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Report: New Force Touch 15-inch MacBook Pro & 27-inch iMac arriving Wednesday

mbp15

French site MacG, which has a very decent track-record, cites “reliable sources” as stating that a new 15-inch MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac are going on sale on Wednesday. (Update: We are now told their sources don’t know whether it’s the Retina or non-Retina iMac.)

Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro back in March, the most notable update being the inclusion of the Force Touch trackpad fitted to the new 12-inch MacBook. The machine also got 5th-generation Intel Core processors, the base model running at 2.7GHz, configurable to 3.1GHz, and Intel Iris Graphics 6100 GPU.

While the site had no specific details, it’s likely the 15-inch model will likewise get CPU and GPU bumps, alongside the Force Touch trackpad … 

MacG notes that shipping on the higher-end 15-inch model has for some time been showing 2-3 weeks, sometimes a sign that a new model is on the way. Additionally, we note that the machines are listed as discontinued on the B&H Photo site.

The site had no specifics on the 27-inch iMac.

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Comments

  1. I’ve been looking to get another MBP. I was looking at a 15″ because of the quad core (not sure why they aren’t put in the 13″ yet). Now that the 15″ is being updated I might, just MIGHT, get one.

    • rwanderman - 9 years ago

      I think the reason we don’t see those processors in the smaller chassis 13″ MBP is heat first, and product differentiation second.

    • I’d still wait. I think this may be a small bump so that Apple can stop manufacturing two trackpads. Skylake chips are set to release later this year, and I think Apple will launch a redesigned MacBook Pro then. This is just a little interm change – not worth it if you can wait.

  2. I’m holding out for a 17″. Please Apple, I’ll buy two!

    • proudappleuser - 9 years ago

      You are going to be holding out for a long time. With the screens being retina there isn’t much of a demand for the 17″ again.

      • myke2241 - 9 years ago

        i don’t think you understand. Retina will never be a suitable replacement for larger screen sizes. that is a known fact.

      • mobileseeks - 9 years ago

        I suggest you take a look at the number of responses to someone wanting the 17″ vs anyone caring about the 15″ that Apple likely is actually rolling out. My current 17″ is maxed out with a SSD drive but I would gladly part with another $3k if they came out with a modern 17″ model. Maybe they can do it like the mac mini and only upgrade every other year, but Apple please at least give those of us who want a 17 inch screen an option.

      • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

        Yes, a Retina 17-inch model with the kind of SSD storage needed for this market would be expensive for sure, but there are enough of us out there willing to buy one to make it a viable product.

      • myke2241 - 9 years ago

        i am in the same boat. I have a 2009 17″ MBP that is still working great after OWC data doubler and SSD upgrade. Apple not giving a 17″ MBP option almost feels like they have abandoned a large segment of the professional content creation and management market (film makers, editors, designers etc). maybe those are no longer the driving sales but we are the ones that spend close to the most over single purchases.

    • donnybeattie - 9 years ago

      Me too:) I just upgraded my 2011 17″ with a new SSD hoping to get another couple of years out of it. Eventually I’ll have to get a new one, so here’s to hoping.

    • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

      I still see them eventually moving to 12″,14″ and 16″ models.

      • 89p13 - 9 years ago

        I’m ALMOST ashamed to admit this, but I just ordered a new laptop – and Apple couldn’t meet my needs!

        I went with a Lenovo W541 – both for the Quad-Core processor and the “upgrade options” available to me. I ordered the Lenovo with the upgraded Graphics card and the 3K 15.5″ screen

        After I bought the unit. I bumped the RAM up to 32 GB; Replaced the standard 500GB C: Drive HDD with a 750 GB Samsung 850 Pro SSD; removed the Lenovo DVD Drive and replaced it with a 1 TB Samsung 850 Pro SSD.

        I also “factory downgraded” to Windows 7 / 65 Professional as this platform suits my needs much more than Windows 8.1.

        I really labored over this decision – I love my MacBook Air – but the MacBook Pro just doesn’t suit my requirements.

    • ikir - 9 years ago

      I work in a shop and nobody cared about 17″ when they were available. Nothing changed, forums and comments are not reliable. 15″ or external display is enough for 99% of pro users.

  3. OneOkami (@OneOkami) - 9 years ago

    Wednesday seems somewhat odd to me for a couple reasons. This close to WWDC I would’ve figured they’d wanna wait and announce a refresh under the spotlight. If they’re refreshing this Wednesday, I’ll personally hold off because while it may feature a Broadwell chip, Skylake is right around corner.

    (Now that I think about it, perhaps they may be pushing such a model out the door because they know another bump to Skylake is coming)

    • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

      I don’t think this bump is big enough for a WWDC announcement. Skylake is coming for sure, but likely not before the fall.

      • rogifan - 9 years ago

        Why would Apple update the 15″ now if Skylake was coming in the fall? Apple doesn’t refresh laptops that fast. And you’d think they would want to be one of the first to release a Skylake product.

      • Ben Lovejoy - 9 years ago

        Force Touch.

      • In your opinion, should I wait for the Skylake processors or buy a MBP 13/15 now? My 2011 13″ isn’t slow by any means (I put in a SSD and 8 GB RAM), but I’d prefer to upgrade sometime this year because of the retina display, more ports, lighter weight, and force touch. Thanks.

      • proudappleuser - 9 years ago

        In computing, get what you need when you need it. There is ALWAYS something newer and faster and better around the corner. If your computer is good than you are good.

      • Apple is known to get early access to new Intel products. They have a long and close relationship with Intel that affords them this luxury. If Apple releases a spec bump this Wednesday, then that says a lot about the progress Intel has made with Skylake.

        However, a spec bump now doesn’t negate a larger refresh this Fall. I see this spec bump as assembly line maintenance more than anything. Apple doesn’t need to be making two types of trackpads. They don’t need to be making two types of keys. The processors? Well, it simply helps Apple keep the line-up in line with Pro consumers expectations. If they made a change without bumping the processors, fans would cry foul.

    • proudappleuser - 9 years ago

      If you keep waiting for the next release you always have nothing. Also, they’re is no need to announce the 15″ in a big reveal. They did that with the 13″, which is a way more popular computer volume wise.

      They’ll probably give it a mention at WWDC and I was expecting a release earlier since inventory is so low everywhere.

      • OneOkami (@OneOkami) - 9 years ago

        I don’t always wait for the next release. Broadwell’s release is quite off schedule which positioned it awkwardly close to its predecessor. This is not a typical Intel tick-tock cycle.

    • Stetson - 9 years ago

      I’m guessing the WWDC keynote must be pretty full. iOS, OS X, Watch, and possibly Apple TV. No need to fill time with a couple of spec bumps that don’t require any explanation.

    • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

      Skylake most likely won’t make its debut until next year, which Apple will do refresh to the Pro instead of just chip upgrades and Force Touch.

  4. Giovanni De Martino - 9 years ago

    What about a 21″ iMac with Retina Display. Am I the only one with a little desk interested in such a display size/resolution combination?

    Regards, Giovanni

    • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

      That’s what I was going to post.

    • krsooo - 9 years ago

      Would be interesting to see what the resolution would be. The way OSX traditionally does retina would mean that 4K would be too high a resolution, but it might be hard to get high resolution displays that aren’t 4K.

  5. rwanderman - 9 years ago

    I’d think it’s worth the update for force touch alone. As they build more force touch stuff into Mac OS it’s important for all currently shipping computers with trackpads to support it.

    Maybe the iMac will do away with Thunderbolt and/or put a new USB-C port on.

  6. I hope for an iMac 21,5″ update too!!

  7. scumbolt2014 - 9 years ago

    I see from some of the comments here that even though this is what some would complain about being “a waste of time minor spec bump upgrade by Apple” that there are always reasons besides chasing Intel and their processor upgrade cycles. Like the computer that processor is going in by the company that never innovates – unless you count the way you see and interact with it counts.

  8. ziongpham - 9 years ago

    I don’t I have Force Touch on my old Macbook Pro (2014)? I mean it’s a part of Apple experience…

  9. I know it probably wont happen, but I want Apple to at least include dedicated graphics in the baseline 15″ model. Many users purchase the 15″ for the extra power, but are bottle-necked by the integrated graphics. I know it’s a lot to ask, since the only dedicated card you can get is in the $2500 model, but it would improve editing, rendering and even gaming a lot.

  10. ShadowPeo - 9 years ago

    I ordered a 27″ iMac for my mother just under 3 weeks ago with it stating 2-3 weeks for shipment, which would line up perfectly with the Wednesday (Thursday for those of us in my timezone) release date. I am hoping the MacBook Pro is released as with the new tax breaks for small business I will be able to write it off straight away, I am however not going to purchase a Haswell core model when a Broadwell should be released any time now

  11. Sacha - 9 years ago

    I hope so, I’ve been looking forward to seeing the new 15 inch MacBook Pro.

  12. GregandKaren Holliday - 9 years ago

    This morning, Apple has updated the 15″ Macbook Pro with Force Touch and AMD Radeon R9 M370X, but kept the Haswell chip.

  13. Zoheb Ansari - 9 years ago

    I bought old model macbook pro 15 inch, and here is the reason: http://www.techgrapple.com/why-i-chose-macbook-pro-15-inch-mid-2014-model-over-mid-2015/

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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