Yes! And don't forget the monitors, assuming they will finally bring something usable.
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Apple Predicted to Discontinue 17-Inch MacBook Pro
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Yes! And don't forget the monitors, assuming they will finally bring something usable.
Funny thing is that I travelled with mine all the time when I was a freelancer, and I am a 5'9" 300 lb (mostly in the gut) person and I've never had an issue opening mine up on a plane, train, or automobile.
The thing is, when you work continuously on a laptop like that, and you travel often, having a screen size and resolution like that is a benefit that even a hi res 15" can't provide.
Not to mention having an extra USB port and express card 34 slot.
I definitely think the 17" is too bulky for a portable machine. It makes a great 'desktop' laptop...but overall, I'd rather have a 15" and an external monitor when needed.
I found the 17" was just too wide, typing on it was a pain and it just seems too large. 15" IMO seems to be the right size.
A bunch of the editors here have laptops and all have 15"....the one person that has a 17" is our DVD person...and he uses it as his main machine.
Does this mean that Apple is leaving me after I've purchased only Mac computers
I've only had Mac computers since the first one in 1984. The only Macs that I will purchase is the 17" or larger MacBook Pro & the Mac Pro. This plus little talk of a 17" model of the MacBook Pro gives more to this last rumor than I want to hear. I'm one of those that believe that the 17" MacBook Pro is too small.
I previously had purchased 15" PowerBooks until the 17" model came out. Since then I've only purchased 17" models. I use 3-5+ 30"+ sized screens with my Mac Pro. Anything smaller than the 17" seems to be just another iPhone.
If these rumors of no new 17" MacBook Pro & no new Mac Pro then I will be forced into building a Hacintosh. My nickname early on was Dr Frankentosh as I built my Macs from spare Mac parts. I had a Mac IIci that I built a wooden case & added a motherboard, power supply, floppy & hard drive hung from a piece of aluminum flashing. I also built a Mac IIfx & never made a case for it. It spent years in the open air. But these were all Mac parts so they ran the Mac OS just like the ones in an Apple made case.
HP makes neat 17" laptops that actually have a numeric keyboard included in the laptop. HP will soon be shipping it model that will compare very well with the Mac Pro. It actually has 16 memory slots compared to the Mac 8. Plus it has more card slots & can even use some of my old cards. Another computer maker has a dual 8 core running at 3.1 GHz. Apple has not exceeded 3 GHz in any of the dual processor models up to now. It seems as this 3 GHz clock speed was one of the main reasons that we were told that we had to move to the Intel processor from the PPC. The main difference that I've seen so far is that Windows runs much better on Intel Macs than it does on the PPC Macs. Because there are no new PPCs in Macs we can not compare power usage like Apple will do.
The next choice would to purchase old used Macs. This is a thing that I have done with my 3 IIcis & Mac IIfx, SE30s & some others. I'm older now & I have gotten used to purchasing a new model & using it for 5-10 years. My Mac Pro will be 6 in early Sept of this year. I have someone that wants it. My current 2 year old 17" will go to my wife to replace her older 17" model. Let's just hope that these rumors of fewer Mac models does not hold to be true.
Remember just because you do not like, want or need a certain model doesn't mean that Apple should stop making that model.
I've only had Mac computers since the first one in 1984. The only Macs that I will purchase is the 17" or larger MacBook Pro & the Mac Pro. This plus little talk of a 17" model of the MacBook Pro gives more to this last rumor than I want to hear. I'm one of those that believe that the 17" MacBook Pro is too small.
I previously had purchased 15" PowerBooks until the 17" model came out. Since then I've only purchased 17" models. I use 3-5+ 30"+ sized screens with my Mac Pro. Anything smaller than the 17" seems to be just another iPhone.
If these rumors of no new 17" MacBook Pro & no new Mac Pro then I will be forced into building a Hacintosh. My nickname early on was Dr Frankentosh as I built my Macs from spare Mac parts. I had a Mac IIci that I built a wooden case & added a motherboard, power supply, floppy & hard drive hung from a piece of aluminum flashing. I also built a Mac IIfx & never made a case for it. It spent years in the open air. But these were all Mac parts so they ran the Mac OS just like the ones in an Apple made case.
HP makes neat 17" laptops that actually have a numeric keyboard included in the laptop. HP will soon be shipping it model that will compare very well with the Mac Pro. It actually has 16 memory slots compared to the Mac 8. Plus it has more card slots & can even use some of my old cards. Another computer maker has a dual 8 core running at 3.1 GHz. Apple has not exceeded 3 GHz in any of the dual processor models up to now. It seems as this 3 GHz clock speed was one of the main reasons that we were told that we had to move to the Intel processor from the PPC. The main difference that I've seen so far is that Windows runs much better on Intel Macs than it does on the PPC Macs. Because there are no new PPCs in Macs we can not compare power usage like Apple will do.
The next choice would to purchase old used Macs. This is a thing that I have done with my 3 IIcis & Mac IIfx, SE30s & some others. I'm older now & I have gotten used to purchasing a new model & using it for 5-10 years. My Mac Pro will be 6 in early Sept of this year. I have someone that wants it. My current 2 year old 17" will go to my wife to replace her older 17" model. Let's just hope that these rumors of fewer Mac models does not hold to be true.
Remember just because you do not like, want or need a certain model doesn't mean that Apple should stop making that model.
I think the thing that many misunderstand is that having a laptop and an external display is amazing for the desk and/or the user that returns to said desk frequently. It's not that great when you are away from that desk for a long period of time.
When I finally got my 17" (after putting up with 15's for a while) the first thing I did notice was it's width and depth. . . . it is a WIDE machine. I placed a 15" on top of it and my concern disappeared when I noticed that it's really only an inch wider, a fraction of an inch deeper, and a pound heavier.
Now, comparing that to any 17" PC . . . . . fuggitaboutit!
I'd have to see it to believe it!
I too own a MBP 17" and I've been waiting for a while now for the new upgrade. It is by far the best machine that I've ever owned, it can handle everything you throw at it and then some. I work on the go and its size has never bothered me at all.
I'm a web and graphic designer and I do rely heavily on my MBP for all of my work. If this prediction turns out to be true, I'd have to settle for a 17" Dell or an HP
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I too own a MBP 17" and I've been waiting for a while now for the new upgrade. It is by far the best machine that I've ever owned, it can handle everything you throw at it and then some. I work on the go and its size has never bothered me at all.
I'm a web and graphic designer and I do rely heavily on my MBP for all of my work. If this prediction turns out to be true, I'd have to settle for a 17" Dell or an HP
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Yeah, I was going to comment on your other post about this, but anyway...
I believe the big difference is, like you pointed out: people who need the best/largest possible integrated (i.e., portable) display vs. people who use the integrated as kind of their “secondary” display.
I fall into the latter category: I mostly use my external 24”, and my portable needs are way less intensive (occasional travel, mostly email, a little writing, maybe the very infrequent need for remote access). If I needed to code-on-the-road with any frequency, I would’ve probably wound up with the 17” (vs. the 15” HR/AG setup I wound up purchasing).
But these same rumor sites say that the Ma cPro will be discontinued. Plus the Mac Pro is rather on the heavy side to replace the 17" MacBook Pro for portable use.
Before Apple made a laptop I carried a Power Mac 9500/9600 models with a 15" ViewSonic screen. With keyboard & trackball I was carrying over 50 lbs. My Mac Pro alone weighs more than this. The 6+ lbs. of a 17" MacBook Pro is much lighter than my previous desktop carry model. Plus my old model was only a 15" compared to the 17" screen on the MacBook Pro.
There are many reasons people buy one thing or another. I'm not sure where you obtained your numbers. I haven't been able to find a model by model breakdown on sales. I also don't know what the margins are like on that machine, although they should be pretty good. The thing about these analyst quotes is that they're all very silly. They rehash things people have already speculated on. The potential of dropping the 17" was mentioned on here before. People started talking about a thinner 15" after the Air was described as the future of macbooks. There are valid uses for the 17".
The concept of a stay at home laptop makes absolutely no sense. Unfortunately Apple's desktop lineup is a little weird.
Are you sure it's 16? I haven't seen any brand use that many on a workstation. I wouldn't focus too much on ghz. If there is anything that goes that high at the twelve core level, it's obviously quite expensive. If you max it out, Apple's 12 core goes to around that point. On the PC side, there are a few overclocked workstations. Regarding the number pad on keyboards, some people do use it, just like some people use vga for projectors. Windows oems do address more of this than Apple, but it's less of a big deal as Apple has never addressed them, so it's not like you're caught without this option when you're about to upgrade to your next computer.
Yes, exactly! At the time I was sold on the 17" I was very rarely at home and at times didn't have a "home" to go to. Even when I settled down and my work turned more into video editing I still wound up getting a 17" . . . besides, all the cutters I know and worked with (even in audio production) had 17" MBPs. At that time I connected my 23" ACD.
Now, I actually might consider getting a 15" ONLY and I do mean ONLY because this Lowepro bag I work with can't hold the 17" MBP. And even that is ONLY if my job doesn't get me a 17" MBP.
17 inch is a heavily used tool in our lab
Our lab scientist use 10 17" macbook pros. The extra screen space and general computing power makes it a great tool for software development and complex data analysis. Going to a smaller screen would really be a problem for us. While at our desks we use additional monitors, a lot of the work is done in several different labs and being able to take the MacBook 17s into the labs, connect to our instrumentation, and have the real estate to really work over the data and debug code really makes us appreciate the 17" format.
Our lab scientist use 10 17" macbook pros. The extra screen space and general computing power makes it a great tool for software development and complex data analysis. Going to a smaller screen would really be a problem for us. While at our desks we use additional monitors, a lot of the work is done in several different labs and being able to take the MacBook 17s into the labs, connect to our instrumentation, and have the real estate to really work over the data and debug code really makes us appreciate the 17" format.
In all honesty I can't see them dropping MBP 17". Killing mini or Apple TV would make more sense. However, I can see them changing MBP 17" a fair bit. I wouldn't be surprised to see DVD drive going and to be replaced by either slimmer design or better yet by a second HD on entry level and on "drool" level stack of RAID 0 SSD's on boot with HD or other SSD as built-in media drive. Just saying, with that minor modification pro users would love it to bits. Having retina display would be a bonus but dual HD is probably one of the most wanted features and could be done very easily.
I'am sure Apple let these "rumours" out so they can make sure that they get rid of as much stock as possible just before a new release.
I own a 2010 17" MBP and pimped it with an OWC 200Gb RE SSD and 8Gb of RAM its a great Laptop and was my mobile and desktop computer (with Eizo Monitor) until i bought a MP hex core in December, wanted to speed up all the HDR work etc and keep the MBP for mobile use only.
I was going to get another 15" but the express slot was no longer available on the 15", i had an esata card attached to fast raid drive on the desk and when away used the slot for card readers,small and light weight.
When on a photo shoot and tethered the 17" screen is handy.
The ODD is also handy as some clients want Disks with web images at the end of the shoot.
I also owned a 15" 2008 MBP (pre unibody) and gave that to my wife and its still going strong.
I hope the 17" does not go, Photoshop/Lightroom/tethering on less than a 17" for me would be less than ideal
I own a 2010 17" MBP and pimped it with an OWC 200Gb RE SSD and 8Gb of RAM its a great Laptop and was my mobile and desktop computer (with Eizo Monitor) until i bought a MP hex core in December, wanted to speed up all the HDR work etc and keep the MBP for mobile use only.
I was going to get another 15" but the express slot was no longer available on the 15", i had an esata card attached to fast raid drive on the desk and when away used the slot for card readers,small and light weight.
When on a photo shoot and tethered the 17" screen is handy.
The ODD is also handy as some clients want Disks with web images at the end of the shoot.
I also owned a 15" 2008 MBP (pre unibody) and gave that to my wife and its still going strong.
I hope the 17" does not go, Photoshop/Lightroom/tethering on less than a 17" for me would be less than ideal
Nonsense!!!!
Your perspective here is screwed up. The AIRs are extremely slow compared to the 13" MBP, especially if you put an SSD in that machine. Add RAM flexibility and a few othe features and the 13" MBP is light years ahead of the AIR.
I'm not sure where all of this nonsense about the AIRs being fast comes from. Any reasonable usage, with CPU bound apps, will highlight just how slow AIRs are.
Your perspective here is screwed up. The AIRs are extremely slow compared to the 13" MBP, especially if you put an SSD in that machine. Add RAM flexibility and a few othe features and the 13" MBP is light years ahead of the AIR.
I'm not sure where all of this nonsense about the AIRs being fast comes from. Any reasonable usage, with CPU bound apps, will highlight just how slow AIRs are.
I hope Kavier is correct. What the hell is FCP X going to run on? I use my 17" every day for editing, in the field, on the road or a train, at home ..... 15" is not big enough. I've tried.
Apple don't take that away from me, please. It's my living, an Apple laptop has been my all purpose tool for that craft since the G3 Powerbook and firewire made it possible. Such freedom, after years spent in the edit suite I cannot go back to the desktop full time.
Apple don't take that away from me, please. It's my living, an Apple laptop has been my all purpose tool for that craft since the G3 Powerbook and firewire made it possible. Such freedom, after years spent in the edit suite I cannot go back to the desktop full time.
You better then go tell that to the computer industry...because most consumer purchased laptops are exactly for that...it's a stay at home portable room to room machine.
People like having mobility. I can't even count the number of people I know that have a laptop for around the house. They just take it to the TV room, kitchen table, office or bedroom whenever they need it. They never take it out of the house except on vacations.
So to say it makes absolutely no sense makes no sense at all considering lots of people do exactly that. To say the concept of a laptop must be for external out of the house usage is stupid. The concept of a laptop is portability..whether it's from room to room or country to country.
There are also lots of prosumers that work on site with their laptops and then come home and also work on their combo laptop/ external monitor/ external keyboard/mouse.
Get a grip people!
Man it is like you guys are in a room occupied by an instantly transmitable sickness. I'm certain that Apple will eventually phase out things like the 17" MBP and the Mac Pro, but fellas Apple can and does design new products! Why people here let some analyst jerk their chains is beyond me.
The time to get upset is after Apple releases it's new hardware and discontinues the old. The whole thing with laptops is going to be ugly anyways as suitable Laptop chips are being released over a long period of time. Even if the 15" comes out at the end of this month, it might be July before the rest of the product line is shipping. So sit back relax and ignore all the rumor mongering and stock manipulation attempts.
Man it is like you guys are in a room occupied by an instantly transmitable sickness. I'm certain that Apple will eventually phase out things like the 17" MBP and the Mac Pro, but fellas Apple can and does design new products! Why people here let some analyst jerk their chains is beyond me.
The time to get upset is after Apple releases it's new hardware and discontinues the old. The whole thing with laptops is going to be ugly anyways as suitable Laptop chips are being released over a long period of time. Even if the 15" comes out at the end of this month, it might be July before the rest of the product line is shipping. So sit back relax and ignore all the rumor mongering and stock manipulation attempts.
Don't Forget the Over 40 Crowd
The analyst is completely wrong. In terms of Mac users, the ones that started in grammar school, left Apple for Microsoft and are finally returning to Macbook Pros because they are cool and finally acceptable to business enterprise: These users are getting older. Despite the best lasik surgery has to offer, they just can't read small type. The extra real estate on a 17" really makes a big difference.
The 17" is, however, much too bulky! Apple will not drop the 17" and loose its growing hold on the older business user and the highest profit margins, they are going to reduce the bulk. While the 2012 17" is already in the pipeline, the generation after next will almost certainly have an edge to edge screen reducing the overall size to that of the current 15". They will also have LTE modems built in only to be activated by the user on a monthly basis as is necessary.
Just my guess, but I have been right every time I have prognosticated so far.
2011 27" iMac 2.5GHz i7 8GB 512GB SSD; New iPad, 64GB Verizon; iPhone 4S 64GB Verizon
The analyst is completely wrong. In terms of Mac users, the ones that started in grammar school, left Apple for Microsoft and are finally returning to Macbook Pros because they are cool and finally acceptable to business enterprise: These users are getting older. Despite the best lasik surgery has to offer, they just can't read small type. The extra real estate on a 17" really makes a big difference.
The 17" is, however, much too bulky! Apple will not drop the 17" and loose its growing hold on the older business user and the highest profit margins, they are going to reduce the bulk. While the 2012 17" is already in the pipeline, the generation after next will almost certainly have an edge to edge screen reducing the overall size to that of the current 15". They will also have LTE modems built in only to be activated by the user on a monthly basis as is necessary.
Just my guess, but I have been right every time I have prognosticated so far.
2011 27" iMac 2.5GHz i7 8GB 512GB SSD; New iPad, 64GB Verizon; iPhone 4S 64GB Verizon
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Apple will switch to two sizes for the new MacBook pro range, 14" & 16" in similar footprints to the current 13" & 15" .
Neither do most people. They say "pro" or "real" work when they mean "my" work.
Pro means nothing more than "for money". I use my iPad and my wife's 11" MBA, as well as my work Win i5 notebook for that purpose, so all three are, for me, pro devices.