Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

13" MBP should have been phased out.

M

macguy360

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 23, 2011
836
512
When I saw the news about the new macbooks I was really excited. But then I started doing some comparisons between the Macbook air's and the pros and realized, the 13" MBP should have just been phased out. Here's why.

1. Apples to Apples, the resolution is better on the 13" air. 1280x800 is extremely old and outdated. No $1200 computer coming out in 2012 should have a max resolution of 1280x800. Apple really blew it on this one.

2. 128gb SSD vs 500gb HDD. The 128gb SSD actually costs more than the 500gb HDD. Looking on newegg it is roughly about $50 more. SSD's create a user experience that is 10x better than HDD. Startup times go from 50secs down to 15. Applications open instantly with far less issues of beach ball popping up. The performance alone makes the SSD way more worth it. The only argument contrary would be if you absolutely need extra storage but if that is the case, why not just have a home network storage setup or have a portable flash drive with all your music on it.

3. They both have the same graphics! Previously Apple was at least giving the 13" MBP a dedicated graphics card to let it perform better on games/video editing etc. This year Apple has decided to remove that option. Bad move.

4. Battery life! previously 13" MBP's had better battery life than the Airs but now they are on par with both having 7 hours.

5. Weight and portability. 4.5 pounds for the MBP vs 2.9 for the AIR. Just for taking to school/work and carrying around as an every day laptop, the AIR will be significantly lighter and more manageable.

6. The processor. With the 13" MBP you get 2.5ghz dual core i5 vs a 1.8ghz dual core i5 on the AIR. Sorry but the processor won't matter if your bottleneck is the hard drive. Expect the MBP to run slower than the AIR in most instances with the only exception being on a cpu intensive task that will take a while such as encoding a video or a music file in which case the difference in time is most likely negligible.

I cannot comprehend why anyone would buy a 13" MBP right now when the 13" MBA is better in every way and is the same price. Apple will probably come to regret the decision to keep carrying the 13" MBP. It would have been one thing if they would have decided to make the 13" retina resolution or include a discrete graphics card but they did neither.

*PS. if your going to argue that the DVD drive makes it worth it... it doesn't. You can buy a portable dvd drive for $30 if you really need one but everything is online now.
 
I think it's there mostly to appease those who want the DVD drive, Ethernet port, and standard RAM/HDD for one more year.

It's probably a pretty big seller to education markets for some of those reasons.

I think that this year is a transition period. Eventually there will be a 13" Retina Macbook Pro very similar to the current 15" model, and then the two 'classic' Macbook Pros will fade away.

I agree that the 13" MBP isn't really a smart buy right now, but I do understand why Apple hasn't killed it yet.
 
Stetrain said:
I think it's there mostly to appease those who want the DVD drive, Ethernet port, and standard RAM/HDD for one more year.

It's probably a pretty big seller to education markets for some of those reasons.

I think that this year is a transition period. Eventually there will be a 13" Retina Macbook Pro very similar to the current 15" model, and then the two 'classic' Macbook Pros will fade away.

I agree that the 13" MBP isn't really a smart buy right now, but I do understand why Apple hasn't killed it yet.
Click to expand...
Classic Macbook Pro?
 
There has never been a dedicated graphics card on the 13 mbp

I just bought a new base 13 mbp. I like having more ports than the mba gives. I need a large internal drive for my work. The languages I use to manipulate data needs to be local to the machine.

Ethernet is still my connectivity of choice. Wireless n just isn't there performance wise

Also, I need the capability to max my machine out ram wise. I work with variables that are many gigs in size. The mba simply wont cut it. At least the mbp gives me some capability in that regard when I work at home

So yea, just because you don't see the point of it doesn't mean others dont
 
I love my 13" MBP. I honestly feel the that MBA is too thin for me. I like something a little more sturdier. I still think that a new 13" retina MBP would be awesome. It would make it lighter and the higher processor and flash storage space would make it really appealing.

Let's not forget the MBP are Apple's best selling notebooks.
 
Liquinn said:
Classic Macbook Pro?
Click to expand...

Meaning the updated 13" and 15" models with the old form factor. I guess "Non-Retina Macbook Pros" works too.

Sort of like how the iPod Classic was kept around for those who really needed the larger capacities. Although I doubt Apple will keep selling the old form factor MBP for as long as they have sold the iPod Classic.

mohsy90 said:
Let's not forget the MBP are Apple's best selling notebooks.
Click to expand...

As was the white Macbook at one point.
 
It is in the line-up for reasons known by Apple, but it is also on the verge of extinction...known by everyone.
 
What if the apps that i'm running are CPU bound rather than storage bound? If that's the case then I'm giving up performance with the ULV slower versions if Intel Processors.

I'm also giving up the ability to easily upgrade to larger SSD drives and RAM.
 
mobi said:
It is in the line-up for reasons known by Apple, but it is also on the verge of extinction...known by everyone.
Click to expand...

LOL, maybe it's still around because it was the most popular unit in the latest Apple notebook sales breakdown?
 
The MBP line is clearly in "transition" right now. The 13" MBP is still Apple's best selling Mac so Apple's not going to kill that golden goose, especially when the MBA isn't for "everyone." My guess is that there will be a 13" Retina MBP by year's end and the "old" optical drive MBPs will get the heave-ho. Then you'll have the same MacBook/MacBook Pro dynamic that existed a few years ago.
 
dukebound85 said:
There has never been a dedicated graphics card on the 13 mbp
Click to expand...
No. The 2009 and 2010 models did have GeForce GPUs (see Wikipedia).

To use it as a part-time desktop replacement I want to have a notebook with dedicated graphics, so I hope they reconsider this change, perhaps with a 13" retina model.

Edit: Looks like you're right, these are integrated GeForce chips with shared RAM etc. Still, the Intel HD3000 graphics in the later models were weaker. The new HD4000s might actually be a bit better than those 2009/2010 GPUs.
 
Last edited:
gnubelebung said:
No. The 2009 and 2010 models did have GeForce GPUs (see Wikipedia).

To use it as a part-time desktop replacement I want to have a notebook with dedicated graphics, so I hope they reconsider this change, perhaps with a 13" retina model.
Click to expand...

As in my previous post, those were integrated chipsets, not dedicated. If it shares system memory, they are not dedicated.

The 13in mbp has never had dedicated graphics
 
Yeah, I was typing a little slowly and updated my post now. They were integrated graphics but superior to the Intel HD 3000 follow-up.
 
The 13" MBP is still a better, more well-rounded choice for most high school and college students. Many students cannot survive on 128 gigs these days and are are unwilling to put up with the hassle and expense of external storage. Students entering college this year will still need a optical drive somewhat frequently during their college careers - many textbooks still come with DVDs.

EDIT: Not to mention that I believe the MBP to be a more durable machine, despite the HDD.
 
Worth it or not, the 13 inch mbp is the mac that I see the most on my college campus. i've also heard that it's the highest selling mac so it wouldn't make sense to phase it out.
 
It seems to me that the MBP 13" will soon follow the same path to extintion the Macbook White followed 2 years ago. What I dont understand is: if Apple has already taken that decission, why not introduce the new MBP 13" Retina already? Why drag this outdated model for yet another refresh?
 
The 13" MBP is now the most customizable laptop that Apple offers. In 2 years, those of us can upgrade the HDD to SSD and not have to pay an arm and a leg for it. I refuse to downgrade to some crappy sized 128GB SSD. I will wait till the 512GB SSD's are around $200 before I upgrade.

----------

Also, I prefer to not be the lab rat for the removal of optical disks. I'll wait till they truly are no longer used before I buy a computer without one. You guys can fight the war, I'll wait till it's already been won.
 
To be honest, I didn't read the wall of reasoning why the 13" MBP should be phased out, but the last thing Apple will do is phase out their best selling laptop. Instead, they are likely going to make it better and a more compelling purchase to compete with the multitude of ultrabooks that will be hitting the market over the next few months.

I'm betting that the redesigned 13" MBP with retina and dGPU is in the works and if the analyst is right, should be released in August.
 
KohPhiPhi said:
It seems to me that the MBP 13" will soon follow the same path to extintion the Macbook White followed 2 years ago. What I dont understand is: if Apple has already taken that decission, why not introduce the new MBP 13" Retina already? Why drag this outdated model for yet another refresh?
Click to expand...

Because it's not going to happen.
 
I really wish they would have released a cheaper 15" mbp without the dedicated graphics card for around $1400 that still had a quad core. I currently have a feb 2011 13" mbp that I'd like to upgrade, but I'm not sure the route. Doing video work regularly, the mba would not work for me. It has too small of a hard drive and with the upgraded options (8GB memory/SSD) I'm creeping in on the price of a 15" mbp. With the graphics improvement in the HD4000, I don't think I really would have needed a dedicated graphics card.

I might consider getting a refurb 15", but I'd really like to have USB 3 since thunderbolt still isn't a cost effect option right now. I'm going to hold off for now until I see some benchmarks between all the different models.

One thing is for certain, one computer doesn't fit everyones purpose equally. Normally people are complaining about Apple not providing enough options, yet when they keep the 13" mbp around there is still complaining. It's impossible to please everyone.
 
macguy360 said:
I cannot comprehend why anyone would buy a 13" MBP right now when the 13" MBA is better in every way and is the same price.
Click to expand...

I can. The new MBP has everything I need and want in a laptop and that's why I ordered one yesterday.

They are not the same price, by the way. Using the education discount, I ordered the high-end 2.9ghz i7/8GB RAM with a BTO 1TB hard drive plus Applecare for just a shade over $1730, including tax...and that includes a $100 gift card! Try building an Air with that much RAM, hard disk storage and Applecare for that much...

The MBP may not work for you, but for people like myself, it does.
 
Storage. Ethernet. Better screen.
Text too small on MBA.

----------
Chupa Chupa said:
The MBP line is clearly in "transition" right now. The 13" MBP is still Apple's best selling Mac so Apple's not going to kill that golden goose, especially when the MBA isn't for "everyone." My guess is that there will be a 13" Retina MBP by year's end and the "old" optical drive MBPs will get the heave-ho. Then you'll have the same MacBook/MacBook Pro dynamic that existed a few years ago.
Click to expand...

That's it, Apple just has to wait until they can sell retina machines "cheap" enough.
So we will probably see one more refresh of the fat MBP, at least.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back