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Apple Predicted to Discontinue 17-Inch MacBook Pro

Say it's not so...

I sincerely hope this is not true. I've used 17" Macbook Pro's and Powerbooks for years. 15" is too small for me (even if they bump the resolution).

Since Apple does not license their operating system, and is the only manufacturer of hardware for OS X, they absolutely need to offer one pro laptop and one pro desktop, period!

I'm personally looking to upgrade my 2009 MacBook Pro, and 17" is the only way to go for me.
 
ptysell said:
Please elaborate.

You really thing a 'pro' is editing on a 17" screen?

Nope.

A 'pro' (which is stupid word anyways because the market has shifted) is using multiple screens, something that can easily be achieve via Thunderbolt.

If anything, Apple has been making their consumer lineup more 'pro' oriented with features like Thunderbolt.
Click to expand...

Yeah, easy to achieve if you have a couple grand lying around to spend on Thunderbolt displays and have no problem tethering your laptop to it.

I'm not a pro but if I'm gonna carry a laptop around I want it to have as much screen real estate as possible. I use my MBP as a DAW and a more real estate means I can view more tracks and plug-ins without blocking out the screen. I also run Matlab on it and when I do I usually have the main window, an m-file editor, MS Word, a PDF Viewer, and a browser window open at the same time and it's nice being able to view a bunch of these at once without having to four finger swipe nonstop
 
ptysell said:
Please elaborate.

You really thing a 'pro' is editing on a 17" screen?

Nope.

A 'pro' (which is stupid word anyways because the market has shifted) is using multiple screens, something that can easily be achieve via Thunderbolt.

If anything, Apple has been making their consumer lineup more 'pro' oriented with features like Thunderbolt.
Click to expand...

Don't be so selfish and ignorant. You have no clue how many people need to do on the go editing in the field.

Yes, I have a Mac Pro with dual 27" TBD's ... and I LOVE and use my 17" on the go where it's not feasible to throw a 27" display in my bag. :rolleyes:

No a 15" won't suffice, trying working with two pages side by side compared to the 17, it sucks.

A know it all you're not!
 
"According to Kuo's estimates..."

So in other words Kuo is using his completely made up numbers about product sales to justify his unfounded guesses about future products.
 
17" ain't done, yet...

I really don't believe we'll see the 17" MBP get dropped out of Apple's notebook line up yet... at least not this year. But if by chance they do, they better have one helluva of 15" MBP to make one not miss the 17". :cool:

And sorry, even "if" this year's 15" comes with a retina display it better offer an option for a resolution of at least 3360x2100 (equivalent of 1680x1050).
 
I hate to see Apple discontinue pretty much any model because just because I am not interested in that model doesn't mean someone else isn't.

However of all the "Macs" Apple has, the 17" is the only one I have never seriously considered. The large form factor "portable" has never appealed to me.

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Doc69 said:
Since Apple does not license their operating system, and is the only manufacturer of hardware for OS X, they absolutely need to offer one pro laptop and one pro desktop, period!
Click to expand...

Not that I don't agree with you but Apple doesn't think that way. Apple doesn't even offer a mid-range consumer desktop which is the bread and butter of desktops. You get either a underpowered/expandable mini, an all-in-one iMac, or a workstation in the MacPro.
 
15, not 17!!!

I so hope this isn't true - the 17Inch is a media centre for students at Uni. Such an important machine to the Apple Line up - scrap the 15Inch!!!!!

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entatlrg said:
Don't be so selfish and ignorant. You have no clue how many people need to do on the go editing in the field.

Yes, I have a Mac Pro with dual 27" TBD's ... and I LOVE and use my 17" on the go where it's not feasible to throw a 27" display in my bag. :rolleyes:

No a 15" won't suffice, trying working with two pages side by side compared to the 17, it sucks.

A know it all you're not!
Click to expand...

I do similar things with movie editing whilst on the move - short adverts etc. These things are made possible by the 17Inch Pro - as you say, you can have two windows side by side. Not on the 15 (unless you have telescopes as lenses on your glasses).
 
If they ditch the 17" MacBook, then I will be forced back to a Windows laptop, (i use my laptop for about 60% of my work, i had a 15" it was too small, i gave it to my mom).

Because I will be using a Windows Laptop, next time I upgrade (later this year) my desktop (currently a 27" iMac, Ill go back to a Windows PC because I will want it to work more seamlessly with my laptop, (plus why pay the apple premium if you don't have too) considering I like when all my devices work together I would probably not buy the next iPhone but opt for a more Windows friendly platform , Android and for keeping things working nicely together I probably not buy another iPad either.

The same thing that drew me to convert from the Windows world, might actually drive me back if they limit the choices too much.

Honestly, I'd buy a 19" laptop if they offered it. But as much as I use my laptop I'll never buy anything smaller than a 17".
 
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For all the comments on if Pro's use the 17 or not (And my vote is that for field work - like, say.. on location - can't beat a 17.), there are other places where the 17" has proven to be a godsend.

The Military.

Seriously. When we went over to invade Iraq, the unit I was with used naught but 15" windows machines, save for me who had the then brand spanking new G4 1Ghz 17" Powerbook. By the time 6 months went past, my Mac was not only the only machine still running, it was the only machine we had that could pull up opords, imagery, and whathave you all at the same time. And don't cry buy an external monitor - you try lugging one of those around a battlefield! By the time we wen't over the second time, you couldn't throw a rock anywhere without hitting a 17" Powerbook.

Out now, but a lot of the folks I stay in contact with still say the Macbook Pro 17" is crazy common.
 
Panther Al said:
For all the comments on if Pro's use the 17 or not (And my vote is that for field work - like, say.. on location - can't beat a 17.), there are other places where the 17" has proven to be a godsend.

The Military.

Seriously. When we went over to invade Iraq, the unit I was with used naught but 15" windows machines, save for me who had the then brand spanking new G4 1Ghz 17" Powerbook. By the time 6 months went past, my Mac was not only the only machine still running, it was the only machine we had that could pull up opords, imagery, and whathave you all at the same time. And don't cry buy an external monitor - you try lugging one of those around a battlefield! By the time we wen't over the second time, you couldn't throw a rock anywhere without hitting a 17" Powerbook.

Out now, but a lot of the folks I stay in contact with still say the Macbook Pro 17" is crazy common.
Click to expand...


But if the rumours are to be believed it's going to get crazy scarce pretty quick...I'm not due to upgrade this year, but if they do get rid of the 17" this one is a keeper...I'd like to see them keep the 17" screen, do away with the optical and HDD and replace it with a fast, reliable LARGE SSD instead.

That would cut down on the weight, and I just need that real-estate....Even a retina 15" as nice as it sounds won't cut it for me. Luckily, mine is only 7 months old, so is bang up to date.
 
haruhiko said:
So are people buying the 13" MBP just for the word "Pro"?
Click to expand...

I don't know where you're based but here in the UK if you compare the cheapest 13" MacBook Pro against the cheapest 13" MacBook Air you'll be £100 better off buying the pro.

And as an added bonus you get a faster processor, larger hard drive (I know SSD costs more but some prefer more storage to speed) and thats before factoring in extra ports and DVD burner.

So personally for me if I was going to go and buy a replacement MacBook I wouldn't have thought the extra £100 and trade off for a slower processor was better than making it a bit smaller. That said if I was having to carry it around all day I'd possibly change my mind.

I'd imagine for the bulk of people the 'pro' bit doesn't come into it... it's which is better for a given situation.
 
For me the 17 is too big, but I agree there is a need for more screen resolution in some cases. Now if they go retina on the 13 & 15 it might be able to replace it and could be a huge win.
 
It too big

A few years ago I had started a new job and they asked me what type of laptop to get and I said MacBook Pro and as a surprise they got me a fully loaded 17" MacBook Pro. I was on the road all do the time and I hated it. It was too big to open up in an airport and forget about using it on a plane.
 
it's all relative, but 15" MBP can still get the job done...

entatlrg said:
Bad news for 17" fans. That includes me. So much for having a large portable "usable" screen.

The 15" is a huge downgrade in screen real estate for anyone using a 17" computer and there will be a lot of pissed off people, especially those in the professional market doing things like design, editing video on the go.
Click to expand...

My previous MBP was a 17", and as much as I did love it overall (especially for the higher screen rez) the reality is if I actually wanted to be "mobile" it become somewhat of a drag to lug around 4-6 times a week. Whereas the 15" MBP I now have, although having a slightly smaller screen-res of 1680x1050, I find is actually more comfortable to transport on a daily basis AND I'm just as productive as with the larger laptop. Perhaps the preference is relative from person to person but I wouldn't go overboard and say the 15" is going to be a "downgrade" for current/former 17" users.



entatlrg said:
Sure as hell no fun looking for a bag to carry my 27" TBD when I need a larger mobile screen.
Click to expand...

I hope you're being sarcastic? Otherwise: Mobile + 27" monitor = unrealistic for most situations. :p



entatlrg said:
Try putting two pages side by side on the screen with a 15", it sucks compared to the 17.
Click to expand...

While I do generally agree with you that the 17" offers more productive screen space to work with, the reality is it's not by that much and the 17" has it's own limits too, especially if you write code for the web or do video/audio editing.

Ideally you'd have a 2nd monitor to plug your laptop into to get that extra screen space... but then most likely you're at home or in an office environment to achieve this. However, if you're on the go more than a few times a week, I personally find the 15" MBP's hi-res 1680x1050 display plenty sufficient to get stuff done while in "mobile" mode during most of the week. Having 1920x1200 on-the-go would be nice of course, but it isn't necessary.
 
It's a shame they're discontinuing the 17 incher. With my current classes and budget I'm going to get a 13 inch MBP for on campus/on the road light video work and when I get home finish it up on a 09/10 Pro (assuming Apple releases a 12 Pro). Two-three years down the road I would like to get a 17 inch to do more work at a higher resolution. 1920 x 1200 is a huge leap from the 15 inch 1440 x 900 or whatever.

My old man held onto his 17 inch 1.33Ghz PB for as long as he could because he loved the screen size for viewing pictures he'd taken.
 
Apple should spin off the MBA, MBP, iMac, Mac-Mini and MP into a wholly owned subsidiary. They could call it Apple Computer, inc.
 
blue22 said:
My previous MBP was a 17", and as much as I did love it overall (especially for the higher screen rez) the reality is if I actually wanted to be "mobile" it become somewhat of a drag to lug around 4-6 times a week. Whereas the 15" MBP I now have, although having a slightly smaller screen-res of 1680x1050, I find is actually more comfortable to transport on a daily basis AND I'm just as productive as with the larger laptop. Perhaps the preference is relative from person to person but I wouldn't go overboard and say the 15" is going to be a "downgrade" for current/former 17" users.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's definitely relative from person to person. I carry my 17" in my backpack when I ride my bike to work. It also has been all over the world with me and I've never felt that it was too big or heavy. Then again, I'm 6'3" 230 lbs, so the extra lb over the 15" doesn't matter to me, but what does matter to me is the ExpressCard and the extra 2" of screen real estate and resolution. Sure, 1920x1200 in a 15" would be cool, but I prefer physical screen space over a smaller screen with higher DPI. I've owned 12-15 Powerbook/MacBook Pros over the last 6 years, I flipped between 15 and 17 for the first few years, but have been 17" exclusively for the last 2 at least.

If Apple discontinues it, fine...that's their prerogative as foolish as it may seem to someone like me. I'll just buy the last 17" MBP and not buy another Apple laptop for 3-4 years. Apple will lose a semi-annual laptop customer for that amount of time.
 
Ryanalogy said:
Let the "professionals" whining begin yet again. True professionals adapt. Processing power and screen resolutions are only getting better. Figure it out. You are supposed to be a "pro".....act like one.
Click to expand...

What a bunch of twaddle.
Ryanology......How arrogant and selfish can you be?
You obviously know NOTHING about how a Pro works or uses his equipment so why are you making these dumb comments and suggesting others should bow to your worldview?

This "analysts" by his own admission is guessing at the sales numbers and extrapolating some very personal results from that unfounded data.
Some of these rumors really make me laugh. Not much different to shouting Fire in a crowded room.
As to the argument that a higher res screen will overcome the size difference....silly! Size is what maters in so many applications and for so many people...not just "pros".
What I find interesting is how some here think it is useless because it doesn't suit themselves. Just like the poster above.

The 17" MBP is a brilliant machine that works for so many different people and applications I do not see it being dropped in the near future.
Here's hoping I'm right and Mr Analyst is wrong :D
 
Bye bye Pro market...
That's really disappointing. Started with the Mac Pro, but it seems that Apple isn't any longer interested in Pro users... Maybe we see a microwave with Siri support soon, made in an unibody design...
 
LaWally said:
Apple should spin off the MBA, MBP, iMac, Mac-Mini and MP into a wholly owned subsidiary. They could call it Apple Computer, inc.
Click to expand...

How do you mean? We all know of the decline of Apple Computer Inc. and the rise of Apple Inc. Do you want their computer business to drop off, or is the name just for nostalgia?

I think it is pretty obvious that Apple Inc's priority is iOS devices and iTunes.
 
I have one question....

Will Apple definitively let us know that the 17" is discontinued (if it indeed is) when they soon announce the new 15" Macbook Pros?

I would hate to pass up the opportunity to buy a new 15" Macbook Pro because of false hope that a 17" is still happening.

If Apple is going to discontinue the 17", I hope they at least let everyone know when the announce the new models.


I am a current 17" MBP owner (2009 model). I am very upset that Apple could be dropping their 17" line. I prefer the extra real estate the 17" provides -- especially when doing video editing.
 
There's no way in this mobile market that Apple is going to kill of what is essentially their mobile workstation. The 17", being the ONLY laptop with an ExpressCard 34 slot and the only machine with resolution high enough to match a 24" display, is going NO WHERE.

It was Apple's ONLY mobile workhorse even when going toe-to-toe against the 15" MBP. The 17" was just always faster than the 15" of equal spec. Some attributed it to better cooling and some thought Apple under-clocked the 15" due to the size . . . either way, having owned a plethora of both sizes, I know that the 17" was the fastest Mac laptop with the best screen available and FAR more connection options by far.
 
I'm glad I got mine last year. Replaced the optical drive with a SSD and I love it. Best of both worlds. Massive storage and great speed. Plus 8 GB of ram.
 
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