
15'' MacBook Pro with Kaby Lake and 32GB of Desktop-Class RAM, Later This Year - antouank
http://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/16/kaby-lake-macbooks-ming-chi-kuo/
======
mmastrac
I'm really hoping this happens. I would consider upgrading my 2014 MBP if they
did this. This year/model (2.8 GHz Intel Core i7) is still one of the top 10
performing models on Geekbench! [0] The bump to 32GB and leapfrogging 2015
desktop iMacs would seal it for me, assuming there's an option for no
touchbar.

If the desktop-class RAM rumour is correct, that probably means they'll be
beefing up the batteries to account for the higher power drain.

EDIT: I suppose this isn't necessarily correct - assuming that Intel can
support LPDDR4 in new chips OR Apple can use LPDDR3 rather than having to take
the approach that Dell did with the 32GB XPS-15 [1][2].

[0] [https://browser.geekbench.com/mac-
benchmarks](https://browser.geekbench.com/mac-benchmarks)

[1] [http://www.dell.com/en-
us/shop/productdetails/xps-15-9550-la...](http://www.dell.com/en-
us/shop/productdetails/xps-15-9550-laptop)

[2] [http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/10/31/macbook-pros-lack-
of...](http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/10/31/macbook-pros-lack-of-32gb-ram-
option-could-also-be-blamed-on-intels-skylake-chips/)

------
nikon
At what price?

I've had my 15" MacBook Pro for 3 years now, it was top spec at the time
(MBP15.4/2.3GHz/16GB RAM/512GB SSD from invoice) and cost me £2,199.

The new model, picking the highest spec (Touch Bar/2.7GHz/16GB RAM/512GB SSD)
is £2,699. Totally not worth it.

------
porsupah
Interesting. If Kaby Lake will bring support for >16GB across the board,
perhaps that'll be an option for all models, with this new wrinkle of "desktop
class" RAM for the upper end? What sort of speed difference might that entail?

That said, I'm fine with 16GB - personally, I'd be much more enthused about
any rumored return of the 17" models. Weight wouldn't have to necessarily go
down, even - the final 17" MBPs weren't exactly behemoths. Even now, having
had to abandon my mid-2009 17" for a late-2013 15", I find myself wishing for
that little extra display space, especially now it's the iPad that comes
around with me on the go most of the time. Heck, shrink the bezel and make it
18"!

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TazeTSchnitzel
AIUI, 16GiB was the largest RAM configuration for the new MacBook Pros because
the CPUs did not support larger amounts of low-power memory. So, a higher-RAM
configuration would require using power-hungry desktop memory, and thus mean
significantly lower battery life.

Is that a trade-off people are willing to make? I guess Apple assumed it
wasn't worth it with the most recent refresh, but maybe changed their mind
after people spoke out.

~~~
aries1980
Are you sure about that? The Lenovo P50s with Skylake i7 can be ordered with
32GB RAM:
[http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/p-series/p50s/...](http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/p-series/p50s/#SYSTEM)

~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
If they have more RAM, they're either using a different CPU, or using higher-
power RAM chips.

------
the_hoser
Great. Can I have my escape key back?

~~~
blueish
It'll be interesting to see if they decide to go back to it. Knowing Apple,
they will most likely keep the touch bar, but it might be the case that they
decide to add it back after the backlash the touch bar has received.

~~~
eridius
How many people complaining about the missing escape key have actually used a
touch bar computer, though? I've seen precious few examples of someone saying
"I bought that MacBook, and have used it for some time, and I still want a
physical escape key". I'm not saying these people don't exist, I'm just saying
that I think nearly all of the naysayers are people who haven't actually
bought the computer.

~~~
the_hoser
I have. Fired up the terminal and started Vim. 5 minutes later I was convinced
that my next computer will probably come with Windows. Really sad, too. I
don't have to blow away the OS to get a decent experience on a Mac.

~~~
vectorpush
I am no longer a Mac user, but might I suggest remapping the escape key to
another, it really saves a ton of time. Personally I use "hh", which makes
some vim users cringe, but let me tell you, it's _so_ much faster than escape.

~~~
udp
Caps lock seems like an obvious one, no? It's on the home row and I've never
used it in my entire typing life (apart from to turn it off if I turn it on by
accident).

~~~
eridius
I always map Caps Lock to Control. It's pretty darn useful that way. In Vim I
remap "jk" to escape.

------
ksec
1\. DDR4L Not finished yet.

2\. Intel wont support LPDDR4 until 2018.

Unless the Intel or the memory industry works with Apple in tandam, I dont see
how 32GB can be achieved without,

A. Apple making their own SoC or switching to AMD.

B. Simply switch to same clockspeed model of Kabylake while using Desktop
memory. The increase in Desktop emory power usage will be offset by Kabylake's
power saving.

or C. The return of 17" Macbook Pro.

~~~
electrum
Bring back the 17" MacBook Pro! Having a retina 17" would be great for those
of us that need more screen real estate. For example, when debugging in an
IDE.

~~~
ksec
If they ARE bring back 17" Macbook Pro, I assume that is a sign of Mac Pro's
death. The iMac will likely get a redesign and powerful enough fit in most Mac
Pro's usage.

------
rebootthesystem
I can't use a laptop with a screen smaller than 17 inches for at least half my
work. On a 13 to 15 inch screen everything is a pain in the behind.

CAD (SolidWorks) is punishing, CAM (MasterCAM, CAMWorks) is just as horrid.
Even other applications not at that level become a chore to use. And this is
particularly true if you have a situation where you might be referencing
website data or PDF's and need to use additional tools.

For me the small laptops are tolerable in the context of a trip where you want
to check email, do some stuff on the web and maybe some single screen coding.
It's very hard to beat the productivity and convenience of a multi-monitor
high resolution desktop setup.

We don't have any less than two screens on our desktops, with most having
three. For all new machines the minimum is three screens.

I don't understand why Apple won't make a decent large (17 inch) laptop other
than we (technical, engineering, graphic arts users) ceased to be their
primary market years ago. What a shame.

~~~
grzm
_I don 't understand why Apple won't make a decent large (17 inch) laptop
other than we_

Does Apple ever release sales figures for the breakdown of models? I don't
believe they do. If the 17" MacBooks made economic sense to continue to
produce them, I'm sure they would have. Since Jobs' return, Apple has tried to
keep the product line as simple as possible as well.

Another idea is that there may not be suitable 17" laptop displays. From 2012:

[http://www.zdnet.com/article/why-apple-dumped-the-17-inch-
ma...](http://www.zdnet.com/article/why-apple-dumped-the-17-inch-macbook-pro/)

I don't know enough about the state of display technology, and I'm sure that
things have progressed since 2012.

I would think in the scope of market, CAD-CAM laptop users is likely a small
percentage. It's understandable that you would like to have one, but it may
not make sense for Apple to produce them. Personally I'm surprised how much
work I can get done with a 13" MacBook.

~~~
rebootthesystem
We probably have a dozen laptops, maybe more. All are PC's. A handful are for
travel, which means they have smaller screens. All others have 17 inch
screens.

A large number of PC laptop manufacturers don't seem to have any trouble
selling the larger models. I'm sure it comes down to who and what they are
being used for. My guess is that at least three of the categories are gaming,
CAD and graphic arts.

Not sure why Apple can't justify making them. It is likely true that it is a
smaller chunk of the overall market. Apple stopped making products for those
pushing the limits a long time ago. They are a consumer electronics company
looking for massive markets. It makes far more sense that they'd prefer to
sell smaller sizes that might appeal to the vast majority of the users they
want to capture.

------
vegabook
so "October", I'm guessing, fully 2 years after Dell's latitude 15s did 32 gig
in a perfectly thin and impressive design, and by which time, most likely,
Dell and Lenovo will be showing 64 gig options. Only one solution here: Jony
Ive's design-first dictatorship needs to end. At least for anything labelled
"pro".

------
overcast
Now we see if it REALLY has that big of an impact on battery life.

------
chrsstrm
If true, this is a big fuck you to everyone who spent ~$3K+ just a couple
months ago (not to mention it will totally stall any informed purchases of
MBP's for the rest of the year). They better also be considering a generous
trade-in program. I expect the hardware I buy from Apple to at least outlive
the Apple Care warranty it comes with + the extension I add.

~~~
grzm
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Apple receives criticism if they don't
rev fast enough, and if they rev too fast. IIRC, there were rumors that 32GB
updates would be coming four days after the most recent release on Oct 27.

[http://www.macrumors.com/2016/10/31/macbooks-2017-price-
cuts...](http://www.macrumors.com/2016/10/31/macbooks-2017-price-cuts-32gb-
ram/)

~~~
chrsstrm
An article, in which the author spends a good amount of space explaining why
the title itself is not true. You're right, you can't win. Maybe I'm just
bitter that I spent a good chunk of change on a new system that isn't any more
impressive than the 2012 model I was replacing. Doubling down on RAM mid-
generation really makes people like me pause when considering a purchase of
what was supposed to be the newest and best.

