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by 1qaz2wsx3edc 3514 days ago
My bet is after this okay-to-failure of a product iteration Apple will pivot to a detachable dual screen model... Fear not though, they'll still happily lag behind current hardware for better margins. /s ;)
2 comments

>Fear not though, they'll still happily lag behind current hardware for better margins.

They don't "lag behind current hardware for better margins". The CPU class they use in the MBPr line is still unavailable from Intel. Early "Kaby Lake" PC laptops use other, more power hungry, Kaby Lake models, and even those in limited runs.

If they wanted to achieve better margins in any way, they could use way worse construction and materials, not insist on high quality trackpads, not add the touch strip, add cheapo USB 2.1 and even Ethernet ports to keep everybody happy, and just put some early, 6-hour battery life Kaby Lake machine out there.

Are you referring to the i7-6700HQ that was released in 2015? The CPU that's present in the 15" Retina MacBook Pro? Or is there a different CPU that nobody else is privy to?
There isn't a mobile class edition of the Kalby Lake processor with four cores available. The 15" Pro has been quad core as long as I can remember. It was also only announced a few months ago.

Skylake processors were announced last year and the new laptop uses them. In fact, I believe the 15" BTO edition uses the fastest Skylake processor Intel makes.

>Are you referring to the i7-6700HQ that was released in 2015? The CPU that's present in the 15" Retina MacBook Pro?

No, I'm referring to the equivalent to the i7-6700HQ Kaby Lake CPU, that Intel still hasn't delivered...

How would using USB 2.1 be cheaper than the standard Intel and Apple co-developed?
By having been a commodity hardware item for ages, produced in bulk for next to nothing at all.

It's not about licensing fees.

I don't think Apple will ever do a detachable. They're problematic and have very limited use cases.
I'm unfamiliar with what detachable implies here. What's the distinction between a detachable and something like an iPad with a Smart Keyboard? Is a Surface Book or a Surface Pro a detachable?
I think he's talking about what I would call a "convertible," e.g. Lenovo's portable Yoga range. Something that can be both a proper laptop (by the popular definition) and a tablet.
Cheers. The lines are starting to blur, aren't they?
The Surface Book which can work independently of the base. It's also been plagued with numerous problems since its release.