Current Mac Line

[bf2008]

Hi, don't you guys think that the current Mac line is very confusing?
Before it was a lot more clear, you basically chose based on screen size and portability.

But now: the MBP and MBA base models cost the same. The MBA is very portable and has a very sleek design, the SSD makes it super fast, but then it compromises heavily on storage and upgradeability. The MBP 13 is a very nice machine, but it's overpriced at the moment. It's basically the same model as for a couple of years with minor spec bumps but price stayed the same.

Then there's the issue with the MBP 15 vs rMBP, which also confuses buyers.

And finally the Mac Mini is desperate of an upgrade and the iMac could do with one too. Especially to offer USB3.

Before Mac was characterized for offering a very clear product line, to avoid confusion and get more buyers, but it seems that now the situation has changed. What are your thoughts?

 

[RedCroissant]

Hi, don't you guys think that the current Mac line is very confusing?
Before it was a lot more clear, you basically chose based on screen size and portability.

But now: the MBP and MBA base models cost the same. The MBA is very portable and has a very sleek design, the SSD makes it super fast, but then it compromises heavily on storage and upgradeability. The MBP 13 is a very nice machine, but it's overpriced at the moment. It's basically the same model as for a couple of years with minor spec bumps but price stayed the same.

Then there's the issue with the MBP 15 vs rMBP, which also confuses buyers.

And finally the Mac Mini is desperate of an upgrade and the iMac could do with one too. Especially to offer USB3.

Before Mac was characterized for offering a very clear product line, to avoid confusion and get more buyers, but it seems that now the situation has changed. What are your thoughts?

I think it only seems confusing due to the way the website is set up with the different pages and links for each model. I normally think of "the Mac Line" the way they have it displayed in order from the MBA to the MacPro. The only confusion would be in the optional upgrades that the customer can apply to their purchase.

However, if you would like a more clear cut way to look at they line and compare the models, then just click the link that takes you to the comparison page. On that page, you get the base model of each computer and the introductory price to go along with it.

 

[bf2008]

I meant more in the sense of price discrimination, and buyer decisions. I know the mac line pretty well!

 

[BigZ9]

Hi, don't you guys think that the current Mac line is very confusing?
Before it was a lot more clear, you basically chose based on screen size and portability.

But now: the MBP and MBA base models cost the same. The MBA is very portable and has a very sleek design, the SSD makes it super fast, but then it compromises heavily on storage and upgradeability. The MBP 13 is a very nice machine, but it's overpriced at the moment. It's basically the same model as for a couple of years with minor spec bumps but price stayed the same.

Then there's the issue with the MBP 15 vs rMBP, which also confuses buyers.

And finally the Mac Mini is desperate of an upgrade and the iMac could do with one too. Especially to offer USB3.

Before Mac was characterized for offering a very clear product line, to avoid confusion and get more buyers, but it seems that now the situation has changed. What are your thoughts?

I think it's cause we're in a transitional phase right now. Apple is calling the rMBP the "next generation macbook pro". So I'd assume that the old pro's with all the legacy stuff are gonna be phased out pretty soon, hence why they're the same price, Apple is enticing customers to go for the new thing. I think the MBP 13" will dissipear too, and the 11" and 13" air will be upgraded to retina screens. That should simplify the line up. But yea, basically it's in this mess because Apple has legacy hardware(HDD, Optical Drive) coinciding with new hardware (SSD).

 

[spacepower7]

Hi, don't you guys think that the current Mac line is very confusing?
Before it was a lot more clear, you basically chose based on screen size and portability.

But now: the MBP and MBA base models cost the same. The MBA is very portable and has a very sleek design, the SSD makes it super fast, but then it compromises heavily on storage and upgradeability. The MBP 13 is a very nice machine, but it's overpriced at the moment. It's basically the same model as for a couple of years with minor spec bumps but price stayed the same.

Then there's the issue with the MBP 15 vs rMBP, which also confuses buyers.

And finally the Mac Mini is desperate of an upgrade and the iMac could do with one too. Especially to offer USB3.

Before Mac was characterized for offering a very clear product line, to avoid confusion and get more buyers, but it seems that now the situation has changed. What are your thoughts?

There's a couple ways to look at it. If you check out HP or Dell's website, that's really confusing even being a techie.

I think the upgradability of laptops is way overstated, guessing that less than 5% of people do it even when it's easy. Starting with the iBooks, then the AL G4 PowerBook, upgrades became difficult. The major exception was the plastic MacBooks which were easy to upgrade the Ram and HD. The current Unibody MBP line is very easy to upgrade, the MBA line not at all.

Apple's thinking in the matter is that the people who buy the more expensive, in general, MBP products, are more likely to be "concerned" with upgrading. Which by "concerned", I mean want the option to be able to upgrade even though they most likely never will. It's kinda of like the peace of mind that insurance gives people.

USB 3 is now lacking on the iMac and Mac mini. Apple's been waiting for Intel's native on chip solution, now it's here and I suspect the mini and iMac will be shipping soon after Mountain Lion is released.

Besides USB 3, I wouldn't consider the mini "desperate" in need of an update bc the targeted consumers won't notice any real world differences in performance between Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge. Dell and HP will happily sell PCs with core 2 duo chips.

I do think Apple needs to be better at informing the consumers about which to buy, MBP vs MBA. It all comes down to the individual and how much data, movies, photos, and music the have, and if the store it locally or in the cloud.

 

[Kafka]

The thing is Apple is progressively going full SSD, and we're now in the middle of the transition so yes it can be confusing.
The day the prices of SSDs have dropped enough, the HDD-based laptops will just be discontinued and the mobile part of the lineup will be "tidy" again.