbook Pro that is only dual core. So Close!!!!.....and I am not talking about Nehalem either.
  • Reply 6 of 50
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    I don't need a slimmer MacBook Pro. I need a device that doesn't compromise CPU options because I want to save 5 mm in case height.
  • Reply 7 of 50
    mjteixmjteix Posts: 563member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Vtorch View Post


    I suspect that this Macbook Pro will still be dual core and not quad?



    We are so close to quad core technology, I would hate to spend my money on an updated Macbook Pro that is only dual core. So Close!!!!.....and I am not talking about Nehalem either.



    Of course we are close to "mobile" quads but those are 45W parts and will cost $1,038. Intel has announced those and they should be available in september (or so).



    But Apple doesn't even use the current "mobile" 2.8GHz cpus at 44W and $851 in the MBP. I don't expect them to move to quads in notebooks before nehalem (late Q2 2009).



    Penryn quads will get in the 24" iMac ($2500) and maybe, maybe, in the 20" iMac ($2200).



    If Apple was to use those quads in the MBP, the price would be around $3500 for the 17" model. And I don't believe one second this cpu could "fit" in the 15" model (in terms of heat).



    Not only nehalem will bring down the price of mobile quads, it will also bring lower TDP models (or at least one cpu in a TDP range that fits the MBP and in the $600 price range).
  • Reply 8 of 50
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tailpipe View Post


    By the time the new MacBook Pro launches, the MBA will be well established in the Apple line-up.



    Let's not forget the MacBook in this equation - as the MacBook also naturally becomes thinner with technological advances the MacBook Air is at risk of losing it's identity, I can't see the MacBook Air having a very long run, I can see it just merging with the MacBook line unless it finds a new unique feature/selling point, but what? At the moment it's thin, but they will all get thinner, maybe not as thin as the Air, but enough to further blur the line between the two. I think the lifespan of the Air is very much in the hands of advances in technology here and how quickly components shrink.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    There is a 100% chance that a new MacBook Pro will come out. The question of course is when and what will it contain. Likewise there is a 100% chance that Apple will come out with something to replace that brand new MBP



    Genius!! Why didn't anyone else work that out?



    Yes, there will be a new MBP this year, it's only March, but with a radical new design? Hopefully. I'd like an Air-esque MBP but with more I/O ports and an internal SuperDrive. 128GB SSD's is a possibility, possibly even made up of two 64GB'ers, but I'm certain there won't be a CTO option for any bigger than 128GB, they're just not there yet. And Apple won't go anywhere near them until the OEM prices for 128GB SSD's come close to the price the 64GB SSD was at the time of developing the Air. But we can dream. Plus as the MBP is a Pro tool, Apple want to be assured of the reliability of larger SSD's from a QA point of view.



    Also - certainly not in the next MBP refresh but one of the early 2009 updates I'm sure we'll see a CTO option for the QX9300 Quad-Core CPU, it's inevitable for the MBP really.
  • Reply 9 of 50
    rogue68rogue68 Posts: 98member
    Excuse my cynicism but one or more speculative 'semi-insiders' (ie: guessmasters like the rest of us) have been predicting a big redesign of the MBP for, ooh, 2 or 3 years now. Instead, every few months we've had an underwhelming speed bump or what turns out to be a minor processor update or a tweak like the activation of multi-touch to spur sales on instead.



    I'd love to believe something more significant will appear with Montevina just as so many of us hoped something more significant would appear with Penryn and before that Santa Rosa and so on, going right back to the replacement of the Tibook with the Alubook (a downgrade IMO)



    I have a horrible feeling that now Nehalem details have been published, Apple will decide a significant Montevina redesign would be premature/functionally underwhelming and we'll be in for another disappointment come June.



    If anyone has any genuine insider information that can substantiate the OP I look forward to reading it.
  • Reply 10 of 50
    macbook pro will get thinner yes, macbook will get thinner yes;- agreed on the point of "where will this leave the macbook air?"



    the macbook air needs the 11.1" screen (WXGA) that the Sony TZ series use to distinguish it from the rest. That'd be one incredible ultra portable
  • Reply 11 of 50
    tailpipetailpipe Posts: 345member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by looksthatkill View Post


    The macbook air needs the 11.1" screen (WXGA) that the Sony TZ series use to distinguish it from the rest. That'd be one incredible ultra portable



    I just don't agree with this comment at all. The full-size keyboard and a 13.3" screen in such a slim package make the MBA an engineering marvel/ technological breakthrough - it proves that ultra-portables do not need a mini 11.1" screen that most of us struggle to read.



    I'd rather have these features than just about any others. As we well know, Apple thought the same. It decided that reducing the number of ports and omitting a DVD drive was a better compromise than a limiting the screen size. if the DVD drive and extra ports are so important, you can get a MacBook.



    The real issue with the MBA is hard disk capacity. With the growth of WiFi and 3G USB 2.0 wireless data cards, certainly in Europe, the lack of an ethernet port isn't really a problem. If you really need an Ethernet connection, get the relevant dongle. The MBA also spells the end of the DVD. Very soon we'll be buying movies like we do music. I wonder how long it will be before we download all software or get on USB memory sticks. In this sense, Apple has been very prescient. The MBA is an ahead of its time machine.



    I would be interested to see whether Apple is selling more MBAs than Sony is TZs. I am sure it is.



    In fact, as much as I lust after a new Mac, i am beginning to wonder whether an MBA would be better than an MBP. Cost could well be the deciding factor.
  • Reply 12 of 50
    wheelhotwheelhot Posts: 465member
    I dont agree that MB and MBP will get as thin as MBA primarily because MBA lack of ports (FireWire, mini-DVI (although Apple bundled in a cable to attack to the MBA just incase you need the DVI port), Ethernet port and etc).



    Like others said, the new MBP is coming but the question is when and we can guess and hope all we want but its release date is on the hand of those Apple guys.



    Majority of the world isn't ready for wireless so Ethernet will stick around for about 5 - 10 years more. For your info, here in Malaysia, a wireless 802.11n router is freaking expensive. Don't be hypnotized by Jobs presentation bout renting DVD's online, what Apple is doing is trying to dominate the market like what it did with iPods (and it succeeded by the way). Many other countries do not support this movie rental service yet and it will be like 5 years + to receive this service or at least to be able to own a internet connection fast enough to run this service.



    The problem with your points tailpipe is you think MBA is only for sale in US or Europe while in truth is there are many users from other country that is using MBA right now and believe me some of the countries doesn't have such a broad wi-fi area or wireless movie rentals.



    Hard disk capacity for MBA will increase by the end of this year
  • Reply 13 of 50
    The MBP will se a redesign when Nehalem is implemented. Nehalem represents a complete change

    from the "Core" architecture...it is an all new architecture and will represent the biggest change since pentium chips. Nehalem will dramatically reduce heat, while increasing performance. Montevina only incorporates wimax into the chipset which will come in standard sizes. I have my sources too
  • Reply 14 of 50
    bobertoqbobertoq Posts: 172member
    sounds like it could happen. they must go with the black keyboard, though. I didn't like it at first.... but now... that keyboard is so appealing! yeah you need that huge trackpad, too. thinner case... i'm loving it.
  • Reply 15 of 50
    wheelhotwheelhot Posts: 465member
    Quote:

    The MBP will se a redesign when Nehalem is implemented. Nehalem represents a complete change

    from the "Core" architecture...it is an all new architecture and will represent the biggest change since pentium chips. Nehalem will dramatically reduce heat, while increasing performance. Montevina only incorporates wimax into the chipset which will come in standard sizes. I have my sources too



    That make sense, but if Nehalem will be the MBP update, then expect next year
  • Reply 16 of 50
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wheelhot View Post


    That make sense, but if Nehalem will be the MBP update, then expect next year



    Exactly. I wish beyond wishing that a redesign would arrive with Montevina, just as I wish it had arrived with Penryn but i doubt it will and I slightly resent having my lead pulled by people pretending to have inside knowledge they clearly don't. I remember the days when people who pretended to be above speculation actually were.
  • Reply 17 of 50
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    We have been speculating about a new design for years yet none has materialized.
  • Reply 18 of 50
    wheelhotwheelhot Posts: 465member
    Quote:

    We have been speculating about a new design for years yet none has materialized.



    It will come.......5 more years? hahahahaha :Joking:
  • Reply 19 of 50
    rogue68rogue68 Posts: 98member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wheelhot View Post


    It will come.......5 more years? hahahahaha :Joking:



    Well, maybe that's the way it'll be. No joke.



    Seems many of us here have reached boredom saturation point with the current MBP design, but maybe Apple haven't. Maybe Apple are pleased with sales and see no reason whatsoever for a re-fresh. Maybe they think the current MBP design is a classic akin to the VW Beetle or the Olivetti typewriter or the tetrapak.



    Maybe when significantly smaller /faster chips come in they'll just fill the extra space in the case with something else and keep the current 15/17 line-up forever and ever amen.



  • Reply 20 of 50
    wheelhotwheelhot Posts: 465member
    Well, any ideas about the MBP design, my thoughts only go to a thinner LCD and maybe a slightly thinner MBP (as in very slightly thinner then the current one). Cant think of any other shape that looks more classic then the current MBP.



    Oh yeah a magnetic latch is welcomeable.



    Until the motherboard size cannot be reduced, dont expect much redesign (most likely its going to be a MBP - MBA hybrid).
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