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designfreak114 · May 2, 2006, 02:34 AM

When the MacBook Pro first came out I was excited, although less than ready to buy it. In more recent months however, I almost had my mind made up about actually going to buy it. And then the 17" version came out with a 8x Superdrive that does dual layer.

Honestly, that was one of the reasons I decided to hold out. Question is, has anyone heard of any rumors as to when Apple might release a new version of the 15" MacBook Pro, possibly with an 8x Dual Layer Superdrive (and heck, maybe even a standard 2.16 Ghz Processor, although I could care less about that part)? I would really like to get one soon, and although the 17" is a nice perfect laptop, I would use it too much away from a desk for it to be comfortable. The 15" inch is just the perfect size for me, but I would like if the specs of the drive is a little bit better.

Any clues as to when that might happen? Thanks!

mduell · May 2, 2006, 03:20 AM

The 17" can use a "normal" slim optical drive (12.5mm thick), so the 8x dual layer isn't a problem.
Due to the width of the extra-wide trackpad they're using on the 15" and 17", the trackpad overlaps the optical drive bay on the 15", and so the optical drive has to be 9.5mm thick, a size which almost (completely?) no one else uses, so there aren't a lot of well developed options. I haven't seen any better 9.5mm drives on the market, so I don't know if they have anything they can upgrade it to.

As for the timing, expect a refresh in August when Merom becomes available.

dummyfung · May 2, 2006, 05:06 AM

What is merom actually... how would it benefit the macbook pro? coz i plan 2 get my MBP in July is it really worth waiting for?

HazelGirl · May 2, 2006, 06:59 AM

well, the thing about technology is if you wait for it to advance, you'll be waiting forever. If you need a new machine sooner, get it sooner.

Zeeb · May 2, 2006, 07:54 AM

I asked an Apple salesperson that very question when I bought my computer and he said about June--but he is only guessing himself. Even though June isn't that far, I decided to go ahead and buy. By the time all the features I really want are built into a laptop, there will be new ones I will want which I will then have to wait for until infinity. I can remember when all I was waiting for was a laptop that played movies.

That being said, if you are actually going to use that dual layer drive then you should wait. I had a dual layer on my last computer though and I never used it once.

designfreak114 · May 2, 2006, 11:56 AM

Well, it's not that I necessarily need the dual layer, but the speed boost would definitely be great. I asked only because three years ago, when I bought my iBook, it was only a month before the new versions of it came out and that had DVD burning capabilities. Suffice it to say, I was a little envious of the new ones. If I get a laptop now, it would probably have to last me a cycle of about 3 or 4 years, so it would benefit me to invest or wait for one that had that also!

I will most likely get a new laptop around June or July?, giving me enough time to come up with the funds. Hopefully by then, a new version of the 15" MacBook Pro would be out. I just wished Apple would give us warnings or start slashing prices a month before they release the new ones to help decrease the supply of the old ones.

15 or 17...I'm torn apart!

Zeeb · May 2, 2006, 12:52 PM

If you have to wait until July before you can get one you might as well wait for the next revision whenever that is. By July the 15 inch MBP would have been out for several months--making it more likely to be revised again. I think the only way you can be assured that a new machine isn't announced right after you purchase is literally to get it as soon as they announce the new models.

As for the faster dual layer DVD burning capabilites well, it appears that we are on the verge of a transition from DVD's to Blue Ray anyway in the next year or so. If you were to get a laptop right now, I would say go for the 17, its a better value--assuming you won't do major travel with it. By July, the feature set on both sizes may be totally different.

mduell · May 2, 2006, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by RajivRai

What is merom actually... how would it benefit the macbook pro? coz i plan 2 get my MBP in July is it really worth waiting for?

Merom is the code name for Intel's new mobile chips, which will be released in August. They should offer about 20% better performance (in general) at the same power consumption, and for some things, such as vectorized math, they will be even faster.

dummyfung · May 2, 2006, 10:49 PM

tq mduell i was waiting for someone to give me a straight answer to my question. I guess waiting a month or 2 longer may not be such a bad thing it would help me ease my funds out. Will it be anymore expensive then the 17" MBP, speculatively?

mduell · May 2, 2006, 11:18 PM

I doubt the price will change much. CPU price may rise slightly, but memory and disk prices are coming down slowly but surely.

phantomo · May 3, 2006, 12:06 AM

Come on, computer is a tool, you need it, you buy it. If you can wait, you probably don't need it.

If your Mac is a toy.... then it is a different story.