Problem is there really isn’t much difference between the 13” Air and 13” Pro besides marginally better thermals.
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An new entry-level Macbook Pro makes no sense
- Thread starter senttoschool
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Which is why you drop the entry level Pro.
No they don't. Anyone who cares about performance at that level can and will spend more to get the new pros. You either really need performance or you don't. There are no people who can really justify needing high performance but who cannot justify spending money on it aside from perhaps students. Note, I'm saying justify, not desire. Obviously there are people starting out etc who can't afford $3k for a high end machine but whose work could benefit from it but a) they can do their work on a lower spec machine, they'll just not be as efficient as if they had the money and b) if we use the 'but the poor artist!' argument, then we'd want that 10 core, 16 GPU machine for $799. All of us want the most for the cheapest, but....
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Sounds like... a Macbook Air. Except the 1 fan. You think this laptop will be $500-$600 more expensive than the Air because it has one extra fan? It needs to fill the $1000 - $2000 gap, remember.
Yes, and this is why I think a 16" Macbook Air-like laptop makes far more sense than an entry level 14" MBP.
I would like to see the current MBA become the MacBook SE. Then let the Air move a bit further up, offering 13 and 15 inch options. This isn't entirely unprecedented, the iBook had two sizes back in the day. It would be nice if there were a better GPU option for the higher end consumer configs. Maybe move to a 6:2 CPU config as well.
Apple Plans Thinner MacBook Air With Magnetic Charger in Mac Lineup Reboot
Company looks to address criticism and demands from its loyal Mac users.
www.bloomberg.com
Apple to announce 13" MacBook Air with Mini-LED in mid-2022 - 9to5Mac
Ming-Chi Kuo says that a new MacBook Air is expected to be introduced in mid-2022 with a 13.3-inch Mini-LED display.
9to5mac.com
Current MBA starts at $999 while 13 inch MBP starts at $1299 - that is a $300 difference - and they are similar products.
So yes, In comparison to the future MBA, I expect the MBP to have a slightly bigger screen, a fan, more GPU cores, black bezels and better battery life, with a MSRP $300 higher (that is the same price difference we now have between the M1 13 inch MBP with 512 GB SSD / 16 GB RAM and the base M1 Pro 14 inch MBP and between the base M1 Pro 14 inch MBP configured with 1TB SSD and the 14 inch MBP with a non-binned M1 Pro chip).
Apple Plans Thinner MacBook Air With Magnetic Charger in Mac Lineup Reboot
Company looks to address criticism and demands from its loyal Mac users.
Apple to announce 13" MacBook Air with Mini-LED in mid-2022 - 9to5Mac
Ming-Chi Kuo says that a new MacBook Air is expected to be introduced in mid-2022 with a 13.3-inch Mini-LED display.
MacBook Air Coming in 2022 Also Rumored to Feature Notch Design
The next-generation MacBook Air that's set to be released in 2022 will also feature a notch, according to the same leaker who was first to...
www.macrumors.com
Both Gurman and Kuo missed out on the fact that the new MBPs would have a notch. The person who correctly predicted the notch also predicts a notch of the upcoming Macbook Air.
It would make no sense to have a notch for the Air and keep it at 13". The only reason MBPs have a notch is because bezels shrank, allowing for a bigger screen. I think what's likely is that the notch will be there for the Air and the screen essentially acts like a 13" in full screen mode. But it'll be a 14" screen.
It would be a shock to me if Apple releases a 16-inch MacBook Air. For as long as I can remember, Apple has reserved larger screened devices for the high end with the exception of the 14-inch iBook but even that was a crippled 1024*768 display. I’m not saying it’s impossible, just that I don’t expect it. I think the 13-inch MacBook Pro should be discontinued and let the rumored MacBook Air or simply MacBook take its place.
Why have I not bought an Air or a 13" MBP? Several reasons:
The screens of the MBP 14" & 16" are so much nicer. And, obviously, 14.2" is significantly bigger than 13.3" (even after the notch issue).
The price difference is much less than some have claimed - if you specify 16GB and 512GB. Remembering you also get more cores - at least 8/14.
(And remember, the Air to 13" MBP jump gets the touch bar and a brighter screen and a higher capacity battery and a higher power charger.)
Currently, discounts on the 14" are few and far between. I know of one place pricing it down £100, but they have none available.
Hopefully, in the new year, we'll see some better prices for the 14", maybe even some refurbs. As well as whatever Apple are cooking up for the lower cost model(s).
The screens of the MBP 14" & 16" are so much nicer. And, obviously, 14.2" is significantly bigger than 13.3" (even after the notch issue).
The price difference is much less than some have claimed - if you specify 16GB and 512GB. Remembering you also get more cores - at least 8/14.
(And remember, the Air to 13" MBP jump gets the touch bar and a brighter screen and a higher capacity battery and a higher power charger.)
Currently, discounts on the 14" are few and far between. I know of one place pricing it down £100, but they have none available.
Hopefully, in the new year, we'll see some better prices for the 14", maybe even some refurbs. As well as whatever Apple are cooking up for the lower cost model(s).
MacBook Air Coming in 2022 Also Rumored to Feature Notch Design
The next-generation MacBook Air that's set to be released in 2022 will also feature a notch, according to the same leaker who was first to...
Both Gurman and Kuo missed out on the fact that the new MBPs would have a notch. The person who correctly predicted the notch also predicts a notch of the upcoming Macbook Air.
It would make no sense to have a notch for the Air and keep it at 13". The only reason MBPs have a notch is because bezels shrank, allowing for a bigger screen. I think what's likely is that the notch will be there for the Air and the screen essentially acts like a 13" in full screen mode. But it'll be a 14" screen.
So because Gurman and Kuo didn't report on the notch, perhaps due to uncertainly, means they're outright wrong about the 13-inch claim? Keep in mind Kuo gets info from a variety of supply chain sources, which includes the unibody chassis maker (e.g. Catcher) and the display manufacturer (e.g. BOE). Even the keyboard supplier would have to be wrong.
Even the guy who claims MacBook Air will have a notch isn't saying 14-inch for the 2022 model.
But the reality is, there is a big gap.
The bulk of commercial notebooks offered by Lenovo, Dell, and HP are in the $1,200 to $1,500 range. They have a 13- or 14-inch display and weigh less than 3 lbs. They all have an HDMI port with a 300 to 500 nit display. They have a 60Whr battery with 65W charging.
The MacBook Air was designed for a low price point. The MacBook Pro 14 has a 1,000 nit display and starts at $1,999.
Given that MacBook Air will stick with a 13-inch display next year, it's obvious Apple wants to keep the price low.
I could see, somewhere down the line, 13 and 15" MacBooks (no "Air" branding) for consumer-level computing. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, as I've been holding my breath for a 15 inch "Air" for years.
I still think a Mac Air is the way to go for DIY people. An easily programmable iPhone sized object with ports and terminals to compete in the raspberry pi and arduino space. Something you could put in place of light switches or robots or use. Something to run an art project on. Something to stick to your refrigerator. Something to run a clock. Something to act as a remote in your home. Something to strap to your dog. Something to act as a security camera. Something to take photos of you at the bathroom mirror once a day.
Something to build into your guitar.
Just glue for your home.
Something to build into your guitar.
Just glue for your home.
Yeah something this-ish. Even if it was an iphone with no cell service, less storage, an easier os to program and a few more ports. With maybe 1/10th the processing power. quality but CHEAP AS ****. not meant to be an entry level mac, but more meant for all the weird spots you might want technology but don't have a device for.
I think it’s quite likely Apple will release a new entry level MacBook Pro.
It will be a 14 inch display and will use the same panel that the other 14/16 inch MBPs.
The chassis will be quite different. It will include the ports that the MBPs have - SD Card, HDMI, USB-C and MagSafe.
The next MacBook Air will be thinner more like the one port MacBook which was given EOL years ago. This new Air will only have USB-C and maybe MagSafe.
There won’t be much difference between a high end MBA and the low-end new MBP. A couple of hundred.
It will be a 14 inch display and will use the same panel that the other 14/16 inch MBPs.
The chassis will be quite different. It will include the ports that the MBPs have - SD Card, HDMI, USB-C and MagSafe.
The next MacBook Air will be thinner more like the one port MacBook which was given EOL years ago. This new Air will only have USB-C and maybe MagSafe.
There won’t be much difference between a high end MBA and the low-end new MBP. A couple of hundred.
Makes sense to me. In 2020 I bought the then intel based entry level MBP. Only 2 USB ports is all I need. I don’t need a SD card slot and I wanted the Touch Bar. So to me entry level makes sense.
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...
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.