When can we expect the next refresh of the Macbook/MBP line?

Will it be once Leopard is released, or has Apple said anything about new products/updates before then?

I've heard rumors about a 12" MBP ultraportable, but beyond that I don't know anything. I was hoping some of the more "in the know" people here could shed some light on this.

The reason is because I'm looking to buy a blackbook or the 2.16ghz MBP within the next 2 weeks, and if they're going to receive a refresh by early March, I might as well wait it out.

Thanks!

 

I wouldn't expect a refresh til the end of May, first of June.

 

Definitely not by early March. As cycloneguy, May or June seems more likely. It's slightly possible that there could be something as soon as April, with the Santa Rosa platform, but I doubt it. There's a fair amount of speculation that the MacBook Pro line at least will be seeing more significant changes (possibly new case design, LED-backlit screens, etc.).

 

Hrmm, never mind, just read this:

http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/01/31/intel.santa.rosa/

Sounds like Santa Rosa is scheduled for May, not April. So, definitely seems like May/June is a good timeframe to expect new MacBook Pros at least (I'd expect MacBooks a bit later). Scheduling them to coincide with Leopard might make sense.

 

I know I know!

OS: Leopard
CPU: Core2Duo(800mhz edition)
Ram: maybe up to 4gb installable
GPU: Nvidia 8600Go
Screen: LED backlit
HDD: emm, i bet we wont see hybrids in it
Wireless: N type for sure
All d others would be about the same, expect no HD Rom or BD Rom included, nor the option as well.

Release date expected: June 07

P/S: All speculated rumors.

 

Hm, I really want a MBP right now, but the LED screen, more powerful graphics card, and all that seem pretty enticing. Maybe I can hold out until then...maybe.

 

If you want more info I'd suggest heading over to MacRumors.com

 

Ya, I've seen you over there phungy.. I agree. Macrumors has a few "moles" who like to drop crumbs. I've been scanning maccnn.com but it's not as much fun. Macrumors also has that fun buyers guide. Since macbook pros were last updated back in october, and mac often refreshes every 6 months on average.. May/June is very reasonable for a serious upgrade like the new c2d etc.

 

I say August September

 

June/July I think... A 12" macbook pro or macbook as well as a newer ati mobility card would be nice to see.

I've heard that the LED screens will endup using more juice than LCD. Not sure on that though.

But I think were about 6 months away from a refresh. After all, the updates from the CD to the C2D was about 10 months...

 

Just to clarify, LED screens are still LCD's..... the LED part refers to them being backlit with LEDs instead of traditional lamps found in most LCD's today. Where did you hear they will end up using more power? One of the advantages of LED backlighting is that it does use less power compared to traditional lamps, and this has been seen on things like the Sony Vaio TX and premium Sony Vaio SZ.

 

I knew I recognized your username from somewhere!

 

The most tantalizing prospect for Santa Rosa:
- 12" MacBook Pro. A must-have product, what's taking them so long??
- Flash-based HD acceleration aka Intel Robson.

I would really like to know how much of an improvement Robson can provide. I think the potential is absolutely huge for this, but on the other hand Flash memory is not _quite_ where I want to have it.

I am thinking 4GB RAM + 8GB super fast Flash would cut down HD access by probably 60 or 70% ===> huge speedup.

I am most interested in this because the HD is what I am waiting for 99% of the time. I almost never wait for the CPU or anything else. My core2 mostly sleepwalks at around 5% CPU usage....

And LED based LCDs will hopefully increase battery life.

=== Wishful Thinking Section ===

I am also hoping for an automatic switch between using integrated graphics and dedicated graphics. Sony is doing this and calling it "stamina mode" on some laptopts. Stamina mode gains you about 2 hours of battery life, so it's awesome. Stamina mode requires a restart every time you change the setting,so it's not really all that great (I don't like to restart and on the Mac, I never do).

Now only Apple is in a situation that they could implemen a stamina mode that can be entered or exited at will, while the system is running. Because Apple controls both software and hardware, they _could_ do it. PC manufacturers will have to wait for Microsoft to provide such a mechanism in Windows and that will probably not happen any time soon.

 

Wait, 2 hours of additional battery life in Stamina mode? Are you positive about that? From SZ owners I've heard from, the difference between the GMA950 and GeForce 7400 graphics aren't nearly that different. That is, they get maybe half an hour to an hour more, but I haven't heard 2 hours.

Having said that, I do agree it's a cool feature. I'm not sure if OS X could be changed to allow dynamic switching though without a restart, but who knows.