Macbook Pro (2016)

[Durzel]

Anyone still waiting? Anyone given up?

I've been without my MBP since it was stolen in early 2015. Since then I've been holding off because I figured surely it's going to get updated soon... the competitors were getting Skylake, MacRumors and co seemed to be convinced that Apple were gearing up to bring out new ones with Skylake, etc. Despite this several shows have come and gone with the Macbook Pro - well, any Mac kit really - being conspicuously absent.

I'm at the point now where I really need a laptop ASAP but cannot in good conscience drop a large chunk of money on tech which is quite frankly embarrassingly ancient. I mean the current MBP, still sold for a kings ransom, has a Broadwell processor for crying out loud. The larger ones have a Haswell one. Still. In 2016.

So - are the ubiquitous rumours actually true this time? Are Apple poised to refresh the Mac lineup in October or has everyone given up bothering to wait now?

EDIT: I think this speaks volumes..

Edited by Durzel on Monday 3rd October 11:09

[Durzel]

ZesPak said:

Bit of the problem is, I think, that they make so much money bringing out a new phone every year, everything else is just pocket change in comparison.

Well, this is it. I guess it depends on what company Apple wants to be?

I know it's a bit trite but I find it hard to believe that Steve Jobs would've allowed the Mac lineup to be neglected for this long. As remarked the Mac Pro hasn't been refreshed since it was launched. I mean generally speaking they are still serviceable bits of kit, but that's all you can really say about them. The current Dell XPS 15 is looking very attractive now..

[Durzel]

I'm really really hoping Apple don't somehow lose the plot and remember that this is a Pro machine. Having to carry around a dongle for Ethernet is a bit annoying, but I want several USB ports on the new one, not just one and an arbitrary Lightning port instead of 3.5mm "just because".

[Durzel]

Quietly hoping for a Jet Black MBP, though seems very unlikely. Matt black MBP would work too. More likely I would've thought would be Space Grey, Gold, Rose Gold variants as per MacBook.

I was (and am) chomping at the bit to buy one of these, but at the same time buying the 1st generation of a significant revision is a concern...

[Durzel]

Forbes said:

Ahead of the official launch, a lot of details about the MacBook Pro Line-up have been leaked, claims Forbes. According to the news outlet, the report issued by KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo reveals that Apple will be launching three new models on Thursday; a 15-inch MacBook Pro, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, and an all-new 13-inch MacBook.

Apart from the thinner and lighter laptops, a key feature revealed is that the new 2016 MacBook Pro will have a context-sensitive touchscreen, which will allow users to have access to popular commands and quick actions, determined by an app-on-app basis.

It is also believed by analysts that Apple will cut down the multiple ports on the hardware and the laptop will rely primarily on USB-C for power and connectivity. It will also be backed by Thunderbolt 3, but it will, however, depend on the model.

Notably, Kuo is known to break news about Apple hardware and he has an excellent track record. Kuo also states in his report that the Apple might not reveal the external displays and the new iMacs at the event. Moreover, he predicts that in case they make the announcement, it should not be expected before the first half of 2017.

Reportedly, the MacBook Pro 2016 UK price is expected to start from £999. And the different models will be differently priced as per the specifications and features, reports PC Advisor.

Not sure how much credence to give to the above rumour since the "in the know" guy was - I believe - certain these new laptops were going to be announced at WWDC too, and that never happened.

A touchscreen MacBook/MBP would be a pretty big departure from past models, and would go against what Steve Jobs said about them in the past (which I happen to agree with).

[Durzel]

MitchT said:

The 'touch screen' being a strip above the keyboard, not the actual laptop screen. Personally I don't care for touch screen computers. There's currently an ad on TV where some smug twunt says "I couldn't do that with a Mac". Part of the product being advertised is touch screen capability. Personally I'd much rather have a good track pad than start getting fingerprints all over the screen.

Whoops, yes, I misread that completely

[Durzel]

Digitalize said:

I'm mostly worried about the 'Brexit' tax putting the prices through the roof.

Yeah, that's a good point.

EDIT: It happened with the iPhone 7, so it's almost guaranteed to happen on this

Edited by Durzel on Monday 24th October 16:26

[Durzel]

Yeah, not surprised, doesn't make it any less stinging

I (think) I've managed to blag a 10% discount via a student friend, but it probably will just absorb the Brexit hike.

[Durzel]

I'm looking to buy a fully loaded 15" machine to last me a few years, so I'm expecting to get hammered. I hadn't even thought about Brexit and iPhone 7 price rises.

Just looked at the one I bought in late 2014, and that was £2,235 - so based on that I'll be "happy" if it's less than £2,600...

[Durzel]

Digitalize said:

I must have pretty much the same machine as you, but to make it even worse I got university discount which I couldn't get now..

Probably identical given that price was also including the HE discount (courtesy of the old HE links that no longer work). Sadly mine got stolen in early 2015 and I hadn't replaced it because I got suckered into the whole rumours site echo chamber that a new version was imminent....

[Durzel]

Murph7355 said:

What was the spec and what do you do with it to need that sort of spend...?

15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display   

£1,823.00

With the following configuration:

• 2.8GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.0GHz
• 16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
• 1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage
• Intel Iris Pro Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
• Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
• Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
• Accessory Kit

I used it for development stuff, and also VMs from time to time.

Mac keyboard combos are (in my humble opinion) annoying if you have to be multi-discipline. In a VMWare console session, for example, # is Cmd+\ not Alt+3 .. Also while I won't miss the Function keys in OSX, I'd need them in VMs etc. Not sure how that is going to work yet..

[Durzel]

Did I accidentally tune into some internal Apple staff update meeting?

[Durzel]

Two colours? What happened to gold, rose gold? Black???

[Durzel]

I hate it when Apple talks about technologies as if no other platforms exist. Function keys have a purpose outside of OSX, surely they must recognise that Pro users of their laptops are very likely to be using VMs, Bootcamp, etc.

[Durzel]

tim0409 said:

I can't believe they are focusing on emoji on a Mac Pro - who cares!

Mac Pro? That's dead, friend.

[Durzel]

Brand new display... from LG.

What are Apple doing with their billions?

[Durzel]

maniac886 said:

I am hoping the price isn't going to be horrific!

2TB SSD upgrade will be eye watering.. I'm predicting at least +£800..

[Durzel]

Who in God's name will DJ on a 1cm touch bar? An iPad Pro - a thing with an actual full touchscreen - would be far more suitable if that's your thing.

[Durzel]

tim0409 said:

It will be interesting to see what they do with the MacBook (Air) 13 if anything?

It sounds like they just put it to sleep?

[Durzel]

The Mac Pro truly is lost. Not a single word said about it.