Do you agree with this? (Make MBP thick again)

[pshufd]

That might as well be desktop. That borderline meets the definition of "laptop".

What kind of laps do you need to have for that to stand on them for more than 5 min?

I think that it weighs about 8 pounds - about what my 2008 17 inch MBP weighs.
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So what do you want to compare that with in terms of portability?

(a) A MacBook Pro on its own, or
(b) a MacBook Pro, tb3 dock, external hard drive/SSD, eGPU and maybe a second display... or
(c) an iMac in a flight case?

...because you're not seriously going to be looking at that type of system if (a) fits your needs.

This isn't about snatching thin'n'crispy MBP ultrabooks from the hands of people who love them, its about Apple not having any deep pan 'desktop replacements' on the menu.



I think, for the Mac to have a long-term future, Apple need to spin of the Mac as a mainly autonomous division that can start behaving like a top-5 personal computer maker rather than as the iPhone's disappointing elder sibling. Millions of people still depend on personal computers to do their jobs and hobbies because there are things that smartphones and pure-touch tablets (which are now pretty much dead except for the iPad) are useless at. There will be money to be made for years to come, but not the meteoric, Moore's-law-driven growth of the past.

(Its like walking into a white-goods store and finding that they only sell fat-free fryers and coffee pod machines because there's no windfall growth potential in refrigerators, ovens and microwaves).

At the moment, the Mac designers are just looking for sensation (thinner! lighter!) to justify high prices, cash in on BTO upgrades and offer a range that only includes the top-grossing entry in each class. The entire MacBook range, for instance, now consists of variations on the same theme with progressively larger CPUs, GPUs and screens on (basically) scaled versions of the same chassis. Prefer a keyboard with more travel? Tough. Disagree that USB-3 and HDMI ports are "legacy"? Tough. Want a couple of TB of don't-care-about-speed storage to carry around a media library/archive without needing an external drive? Sell a kidney. Doing something like web development, DTP or big spreadsheets that doesn't bother the CPU/GPU much but needs a 15" screen? Sell the other kidney to get an i7 and dGPU that you don't need.

Apple are one of the 5 largest personal computer makers - and the only legitimate choice if you want to run MacOS - they ought to be able to sustain a bit more diversity in their product line (Jobs' old 'product matrix' was less sparse, and that was in the context of Apple's near bankruptcy and a more total Wintel monopoly than today).

That's the sort of thing that some gamers want. For me - something the size of the 2008 MacBook Pro would be fine. Yes, it's big and heavy, has lots of ports, is easy to work on and I used it for many years. It's probably a lot easier to keep cool than the current stuff.

 

[LogicalApex]

I think that it weighs about 8 pounds - about what my 2008 17 inch MBP weighs.

I am absolutely not interested in an 8lb laptop... I'd suspect this is true for many others as well.

 

[Painter2002]

I think that it weighs about 8 pounds - about what my 2008 17 inch MBP weighs.
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That's the sort of thing that some gamers want. For me - something the size of the 2008 MacBook Pro would be fine. Yes, it's big and heavy, has lots of ports, is easy to work on and I used it for many years. It's probably a lot easier to keep cool than the current stuff.

See, me as a gamer, if I am to switch to PC, I am going to build a standing tower unit, not no laptop. Sure you can game on a laptop such as that, but most gamers or truly heavy users (you all know who you are) will opt for a tower because that is where the true PC power still lies. Honestly to me a laptop such as that is anything but portable.

I am will to go back to a 2015 gen MacBook Pro size laptop, but not back to an 8lb machine. That's more of a desktop machine than a "lap"top. Heck even a Mac Pro weighs only a few pounds more, but you don't see anyone trying to use it on their lap (maybe as a trash can... but that's a different story).

 

[pshufd]

I am absolutely not interested in an 8lb laptop... I'd suspect this is true for many others as well.

I carry two rMBPs with me, a 2014 and a 2015. So I'm already carrying 8 pounds and that's just the laptops. In the old days, that's what you did. In the really old days, portable computers weight 30 pounds.
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See, me as a gamer, if I am to switch to PC, I am going to build a standing tower unit, not no laptop. Sure you can game on a laptop such as that, but most gamers or truly heavy users (you all know who you are) will opt for a tower because that is where the true PC power still lies. Honestly to me a laptop such as that is anything but portable.

I am will to go back to a 2015 gen MacBook Pro size laptop, but not back to an 8lb machine. That's more of a desktop machine than a "lap"top. Heck even a Mac Pro weighs only a few pounds more, but you don't see anyone trying to use it on their lap (maybe as a trash can... but that's a different story).

My daughter has both. An ASUS ROG and a tower that I built but she took it.

I have considered using a Mac Mini, Mechanical Keyboard, mouse and portable 4K monitor.

I used to carry around a TKL Mechanical Keyboard but the problem was size, not weight. TKL Mechanical Keyboards typically weigh three pounds.

 

[Porkchop Sandwich]

The drive for thinness resulted in an unreliable, poorly satisfying, loud keyboard. They could have found middle ground by keeping a similar armature and increasing the key press strength.

Every problem these laptops are having, keyboard and flexgate, are a result of the thinness. 'Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn 't stop to think if they should."
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its meant as an exaggeration/joke - the number of people responding to it seriously really puts concern in my faith in society. some of you people vote.

So start a manufacturing company, and build a better laptop. The masses will follow, you'll be a hero!

 

[pshufd]

So start a manufacturing company, and build a better laptop. The masses will follow, you'll be a hero!

No need. The market response is Hackintosh.

 

[Porkchop Sandwich]

No need. The market response is Hackintosh.

Okay, make it "just work" (without bugs), put it all in a much more palatable form factor, and sell it to the masses.

 

[pshufd]

Okay, make it "just work" (without bugs), put it all in a much more palatable form factor, and sell it to the masses.

I have a 2008 Dell XPS Studio (quad-core i7, 14 GB RAM, two SSDs) running Windows 10. It would be nice if it were running macOS. I have a 2008 17 inch MacBook Pro with a dead screen too. I'm trying to decide which machine should go on my desk with a KVM.

 

[Perezx]

As long as “Pro” in MBP stands for “Professional”, it means extended demands on reliability, upgradeability and robustness. Even for the price of weight or “modern look”. Any professional tool looks a bit hulky.
If I pay money for Pro, then I expect that it will work fine in +40C environment. Will use both 100% CPU and 100% GPU when I need, without the pathetic speeches like “this is not typical scenario and you have exceeded the TDP”. And if I need more storage or RAM - I should be able to just add it.
And if, for some reason, my MBP is broken, it have to be repairable.
If I need lightweight then, probably, I should buy Air. Or, maybe, “Macbook Hipster Edition”.

 

[MBAir2010]

Currently Apple couldn't find it's ass with both hands,

Things Debora Morgan would say while using her brother Dexter’s 2007 macbook pro!

 

[Ploki]

2015 13” form factor works well for me. Smaller than the 2015 would be fine, but not at the cost of functionality and performance.

tbh i'm super happy with 13" 2018, i dont miss anything functionally and performance is great.

can't say so for the 15"

 

[Perezx]

tbh i'm super happy with 13" 2018, i dont miss anything functionally and performance is great.

can't say so for the 15"

The only thing to say - it's not a Pro machine.
When I look at MBP'18 and MBA'18 I have a feeling like somebody will ask me to find 10 differences...

 

[jinnyman]

You know, I honestly don't understand why Apple's trying to limit the variation in laptops given that they do all sort of crazy variation in iPad.

The current trend is bigger and thinner. Apple cannot give up on this, but they do this in weird way by making only one model. Divide thinner ultrabook like 15" from Pro machine and make a true workstation for working people then problem solved. If Touch Bar is so nice for general population, make them available in 15" thinner model, but not on workstation.
It can be easily done, and since all iOS development is must on Mac, Apple is pretty much obliged to make a workstation model anyway. So why the hell aren't they do it?

My solution

- 13" & 15" thinner, and trendy, nice with less TDP quad core CPU and they can even make it more thinner.
- 15" or whatever 16.5" workstation laptop with heavy hexa core CPU and true dedicated graphic, user replaceable RAM and SSD and problem solved.

 

[joeswamp]

Exactly. What they need to do is create two product lines:

1) Crazy thin laptops that are horribly unreliable and hard to type on.
2) Slightly thicker laptops that don't break and have usable keyboards, batteries and SSD drives that aren't soldered on, etc.

 

[Ploki]

The only thing to say - it's not a Pro machine.
When I look at MBP'18 and MBA'18 I have a feeling like somebody will ask me to find 10 differences...

I can connect top of the line thunderbolt 3 audio interface and the CPU handles much more than any previous 15" machine ever.

What exactly isn't pro about it?

 

[pshufd]

Exactly. What they need to do is create two product lines:

1) Crazy thin laptops that are horribly unreliable and hard to type on.
2) Slightly thicker laptops that don't break and have usable keyboards, batteries and SSD drives that aren't soldered on, etc.

Very funny.

They'd probably sell more of the Crazy Thin Laptops.

 

[Roger1079]

I am wondering if you are saying that just to justify your purchase, or would you think the same even if you didn't buy this years MBP...


You are basically saying that Apple shall not listen to customer feedback?

I don't read his post as him trying to justify anything at all. Apple is an American company and what he described is the essence of a free market under Capitalism. If Apple chooses to manufacture products against what consumers want, consumers are free to buy products that better align with their needs.

As far as the OP's question, no I don't think they should make the products thicker. USB-C hubs exist that add all the necessary ports and more without adding any bulk to the machine. For me, I only need ethernet connectivity on occasion and USB-A for my flash drives also on occasion. I also value a machine that is slim and lightweight (relative to other similarly equipped laptops), has a dedicated GPU, and a 15" screen. What I stated above is nothing more than my opinion and what works in my particular case, however I know I'm not alone.

Back to my original point, for those unlike me where the 15" MacBook Pro doesn't work well, there are other options. If enough people decide to not buy that particular model and sales suffer, Apple will have to adjust the product to accomodate if they want it to remain relevant and competitive.
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Dave Lee has always come off as very fair to Apple imo.

I’d be ok with going a tiny bit thicker. The thing I’d be most against is a weight gain. Macs of all types have always been thin and light and pushed the envelope when it comes to thin and light. If Apple didn’t keep pushing the envelope, the laptop market overall probably wouldn’t be as thin and light and portable as it is now. I’m encouraging this choice that Apple makes.

However, there definitely seems to be some quality issues or compromises that resulted in this generation (stage lighting, keyboard, throttling), whether it was a result of the thinness or not. I actually love the butterfly keyboards more than any other keyboard design, but I wish they would find a way to make it as reliable as their pre-butterfly keyboards.

Coming from a 2009 MacBook Pro 13, 2011 MacBook Air 13, and most recently a 2014 MacBook Pro 15, the keyboard on the 2018 MacBook Pro 15 felt awful in comparison. I've had it about a month now and although it doesn't have the same solid feedback the previous keyboard had, I've gotten used to it and it is no longer an issue for me.