MacBook Pro: The biggest and baddest Mac laptops

As we suspected, the long-awaited Mac updates now appear to be scheduled for October 27. We provided a roundup of what we’re expecting to see, and now it’s time to find out what you all plan to buy if the rumors are correct …

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Apple is said to be introducing an entirely refreshed lineup of Macs later this month. The event is said to be on October 27th, which we first speculated earlier this month. The new Macs are expected to be available to consumers this month, as well.

As is often the case with Apple events, we already know a good portion of what the company has up its sleeve. Read on for a roundup of what to expect…

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MacBook Pro render

Last night we received a report from Macotakara that the new MacBook Pros were still coming this month, despite a lack of any announcements from Apple. The reporting didn’t specify anything about the internal hardware specs, but did resurface the idea that MagSafe, Thunderbolt 2, and USB-A ports would be replaced.

The thing for me is this: Apple just dropped the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and the reaction to that has been controversial to say the least. Apple explained that the move took courage and was needed to move from analog to digital, free up space in iPhones, and push wireless. There are no signs that this affected iPhone sales, but transitions are still hard.

Headphone jack aside, if new MacBook Pros fully replace USB-A with USB-C, are we in for the next episode in the same series? We’ve already seen this with the 12-inch Retina MacBook’s single USB-C port, but it’s worth considering what it could mean for MacBook Pro users if true.

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Just as doubt was beginning to surround whether or not Apple was still on track to release new MacBook Pros this month, a new report from Macotakara this evening brings some reassurance. The report claims that Apple will still announce and release a new lineup of MacBook Pros this month, and offers up some details…

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After a lot of abuse, my MacBook Pro’s 85W MagSafe 2 adapter finally died last week. Often Apple adapters fray at joints and this one did to an insane degree but somehow it kept working for 3 years through tons of travel, work and even some fun.

My MagSafe needs to last another month. What’s the over/under? https://t.co/dZeV3ZHz1Z pic.twitter.com/EnKkmdX0d6

— Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) September 29, 2016

So what to do? Typically I’d buy a new Apple Magsafe 2 adapter. But clearly Apple has some redesigned MacBook/Pro/Airs coming later this month and they will likely be charged via USB-C, at least in some cases. So that means I only need MagSafe to power this 2013 MacBook Pro for at least a few more weeks before it gets relegated to backup machine, kid’s computer or sold off when I get Apple’s new OLED/USB-C creation.

So I thought I’d get a little creative and save a few bucks at the same time. As I was looking for options on Amazon, I came across an interesting product: The “BND 85W MagSafe 2 Replacement Power Adapter Charger w/ 5 USB Ports for Apple MacBook Pro”. For less than half the price of a discounted $77 Apple MagSafe Adapter this $37 charger includes 5 USB ports and gets solid 4.3/5 star reviews. What the heck, I’ll give it a try…
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When the largest company in the world changes the date of a quarterly earnings call, there has to be a good reason. It’s not the sort of thing you do on a whim.

Apple has done this once before, and there was indeed a very good reason, which it shared with us: to allow senior Apple execs to attend the memorial service of long-standing board member Bill Campbell.

This time, however, no explanation has been offered, and enquiries by reporters have received no response. I’m with Philip Elmer-DeWitt in thinking that there’s one very plausible explanation …

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With numerous reports suggesting that Apple will launch a new MacBook Pro range in late October, one sketchy rumor suggests that the keynote presentation will take place on October 24. A Monday doesn’t seem particularly likely, and the ‘multiple sources’ cited are apparently just anonymous emails, but sometime around that date seems more likely than not. Logic dictates that a new OS update will be required for these new machines and if they were ready late September/early October, Apple would have added them to the September event.

Additionally, Apple is known for its late October launches, having had one in October four of the past five years (skipping last year) and it wants to have its channel full of inventory for the runup to the holidays in November.  So October is a safe guess for upcoming products…
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After months of speculation, Apple last week officially announced the headphone jack-free iPhone 7. Now, the company appears to be asking MacBook Pro users to take a survey concerning their use of the various connectivity options supported by their laptop. One of the questions relates to the use of the headphone jack, perhaps indicating that Apple is considering removing the connection from the MacBook, as well…

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We already know a lot about Apple’s upcoming iPhone and MacBook Pro refreshes, but a new report today from Bloomberg details a bit more about what the company has up its sleeve for the rest of the year. The report claims that in addition to the new iPhone and MacBook Pro lineups, Apple is planning to refresh the iMac and MacBook Air and will also introduce a new 5K display, as we’ve reported in the past, in partnership with LG. On the software side of things, Apple is reportedly working on a variety of new features for the iPad Pro.

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Bokeh Apple shape hints at dual lens camera focus tricks

Update: As usual, the event will be livestreamed online. Grab the calendar event here.

Mark your calendars, folks, it’s official. Apple has issued press invites to its next media event on September 7 at Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco at 10 am PT. The company is widely expected to unveil new iPhones and could unveil new MacBook Pros and the Apple Watch 2 at the same event.

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Apple has supported USB 3.1 since 2015’s single-port MacBook release, but both it and the updated 2016 model feature the Gen 1 flavor of USB 3.1. Despite its name, USB 3.1 Gen 1 is basically rebranded USB 3.0, also known as SuperSpeed USB. That means that like USB 3.0, transfer speeds max out at 5 Gbps.

With the upcoming release of macOS Sierra, however, there are strong indications that rumored new Mac hardware will support faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds.
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A Kickstarter campaign which got fully-funded on day one is offering a choice of two external GPUs for MacBook Pros that offer up to ten times the performance of the top-end built-in one. Connected via Thunderbolt 2 or 3, the Wolfe Pro gets you an NVIDIA GTX 970 GPU for $599, with estimated delivery in March 2017.

The GTX 970 has 1664 cores operating at 1050MHz, for a peak computing power of 3.49 teraflops, with rendering speeds almost ten times higher than a maxed-out 15-inch MacBook Pro with AMD R9 M370X GPU. Frame rates exceed 70 frames per second, creating a machine suitable for high-end gaming and VR applications.

The company also promises that backers will be given the option of upgrading to the even more powerful GTX 1060 when available …

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In this week’s top stories: Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen, the latest iPhone 7 leaks, Apple Watch 2 reports, and much more.

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There has been a lot of talk about the OLED touch bar rumored for the upcoming MacBook Pro refresh expected this fall. But how exactly will the touchscreen work for users?

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MacBook Pro concept by Martin Hajek

A new Bloomberg report says that the new range of MacBook Pro models will have a smaller footprint than existing models, and will be thinner but not adopt the wedge shape of the MacBook Air and 12-inch MacBook. The trackpad is also slightly wider than current models. All of the info  lines up with previous reports and a set of leaked shells from earlier this year.

The machines are said to already be ‘in advanced testing’ but will not launch until after the iPhone event in September, confirming earlier reports that said that the laptops were scheduled for release in quarter four.

The report also confirms what we’d speculated about the OLED touch strip replacing the function keys …

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Asked why Apple had never made a touchscreen Mac, Steve Jobs said back in 2010 that it would be a usability fail.

We’ve done tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn’t work. Touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical. It gives great demo, but after a short period of time you start to fatigue, and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off.

There’s no doubt that he was right – if you’re talking about a primary form of input. For computers, a trackpad or mouse is just a better solution.

But the distinction between a computer and a tablet today is much fuzzier, with even Apple touting the iPad Pro with keyboard a full PC replacement. And it appears we’ll be seeing a new touch interface on future MacBook Pros, in the form of a touch-sensitive OLED function-key panel and Touch ID power button.

So has the time come to look again at a touchscreen MacBook … ?

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A source who has provided reliable information in the past has informed us that the new MacBook Pro models, expected to be launched in the fall, will feature a Touch ID power button as well as the previously-reported OLED touch-sensitive function keys.

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Regular readers will know that I still have a 17-inch MacBook Pro as my main computer. It’s almost five years old now, which is a relatively long time in Mac terms, and an absolute age for someone who usually does poorly when it comes to resisting shiny new tech.

But when Apple stopped selling the machine, I’d initially hoped that it was just a temporary measure. The company had only just introduced new Retina displays in the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros, both of which carried a hefty price-tag, and my theory then was that a 17-inch Retina screen wasn’t practical. Yield rates were too low, I supposed, meaning that the cost of a 17-inch model would have been too expensive even for Apple to contemplate.

So I hung in there …

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In this week’s top stories: Space Black iPhone 7 leaks, more MacBook Pro rumors, and Apple dukes it out with Spotify as reports emerge that Apple is in negotiations to acquire Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming service. Head below for all the handy links to these and our other top shared stories from the past week:
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