Here come the MacBook Pro mockups: get yours in before it's too late

It was inevitable, Apple's got a bit of a new laptop design direction in the MacBook Air, and nothing's going to stand in the way of the hordes of MacBook Pro Photoshops to follow. This one here is from spicu, and we're afraid it leaves some proportionality "to the imagination," but it's as good we've got so far. Think you can do better? Submit yours to contests at engadget dawt com with "MBP mockup" in the subject and we'll get a little gallery going. Optimists have Apple launching an update in February, and while that rumor might be a tad sketchy at the moment, there's no better time than the present to make a bid for Photoshop greatness. Optometrists think you shouldn't look at the computer screen so much. Oh, and there's nothing up for grabs for the best mockup, only pride.

[fashionista @ Feb 8th 2008 12:38PM]

What kind of loser wastes their time on photoshopping imaginary computers?

[RokkaMan @ Feb 8th 2008 12:51PM]

What kind of loser cares?

[js @ Feb 8th 2008 12:52PM]

Apple fanbois everywhere

[fashionista @ Feb 8th 2008 1:02PM]

Oh RokkaMan ya got me there! Ouchie from the zing sting!

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 8th 2008 1:04PM]

here here

[Ireland @ Feb 8th 2008 1:22PM]

It's actually "hear hear", not "here here". There there :D

[RokkaMan @ Feb 8th 2008 1:25PM]

"Ouchie from the zing sting!" I loled

[josh @ Feb 8th 2008 1:41PM]

@Ireland:

Where where?

[atrain @ Feb 8th 2008 2:20PM]

@Josh:
Where?
Ireland, Obviously!

[Skullfighter @ Feb 8th 2008 2:40PM]

Ryan Block - "We're not Apple Fanboys. We just do photoshop contests so we can break our porn habbits... Who needs women, we have apples to play with!"

I'll eat my words the day they have a contest for the next Dell notebook series. :-)

[haters-suck @ Feb 8th 2008 2:57PM]

@skullfighter

there will be a contest for the next dell laptop series when people actually give 2 s**ts and make photoshops of them. engadget writes about what the most people care about. google search "dell rumors" and "apple rumors" and note the difference in results. also, apparently you don't mind ryan block too much, you are on his site.

[Zak @ Feb 8th 2008 4:12PM]

Skullfighter, people don't have photoshop contests about Dell laptops because nobody cares how Dell laptops look. They're cheap and functional, not pretty. People have Photoshop contests about Apple laptops because Apple is one of the only hardware companies that actually imbues their products with a real sense of style and aesthetics, so people take an interest in what their next products will look like.

[Skullfighter @ Feb 8th 2008 7:54PM]

Whoa boys. Perhaps I should have worn a cup to this posting. I said nothing against the Apple, their products or commercial ethics. I made a joke about the ojectivity of Engadget, that is all.

Oh, and Zak. Apple could make an iPod that didn't play music and you would still think it was the coolest thing.

[mabhatter @ Feb 9th 2008 1:12AM]

the kind slightly more weird than the ones that READ about fake notebooks every day!

[zeels @ Feb 10th 2008 12:31PM]

Mac users who really enjoy using their computers. They have spare time due in part to the ease of use the Mac experience brings which enables them to get their "work" done faster.

[R Cervantes @ Feb 11th 2008 11:11PM]

hair hair?

[Burke Hamblin @ Feb 8th 2008 12:40PM]

I'd think they'd dump the full DVI port and put the new micro-DVI in, but include the adapter in the box...

[stooke @ Feb 8th 2008 3:32PM]

I don't think the micro DVI does dual-link.
... but I would like to see HDMI.

[kL @ Feb 16th 2008 9:01PM]

Nah, why waste opportunity to charge $19.99 extra?

[Ben @ Feb 8th 2008 12:42PM]

You'd also think they'd drop the latch button and go to a magnet like the other MacBooks.

[randy @ Feb 8th 2008 2:05PM]

Yes, and nor will the new MacBook Pros have a flat bottom anymore. The MacBook Air demonstrates to me Apple has finally realized that the Powerbook G4 and MacBook Pro's rectangular design makes it a pain in the ass to pick up off the table.

[James @ Feb 8th 2008 4:18PM]

I like the latch :(

[Ben @ Feb 8th 2008 4:21PM]

I don't hate the latch, but mine turned black and I've had problems with it latching and the switch. The magnetic just seems like it is simpler and less troublesome.

[adam @ Feb 8th 2008 12:44PM]

Call me crazy, but I'd like to see the optical drive disappear from inside Apple's notebooks, replaced by the external SuperDrive that the MacBook Air is capable of using. Use the extra space inside the MacBook and MacBook Pro for larger batteries.

[senorbelly @ Feb 8th 2008 12:47PM]

Adam you so crazy!

I think I wanna have yo baby.

[DSeaver @ Feb 8th 2008 12:54PM]

I wouldn't be surprised if thats what apple will start doing. Test it on the MBA, see how it was accepted, if there weren't too many complaints, start taking it out of the other MBs. With flash storage as high and cheap as it is, is there really a need for a CD drive, other than restoring the OS. I mean, you can dump installers onto your disk, and they will work fine most of the time.


PS, You're crazy!

[Dax @ Feb 8th 2008 1:12PM]

True but I think the number 1 use of a laptop isnt computing or even browsing the internet. I think its watching DVDs.

[adam @ Feb 8th 2008 3:19PM]

I doubt watching DVDs is the number 1 use for notebooks, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is high up on the list.

However, you do need to be cognizant of where the media market is going. Personally, I see digital downloads replacing physical media such as DVD. Multi-terabyte hard-drives will soon replace cumbersome hard-copy video collections (just as the multi-gigabyte hard drive has replaced hard-copy audio collections). I foresee the current format war driving this trend as well. How long will it take for HD/Blu-Ray to become obsolete? DVD certainly didn't last long...

A simple codec is much easier and cheaper to install than buying new hardware that may not be compatible with (or even made for) your computer. My iBook isn't that old, but it has no hopes of playing Blu-Ray or HD. It's only a matter of time before consumers wise-up and realize that they can prolong the usefulness of a product through digital media.

[wickedpheonix @ Feb 8th 2008 4:02PM]

I do agree, I've got a DVD drive in my desktop just like everyone else but I rarely use it. I had to burn a DVD for a teacher yesterday so I open it up and lo and behold my Halo 2 Vista disk is in there and I had installed and uninstalled that like a month ago - you do need to have one around still, it's not good to rely on Remote Disk, but I don't see why it has to be integrated into the notebook itself anymore. Rather have the space devoted to a bigger battery, really - any movies I watch are ripped to the hard drive.

[Marshall @ Feb 8th 2008 4:06PM]

Watching DVDs as the number one use of laptops? If that is in the top 5 uses, I would be very shocked. Not that I think getting rid of the DVD drive in the MBP is a good idea like adam, it's just that most of the people I know with laptops also have TVs, which they use for their DVD watching.

[Skullfighter @ Feb 8th 2008 8:23PM]

While I agree with many of the points raised here, I would like to add that this is a tech forum. We the people of Engadget may have loads of videos ripped to our hard drives, but my parents wouldn't even know how watch those files if they required any more than a double click.

A lot of people also use their DVD drives to burns backups for long term storage. Who buys an 8GB flash stick for $80 bucks, puts some files for backup on it and then stores it on a shelf for safekeeping? I do know people who burn an 8GB DVD and do exactly that. IMHO, optical drives (or the equivilant) won't go away until there is another long term storage solution. (and online file backup doesn't count. Too unreliable)

[adam @ Feb 8th 2008 9:15PM]

@ Skullfighter -

No one is calling for the demise of the optical drive as we know it, only that it be moved external of the notebook. The parents you referenced can still insert a DVD into an external drive; backups can still be made. Furthermore, if the "parents" cannot handle anything more complicated than double clicking, I'm sure upgrading an internal optical drive would be forbidden territory. Upgrading an external drive is as easy as swapping a USB cable.

Do you regularly backup 8 GB while on the road? The real question is, would you be willing to plug in a single USB/Firewire cable in exchange for significantly longer battery life or perhaps higher performance?

[Skullfighter @ Feb 9th 2008 5:52PM]

@ Adam
Well, that is a good point. Perhaps make it optional...

I am with you about using the space for battery or better performance.

[Evan @ Feb 8th 2008 12:46PM]

I expect it'll have a keyboard similar to the Air. I hope it will be back-lit.

[zsears @ Feb 8th 2008 12:57PM]

Of course it will be backlit. The keyboard on the current MBP already is.

[Bad Beaver @ Feb 8th 2008 1:05PM]

If sanity prevails, it won't have that crap-board.

[RyanTV @ Feb 8th 2008 1:37PM]

I'm hoping it wont be the ugly black chicklet keyboard. I really like the older Powerbook style silver backlit keyboard.

[Matthew @ Feb 8th 2008 2:18PM]

Other then the speakers I think the original 500MHz Titanium powerbook looks better then the MBP aesthetically. Loved the contrast in colors. The new keyboards feels to plasticy

[Matthew @ Feb 8th 2008 2:21PM]

Also loved how the keyboard panel came off to reveal the RAM *drool*

[joshua @ Feb 8th 2008 7:10PM]

Do your research the the macbook pro already has a backlist ketboard and i really don't think they will get rid of it.

[Evan @ Feb 8th 2008 9:03PM]

I know the current one is back-lit. I'm hoping that if they change the keyboard, they'll keep it back-lit!

[atomicmatt @ Feb 8th 2008 12:49PM]

The new one will have, get this, 2 count them 2 USB ports woooo hoooo! jk

[DonatoM3 @ Feb 8th 2008 12:58PM]

Come on we all know you're not kidding :-p

[shidoshi @ Feb 8th 2008 1:01PM]

Being a lover of the TiBook, and an absolute hater of the current PowerBook/MacBook Pro design, I could totally go for something like that.

[Daniel @ Feb 8th 2008 12:53PM]

the new MBPs will be like 15 and 17 inch versions of the MBA. except with a free superdrive attachment, and a free superport attachment (an array of usb, firewire, esata, etc ports). both of these will have wifi built in, though, so you dont even connect it directly to your computer, you just make sure they are on the same network.

[dexter fillmore @ Feb 8th 2008 2:51PM]

why would you want to link a high speed interface (sata, fw, etc) over a (relatively) slower medium (wifi, even if it is n.)

[Daniel @ Feb 8th 2008 5:01PM]

some people on engadget just dont understand sarcasm...

[Hung @ Feb 8th 2008 6:55PM]

I know, right? That initial post was filled to the brim with sarcasm. It was so sarcastic that it ventured into the 4th dimension and created a rift in the time-space-serious-sarcastic continuum known as a sar-chasm.

P.S. Nothing in the original post points to sarcasm. I really thought you were being serious. Some people on Engadget really don't understand sarcasm. Right, Daniel?

P.P.S. "Sarcasm" and its variants has appear seven times in this post. The correct term, in fact, is "verbal irony," since the original post's language contained a tone neither biting or hurtful.

[Fubar @ Feb 8th 2008 7:20PM]

Sar-chasm FTW!

[kastonie @ Feb 8th 2008 12:55PM]

i feel that this mac will be the first to have a Right mouse button. It will be revolutionary.... apple will sell millions!!