Speculation on the next MacBook Pro • Hacker News Board

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#11

Post by cletus » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:47 AM UTC

m3koval wrote: post #8

hendler wrote: post #4

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).

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 wi…

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.

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#12

Post by Synaesthesia » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:49 AM UTC

whakojacko wrote: post #3

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...

Considering the pixel density improvement in the Macbook Air's, they should at least make 1680x1050 standard on the 15".

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#13

Post by moeffju » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:50 AM UTC

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).

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#14

Post by moeffju » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:51 AM UTC

code_duck wrote: post #5

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 m…

I always assumed hackers would get the AntiGlare screen anyway. Isn't that plastic already?

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#15

Post by Synaesthesia » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:52 AM UTC

m3koval wrote: post #8

hendler wrote: post #4

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).

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 wi…

SSD's really help compilation times! All those little files.

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#16

Post by pclark » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:52 AM UTC

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.

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#17

Post by pclark » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:53 AM UTC

moeffju wrote: post #13

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 s…

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...

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#18

Post by kgc » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 8:57 AM UTC

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.

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#19

Post by Samuel_Michon » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 9:00 AM UTC

whakojacko wrote: post #3

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...

"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.

Re: Speculation on the next MacBook Pro

#20

Post by masklinn » Mon, Jan 31, 2011, 9:02 AM UTC

moeffju wrote: post #14

code_duck wrote: post #5

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 m…

I always assumed hackers would get the AntiGlare screen anyway. Isn't that plastic already?

It is indeed.