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Portables (Apple) iMac Apple Hardware

Apple To Refresh Mac mini, MacBook Pro, iMac Lineups Later This Year, Report Says (macrumors.com) 163

Posted by msmash from the up-next dept.
According to a note shared by reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning to refresh a number of its computing product lineups later this year. Via MacRumors: iPhone: There are three iPhones in the works, two OLED models in 5.8 and 6.5-inch sizes and one LED model that will be available in a 6.1-inch size.
iPad: Apple is working on two new 11 and 12.9-inch models that are equipped with a full-screen design and no Home button, with Apple to replace Touch ID with Face ID.
Mac mini: Processor upgrades expected.
MacBook Pro: Processor upgrades expected.
MacBook: Processor upgrades expected.
New Low-Priced Notebook: Kuo believes Apple is designing a new low-priced notebook. He originally said that this would be in the MacBook Air family, but now has changed his mind. Previous rumors have suggested this machine could be a 12-inch MacBook.
iMac: Significant display performance upgrade alongside a processor upgrade.
Apple Watch: Two new models in sizes that include 1.57 inches (39.9mm) and 1.78 inches (45.2mm) with an enhanced heart rate detection feature.
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Apple To Refresh Mac mini, MacBook Pro, iMac Lineups Later This Year, Report Says More

Apple To Refresh Mac mini, MacBook Pro, iMac Lineups Later This Year, Report Says

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  • And Tim Cook thinks to himself.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Sebby ( 238625 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:33AM (#56929686)
    ... " That oughta shut them up! "

  • "Reliable Apple analyst" (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    This is an amazing euphemism for "guy who gets his information from contacts who work in Apple's factories."

  • If only Apple also got rid of key bugs in iTunes.. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by gyepi ( 891047 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:39AM (#56929722)
    If only Apple also upgraded iTunes to a decent music player that does not skip [youtube.com] randomly in the middle of a track to the next song [apple.com]..

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by cre1mer ( 5440320 )
      Stop playing iTunes on your laptop while driving a Yugo.

    • Apple has bigger problems (Score:5, Insightful)

      by sjbe ( 173966 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @12:47PM (#56930224)

      If only Apple also upgraded iTunes to a decent music player that does not skip randomly in the middle of a track to the next song

      You actually use iTunes? I haven't fired that up in probably 3 years. Frankly Apple has bigger fish to fry than that obsolete piece of garbage. For example:
      1) The Mac Mini and Mac Pro haven't seen a meaningful update in years and basically get ignored
      2) The Mac Pro design is stupid and needs to be fixed ASAP
      3) Apple still can't get seamless integration between their operating systems and devices for files and data
      4) Apple still doesn't have a decent application for proper note taking with the Apple Pencil
      5) It's time for the lightning connector to die in a fire and be replaced with USB-C
      6) Apple needs more than a single USB-C port on certain of their laptops
      7) Dongle hell
      8) Apple Pay still not accepted enough places
      9) Apple Pencil is a total afterthought with basically no useful software support unless you are a digital artist focused on the iPad (useless on a Mac)
      10) Apple treats cases for their phones as an afterthought rather than an important part of the device despite nearly every customer buying one
      11) iPhones can have a power cord or a wired headset attached but not both at the same time.
      12) Apple Maps still lags behind Google's offerings
      13) Apple is ignoring equipment for serious artists (why don't they buy Wacom?)
      14) It's still unclear what Apple's next Big Thing will be. To grow the company they can't coast on the iPhone forever.

      The list goes on and on. Apple does a lot of things right but they could be doing so much more/better.

      • The Mac Pro design is stupid and needs to be fixed ASAP

        This, 1000 times over. I still have the 5,1 revision of the tower. I just added an AMD/ATI RX 580 so that I could run Mojave; by doing so, I have a machine that is almost 6 years old but faster than the latest iteration of the current Mac Pro. (12-logical cores, 8GB vid card, 32 GB of RAM, SSD).

      • 4) Apple still doesn't have a decent application for proper note taking with the Apple Pencil

        I've been looking into Notability and Goodnotes, each of which looks pretty powerful and useful.

        9) Apple Pencil is a total afterthought with basically no useful software support unless you are a digital artist focused on the iPad (useless on a Mac)

        Well, aside from note taking, listed above, what would you think you would use a digital stylus for if not for artistic apps, Procreate (drawing/painting), and Affinity

        • Well, aside from note taking, listed above, what would you think you would use a digital stylus for if not for artistic apps, Procreate (drawing/painting), and Affinity Photo (photo and painting), and coming out now Affinity Designer.

          Don't dismiss note taking. That is a HUGE killer app if done right. Literally every student could use it and probably most professionals too. Do you ever draw equations or sketches? Do you have a paper calendar? Do you ever hand write lists or notes? Meeting minutes? Typing is great but for some things there is no replacement for a pencil/stylus. Annotating documents is something I literally do every day on paper but there is no reason I couldn't do a lot of it digitally except that the applications

          • Comment removed based on user account deletion

            • This functionality you dream of will not work unless users know it will be available on every device they have and for every document.

              Yeah you are right that its a tough problem. But if anyone is in a position to make it happen it is Apple since they control their entire product stack. I think they could get 99% of the way there with Apple cooperating with Microsoft, Google, and a few other firms. If the most important apps and platforms have the capability and it's made available to others as some sort of an open framework then I think it could happen. Apple is ideally positioned to make this happen. Google might be able to do it t

      • Re:Apple has bigger problems (Score:5, Informative)

        by Dixie_Flatline ( 5077 ) <vincent@jan@goh.gmail@com> on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @03:17PM (#56931096) Homepage

        For #8, it's important for Americans to remember that they're not the only country in the world, and a great deal of why Apple Pay isn't accepted everywhere is because American payment infrastructure is woefully outdated and still apparently relies on signatures on pieces of paper in a great many instances.

        Apple Pay is accepted anywhere that tap-to-pay works, so that means here in Canada that a huge and growing number of merchants accept it. Apple Pay isn't really specifically some sort of tech magic that needs Apple specific merchant hardware to work, it just needs run-of-the-mill tap-to-pay terminals.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tsa ( 15680 )

          Here in Europe we have bank passes with NFC. Much handier than using a phone.

          • Carrying 2 things is handier than carrying one? What next, you're going to tell me you take your wallet around with you right?

            Note: Not sarcasm. I take my wallet with me when I need to use public transport or need ID. If I go shopping I don't.

          • Here in Europe we have bank passes with NFC. Much handier than using a phone.

            Also less secure and it's yet another thing to carry. I'm rarely not carrying my phone anyway so I'd rather not bulk out my wallet with unnecessary cards - and most of them should be unnecessary if we were doing things right. Probably 90% of the things in my wallet could easily be done via my phone with no loss in effectiveness and probably better security.

          • Yes, we have those here too. Unfortunately, the lack of authentication is a big problem, and I know shops that are actively turning OFF the terminals I was just talking about because they're not willing to put up with the high traffic of stolen cards coming through their businesses. Even with the $100 limit per purchase, you could stand to lose a lot of money if you lose your card and don't realise it for a few hours.

        • For #8, it's important for Americans to remember that they're not the only country in the world, and a great deal of why Apple Pay isn't accepted everywhere is because American payment infrastructure is woefully outdated and still apparently relies on signatures on pieces of paper in a great many instances.

          The signature requirement is not a requirement anymore [creditcards.com]. And plenty of merchants have the technology but cannot be bothered to activate it or got to the trouble. Even some that do aren't actually aware t

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Some upgrade technicalities (Score:5, Insightful)

    by hcs_$reboot ( 1536101 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:43AM (#56929760)
    That's amazing how a man could design systems in a way that even after he died 7 years ago they're now still sold almost as they were 7 years ago.

  • Underwhelming (Score:5, Insightful)

    by sjbe ( 173966 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:44AM (#56929766)

    So basically they are putting in newer processors into most of their Mac line but doing little else. Nice but not exactly mind blowing to understate things greatly. The Mac Pro is conspicuously absent from the list. As seems usual lately the Mac seems to be getting ignored and most of the design effort is going into the iPhone.

    • The modular Mac Pro [idropnews.com] is coming out next year.

      • The modular Mac Pro is coming out next year.

        Yeah I'll believe it when I see it. They haven't given a shit about this product for a long time and it's hard to believe they are going to start now. Their last attempt (the trash can) was DOA and stupid to boot. Plus if they treat it like the rest of the Mac lineup it will basically be sold with minimal changes for years to come with little prospect of meaningful improvement. They also keep talking about "Pro" users but seem to have no idea what those actually are or what they do. Apple's idea of a "

        • all apple systems are to thin and apple cuts them down due to thermals.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by Anonymous Coward

            If Ives had balls he'd hammer the covers into some kind of reverse golf ball texture to increase surface area. It would look slick and provide better grip too. But Apple is thought to be worth so much money by the algos the board is afraid to screw it up so they sit halfway on their thumbs. Insanely great dies at the hand of modest, safe, mediocrity.

            Capcha: broker

        • I guess most Mac "Pro Users" are Java developers ;D

    • So basically they are putting in newer processors into most of their Mac line but doing little else.

      Be quiet, they might hear you!

      Given what they did to the MacBook Pro the last time they “improved” the design, I’d rather they stick with processor upgrades.

      • Given what they did to the MacBook Pro the last time they “improved” the design, I’d rather they stick with processor upgrades.

        I'd rather they try something and fail rather than do nothing at all.

        • I'd rather they try something and fail rather than do nothing at all.

          Nonetheless, either they didn't let any programmers at Apple try out the 2016 MBP keyboard, or programmers at Apple have a worse workflow than I thought.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tsa ( 15680 )

          Yeah. They can start with a keyboard that actually feels like one.

    • mac pro is 2019 but they need to have an preview. or maybe an Imac pro with an lower starting price.

      • mac pro is 2019 but they need to have an preview. or maybe an Imac pro with an lower starting price.

        I believe the base model of the iMac pro is only bout $4999.....??

        I mean, its pretty much an entry level workstation....and if you get the educational discount, which is very easy to get....you get a few $100 off that price.

        • HP workstations start at
          $1.8K for systems with 1 cpu systems
          $2.5K for systems with 2 cpu sockets

          You do not get a screen but you also not locked into the screen on imac pro.

          Now apple can have an lower starting point with an cheaper cpu / less ram / smaller SSD. Or an mac pro.

          A mac pro can start at say $2.5K-$3K or if apple wants to be greedy maybe $3.5K-$4K say imac pro - screen.

          • HP workstations start at

            $1.8K for systems with 1 cpu systems

            $2.5K for systems with 2 cpu sockets

            Do the HP workstations you listed have the Xeon processors (same core counts)?

            Do they have 2666MHz DDR4 ECC RAM on those HP workstations you listed?

            What amounts of RAM are on those base levels you listed?

            And like you said it doesn't come with a 27" 5K monitor, but that could be purchased separately for the HP's. if the savings was enough.

            Just wanting to compare apples to apples here (no pun intended)..

            • You missing the point.

              The thing is that the imac pro starting price is to high even say take the mac pro price and add say $800-$1000 to cover an screen should only get you to about $3.5K-$4K

    • Honestly - what is is there to do?

      Computers really became "good enough" a good while back. Heck even my 2011 vintage Mac Mini with 8GB of RAM is still chugging along just fine.

      Even the current ones are available with flash storage as an option and up to 16GB of RAM.

      Software will always need bug fixes, but hardware just doesn't need to be constantly updated. It's settling more into the automotive model where companies will likely make mostly the same model of product for 6-7 years (sometimes 10-15 years a

      • Re:Underwhelming (Score:5, Interesting)

        by apoc.famine ( 621563 ) <apoc...famine@@@gmail...com> on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @12:27PM (#56930066) Journal

        Honestly - what is is there to do?

        More ram, bigger hard drives, better video cards, better battery life, cheaper.

        Software will always need bug fixes...

        And a shit-ton of that. They haven't been keeping pace on bug fixes for years now. Even though I've ditched Mac at this point, I still check in MPG to see what I'm missing [macperformanceguide.com]. And because my wife still has the last MBP.

        I stumbled on the Core Rot series googling a very irritating bug which Apple didn't seem to be addressing. Come to find out, it was well known and a year old at that point. Still hasn't gotten fixed 3 years later.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by antdude ( 79039 )

          Ditto! And by defaults, not having to customize our orders! The current default hardwares specifications are too small and low for their prices!

      • Honestly - what is is there to do?

        Isn't it kind of Apple's job to figure that out? I can think of quite a few things they could do with the Mac or iPad that they aren't doing right off the top of my head (posted elsewhere in this thread). If they can't think of something new and interesting then they are doomed.

        Computers really became "good enough" a good while back. Heck even my 2011 vintage Mac Mini with 8GB of RAM is still chugging along just fine.

        They become good enough for stuff like word processing a while back. There are plenty of use cases for which current generations of hardware are still are no where near good enough. It's all about the use case and I don't buy the

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Quirkz ( 1206400 )

        Honestly - what is is there to do?

        A laser import system that lets you go into Tron's world might be nice.

      • Honestly - what is is there to do?

        Creating a new class of product. Do you seriously think we have all the classes of product we're ever going to have already? I don't think we do. Apple has literally tons of money to burn, they ought to be spending it figuring out what comes next. Instead they'll wait for someone else to figure that out, copy it (badly) and then the iFanboys will throw money at them... assuming history is any guide. But instead of simply getting a sizable piece of that market, they could dominate it by getting there first f

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tsa ( 15680 )

        Car companies all over the world have been doing this for as long as I live (almost 50 years now). Only in America they have model years. We don't don't do that here.

    • Mac mini: Processor upgrades expected. MacBook Pro: Processor upgrades expected. MacBook: Processor upgrades expected. New Low-Priced Notebook: Kuo believes Apple is designing a new low-priced notebook. He originally said that this would be in the MacBook Air family, but now has changed his mind. Previous rumors have suggested this machine could be a 12-inch MacBook. iMac: Significant display performance upgrade alongside a processor upgrade.

      Why doesn't Apple seize this opportunity to migrate from the x64 to their A series - A10, A11,...? Have the same base CPU that they have in iPhones & iPads, and let OS-X and iOS only be different in the way that Windows tablet and desktop mode are different. And have the same wide range of apps for OS-X in the process

      • Why doesn't Apple seize this opportunity to migrate from the x64 to their A series - A10, A11,...?

        I expect this to happen eventually but as an end user there is no obvious benefit to me for the most part unless they do a lot of software development along with it. That's all behind the scenes plumbing for most use cases. It potentially benefits Apple which is fine but I don't really care about that as a customer. What I care about is what additional capabilities it gives me or how it helps my work flow. If it helps them make a seamless user experience where devices work well together then bring it on

        • A hypothetical "A12" or whatever would probably cost a lot less to Apple, allowing them to reduce the cost of their Macs by a few hundred dollars or so. That's good for both you and Apple.

          It would also, I assume, require less power than Intel's CPU giving you either a laptop that runs for more hours, or a smaller laptop that requires a smaller battery (again costing less for both you and Apple).

          If there is some kind of Rosetta 2.0 in place that can run most x86 applications at more or less the same speed (a

          • A hypothetical "A12" or whatever would probably cost a lot less to Apple, allowing them to reduce the cost of their Macs by a few hundred dollars or so.

            I very much doubt there would be that much margin savings in an Apple designed chip. A Mac Mini only sells for a few hundred dollars so there clearly isn't that much margin in the CPU to be had. They still would have to have it manufactured and it's not clear that Intel's markups would be hugely higher than whatever fab Apple uses (presumably TSMC) especially since the volumes for Intel chips would be higher. Apple isn't really vertically integrating since they don't control the manufacturing and that is

        • If they start including their new AI processors in the laptops and desktops along with their A-series processors, that could be interesting.

    • And it doesn't sound like they're increasing the max allowed memory. We've been stuck at 16 GB for over six years. Sad that they call that "Pro."

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tsa ( 15680 )

        You can often put more memory in their products than Apple says in the manual.

  • Apple needs real hardware not rumors (Score:5, Insightful)

    by xack ( 5304745 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:48AM (#56929794)
    We all know what hardware we want, but until Apple listens to its user base the best Mac is a Hackintosh.

  • How to know this is fake: it says there will be a Mac Mini refresh.

  • Apple to Remove all Peripheral Ports (Score:4, Funny)

    by DatbeDank ( 4580343 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:50AM (#56929818)

    In other news, Apple also plans on removing peripheral and charging ports. Once the battery is finished, you toss the device and buy a new one!

    • Easy. Just power the thing with a radioisotope thermal generator.

      Or take a small piece of Steve Job's ashes -- the rotation from him rolling over in his grave could spin a small generator for a while.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by bn-7bc ( 909819 )

        you mean a miniature nuclear reactor, hmm yae that wil be popular with . law makers around the world. I suspect taht the charging port will stay with us for a long time

  • I can't wait to see the new connector (Score:5, Insightful)

    by denis-The-menace ( 471988 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:51AM (#56929828)

    and all the dongles for that new connector. /s

    • Re:I can't wait to see the new connector (Score:5, Informative)

      by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @12:11PM (#56929978)

      They’re removing the few remaining ports... BUT introducing the new Apple AirDongle! Wirelessly connect all your wired peripherals to your laptop - at (up to) 802.11ac speeds!

      Starting at $899 for the 802.11g model.

      • They’re removing the few remaining ports...

        Ah ah very funny. You're kidding, right?

      • p>Starting at $899 for the 802.11g model.

        So true!
        Ok, here's something painful and tangential:

        SINGLE band Wifi N devices are here to stay, just like B and G stubbornly refused to leave*. I hate upgrading, but I've been itching for the goal of shutting off the 2.4 band for good ever since buying a ~$120 Dlink router in 2007!

        Pure dual band is still an unreachable goal everywhere that isn't apple-centric (and you'll likely still have visitors on older phones). There's always that new phone and printer and almost every low and high end DSLR camera qui

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tsa ( 15680 )

          Oh man IE 6. All other browsers were so far ahead you couldn't even see them anymore and it still wouldn't die. I even had colleagues who swore by it.

  • Apple discovers the "Notebook" market? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by xxxJonBoyxxx ( 565205 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @11:52AM (#56929834)
    >> a 12-inch MacBook

    Congratulations, you invented the Notebook.

    >> MacBook and MacBook Pro: Nothing but minor processor upgrades expected, and that only because we can't buy the old ones anymore. At least we didn't take away more USB slots - yet.

    As expected.

    Please, please spin off your MacBooks to a company that knows what's doing! (Signed: 79% of your users.)

    • >> MacBook and MacBook Pro: Nothing but minor processor upgrades expected, and that only because we can't buy the old ones anymore.

      How is this voted insightful? Intel still manufactures and sells 486 chips. I know a company that uses them. In fact, there are pieces of military hardware that still use the 486 also. You just have to have a high enough volume or pay a high enough price and Intel will sell you any of its chips. If Apple still wants these chips, they could get them. And what laptop has come out in the last 10 years that was truly innovative? They've all just been hardware upgrades for a long time.

  • iPhones all larger? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Hmm 6.5" and 6.1" and 5.8" are the new sizes. So the new iPhones are as large or larger than the current iPhone X?

    For reference, Apple's current phone screen sizes (diagonal):
    5.8" iPhone X
    5.5" iPhone 8 Plus
    4.7" iPhone 8
    4.0" iPhone SE

    • That's what it looks like. They probably can't fit that stupid faceId sensor on anything smaller.
      But if they got rid of it - think how thin they could make the bezel!

  • Apple Watch: Two new models ... with an enhanced heart rate detection feature.

    So what happens when a droid with an enhanced heart rate is detected?

  • Looks as if Apple has completely abandoned whatever remained of its desktop line.

    Then again, after they pushed out a trash can, how low could they go?

    For those who want to do real work, they'll have to keep looking elsewhere.

  • I don't care so much about minimal CPU improvements. What would be much more important in a time of video editing, large music and book collections etc that we finally have mac books with 1TB drives! We have freeking memory cards with 512 Gig. What is the holdup?

    • What for? High-end users no longer matter, Apple now is devoted to the more profitable and less demanding "takes fancy notebook to starbucks" market.

    • What would be much more important in a time of video editing, large music and book collections etc that we finally have mac books with 1TB drives!

      Actually, the MacBook Pro has had 1TB since mid-2015. You're right, though, that it would be nice to make that an option across the space.

  • I don't think they have a choice (Score:3)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @12:56PM (#56930296)
    at some point you can't get parts that old anymore. Their suppliers would move on. Apples big, but not that big. They make money on high margin, not high volume.
  • I don't believe that 14nm regardless of the number of "+s" behind it will have anything close to adequate cooling in a thin "ultrabook" type device. That will be the big challenge for high performance thin laptops.

  • I got tired of waiting for a new model, so a few weeks ago I replaced the 2008 Mini that I used as a media server with a 2012 model that I stacked to the rafters with RAM and disk space. Figures this news would come out now.

    • You still made a good move. The 2012 Mac mini is the last model with RAM slots so you probably saved a lot of money, on top of buying a used unit.

      "How much memory is right for you?
      This Mac mini comes standard with 4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory. Please note that the memory is built into the computer, so if you think you may need more memory in the future, it is important to upgrade at the time of purchase."

      The 16GB option adds USD$300 to the entry model and USD$200 to the mid-range and upper models, so add th

  • And what exactly are they all doing? Not working on product design - that's for certain.

  • Not a laptop that happens to be plugged into a wall. A desktop that uses all 110v coming out of the wall and uses interoperable parts and has room for many, many hard drives and PCI cards?

  • I'm personally disappointed that Apple is dropping the SE. For me it's the perfect size, and the screen has a bevel so that I don't trigger unintended touches just trying to pick it up. There's the standard headphone jack so I can listen to music with decent headphones I already own, even while it's charging. It's also fairly reasonably priced, runs ARKit, and is supported by the latest iOS releases. Damn fine phone.
  • was to get that new CPU for how many months now?

  • And by defaults, not having to customize our orders! The current default hardwares specifications are too small and low for their prices!

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