Redesigned, ultra-thin MacBook Pro with AMD GPU not expected to debut at 'iPhone 7' event Sept. 7

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware
Although Apple is nearing the completion of a redesigned MacBook Pro, it probably won't make its appearance at an "iPhone 7" event expected on Sept. 7, a report said on Wednesday.

A concept render of the OLED bar.
A concept render of the OLED bar.


The computer has been in "advanced testing" at Apple since earlier in 2016, one of several sources told Bloomberg. The people otherwise reiterated a number of previous claims about the hardware, including the addition of an OLED strip that will display context-sensitive commands, potential examples including playback options for iTunes or cut and paste actions for word processors. Apple should also be able to introduce new buttons via software updates.

More expensive configurations of the new Pro should use AMD Polaris GPUs, chosen because they're thin and power-efficient enough, one source commented. This may be particularly important given an overhauled chassis, said to be both thinner and with a smaller footprint, also using shallower curves along the edges. Despite reduced overall dimensions, its Force Touch trackpad should be somewhat wider.

The company has allegedly considered adding gold and space gray color options, much like the 12-inch MacBook, but these may or may not make it into a shipping product. Apple is however expected to carry over another feature, USB-C. The sources didn't say how many ports might be included.

Apple is lastly said to be bringing Touch ID to the Mac for the first time, having at least tested versions of the Pro equipped with a sensor next to the OLED bar. This would enable fast logins, and might also support Apple Pay purchases without having to have an iPhone or Apple Watch to authenticate them.

While all of these features were previously rumored, the Bloomberg report may reinforce their credibility. If the new Pro isn't revealed in September, it will most likely be announced in October, shipping that month or the next.
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 60
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    I would appreciate if new Macbook Pro comes with base 256GB flash storage instead of current 128GB. Clue is iphone 7 anticipated with base 32GB. Thinner and lighter is awesome feature but with shirking size of internal components and screen bezel, hope Apple moves to 14" and 16" screen.New Macbook is still thinner/lighter but with larger screen size, more screen real estate but same physical size as current.
    Deelronjony01983nikon133albegarc
  • Reply 2 of 60
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    Will this MacBook Pro actually be a "Pro" model or another space handicapped laptop? I need a new Mac, my iMac from early 2009 isn't going to run macOS Sierra so I need to figure out whether I want to buy a laptop and an external monitor or another iMac. I use my iPhone on the road but there are things that just won't work easily on a phone or an iPad. A laptop would be easy to take on the road but unless it's capable of doing all the things I do on my iMac, it won't be worth it.

    Will the AMD GPU be speed/performance limited because of its size? Will Apple be forced to use a speed-limited CPU because of cooling and battery life? 
    tallguy
  • Reply 3 of 60
    Yawn. I am actually eagerly awaiting the next iteration of the large screen iPad Pro. 

    I understand that there are those whose work flow requires OS X or Windows. This will come as a welcome upgrade. 

    It's hard for me to get excited as I've completely adapted to iOS. 

    Hence, I eagerly await the inclusion of an OLED screen and an upcoming 7 nm A series SoC from Apple and TSMC. 
  • Reply 4 of 60
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    LED-creen touch bar = genius! 
    Touch ID = don't care. 
    smaller footprint = nice if it's edge-to-edge display.

    tallguyjahaja
  • Reply 5 of 60
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    wood1208 said:
    I would appreciate if new Macbook Pro comes with base 256GB flash storage instead of current 128GB. Clue is iphone 7 anticipated with base 32GB. Thinner and lighter is awesome feature but with shirking size of internal components and screen bezel, hope Apple moves to 14" and 16" screen.New Macbook is still thinner/lighter but with larger screen size, more screen real estate but same physical size as current.
    I'd rather have double RAM than storage. You can add 200GB mSD for less than $80.
    tallguy
  • Reply 6 of 60
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    fallenjt said:
    LED-creen touch bar = genius! 
    Touch ID = don't care. 
    smaller footprint = nice if it's edge-to-edge display.

    Actually, according to Rene Ritchie on MacBreak Weekly, it will be OLED touch screen.
    tallguy
  • Reply 7 of 60
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    Yawn. I am actually eagerly awaiting the next iteration of the large screen iPad Pro. 

    I understand that there are those whose work flow requires OS X or Windows. This will come as a welcome upgrade. 

    It's hard for me to get excited as I've completely adapted to iOS. 

    Hence, I eagerly await the inclusion of an OLED screen and an upcoming 7 nm A series SoC from Apple and TSMC. 
    I'd say you have at least three years to wait. I expect you'll keep us informed on how bored you are with more of your stupifying posts.
    cnocbuijony01983tallguyfastasleep
  • Reply 8 of 60
    rob53 said:
    Will this MacBook Pro actually be a "Pro" model or another space handicapped laptop? I need a new Mac, my iMac from early 2009 isn't going to run macOS Sierra so I need to figure out whether I want to buy a laptop and an external monitor or another iMac. I use my iPhone on the road but there are things that just won't work easily on a phone or an iPad. A laptop would be easy to take on the road but unless it's capable of doing all the things I do on my iMac, it won't be worth it.

    Will the AMD GPU be speed/performance limited because of its size? Will Apple be forced to use a speed-limited CPU because of cooling and battery life? 
    It shouldn't be. A bigger, but unappreciated problem with the current design is that MagSafe is limited to 85W when the design really needs 100. USB-C will allow for that. 

    But the GPU will be on a much better process, and use a more efficient arch. 
    1983tallguy
  • Reply 9 of 60
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,139member
    My guess is if this hardware is in the pipe it may be announced after Sierra, vs coding for Yosemite...? I might hope for a 17" version (pro for me), but it would be a faint hope...
    tallguy
  • Reply 10 of 60
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    rob53 said:
    Will this MacBook Pro actually be a "Pro" model or another space handicapped laptop? I need a new Mac, my iMac from early 2009 isn't going to run macOS Sierra so I need to figure out whether I want to buy a laptop and an external monitor or another iMac. I use my iPhone on the road but there are things that just won't work easily on a phone or an iPad. A laptop would be easy to take on the road but unless it's capable of doing all the things I do on my iMac, it won't be worth it.

    Will the AMD GPU be speed/performance limited because of its size? Will Apple be forced to use a speed-limited CPU because of cooling and battery life? 
    It shouldn't be. A bigger, but unappreciated problem with the current design is that MagSafe is limited to 85W when the design really needs 100. USB-C will allow for that. 

    But the GPU will be on a much better process, and use a more efficient arch. 
    I'll take a 15w theoretical deficit I have never personally encountered, over a smashed $2000+ computer, any day.
    digitol
  • Reply 11 of 60
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    fallenjt said:
    LED-creen touch bar = genius! 
    Touch ID = don't care. 
    smaller footprint = nice if it's edge-to-edge display.

    I agree, a context sensitive touch screen bar on the keyboard for many of the simple things that need adjusting is brilliant!  This will obviously have to be built in to macOS so one has to wonder if one day MacBook Pros might actually have a touch screen.  Perhaps not in the same way or to the same extent as Windows 10 but for similar uses as this.
  • Reply 12 of 60
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    rob53 said:
    Will this MacBook Pro actually be a "Pro" model or another space handicapped laptop? I need a new Mac, my iMac from early 2009 isn't going to run macOS Sierra so I need to figure out whether I want to buy a laptop and an external monitor or another iMac. I use my iPhone on the road but there are things that just won't work easily on a phone or an iPad. A laptop would be easy to take on the road but unless it's capable of doing all the things I do on my iMac, it won't be worth it.

    Will the AMD GPU be speed/performance limited because of its size? Will Apple be forced to use a speed-limited CPU because of cooling and battery life? 
    I am in the same boat, but disagree with your expectations. I'd like the hybrid setup as well, since I too have an aging iMac, and enjoyed the flexibility of my Duo230. But I feel that one has to balance tech needs based on what the user is expected to do. I agree that some mobile tasks are best on a laptop as opposed to an iOS device, and some other tasks best on a desktop rather than a laptop. I think Apple has an great lineup of products to fit every task, but it is a bit unfair to expect a single device fit all.

    Given my personal needs, I think I can get along fine with any of the laptops Apple makes now with an external monitor from a third party. I don't see them as handicapped at all. But then, I am not a designer, gamer, photographer, artist...all those things require more features, so I can understand a "pro" user needing them...but such individuals are unrealistic in thinking a single product can do everything.

    My opinion only, of course. YMMV, etc.
    nolamacguy
  • Reply 13 of 60
    rob53 said:
    Will this MacBook Pro actually be a "Pro" model or another space handicapped laptop? I need a new Mac, my iMac from early 2009 isn't going to run macOS Sierra so I need to figure out whether I want to buy a laptop and an external monitor or another iMac. I use my iPhone on the road but there are things that just won't work easily on a phone or an iPad. A laptop would be easy to take on the road but unless it's capable of doing all the things I do on my iMac, it won't be worth it.

    Will the AMD GPU be speed/performance limited because of its size? Will Apple be forced to use a speed-limited CPU because of cooling and battery life? 
    As a developer and beta tester I can tell you right now your 2009 iMac not only runs macOS 12 Sierra flawlessly it is lightning fast too. And I'm running memory eating music and video software too boot. If you have private questions about anything else feel free to ask away at this address:  [email protected] 

    joseh 
    edited August 2016 tallguy
  • Reply 14 of 60
    cnocbui said:
    It shouldn't be. A bigger, but unappreciated problem with the current design is that MagSafe is limited to 85W when the design really needs 100. USB-C will allow for that. 

    But the GPU will be on a much better process, and use a more efficient arch. 
    I'll take a 15w theoretical deficit I have never personally encountered, over a smashed $2000+ computer, any day.
    The current model has a 47W CPU alone. Running both the CPU and the GPU at max pushes you to 91W. Older models were even worse; the 2012's were easily over 100W at peak. 
  • Reply 15 of 60
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    razormaid said:
    rob53 said:
    Will this MacBook Pro actually be a "Pro" model or another space handicapped laptop? I need a new Mac, my iMac from early 2009 isn't going to run macOS Sierra so I need to figure out whether I want to buy a laptop and an external monitor or another iMac. I use my iPhone on the road but there are things that just won't work easily on a phone or an iPad. A laptop would be easy to take on the road but unless it's capable of doing all the things I do on my iMac, it won't be worth it.

    Will the AMD GPU be speed/performance limited because of its size? Will Apple be forced to use a speed-limited CPU because of cooling and battery life? 
    As a developer and beta tester I can tell you right now your 2009 iMac not only runs macOS 12 Sierra flawlessly it is lightning fast too. And I'm running memory eating music and video software too boot. If you have private questions about anything else feel free to ask away at this address:  [email protected] 

    joseh 
    Per Apple's slide at WWDC, the late 2009 iMac is supported but not the early 2009. Continuity also isn't supported on this model. I know there might be a work around to get past the system hardware checks Apple usually runs before it lets software launch but my 2.93GHz Core2Duo, USB2, 8GB RAM max, FW800 is max, no Thunderbolt or USB3, NVIDIA GT 130 512MB graphics card, and 24" display (all top of the line at the time) just doesn't cut it anymore for most of the things I do. 

    The late 2009 iMac was the first 27" iMac with Core i5 and i7 processors, making it a giant leap from mine. 
  • Reply 16 of 60
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member
    cnocbui said:
    It shouldn't be. A bigger, but unappreciated problem with the current design is that MagSafe is limited to 85W when the design really needs 100. USB-C will allow for that. 

    But the GPU will be on a much better process, and use a more efficient arch. 
    I'll take a 15w theoretical deficit I have never personally encountered, over a smashed $2000+ computer, any day.
    True that. I find it fairly incomprehensible that Apple would remove a feature that is actually BELOVED by many if not most of MBP users.  Not to mention that it is an eminently practical feature.  Between my clumsy wife and the dog, MagSafe is tripped at least 3 times a week on my 2010 MBP.  No, it's not the end of the world if I get a new MBP without MagSafe, but it would be a downgrade of features and a new source of worry.  If true, I would love to hear a justification from Apple as to why they deleted it.
  • Reply 17 of 60
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Color me interested. 
    tallguy
  • Reply 18 of 60
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    cnocbui said:
    I'll take a 15w theoretical deficit I have never personally encountered, over a smashed $2000+ computer, any day.
    The current model has a 47W CPU alone. Running both the CPU and the GPU at max pushes you to 91W. Older models were even worse; the 2012's were easily over 100W at peak. 
    My current MBPR with magsafe has an 85W supply and a theoretical max load of 90w, leaving a very small 5w deficit.  Can you please describe to me the circumstances that would have both the CPU and GPU running absolutely flat out for hours.  As I said, I have never encountered such a thing.  Personally I doubt the cooling systems would be capable of handling such a condition and the thing would thermal overload and shut down.  This magsafe power deficit argument is a straw man as far as I am concerned and doesn't convince me giving up the magsafe connector would provide any benefit whatsoever, quite the reverse.
    edited August 2016 welshdog
  • Reply 19 of 60
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    rob53 said:
    Will this MacBook Pro actually be a "Pro" model or another space handicapped laptop? I need a new Mac, my iMac from early 2009 isn't going to run macOS Sierra so I need to figure out whether I want to buy a laptop and an external monitor or another iMac. I use my iPhone on the road but there are things that just won't work easily on a phone or an iPad. A laptop would be easy to take on the road but unless it's capable of doing all the things I do on my iMac, it won't be worth it.

    Will the AMD GPU be speed/performance limited because of its size? Will Apple be forced to use a speed-limited CPU because of cooling and battery life? 
    what things would a new MBP not be able to do that you can do on your 2009 iMac?
  • Reply 20 of 60
    OCD with "ultra-thin" continues. Fine if they have Thunderbolt 3 with external graphics card option. Delay in getting update out the door, ("Real artists ship"), meanwhile Mac sales volume down, market share down, means Apple missed a huge opportunity due to failed Windows 8.1 and unsatisfactory Windows 10. I am using OS X 11.4 and find it inferior to 11.3. Spotlight is buggy. I had to reboot the OS the other week due to a freeze-up. Tim Cook is not capable of running this company. Maybe Apple should buy Tesla and let Elon Musk run the whole operation. Then you could buy a spaceship, solar panels, batteries, and information technology all under one roof! Anyway, we need someone better running Apple. Maybe Trump if he doesn't win? Instead of making the laptops thinner, he would make them Yuge!
    tallguyk2kw
Sign In or Register to comment.