A New Update for the Retina MacBook Pro?

Hi,

I am currently considering getting rid of my two year-old Samsung laptop and get a Macbook Pro Retina. My laptop is already really slow and most of my apps always crash. I really need something reliable for college and I know that Apple's products are. However, we are already in the month of July and I know that some new Apple products are coming up. Therefore, I am wondering if I should expect some updates for the rMBP. At the moment, the rMBP satisfies my needs, although I wish the battery would last longer when unplugged. Also, I have hopes that they will make it a little lighter (that would be perfect!)
I know that the new Intel processor is coming up. However, I really don't know if it will be worth it. As a matter of fact, I really don't know what to expect.

Do you think I should wait until September-October before buying a rMBP?

PS: If anyone is wondering why I'm not considering getting a MacBook Air since I'm insisting on the weight and the battery autonomy, well it is because the MBA's display is not retina and I'm kind of picky with that. I make some photo and video editing once in a while and I watch lots of movies on my laptop. Therefore, I think it's worth investing in a laptop that has a high definition display. Truth be told, I'm an impatient person and I need something that is fast and doesn't crash. This is why also why I'm not considering buying a windows laptop again (and for many other obvious reasons).

Thank you!

 

Rumor is... new rMBP announced in Sept, with availability in October... I would really wait, just for the Haswell CPU and better battery life if for nothing else.

 

The big change in the upcoming release will be improved battery life (if the mid-2013) MBA is any indication. I would normally suggest not waiting but since you specifically mention needing better battery life, I suggest that you do wait. Between the new chips and OS X Mavericks, we should see some impressive usage times on battery. I think that will be particularly true on the rMBP 13" which doesn't have a discrete graphics chip. The 15" with the discrete graphics processor may see some what less improvement.

 

I wouldn't necessarily count on a revised rMBP 15 having a discreet GPU. The latest rumor has Apple working with Intel to create a special Haswell processor with Iris graphics that would be roughly the equivalent of the current 650M.

 

the latest rumour is just usual bull crap, super duper special unicorn hair apple only cpu, thats not going to fly

I do think there is a possibility that they will launch a model without a dgpu, which would be the coolest of them all

here is what we are going to get

13 rmbp - 28w HD5100 equipped ulv cpus, AC wifi, pcie SSD - in other terms it will continue to be a larger air, disappointing

15 rmbp - 47w HD5200 equipped quads, AC wifi, pcie SSD, possible AMD 9000m dgpus?? or just the usual 750m? (the launch estimate is oct and depending on when the 9000m may not be so fairy tale), possible model without dgpu for lower price point

in the end what apple really needs is to get some lower price points, i.e. the same as the mbp and move from there for innovation, the profit margin is a concern leading me to believe that they ill launch the dgpu less rmbp 15 for more profit margin

 

Could be. Personally I think Apple will put a discrete graphics processor in the 15" for marketing purposes. They seem to like keeping the 15" as the top of the power heap.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they did both. Have one without a dGPU to hit the $1799 price point and one with it at $2199.

 

I've followed rumors on the rMBP Haswell refresh for a while now. In terms of timeline, October seems like the best bet. It's in line Apple's 8-month refresh schedule, and there was a production leak recently suggesting October as well. At the very earliest, mid-September.

Apple will probably drop the dGPU completely, sad as that is to say. The Iris Pro doesn't really lose that much to the 750m in terms of benchmarks, and even gains in some. I'm not sure why some sources claim it'll be an Apple-only chip; perhaps that is referring to an improved variation of the Iris Pro, similar to how the 650m was over clocked for Apple.

Reasons to wait are summarized with longer battery life, faster SSDs and WiFi, and substantially better graphics in the 13" with the HD 5100.

 

My coworker as well as a friend of mine both got a Macbook Air last week and they really love it. However, I am really tempted by the retina display. That's the only thing that really makes me want a macbook pro, as well as the fact that it's more powerful. But I've also heard that the Air is also really fast.

I am really hesitating.

 

Its fast, just has the lower res 1440 screen. Saturation is crap as well. But contrast is ok. Nothing like the retina. But still has the great 16:10 aspect ratio. Probably why people like the 13" air so much. Personally I prefer the top of the line Samsung's series 9 with the matte screens. Wish there were more matte options.

 

If you are a student and starting school in a month or so, I would suggest holding on to the laptop you have, at least for this semester. The new MBPs are practically guaranteed to be out by holiday season this year, so once you complete this semester (with lots of backups), you will be able to see what moves Apple decided to pull (as well as a myriad of other PC OEMs) for this holiday season and make the best decision at that time.