13" MBP iCore refresh?

Hey guys, so I'm sure this has been posted before somewhere, and I'm not sure if anyone knows the answer to this... but I'm in the market for a new lappy and I'm wondering if anyone has any idea when the the iCores are coming to the 13" MBPs.

I'm not going to buy anything until the end of August or beginning of September, so I'm not in a rush to pick anything up right now (although the $699 asus UL30vt is very tempting...). Do you think the 13" MBP will refresh to iCores before September? When was the last 13" MBP refresh?

Thanks guys.

 

The MBP 13" models recently got a refresh in April, so I doubt they'll do another refresh by September. They have to figure out how to contain heat with the new Core-i5/Core-i7, and I doubt they'll consider the Core-i3 because that chip is intended more for battery saving than performance.

Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac, iPod or iPhone

 

It was my impression from various published sources online that the issue with Apple not using i3/i5 in the 13" MBPro had to do with the fact that Intel requires these be co-installed with the Intel graphics (or is this combo a System-on-Chip?), and Apple preferred to use the nvidia 3xx series for performance and power management gains rather than be saddled with the comparatively lower capabilities of the Intel integrated chip. The 15" MBP was to have the dual automatic graphics option, so this wasn't as relevant to the decision.

 

There's a fair amount of marketing spin attached with those statements. C2D is an obsolete technology and at some point Apple will have to put the Core i3/5/7 into the 13" MBP when Intel EOL's the C2D. Given Sony, Dell and others have put together 13" machines w/ discrete graphics and Core i7 power, it's clearly not a technological limitation. Even the Intel HD graphics aren't bad enough on a 13" (which isn't really optimized for gaming anyway) that they couldn't use it and still well at the $1,200 price point).

Instead it comes down to a marketing decision. Apple did their research and figured that people will still buy b/c its processor is good enough and it remains the least expensive route to MBP bliss (and likely the fattest margins for them as well). As long as Intel keeps making C2D's and people keep buying these from Apple, you're not going to see another upgrade so I'd figure a refresh in Q4 or early next year depending on C2D supplies and if sales actually start to mature as other competitors release more 13" competitors.

So could Apple release a new Core i powered/discrete graphics 13" MBP tomorrow? Sure, I'm not one to discount the packaging capabilities of Apple engineers. The bigger question is how would it benefit their bottom line? If they wait till the early 13" unibodies are all out of warranty to drop a bigger upgrade, they'll pick up far more sales on the by then mature Core i tech. The longer they can make a single SKU at a stable price, the greater their profits. If they can stretch an already 2yr old chassis into 2011, then more power to them and more gross margins for shareholders.

A discrete solution would likely take up a bit more space and possible a bit of space from the battery but the 13" MBP already isn't a featherweight at 4.5lb. If it got the same 7-8hrs of battery life as the previous 13" w/ new Core i power you probably wouldn't see a ton of complaints. As it is, the 13" is a solid 50% heavier than the Vaio Z...likely about the same as the Z w/ 2 batteries and more than the 14" Thinkpad T410S. Given how much more engineering Sony's throwing into the Z, it wouldn't surprise me if Apple makes bigger profits off a base 13" MBP. As a business person, Apple has hit the jackpot so why give anything away when there's still plenty of consumer demand to satisfy. C2D and 320M not powerful enough? There's a nice 15" MBP w/ i5 330M power just a few hundred more.

 

@ mishap, Nice point.

Apple's also known as a technological innovator, so they should upgrade their 13''. But I guess that money dominates...

 

While the C2D may be outdated, it actually performs on par with other machines that have Core i3s (although it may be just because OS X vs Windows 7).

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (2010) - Benchmark Test Results Vantage

The MBP 13 goes against the U30JC which has a Core i3 processor and dedicated graphics from nVidia, as well as the Vaio S which actually has a Core i5!

Not surprisingly, the sony and asus have better GeekBench scores in Windows 7 compared to the MBP on Boot Camp. The MBP still holds its own somewhat, plus, OS X probably adds more points to the MBP performance-wise.

Comparing the boot time, once again, OS X wins it by a fair margin.

Battery life is obviously better in the MBP.

The integrated gfx card in the MBP is better than the discrete graphics of the Asus.

Just look at those numbers, and you will see that while is running a C2D, it holds its own and beats other offerings that feature Core i3/i5 processors.

 

Thanks for the info guys! Some really good stuff. And the buyer's guide is awesome, thanks for sharing that. Well if apple doesn't have the iCores in the 13" by September my business shall go elsewhere.