[Partial]

Thinking about the MacBook Pro, I question how Apple could make the design any better. It's very slim with an excellent form factor.

What will the next gen of iMacs and MacBooks (pro and regular) look like? How can they improve design (if they can)?

[ezkcdude]

Multi-touch OS X tablet/notebook with slideout keyboard and tilt-screen.

[PB PM]

Design wise, I cannot see Apple making very many changes in the foreseeability future. The designs are great already, but then again we were saying that before the unibody designs came out too.

[709]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude Multi-touch OS X tablet/notebook with slideout keyboard and tilt-screen.

Oh my lord. It's the MacPad Pro.


wrt the MBPs, I would've liked to see an eSATA port with port-multiplication, but I guess Apple is betting on LightPeak or whatever that thing is called. Get rid of one of the stupid USB ports and give me a real connector. I'd also like to see them ditch the optical drive if it meant more customization or more space to cool a quad-core CPU.

I'm sure the MacPros will be fine, but I have the same beef with the iMacs as I do the MBPs. I can daisy-chain or hub all my USB shit. Give me a faster interface to access external drives.

Also, the the GT 330M should have 1GB of memory. 512MB on the very top end is ridiculous, especially considering the Intel GPU is only 256MB.

[Kraetos]

Originally Posted by 709 I'd also like to see them ditch the optical drive if it meant more customization or more space to cool a quad-core CPU.

Or a hard drive. Or an even better GPU. Or any number of things that would be better than a freakin' internal optical drive that I use about 5 times a year.

I've used the optical drive on my MacBook Pro about five times. Once to install Office, once to install Windows, once to install Windows drivers, once to burn my educational copy of Windows to a CD to install it on my PC, once to burn a CD for my girlfriend, and once to upgrade to iLife '09. So four out of six times I've had to use it, it's been Microsoft related

Make the external drive for the Air work on all MacBooks, and axe that optical drive. It's 2010. My bits come from the cloud, not archaic silver platters. Optical drives a slow and bulky and are always the first things to fail on my MacBooks.

Seriously, Apple needs to start making MacBooks and MacBook Pros with an optional second hard drive instead of the optical drive. Imagine: MacBook Pro with 128GB SSD for the OS and a 1TB normal drive for data.

[Banana]

Originally Posted by Kraetos Seriously, Apple needs to start making MacBooks and MacBook Pros with an optional second hard drive instead of the optical drive. Imagine: MacBook Pro with 128GB SSD for the OS and a 1TB normal drive for data.

That reminded me of this classic:






I dunno if we're ready to ditch the optical hard drive but if that meant having eSata port, then HELL YES.

[Kraetos]

Originally Posted by Banana I dunno if we're ready to ditch the optical hard drive but if that meant having eSata port, then HELL YES.

Oh man, I remember that one one too...

As for being ready to ditch, it would be optional. But I, for one, would much rather have another hard drive and pay $99 for an external SuperDrive, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people are with me.

[Wrao]

I kind of think that optical drives will go the way of the floppy drive in a few years, with that, the MBPs could conceivably become a lot thinner, but other than that, the basic design is pretty solid and I can't really see how it could be changed for the better.

[PB PM]

The optical drive is not why the MBP is limited to its current thickness. That is more due to things like, fans, USB, Ethernet, FW, hard drive, batteries and power ports.

[joveblue]

Originally Posted by PB PM The optical drive is not why the MBP is limited to its current thickness. That is more due to things like, fans, USB, Ethernet, FW, hard drive, batteries and power ports.

How come the MBA is so thin then? It has a HDD and batteries.

It might be good to see a happy medium between the MBA and the MBP. I wouldn't mind seeing the MBA increased in thickness a little to squeeze in moar battery life and some extra ports while they're at it.

[PB PM]

The MBA uses 4200rpm 1.8" drives, hard to compare. Those 1.8" drives are fine for a product like the MBA, but not for notebooks that people use as primary machines, until SSDs come down in price that is.

[Luca]

Form factor wise, I'm sure there's some room for improvement, but they're pretty evolved as it is. I remember thinking the same thing when the old iBooks were around, but the differences have been getting smaller over the years.

Spec wise, of course they can improve. In typical Apple fashion, they are great in many ways but have little limitations that put them out of line in other ways. Too many models lack a card slot, they don't have Blu-ray because Steve Jobs has some vendetta against it, and it would be nice to see eSATA or something.

But they are certainly great computers. Definitely great machines if they fit in your price range.

[PB PM]

I doubt we'll see a Blue-ray option for Macs, ever. Apple is trying to protect the iTunes Store. They believe the future is online, not physical discs.

[Luca]

I know, but I and many others think it makes them look bad.

[PB PM]

I wont agree or disagree, to be honest I don't think it matters. Blu-ray is really not the big thing that CDs and DVDs were.

[Partial]

mini-ethernet?

[PB PM]

So much time has gone into wireless connectors nobody has bothered to make "mini-Ethernet", although that isn't a bad idea.

[chucker]

Well, there was that flip-out series of ports — including Ethernet, apparently — Apple patented a while back.

[PB PM]

Hmm, interesting. Question is, how much would Apple charge us for the privilege of getting the special Ethernet cables to use such a port.

[BlueRabbit]

Originally Posted by PB PM Hmm, interesting. Question is, how much would Apple charge us for the privilege of getting the special Ethernet cables to use such a port.

It looks like it would fit normal Ethernet cables.

[chucker]

Yeah. The benefit of that system is that the plugs stay the same.

I assume they ultimately found it too prone to mechanical issues.

(Kudos to BlueApple for digging up that link.)

[psmith2.0]

If we're talking performance/features, sure...that'll march on as always. The latest processors, new connection technology, etc. No mystery there.

But if the question is more about design and style, that's something I find myself thinking about quite a bit. Over the past 3-4 years, they seem to have distilled their products down to the cleanest, most basic (and obvious) shapes and appearances possble.

There is always room for refinement or streamlining (the latest iMacs, vs. the 20" and 24" models they replaced, for example), but once you've whittled things down to the most basic, thinnest chunk o' aluminum, it's tough to imagine taking it much further.

Unless Apple suddenly took off in a new direction and went for the curves, swoops (and colors?) that marked their early 2000's, offerings I can't imagine the iMac, towers and notebooks looking too drastically different anytime soon. They seem to be locked-in to the "aluminum/glass and/or white plastic, with no wasted space or unnecessary ornamentation" thing pretty good at the moment.

Ive would have to wake up one day and suddenly decide this is "all so staid and lacking personality" (and get Steve on board with it).

[Banana]

One tiny niggle I can think of where they could improve: Providing a good way to pick up the laptop off a hard & flat surface. It's not as easy as getting a good grip on the laptop and sometime you have to use nail to get the fingers under the laptop and thus grip it properly. It's easier on a soft surface (e.g. couch where you can just slip the finger over the pliable surface but on a hard surface, it'd just push the laptop around.


Do I sound like a whiny bitch now?

[bassplayinMacFiend]

I hear ya, Banana. I hate trying to pick up my MBP from my dining room table and hearing a slight scrape as it slides from me trying to get my finger underneath it. I know from that sound that somewhere, a new scratch has been born.

[PB PM]

On the MBP or your table? I've had my 13" MBP for almost a year now and haven't found a way to scratch it yet.

[Banana]

Even if they never would be scratched ever, it'd still be nice to not require a crowbar to pry under the laptop case so I can get my finger under.

[zippy]

I know it is very un-Apple like, but if we seriously want to talk about removing the optical drive in the MBPs, then I think we need to start talking about docking stations. If they could make some kind of a dock with a lightpeak port, that would make it possible.

We use the optical drive on our iMac a couple of times a week on average, and would probably do the same if we had a laptop. I agree with Luca that not having Blu-ray makes Apple look bad. Going a step further and removing optical drives would be much worse. And I don't see Apple offering it as an option because it would require different case designs.

When we get to the point where all movies are available for streaming or online purchase in HD, on the same day that they are available for sale in physical format.... then we can talk about dropping optical drives.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by PB PM On the MBP or your table? I've had my 13" MBP for almost a year now and haven't found a way to scratch it yet.

I'll have to check my MBP again but mostly it's the table that gets the brunt of the scratches. My whitebook on the other hand, that thing looks like I put it in a rock tumbler!

[Luca]

Originally Posted by zippy When we get to the point where all movies are available for streaming or online purchase in HD, on the same day that they are available for sale in physical format.... then we can talk about dropping optical drives.

Not to mention the point at which enough people have fast enough internet access that they are able to download an HD movie faster than the postal service can deliver a Blu-ray disc. The ISPs are dragging their feet on this one. Doesn't help that the US is a huge country. A lot of people cite Japan or Korea, but those countries are relatively tiny and it's much easier to get super-high-speed internet to everyone. A lot of people in Europe and especially Australia have really awful internet connection speeds.

[zippy]

Originally Posted by Luca Not to mention the point at which enough people have fast enough internet access that they are able to download an HD movie faster than the postal service can deliver a Blu-ray disc. The ISPs are dragging their feet on this one. Doesn't help that the US is a huge country. A lot of people cite Japan or Korea, but those countries are relatively tiny and it's much easier to get super-high-speed internet to everyone. A lot of people in Europe and especially Australia have really awful internet connection speeds.

Agreed.