Rumor: New iMacs and MacBook Pros in the first half of 2011
This rumor is like saying it will rain somewhere in the world during the first half of 2011, but DigiTimes reports that Apple will launch new MacBook Pros and iMacs in the first half of next year. The iMac was last updated in July 2010, and the MacBook Pros last received an update way back in April 2010, so updates to both those lines in the next six months shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.
As for details, DigiTimes doesn't have many except there will be "at least four upgraded MacBook Pros," and the new iMacs will feature "a new panel size and a price point for the mainstream market." Personally, I'm hoping Apple drops the optical drive from at least one of the 15-inch MacBook Pros and throws in 512GB solid-state drives across the line. As for the iMac, the "new panel size" could mean a new aspect ratio or just larger displays featuring the current aspect ratio. Given how Apple seems to be gearing up to push the Mac in 2011, cheaper iMac price-points should come as no surprise. As for Blu-ray, although many still hold out hope that Apple will include Blu-ray drives, that seems unlikely.
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This rumor is like saying it will rain somewhere in the world during the first half of 2011, but DigiTimes reports that Apple will launch...
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You guys are all missing the boat... yes SSD, but what we really need is/are faster buses for external expandability in the form or USB 3 or esata....
kinda like the esata option for the iMac from OWC
my 2 cents
I don't use the superdrive in my MBP very often, but the times I have had to use it, I've been glad it's there, and I've been glad it wasn't external, because I wouldn't have been lugging it around. If you want an SSD + HDD combo in place of the optical drive, go aftermarket, there are plenty of kits out there. What it sounds like all of you really want is a MBA with a faster processor, which will come in time.
If dropping the optical drive comes up in this revolution, I'll be happy I bought the April 2010 model of the 13" MBP. I'll probably be ready to go optical disc-less by the next time I upgrade, but as of right now I still want the feature.
Additionally, the reason CD/DVDs are not the same as floppy disks is that floppies were never used for media outside of personal computing. CDs and DVDs are used for dedicated audio and video, thus giving the format a higher level of longevity.
December 16 2010 at 12:16 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply@pureadrenalin - ever tried to use an USB DVD drive on a plane? As for the landfill argument, I'm not sure flash memory is any greener than a CD. Smaller, sure, but your point seemed to be biodegradation.
@ Greg Roberts - when was the last time Apple offered a customizable laptop like the one you're describing? The Pismo G3 Powerbook is the last one I can remember. Saying "order a computer with one installed" is like saying "order a computer (from Apple) that runs on solar power exclusively."
Perhaps you misread my comment. I did not state to switch over from cd based media to USB flash media. I would rather see a cd in the landfill before I would want to see a thumbdrive there. I wouldn't try to use a usb dvd drive on a plane. I would simply download the movie onto my hard drive before the trip :) I am an IT guy and since 2004 I can safely say I have used a cd/dvd drive less than a dozen times. They are just not that popular these days. Sort of reminds me of how many people asked me to build computers with floppy drives years after computers stopped being built with them. All because they have something on a disk that they may need to access sometime in the future.
December 16 2010 at 3:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYou pretty much confirmed what I was trying to say in my linked article. It's IT guys and tech writers that seem to be pushing for no optical. However, in the "real world" (for lack of a better term) there is still a great need for them.
December 16 2010 at 4:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply" throws in 512GB solid-state drives across the line"
Dude, you are seriously delusional. Have you seen the price on 512GB SSD's?
They cost $1400!!!
I think 256GB is more likely; those go for about $500. You could buy two of those and put one in the spot of the optical drive and save $400.
Screen size on the iMac, do you think they will go bigger with a 24" or smaller with a 17" to lower the price to below $1,000 to get more people on board?
As for the other options, I believe they will do away with the superdrive to save on size and battery on the MacBook Pro. They will keep the CD drive on the iMac. I do believe they will offer options to replace the physical hard drive with various SSD options. My problem is that Apple SSD options tend to be far more expensive than others. I'd almost rather just order one with a physical hard drive and buy my own SSD and do the swap myself. I'm actually considering doing that on my mid-2010 MacBook Pro at some point. Once 512GB drives become affordable, anyway.
Ugh. I'm getting so tired of the clamor to remove optical drives. See my piece on that here:
http://destructoville.blogspot.com/2010/12/we-still-need-optical.html
I suspected they would update the MBP line-up soon since the last upgrade was mostly incremental. I hope this time it will bring a redesign with some of what we've seen in december. With the upcomming Lion OS I think this would fit well. I hope we will see the MBP as a MBA on steroïds.
I thought about getting a 13" MBA with more RAM but feared I might want to kick and scream when they would release the MBP update. And MBA were never really aimed to the same target as the MBP is and I think I fit more in the MBP segment as I need a little more than what's offered in the MBA.
So I'm waiting finger-crossed hoping that the future of macbook (as said at "back to the mac") is going to show up this year !
Time to drop the white MacBook and rename the 13" MacBook Pro a "MacBook" instead while also adjusting the price point down to that of the white MacBook.
December 16 2010 at 5:16 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyApple did that with the original 13" Unibody Macbook (Late 2008). The next year they switched the name back and started selling the polycarbonate Macbook's again.
December 16 2010 at 6:04 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOh and I almost forgot. Microcenter has been selling the 13" Pro's for $999 USD for a couple of months now. - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0334909
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