6 ms·

Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

72 points by atularora 16y ago

bitserf 16y ago
With an SSD by default, the 13" MBP should offer a decent boost in performance over the Air, so I think it still has a place with its better upgrade options. Recall, it's also the best-selling MBP. I'm hoping they announce the new lineup soon though, been holding off on upgrading my 2006 MBP since November (it's still using a 7200RPM spindle, painful).
- adamfeldman 16y ago
  I have an expresscard SSD[1] in my 2006 MBP that really made the machine usable again. I run OSX and my apps off the SSD, and keep my user folder on the internal drive. [1] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161410 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161...
  - Groxx 16y ago
    Now that's an interesting product... I may have to pick one up in a few months / a year. Hopefully more come out, Newegg lists only one or two of those in their entire lineup, from what I can tell, and it seems a perfect pro-sumer use of the express card slot.
whakojacko 16y ago
Maybe its just me, but I have no issue with the size and weight of the 15" MBP (again, this could be because I came from previous larger 15" laptops). But I would love to see the optical drive dropped in place of more battery life.... Oh, and 1920x1080 would be nice. But I doubt that'll happen...
- Synaesthesia 16y ago
  Considering the pixel density improvement in the Macbook Air's, they should at least make 1680x1050 standard on the 15".
- Samuel_Michon 16y ago
  "1920x1080 would be nice. But I doubt that'll happen..." Actually, I think that is a real possibility. With the last MacBook Air refresh, screen resolution went up from 1280x800 to 1440x900. The current MacBook Pro 15" has a resolution of 1440x900, based on past refreshes I think it's safe to assume that the new MBP 15" will have a higher resolution than the current MBA. Most likely 1680x1050 but 1920x1080 isn't impossible. "I would love to see the optical drive dropped in place of more battery life" If Apple drops the optical drive in the next MBP 15", they'll likely reduce the thickness of the notebook, as well as increase the battery life.
  - qq66 16y ago
    Dell has been selling 1920x1080 15" screens for close to 2 years.
    - Samuel_Michon 16y ago
      Right, the panels exist, that's why I said it wouldn't be impossible for Apple to use them in a new MacBook Pro. However, the DELL notebook in question is a monstrosity in comparison with Apple's MacBook Pro. The DELL XPS 15 is all plastic, while it's half an inch thicker and a pound heavier. http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15/pd http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15/pd
  - silversmith 16y ago
    The current generation 15" MBPs have 1680x1050 as high-res option. That could maybe become standard. But 1920x1080 seems a bit excessive on a 15" screen, at least without some sort of UI scaling, as even 1680 occasionally has me leaning forward a bit to easier make out some details.
  - ugh 16y ago
    You already can get the 15" MBP with a resolution of 1680x1050. If they make that the standard I would bet that you can also get it with some higher resolution. (I hope that it’s not going to be 1920x1080 because that’s 16:9. I don’t know what the 16:10 equivalent is.) The problem is that resolution independence is nowhere near finished and the new MBPs will likely arrive before OS X Lion (which could conceivably have resolution independence). Seeing as resolution independence has seen no improvements with Snow Leopard it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple just gave up on it.
- hrktb 16y ago
  Same here. Using it mostly as a tabletop machine, compromising ethernet or firewire performance for a few mm of thickness would be a no-no. Apart from the screen resolution, though the actual model is already nice, an increased trackpad area or basic layout improvement would be great.
  - chrisbolt 16y ago
    New, on the new 15" MacBook ProAir: Micro-Ethernet! All of the speed of GigE with 100% more dongles.
hendler 16y ago
Why no mention of "Sandy Bridge" quad core? That's the most significant performance boost I'm expecting. (I'd comment on the page, but there are no comments enabled).
- m3koval 16y ago
  The author mentions the new CPUs in a footnote: "Except new CPUs, but who cares? CPUs are the least exciting (and usually least relevant) upgrades in modern mass-market personal computers." For the vast majority of users, including many power users, moving from a "very fast" processor to an "extremely fast" processor is much less of a performance gain than moving from a HDD to a SDD. That's not to say that I don't wish compilation times were faster on my current Macbook Pro...
  - cletus 16y ago
    Compilation is notoriously singlethreaded, generally speaking. I believe Apple has made a deliberate choice that quad core offers little benefit over dual core with unjustifiably higher power usage. So I wouldn't be surprised if the next gen is also dual core only. I don't expect the MBP to die in the next gen either. Performance is much better than the Ars.
    - wheels 16y ago
      Compilation is notoriously singlethreaded, generally speaking. make -j 2 There, now it needs multiple processes. Actually, default builds on OS X often do since it's building for the 2-4 architectures that OS X supports (ppc, ppc64, i386, x86_64).
    - masklinn 16y ago
      > I believe Apple has made a deliberate choice that quad core offers little benefit over dual core with unjustifiably higher power usage. It's more along the lines of Intel not having any quad arrandale in acceptable TDPs.
      - 16y ago
code_duck 16y ago
I'd be glad if they changed the glass on the 15" to plastic. The glass has caused me two problems so far: I was in bed with it moving around, and the notebook went off balance. The edge of the screen part hit me in the nose. If it was plastic, it would have been a lot less heavy. Next, the glass broke when the lid was closed with a USB cable near the hinge, between the top of the keyboard the screen. It didn't take much pressure. Plastic would have, I think, saved me from that.
- SkyMarshal 16y ago
  Talk about edge cases. Have you ever considered applying to be an Apple tester? ;)
  - code_duck 16y ago
    The edge of the notebook actually cut my nose... I bet they never thought of that? Perhaps they owe me a position out of decency.
  - code_duck 16y ago
    In related news, I just started my washing machine with my iPod in it. It was a bit foggy under the camera, and started making some screechy noises when I was talking on Skype. The good news is I left it by a heater vent all night and now it's as good as new.
- moeffju 16y ago
  I always assumed hackers would get the AntiGlare screen anyway. Isn't that plastic already?
  - masklinn 16y ago
    It is indeed.
  - code_duck 16y ago
    Alas, I should have gotten a hires matte screen, but I was overly eager and bought one a store had in stock... If only I'd known!
toadi 16y ago
Waiting for the 15" upgrade too. But don't want to loose the optical drive, don't use it that often but don't want to shell out a lot of money for an external one. Also I need a ethernet cable slot. In some companies I work they have flaky wireless lan's so I prefer to use cable. At home I also use cable to transfer big files. But I could upgrade my old G wireless lan ;)
- jonah 16y ago
  Yeah, I use gigabit ethernet as much as possible. I think it could be a wedge, just not as thin as the Air, and fit the ports.
- ugh 16y ago
  Well, don’t force us all to lug around an optical drive just because you need it! I occasionally need to rip rare CDs with music I can’t get online, maybe twice a year or so. I’m probably just going to keep my old MBP around for that. I don’t think such a special problem deserves a built-in solution.
moeffju 16y ago
I bought a new MBP a few months ago and back then, I was a little annoyed that I could not wait for the new versions to come out that would sure obsolete the computer I would buy now. Hearing this speculation, I'm even more glad I didn't wait. The speculation makes sense. But compared with my current setup - MBP 15" HiRes AntiGlare, replaced SuperDrive with a 240G OCZ Vertex 2 in OptiBay, installed 8G RAM - I don't see how the new MBPs could be any better for me. The only thing I'd like to see in the next MBP would be more RAM capacity. 8G is nice, but my desktop has 32G for a reason (or rather, reasons).
- pclark 16y ago
  Do you simply not worry about having no worry due to the OptiBay? I'm tempted. I'm also concerned about harming the resale value by installing an OptiBay...
  - benohear 16y ago
    That's one of the main reasons I recently decided to go for a Thinkpad over a Mac. Untill SSD prices drop, the dual drive seems like the best strategy (512MB SSDs are way too expensive), and I really didn't feel like doing DIY on a brand new laptop.
  - moeffju 16y ago
    The OptiBay installation took me all of 5 minutes. It comes in a bundle with the correct screwdriver(s), if you don't have a Torx T6. Mine also came with an external enclosure for the superdrive. The actual installation is very simple, mostly removing screws; only one ribbon cable is a little delicate, but not a problem either. If you have any experience tinkering with electronics, it's a breeze, but if you don't, just be a little careful, not much can go wrong. Or, of course, have someone do it for it. I didn't plan on reselling this computer ever, but if I were, I assume that the buyer would be just as happy with more HDD space and a super-fast system disk, plus an external SuperDrive. Worst case I could always build this back to stock configuration within half an hour.
pclark 16y ago
I have the i7 MBP and it is awesome. It has the processing power to do serious work ("video games") and also the mobility to do it on the train. I'd be bummed out if they made the MBP basically a larger MacBook Air. I think most people buy the 15" MBP because they want a mobile workstation, rather than an ultraportable. For example, I hope the new 15" MBP has a top end video card.
- bergie 16y ago
  Removing the optical drive and switching to SSD shouldn't make it any less a workstation. These changes would allow for a bigger battery, for instance, which would enable them to increase processing power without losing battery life.
  - ericd 16y ago
    The wedge shape would seemingly involve a lot of compromises to get that form factor, which isn't necessarily what MBP buyers are looking for. Personally, since it's my primary machine, I'm looking for the most powerful/connectable machine they can fit in 15 inches, shape/weight be damned. The changes you mention wouldn't be bad, it's more the other Air-like attributes that I wouldn't want.
kgc 16y ago
The only changes I'd make to the "air-ified" MacBook Pro would be, in addition to replacing the 3.5in HD's with the slim SSD's found in the air and getting rid of the optical drive, would be to fill the remaining space with even more batteries, allowing all day usage with a beefy i7 processor and a dedicated graphics chip.
- Samuel_Michon 16y ago
  "replacing the 3.5in HD's with the slim SSD's found in the air" The MacBook Pro has a 2.5" HDD [1]. The SSD in the MacBook Air has no enclosure at all, the module is placed directly on the logic board [2]. [1] http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Unibody-Mid-2010-Hard-Drive-Replacement/3030/4 http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Pro-15... [2] http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Air-13-Inch-Model-A1369-Solid-State-Drive/4505/2 http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Air-13...
statictype 16y ago
Mac OS X doesn't support TRIM does it? I know a lot of people are gushing over the SSD drives but aren't they going to be bummed out in 12 months when it starts degrading?
- ugh 16y ago
  “We started off this article making it intentionally limited in scope as we weren't expecting, in a OS that doesn't support TRIM, to find anything all that interesting. What we found was the exact opposite: an OS that doesn't appear to be affected by SSD performance degradation, at least if you stick to the SSD Apple provides - but if you do stick with that SSD, you get, by modern PC standards, decidedly substandard performance. This one raises many more questions than it answers, and we're going to investigate further.” — http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/apple/2010/07/01/mac-ssd-performance-trim-in-osx/7 http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/apple/2010/07/01/mac-ssd-pe... TRIM itself doesn’t seem to be an issue. For whatever mysterious reason. (Or their methodology is in some way flawed.) Edit: Since we really shouldn’t be looking at the old MacBook Airs but at the most recent models, this review by Anandtech is certainly also helpful: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3991/apples-2010-macbook-air-11-13inch-reviewed/4 http://www.anandtech.com/show/3991/apples-2010-macbook-air-1... No more substandard SSD performance, TRIM doesn’t seem to be an issue. The author suspects that Apple’s custom firmware is to blame.
  - statictype 16y ago
    Interesting. So TRIM isn't needed because newer Flash disks handle overwrites properly?
    - bradleyland 16y ago
      It appears that way. TRIM has always had its own issues. It doesn't work for disk images (hello, virtualization) or on RAID arrays. IMO, it was an interim solution to a problem that was looking for a lower-level fix.
- m104 16y ago
  You really think that Apple would let their SSD-buying customers twist in the wind? The people paying a premium, or buying an MacBook Air? You're saying that Apple hasn't had or won't have a way to make OS X love the SSD? Apple, the company that will probably be the first major computer manufacturer to eliminate the spinning disks, the company that is doing whatever it can to snatch up flash memory production capacity. That same company is going to let the performance suffer on, like, all of their devices? Really?
_Fil_ 16y ago
Regarding the 10/100 USB ethernet adaptor and with some wishful thinking, you could see a USB3 MacBook with a 10/100/1000 USB ethernet adaptor.
- icefox 16y ago
  After they remove the dvd drive the tallest port will be the ethernet port. Moving it to a external USB adaptor like they have already done on the air is logical.
trezor 16y ago
The only thing which put me off getting a MacBook Pro last time I was shopping for laptops was the lack of built in 3G. So instead I got a Dell Studio XPS laptop, with a Core i5 CPU, 256GB SSD, builtin 3G, full-HD display. For $1000 less than a "similarly" speced MBP (Core2, 128GB SSD, sub HD-res unless you want a 17" beast) no less. I really don't regret my decision, but if Apple would just consider adding a 3G module to their MBP-lines, I honestly think they would attract more power-users. Lack of 3G is such an incredibly lame thing in Europe where 3G is everywhere and wifi is a hastle.
- pmjordan 16y ago
  While I agree that builtin 3G would be nice, I ended up buying a portable 3G wifi router. (the TrekStor one, which is a rebranded Huawei E5) This works well for me, though I don't rely on it daily. If I did, the ~4-5 hour battery life might be an issue, vs my MacBook Air's 7-8. (it charges via USB)
- notJim 16y ago
  > where 3G is everywhere and wifi is a hastle. I'm an American, and don't understand this statement. Why is WiFi a hassle? And how does the 3g work? Do you just get it through your normal mobile phone provider?
  - trezor 16y ago
    Yes. Wifi is hastle because you have to search for open hotspots, ask at the counter what the password is etc etc. And lots of times they don't provide instant connectivity, but redirect you to and force you to go trough some sort of user-agreement where you have to click "I agree" and maybe even pass out your email before you can actually start using their network. This is annoying. 3G is basically what your phone has with theoretical speedlimits up to 3-4mbps. Get a laptop with a built in 3G-adapter, insert the SIM card. You're done. You now always have internet. Always. Anywhere. No asking anyone for anything. No confirming silly agreements. No need to stay in one specific place to stay connected. Heck, you can use it in the back of a car while getting driven off somewhere. Why would I want place-restricted wifi over this? Yes, it's probably slower than Wifi, but watch me care: It just works(tm).
wippler 16y ago
Have to agree with CPU's comment, they are the most irrelevant upgrade to laptops these days and yet you find people complaining that they wont buy new MBP's if they don't upgrade to Sandy Bridge.
kayoone 16y ago
They should really hurry up with USB 3.0! That would enable Gbit ethernet over USB and also 2 or more external monitors through USB2DVI adapters like DisplayLink which are a bit too slow with USB 2.0.
bowmande 16y ago
I just bought the 13 inch Macbook Air and love it. I do Rails and mobile development on it and have no issues. I would think that many overestimate their needs. For me the portability combined with the speed makes the 13inch MBA amazing. I would be interested possibly in a 15inch, but only if it came with more speed or battery life.
jburwell 16y ago
Glad to see pure speculation making the front page. It's a sad commentary when you a few links to that vaunted journal Mac Rumors would vastly increase the credibility of a post. I am sure some would love to see a 15" MacBook Air and the demise of the glass screen, but airing those desires is not news.
- randallsquared 16y ago
  Fortunately, it prompts interesting discussion, which I enjoy seeing on the front page.
nika 16y ago
We run our startup from two 15" MacBook Pros. For mine, I took out the optical drive and replaced it with a 1TB hard drive. Where the original hard drive went, I put in a tiny SSD. This works great. OS and apps on the SSD, and I put the iMovie events and Aperture libraries on the hard drive. I don't know why Marco thinks that Time Machine wouldn't back up both drives, it does back mine up. I also think that Firewire is pretty important, as I backed up to external drives over USB for awhile and really have come to appreciate the FW800 port for that purpose. A Wedge shaped MacBook Pro would still be bigger than an air, and probably thicker, and I presume would have room for a FW port still. I don't see the need or reason to go to SSD only. The people who would be happy with that are likely to be happy with the macbook Air anyway.
- moeffju 16y ago
  Since I did a similar mod, I would recommend you put the HD in the HDD's place, not the optical drive bay. The HDD bay is designed for a disks that vibrate and get hot etc., while the optical bay is not. If your HDD is there, your keyboard will get uncomfortably warm if the HDD is used, and the whole case will vibrate. Put the SSD in the optical bay instead.
  - nika 16y ago
    Thanks for the advice!
Kilimanjaro 16y ago
Plastic macbooks should go down to $799 now that the Air is $999 In delicious colors!
stcredzero 16y ago
Why not a 128GB SSD acting as a cache for a much larger and slower 1.8" drive? I would be just fine having all of my audio and video files on the 1.8", so long as my development environment can be on the speedy SSD.
cyrus_ 16y ago
They could just extend the MacBook Air line up to 15" and leave the MacBook Pro line in the same form factor, "pro" ports and all (please god no more variants of video out). I wouldn't mind being given a choice between an optical drive and an extra battery or hard drive in that space.
raymondh 16y ago
Good call on the sharp front edge. That was my #1 MBP complaint. No mention of USB3? The Apple Store is already selling harddrives with fast USB3 hookups (though none of their current laptops can take advantage of it).

72 points by atularora 16y ago

With an SSD by default, the 13" MBP should offer a decent boost in performance over the Air, so I think it still has a place with its better upgrade options. Recall, it's also the best-selling MBP. I'm hoping they announce the new lineup soon though, been holding off on upgrading my 2006 MBP since November (it's still using a 7200RPM spindle, painful).

adamfeldman 16y ago
I have an expresscard SSD[1] in my 2006 MBP that really made the machine usable again. I run OSX and my apps off the SSD, and keep my user folder on the internal drive. [1] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161410 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161...
- Groxx 16y ago
  Now that's an interesting product... I may have to pick one up in a few months / a year. Hopefully more come out, Newegg lists only one or two of those in their entire lineup, from what I can tell, and it seems a perfect pro-sumer use of the express card slot.

whakojacko 16y ago

Maybe its just me, but I have no issue with the size and weight of the 15" MBP (again, this could be because I came from previous larger 15" laptops). But I would love to see the optical drive dropped in place of more battery life.... Oh, and 1920x1080 would be nice. But I doubt that'll happen...

Synaesthesia 16y ago
Considering the pixel density improvement in the Macbook Air's, they should at least make 1680x1050 standard on the 15".
Samuel_Michon 16y ago
"1920x1080 would be nice. But I doubt that'll happen..." Actually, I think that is a real possibility. With the last MacBook Air refresh, screen resolution went up from 1280x800 to 1440x900. The current MacBook Pro 15" has a resolution of 1440x900, based on past refreshes I think it's safe to assume that the new MBP 15" will have a higher resolution than the current MBA. Most likely 1680x1050 but 1920x1080 isn't impossible. "I would love to see the optical drive dropped in place of more battery life" If Apple drops the optical drive in the next MBP 15", they'll likely reduce the thickness of the notebook, as well as increase the battery life.
- qq66 16y ago
  Dell has been selling 1920x1080 15" screens for close to 2 years.
  - Samuel_Michon 16y ago
    Right, the panels exist, that's why I said it wouldn't be impossible for Apple to use them in a new MacBook Pro. However, the DELL notebook in question is a monstrosity in comparison with Apple's MacBook Pro. The DELL XPS 15 is all plastic, while it's half an inch thicker and a pound heavier. http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15/pd http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15/pd
- silversmith 16y ago
  The current generation 15" MBPs have 1680x1050 as high-res option. That could maybe become standard. But 1920x1080 seems a bit excessive on a 15" screen, at least without some sort of UI scaling, as even 1680 occasionally has me leaning forward a bit to easier make out some details.
- ugh 16y ago
  You already can get the 15" MBP with a resolution of 1680x1050. If they make that the standard I would bet that you can also get it with some higher resolution. (I hope that it’s not going to be 1920x1080 because that’s 16:9. I don’t know what the 16:10 equivalent is.) The problem is that resolution independence is nowhere near finished and the new MBPs will likely arrive before OS X Lion (which could conceivably have resolution independence). Seeing as resolution independence has seen no improvements with Snow Leopard it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple just gave up on it.
hrktb 16y ago
Same here. Using it mostly as a tabletop machine, compromising ethernet or firewire performance for a few mm of thickness would be a no-no. Apart from the screen resolution, though the actual model is already nice, an increased trackpad area or basic layout improvement would be great.
- chrisbolt 16y ago
  New, on the new 15" MacBook ProAir: Micro-Ethernet! All of the speed of GigE with 100% more dongles.

hendler 16y ago

Why no mention of "Sandy Bridge" quad core? That's the most significant performance boost I'm expecting. (I'd comment on the page, but there are no comments enabled).

m3koval 16y ago
The author mentions the new CPUs in a footnote: "Except new CPUs, but who cares? CPUs are the least exciting (and usually least relevant) upgrades in modern mass-market personal computers." For the vast majority of users, including many power users, moving from a "very fast" processor to an "extremely fast" processor is much less of a performance gain than moving from a HDD to a SDD. That's not to say that I don't wish compilation times were faster on my current Macbook Pro...
- cletus 16y ago
  Compilation is notoriously singlethreaded, generally speaking. I believe Apple has made a deliberate choice that quad core offers little benefit over dual core with unjustifiably higher power usage. So I wouldn't be surprised if the next gen is also dual core only. I don't expect the MBP to die in the next gen either. Performance is much better than the Ars.
  - wheels 16y ago
    Compilation is notoriously singlethreaded, generally speaking. make -j 2 There, now it needs multiple processes. Actually, default builds on OS X often do since it's building for the 2-4 architectures that OS X supports (ppc, ppc64, i386, x86_64).
  - masklinn 16y ago
    > I believe Apple has made a deliberate choice that quad core offers little benefit over dual core with unjustifiably higher power usage. It's more along the lines of Intel not having any quad arrandale in acceptable TDPs.
    - 16y ago

code_duck 16y ago

I'd be glad if they changed the glass on the 15" to plastic. The glass has caused me two problems so far: I was in bed with it moving around, and the notebook went off balance. The edge of the screen part hit me in the nose. If it was plastic, it would have been a lot less heavy. Next, the glass broke when the lid was closed with a USB cable near the hinge, between the top of the keyboard the screen. It didn't take much pressure. Plastic would have, I think, saved me from that.

SkyMarshal 16y ago
Talk about edge cases. Have you ever considered applying to be an Apple tester? ;)
- code_duck 16y ago
  The edge of the notebook actually cut my nose... I bet they never thought of that? Perhaps they owe me a position out of decency.
- code_duck 16y ago
  In related news, I just started my washing machine with my iPod in it. It was a bit foggy under the camera, and started making some screechy noises when I was talking on Skype. The good news is I left it by a heater vent all night and now it's as good as new.
moeffju 16y ago
I always assumed hackers would get the AntiGlare screen anyway. Isn't that plastic already?
- masklinn 16y ago
  It is indeed.
- code_duck 16y ago
  Alas, I should have gotten a hires matte screen, but I was overly eager and bought one a store had in stock... If only I'd known!

toadi 16y ago

Waiting for the 15" upgrade too. But don't want to loose the optical drive, don't use it that often but don't want to shell out a lot of money for an external one. Also I need a ethernet cable slot. In some companies I work they have flaky wireless lan's so I prefer to use cable. At home I also use cable to transfer big files. But I could upgrade my old G wireless lan ;)

jonah 16y ago
Yeah, I use gigabit ethernet as much as possible. I think it could be a wedge, just not as thin as the Air, and fit the ports.
ugh 16y ago
Well, don’t force us all to lug around an optical drive just because you need it! I occasionally need to rip rare CDs with music I can’t get online, maybe twice a year or so. I’m probably just going to keep my old MBP around for that. I don’t think such a special problem deserves a built-in solution.

moeffju 16y ago

I bought a new MBP a few months ago and back then, I was a little annoyed that I could not wait for the new versions to come out that would sure obsolete the computer I would buy now. Hearing this speculation, I'm even more glad I didn't wait. The speculation makes sense. But compared with my current setup - MBP 15" HiRes AntiGlare, replaced SuperDrive with a 240G OCZ Vertex 2 in OptiBay, installed 8G RAM - I don't see how the new MBPs could be any better for me. The only thing I'd like to see in the next MBP would be more RAM capacity. 8G is nice, but my desktop has 32G for a reason (or rather, reasons).

pclark 16y ago
Do you simply not worry about having no worry due to the OptiBay? I'm tempted. I'm also concerned about harming the resale value by installing an OptiBay...
- benohear 16y ago
  That's one of the main reasons I recently decided to go for a Thinkpad over a Mac. Untill SSD prices drop, the dual drive seems like the best strategy (512MB SSDs are way too expensive), and I really didn't feel like doing DIY on a brand new laptop.
- moeffju 16y ago
  The OptiBay installation took me all of 5 minutes. It comes in a bundle with the correct screwdriver(s), if you don't have a Torx T6. Mine also came with an external enclosure for the superdrive. The actual installation is very simple, mostly removing screws; only one ribbon cable is a little delicate, but not a problem either. If you have any experience tinkering with electronics, it's a breeze, but if you don't, just be a little careful, not much can go wrong. Or, of course, have someone do it for it. I didn't plan on reselling this computer ever, but if I were, I assume that the buyer would be just as happy with more HDD space and a super-fast system disk, plus an external SuperDrive. Worst case I could always build this back to stock configuration within half an hour.

pclark 16y ago

I have the i7 MBP and it is awesome. It has the processing power to do serious work ("video games") and also the mobility to do it on the train. I'd be bummed out if they made the MBP basically a larger MacBook Air. I think most people buy the 15" MBP because they want a mobile workstation, rather than an ultraportable. For example, I hope the new 15" MBP has a top end video card.

bergie 16y ago
Removing the optical drive and switching to SSD shouldn't make it any less a workstation. These changes would allow for a bigger battery, for instance, which would enable them to increase processing power without losing battery life.
- ericd 16y ago
  The wedge shape would seemingly involve a lot of compromises to get that form factor, which isn't necessarily what MBP buyers are looking for. Personally, since it's my primary machine, I'm looking for the most powerful/connectable machine they can fit in 15 inches, shape/weight be damned. The changes you mention wouldn't be bad, it's more the other Air-like attributes that I wouldn't want.

kgc 16y ago

The only changes I'd make to the "air-ified" MacBook Pro would be, in addition to replacing the 3.5in HD's with the slim SSD's found in the air and getting rid of the optical drive, would be to fill the remaining space with even more batteries, allowing all day usage with a beefy i7 processor and a dedicated graphics chip.

Samuel_Michon 16y ago
"replacing the 3.5in HD's with the slim SSD's found in the air" The MacBook Pro has a 2.5" HDD [1]. The SSD in the MacBook Air has no enclosure at all, the module is placed directly on the logic board [2]. [1] http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Unibody-Mid-2010-Hard-Drive-Replacement/3030/4 http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Pro-15... [2] http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Air-13-Inch-Model-A1369-Solid-State-Drive/4505/2 http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-MacBook-Air-13...

statictype 16y ago

Mac OS X doesn't support TRIM does it? I know a lot of people are gushing over the SSD drives but aren't they going to be bummed out in 12 months when it starts degrading?

ugh 16y ago
“We started off this article making it intentionally limited in scope as we weren't expecting, in a OS that doesn't support TRIM, to find anything all that interesting. What we found was the exact opposite: an OS that doesn't appear to be affected by SSD performance degradation, at least if you stick to the SSD Apple provides - but if you do stick with that SSD, you get, by modern PC standards, decidedly substandard performance. This one raises many more questions than it answers, and we're going to investigate further.” — http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/apple/2010/07/01/mac-ssd-performance-trim-in-osx/7 http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/apple/2010/07/01/mac-ssd-pe... TRIM itself doesn’t seem to be an issue. For whatever mysterious reason. (Or their methodology is in some way flawed.) Edit: Since we really shouldn’t be looking at the old MacBook Airs but at the most recent models, this review by Anandtech is certainly also helpful: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3991/apples-2010-macbook-air-11-13inch-reviewed/4 http://www.anandtech.com/show/3991/apples-2010-macbook-air-1... No more substandard SSD performance, TRIM doesn’t seem to be an issue. The author suspects that Apple’s custom firmware is to blame.
- statictype 16y ago
  Interesting. So TRIM isn't needed because newer Flash disks handle overwrites properly?
  - bradleyland 16y ago
    It appears that way. TRIM has always had its own issues. It doesn't work for disk images (hello, virtualization) or on RAID arrays. IMO, it was an interim solution to a problem that was looking for a lower-level fix.
m104 16y ago
You really think that Apple would let their SSD-buying customers twist in the wind? The people paying a premium, or buying an MacBook Air? You're saying that Apple hasn't had or won't have a way to make OS X love the SSD? Apple, the company that will probably be the first major computer manufacturer to eliminate the spinning disks, the company that is doing whatever it can to snatch up flash memory production capacity. That same company is going to let the performance suffer on, like, all of their devices? Really?

_Fil_ 16y ago

Regarding the 10/100 USB ethernet adaptor and with some wishful thinking, you could see a USB3 MacBook with a 10/100/1000 USB ethernet adaptor.

icefox 16y ago
After they remove the dvd drive the tallest port will be the ethernet port. Moving it to a external USB adaptor like they have already done on the air is logical.

trezor 16y ago

The only thing which put me off getting a MacBook Pro last time I was shopping for laptops was the lack of built in 3G. So instead I got a Dell Studio XPS laptop, with a Core i5 CPU, 256GB SSD, builtin 3G, full-HD display. For $1000 less than a "similarly" speced MBP (Core2, 128GB SSD, sub HD-res unless you want a 17" beast) no less. I really don't regret my decision, but if Apple would just consider adding a 3G module to their MBP-lines, I honestly think they would attract more power-users. Lack of 3G is such an incredibly lame thing in Europe where 3G is everywhere and wifi is a hastle.

pmjordan 16y ago
While I agree that builtin 3G would be nice, I ended up buying a portable 3G wifi router. (the TrekStor one, which is a rebranded Huawei E5) This works well for me, though I don't rely on it daily. If I did, the ~4-5 hour battery life might be an issue, vs my MacBook Air's 7-8. (it charges via USB)
notJim 16y ago
> where 3G is everywhere and wifi is a hastle. I'm an American, and don't understand this statement. Why is WiFi a hassle? And how does the 3g work? Do you just get it through your normal mobile phone provider?
- trezor 16y ago
  Yes. Wifi is hastle because you have to search for open hotspots, ask at the counter what the password is etc etc. And lots of times they don't provide instant connectivity, but redirect you to and force you to go trough some sort of user-agreement where you have to click "I agree" and maybe even pass out your email before you can actually start using their network. This is annoying. 3G is basically what your phone has with theoretical speedlimits up to 3-4mbps. Get a laptop with a built in 3G-adapter, insert the SIM card. You're done. You now always have internet. Always. Anywhere. No asking anyone for anything. No confirming silly agreements. No need to stay in one specific place to stay connected. Heck, you can use it in the back of a car while getting driven off somewhere. Why would I want place-restricted wifi over this? Yes, it's probably slower than Wifi, but watch me care: It just works(tm).

wippler 16y ago

Have to agree with CPU's comment, they are the most irrelevant upgrade to laptops these days and yet you find people complaining that they wont buy new MBP's if they don't upgrade to Sandy Bridge.

kayoone 16y ago

They should really hurry up with USB 3.0! That would enable Gbit ethernet over USB and also 2 or more external monitors through USB2DVI adapters like DisplayLink which are a bit too slow with USB 2.0.

bowmande 16y ago

I just bought the 13 inch Macbook Air and love it. I do Rails and mobile development on it and have no issues. I would think that many overestimate their needs. For me the portability combined with the speed makes the 13inch MBA amazing. I would be interested possibly in a 15inch, but only if it came with more speed or battery life.

jburwell 16y ago

Glad to see pure speculation making the front page. It's a sad commentary when you a few links to that vaunted journal Mac Rumors would vastly increase the credibility of a post. I am sure some would love to see a 15" MacBook Air and the demise of the glass screen, but airing those desires is not news.

randallsquared 16y ago
Fortunately, it prompts interesting discussion, which I enjoy seeing on the front page.

nika 16y ago

We run our startup from two 15" MacBook Pros. For mine, I took out the optical drive and replaced it with a 1TB hard drive. Where the original hard drive went, I put in a tiny SSD. This works great. OS and apps on the SSD, and I put the iMovie events and Aperture libraries on the hard drive. I don't know why Marco thinks that Time Machine wouldn't back up both drives, it does back mine up. I also think that Firewire is pretty important, as I backed up to external drives over USB for awhile and really have come to appreciate the FW800 port for that purpose. A Wedge shaped MacBook Pro would still be bigger than an air, and probably thicker, and I presume would have room for a FW port still. I don't see the need or reason to go to SSD only. The people who would be happy with that are likely to be happy with the macbook Air anyway.

moeffju 16y ago
Since I did a similar mod, I would recommend you put the HD in the HDD's place, not the optical drive bay. The HDD bay is designed for a disks that vibrate and get hot etc., while the optical bay is not. If your HDD is there, your keyboard will get uncomfortably warm if the HDD is used, and the whole case will vibrate. Put the SSD in the optical bay instead.
- nika 16y ago
  Thanks for the advice!

Kilimanjaro 16y ago

Plastic macbooks should go down to $799 now that the Air is $999 In delicious colors!

stcredzero 16y ago

Why not a 128GB SSD acting as a cache for a much larger and slower 1.8" drive? I would be just fine having all of my audio and video files on the 1.8", so long as my development environment can be on the speedy SSD.

cyrus_ 16y ago

They could just extend the MacBook Air line up to 15" and leave the MacBook Pro line in the same form factor, "pro" ports and all (please god no more variants of video out). I wouldn't mind being given a choice between an optical drive and an extra battery or hard drive in that space.

raymondh 16y ago

Good call on the sharp front edge. That was my #1 MBP complaint. No mention of USB3? The Apple Store is already selling harddrives with fast USB3 hookups (though none of their current laptops can take advantage of it).