Macbook Pro 17 update

I'm currently running on a Powerbook 17 PPC.TakeThisOut@1.5ghz and am waiting to
replace this with an Intel-based Mac - there's a zillion things I need to do
under Win, and my family is getting kinda sick of my doing them on the iMac I
got them last Christmas .

I know the current 17 doesn't yet have LED backlighting and this is
something I feel is a necessity for my next laptop - both for energy savings
as well as superior illumination and display longevity.

Anyone have any idea when the next refresh is due and what it's supposed
to have?

-- Thanks, Verne

Verne Arase wrote:

> I'm currently running on a Powerbook 17 PPC RemoveThis @1.5ghz and am waiting to
> replace this with an Intel-based Mac - there's a zillion things I need to do
> under Win, and my family is getting kinda sick of my doing them on the iMac I
> got them last Christmas .
>
> I know the current 17 doesn't yet have LED backlighting and this is
> something I feel is a necessity for my next laptop - both for energy savings
> as well as superior illumination and display longevity.

I have the latest 15" MacBook Pro. I like the LED backlighting very
much.

> Anyone have any idea when the next refresh is due and what it's supposed
> to have?

Intel will be releasing the next generation laptop processors (Penryn)
early next year. Apple is likely to release a refresh of the MacBook Pro
and MacBook lines shortly after that. MacBook Pro will get Penryn,
MacBook will probably get Santa Rosa (to maintain a signficant reason to
get the high-end models).

Rumours are saying that the first Penryn processors (high-end Xeon
models) are due to be released on November 11th. The Mac Pro and Xserve
should be updated shortly afterwards to use the latest processors.

The laptop-class Core 2 Penryn processors are due in "Q1 2008" (I
haven't found any more precise estimates). It would be reasonable to
expect Apple to release an updated MacBook Pro to use them about a month
later. That might mean you are waiting until February through April for
a new MacBook Pro model.

The MacBook might be updated a little earlier, despite this giving a
temporary "parity" between the two product lines.

Assuming Apple can get sufficient LED backlit screens, then both the
MacBook and 17" MacBook Pro should be updated to use LED backlighting in
next year's new models.

It is still possible that Apple will do a minor update of the MacBook
and/or 17" MacBook Pro before the end of this year, just to add LED
backlighting. It will depend on availability and pricing of the screens.

There are also rumours of a new compact laptop design in the works,
which might be demonstrated at MacWorld in January, but its availability
might be delayed until the Penryn processors are available in quantity.

Apart from the processor and screen backlighting, we could speculate
about what else might be included in the next generation. Some possible
candidates:

- Bigger hard drives (certain).
- Improved battery technology and power consumption.
- A switch to flash-based storage in a sub-compact model.
- A new case design is always possible. All MacBook Pros are currently
using a minor revision to the PowerBook G4 case.
- Blu-Ray optical drive as an option at the high end. I think this is
most likely to appear in desktop models first, with laptops delayed a
few months, if not a year.

--
David Empson
dempson RemoveThis @actrix.gen.nz