Comments on: When can we expect new MacBook Pros?

Question: When can we expect new MacBook Pros?

tweebiscuit — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:57:18 -0800

I've been planning an upgrade to a MacBook Pro for a few months, but had been waiting for MacWorld, assuming that there would be a hardware revision. Now that the keynote has come and gone, sans even a spec bump, how long can I expect to wait for the next revision?

The most obvious possibilities to me:

1) There's no new major hardware revision on the horizon, and all I can expect is a processor bump soon.

2) Apple plans to integrate the multi-touch trackpad and etc. into the rest of the laptop line -- i.e., a major hardware revision -- but those models aren't ready yet.

The latter seems more likely to me, but does that mean I'm faced with waiting for the next keynote before I can finally upgrade to an Intel Mac? (I work in video and do a lot of editing, so neither the regular MacBook nor the Air will suit my needs, as they don't have graphics cards.) I know that trying top predict Apple's release schedules accurately is a fool's game, but I'm hoping there are some folks here with a finger more firmly on the pulse than my own.

By: designbot

designbot — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:02:08 -0800

Nobody knows for sure, of course, but the Magic Eight Ball says: Don't Buy - Updates soon.

By: Admiral Haddock

Admiral Haddock — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:05:13 -0800

My guess would be a spec bump some random Tuesday morning in the coming months and the major revision at the Mac Expo in Paris (I think August, maybe?).

My guess is that the bump will come sooner rather than later--maybe two months? They already "used up" the off-cycle refresh for this quarter with the updates to the Mac Pros, so I don't expect anything new for a bit. I'd keep looking here for all the info.

By: zackola

zackola — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:07:05 -0800

I think (having absolutely no basis for thinking so) that the processor bump and hopefully a graphics card bump will be announced for MBPs in the next couple of weeks. It doesn't look like Apple is waiting for keynotes for minor announcements anymore.

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/01/08/mac-pro-early-2008-notes-and-options/

By: jjbb

jjbb — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:11:27 -0800

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

By: jjbb

jjbb — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:12:05 -0800

sorry, didn't realize designbot posted already

By: zsazsa

zsazsa — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:13:58 -0800

The multitouch gestures on the touchpad shouldn't require new hardware, just new drivers. So hopefully Apple will be nice to us and let us use them on MacBooks and MBPs. I'm not keeping my hopes up, though.

By: caution live frogs

caution live frogs — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:28:21 -0800

Apple isn't known for enabling features on existing hardware when they have just announced new hardware that does the same thing. They make a pretty OS to sell you hardware. I might see touch gestures show up on my MBP, but it would certainly surprise me.

By: Andrhia

Andrhia — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:36:15 -0800

There was a processor bump in November... http://www.tuaw.com/2007/11/01/macbook-pro-updates-too/

By: bcwinters

bcwinters — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:46:30 -0800

Apple isn't known for enabling features on existing hardware when they have just announced new hardware that does the same thing.

Not necessarily true: After the two-finger scrolling feature was added to new PowerBooks a few years ago, it was made available to current PowerBook owners in a Software Update.

(As a side note, the MacBook Air has a light-up keyboard like the MacBook Pro does, but using the styling of the more recent MacBook--this says to me that we should expect MacBook Pro updates sooner rather than later, since the industrial design on the Pro is getting pretty long in the tooth.)

By: tweebiscuit

tweebiscuit — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:24:49 -0800

Yeah, I've been to the MacRumors buyer's guide, and it's pretty helpful, but I wanted to get a more general feel for people's suspicions about how long we might have to wait for the revision. (It's frustrating, because I was ready to pull out my credit card today!) I'm hoping that bcwinters and zackola are right. Thanks, everyone!

By: streetdreams

streetdreams — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:04:09 -0800

I hear that Intel will be short on mobile Penryn processors until May, so we might be waiting for revisions until then.

By: muscat

muscat — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:50:35 -0800

Someone told me that apple was planning on launching a touchpad tablet but couldn't get the kinks worked out. I'm eagerly waiting for that.

By: tyrantkitty

tyrantkitty — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:08:22 -0800

Not necessarily true: After the two-finger scrolling feature was added to new PowerBooks a few years ago, it was made available to current PowerBook owners in a Software Update.

I read this, and I thought, "two finger scrolling?! How neat! I bet I don't have that on my '05 iBook G4. . .or DO I?" And voila, one two-fingered swipe later, my last remaining issue with the iBook--that it did not have a Page Up button--is so much dust in the wind.

So, er--thanks for pointing out this thing I guess I should have known.