Apple Predicted to Discontinue 17-Inch MacBook Pro

[AidenShaw]

the terrible price for "thin"

...
Main difference between MacBook Air and Pro:

• More HDD storage on MBP vs flash storage on MBA
  MBP may have Optical Drive (or NOT, not sure though)
• Quad-core for MBP both 13 and 15"
• Discrete GPU for 15" MBP (may be possible with 13" MPB this year if Optical Disk space can be reclaimed for this?)
• Glossy vs Anti-glare options on MBP (MBA does not have any screen options)
• Gigabit Ethernet on all MBP along with a 3rd USB port on 15" MBP
• Bigger battery and more battery life on the MBP (doubt it w/ quad-core CPU)

You realize that you could easily have everything on your list if Apple made it a few mm thicker?

 

[loon3y]

You realize that you could easily have everything on your list if Apple made it a few mm thicker?

on the macbook airs I've been on, that other people have purchased, its pretty laggy if u want to run windows on it.

and doesn't seem it'll handle even the old school games like rome total war or grand theft auto san andreas, as just a past time when on business trips

 

[AidenShaw]

Originally Posted by AidenShaw
You realize that you could easily have everything on your list if Apple made it a few mm thicker?

on the macbook airs I've been on, that other people have purchased, its pretty laggy if u want to run windows on it.

and doesn't seem it'll handle even the old school games like rome total war or grand theft auto san andreas, as just a past time when on business trips

Exactly - that's the "terrible price for 'thin'" that I said.

 

[loon3y]

Exactly - that's the "terrible price for 'thin'" that I said.

yea my experience is pretty horrible. it looks neat as hell, but it has the capabilities of a damn netbook.

 

[KnightWRX]

yea my experience is pretty horrible. it looks neat as hell, but it has the capabilities of a damn netbook.

Uh ? I've never found a netbook with the capabilities of my MacBook Air. Just the Core 2 Duo trumps all the Atom/AMD Fusion parts out there alone, not to mention the 320m, the 1440x900 display and the SSD.

The MacBook Air is quite a few orders of magnitude above a netbook.

 

[AidenShaw]

Uh ? I've never found a netbook with the capabilities of my MacBook Air. Just the Core 2 Duo trumps all the Atom/AMD Fusion parts out there alone, not to mention the 320m, the 1440x900 display and the SSD.

The MacBook Air is quite a few orders of magnitude above a netbook.

You're losing credibility here....

My netbook (which of course runs Windows 7, since Apple OSX isn't sold on any netbook) does just about everything that a MacBook Air can do, and a lot more.

• Internet [check]
• Email [check]
• Photoshop [check]
• Lightroom [check]
• Office [check]
• hundreds of thousands of Windows apps [check]

Do you live on Terra, or some alien world?

Here on Terra, netbooks can do most of the lighter-weight tasks expected of laptops.

The next level is "ultrabooks", which is the category that an Apple MacBook Air falls into - along with many other systems.

The computing world consists of many shades of grey - yet you come up with inconsistent posts claiming "Black" and "White". An Atom is more than enough power for a majority of computer users.

 

[InuNacho]

"Power users" already has a meaning. Please don't pervert it. Power users mean users that have more knowledge about the system than your average user.

So when I used Terminal to shutdown my Mac earlier I was initiated into the Power User Fraternity?

 

[nutjob]

To KnightWRX: sorry, it wasn't an outburst to you.
I have just read so much BS reasons why a 17" should be canned in this thread: "it's a full 1lbs heavier than the 15" ", "I can like see the screen from 5 tables away", "17" doesn't fit my backpack", and so on

Yes, English is my third Language (of six).




Don't throw numbers and percentages around that you pick out of your top hat.
Give numbers based on facts or don't give numbers at all.
Yes, people like me belong to the minority of "Professionals" and "Powerusers" that need a 17", but it's the professionals group (on 13", 15" and 17") that create the Apps that make the iDevices market thrief.
Not the best group, even if we are just a small percentage of the market and the 17inchers are even a smaller percentage of that, to alienate.



^That's called the MBA and iPad crowd^

Ok, if you want it put as dryly as possible: you, and people like you, are an insignificant market relative to the other markets Apple serves and they will not spend resources on making products for people like you. Apple is a business, not a charity.

----------

No. Pro users are users who use their computers professionally. Not every profession out there that uses computers as tools require powerful computers. State the actual profession you're talking about when making such statements, because generalizing your opinion of the needs of computing power to all professionals out there just doesn't work.

I use my MBA professionally. In the exercise of my profession. It's waaaaaay too much computer for my needs, which are Terminal basically (yes, all I ever need are command line tools that ran on computers 30 years ago for my profession).

That is what I take exception to. People trying to lump all professionals into some mold of "video editors and photographers". There's more professions out there than just those 2.

Pro is a meaningless term, I'm talking about the discussion of markets here. I'm not actually making any statements about "the needs of computing power to all professionals", but computing power generally. Sheesh, it's like you didn't read my post at all, or didn't understand it.

 

[Renzatic]

Ok, if you want it put as dryly as possible: you, and people like you, are an insignificant market relative to the other markets Apple serves and they will not spend resources on making products for people like you. Apple is a business, not a charity.

A charity? It's not exactly like they're making 17 inch laptops out of the goodness of their heart. There are whole companies dedicated to making laptops that size...and larger. It's a niche market, admittedly, and they sure as hell don't pull the billions Apple does. But they stay in business and thrive. Why? Because where there's demand, someone is going to step up to supply it.

So why not Apple? If they sold absolutely none whatsoever, I could see them bailing out of that particular segment. But it seems that there are quite a few people who happen to like their larger laptops. Maybe they don't sell as much as the Airs and the iPads, but there's still money to be made. If Apple doesn't step up to the plate, someone else will.

I think the thing that gets me most is this whole "if you don't like it, then go somewhere else. Apple doesn't owe you anything" attitude. It's quite the opposite. Apple owes their customers everything. Every company does. While they have the right to abandon a product line, their customers also have the right to gripe about them doing it.

It isn't a privilege to use a Mac. They ignore their customers at their own peril (in before someone replies "olol well they're making billions so I guess ignoring their customers isn't all that bad so **** olol" to that).

edit: I can't believe they censor **** around here.

 

[macbookairman]

Since you're a film major isn't even 17 too small? Wouldn't a 13" laptop with a 24" external be best?

Absolutely not. That would be a horrible choice. I need a laptop that can handle 4K video, so it needs to be a powerhouse. A 13" MBP won't cut it in that area. A 15" would be acceptable power wise, but I love the larger screen for when I'm in the field. If I planned to sit at a desk all day and edit, then I'd have just gotten an iMac. But I'm constantly on the move. I need the screen real estate and power to be able to edit in an airport, on a flight, on set, etc.

 

[314631]

The 17" MacBook Pro serves a very small niche and needs to be dropped. People can moan all they like but we all know Apple is going to do this anyway. Just as we all know the Mac Pro will be going away very soon. Just as the Xserve already was killed.

I'm sure the 15" MacBook Air/Pro will serve your needs just fine. Trust Apple. They know what you want. The vast majority of you are not going to switch to Windows machines because of this change in the product line. You'll learn to embrace the change, and ultimately grow to appreciate the brilliance behind Apple's decision.

 

[anim8or]

From being discontinued.

50k 17" MBP x 2800.00 = 140M

With a cost basis of 1400 per.

Netting: 70M Profits (Trust me they are not throwing 70M away)

With little over head on a CNC machine that can turn a slab of Aluminum into a case in no time.

Look for the 17" MBP to be here for many years to come.

Your logic is sound except u fail to realise that if the 17" is discontinued it will save them money not manufacturing them.

That coupled with the fact that many who want/need/buy the 17" currently will settle for the 15" so they will slightly reduce their profit but definitely not lose a who profit line.

 

[Renzatic]

The 17" MacBook Pro serves a very small niche and needs to be dropped. People can moan all they like but we all know Apple is going to do this anyway. Just as we all know the Mac Pro will be going away very soon. Just as the Xserve already was killed.

I'm sure the 15" MacBook Air/Pro will serve your needs just fine. Trust Apple. They know what you want. The vast majority of you are not going to switch to Windows machines because of this change in the product line. You'll learn to embrace the change, and ultimately grow to appreciate the brilliance behind Apple's decision.

Sometimes it's so hard to tell who's being serious and who's being sarcastic around here.

Your logic is sound except u fail to realise that if the 17" is discontinued it will save them money not manufacturing them.

And that's only true if you assume absolutely no one will buy the 17". That they're just making them to make them. Apple can always, you know, produce less to cover the smaller demand.

 

[Burger Thing]

The 17" MacBook Pro serves a very small niche and needs to be dropped. People can moan all they like but we all know Apple is going to do this anyway. Just as we all know the Mac Pro will be going away very soon. Just as the Xserve already was killed.

I'm sure the 15" MacBook Air/Pro will serve your needs just fine. Trust Apple. They know what you want. The vast majority of you are not going to switch to Windows machines because of this change in the product line. You'll learn to embrace the change, and ultimately grow to appreciate the brilliance behind Apple's decision.

Ha Ha. LOL! I think we should just drop the 15" and the 13" model as well. Keep it simple and streamline the whole product line. Nobody *needs* bigger or various screen sizes. Just ask the vocal IT experts here. Especially those working at the pinnacle of IT: UNIX Sys Admins.

Just offer a one 9.7" MBP with the screen resolution of the new iPad. That is even more screen estate than the 17" MBP. I am sure it will run a Terminal Window just fine, even writing a few scripts here and there, with the occasional 'Hello Word' in C++, should be ok. Fonts might be a tad small, but at the end, that is really all you *need*, folks.

Content creation is overrated anyway.

 

[anim8or]

And that's only true if you assume absolutely no one will buy the 17". That they're just making them to make them. Apple can always, you know, produce less to cover the smaller demand.

Not true, the cost to re-tool a production line specifically for the 17" model and parts will be saved, and in turn they can use that facility to produce more 15" or 13" notebooks or iPads.

Producing less to meet a smaller demand inst as cost effective as discontinuing the line altogether. Keep in mind that a production workforce producing 1000 laptops is paid the same as one tasked with producing 10,000.

 

[Renzatic]

Not true, the cost to re-tool a production line specifically for the 17" model and parts will be saved, and in turn they can use that facility to produce more 15" or 13" notebooks or iPads.

Producing less to meet a smaller demand inst as cost effective as discontinuing the line altogether. Keep in mind that a production workforce producing 1000 laptops is paid the same as one tasked with producing 10,000.

This is true, but we don't know how many 17 inch pros Apple sells. Are they actually losing money on it, or are they just not making as much as they'd like? A niche product though it may be, if it's profitable, it's profitable.

 

[314631]

Ha Ha. LOL! I think we should just drop the 15" and the 13" model as well. Keep it simple and streamline the whole product line. Nobody *needs* bigger or various screen sizes. Just ask the vocal IT experts here. Especially those working at the pinnacle of IT: UNIX Sys Admins.

Just offer a one 9.7" MBP with the screen resolution of the new iPad. That is even more screen estate than the 17" MBP. I am sure it will run a Terminal Window just fine, even writing a few scripts here and there, with the occasional 'Hello Word' in C++, should be ok. Fonts might be a tad small, but at the end, that is really all you *need*, folks.

Content creation is overrated anyway.

I work with web developers and system administrators and they all do a lot of work on laptops with smaller displays. None of them carry around a 17" laptop. Only one guy I know has a 15" MBP. I know an independent developer who writes code on a 11" MacBook Air as his sole machine. The only people who really need a larger display are the graphic designers. And even then, the option exists to plug your laptop into a 27" Apple Cinema Display.

I own an ageing 17" MacBook Pro. I will never buy another one. It's just too big and heavy to be used as a laptop. These 17" behemoths are the past. They are history.

The 13" MacBook Air is the best laptop I've ever owned. I highly recommend them to everyone. These are the laptops consumers want.

 

[KnightWRX]

You're losing credibility here....

My netbook (which of course runs Windows 7, since Apple OSX isn't sold on any netbook) does just about everything that a MacBook Air can do, and a lot more.

• Internet [check]
• Email [check]
• Photoshop [check]
• Lightroom [check]
• Office [check]
• hundreds of thousands of Windows apps [check]

Do you live on Terra, or some alien world?

Here on Terra, netbooks can do most of the lighter-weight tasks expected of laptops.

The next level is "ultrabooks", which is the category that an Apple MacBook Air falls into - along with many other systems.

The computing world consists of many shades of grey - yet you come up with inconsistent posts claiming "Black" and "White". An Atom is more than enough power for a majority of computer users.

I meant in the sense that the Macbook Air packs quite a bit more computing power than your average Intel Atom powered netbook.

----------

So when I used Terminal to shutdown my Mac earlier I was initiated into the Power User Fraternity?

Not really. Using Terminal to copy/paste commands is not exactly "Power User" material.

Think the guys who know the scripting languages for the shell, the guys who know how to reconfigure most of the system (from either the GUI or the CLI) , the guys who help out people on forums. The guys who don't need to ask questions since they know where to find the answers.

IT people or the hobbyists who have the same talents/knowledge. Those are the power users.

----------

I'm sure the 15" MacBook Air/Pro will serve your needs just fine. Trust Apple. They know what you want.

Trust Apple ? laughable. Apple knows what Apple can make money with. They don't care what *you* want, they care about what will sell. If they lose you as a customer, but can turn around and gain 3 other people they didn't have before, they'll even flip you the bird doing it.

 

[Burger Thing]

I work with web developers and system administrators and they all do a lot of work on laptops with smaller displays. None of them carry around a 17" laptop. Only one guy I know has a 15" MBP. I know an independent developer who writes code on a 11" MacBook Air as his sole machine. The only people who really need a larger display are the graphic designers. And even then, the option exists to plug your laptop into a 27" Apple Cinema Display.

I own an ageing 17" MacBook Pro. I will never buy another one. It's just too big and heavy to be used as a laptop. These 17" behemoths are the past. They are history.

The 13" MacBook Air is the best laptop I've ever owned. I highly recommend them to everyone. These are the laptops consumers want.

Well, good for them and for you. To me, my 17" MBP is the best laptop I ever owned and I certainly can't imagine to do some work on a stamp sized screen as the one of your 13" Air.

But you are probably right. The consumers want small laptops. Just consume some media, Facebook, email, sitting on the couch, drinking diet coke, eating chips. Great new world. So convenient... Hallelujah... The producers are in the minority.

What is wrong with offering choices?

But at the end of the day, no drama. I vote with my wallet and will give the company my money, which offer products to fit my needs. Samsung seem to have a nice 17" Laptop in their lineup, too. And rumor over at the Crative Cow Forums has it, that Adobes CS6 runs better on a PC compared to the Mac version anyway.

I use to remember the time, when Apple had the appeal of being a company which attracts the creative crowd. The ones who think different. The Outlaws... Well, it seems in a few years Apple will have the reputation of being the Fisher Price of the Mobile Companies. Never mind Computer Manufacturers

 

[KnightWRX]

But you are probably right. The consumers want small laptops. Just consume some media, Facebook, email, sitting on the couch, drinking diet coke, eating chips. Great new world. So convenient... Hallelujah... The producers are in the minority.

Why do you insist on splitting it as "consumers" not needing the 17" screen and "producers" absolutely needing it ?

Some consumers might want the 17" to consume content. They actually want larger, lower PPI screens so that content looks good from farther away.

And the contrary might be true too. A producer of content might want the utmost of portability with an external monitor for those times he's at the office/home.

The distinction you make is frankly appalling. In the real world, there is no such distinction. There are people who want the 17", be it for Facebook or Photoshop or Xcode or whatever, and then there are people who'd rather Facebook or Photoshop or Xcode on an 11" MBA in a cafe and plug it into a TB display at home.

What is wrong with offering choices?

Nothing is wrong with choices. No one is arguing against choice. But in the end, the choice isn't yours to make. Vote with your wallet, but it's Apple who'll ultimately decide if managing inventory for a low volume device (if the 17" really is low volume, again, only something Apple really knows) is worth the profit it brings in or if the ressources can be put to a better project that will be more profitable.

That's how they operate. The sooner you come to terms that any day now, anything in their line-up can disappear without notice, the less stressed you'll be when that news item pops up on your RSS feed.

 

[n300]

Of course the 17" sells badly because its way too frecking expenisve!

Start prices here
13" 1149 Euro
15" 1749 Euro
17" 2499 Euro

Loads of people want a 17" but because its such a rip-off pricewise they settle for a 15" or even 13''. If there was also a version with less powerful hardware and thus cheaper it would sell much better.

What's the difference between the 15 and 17 inch really? CPU is very slightly faster you will never notice in real life use, only in benchmarks. (Even compared to the CPU from the 13 wont it wont be noticable slower in normal use, only with power using, video, audio edit or vmware etc).
HD is 250gb bigger, a Western Digital 500gb HD costs 66 euro a 750gb version 77 euro, so thats only 11 Euro difference, but just get a 1tb one for 95 Euro. And the videocard is slightly faster but it's still pretty bad for high end games. So you end up with a 5% faster laptop, you wont even notice and just end up paying 750 Euro extra for the screen. From 1750 which is nowadays already expensive for a laptop.

There is no reason why the more powerful hardware doesn’t fit in a 13'' and the cheaper hardware in a 17".

Why do they even have this corrolation between size of laptop and hardware and thus price. Its a very weird thing to only offer more powerful hardware in bigger laptops. No other brand does this. You can get really cheap 17" or even bigger laptops they just have cheap hardware. You can get really expensive 13'' laptops with way faster hardware then in 17'' laptops. Those bigger laptops have long been even cheaper because they are easier to make, because simply have more room for hardware, and easier to keep cool. So less R&D costs. If you compare 13'' with 17'' laptops from other brands with the same hardware, the 17'' is often cheaper.

There is no reason can't put the 17"-er's hardware in a 13"-er's housing. And other way around is even easier.

But I guess it's their business model and they make most money they think this way. If they would make their 13, 15 and 17 models fully build to order. So the 17'' also would be available from around 1100 Euro up to 5000 euro. Most people would just buy it with the cheapest hardware.

I think it’s a bad road Apple is on, discontinuing the server line, probably dising the 17" MacBook pro. And maybe even dising the Mac pro.... These products might not sell in such high volumes, but are bought by the hard core Apple power users. If they are forced to switch to other brands, they lose a loyal following. And this group of users are often influential on people around them in the way of advising about computers etc. (or IT pro's)

 

[Abazigal]

You're losing credibility here....

My netbook (which of course runs Windows 7, since Apple OSX isn't sold on any netbook) does just about everything that a MacBook Air can do, and a lot more.

• Internet [check]
• Email [check]
• Photoshop [check]
• Lightroom [check]
• Office [check]
• hundreds of thousands of Windows apps [check]

Do you live on Terra, or some alien world?

Here on Terra, netbooks can do most of the lighter-weight tasks expected of laptops.

The next level is "ultrabooks", which is the category that an Apple MacBook Air falls into - along with many other systems.

The computing world consists of many shades of grey - yet you come up with inconsistent posts claiming "Black" and "White". An Atom is more than enough power for a majority of computer users.

Not necessarily as well though. My colleague bought a netbook a year back, and regretted it immensely, as she claimed it took forever to load any program (even office) or get things done. She used it only to watch movies (a task now replaced by her ipad). Got an air earlier this year, and is very satisfied with it.

That is more an issue with consumers not utilising the air's capabilities fully, rather than any shortcoming in its design. With 4gb ram and SSD, I certainly do not see the air as anywhere near the netbook category.

http://osxdaily.com/category/mac-setups/

If you look at this site, you can see images where people hook their airs up to 27" displays to use for tasks like web design/app development. I don't think those are tasks you want to entrust to atom processors?

 

[jouster]

You're losing credibility here....

My netbook (which of course runs Windows 7, since Apple OSX isn't sold on any netbook) does just about everything that a MacBook Air can do, and a lot more.

• Internet [check]
• Email [check]
• Photoshop [check]
• Lightroom [check]
• Office [check]
• hundreds of thousands of Windows apps [check]

Out of curiosity, which netbook do you have?

From being discontinued.

50k 17" MBP x 2800.00 = 140M

With a cost basis of 1400 per.

Netting: 70M Profits (Trust me they are not throwing 70M away)

With little over head on a CNC machine that can turn a slab of Aluminum into a case in no time.

Look for the 17" MBP to be here for many years to come.

They just announce quarterly profits of $11b. So your numbers give the 17" a profit share of 0.63%...which is pretty close to a rounding error.

 

[n300]

Not necessarily as well though. My colleague bought a netbook a year back, and regretted it immensely, as she claimed it took forever to load any program (even office) or get things done. She used it only to watch movies (a task now replaced by her ipad). Got an air earlier this year, and is very satisfied with it.

That is more an issue with consumers not utilising the air's capabilities fully, rather than any shortcoming in its design. With 4gb ram and SSD, I certainly do not see the air as anywhere near the netbook category.

http://osxdaily.com/category/mac-setups/

If you look at this site, you can see images where people hook their airs up to 27" displays to use for tasks like web design/app development. I don't think those are tasks you want to entrust to atom processors?

There was probabably a buttload of bloatware on that netbook. I bought a super cheap Lenovo with really slow AMD netbook last year. It took over 15
minutes to boot. So did a clean install then its as fast in office and internet, booting as my 1500 euro Dell laptop. So the hardware is fast enough to run Win7 properly. Its just software problem, bloatware, old drivers etc.

Of course a non power user will never reinstall a new laptop, its a really stupid thing most laptop brands do.

 

[AidenShaw]

I meant in the sense that the Macbook Air packs quite a bit more computing power than your average Intel Atom powered netbook.

And I meant in the sense that the MBA won't read email or make facebook posts any faster than the Atom. Tasks like these are what most people do most of the time.

Content creators will want more power, and people running heavyweight apps and clients - the Core series is good for them.