Apple Discontinues 15-inch Non-Retina MacBook Pro, Leaves 13-inch Version in Lineup

[Spectrum]

Also sad to see this (But I knew it was inevitable). I went to the trouble of sourcing a 2011 MBPro with Matte screen just under a year ago. Fitted with a 512Gb SSD and 8GB RAM it is very fast indeed - should see me through many more years.

And the best bits?
1. Non-refelctive screen
2. FW800 and Ethernet without adapters etc.
3. DVD drive (for the rare times I need it - or can be replaced with a SSD too!)

 

[vjl323]

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/features-retina/


I'll always wonder if Ive hadn't lost weight, then maybe, we wouldn't have so many Apple products with reflective screens.

The Retina displays are still way too glossy for my taste [as a photographer and video editor]. I use a matte [non-gloss], hi-res screen. The pixels shown on screen are actually *more* than the Retina [since the retina doesn't allow true native resolution - it *does* produce a much sharper image, but 4 pixels are taking up space that in a non-retina display, one pixel would - so you don't gain any more screen real-estate. However, in the hi-res versions of the 15" [both glossy and matte screens], you gain a LOT more screen real-estate, meaning you can fit more of one's image on the screen [or more of the UI of a UI-heavy app like FCP or certain layouts in PhotoShop].

The biggest reason for the matte screen though - color calibration. It is very, very hard to get accurate color on the semi-gloss screen of the retina displays.

My personal pet peeve with the retina display - while not as gloss as the "default" non-retina display, it is still glossy enough to be able to see my reflection when working in the shadow areas of photos. That's distracting to me. I don't have that problem at all with the hi-res matte screen MBP of mine.

[plus, i can watch DVDs, which i still own a ton of, record DVDs of photos for clients [which they always want], and i have a ton of ports on the side of the laptop - only thing missing is an SSD, but I could probably replace the HD for an SSD one day when the prices for a 1TB SSD go down].

 

[masterhiggins]

500$ for 1TB ssd is really not bad

Actually, no. That's $500 for 500 GB more. You get 500 GB with the base model. I wouldn't care about them dropping ESATA if flash storage weren't insanely expensive.

 

[applesith]

SSD is stil too expensive for people who need more storage.

 

[OriginalMacRat]

Refurbs

*Sigh* I really wanted my next MacBook Pro to be an updated 15" non-retina. It feels like 2006 all over again.

Just keep an eye on the refurb page for the model you want:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro/15

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What happens to the existing stock of 15" non-retina Pros? Can they still be bought? Discounted perhaps?

Yup. You'll find them on the refurb page:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro/15

 

[WMD]

The pixels shown on screen are actually *more* than the Retina [since the retina doesn't allow true native resolution - it *does* produce a much sharper image, but 4 pixels are taking up space that in a non-retina display, one pixel would - so you don't gain any more screen real-estate.

Aside from the "scaled" resolutions offered in System Preferences, there actually is a way to display true native resolution on the Retina MBP. Just download the app "Change Resolution" and key in "2880 1800" (for the 15"); oddly enough, that causes Retina mode to be shut off. As you might imagine, everything is astonishingly tiny, but you do gain all the real estate without any fuzziness.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Just keep an eye on the refurb page for the model you want

There won't be refurbs of those models in 5 years time, nor will the software I use now will be supported on those graphic cards most likely. I'm talking about when this current 13" gives up, that was the original route I was going to take. I don't need a Retina display, nor do I want one.

 

[cmChimera]

Don't tell that to the iPad 2.

Yeah what's up with that. I was like, I wouldn't buy an iPad 2 for $199. You expect me to pay $400? Profit margin $399?

 

[flottenheimer]

Oh. No. This is what I feared the most.

Since working with pixels (webdesign) is part of what I do for a living, I really love the hires (1680x1050) display on my 15". It is perfect. Guessing what my pixel designs will look like on regular DPI screens in an OS that isn't even running the retina resolution natively is FAR from optimal.

Giving me the option of a rMBP without the r- part would have been bliss. This seriously sucks.

 

[MagicWok]

Oh. No. This is what I feared the most.

Since working with pixels (webdesign) is part of what I do for a living, I really love the hires (1680x1050) display on my 15". It is perfect. Guessing what my pixel designs will look like on regular DPI screens in an OS that isn't even running the retina resolution natively is FAR from optimal.

Giving me the option of a rMBP without the r- part would have been bliss. This seriously sucks.

Once you adapt your work process, it's not much overhead designing for non-retina/hi-dpi as you think. I've been designing for the past year using a retina MBP, and my whole team use them too efficiently.

 

[SiriusExcelsior]

I was going to get a tricked-out Ivy Bridge MBP 15 to last the next few years (got a base 15" Sandy one with USB 2 right now..), but I guess I was too late. And being in NZ means there's a lot less things in the refurb store

 

[OllyW]

As expected. I'm pretty sure the 13" non-retina will drop next year, which also means this will finally be the end of ODDs in Macs.

What about the iMac and Mac mini?

 

[ghettochris]

What about the iMac and Mac mini?

they already ditched optical disks.

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There won't be refurbs of those models in 5 years time, nor will the software I use now will be supported on those graphic cards most likely. I'm talking about when this current 13" gives up, that was the original route I was going to take. I don't need a Retina display, nor do I want one.

there won't be optical anything in 5 years either. I'm guessing even blu ray and it's successor will be dead and any physical media will be distributed on usb flash drives.

 

[OllyW]

they already ditched optical disks.

Ha, my mistake. For some reason I read that as Hard disks.

 

[RAPTORSKI]

This is an okay to product to have left in the store, the iPad 2 isn't. It still has 30 pin connector ffs.

 

[7709876]

Old tech has to eventually disappear.

Tell that to the iPad2

 

[gnasher729]

*Sigh* I really wanted my next MacBook Pro to be an updated 15" non-retina. It feels like 2006 all over again.

I'm just going to put money aside for a base Mac Pro then. I've finally grown out of the consumer market.

What happens to the existing stock of 15" non-retina Pros? Can they still be bought? Discounted perhaps?

Look for them on the refurbished store. There are some real bargains at the moment.

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Apple has been long expected to discontinue its standard MacBook Pros in favor of an all Retina lineup and with a $200 discount on its entry-level Retina models, pricing is nearly on par with its former non-Retina offerings.

"Long expected" by SSD fanatics who can't see anything but their own use case, and who can't imagine someone wanting big storage without breaking the bank.

Pricing was already on par if you considered that the Retina MBPs only shipped with more expensive SSD drives, and were priced the same or cheaper than a non-Retina MBP with the same expensive SSD drives. Today, Retina MBP excluding the drive is significantly cheaper than non-Retina MBP excluding the drive.

 

[brdeveloper]

there goes DIY upgrades...

iFixit will have to teach us dealing with soldering.

 

[ghettochris]

iFixit will have to teach us dealing with soldering.

iFixit will have to be smart of they will find themselves irrelevant like blockbuster. Tech is quickly becoming stuff that you only buy and use, not stuff you upgrade and repair. I haven't upgraded or repaired a computer in the last 10 years. I don't even buy applecare since stuff almost always either breaks during the first year, or after the 3rd.

 

[brdeveloper]

iFixit will have to be smart of they will find themselves irrelevant like blockbuster. Tech is quickly becoming stuff that you only buy and use, not stuff you upgrade and repair. I haven't upgraded or repaired a computer in the last 10 years. I don't even buy applecare since stuff almost always either breaks during the first year, or after the 3rd.

Well, maybe your reasoning works for who live in US where gadgets are damn inexpensive - if I could get a high-end 15" rMBP by the US retail price I would buy one promptly. In most countries the import taxes and exchange rate fluctuations make things expensive. If every country was capable of printing dollars, things would be better maybe

Aside from the political discussion, upgrading parts is always a good choice outside USA. In my personal experience, I have a decent laptop after upgrading to a SSD for just $300. If I needed to buy an entire new computer, it would cost around $2100 (the basic non-retina MBP 13" price in Brazil).

If the lifecycle of a rMBP in US is 3 years costing $2800, in Brazil it should be at least 6 years costing $6000,00. That's why upgrading is important in other countries. I think in Europe it's the same case, perhaps getting benefited by Euro exchange rates.

 

[cmChimera]

Tell that to the iPad2

Lol yeah the last person that quoted me said pretty much the same thing. Touché.

 

[ValSalva]

Apple giveth ($200 cheaper overall base models), Apple taketh away ($500 for 1TB SSD upgrade).

But the 768GB upgrade option was $400. So it's actually a decrease in cost per gigabyte. But you are 'forced' to pay more overall.

 

[mmcc]

500$ for 1TB ssd is really not bad

It's not great either when you consider you can get the Crucial M500 960GB SSD for $500. A $500 adder for 500GB incremental gain is still about double the market price per GB.

 

[weckart]

It's not great either when you consider you can get the Crucial M500 960GB SSD for $500. A $500 adder for 500GB incremental gain is still about double the market price per GB.

Different form factor, which is all the excuse Apple needs to hike up the price. To be fair, the blade ssds are quicker than their Crucial sata counterparts, though you would be unlikely to notice the difference outside of benchmark apps.

 

[neoelectronaut]

So it looks like they're finally forcing users into solid state drives. First optical discs are gone and now hard drives. Everything went so quickly.

Here's hoping my iMac survives long enough for the 1TB SSDs to come down in price decently.