Da Nu McBook Pro'sezes

[Wock]

So yeah, I am getting ready to buy a new Macbook Pro 15". Was ready to buy a few weeks ago and realized the refresh maybe right around the corner so of course I read up on it and of course its all rumor and speculation..... Might be released beginning of march, etc.

The one thing that really bothered me was the idea that maybe Apple would drop the Optic Drive and go for a more "Mac Book Air" feel.

IMO this would destroy the "Pro" series and make it nothing more than an expensive Macbook Air with a little more power.

Rumors about the new refresh are:

(1) Slimmer design like the Air series
(2) Sandy Bridge Processors (This is a given)
(3) SSD up to 512GB
(4) Carbon fiber chassis instead of aluminum
(5) No Optic drive or maybe a Blue Ray Drive (I am hoping Blue Ray)
(6) New Mag Safe cord with Fiber Optic connector allowing power and data through one connection. (Light Peak)
(7) Introduction of Light Peak (10GBps transfer connection) instead of USB 3
(8) Updated GPU from the 330m and better integrated graphics with the Sandy Bridge GPU
(9) A free update to 10.7 (When it releases in June (supposedly)
(10) Possible touch screen like the iPad?
(11) AirPlay?

I guess I will find out soon enough... When I purchase it I'll let everyone know what its like.

[Cinder6]

I doubt we'll see the removal of the optic drive from the Pro line. I'm also skeptical about Light Peak or the new MagSafe cord. Touch screens seem unlikely. The carbon fiber chassis is a possibility.

[robertdguthrie]

I. Would. Love

... for there to be a one-connector way of hooking up everything that I use regularly (power, vid, usb) and I might actually bother stringing a network cable to my connector if I didn't have to deal with the fragile RJ45 connector; the tab that clicks into place broke off of my last cable after a couple of years of use. I might even prefer this to the idea of a docking station. It would certainly be more portable for the occasional trip out of town.

I didn't really care about Light Peak until I saw this: http://www.9to5mac.com/39617/apple-pate ... -connector

Now, I WANT!

[Cinder6]

The problem with the "universal" MagSafe is it would still require some sort of mux box to combine all the signals. Apple would have to push to make the technology a truly universal standard that other manufacturers would adopt, and I can't see them doing that. You're going to have a device that has all the different cables plugged into it (like an overcomplicated hub). It'd be little different from the old-style laptop docking stations you used to see.

It's "less complicated" in the way that early "wireless" keyboards and mice were wireless--if you count having a box that's connected to your computer by a wire as wireless, then yes, it's wireless.

[Jaysen]

Apple would have to push to make the technology a truly universal standard that other manufacturers would adopt, and I can't see them doing that.

Firewire? Mice? GUI?

Just the 3 that come to the top of the pile.

[robertdguthrie]

I'm not sure I follow. Why would a combo Light Peak + MagSafe connector have to be adopted by other manufacturers? LP+MS would just be one possible implementation of LP, and it would not have to be the ONLY LP connection on a MB Pro; you could have a dedicated fiber-optics Light Peak port on the side of the laptop for other peripherals, and/or the same connector on the power/data hub.

[Wock]

Apple has already published a patent for the new MagSafe Connector



Here is the article discussing the patent. The question is when would it be implemented or would it just sit by the way side?

Also the "box" would sit at your "desk" as a permanent connection housing (like an office or home office) allowing a mobile user to only need to connect the MagSafe connector and connect to everything on the "desktop". I don't think this thought of as something you would carry around but more of like a docking station at a permanent location.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11 ... ector.html

[Cinder6]

Apple would have to push to make the technology a truly universal standard that other manufacturers would adopt, and I can't see them doing that.

Firewire? Mice? GUI?

Just the 3 that come to the top of the pile.

Firewire briefly saw use, but even though it's on many computers nowadays, it rarely ever gets used. It's been ages since I've seen firewire devices at a Best Buy. And Apple invented neither the mouse nor the GUI.

Also the "box" would sit at your "desk" as a permanent connection housing (like an office or home office) allowing a mobile user to only need to connect the MagSafe connector and connect to everything on the "desktop". I don't think this thought of as something you would carry around but more of like a docking station at a permanent location.

Right. It's a dock with an extra cord instead of a locking mechanism. It's something more complicated than just plugging things into your MacBook, because now you need a new box and one more cord. It takes up more desk space and costs more money. I suppose if you move your computer around a lot and really hate plugging in three cables (power, monitor, network), then it's nice. It's just not something that excites me.

I'd meant to take out my statement of universal adoption being necessary. I'll leave it there for posterity.

[robertdguthrie]

I for one really do hate plugging in:

power (left side)
video (right side)
USB (either/both)
firewire (right)
network (right)
speakers (left)

The newer macbook pros connect all on one side, but not the newer MB Airs. This alone had me considering getting a new MB Pro, just so I could bundle all of the wires together (damn the RF interference and 1/2 speed ahead!) and keep them from cluttering my desk quite so much as they do now. Of course, the price forced me to reconsider this ill-advised splurge while my old machine is still happily putting up with my abuse.

If I only had ONE cable to connect when I sat down to my desk, and the rest could be either at the edge, or even behind my desk, I would gladly upgrade sooner rather than later.

[Jaysen]

Apple would have to push to make the technology a truly universal standard that other manufacturers would adopt, and I can't see them doing that.

Firewire? Mice? GUI?

Just the 3 that come to the top of the pile.

Firewire briefly saw use, but even though it's on many computers nowadays, it rarely ever gets used. It's been ages since I've seen firewire devices at a Best Buy. And Apple invented neither the mouse nor the GUI.

Prior to Apple pushing to make the mouse and GUI a universal standard these technologies were limited to the back offices of Xerox (the guys who actually did invent them). The Lisa and the first lines of Mac computers pushed them to the forefront.

As to firewire, this is still the de-facto standard for ultra high end IO interfaces. Think massively multi-channel audio and video capture and arrays. Your suggestion that "consumer" adoption is the metric for becoming an universal standard would mean that betamax, Hi-8, ADAT, and 2" tape were never standard in the audio-video industry.

And if that doesn't convince you that Apple does push to make "universal standards" look at the iPod and iPhone. If the interface and method of operations were not pushed by apple then there would be no Android (with its app store), Google TV, etc.

But none of this really matters. If they provide that kind of dock mechanism to tame the setup/tear down of my laptop I will like it. And as to a locking docking station, the first feature that is disabled at the office are the locks (pliers do wonders).

[druid]

Wock, I love you, man....and I donated to your wife's charity run.

But please help save the English language.

Pro's is NOT a plural, it's a possessive. Even in Tennessee.

Moderators, would you please correct that title before I open my veins?

[Cinder6]

I'll accept that I simply don't have the workflow that would necessitate or even make useful the docking station, while others do. Hopefully Apple doesn't try to take away all the connectors and force the dock on everyone, if it even comes out.

[Fluff]

would you please correct that title before I open my veins?

Mr Druid,
In attempting to forestall Vic-k’s banishment from Scrivener, for ultra obscene utterances, due to his apoplectic state, consequent to your post, apropos Mr wock’s (‘), I have agreed (albeit reluctantly), to act as his censor/interpreter/transcriber.

Vic-k said, more or less "Mr Druid,
Your post is nothing short of unconscionable balderdash and twaddle!
I am in possession of knowledge, suffice enough, to vouch for the grammatical/syntactical? integrity of Mr wock’s thread title. For was I not, Sir, exposed twice daily, during my walk to and from, École pour les Récidivistes Récalcitrants, from the age of five onwards, until the onset of puberty, to many and varied examples of correct apostrophic usage, emblazoned across the vast acreage of, Samuel Hardings’, greengrocer’s plate glass windows, e.g. (currency pre-decimalisation, obviously).

Apple’s 2/6 per lb
Juicy Orange’s 3d each
Ripe Banana’s 3/- per lb
Tomato’s 1/11 per ¼ lb
Jersey Potatoe’s 9d per lb. and so and so on….

It wasn’t only old Sam, that performed this service to the public. Across the length and breadth of the Realm, grocers and greengrocers in their tens of thousands, performed the very same service. Their efforts were legion and legend.

Old Sam performed this service, until meeting his untimely demise, in flagrante delicto, ensconced within an amorous embrace, with, if rumour can be believed…my next door neighbour.

Take care
vic

[druid]

Vic,

That is a brilliant example of The New Macbook Prose.

Thank You's Galore.

Droo

[Wock]

The English language was doomed to fail once AOLSpeek and texting overflowed into the spoken and written language. (I c dat u h8 dat. I h8 it as w3ll). As to opening your vein that sounds very "emo". Reminds me of the saying "I wish my yard was emo then it would cut itself."

Thank you very much for donating Druid. It really meant a lot to my wife, myself, and our friend Steve. If you do open a vein it would not take long for you to expire because with such a big heart you would probably bleed out in seconds.
(The donations discussed appear in this thread viewtopic.php?f=13&t=11597)

You will have to excuse me for my constant butchering of the written and spoken language. I am from the deep south but there is hope. Let me list a few reasons why.

(1) My wife is only my wife and not my sister, aunt, or niece as well.
(2) My house does not have wheels attached to it or a hitch at the front end.
(3) My dogs are only dogs and not my dinner fetchers.
(4) I moved passed eating road kill in my teens.
(5) I can use more than a spork as an eating utensil.
(6) My truck is not taller than my house.
(7) I don't play a banjo to unsuspecting tourists.
(8) I don't own any camouflage or fluorescent orange underwear.
(9) I do not know the complete cast of WWE.
(10) I can count higher than 21 without having to drop my pants.

So you see, for a southerner I have may great progress and my butchery of english is only moderate compared to say my neighbors. (laughing)

As to the adoption of technology.

(1) USB was invented by intel but was "dead" as far as adoption until the iMac "forced" adoption when they dropped the floppy drive and only allowed USB as the means of connecting devices.

(2) Fire 4/8 were adopted in areas of "pro" applications such as graphic design, audio & video editing, and photography (the markets where apple is the industry leader)

(3) The mouse was "dead" and shelved until Apple pushed it out as a new type of interface technology along with the GUI

(4) The touch screen cell phone was another example. Now look at the "standard" in most smart phone interfacing.

(5) Multi touch track pad (gestures)

(6) OpenCL

(7) "App Stores"

(8) iTunes (online music and media distribution)

(9) The newton giving birth to PDA giving birth to smart phones.

And many more.

Apple is very good at pushing out newer technologies that adopt much faster than their Windows counterparts because Apple market share is much smaller and the transition to a newer technology is much easier to implement to do compatibility. Once Apple does it many companies follow because their users see Apple users with these new "features" and they adopt it in order not to lose market share.

From an IT point of view, if Apple had a "box" that I could mount under an office desk that I could plug all of the needed connections into (ethernet, external monitor, projector, external devices, etc) and then run a single cable up onto the desktop where a user could walk into their cubicle and just plug a magnetic cable (no thumb screws to be cross threaded or ethernet tabs to break) and have all the available connections made in those few seconds, I would be elated.

I believe the idea is to move towards Pro laptops actually becoming a "desktop replacement" in many cases for those that need mobility. This would not replace desktop workstations but instead allow for many situations for users to adopt a new method of mobility. This would go with the Apple idea of "invading" the home very well. Have one device mounted under your home office desk, one mounted at your work office, and a Laptop to carry between the two locations and the convenience could influence many home users of Apple products to encourage their IT staff at work to adopt the technology at work for ease of support. IT people would love this because they could focus on actual support issues instead of having to spend time guiding people on what cables connect where, broken ethernet tabs (cable replacement) cross threaded connectors (thumb screws on DVI/VGA connectors) bent or broken pins, etc.

It would all depend on pricing, ease of use and installation, and of course reasonable application. Apple has done very well in the past at this and other times things haven't caught on like expected (Apple TV, AFP, AppleTalk).

It would have to be a "wait and see" approach to truly know. I do feel though that LightPeak will replace USB and Firewire as the next stage in IO evolution like Serial, Parallel, SCSI, SATA, and PCI evolutions have done in the past. A Light Peak mag safe quick connection that is priced right I think could revolutionize the way connections to external devices are made.

Who knows, maybe it could even replace HDMI in the audio video market as well making a truly universal connection between household devices.