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14 inch Macbook?

P

PaulWog

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Jun 28, 2011
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The Macbook Pro comes in 13.3" and 15.4". Those sizes are tried, true, and awesome.

The Macbook comes in 12.1", which is pretty nice.

To me, 15.4" seems great. 13.3" I'm just itching for the slightest bit more space.

What are the chances Apple would release a 14" Macbook, as they cycle out Macbook Air?

I've worked on 13.3" laptops, 15.4", 14"... I tend to prefer 15.4" and 14". 14" really hits a portability sweet-spot, with that slight extra screen space that gets me past the cramped feeling that 13" gives me.

I can only imagine the next Macbooks will be thinner (redesigned), given the Macbook Pro is now basically just as thin (except the Pro doesn't taper off). A redesign, alongside the Air cycling out, could mean two size options?
 
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anything is possible... but seems to me improbable that we'll see a 14" MB. no harm in wishful thinking, but i think the 12" is going to be with us for a while (with the 13" and 15" pros as well)...
 
I actually think we won't see a 14" MacBook. Why? Because Apple is actually extremely predictable. It's innovation by a thousand tweaks.
You can expect a better screen, though none is needed. An even bigger touchpad. 0.6mm of key travel. Maybe 3% thinner. Maybe a regular blue color that they'll call neptune ice blue.

But Apple has resisted making too many choices available, especially in screen sizes. There has never been a 14", and they've killed the 11" mba. They have killed the 17" mbp.

They want the simplest lineup possible. It doesn't get much simpler than a 12" MacBook if you want extreme portability. No other choices possible. The interesting thing is that they have failed to achieve simplicity despite their simple notebook choices.

Why? Because they've got overlapping features and key features that everyone wants only in the pro line, but even people with extreme portability would like (such as two usb c ports). No one understands why the entry MacBook pro feels like a retina air but is marketed as both an air replacement and also as a MacBook pro. It is thoroughly muddled when you add in last year's models that are still for sale for the foreseeable future. It's truly a mess.

It should just be 13 & 15 MacBooks, and then 13 & 15 pros. That's it, really. There's no coherent strategy because 1) notebook product portfolios are not inherently hard things to conceive of 2) no one in the world understands what they are doing despite a million analysts and fans giving it a shot. It is as it seems: they have no internal coherency, infighting between marketing and engineering, one man having too much power, or no clear path forward. What it is not, however, is some type of zig when others zag for strategic reasons. Super weird times at Apple. All they had to do to keep the money rolling in is to behave like a large behemoth company. Increase your product breadth to cater to your markets, because you can afford it. Be conservative in your product updates. Take large innovations every few years. Because it's Apple, people would be whining anyway. But there'd be less whining because their customers could actually buy something that suits their needs. I'm not sure how the MacBook pros suit anybody's needs. Over-pretty for the average person, and overpriced even for design conscious people. Under-powered for most engineers.
Apple is doing neither the easy, medium, nor hard roads. They've done a 360 twice, gone backwards, and then made their own road to a place that isn't on the map and where no one wants to go.
 
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unagimiyagi said:
I actually think we won't see a 14" MacBook. Why? Because Apple is actually extremely predictable. It's innovation by a thousand tweaks.
You can expect a better screen, though none is needed. An even bigger touchpad. 0.6mm of key travel. Maybe 3% thinner. Maybe a regular blue color that they'll call neptune ice blue.

But Apple has resisted making too many choices available, especially in screen sizes. There has never been a 14", and they've killed the 11" mba. They have killed the 17" mbp.

They want the simplest lineup possible. It doesn't get much simpler than a 12" MacBook if you want extreme portability. No other choices possible. The interesting thing is that they have failed to achieve simplicity despite their simple notebook choices.

Why? Because they've got overlapping features and key features that everyone wants only in the pro line, but even people with extreme portability would like (such as two usb c ports). No one understands why the entry MacBook pro feels like a retina air but is marketed as both an air replacement and also as a MacBook pro. It is thoroughly muddled when you add in last year's models that are still for sale for the foreseeable future. It's truly a mess.

It should just be 13 & 15 MacBooks, and then 13 & 15 pros. That's it, really. There's no coherent strategy because 1) notebook product portfolios are not inherently hard things to conceive of 2) no one in the world understands what they are doing despite a million analysts and fans giving it a shot. It is as it seems: they have no internal coherency, infighting between marketing and engineering, one man having too much power, or no clear path forward. What it is not, however, is some type of zig when others zag for strategic reasons. Super weird times at Apple. All they had to do to keep the money rolling in is to behave like a large behemoth company. Increase your product breadth to cater to your markets, because you can afford it. Be conservative in your product updates. Take large innovations every few years. Because it's Apple, people would be whining anyway. But there'd be less whining because their customers could actually buy something that suits their needs. I'm not sure how the MacBook pros suit anybody's needs. Over-pretty for the average person, and overpriced even for design conscious people. Under-powered for most engineers.
Apple is doing neither the easy, medium, nor hard roads. They've done a 360 twice, gone backwards, and then made their own road to a place that isn't on the map and where no one wants to go.
Click to expand...

while you're certainly entitled to your opinion, remember... it's just your opinion. you keep taking about what everyone wants (or doesn't want), but you don't speak for everyone, you're speaking for yourself. rant away, but at least acknowledge what you're doing: ranting, not stating facts...
 
fisherking said:
while you're certainly entitled to your opinion, remember... it's just your opinion. you keep taking about what everyone wants (or doesn't want), but you don't speak for everyone, you're speaking for yourself. rant away, but at least acknowledge what you're doing: ranting, not stating facts...
Click to expand...
Hi, to be clear I want a 14" macbook! I just don't think that Apple will do it, but I'd love to be wrong. My ideal would be a 15" macbook at 3 pounds or less with just two usb c ports. That's all I ask.
 
I don't think so. Anything larger than 12, they want to push to the pro line. Makes sense in my eyes. 12 is the ultraportable, which will become more powerful over time.
 
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I doubt we'll see a 14" MacBook since Apple's notebook lineup is already a bit too complicated (they have 7 models if you count the carried over base 2015 13" and 15" models). My guess is that they will cull the line in a few months by dropping the 2015 models, and eventually drop the MacBook Air. The 13" non-Touch MacBook Pro is the closest we'll see to a 14" MacBook.
 
i think the 12" is the best size for laptop. it's compact and more usable than the 11" air.
 
I would buy it in a heart beat, but I don't think it's going to happen. Two years ago I promised myself that my next computer had to be fanless, that's why I got the Macbook and I'm totally happy with it. I however would prefer a slightly larger screen.
 
I would love to see a 14" MacBook... Unfortunately, apple never does what I wish for...

Nevertheless, I go with the German saying "Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt" - Hope is the last to die...
 
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