

Apple Debuts New 15-Inch MacBook Pro and $1,999 27-Inch Retina iMac - kjhughes
http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/19/apple-debuts-new-15-inch-macbook-pro-with-force-touch-and-1999-27-inch-retina-imac/

======
hartator
Kind of disappointment, they are still replacing NVidia chips by AMD. M370X,
M290, M290X, M295X...

AMD R9 series are known for overheating. M295X (The high end option for iMac)
goes up to 105C under recent games and starts throttling. (The clock reduces
to avoid melting introducing shutters and frame drops.)

~~~
shiven
Why the hell does Apple keep going with the _SHITTIEST_ mobile GPU maker on
the planet? I just cannot understand. But then again, I am only supposed to
consume, not question, I guess...

And I say this as a 2011 MBP user (yes, it has AMD graphics ... with
pathetically awful OPENCL support from AMD or Apple).

Apple, please just use nVidia (or heck, even Intel) and let AMD die the quiet
and inglorious death it deserves.

~~~
KaoruAoiShiho
Probably has to do with GPU licensing. Nvidia wants all GPU makers to pay up,
and Apple is a customer of Imagination. Apple probably wants to punish Nv. Yet
another example of apple putting its wallet before user experience.

------
fserb
I've been waiting to upgrade my Mid 2012 15" MPB Retina for a while. I bought
the high end model at the time, and the difference between mine and the new
version is basically:

* 2.7Ghz -> 2.8Ghz

* Nvidia GT 650M -> AMD R9 M370X

* PICe SSD 2x -> 4x

* Battery 95Wh -> 99.5Wh

* force touch trackpad

I'm not sure it's worth the price.

~~~
obsurveyor
Not really trying to defend the specs here(AMD, yuck) but the CPU should be
much faster than the one you have. It's not a straight 100MHz difference with
all the processor changes between 2012 and 2015.

~~~
toyg
Thing is, there has been little "processor change". The new model still uses
Haswell, which I think is barely 1-gen over the 2012 model.

~~~
obsurveyor
Ah, I thought Ivy Bridge was newer than 2012 but I guess it's been kicking
around for quite awhile now.

------
0x0
Is this switch from Nvidia to AMD new in this generation? I'm so glad I got in
on an nvidia based rmbp in 2013. I've had nothing but trouble with amd
graphics across 3-4 older laptops running windows and linux. Never again.

~~~
morley
iMacs have been shipping with ATI/AMD cards since 2009:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_(Intel-
based)#Unibody_iMac](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_\(Intel-
based\)#Unibody_iMac)

~~~
Shivetya
They did ship just prior to the Retina models with Nvidia graphics which many
found to be more stable and better performing; the one on my desk has a 4g
780m chipset having moved off the 6870ATI set I had earlier.

I guess its one of those back and forth battles between the two little guys
and Intel. Intel never has offered an integrated system with any gaming
performance but it does not seem many care.

------
zerr
I wish there was an option for matte screen iMac...

~~~
gdubs
This is a valid point -- Matte used to be standard for design work and is
still useful today. Gloss is nice but reflectivity and color accuracy can be
problematic.

------
mu_killnine
Frustrating that Apple is basically down to 2 SKUs. When I picked up my MBP in
late 2013, I could change the memory, ssd, and gpu. Now, if you want the
updated GPU, you _must_ get the 512GB SSD (something I don't need). There's
really only a $2K and $2.5K price point now.

~~~
jessriedel
The cost of the hardware options doesn't reflect the marginal cost of the
hardware at all. It's just a price discrimination mechanism, which is why
there is so much bundling.

------
seanalltogether
looking at anandtechs side by side comparison with the 2014 model, this isn't
much a of a change.

[http://www.anandtech.com/show/9268/apple-
announces-2015-15-r...](http://www.anandtech.com/show/9268/apple-
announces-2015-15-retina-macbook-pro-cheaper-27-retina-imac)

~~~
masklinn
Recap:

* discrete NVidia 750M replaced by AMD R9 M370X

* PCIe SSD 2x -> 4x

* battery 95Wh -> 99.5 Wh

* added force touch trackpad.

~~~
Eric_WVGG
The performance of those new SSDs is legit, though. Those drives even wallop
the “trashcan” Mac Pros.
[http://barefeats.com/hard199.html](http://barefeats.com/hard199.html)

But that said, with Skylake all but certain this fall, most folks would be
well-advised to hold out.

------
tomelders
Interesting that these were announced before WWDC. Apple clearly don't need
any filler.

------
Cshelton
I need a new magic track pad, was hoping they will release a new one with
force touch soon. Anybody have information about that? Possibly a new keyboard
as well with the wider spacing like the new macbook?

------
jnsaff2
Finally!

"[Thunderbolt] Support for up to 5120 by 2160 resolution at 60Hz on a single
external display (model with AMD Radeon R9 M370X only)"

~~~
FireBeyond
Maybe, just maybe, that means Thunderbolt 5K Displays are coming.

Maybe.

------
ajaimk
Still no Broadwell

~~~
Yaggo
Still no adequate amount of RAM.

~~~
zaroth
Really? 16GB combined with the PCIe swap really does seem like it would meet
the definition of "adequate" for 95% of users.

~~~
russell_h
It seems that you can upgrade to 32GB as well (update: replies are correct, I
seem to have imagined this, both models are still limited to 16GB).

My fear is that this means Apple believes Skylake is delayed, since they'll
presumably want to do another release early during that cycle.

~~~
msluyter
_It seems that you can upgrade to 32GB as well._

For the iMac, yes, but apparently not for the Macbook Pros. See:

[http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-
pro?product=MJLT2L...](http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-
pro?product=MJLT2LL/A&step=config#)

------
Vitaly
Where is my 27" retina display, damn it.

------
warfangle
The only thing this new MacBook Pro has over the Chromebook Pixel (LS) is OSX
(iffy as a positive with the availability of Chrubuntu), a better graphics
chip, and more hard drive space.

Not sure that's worth $700...

~~~
ebiester
[http://thenextweb.com/google/2015/05/17/i-switched-from-a-
ma...](http://thenextweb.com/google/2015/05/17/i-switched-from-a-macbook-pro-
to-a-chromebook-pixel-2-heres-what-happened/) doesn't inspire confidence in
ChromeOS...

~~~
warfangle
Which is why I qualified with Chrubuntu.

~~~
ebiester
At least with
[https://www.reddit.com/r/chrubuntu/](https://www.reddit.com/r/chrubuntu/) as
a reference point, it looks like the $700 is in not having to deal with system
configuration and debugging before you can use it.

