Apple Predicted to Discontinue 17-Inch MacBook Pro

[jonnysods]

None of us can see into the future, but this most likely won't happen. It's not a dud, low sales item, 17" sales are still strong. I had a few 17"s, tried a couple of 13"s and settled on the 15"s now. But I know lots of people who love the 17.

I'm very intrigued to see what they could get into a 15" MBA though....

 

[Nuvi]

Well, not exactly. Most creative pros do not put a premium on portability. Footprint is a different issue and I don't know any that don't prefer compact tools because not every workspace is limitless. It's why the 17" is a poor seller. They'll schlep whatever equipment is necessary to get the job done with a professional look. They don't sacrifice and just bring a 17" MBP b/c its easier than a 15" and two 30" monitors.

I've worked over 15 years as a creative and have more Mac's then I care to remember. I've owned most Mac's Apple has made, servers included, and 17" MBP is one of the best Apple has ever come up with. It has great balance of power and good portability. You can work in stills and moving image with comfort with it. I have never been very happy with 15" MBP. It is OK but fry cry from perfect when you need to get things done. 17" screen is huge benefit. Anyway, my office can fit 40" 1080p screens, 4K monitor the compulsory MP and one 30" Apple cinema display so footprint of MBP 17" is not an issue.

 

[Ryanalogy]

Let the "professionals" whining begin yet again. True professionals adapt. Processing power and screen resolutions are only getting better. Figure it out. You are supposed to be a "pro".....act like one.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

If you're saying that you can't code on a 15" (or 13", for that matter) screen, then you're being beyond ridiculous.

A 15" screen is barely adequate for coding if you want to have your IDE, several documents, a web browser, email and chat open without having to Cmd-Tab like mad and lose your train of thought.

Oh, and it still amazes me how emotional people get over a rumor that's obviously been completely made up by analyst who has no real information to share. It's hardly worth dignifying with a "I hope this isn't true", let alone "Apple sucks! They aren't about pros anymore! iToys! FU!"

 

[gnasher729]

You can if nobody has been buying it. Look a the sales figures quoted in the article. Nobody is buying the 17" model.

I think you don't know how sales work. It's not just about how much money you make with product X, it's about how much money you make with product Y _because_ you offer product X. Plenty of people feel the need to save some money, and an obvious way to save some money is to buy the second most expensive product instead of the most expensive one. Everyone with this purchase strategy will _not_ buy the 17" MBP, but they will spend more money _because_ the 17" MBP is there.

It's like going to a supermarket that has a huge selection. There are things that I will rarely buy, or maybe never buy, and the supermarket makes little money on these items. However, the fact that these items are there, and the knowledge that unusual items will be there whenever I want them or need them, keeps me going to that supermarket and buying the things that make them money, instead of going elsewhere.

 

[MTShipp]

Noooooooooo!

I've been saving up to buy one! Apple needs to confirm or quash this rumor.

 

[rcappo]

I have a 17" MBP, and I like it a lot. Yes, it is expensive, but it works great.

 

[bpaluzzi]

A 15" screen is barely adequate for coding if you want to have your IDE, several documents, a web browser, email and chat open without having to Cmd-Tab like mad and lose your train of thought.

You're going to need to command tab to use those in a 17" screen as well. The 27" iMac can _maybe_ have all of those open at once, but no way on a 17" screen.

 

[psingh01]

I hope this doesn't come true. My last two systems have been 17" MBP and was planning on upgrading to another either this year or next year. It is a portable desktop replacement for me and a smaller system would seem as a downgrade for me. Options that have me buying an extra display aren't much of an option in my eyes either.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Just because it doesn't sell in the same numbers doesn't mean people don't want it.

It simple a matter of pricing. The 13" starts at $1199, the 17" at $2499. This price gap is completely unjustified. Drop the price to meaningful level and the product will sell.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

You're going to need to command tab to use those in a 17" screen as well. The 27" iMac can _maybe_ have all of those open at once, but no way on a 17" screen.

You'll always need to cmd-Tab no matter how big the screen is. It's a matter of degree. I use a 23" ACD when in the office. It's great but I could always use more space.

On the go, the 17 is far, far more productive than the 15. The 13 is definitely sub-optimal.

Everything is usable, it's just degrees of headache.

 

[jameskatt]

I've always bought 17-inch MacBook Pros

The 17-inch MacBook Pro is so much more useful than the 15-inch.

It has a much larger screen than the 15-inch. This increases productivity greatly.

It has an expansion card slot. This also allows you to add much faster SATA external drives and extra USB or Firewire ports.

The only downside of the 17-inch MacBook Pro is that Apple priced it so high.

Of course, sales of the 13-inch MacBook pro are high. It is the most affordable one for people.

But why cut off sales of the 17-inch? It is so much more useful for professionals - such as in the movie industry, physicians, programmers, etc.?

This would be like Mercedes Benz cutting off the S-car line since so many people buy the cheapest C250 model.

 

[AP_piano295]

Just because it doesn't sell in the same numbers doesn't mean people don't want it.

It simple a matter of pricing. The 13" starts at $1199, the 17" at $2499. This price gap is completely unjustified. Drop the price to meaningful level and the product will sell.

Very true for me a 17inch screen is a must, I honestly need that work space, not just for media work, but even writing papers/taking notes while doing research. It's absolutely invaluable to me that I am able to have two documents open side by side.

Of course I don't have a ton of money so I ended up buying a 17" dell laptop which while obviously not as nice and not quite as powerful as a MacBook pro comes in at less then 50% of the price.

If I had a large expendable income and/or was a media professional I might be able to justify that price as is, it's totally un-resonable.

 

[auhlixer]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has in the past offered accurate information on Apple's Mac product roadmap, recently took on a new position with KGI Securities and has published a new report today indicating that Apple may be preparing to drop the 17-inch MacBook Pro from its lineup due to weak sales.

Replace weak sales w/ high price

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

I personally always thought the 17-inch MBP looked big and had few benefits over the 15-inch version, so I'm not surprised if this rumor ends up being true.

I suppose some could miss the ExpressCard slot though...

I love my 17" MBP. The benefit is more screen area and more pixels.

The only disadvantage that I have experienced is in an enterprise environment, it means stocking two sizes.

 

[Wrathwitch]

Hmmm as my iMac 27" i7 is ageing and I like to game a lot, I am buying a monster Windows machine for gaming. The only justification was that I could still have the best of both worlds with a MBP. The PLAN was to buy a 17" MPB when they get updated for any real work, downloading and surfing etc.

If they get rid of the 17" MBP this may put a crimp into my plans....

I am not going to panic until I actually see the keynote or release notice.

Nor should anyone else assume that this is more than wild rumour.

 

[greenmeanie]

You want 17" buy a desktop.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

I'm not certain about that.

 

[BMNB1tch]

you can take my 17"

but you'd better upgrade my damned Mac Pro !!!


srsly though the 17 is a surf board

my friend has had 3 swapped out over failing video cards/overheating

 

[steve-p]

Nor should anyone else assume that this is more than wild rumour.

I'm not sure it even merits rumour status. Right now, it's just one guy's opinion based on some sales numbers he guessed at.

 

[brentsg]

I don't think I've ever seen a 17 in the wild. It wouldn't surprise me in the least.

 

[entatlrg]

Bad news for 17" fans. That includes me. So much for having a large portable "usable" screen.

The 15" is a huge downgrade in screen real estate for anyone using a 17" computer and there will be a lot of pissed off people, especially those in the professional market doing things like design, editing video on the go.

Sure as hell no fun looking for a bag to carry my 27" TBD when I need a larger mobile screen.

Try putting two pages side by side on the screen with a 15", it sucks compared to the 17.

Just lower the price on the 17" Apple then people can afford to buy it.

People buy the 13" MBP because it's cheap and they think they'll need the DVD player ... You don't have to stand around long in an Apple store to figure that out. Most people looking for a laptop run to the cool Air first, talk about how cool it is ... but don't buy ... instead they're gone right to the 13 and 15 MBP's and usually walk out with the 13". (that's not just my observation, I heard it from the manager at the store). I wasn't surprised.

Hopefully those who think the 17" should not be EOL'd will email Apple with their concerns, maybe if enough people complain something positive will happen, never know until we ALL TAKE ACTION and try.

Here's the link for MacBook Pro feedback - http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

Does Tim Cook have a public email address like Steve Jobs did?

 

[Moonjumper]

Noooooooooo!

I've been saving up to buy one! Apple needs to confirm or quash this rumor.

Good luck with getting Apple to comment on a rumour. It is something they don't do, just the same as they have not commented on the rumours of the Mac Pro being discontinued.

 

[zoezoezoe]

I'm quite disappointed with the sales number of the MacBook Air in the article, especially when it is compared with the strong sales of the MBP 13". MBA 13" is in every aspect much faster than the MBP 13", the screen is a lot better too. When you take the price of an equivalent SSD in the consideration, MBA 13" is much cheaper too.

So are people buying the 13" MBP just for the word "Pro"?

No, they are buying it because they want a CD Drive.

 

[Epic Xbox Revie]

One thing Steve jobs said he loved about Apple is that they could put ALL of their products on a conference desk all at once. Perhaps they are trying to go back to this. Removal of 17", removal of Plastic Macbook, removal of Mac Pro. Definitely help make more room for iPads and thin ultra-books.