Apple MacBook Pro case design images looking solid

It's no shock that Apple plans to update the MacBook Pro sometime soon, and these casing designs are starting to look like the real thing. AppleInsider says that it has received confirmation that the leaked images are in fact authentic, and we can safely say that the new design will include some minor, yet welcome design tweaks. Of most interest is a release latch that provides access to both the battery and hard drive. AppleInsider speculates that the easy HDD access could lead to an available SSD for the MacBook pro, which would only make sense. Finally, the illuminated Apple logo remains, and a more tapered design a-la MacBook Air is in the cards.

[lu1de @ Jul 10th 2008 6:54AM]

don't say it's ugly coz it's not.

[Reid @ Jul 10th 2008 8:24AM]

Don't say it's ugly 'cause you can't tell yet.

[Chris Macdonald @ Jul 10th 2008 10:15AM]

I might be able to tell if some f*cking moron didn't draw all over it

[pal @ Jul 10th 2008 6:57AM]

ah.. finally the MBP is really being updated..
now, will it be an update worthy of replacing my C2D MBP from Nov 2006.. let's see...

pal :)

[LondonConsultant @ Jul 10th 2008 7:07AM]

Yummy yummy yummy, I'll have a hole in my wallet! This is on my shopping list...

[eli8527 @ Jul 10th 2008 7:16AM]

it looks like the bottom of the macbook air, to be truthful.

[Chris Macdonald @ Jul 10th 2008 10:17AM]

yeah, it's a rectangle..

[Prasand J. @ Jul 10th 2008 7:21AM]

I'm not sure if I'm gonna like tapering on the MBP. I prefer clean lines, and find curve shapes like the clamshell ibook, to be a bit kiddy-ish.

Still it'll be interesting to see what they come up with. Love it or hate it, I think it'll be nice regardless.

[johnhatcher5 @ Jul 10th 2008 7:28AM]

Any word on the MacBook, though?

[tiuk @ Jul 10th 2008 10:31AM]

MBP needed an update more than the MacBook. iBook->MacBook was a significant design change, the MBP's casing was identical to the PowerBook's (besides small differences like the power connector).

[YasirJ @ Jul 10th 2008 7:36AM]

if it uses a NV card besides an high end one, I will definately not buy, hopefully they will use the ATi 3870 Mobility.

[Jeff @ Jul 10th 2008 7:36AM]

I'm glad they're updating the line - the only thing I'm really concerned about is the keyboard though. It would be nice to have the Air/MacBook keyboard instead of the regular bunched up one it has now.

[jorvay @ Jul 10th 2008 9:12AM]

I don't know. There are those of us who prefer the feel of a more traditional keyboard. I never took a liking to the macbook board, but the MBP feels solid and smooth, not quite thinkpad nice, but close.

[Homeboy @ Jul 10th 2008 7:36AM]

Enhancements, great! I'm thinking about taking a step into the deep waters of Macs and replace my unreliable Pavilion Dv9074ea with a 15.4inch Macbook Pro. One thing I wish is that Apple would drop the price at least $250 because right now it's a very expensive device and become more so when you add insurance or extended warranty which is highly recommended for an expensive device like this.

The iMac and Cinema displays have received price cuts through out the years and it bothers me that the Macbook Pro hasn't.

[Aaronage @ Jul 10th 2008 8:02AM]

Don't let price bother you too much :)

Lets say you buy a MacBook Pro and a few years down the line your ready to buy another machine, that laptop is gonna hold a lot of value (the case with all Mac's) They don't lose value as fast as PC's

Just looked on ebay there is a core duo 2.16GHz (not core 2) first gen macbook pro at £618 with a day left!

Plus, you pay the premium to live free of windows :)

[Reid @ Jul 10th 2008 8:25AM]

Buy a non-pro. Since the Intel transition, at many points the Pro has been too expensive for what you get, while the standard Macbook is a great buy.

I'm hoping for a new low-end Macbook so I can get a websurfing machine for the couch. Or maybe I'll just pick up a used one, but, as noted, they maintain their value pretty well so it's hard to get a steal on the used market.

[Homeboy @ Jul 10th 2008 9:20AM]

Reid: Although the Macbook is somewhat affordable it's nothing for me as a power users. Although the CPU options are great the GPU is way to sissy to satisfy my needs. So the Pro is pretty much the only option for me if I am to buy a Mac.

Aaronage: True, Macs do retain their value very well. Again, you can't really compare the eBay prices to the price the laptop retails for here in the UK. I've thought about picking one up on eBay but I'm not willing to shell out that much money on something in a secure way in which I'll have the option to buy the extended warranty. As for Windows I do love Vista and XP, and will most likely run either on any Mac I purchase.

[YasirJ @ Jul 10th 2008 7:38AM]

Homeboy, dont expect a company that takes twice the price of a pc laptop counterpart to drop prices... ;p

Only thing you can do to even remotely justify an apple purchase a little is to buy it when its fresh.

[Reid @ Jul 10th 2008 8:26AM]

Actually the Macbook line especially is quite price competitive with other makes.

[Dave @ Jul 10th 2008 8:37AM]

macbook is competitive with other high-ends.

[MacroEQ @ Jul 10th 2008 7:51AM]

Who the hell cares?

[Harvey @ Jul 10th 2008 8:34AM]

I can't make optical sense out of this picture or the larger one on other sites. Apparently, it's an optical illusion--to me, it looks like two small, curved cases next to each other.

Anyway, I'm glad for the curved edges. If I rest my arms against the edge of the current laptop, the edge cuts into my arms rather painfully and leaves red lines.

[YasirJ @ Jul 10th 2008 8:29AM]

your kidding right Reid? I dont know where you live, but here in Sweden a macbook costs more than a high end XPS 1530, and the midrange macbook pro costs more than the maxxed out XPS 1730(2,5ghz,320gig,4gigram, dual 8800mGTX etc.)

So price competitive my ass.. ;p

[Dave @ Jul 10th 2008 8:32AM]

the picture is pretty sketchy and it doesn't seem very like apple to have any removable parts which allow consumer access to the innards (except the iMac's accessible memory). they seem to like keeping things as closed as possible. but hey, this would be a nice step in the right direction.

[hugmup @ Jul 10th 2008 8:34AM]

Even if Apple's computers are more expensive than their generic counterparts (which I doubt), I'd gladly pay the premium. That profit margin funds their superb customer service. For example, I bought one of the original MacBook Pros. The latch on the lid hung down a little. I asked a genius if they could jiggle it in place, and they said they would have to send it for repairs. I told them that it was a trivial problem, and I could live with it. Then the genius said, "Why don't I swap out the whole machine?" and he did.

If the MacBook Pro cost less, Apple support would be like Dell's. In my experience, Dell's customer service brings me to tears, while Apple's customer service moves me to tears.

It is true that time travelers to the 1980s find Macs more expensive than comparable PCs. And it is probably true for those of you who are visiting us from an alternate universe. My experience, however, is that they cost roughly the same after I spec them out so they are comparable.

[Anti-Apple League @ Jul 10th 2008 8:48AM]

Are you an unemployed artist?
A self important hipster?
Some person with a lifetime obsession/fanboyism towards apple?
A snobby black frame glasses wearing liberal college student who loves him some starbucks?

If not... then I don't see why anyone would take an apple anything over the competition.

Customer service can only go so far to cover up costs and general usability.

The truth is, the average apple consumer is buying it because they don't know any better. "It just works" and all that. Or they saw someone on TV use it. Or they think it's "Cute" with it's shinyness.

Apple loves those people so god damned much.

[YasirJ @ Jul 10th 2008 9:02AM]

Hm weird, over here DELL is considered to have the best support of all OEMs and apple one of the worst, but I think its because we dont really have any Apple stores like you do in the states. If we got a problem we have to phone the support, whine some, convince them, then send in the laptop and wait for weeks.

But with DELL you got a guy coming over to your house the next day. But like I said, if we had a Apple store over here we could probably also go talk to a Genius who would switch our faulty product.

[Lamp @ Jul 10th 2008 10:10AM]

@ Anti-Apple League

ok, I think your username does all the talking for me.
but,

p.s. there are more than a few advanced users that run macs.
sorry to shatter your Anti-Apple League world there, buddy.

[BigReg @ Jul 10th 2008 8:38AM]

If this case redesign brings the other things I'm looking for such as bluray superdrive and a freakin' battery that lasts at least 7 hours with wifi *on*, then maybe I'll spring for one.

[pundit @ Jul 10th 2008 9:05AM]

If you can find a computer that can do that already, post it here.

[chris @ Jul 10th 2008 9:21AM]

That recessed latch feature is more than likely a battery level LED
hole or the like. In the full sized photos you can clearly see screw
hole features on the bottom of that cover which would all but rule
out the latch cover theory.

[hugmup @ Jul 10th 2008 9:28AM]

To Anti-Apple League:

No, I am not an unemployed artist, a hipster, a person with a lifetime obsession with Apple, and my glasses don't black frames. I'm not a college student, I'm 57 years old. I am a Microsoft MCP, and I administer the Microsoft Partner Program for my employer.

I was a member of the Anti-Apple League from 1980 to 2005. I was a beta tester for Office, IE, and Vista. I preferred Microsoft products over the competitive equivalents. I have a 13-year-old web site. I work two jobs and have two days off a month.

My Windows computer crashed and everything had to be reinstalled. It took two days. I realized I needed a backup machine. I tried Linux, but I needed more than a data backup, I needed a functionally equivalent computer, and that wasn't possible. I bought an iMac that was a lemon. Apple fixed it beyond my wildest dreams. The Vista beta tangled up my Windows machine until I discovered that the iMac was my main computer. Now I can't use the Windows machine at all, because I'm tangled up with Microsoft's Genuine Disadvantage and I can't get the Dell to reboot from a CD to restore the old set up.

It took two years for me to admit it, but I finally realized that for my purposes right now the Mac was better. In the enterprise, however, Windows is better. Things can change. Apple is invading the enterprise and Microsoft is applying lessons-learned to Windows 7.

[James Barsby @ Jul 10th 2008 2:04PM]

I've used both Macs and PCs day in day out for a number of years and have come to these conclusions about the best platform.

Print Design = Macs
Webdesign = Macs
Typography = Macs
3D modeling/Rendering = Macs (Modo :0)
Writing = Macs (Scrivener)
Video editing = Macs (Final Cut)
Audio Production = Macs (Logic)
Office Work = Macs (MS Office 2008)
Style = Macs
Stability = Macs
3D Gaming = PCs (Consoles are better)
Cost = PCs

If you want a cheep way to play some games and don’t mind your system regularly locking up …get a PC.

If you have any ‘real’ work to do …get a Mac.

@Anti-Apple League - How long have you been working with Macs to come to those conclusions?

[Kayne Neugebauer @ Jul 10th 2008 9:29AM]

to be honest, anyone that says that a PC running against a comparable Mac is better is crazy. I have a macbook, bought it max'd out specs in late 2007. Comparing it to many of my friends 3.0 ghz dual core processors with more ram and better graphics cards, my macbook still sends them home crying and wishing they bought a mac. The apple store where I live takes care of any problems that I have ever had, including the ones that were probably my fault (;

[johnzilla @ Jul 10th 2008 11:31AM]

ARGGHHH! I just bought a 15-inch MBP. I knew that they'd get updated as soon as I bought one.

[trev @ Jul 10th 2008 11:41AM]

If you haven't had it for longer than two weeks you can return it for a full refund. If not then just sell it.

[cjh6793 @ Jul 11th 2008 5:14PM]

I'm in the same boat...my MBP was delivered Monday. :(

[Bryan T @ Jul 10th 2008 12:11PM]

Just release it before school starts apple!

[RichardBronosky @ Jul 10th 2008 12:14PM]

I just hope that the front edge of the machine isn't the hand/wrist torture device that the current MBP is!

Does anyone have a good pair of typing gloves to recommend? I'd love to find something in a retail store where I can try them on.

[RichardBronosky @ Jul 10th 2008 12:19PM]

How about adding a single fiber optic to the magsafe connector and turning the powerbrick into a full port replicator device so that people can stop longing for a docking station? Don't tell me that fiber optic tech is too expensive. Every Mac today has fiber optic ports hidden in the headphone and mic jacks that 9-5 of owners never use. The MBA could even have a special powerbrick option that has a DVD drive in it. Common Apple, get creative! I offered this idea free of patents to the public in 1999 and nobody has moved on it. What gives? Is it not perfect?

[RichardBronosky @ Jul 10th 2008 12:21PM]

oops!
:%s/9-5/95%/

(For those who don't use vi, replace "9-5" with "95%" in the above comment.)

[fil @ Jul 10th 2008 1:43PM]

I'm gonna sell this macbook that i'm typing on right now and, with some more cash, buy the 15" mbp! I hope they'll have a higher-resolution screen 15" by then.

[Ezra Hilyer @ Jul 10th 2008 6:38PM]

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!
I have been waiting for this for a while, who cares about Iphone 3g, not me in this remote place that will get 3g service in the year 2900, I want this new MBP SOOOOOO bad..
-Ezra

[Bret @ Jul 10th 2008 7:07PM]

release date?

[ZeroCorpse @ Jul 10th 2008 9:12PM]

Yes. It looks like it's almost time to save my pennies and sell my MacBook in anticipation of a MBP. I've been on a MacBook for a while, but I really miss my old PowerBook.

[Alex @ Jul 11th 2008 5:58PM]

I hope they don't put a MacBook / MacBook Air keyboard in it. I like the normal semi-curved keys of the current MBP. If they put the new flat keyboard in it, I'm not gonna buy it. (Yes, I've been using the new flat keyboard at work for a few months now, and still don't like it.)

[Michael @ Jul 17th 2008 7:16AM]

Oh right you are, Anti-Apple league, and your pithy theory does so much to explain why me and all my software writing pals, what with our stylish black-framed liberal glasses all and ***oh gosh gee just NO IDEA how a com-puu-tooorr really workkksss*** all use macbook pros.

No OS - mac included - is perfect. But Mac OS (and hardware) is solid, and performs well year after year without having to fight with it.

I used Windows for 8 years and have been on a mac for 2. It's like being let out of prison for a crime you didn't commit. Free yourself, little man.

[jd @ Jul 28th 2008 9:32PM]

it doesn't make any sense to me, if the "back" of the laptop comes out, does it mean the screen will also come out with it?

if that the "front" of the laptop, doesn't that make the trap pad come out too?

and why would the photographer take some stupid picture and unable to take a fking picture of the entire computer?