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[Burger]

The current MacBook IS a plastic Unibody, at least in finished product (the same parts). But I guess you mean in manufacturing process. Actually, maybe not. What's the inside of the plastic unibody look like? Are all the bits fixed into the casing as the alu-unibodies?

Shit, in my mind I was referencing the previous style (with the plastic trim around the outside like the older MacBook Pro's) and not the current one. My colleague has one of the older models, hence the brain freeze.

I stand corrected... Although I'm not sure the bushings are cast into the case as they are with the MBP.

 

[giga]

3-5 days now. Looks like it’s gonna happen.

 

[badcrumble]

Still weird that Apple hasn't announced a Tuesday announcement event if this upgrade is going to be more than just a spec bump.

 

[dmshaposv]

Still weird that Apple hasn't announced a Tuesday announcement event if this upgrade is going to be more than just a spec bump.

Could be one of the two things - Jobs is too sick to hold any events and possibly wants people to get used to apple products being introduced in this manner. However, someone at apple would've taken his place for future event presentations.

Of course it could just be a spec bump. However, mac mini/imac have had redesigns without events so there is that too.

 

[Vinterbird]

Could be one of the two things - Jobs is too sick to hold any events and possibly wants people to get used to apple products being introduced in this manner. However, someone at apple would've taken his place for future event presentations.

Of course it could just be a spec bump. However, mac mini/imac have had redesigns without events so there is that too.

There has been presentations when Jobs was previously ill. So it would not be uncommon for Apple to do it.

 

[LCfiner]

everyone gets too caught up expecting announcements. the macbook, apple's best selling laptop, had no announcement event - it just showed up one day. and there's only been a few Mac events the last couple years, anyway.

 

[duracell017]

it seems like there were announcements twice a year. one around this time to announce the products arriving in summer and fall, and one for the upcoming year at WWDC. maybe if the product doesnt need a demo like the macbook, there isnt an announcement? trying to remember if that was the case.

 

[mercboyz]

I miss my SSD. I hope it returns soon.

Here's some tips:
http://poller.se/2010/08/optimizing-mac-os-x-for-ssd-drives/

cool thanks!

 

[jts]

everyone gets too caught up expecting announcements. the macbook, apple's best selling laptop, had no announcement event - it just showed up one day. and there's only been a few Mac events the last couple years, anyway.

Same for the current widescreen unibody iMac. And Mac mini.

Mac hardware, refreshments or all new, hasn't been getting events for a long time now. People need to move on from that.

And I think the best selling Mac laptop is the MBP 13" no?

 

[badcrumble]

I just think it's sort of surprising not to have a Mac event given that they still ought to be having more reveals regarding Mac OS X 10.7 leading up to its supposed release this summer.

 

[Anticitizen One]

Same for the current widescreen unibody iMac. And Mac mini.

Mac hardware, refreshments or all new, hasn't been getting events for a long time now. People need to move on from that.And I think the best selling Mac laptop is the MBP 13" no?

Well didnt they just have a "back to the mac" event less than 3 months ago? I can see why they wouldn't want to do another one so soon.

 

[Macho Madness]

I just think it's sort of surprising not to have a Mac event given that they still ought to be having more reveals regarding Mac OS X 10.7 leading up to its supposed release this summer.

WWDC will likely be the showing and unveiling of the near-final build of Lion.

 

[Chris R]

WWDC will likely be the showing and unveiling of the near-final build of Lion.

Who knows, we might even have more info on xCode 4 too (I miss the :lol smilie )

Spoiler

Yes, I know it is GM already

 

[AlexMogil]

3-5 days now. Looks like it’s gonna happen.

What am I looking at, Giga?

 

[Chris R]

What am I looking at, Giga?

Shipping times not being 24 hours, aka low inventory, aka new stuff is coming very soon.

 

[giga]

BGR:

We have been told by one our Apple sources that the new MacBook Pro laptops will be available for sale in the next two weeks, and Apple stores are set to start receiving the shipments in “the coming days.” As far as what the refreshed MacBook Pros will hold, our source mentioned a few interesting features. For starters, we are told that the new laptops will contain glass trackpads that are even larger than the pads found on current-generation MacBook Pro models. The next bit of information doesn’t quite make sense to us, but we have been told the OS on the laptops will be loaded to a separate (internal) 8-16GB SSD while everything else will remain on the regular hard drive. There will be options for just SSD drives but the base models will feature regular hard disks with the SSD combo for the OS. Our source also said that the new MacBook Pro models are about a half-pound lighter on average than each of their relative current models, and there will be five different SKUs as had been previously reported.

I’ve already taken photos of my iMac to sell it. I am ready.

 

[H_Prestige]

Larger trackpad sounds interesting. Looking at my 13" Pro I suppose there is room for a bigger one.

 

[badcrumble]

SSD for the OS standard across all Macs (with full SSD storage as an option) is a pretty fucking awesome change to make to the whole Mac line. Those computers are going to fucking scream right out of the box.

Still waiting for this change to make it to the iMac though (as well as HDMI-in so I can plug my PS3 into it without an expensive converter box).

 

[Chris R]

How does loading the OS onto a small SSD while keeping everything else on a slower disk not make any sense? Isn't that what most people do with their SSDs anyways? Load the OS and your most used stuff on the SSD and put everything else on a larger, slower disk?

Plus, it should make wake time from sleep the same as the Air without needing to only use expensive SSDs.

 

[AlexMogil]

Shipping times not being 24 hours, aka low inventory, aka new stuff is coming very soon.

Ooooh. I misread his initial statement. I thought he felt it was going to happen in 3-5 days, gotcha.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

BGR:



I’ve already taken photos of my iMac to sell it. I am ready.

none of that stuff is selling me yet.

but really...I wouldn't trade my experience with SSD for anything! You can never go back once you boot OS X in 7 seconds and boot virtually any of your apps in under 5.

Only thing that can get me to upgrade is a major increase in GPU quality. As it stands, my 2010 17" MBP is physically perfect. keyboard protector and skin ensured physical perfection and it's never given me any problems. Not a scratch, not a dead pixel, not a flaw.

I wonder how much I could get for it if I decided to sell it?

 

[Wallach]

Man... I was going to buy an Air this week (as my first Mac) to get started on some app writing, but I guess I'll wait to see what happens. I don't really want to wait more than a few weeks so hopefully it happens sooner than later, otherwise I guess I'll just grab the Air.

 

[Jasoco]

So it's finally happening. I wonder what will be released. I might actually sell the one I only got a year ago if the changes are that significant. Seriously. Here's what it would take for me to upgrade this soon:

SSD standard - at least 128gb OR 64gb and a second HD (1.5") with a nominal size.

No Optical Drive - to make it lighter and thinner.

Two RAM slots - so I can use the 8gb I already have.

That last one isn't as important as the other two though.

 

[Bowser]

Not sure I like the only 8-16GB of flash memory for OSX. The whole point of flash memory is to load your OS AND your apps on it so that you can get fast boot times and fast app launches right? 8-16GB can pretty much only hold the OS and maybe a few apps :/

Might wait til June for the rumored Sandy Bridge MBAs lol!

 

[badcrumble]

Not sure I like the only 8-16GB of flash memory for OSX. The whole point of flash memory is to load your OS AND your apps on it so that you can get fast boot times and fast app launches right? 8-16GB can pretty much only hold the OS and maybe a few apps :/

Might wait til June for the rumored Sandy Bridge MBAs lol!

I'm sure there'll be optional SSD for main storage on all models as well if they're making this change.

 

[LJ11]

Not sure I like the only 8-16GB of flash memory for OSX. The whole point of flash memory is to load your OS AND your apps on it so that you can get fast boot times and fast app launches right? 8-16GB can pretty much only hold the OS and maybe a few apps :/

Might wait til June for the rumored Sandy Bridge MBAs lol!

HAHA

Following the rumors is just going to cause more indecision, every day there's something else included/excluded.

 

[giga]

Not sure I like the only 8-16GB of flash memory for OSX. The whole point of flash memory is to load your OS AND your apps on it so that you can get fast boot times and fast app launches right? 8-16GB can pretty much only hold the OS and maybe a few apps :/

Might wait til June for the rumored Sandy Bridge MBAs lol!

A full install of 10.6 is about 8GB. If you have more than 8GB worth of third party apps, then I don’t know what to tell you.

Spoiler

Replace the mechanical drive with an SSD

 

[Blackhead]

A full install of 10.6 is about 8GB. If you have 8GB worth of third party apps, then I don’t know what to tell you.

Spoiler

Replace the mechanical drive with an SSD

I hope that's not too expensive. If the macbook pros still allow easy replacement of parts, i'll take the base model and wait a bit for ssd prices to drop again.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I hope that's not too expensive. If the macbook pros still allow easy replacement of parts, i'll take the base model and wait a bit for ssd prices to drop again.

yep, you're not going to buy your SSD from Apple, so who cares what they charge. get the cheapest HDD option available, then replace with an SSD bought from 3rd party and profit. I do wonder what kind of future expandability is going to be offered with the build in mini SSD thing.

 

[dmshaposv]

I've finally warmed up to the idea of ditching the Optical drive, even though I said before "let pro be pro". I don't know how effective and responsive the wireless disc system on MBA is but if Apple does that for MBP - I can live with it. I just dont want to carry an external superdrive around.

Lighter is always good, but I hope they haven't sacrificed too many things for it. I'd love high-capacity SSD but my wallet disagrees

 

[jts]

Well didnt they just have a "back to the mac" event less than 3 months ago? I can see why they wouldn't want to do another one so soon.

OSX Lion, Mac app store.

 

[jts]

Also, is it wrong that I got my MacBook Pro on the last update with no plans to upgrade it on the forseable future, just got an iPad and generally speaking spent a shitload of money on Apple products in the last 10 months, and still I'm scratching myself over this new update?

God, don't let this be too mind blowing. No new I/O, no revolutionary new design and features. Save my wallet. Amen.

 

[Burger]

Also, is it wrong that I got my MacBook Pro on the last update with no plans to upgrade it on the forseable future, just got an iPad and generally speaking spent a shitload of money on Apple products in the last 10 months, and still I'm scratching myself over this new update?

God, don't let this be too mind blowing. No new I/O, no revolutionary new design and features. Save my wallet. Amen.

My MacBook Pro was purchased in mid/late 2007. It's only got 2GB of RAM, it doesn't have multi-touch, fans are getting annoying, it runs hot and the battery doesn't last very long now (maybe an hour and a half/2hrs).

I'm not upgrading it in the foreseeable future. If I'm going to spend that much money on a computer I expect it to last for several years, and the continuous march of technology is just a fact of life I learn to live with...

 

[mrkgoo]

My MacBook Pro was purchased in mid/late 2007. It's only got 2GB of RAM, it doesn't have multi-touch, fans are getting annoying, it runs hot and the battery doesn't last very long now (maybe an hour and a half/2hrs).

I'm not upgrading it in the foreseeable future. If I'm going to spend that much money on a computer I expect it to last for several years, and the continuous march of technology is just a fact of life I learn to live with...

My compute is an early 2008 MacBook pro (non-unibody). It was my first intel, it had led and the new gestures in the trackpad. Everything I could ask for. Haven't felt the urge to upgrade, although I nearly cracked last update cycle more because y circumstances.

I actually upgraded my ram to 6gb, put in a 500 gb hybrid hd, and bought a new battery. My screen basins weird speckles, and I'm running out of space, but love my computer.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I actually upgraded my ram to 6gb, put in a 500 gb hybrid hd, and bought a new battery. My screen basins weird speckles, and I'm running out of space, but love my computer.

oh the Momentus XT? Might want to back up and put in a standard HDD...

 

[giga]

My MacBook Pro was purchased in mid/late 2007. It's only got 2GB of RAM, it doesn't have multi-touch, fans are getting annoying, it runs hot and the battery doesn't last very long now (maybe an hour and a half/2hrs).

I'm not upgrading it in the foreseeable future. If I'm going to spend that much money on a computer I expect it to last for several years, and the continuous march of technology is just a fact of life I learn to live with...

You guys need to step up your pimping. I buy the latest model, use it for a year, and then resell it for $100-150 less the next year to upgrade. You basically get the latest and greatest all with a new warranty and battery for $100. You just have to baby it and keep it in like new condition to get that resale value.

 

[Burger]

My compute is an early 2008 MacBook pro (non-unibody). It was my first intel, it had led and the new gestures in the trackpad. Everything I could ask for. Haven't felt the urge to upgrade, although I nearly cracked last update cycle more because y circumstances.

I actually upgraded my ram to 6gb, put in a 500 gb hybrid hd, and bought a new battery. My screen basins weird speckles, and I'm running out of space, but love my computer.

Yeah me and you have very similar models, the only difference being your trackpad supports multitouch, and that model started at 2.4 whereas mine started at 2.2hgz.

I'm glad I got onboard just as LED backlighting was introduced, I'd hate to think what my screen would be like now if it was CCFL.

You guys need to step up your pimping. I buy the latest model, use it for a year, and then resell it for $100-150 less the next year to upgrade. You basically get the latest and greatest all with a new warranty and battery for $100. You just have to baby it and keep it in like new condition to get that resale value.

That's... a good idea. I remember when I took mine in to get the logic board replaced (nVida replacement program) late last year and the guy said "Wow you don't see these models in this sort of condition any more." I try and treat my laptop like it's a complex piece of fragile technology

 

[Blackhead]

You guys need to step up your pimping. I buy the latest model, use it for a year, and then resell it for $100-150 less the next year to upgrade. You basically get the latest and greatest all with a new warranty and battery for $100. You just have to baby it and keep it in like new condition to get that resale value.

You got it right. Don't forget that if you are selling it within a year, there is no need for the AppleCare (let the next person decide if thy want it). That saves the ~$250 to make up the difference between the sold Mac and the new Mac.

 

[Bowser]

HAHA

Following the rumors is just going to cause more indecision, every day there's something else included/excluded.

I knowwww I'm probably going to go with this revision and upgrade the HD to an SSD myself.

 

[White Man]

Not sure I like the only 8-16GB of flash memory for OSX. The whole point of flash memory is to load your OS AND your apps on it so that you can get fast boot times and fast app launches right? 8-16GB can pretty much only hold the OS and maybe a few apps :/

Might wait til June for the rumored Sandy Bridge MBAs lol!

Honestly, after playing with em for about 2 years, the biggest SSD-related speed improvements I've seen have been on OS operations. Applications, not so much. Dunno if app perf improvements are something that have to be implemented on the OS or application side of things, tho.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Honestly, after playing with em for about 2 years, the biggest SSD-related speed improvements I've seen have been on OS operations. Applications, not so much. Dunno if app perf improvements are something that have to be implemented on the OS or application side of things, tho.

I guess it really depends on the apps you use. bigger apps that take longer than a few seconds to launch on a normal HDD make sizable gains.

stuff like Photoshop, Garage Band, Logic, Maya, Office. All open ridiculously fast. but with stuff like Safari and iTunes, the gains may be much smaller, since those apps are smaller/less robust.

 

[giga]

You got it right. Don't forget that if you are selling it within a year, there is no need for the AppleCare (let the next person decide if thy want it). That saves the ~$250 to make up the difference between the sold Mac and the new Mac.

Word. My iMac i5 that I bought last year for $1500 refurbished from Apple just sold on eBay for $1640. Bring it Apple.

 

[Jasoco]

I have 120~ GB stuff on my MacBook. If they went to SSD, they'd either need to include a 128GB version on the low end or offer a hybrid 64GB SSD + 160GB 1.5" HDD (The kind that they put in the iPod Classic) so I could have all my OS and Apps on the SSD and my actual files on a HDD. Plus, it would still be small enough to save a lot of room inside. I wouldn't even care that the HDD couldn't be replaced as long as it's big enough. And heck, at that, I could get away with a 32GB SSD part. But since they probably won't go the dual route, I would want a 128GB SSD as the base model. 64 just won't cut it and I wouldn't want to pay their high price to upgrade it to 128.

Take the optical out of the 13", offer it as optional extra external and boom, there's your room for the i processor and video card you wanted to put in it.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Word. My iMac i5 that I bought last year for $1500 refurbished from Apple just sold on eBay for $1640. Bring it Apple.

I like to buy off eBay...but they rape sellers with fees.

 

[Juice]

Honestly, after playing with em for about 2 years, the biggest SSD-related speed improvements I've seen have been on OS operations. Applications, not so much. Dunno if app perf improvements are something that have to be implemented on the OS or application side of things, tho.

Yo white man -- the speed up at the OS level is definitely the most pronounced. Applications only really seem to speed-up for launch time.

I have one of these in my MBP: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QSZDJ8/?tag=neogaf0e-20

On it I run the OS and most applications, but my home folder is still on the HDD. Tremendous speed up overall, but file writes feel *soo slow* next to everything else.

 

[Chris R]

I have 120~ GB stuff on my MacBook. If they went to SSD, they'd either need to include a 128GB version on the low end or offer a hybrid 64GB SSD + 160GB 1.5" HDD (The kind that they put in the iPod Classic) so I could have all my OS and Apps on the SSD and my actual files on a HDD. Plus, it would still be small enough to save a lot of room inside. I wouldn't even care that the HDD couldn't be replaced as long as it's big enough. And heck, at that, I could get away with a 32GB SSD part. But since they probably won't go the dual route, I would want a 128GB SSD as the base model. 64 just won't cut it and I wouldn't want to pay their high price to upgrade it to 128.

Take the optical out of the 13", offer it as optional extra external and boom, there's your room for the i processor and video card you wanted to put in it.

So you want 128GB SSD in the low end of the price range in a 13" model as the base, with no optical drive???

Here is hoping Apple does the exact opposite, with the option of course to upgrade to SSDs like they offer now. No way in hell do I want a $300 upgrade forced on me by Apple (current price to upgrade from the base HDD to a 128GB SSD).

 

[mrkgoo]

oh the Momentus XT? Might want to back up and put in a standard HDD...

I regularly time machine, so hopefully data is intact. I haven't had any trouble that I can attribute to the hd at this stage. I think I may have head a chirp or two, but I don't think I have sleep issues or anything like that. I don't generally get crashes or freezes that I can blame the hd on. Might happen more often as I move ahead, but nthing terrible as others seem to go on about.

Burger: my computer is in decent condition. A scratch on the bottom, and the infamous 'buckled' DVD slot, but pretty good nick otherwise.

 

[Jasoco]

So you want 128GB SSD in the low end of the price range in a 13" model as the base, with no optical drive???

Here is hoping Apple does the exact opposite, with the option of course to upgrade to SSDs like they offer now. No way in hell do I want a $300 upgrade forced on me by Apple (current price to upgrade from the base HDD to a 128GB SSD).

If you want your damn laptop to be super thin, you're gonna have to make sacrifices. And everyone wants them thin now. The Air is the "Next generation". And if the "next generation" doesn't bring some of the features of the Air to the Pro, then when will they?

Why would you think the SSD would force it to be $300 more? 128 is the minimum SSD I'd be able to get by with if it was the only option. (i.e. no extra HDD inside) I mean, if I had to, I could probably get down to 55GB if I offload a bunch more stuff onto my Mac mini Server. I do have a lot of files on here I never access... still.

Edit: I mean, a Pro is a Pro, so it would NEED a 128GB SSD standard at the very least because people need all the space. 64GB wouldn't cut it for a Pro. An Air is fine with 64 because it's supposed to be a secondary computer with all the main files on a separate main computer. I have 26GB of music alone. 8GB of system files in the OS. 10GB user library with 5 of that being for Steam alone.

I'd cross that bridge when the time came. I just want the damn things to come out already.

 

[Bowser]

MacGeneration (French) claims that a trusted source has leaked the specs of the new MacBook Pros. As summary of the new specs are provided:

- no more white MacBook (Apple goes back to two lines of 13" inchers)
- 16 GB SSD mSATA drives on all models to store the system
- Core i3 and third USB port on the 13" model
- Matte screen option on the higher-end 13"
- Option to replace the SuperDrive with a SSD on the 15 and 17" models
- HD screens on all models : 1440x900 on the 13", 1680x1050 on the 15"
- 200 to 300 grams lighter : 1.8 kg for the 13", 2.3 kg for the 15", 2.65 kg for the 17"
- Better battery life : 12 hours on the 13", 10 hours on the 15"
- 8 GB of RAM on the 17"


In addition to all these changes, MacGeneration cites another source who claims a "new technology" will make its way into the MacBook Pros. At this point, it seems likely that Light Peak will be introduced. Intel is reportedly holding an event on the same day (Thursday) to launch Light Peak officially.

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/22/macbook-pro-specs-leaked-ssd-better-battery-new-technology/

...omg...

*dies*

 

[mf.luder]

Amazing. I can't wait to see how that SSD storing the OS operates. I'm interested in how 3rd party apps will have access to the SSD.