chances of 17" rMBP?

[Freida]

It's that time of year again I guess.
Now that we have iMac with retina screen and MBP are also retinas do you think we can expect 17" to come back? It does look like we have the hardware now to drive that amount of pixels (3960x2400) so can Broadwell and Apple resurrect this beautiful machine? What do you think?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

None whatsoever.

With teh scaling on the 15 incgh giving you all the real estate you need in a very light portable computer I think the chances of Apple ressurecting the 17 inch format are approximately ZERO....

 

[maflynn]

so can Broadwell and Apple resurrect this beautiful machine? What do you think?

It wasn't killed for technical reasons but Apple's business decision. I'm not sure what the justification was, though I suspect they were not making enough profit, i.e., why kill of a machine they were making lots of money on.

I think the days of large laptops are over, at least for the time being, maybe in a few years the pendulum will swing the other way but as it stands, we'll probably see a 12" laptop before a 17" comes from apple.

 

[Bending Pixels]

The subject has been asked and answered several times on this forum (i.e. you're flogging a dead horse).

Apple dropped the 17" MBP because it wasn't selling. Their 15" is the most popular followed closely by the 13". If you look at WinDoze laptops (and you really shouldn't), the majority are between 13" and 15". The offerings above that are getting less and less.

The main issue was both the weight, and that there were few backpacks it would fit in.

 

[leman]

I also believe that the chance is really low. Before the retina MBP, the 17" model had an important benefit - it had a high-resolution display. Now the 15" is capable of the same resolution while being more portable and lighter. I know that the 17" has some fans, but I don't see how such machine can be profitable for Apple — the demand is simply not there.

 

[AttilaTheHun]

It's that time of year again I guess.
Now that we have iMac with retina screen and MBP are also retinas do you think we can expect 17" to come back? It does look like we have the hardware now to drive that amount of pixels (3960x2400) so can Broadwell and Apple resurrect this beautiful machine? What do you think?

I miss my 17"

 

[Freida]

Here is what I think:

when 15" rMBP was introduced there was not enough horsepower to do the same on 17" so they killed it cause it didn't sell that much but also they didn't want to keep it there if they were moving towards retina.
Now that the technology caught up there is a chance that they might introduce it for those that require. The fact that people still ask about is because those machines still have an audience. Yes, its not as mass market as other models but there are still people that would buy 17" if it was an option.

I have 15" rMBP and I hate it to be honest. Yes, its a stunning machine in terms of performance etc. but in terms of the display, its just too small. The native resolution is unusable as you can't fit much on the screen. 1440x900 effectively is unusable. The 1920x1200 would be perfect if everything didn't get so small.
Scaling does exactly what the name says. Yes, you get more space if you scale the resolution but everything gets smaller and your eyes have to work harder hence you get tired faster.

I know a lot of people that would want 17" back. Whether or not its enough for Apple is another thing. It would be amazing to get that thing back. The perfect workstation

 

[maflynn]

I know a lot of people that would want 17" back. Whether or not its enough for Apple is another thing. It would be amazing to get that thing back. The perfect workstation

I think while there is a fan base here, I'm definitely not arguing that. I don't think that means it was a successful product for consumers. As others mentioned thanks to scaling and the retina display, a larger laptop is not as necessary as it was.

I liked what others stated, as well saying its getting harder and harder find the 17" form factor in general, its not a size that is appealing to people.

 

[Freida]

I think while there is a fan base here, I'm definitely not arguing that. I don't think that means it was a successful product for consumers. As others mentioned thanks to scaling and the retina display, a larger laptop is not as necessary as it was.

I liked what others stated, as well saying its getting harder and harder find the 17" form factor in general, its not a size that is appealing to people.

Lets hope the trend will change like it did with phones.
Let people who want small things continue with Air or iPad and those that need "portable" workstation with as much screen space as possible get the best Apple can offer. The 17" has more space and therefore more heat can be distributed and there can be crammed more technology. I know, its wishful thinking but please, lets get the "BIG" trend back )

 

[JoelTheSuperior]

Their 15" is the most popular followed closely by the 13".

I doubt this. I've seen far more 13" MacBook Pros in the field so to speak than I have 15" ones, I suspect primarily because of the price. Not that the 15" is at all unpopular.

 

[maflynn]

Lets hope the trend will change like it did with phones.

People are buying less computers, not more thanks to smart phones and tablets, the need is decreasing, i.e., post PC era. Given the limited appeal to these monsters I doubt we'll see them. They're not really all that great for travel, i.e., taking it with you on a plane.

 

[nilk]

Do I think there is a chance of Apple making a 17" rMBP? No, at least not any time in the near future. But I certainly wish they would.

I use a 15" rMBP for work, and used a 17" MBP for work before that (and I still use a 17" at home). The 15" rMBP is great, and the 1920x1200 equivalent mode is a good enough compromise when coming from the 17". I use an external display most of the time, but the 15" in 1920x1200 mode is usable if I'm sitting at a disk with my face close to the screen, but not so much if I was laying back and my face is further from the screen and I use best-for-retina if I'm in such a position.

The 17" display of the old MBP is just glorious. A retina 17" would be absolutely fantastic, especially if I can use it in a 2560x1600 equivalent mode, since that is the resolution of the external monitor I use. This would be a great work machine for me. The 17" cMBP was already an acceptable size for the way I use it and a thinner, lighter 17" rMBP would be perfect. The portability of the 15" rMBP is nice, but unnecessary for the way I use my work laptop.

Extra points if they can fit in another drive in a 17" rMBP. I'd like a 2.5" drive bay, but that isn't going to happen -- but if you could do dual PCIe SSDs and RAID 0 them that would be insane. Or at least give it some hardware advantage over the 15", like better GPU options.

 

[cjmillsnun]

There is zero chance of the return of the 17" MBP.

It was killed when the 15"rMBP was released.

Bear in mind they updated the 15" cMBP at the same time, so they could've speed bumped the 17" then.

They didn't. It wasn't economic.

I run my 15" at 2880x1800. It's fine and I don't suffer eyestrain with it.

 

[brdeveloper]

I think a 17" rMBP could bend, unless they employed a thicker aluminium case.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I think a 17" rMBP could bend, unless they employed a thicker aluminium case.

I doubt that. unlike an iPhone, the unibody type case is fairly thick and has strengthening ribs between the battery and the keyboard and diagonally from each corner to the keyboard aperture.

It's actually a stronger design than most other laptops on the market, and much stronger than the original 17" MBP.

 

[leman]

For the 17" to be economically attractive to Apple, they would need to sell it at a price point where most of the 17" fans would just scratch their heads and go for the 15" model instead. There is not much point for Apple to produce a computer that does not sell.

 

[Freida]

Do I think there is a chance of Apple making a 17" rMBP? No, at least not any time in the near future. But I certainly wish they would.

I use a 15" rMBP for work, and used a 17" MBP for work before that (and I still use a 17" at home). The 15" rMBP is great, and the 1920x1200 equivalent mode is a good enough compromise when coming from the 17". I use an external display most of the time, but the 15" in 1920x1200 mode is usable if I'm sitting at a disk with my face close to the screen, but not so much if I was laying back and my face is further from the screen and I use best-for-retina if I'm in such a position.

The 17" display of the old MBP is just glorious. A retina 17" would be absolutely fantastic, especially if I can use it in a 2560x1600 equivalent mode, since that is the resolution of the external monitor I use. This would be a great work machine for me. The 17" cMBP was already an acceptable size for the way I use it and a thinner, lighter 17" rMBP would be perfect. The portability of the 15" rMBP is nice, but unnecessary for the way I use my work laptop.

Extra points if they can fit in another drive in a 17" rMBP. I'd like a 2.5" drive bay, but that isn't going to happen -- but if you could do dual PCIe SSDs and RAID 0 them that would be insane. Or at least give it some hardware advantage over the 15", like better GPU options.

Yeah, for me too. The way I use computer doesn't pose a problem when travelling as I'm not one of those that use it on the plane. For that I have an iPad. I need portable workstation when I move from a place to another but once I arrive, I want the biggest screen possible (for Maya etc.). 17" was the best option for me and I do wish it will make its return. Alternatively, someone mentioned that they could reduce the bezels and fit 16" or so in the current 15" format which could be an option also. I think that we could easily get 17" screen in the form of current 15" with just a tiny bit bigger. All they need to do is find a way how to trim the big bezels around the screen.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Yeah, for me too. The way I use computer doesn't pose a problem when travelling as I'm not one of those that use it on the plane. For that I have an iPad. I need portable workstation when I move from a place to another but once I arrive, I want the biggest screen possible (for Maya etc.). 17" was the best option for me and I do wish it will make its return. Alternatively, someone mentioned that they could reduce the bezels and fit 16" or so in the current 15" format which could be an option also. I think that we could easily get 17" screen in the form of current 15" with just a tiny bit bigger. All they need to do is find a way how to trim the big bezels around the screen.

Trimming the bezels is next to impossible. You might get a little more height on the screen, but if you actually look at a screen panel, it typically extends 5-7mm (up to 1/4") beyond the visible area each side and top and bottom. Now factor in the webcam, cabling and antennas that are behind that screen. There ain't much room left.

 

[TechZeke]

I keep saying this, but I'll say it again.

The 17" MBP's pure advantage was screen size/resolution and an extra USB Port. The 17" used the exact same internals as the 15".

With scaling options, the 15" rMBP can already achieve 1920x1200 screen real estate, thus there is no reason to make what is essentially a blown up 15" rMBP with the same exact internals.

 

[0007776]

People are buying less computers, not more thanks to smart phones and tablets, the need is decreasing, i.e., post PC era. Given the limited appeal to these monsters I doubt we'll see them. They're not really all that great for travel, i.e., taking it with you on a plane.

With tablets and smart phones I see the appeal of a 17" laptop more. I can do 90% of what I need to do on the go with a tablet, so with a 17" laptop plus a tablet I could have the benefits of a bigger screen at my desk, but still have it semi portable for when I need more power than a tablet.

 

[capathy21]

Not going to happen. Outside of those on this site that love the 17, the vast majority of Macbook consumers would never want one.

 

[Freida]

I keep saying this, but I'll say it again.

The 17" MBP's pure advantage was screen size/resolution and an extra USB Port. The 17" used the exact same internals as the 15".

With scaling options, the 15" rMBP can already achieve 1920x1200 screen real estate, thus there is no reason to make what is essentially a blown up 15" rMBP with the same exact internals.

I will say it again. 15" rMBP 1920x1200 is way too small. Some people don't have perfect vision maybe like you so looking 10 hours at small stuff is not the best way to deal with it. Hence the request for 17" with 1920x1200 as that was ideal size & space wise.

 

[baypharm]

As I have said many times here, I would pay any amount for a new generation quad or octo core 17" mbp with a matte antiglare screen.

 

[nilk]

I keep saying this, but I'll say it again.

The 17" MBP's pure advantage was screen size/resolution and an extra USB Port. The 17" used the exact same internals as the 15".

With scaling options, the 15" rMBP can already achieve 1920x1200 screen real estate, thus there is no reason to make what is essentially a blown up 15" rMBP with the same exact internals.

While it won't sell as well and it doesn't make sense from a business perspective, especially if it carries a premium price, I think there is a good reason to to make a 17" -- to comfortably achieve larger than 1920x1200 equivalent. I use 2560x1600 on the desktop, 1920x1200 is restricting in comparison.