Apple Thoughts: The New MacBook Pro (MBP) Guessing Game

"Given how awesome the new MacBook Air is, I’m interested to see what Apple does with the other laptops in the lineup. I’ve had three 13” laptops (including the first-generation and current-generation Airs) and two 15” laptops, and I’ve previously been torn between these two sizes: the 15” always felt too bulky, and the 13” always felt like too little screen space."

Let the guessing games begin! Predictions abound for the upcoming refresh, most centering on the MBP taking on a lot of the characteristics of the MacBook Air (MBA), while keeping the 17-inch model (intact) with all the current bells and whistles. SSD, losing the optical drive, and fewer ports are the prediction, this article making a guess that the 13-inch MBP will disappear, and the 15-inch MBP will morph into a more powerful MBA, with a wedge shape, one or more SSDs, and will lose about a pound in weight. Cons discussed include lack of capacity with SSDs, no wired gigabit ethernet, and lack of ports (specifically firewire). The expectation seems to be that the MBAs will fill the lower end, the new MBP the mid-range, and the 17-inch MBP will remain the heavy hitter in the mobile portfolio. This does beg the question, "where to, plain vanilla entry-level macbook?" Gone? Thoughts, readers?