Apple to Unveil 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro With Unchanged Design Next Month, Claims Original MacBook Pro 'Notch' Leaker

[LeadingHeat]

So then the three new Macs that are going to be announced are the M2 Air, M2 Pro, and the mini?

Seems strange that they’d announce the MBP 13” redesign without the entry level MBA also getting an update. As if the MBA is better than it or something.

 

[siddavis]

Doesn’t matter I can still want latest tech with pro quality but a nice design the curved style is like 10 years old style it feels dated the machine is a beast but I still hate the design and the notch which I have to hide with a wallpaper

Keyboard vomit

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

I don't see the point of this product. The entry-level Mac is the MacBook Air and a lower-end Pro device is just confusing people.

Maybe not confusing but they are so close together in terms of what they can do, I’ve been wondering why the 13” pro was still a thing for a while.
It was much more of a difference with the last Intel devices.

 

[playtech1]

I can only surmise that the current M1 MacBook Pro is selling very well and Apple is keen not to have those buyers choose the cheaper Air.

 

[dave070]

Will people understand that the M2 is inferior to the M1 Pro? Apple is perhaps risking confusing potential buyers...

Agree. From a marketing standpoint, might be a bad move. Even if it's a new generation chip considering they just launched the M1 Pro and Max chips in the more expensive laptops.

 

[Spock]

The 13 inch MacBook Pro is past its prime, its time to go. It has gone almost unchanged since 2015.
The new 14 inch MacBook Pro should have replaced it.

 

[reyesmac]

If you go back far enough in Apples past, you will notice they have released new chips in tired old designs many times before. The models that come to mind stink. The core solo mini, the core duo (not core2 duo) macbook pro, core duo white imac to name a few. It also means this is the new base priced model and all others will come in more expensive variants. They won't be replacing or removing this base MacBook for a few years and then they will lower the redesigned ones price and sell that as a feature while they continue to sell practically the same computer for more than 2 years in a row.
When all is said and done, new models of macs will come in at higher prices than the computers they replace, that is the Apple way. Eventually the lineup will look just like airpods, iphones, and ipads. Old old old models selling as new next to newer faster models of various ages with the top of the line being two or three times the price of the lowest end model they should have replaced years ago with a better redesigned version.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Man I’m really holding out for the new Air, but this one is gonna be tempting if true. I think I can wait a few for months though.

 

[Ebarella]

I love all the random people giving tips to the richest company (or one of) on the planet. I think Apple knows what they are doing.

They didn't know what they were doing with macs from 2016 to the M1 release and all the bitching worked when the 14"/16" machines addressed those issues.
But sure, people here claimed that everyone loved all the random issues (touchbar,keyboard,heat,ports,etc) that cursed generation of macs had

 

[torquer]

I love how people come to a site called MacRUMORS then complain about the posting of rumors.

 

[FasterQuieter]

Do they have a bunch of Touch Bars lying around that they can't bear to throw away?

 

[Jamie0003]

The M2 Air will have a different design, apparently (less "pro" looking?), so there will be more differentiation between them.

Still pointless, the air will have the M2 chip also

 

[sw1tcher]

Strange that they can't just take out the Touch Bar. After all they used to make a 13" Pro without it. Having real function keys would make it more appealing for a lot of Pro buyers.

Also seems strange to still be making just one model with a Touch Bar, when everything else has moved on?

Lots of extra Touch Bar component pieces laying around. Apple needed to find a way to get rid of excess inventory. So 13" MBP with Touch Bar lives on for another few years.

 

[GuruZac]

At least it doesn't have a notch. And the speed bump may be inconsequential to most pro users. Should be interesting to see how well notchless sells vs notched.

But it’s not a notchless Pro vs notched Pro. It’s a non-Pro (if we’re honest) 13” MacBook Pro with no actual advantages for 99% of users over the Air, offers no more ports. And is now the only device with a TouchBar. What’s the point? Buy an M1 or M2 Air unless you need Pro performance in which case the 14” base MBP is a much better computer all the way around. And certainly much more Pro.

 

[MajorFubar]

They need a mid-range priced entry point for enterprise customers.

Maybe this is a thing in the USA but there are virtually no Mac enterprise customers in the ROtW. Windows business laptops by the likes of Dell and HP reign supreme.

 

[azentropy]

The overlap is too huge. Apple will not make the 15" MacBook as the 14" MBP would capture a large proportion of this market.

I disagree - think you are looking at it wrong in comparing a 15" MacBook with a 14" MBP. The better comparison would be that 15" MB vs a 16" MBP. There is a large segment that wants a larger screen (15" or larger) but really don't need the other features. A ~$1500 15" model even at say 8/512 would be a huge seller and that is part of the problem. Apple would prefer to upsell people to the 16" for $800 more. I think people right now who chose the 14" over the 16" do it because the prefer the smaller size, because for $200 more the 16" is a much better value.

 

[BlunaLuna]

I know I'm in minority, but I think the Touch Bar is great. Maybe they are continuing to develop and improve.
I have never liked function keys.

I love my touch bar too. Have a real 'esc' key and keep the touch bar for the pro models (yes, this includes my next 16" too). A touch bar is just so much more versatile. At least for me, who looks at the keypad more or less regularly while typing.

 

[rocketpig]

I don't see the point of this product. The entry-level Mac is the MacBook Air and a lower-end Pro device is just confusing people.

Agreed. The 13” MBP should be replaced by a 14-15” Air at the same price point. I’d buy a larger Air but have no use for this “pro” machine that has basically the same guts as the 13” Air that costs $300 less.

 

[Stella]

Knowing the fact Apple has already released a promotion ? in the market. That’s a bummer if it lacks a Pro-Motion display

The 13" will be a lower end machine, I expect the 14" would have all that nice stuff.

 

[lilkwarrior]

Will people understand that the M2 is inferior to the M1 Pro? Apple is perhaps risking confusing potential buyers...

It's not that hard to understand, in my opinion: M2 replaces the previous baseline M1 chip. The M2 Pro and M2 Max chips directly succeed the M1 Pro and M1 Max respectively.

Apple has 3 different product segments for their CPUs similar to how Intel and AMD segment their CPUs; Apple's is more similar to AMD's between the the two. It's convenient Apple simultaneously releases the Pro and Max chips simultaneously for now to minimize paralysis of choice for prosumers that often delay purchases of a generation with mixed results because tiers of high-end CPUs often stagger.

 

[boak]

I disagree - think you are looking at it wrong in comparing a 15" MacBook with a 14" MBP. The better comparison would be that 15" MB vs a 16" MBP. There is a large segment that wants a larger screen (15" or larger) but really don't need the other features. A ~$1500 15" model even at say 8/512 would be a huge seller and that is part of the problem. Apple would prefer to upsell people to the 16" for $800 more. I think people right now who chose the 14" over the 16" do it because the prefer the smaller size, because for $200 more the 16" is a much better value.

Apple's strategy has always been to upsell customers who can't find the perfect match. The 128 GB iPad Air does not exist for the very same reason a $1499 MacBook is very unlikely to be launched.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

So my M1 16" MBP is set to arrive in about a month, and now they have the M2 coming out?
I feel like canceling my order and waiting for the M2 refresh, but that may take another year.
Releasing a new model every year decreases the value of the device.
I do like the idea of having the TouchBar, I do find it very useful.

 

[jonnysods]

Seems a bit premature for the M2 series to come out when the whole lineup isn't updated yet.

 

[anthonymoody]

Still strikes me as strange that Apple will have M2 machines on the market at the same time as M1 Pro/Max machines. I mean, I get it. The Pro/Max machines are way more powerful overall. And between the supply chain, the way Apple segments products and markets, and who knows what else, it may just have to be that way.

OTOH, single core scores will likely be faster with the M2 so a simple M2 Air might outperform an M1 Max MBP on certain tasks.

 

[jarman92]

I'm sure people have said this already, but it makes zero sense to continue making a MacBook with a Touch Bar. Apple has obviously given up on it, or they would have put one in the new MBPs.