An new entry-level Macbook Pro makes no sense

[senttoschool]

Apple Planning Five New Macs for 2022, Including Entry-Level MacBook Pro Refresh

Apple is working on five new Macs for launch in 2022, including a new version of the entry-level MacBook Pro, according to Bloomberg's Mark...

www.macrumors.com

The introduction of Apple's latest high-end MacBook Pro models, which feature larger displays, scrapped the Touch Bar, and added more ports, seems to have left the entry-level MacBook Pro in something of an odd position in the Mac lineup, leading to speculation that it could be discontinued and replaced with a high-end version of the ‌MacBook Air‌, but Gurman's reaffirmation suggests that a new entry-level MacBook Pro is still on the way for 2022.

We know the 13" M1 Macbook Pro is a dead end. We know the gap between a $1000 Macbook Air and a $2000 Macbook Pro 14" needs to be filled by something.

Gurman says it's going to be an entry-level 14" MBP. This makes zero sense to me.

What can you cut from the $2000 MBP 14" that would make it more entry-level?

Cut the CPU Cores to 4 from 6? That would make it slower than an M1 since an M1 has 8 cores (4/4) to this potential 6 core (4/2). This is unlikely to happen.

Cut Pro Motion? That would destroy the simple marketing expectation that all Pro Apple devices have 120hz displays.

Cut RAM to 8GB? Can a "Pro" device in 2022 come with 8GB standard?

Decrease the number of GPU cores from 14 in the $2000 14" to 10? This would again, make it slower than a future M2 chip which is likely to have 10 GPU cores based on a 2x multiplier of the A15 5-core design.

Cutting CPU/GPU cores would also make having the bulky 14" chassis complete overkill. If it's barely faster than an M1, why would you want such a bulky laptop?

To me, I don't think it makes any kind of sense for an entry-level 14". I think it's much more likely that a 16" Macbook Air-like laptop fills the $1000 - $2000 gap.

 

[bobcomer]

What can you cut from the $2000 MBP 14" that would make it more entry-level?

The Mini-LED screen and put in a plain M1, no Pro or Max.

 

[Internaut]

It does seem to be one of the more unlikely rumours. At the moment, my money is on producing a premium Air and keeping both existing 13" models going as long as they remain competitive. Given the economies of scale Apple has generated with the bog standard M1, I do wonder if they will produce a plastic model and place it firmly in premium (i.e. PixelBook) Chromebook territory.

 

[bobcomer]

To me, I don't think it makes any kind of sense for an entry-level 14". I think it's much more likely that a 16" Macbook Air-like laptop fills the $1000 - $2000 gap.

A 16" MBA, that's the strangest thing I've ever heard. No way I'd buy that, even if I were looking to buy a new Mac laptop. 14", yes, maybe, but not 16! WAY too heavy to be an "Air". Maybe a Macbook (no suffix)

 

[senttoschool]

The Mini-LED screen and put in a plain M1, no Pro or Max.

So you would cut the Mini-Led in a "Pro" machine but all indicators suggest that the 2022 Air will have Mini-Led?

Put in a plain M1? The chassis is heavy and complete overkill for an M1 SoC.

 

[bobcomer]

It does seem to be one of the more unlikely rumours. At the moment, my money is on producing a premium Air and keeping both existing 13" models going as long as they remain competitive. Given the economies of scale Apple has generated with the bog standard M1, I do wonder if they will produce a plastic model and place it firmly in premium (i.e. PixelBook) Chromebook territory.

I'd like a plastic model because it's lighter -- now that I would think about buying.

 

[senttoschool]

It does seem to be one of the more unlikely rumours. At the moment, my money is on producing a premium Air and keeping both existing 13" models going as long as they remain competitive. Given the economies of scale Apple has generated with the bog standard M1, I do wonder if they will produce a plastic model and place it firmly in premium (i.e. PixelBook) Chromebook territory.

There are reasons to stop selling touch bar Macs as soon as possible. It costs Apple money to support it and everyone knows the touch bar is dead.

 

[bobcomer]

So you would cut the Mini-Led in a "Pro" machine but all indicators suggest that the 2022 Air will have Mini-Led?

Put in a plain M1? The chassis is heavy and complete overkill for an M1 SoC.

If I wanted to sell a 14" cheaper, that's exactly what I'd do. Basically make it the new 13" but without the touch bar.

Or maybe the lowest powered M2...

 

[senttoschool]

If I wanted to sell a 14" cheaper, that's exactly what I'd do. Basically make it the new 13" but without the touch bar.

Or maybe the lowest powered M2...

Why would a 14" Macbook Pro not have Mini-LED but a 2022 Macbook Air will have it?

You see what I'm saying?

An entry-level 14" Macbook Pro makes no sense to me.

 

[bobcomer]

Why would a 14" Macbook Pro not have Mini-LED but a 2022 Macbook Air will have it?

You see what I'm saying?

Last I checked, the 2022 Macbook Air hasn't been announced by Apple yet, so we don't know what it will have. It's all rumor at best.

I would actually be pretty surprised if it does end up with a MiniLED, as it's the lowest end Macbook, and price is a factor.

 

[JPack]

M1 Pro in a 13-inch chassis with mini LED And HDMI. 8 or 10 core GPU.

No one is saying entry level is 14-inch.

Many people don’t understand entry level MBP because they’ve never worked in a large corporate or institution environment. Lots of office workers need to run business intelligence, data visualization, or simply big spreadsheets. They don’t need GPU. They just want fast CPU, good battery life, and a bright display.

 

[MysticCow]

Scrap the whole concept of Air and Pro. Having or not having fans is the only real difference between the two anyway. Sell MacBooks or go back to iBook/PowerBook. iBook would be the current Air and PowerBook is the current Pro. The giant honkin' Apple logo should tell anyone this is a Mac.

 

[senttoschool]

M1 Pro in a 13-inch chassis with mini LED And HDMI. 8 or 10 core GPU.

No one is saying entry level is 14-inch.

So they're bringing back the 13" non-touch bar Macbook Pro from 2016?

Unless you're suggesting that it will have the touch bar and Apple will have to spend resources to support it for another decade?

And it will have a screen smaller than the rumored 14" Macbook Air?

 

[roncron]

I would be happy if the 2022 line-up turns out to be: current M1 MBA, new 2022 MBA with M2 and mini LED display, 14" MBP starting at $2000 (a bit less would be better), 16" MBP. And who knows, maybe Apple will cut the price of the base 14" MBP by $200.

Others may disagree and I respect that (most of you know a lot more than me), but it's not clear to me why the 13" M1 MBP needs to be kept in the lineup. Especially if the M1 MBA and 2022 M2 MBA are custom-configurable at time of order with processor and RAM upgrades.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[senttoschool]

but it's not clear to me why the 13" M1 MBP needs to be kept in the lineup

I don't expect it to be. Apple would want to kill it ASAP so they can stop supporting touch bar.

 

[JPack]

So they're bringing back the 13" non-touch bar Macbook Pro from 2016?

Unless you're suggesting that it will have the touch bar and Apple will have to spend resources to support it for another decade?

And it will have a screen smaller than the rumored 14" Macbook Air?

Why do they have to bring back an old design instead of creating a new 13-inch Pro?

2022 MacBook Air has been confirmed by Kuo and Gurman to be 13-inch.

 

[MauiPa]

I'd like a plastic model because it's lighter -- now that I would think about buying.

and it would last a couple of years. More like a Dell than a MBP.

 

[JPack]

I'd like a plastic model because it's lighter -- now that I would think about buying.

Plastic makes it heavier.

Compare iPhone 5C to iPhone 5 for example. Apple needed to use more plastic to maintain strength which resulted in a heavier phone.

 

[G46&Fbnth5]

I think it will have the M2 chip instead of the M1 Pro, 1 fan instead of 2, a smaller battery, 2 USB-C ports instead of 3, no HDMI and SDXC ports, headphone jack without advanced support for high-impedance headphones, lower quality speakers, a configuration that starts with 256 GB SSD and 8 GB of RAM.

 

[bobcomer]

and it would last a couple of years. More like a Dell than a MBP.

A couple years??? You haven't used a decent plastic laptop, have you... I'm typing on a 4 year old Lenovo X1 right now with not even a scratch on it. (Lenovo's are better than Dell's, but I have both and they are solid.)

 

[MauiPa]

I would be happy if the 2022 line-up turns out to be: current M1 MBA, new 2022 MBA with M2 and mini LED display, 14" MBP starting at $2000 (a bit less would be better), 16" MBP. And who knows, maybe Apple will cut the price of the base 14" MBP by $200.

Others may disagree and I respect that (most of you know a lot more than me), but it's not clear to me why the 13" M1 MBP needs to be kept in the lineup. Especially if the M1 MBA and 2022 M2 MBA are custom-configurable at time of order with processor and RAM upgrades.

Just my 2 cents.

I went with the 13 MBP versus the MBA for several reasons. 1) active cooling (which I have never needed), 2) slightly brighter screen (if 25% is slight), 3) better speakers (which sound fantastic), 4) Touch Bar, I do love it, sorry to see it go, 5) faster charging, bigger battery. And am Super happy. I would like to see a more modern screen (although it is still one of the best), retain Touch Bar, but that won't happen, and 2 more thunderbolt ports (legacy ports for old standards is so meh, a few cheap cables solves the whole whining about dongles issue). I went with 8 GB and 512, No issues, so that is fine. so M2, modern screen would be 14, I'd be happy, plenty of room in lineup for it. I almost waited for the MBP 14, but honestly, the 13 MBP M1 is plenty for me, and I saved $700. The display is fine. hey maybe someone will figure out OLED without burn-in and color shift

 

[diamond.g]

Scrap the whole concept of Air and Pro. Having or not having fans is the only real difference between the two anyway. Sell MacBooks or go back to iBook/PowerBook. iBook would be the current Air and PowerBook is the current Pro. The giant honkin' Apple logo should tell anyone this is a Mac.

I second this return to the “old” days of Pro/non-Pro notebook lines.

 

[Jorbanead]

• Small and big MacBook Air (or call it MacBook)

• Small and big MacBook Pro

Simple and easy. That way everyone gets a choice on screen size. IMO the biggest issue that apple needs to address is people who don’t want crazy performance but feel the 13” is just too small. I was just recommending a MacBook to my BIL yesterday and the 16” (and 14”) is way overkill for them performance-wise, but the 13” air was just too small for their needs.

 

[clevins]

Most of you seem to be making assumptions that price drives the product line differentiation but I don't think it does. and thus that first, we need something to fill the gap between the Air and the 14" Pro and second, that there is a large gap between the Air and Pro lines.

Taking the last point first, here's no jump from $1k to $2k unless you're just comparing base price of both models. But you can configure an Air as a $1649 machine simply by making it a 16/512 machine. It starts at $1249 and moves, in $200 jumps, to that price. The 14" Pro starts at, what, $1999? There's no $1000 gap, so any arguments that such a gap needs filling are incorrect.

IN any event, price bands are not a reason to have two lines, though, they're an effect of having two lines in the first place. The main reason for separate lines is needing differing capabilities and how a product line fits customer segments. The Air line fits the consumer and business segments - light weight, great battery and powerful enough for almost anything those folks do with enough overhead that you can do development, business analysis, etc on it. The Air product line is for the vast majority of people who use a Mac and because of that, while it needs very good performance, the ultimate in power simply isn't a requirement for that audience.

The Pro line is for people who need no compromise performance. Hours long video shot in 8K RED RAW. Audio with many tracks and effects. Scientific and architectural stuff. 3D authoring.

TLDR, it's not price that determines the lines, it's target market/feature set. Product line names should just reflect that. If I were Apple, I'd think about having two lines:

Macbook: The current Air in a 14" form factor. Very good performance in a light form factor with excellent battery. Tops out at 16g, 1-2T, 8 cores (this evolves over time)
MacBook Pro : The current Pro line. Can be configured with more RAM, has faster CPUs with more cores. Better display. Base specs start where the regular line tops out.

 

[JPack]

A couple years??? You haven't used a decent plastic laptop, have you... I'm typing on a 4 year old Lenovo X1 right now with not even a scratch on it. (Lenovo's are better than Dell's, but I have both and they are solid.)

X1 is carbon fiber plus magnesium. Plastic would be $500 devices like IdeaPad and Inspiron.