Anyone expert with Apple product? When does Apple release the new MacBookpro?

[cyclohexane101]

I need to get a new laptop by August for school and I'm considering to buy MacBook Pro. However I heard that the newer version will get a entirely new design so should I hold off?

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[Dhudez]

Where did you hear that? The 2016 MBP just got a new design. I doubt they'll change it much considering they just reworked the design. I'd still wait though, it's always nice to see that spec boost.

 

[Viva Terlingua]

Note that you won't be able to take any exams on your laptop if you get one of the new MacBooks with the touch bar on it.

 

[WaveRace]

I'm a bit of an apple fanatic, unfortunately for my bank account. Apple just released a major overhaul of the Macbook Pro line in October of 2016 (the "touch bar" model). They only do that every 4 years, on average. I.e. generation 2 was released in '08, generation 3 in '12, and the newest iteration in '16. That said, they do release minor updates (slightly better options for processors or graphics cards), on average yearly. For instance, in 2015, they released minor upgrades to the line in March, and again in May. Then there was a gap until October of 2016, when they released the new iteration.

It's up to you on whether or not you want to wait for a possible minor upgrade that would be released before you begin dental school, but I wouldn't hold my breath. There absolutely won't be a major upgrade. As an aside, I think the gen 4 Macbook Pros are trash (the RAM is soldered to the motherboard so you can't upgrade it yourself). Not very user-friendly, which is a recent trend of Apple's. That said, I think it is a good laptop for casual use. Buying one from a year ago would be perfectly fine, too.

 

[WheatLom]

apple is supposed to update the internals at WWDC in 1-2 weeks. Also, i believe MacBook air will be update with new internals as well since sales have been VERY strong. Usually fall is when new macs come out, but with apple dropping the ball last generation, it is likely they are trying to remedy it. They did come out and say they kind of messed up with the new macbooks

Macrumors is quite reliable, and I have followed apple like a hawk since 2006.


MacBook Pro: Thinner Design With New OLED Touch Bar, Order Now

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Note that you won't be able to take any exams on your laptop if you get one of the new MacBooks with the touch bar on it.

Why not?

 

[Dhudez]

Note that you won't be able to take any exams on your laptop if you get one of the new MacBooks with the touch bar on it.

You take exams on your computers in dental school? I didn't know that.

 

[blablabla1]

I'm no Apple expert but I do keep up to date with consumer technology so here's what I can tell you:

1. Apple's Macbook Pros just underwent their first major physical overhaul since 2012/2013 this past fall (October/November 2016). As a result, it is very unlikely that they will be going through any other physical changes for the next few years (other than CPU/GPU and RAM upgrades as well as maybe a new port or two).

2. Because this is the first generation of a new design, the laptops are grossly overpriced (this same phenomenon happened with the redesign in 2012 and the prices dropped a year or two later as Apple upgraded the internal components and the novelty wore off). I would stay away partially for this reason

3. Again, because this is the first generation of a new design, there are some issues that come with a new generation. Especially on the touchbar models, there's been lots of reports about relatively bad battery life (when I say this, I mean 8 hours instead of 10-12. Typically Apple is stellar on their battery life predictions but something weird is going on with this new generation). In addition, the software for the touchbar is young and buggy, and that will only be fixed by time and more software updates in the future.

4. And probably the most important point as mentioned already by another poster: many dental schools make you take your exams on your laptop. Since there isn't a way for professors to make sure youra touchbar is disabled, getting a touchbar Macbook Pro for dental school may not be the wisest option.


Personally, I'd stay away from Apple's Macbook Pros for another 6-12 months. If you definitely need/want to be running MacOS, get either the 15 inch model from the last generation or the 13 inch non-touchbar model of the new generation (though again, I really don't suggest it. Having only 2 USB-C ports for that amount of money is not worth it).

 

[cyclohexane101]

Thanks everyone for your answers.

Do you know when will apple drop price on its current model?

 

[Dkim24]

Read this site and most of your questions about rumors and things like that will be answered

Oh... and apple usually never drops prices on laptops

iPhone, iPad, Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy

 

[blablabla1]

Oh... and apple usually never drops prices on laptops

This is somewhat true but misleading. If you've followed them long enough, you'll notice that Apple is actually a very consistent company when it comes to trends (such as product launches).

Yeah, once a product line is established, the prices of Apple products rarely change. However, on new product lines (very first MacBook Air ever in 2008, very first retina MacBook Pro) they tend to start the price very high and then lower the price of the product line in the subsequent year(s).

 

[Viva Terlingua]

Why not?

Because there's not a way for the proctors to disable it remotely so it presents a potential for cheating.

You take exams on your computers in dental school? I didn't know that.

Not sure if all do, but it's not uncommon AFAIK.

 

[oralcare123]

Frankly, you need to inquire at the dental school you plan to attend on which model and additional requirements for the laptop to purchase

 

[aggietxdent]

I'm just going to upgrade the hell out of my 2012 MBP. Still a solid machine that can keep up with all the programs I use. I need USB and HDMI ports and I love the mag strip so I'm gonna wait out this "war on ports" that Apple seems to think will work, or just wait until everyone else hops on board.


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[blablabla1]

I'm just going to upgrade the hell out of my 2012 MBP. Still a solid machine that can keep up with all the programs I use. I need USB and HDMI ports and I love the mag strip so I'm gonna wait out this "war on ports" that Apple seems to think will work, or just wait until everyone else hops on board.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

When it comes to wars on ports, Apple always wins out in the end.

USB-C is the future, Apple is just forcing the industry in that direction.

 

[Panis et Circenses]

When it comes to wars on ports, Apple always wins out in the end.

USB-C is the future, Apple is just forcing the industry in that direction.

I'd have to say you're wrong there, with the headphone jack removal on the iPhone 7 being the prime example. Another thing, is that if you are way too early to the game (apple's case), then that also hurts your status on "winning the war on ports". Creating proprietary ports (also a favorite of Apple) doesn't help you out, either.

 

[blablabla1]

I'd have to say you're wrong there, with the headphone jack removal on the iPhone 7 being the prime example. Another thing, is that if you are way too early to the game (apple's case), then that also hurts your status on "winning the war on ports". Creating proprietary ports (also a favorite of Apple) doesn't help you out, either.

Samsung may not be following suit on removing the headphone jack but HTC, Huawei, and Motorola are. Regardless, kinda irrelevant since I was talking about apple's removal of ports on their computers, not on phones.

Considering Apple receives like 50% of the profits earned in the computer industry, I think they're doing just fine.

 

[Panis et Circenses]

Samsung may not be following suit on removing the headphone jack but HTC, Huawei, and Motorola are.

Who?

Considering Apple receives like 50% of the profits earned in the computer industry, I think they're doing just fine.

Source?

My sources say apple controls roughly 5% of market share on computers, with Windows controlling roughly 93%, and Linux at 2%. No way Apple gets 50% of the profits on computers.

 

[blablabla1]

Who?

Source?

My sources say apple controls roughly 5% of market share on computers, with Windows controlling roughly 93%, and Linux at 2%. No way Apple gets 50% of the profits on computers.

First one I could find.

This one is a bit older but mentions how despite holding only 5-6% marketshare, they're taking in about 50% of the profits in the PC industry.

 

[Panis et Circenses]

First one I could find.

This one is a bit older but mentions how despite holding only 5-6% marketshare, they're taking in about 50% of the profits in the PC industry.

Not sure about that site, seems obscure and not sure if I can trust it. But I will agree with you, that they are making large profits, and that should say something about their absurd pricing

 

[blablabla1]

Not sure about that site, seems obscure and not sure if I can trust it. But I will agree with you, that they are making large profits, that should say something about their absurd pricing

Yep looked obscure to me too which is why I linked the 2nd one that showed results from Bernstein Research which is a lot more reputable (but about a year older). Haha absurd pricing or not, people are still buying their computers in a declining PC market.

Just look at this

 

[Panis et Circenses]

Yep looked obscure to me too which is why I linked the 2nd one that showed results from Bernstein Research which is a lot more reputable (but about a year older). Haha absurd pricing or not, people are still buying their computers in a declining PC market.

Just look at this

Yeah, well you linked MacRumors there which is obviously a biased pro-Apple source. I wouldn't say the PC market is declining, seeing how they have a 93+% market share. Also, since Microsoft is principally a software company, PC profits are shared between multiple companies. (Example: HP for the hardware, and Windows for the OS). Apple has a combined hardware/software sales that you can't really separate, so that's going to alter the profit margins as well.

 

[blablabla1]

Yeah, well you linked MacRumors there which is obviously a biased pro-Apple source. I wouldn't say the PC market is declining, seeing how they have a 93+% market share. Also, since Microsoft is principally a software company, PC profits are shared between multiple companies. (Example: HP for the hardware, and Windows for the OS). Apple has a combined hardware/software sales that you can't really separate, so that's going to alter the profit margins as well.

Not like MacRumors is conducting the research. I wasn't aware of any other research indicating otherwise.

Oh my bad there, when I say declining PC market, I'm referring to all computers including MacBooks.

Interesting, where did you find that the software and hardware sales are combined for Apple?

 

[Panis et Circenses]

Not like MacRumors is conducting the research. I wasn't aware of any other research indicating otherwise.

Oh my bad there, when I say declining PC market, I'm referring to all computers including MacBooks.

Interesting, where did you find that the software and hardware sales are combined for Apple?

Oh I see. Well I am just saying that each Apple computer is sold with the Apple operating system already installed. Microsoft makes most of their money from selling Windows copies. Like if you build a PC, you pay for the hardware from all the seperate companies (Intel, Nvidia, AMD, crucial, etc), then you buy a Windows licence, and all Windows really is is the software. Apple makes most of their money from selling hardware, and I guess I'm just not sure what they are getting at when they say profit margins, if they are comparing software or hardware.

And I think this is going down the wrong alley of a PC vs Mac discussion, so I apologize - forget about my comments

 

[Faux]

Note that you won't be able to take any exams on your laptop if you get one of the new MacBooks with the touch bar on it.

my friend uses his laptop just fine during exams.

 

[blablabla1]

Oh I see. Well I am just saying that each Apple computer is sold with the Apple operating system already installed. Microsoft makes most of their money from selling Windows copies. Like if you build a PC, you pay for the hardware from all the seperate companies (Intel, Nvidia, AMD, crucial, etc), then you buy a Windows licence, and all Windows really is is the software. Apple makes most of their money from selling hardware, and I guess I'm just not sure what they are getting at when they say profit margins, if they are comparing software or hardware.

And I think this is going down the wrong alley of a PC vs Mac discussion, so I apologize - forget about my comments

Ah I see. The confusion arises when we try to categorize manufacturers vs software licensers. When talking about these profit margins, they're likely talking about hardware manufacturers and in that sense, Microsoft is only included when referring to the surfacebooks. I'm sure MS is making plenty on their software lol. But all the other PC manufacturers suffer from really low profit margins.

Haha yeah I think we veered way off topic, sorry OP!

 

[Viva Terlingua]

my friend uses his laptop just fine during exams.

I dunno then. I was always told that the proctors can't remotely shut off the touch bar.