[coldtea]

>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.

[peschkaj]

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?

[jsjohnst]

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.

[coldtea]

>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...

[ovao]

How would using USB 2.1 be cheaper than the standard Intel and Apple co-developed?

[coldtea]

By having been a commodity hardware item for ages, produced in bulk for next to nothing at all.

It's not about licensing fees.