[Dorian Gray]

I tell you what: the personal computer market might be in decline but I’m really looking forward to seeing the new MacBooks tomorrow. I’m reasonably sure to buy one.

Based on past launches, can anyone advise when the new Macs might hit the Store, and how long the ordering window would be open before the first batch sells out? I’m wondering if I have a couple of hours to mull over the specs, or whether I should pounce the moment they hit the Store, and do the thinking later. (Worst comes to the worst, I could cancel my order and make someone in the queue happy.)

[Matsu]

You can be our beta tester, then we can wait for new units to hit the refurb store and start to wonder whether broadwell might be a better update...

Hope they bring back the 17" model, with a massive track pad and maybe some extra function keys? I know thy don't like asymetrical number pad layouts on their keypads, but a brace of 5 programable function keys to either side would be just marvelous for CS users...

[drewprops]

I'm hearing it will have TWO trackpads.

One will have a tiny screen built into it, and is compatible with Nintendo DS games.

BECAUSE APPLE JUST BOUGHT NINTENDO!!!!

I can't back that up.


...

[Matsu]

The second on is behind the screen so it doesn't look too awkward when people catch you fondling your new laptop...

[Dorian Gray]

Originally Posted by Matsu You can be our beta tester, then we can wait for new units to hit the refurb store and start to wonder whether broadwell might be a better update...

Yeah, I’m looking forward to another year of humming and hawing from you.

You’ll like this, Matsu.

I too might have waited for refurbs, but the French refurbished store only sells French models, naturally enough – and I absolutely must have a British English keyboard. The UK refurb store doesn’t ship abroad. Neither does the new store, but that’s not a problem because the French store lets me select the option of a British keyboard when buying new. So that is what I must do.

[psmith2.0]

My guess is that any new models are probably stocked and ready to go. If not tomorrow, then by Friday. I don't think there will be a big wait. There's already been a three-month lag between this and the Air updates. This tells me that the Pros must've gotten something more than a simple processor bump, otherwise it would've happened already.

So maybe it's Retina/SSD across the line or (less likely) a whole new design? Glossy black, perhaps? Although it seems unlikely they'd abandon the aluminum, even though they did so on their pro desktop.

If tomorrow's event comes and goes and we still have this clunky, odd two-headed MacBook Pro lineup (Retina/SSD/no optical drive alongside the "old school" versions), and nothing's changed other than everything got the latest processors, I'm gonna be scratching my head.

"Why the hell did that take 3-4 additional months, missing the back-to-school rush and opportunities?!"

[Matsu]

4K 17" MBP?

Other stuff. Finger print scanner? 'Cause it's a cool luxury feature that suits these books. TB2, to keep pace with the new Mac Pro, other stuff I can't think of right now...

[psmith2.0]

I think the 17" is deader than a hammer.

It's not like them to outright kill something, only to bring it back in less than 18 months (it was discontinued in June 2012). Something like that makes them look indecisive or fickle, or like they don't have a plan or clue. I'm sure they killed the 17" for good reasons (sales numbers compared to the smaller, light 13" and 15" models, chief among them). I don't see that as something that's magically changed in the past year or so, some sort of crazy, pent-up demand for a 17" notebook. They would've kept it around and stuck it out if they had any inkling demand was there, and/or that it still filled a needed role.

Plus, we probably would've seen or heard some sort of evidence/leaks pointing to its existence by now.

I'm thinking there has to be a good reason why the MacBook Pro didn't get the under-the-hood bumps when the Airs did in June (or even a month or so later). For them to go four full months is curious. It might be as simple as supply concerns? Maybe there weren't enough to go around for everything, so they had to stagger the MacBook Air, iMac and MacBook Pro (and Mac mini) Haswell updates?

But I still think something is up beyond that...

What would make a nice, attention-getting splash is if Apple were to overhaul the MacBook Pro line by both standardizing on Retina/SSD across the line and going with a glossy black shell (maybe the iPhone 5c, with its durable, glossy and seamless molding isn't the only Apple product getting that treatment? Maybe the 5c was a real-world test case? Maybe one idea came from the other?), tying the pro lines together, visually?

It would be interesting, and funny, if so. Think about it...at one time, white plastic was the "consumer" stuff and aluminum the pro. In recent years, that all got a bit mixed up (white MacBooks went away, aluminum Airs are in the consumer-level pricing space, iMacs went to aluminum, etc.). But now they'd be in a position to where the consumer/mainstream stuff (MacBook Air, iMac and Mac mini) is aluminum (with glossy black accents), while the two pro lines, both desktop and notebook, could go glossy black?

Visually it would certainly make a nice distinction/separation. And puts the "pro" stuff on a separate footing/appearance. No mistaking an Air for a MacBook Pro. Thin aluminum is thin aluminum. Thin aluminum sitting next to thin, glossy black...that's some contrast.

Doing such a thing would even allow them to keep the current Thunderbolt display design/materials with no excessive concerns over "clashing" or "conflicting design", as it has both aluminum and glossy black elements...a nice "bridge" device, pairing handsomely with all five product families, whether they're silver aluminum or glossy plastic. Again, I know stuff like that is not a huge concern among serious professional users, but it is Apple we're talking about. They're not going to go out of their way to make stuff look ugly, weird or "mismatched". Not with Ive in his newly-expanded role and overseeing all this kind of stuff.

I think an ultra-sleek, thin piece of seamless, glossy black would make quite a nice-looking notebook. It be all Unibody in approach, with the Haswell stuff, Thunderbolt 2, USB 3, the faster SSDs, Retina Display, quad-core i7, and anything from the new Mac Pro that makes sense to add to a mobile counterpart. And they could charge accordingly if they made it a "no compromise", unapologetic ass-kicking professional-level notebook (because the nice-looking, and equally-sleek Airs will take care of that $1,000-2,000 space just fine).

Fact is, we've had matte-finish, silver-colored pro notebooks from Apple for well over a decade now (nearly 13 years!), starting with the Titanium PowerBook back in 2001. Maybe the best way to shake things up, give a fresh look to the line, tie the two pro models together visually (and set them apart from the mainstream/consumer offerings) and instill a bit of "badassery" to the line (you know how many users would love a lean, "serious"-looking black notebook) would be to change it up, and roll out some ultra-sleek, seamless glossy black MacBook Pros with Retina Displays, SSD, etc. all standard? Maybe that's why they've waited for the new Pros? They had a big change in store, and wanted to give it the proper venue?

They've done worse, sillier things.

I give it a 50/50.

It won't crush me they didn't do it, but it wouldn't surprise/shock me if they did. I think they'd get a hell of a lot more press and attention if they did something like that, vs. just another round of under-the-hood updates in the same-looking bodies they've used for four years now. If they're going to consolidate/streamline the line and go with Retina and SSD standard (and there's no guarantee they are, I'm just saying "what if..."), then why not pair that with an exciting, fresh external redesign and really make a "here's your new, next-generation MacBook Pro" statement (the same way they're obviously doing it from the desktop side)?

"Black is the new black."

"Back in Black." (this one actually screams for a commercial...no voiceover, no text until the end...just beauty shots of a slowly unveiled, coming-into-view MacBook Pro, piano glossy all over the place, with that Angus Young lick blaring away, commercial fades just as the first lyrics start, so all you hear is "Back in black..." paired with "the next-generation MacBook Pro" and Apple logo at the end.



Ugh...why is the type so jaggy?

Don't tell me you couldn't imagine those headlines on their site, alongside sexy pics of the new notebook.

[Bryson]

My (modest) prediction for tomorrow:

iOS7.1 with iPad-specific enhancements that make iOS7 a bit less clunky on the iPad.

[psmith2.0]

That's about as modest, and level-headed, as predictions can get. I think you'll probably get your wish.

Hopefully a 7.1 is released that addresses a few things. I have some odd quirks/crashes on apps and functions that I never used to, so there's definitely some room for improvement.

[Frank777]

Originally Posted by Bryson My (modest) prediction for tomorrow....

That's not how these things work. You go bold or you go home.

I say we get iPad 5, Retina iPad Mini, Mavericks, Final Cut update, Aperture update, Mac Pro pricing, 4K display, iWork 2014 and Haswell Mac Mini.


I'd predict new Retina MacBook Pros too, but THAT would be crazy.

[Maciej]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I would respond to a plastic/polycarbonate rMBP, my initial feeling is that they would seem low class and cheap. Despite the fact that the iPhone 5C is widely acknowledged as a solid feeling, not cheap product, I just hope they don't to this...

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I'm thinking there has to be a good reason why the MacBook Pro didn't get the under-the-hood bumps when the Airs did in June (or even a month or so later). For them to go four full months is curious. It might be as simple as supply concerns? Maybe there weren't enough to go around for everything, so they had to stagger the MacBook Air, iMac and MacBook Pro (and Mac mini) Haswell updates?

Agreed.

[Dorian Gray]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 My guess is that any new models are probably stocked and ready to go. If not tomorrow, then by Friday. I don't think there will be a big wait.

I’m inclined to think the same. I’m less sure how long the first batch will last on the online store before the dreaded “Dispatched: 2–3 weeks” message puts a damper on things. Half an hour? Three days? I haven’t paid much attention to this with past MacBook launches, not usually being one to order at the very first opportunity.

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 There's already been a three-month lag between this and the Air updates. This tells me that the Pros must've gotten something more than a simple processor bump, otherwise it would've happened already.

But there doesn’t seem to be much in the rumour mill to suggest a radical departure from the current Retina designs. The 13-inch model might get marginally thinner, matching the 15-inch model. I think Haswell + Iris are a big enough draw by themselves that Apple doesn’t need to do much else this iteration. The existing Retina models run distinctly on the warm side of comfortable, I noticed, so reducing that heat and power consumption would be desirable.

There also seems to be a dearth of Windows-based laptops with Haswell chips. So I think the delay at putting Haswell in MacBook Pros is just an Intel delay.

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I don't see that as something that's magically changed in the past year or so, some sort of crazy, pent-up demand for a 17" notebook.

Yeah, that made me giggle.

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 No mistaking an Air for a MacBook Pro. Thin aluminum is thin aluminum. Thin aluminum sitting next to thin, glossy black...that's some contrast.

Although I like thinking about that contrast, I don’t think it will happen – and on balance, I hope it doesn’t. Aluminium is just a better material for building today’s notebooks. It’s super-stiff (lighter than polycarbonate for a given stiffness) and it conducts heat out of the innards very effectively. That’s important in the Retina-based MacBook Pros. These computers run hot because Apple is using the aluminium as a heat sink, rather than noisily blowing a lot of air around. They deliberately run hot, since hot is better than noisy. With plastic, you can’t avoid pumping a lot of air through the chassis for cooling.

If plastic was adopted, I think it would first be used for the MacBook Airs, which run coolest among Macs.

Originally Posted by Frank777 … Aperture update …

Now we’re talking.

Originally Posted by Frank777 I'd predict new Retina MacBook Pros too, but THAT would be crazy.

Is that what passes for sarcasm up in Canada? Of course there will be new MacBook Pros!

[Matsu]

Could always do black anodized aluminium, then there'd be a whole little cottage industry of protective covers to keep people from scratching their brand new sexy books.

[Bryson]

Originally Posted by Frank777 That's not how these things work. You go bold or you go home.

And a 12" Macbook Air that replaces the 11" AND the 13" versions. Basically the 12" Powerbook, only a quarter as thick and with SSD/Core goodness inside.

And a Pony.

I mean iPony.

[Partial]

Happy iPad day y'all.

Sounds like the Apple TV update has been pushed back per MG Siegler, the guy who started the rumor in the first place.

That is too bad. I was going to buy one right away.

Having said that... I would bet anyone 10$ that WWDC will include sessions on Apple TV SDK.

[Matsu]

The store is down, countdown begins...

[Frank777]

Whoa, Apple is streaming video for this keynote. Live. They haven't done that for awhile, have they?

[Partial]

Originally Posted by Frank777 Whoa, Apple is streaming video for this keynote. Live. They haven't done that for awhile, have they?

They streamed WWDC. Dunno about any prior to that.

[psmith2.0]

They've done it just a handful of times in recent years. I can only recall about 3-4 in the iOS era. It's not common, although I often wonder why it isn't.

For them to be doing it today makes me think we're going to see something neat (or several somethings).

I blocked out a chunk of my afternoon, so I'm ready.

[Dave]

Isn't it the "Dark Knight"?

[Capella]

Said it in the other thread, but come hang out in the applenova AIM chatroom with us! Quag and I are snarking.

[Frank777]

Originally Posted by Frank777 That's not how these things work. You go bold or you go home. I say we get iPad 5, Retina iPad Mini, Mavericks, Final Cut update, Aperture update, Mac Pro pricing, 4K display, iWork 2014 and Haswell Mac Mini. I'd predict new Retina MacBook Pros too, but THAT would be crazy.

Did I win?

[Capella]

Originally Posted by Frank777 Did I win?

Good job, dude!

[Frank777]

We got no 4K display, but it will have to come by December.

I'm looking to see if the Mini got a silent upgrade. With the Pro now starting that high, one would think it leaves room for the Mini to grow a bit.