Calling the new notebook model an extension of the MacBook Air family, Macotakara reported on Sunday that Apple is finishing up a "test phase" for the new 15-inch ultraportable. Citing an Asian source, the report said Apple has already finished development of an LCD test component for the anticipated notebook.
However, the report also noted that Apple is believed to be developing a next-generation MacBook Pro that will not have a built-in optical disc drive. The new 15-inch MacBook reportedly "seems to fill" the role of a next-generation MacBook Pro.
Whatever name the new portable Mac might take, rumors have suggested the current physical form factor of the MacBook Pro lineup will undergo a drastic redesign in 2012. For some time now it has been said that Apple will redesign its MacBook Pro lineup sometime next year.
Last week, Apple quietly updated its MacBook Pro lineup, adding slightly faster Intel Sandy Bridge processors, as well as improved AMD Radeon graphics. The new notebooks were a minor update ahead of the holiday buying season, believed to be an attempt to keep the MacBook Pro lineup competitive until a major refresh occurs next year.
Apple's future MacBooks are expected to feature Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge processors, which are slated to arrive at some point in the first half of 2012. Intel confirmed last week that it has begun volume production of its 22nm Ivy Bridge processors, and systems powered by the new CPUs should be available in the spring of 2012.
Currently, Apple's MacBook Pro lineup comes with screen sizes of 13 inches, 15 inches and 17 inches, and all of its professional notebooks feature optical DVD disc drives. The MacBook Air is available with screen sizes of 11.6 inches and 13.3 inches, and all models feature only solid-state hard drives with no optical drive.
97 Comments
Will this 15 in have any sort of dedicated graphics card?? like the 15 & 17in MBP have?? If it has one then i am all for it
I've got my fingers crossed that they will keep the MacBook Pro thick enough to fit a standard 2.5" HDD inside. A 128 GB SSD for OS + apps and a large (500+ GB) HDD for files would be ideal.
Looking to upgrade my original unibody macbook pro 15 2.4 ghz
sometime in 2012 so this would be perfect. Hoping for dual drive
capacity if they drop the optical drive. 256 SSD and 1 TB HHD would be a dream.
I wonder what the chances are they include new higher res screens with the update.
Going to be an expensive spring if the iPad 3 and the fully redesigned macbook pro
come out.
"The new notebooks were a minor update ahead of the holiday buying season, believed to be an attempt to keep the MacBook Pro lineup competitive until a major refresh occurs next year."
Does the author believe that a 2.4GHz machine is competitive but a 2.3GHz machine is not?
Looking to upgrade my original unibody macbook pro 15 2.4 ghz
sometime in 2012 so this would be perfect. Hoping for dual drive
capacity if they drop the optical drive. 256 SSD and 1 TB HHD would be a dream.
I wonder what the chances are they include new higher res screens with the update.
Going to be an expensive spring if the iPad 3 and the fully redesigned macbook pro
come out.
I have the 13 inch air and real world speed test compared my early 2011 Macbook Pro is unbelievable. Everything you do is instant and it makes the Pro seem really slow in comparison. It's about as fast as my iPad 2 and even the startup and restart times are superfast (around or less than 20 seconds) It's crazy expensive though but it's worth every penny. I think the 256gb is worth the extra 300 over the 128gb hdd and I'm considering getting a portable HDD for my Air. I really don't want to carry around too much bulk and I would love to see an affordable tb flash drive one day