Skylake when for MacBook and iMac?
I have a 5year old iMac that is getting pretty slow as well as a payment to purchase a Mac laptop for work. I'd like to get a MacBook and a 21.5" iMac with retina. However, it seems sensible to hold on until one or both gets the new Intel processors. Do you imagine either will this year?
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Apple usually has a Mac event in October. Previous years were: 16th October 2014, 22nd October 2013, 23rd October 2012. If it follows similar dates, I'd expect either this year's event to be either 15th or 20th October.
A number of Skylake chips have been launched, some just announced:
http://ark.intel.com/products/codename/37572/Skylake
Manufacturers don't seem to be shipping them yet, HP's ones are supposed to be available sometime this month:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/hp-notebook-probook-g3-announced,30063.html
I expect new Macbook, Macbook Air (possibly dropping 13"), iMac, Macbook Pro and possibly Mini. No Mac Pro until next year or late in the year.
They will send out invites to the event 1-2 weeks before the event happens.
I heard that a new MacBook Pro Retina might come first quarter 2016! But if it is announced in October; that much better yet!
I plan to buy a new I mac retina 27 inch
I am waiting for the next update : hoping it for the end of the year.
I don't expect much from the new CPU, but a new GPU will be great (it's the weak point of the retina) . I also expect a new motherboard with a small PCI flash memory (128 or 256 Mb) , plus the classical HD .
They updated it just 4 months ago so a 5 month refresh in October is a bit early but they've used the same CPU architecture for 3 refreshes now so it's long overdue a new chip. I reckon the whole line will switch to USB C, Thunderbolt 3.
Possibly a brand new designed case too! The current one has been out for past 5 or 6 years and had been copied by many competitors and looks now dated!
I could see it taking design cues from the Macbook:
They don't have to offer gold but I think space grey would be a welcome option. Metal hinge, more stable keyboard with larger keys and refined backlight. No screws on the base would be nice. They can taper it a little because of the thinner ports.
A gold color MacBook Pro Retina would be very nice! I would buy one even if Skylake was not as advertised - "no fan inside". Just the "gold" would make it a great purchase until some other notebook company would also have gold too that is! LOL!
Reading about the upcoming Skylake for mobile CPU and chipset; I think it will still require fans but it will use less power which is a plus and should be 20% faster too!
So I just waiting to see if January/February - Apple will make an announcement on a new MacBook Pro Retina and maybe have it in "GOLD"!
I don't think there will be an October event this year. What I think will happen is that Apple will announce the 21.5-inch iMac with retina display via press release. This will probably happen in November and the iMacs will get upgraded to Broadwell CPUs. Around this time, I believe Apple will reduce the price of the retina MacBook by ~$200 or $300. Whether this is done through the offering of a model with a 128GB SSD or just an all out price cut. I believe the next generation Skylake Macs will come early next year. Also, I expect when Skylake MacBooks launch, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with combo drive will finally RIP.
Marvin did an excellent job of covering Apple history here. As such I'd certainly wait until October maybe even November, it isn't Apple that has caused the lackluster updates of recent times so what Apple can do depends upon Intel getting its ducks in a row. Given that some of Apples hardware is very long in the tooth due to Intels screw ups. The iMac and the 15" MBP are especially in need of updates. I would not upgrade to any of these machines now if I could avoid it.
Unfortunately I couldn't as my 2008 MBP died so early this year I was kinda forced to get a new laptop. In this case it was a 13" MBP. Knowing what I do about performance of this machine I have to make sure you question the viability of the Mac Book. Assuming you mean the fanless Mac Book here there is good reason to question its performance and its suitability for what you have in mind. Even my new MBP can be slower than I'd like at times.
As far as SkyLake goes supposedly they are doing desktop processors which would be a good thing for the iMac. There are also options for the laptops coming up too, when this stuff will actually ship in real hardware is unknown. Expectations have to be kept moderated as in some cases the power requirements will increase over some of the Broadwell chips. It gets to be difficult to keep track of all the variants but some of the chips Intel will be shipping have vastly improved GPUs that do use a bit more juice. The improvements are enough that I wouldn't even recommend a current 21" iMac.
Beyond all of that there is a very good chance that Apple will transition to the USB-C ports with this round of hardware upgrades. At least we can hope so, the new ports would mean that the hardware would remain viable for a much longer time than today's hardware.
It will be interesting to see what happens as there have been both Broadwell and SkyLake releases. If iMac in the 21" sizes does go 4K it will likely need the GPU found in SkyLake. The trick for Apple is finding the right SoC with both the performance and acceptable power levels. Some of the SkyLake chips have pretty hefty power requirements. This is much harder to predict, the high price is in part due to the advanced manufacturing technology. I really don't see the price dropping as fast as people believe. The cost of Flash memory in these machines is nearly nothing, the extra flash to get from 128 to 256 GB cost very little these days. Well SkyLake certainly has the potential to make Mac Book a better machine - performance wise. However it's lack of ports means that it can't rationally replace the Mac Book Airs. I know Applw would like that to happen but I really doubt the Mac Boook sales numbers are there to justify killing the Air. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Apple didn't see a bump in Mac Book Air sales after the Mac Books release.
I say this because I've yet to see the clamor around the Mac Book that other Apple platforms have achieved. Often you hear about disappointment in the Mac Book rather than glowing reviews or comments. I could be wrong but it don't see strong signs of sales success. Now if Apple pulls head form ass and addresses a few issues with the Mac Book it could become a hot seller. One issue needing resolution is the number of ports, the machine needs at least two, especially considering one is often tied up connected to a cheap ass charger.
Don't know when Apple will get their shipment but probably after Intel has an oversupply.
We still have five days to go till the 6S ships, and Apple's probably going to give it a week or so to allow the newest iPhone to hold the headlines.
Then they'll either then leak or announce the Mac event. There will be an event because I don't think Apple's ever released an operating system solely by press release, when Macs are being upgraded in the same timeframe. Also, with this upgrade cycle Apple is quarterbacking Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, which isn't the kind of thing you launch via press release.
4K iMac for sure, and probably MacBook Pro updates in a new form factor. If Apple uses the Xeon option for an ultra high performance 15", people will run out in the streets and start dancing, even though most of us won't be able to afford it.
The Mac Pro + TB3 Display is harder to read though. Maybe, maybe not?
We still have five days to go till the 6S ships, and Apple's probably going to give it a week or so to allow the newest iPhone to hold the headlines.
Then they'll either then leak or announce the Mac event. There will be an event because I don't think Apple's ever released an operating system solely by press release, when Macs are being upgraded in the same timeframe. Also, with this upgrade cycle Apple is quarterbacking Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, which isn't the kind of thing you launch via press release.
4K iMac for sure, and probably MacBook Pro updates in a new form factor. If Apple uses the Xeon option for an ultra high performance 15", people will run out in the streets and start dancing, even though most of us won't be able to afford it.
The Mac Pro + TB3 Display is harder to read though. Maybe, maybe not?
Xeon? Xeon does not have graphics inside. Skylake's main strength is Intel's new graphics chipset and engine; along with better battery life and 10%-20% increase in performance. It suppose to be much better then Iris. But we will see when the reviews come out!
Hope you are right about October on the new form factor MacBook Pro Retinas. I look for "gold" color case myself!
Wish I was in the market.
Many thanks all for the replies. So I hear that iMac is on the cards but what about Macbook? Will they even get Skylake? I currently have an Air but as I say can claim a new laptop for my PhD and freelance work. I will chiefly be running Word or Pages and presume t'll be fine for that with the benefit of the lighter weight?