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Does the 17" MacBook Pro Have a Future in the Next Revision?

Will the 17" be revised?

  • Yes

    Votes: 78 86.7%

  • No-it will no longer be sold

    Votes: 5 5.6%

  • No-the old model will stay available for sale.

    Votes: 3 3.3%

  • The new line up will feature different screen sizes from in the past

    Votes: 4 4.4%
  • Total voters
    90
appleguy123

appleguy123

macrumors 604
Original poster
Apr 1, 2009
6,873
2,589
15 minutes in the future
Do you think that the 17" willdisc revised with the new MBP's design revision?
I have a feeling that it won't. When Apple revised the chasis of the other models with SD card support, the 17" model was left out. When unibodies came out, the 17" was delayed.
It seems that the 17" is somewhat antithetical to Apple's new image of thin, sleek products. It makes me fear that it might be discontinued. I don't know what I would do if that happened.
 
Last edited:
appleguy123 said:
Do you think that the 17" will be discontinued with the new MBP's design revision?
I have a feeling that it won't.
Click to expand...
Make up your mind?


When Apple revised the chasis of the other models with SD card support, the 17" model was left out.
Click to expand...
The ExpressCard slot in the 17" is a way to force people to buy the 17" if they want the ExpressCard slot, as an SD card slot is stupid, as it limits its uses.
I bought the 17" because of that, as the 15" I had was stolen and I wanted that slot (and Anti Glare). Even if it wouldn't have an ExpressCard slot, I still would buy the 17", as it offers quite a good resolution for its size. My 20" iMac only has 1680 x 1050 pixel to offer.


When unibodies came out, the 17" was delayed.
Click to expand...
Design and/or manufacturing issues.


It seems that the 17" is somewhat antithetical to Apple's new image of thin, sleek products.
Click to expand...
It is still thin and is hardly bigger than the 15".

It makes me fear that it might be discontinued. I don't know what I would do if that happened.
Click to expand...
There are a lot of 17" users and I even saw one or two in the wild.
I doubt the 17" will be discontinued.
 
I'll be brave enough to humbly speculate that the 17" may not be offered in the re-design. This is due to the following if it ends up to be true:

Like most people, I expect Apple to get rid of the optical drive in the re-design. However, I think that Apple will "make use" of some of the saved spaces of not including optical drives by shrinking down the breadth of the MBPs & incorporate 16:9 screens instead of 16:10 screens. If true, this will likely mean that the MBPs may be sporting 13.1", 15.6", & 18.4" screens or something similar along those lines.

Of course, the above are only just my speculation & given my horrible previous prediction record, it most likely will never happen. :eek:
 
Until thunderclap comes out with some decent docks that let you plug in whatever you want (sort of how it was billed) then the 17" Beastbook Max + Expresscard will remain the only choice for pro users in certain industries.

And what on earth are you talking about ? "antithetical to Apple's new image of thin, sleek products"

lolwut?

It's a pound or so heavier than the 15" and only ~2 inch larger footprint.
 
appleguy123 said:
Do you think that the 17" willdisc revised with the new MBP's design revision?
I have a feeling that it won't. When Apple revised the chasis of the other models with SD card support, the 17" model was left out. When unibodies came out, the 17" was delayed.
It seems that the 17" is somewhat antithetical to Apple's new image of thin, sleek products. It makes me fear that it might be discontinued. I don't know what I would do if that happened.
Click to expand...

Along with the Expressslot, another unique strong point to the 17" model is the sumptuous screen and resolution of 1920x1200.

I think it will remain, as a premium model. I'll keep buying.
 
Eddyisgreat said:
Until thunderclap comes out with some decent docks that let you plug in whatever you want (sort of how it was billed) then the 17" Beastbook Max + Expresscard will remain the only choice for pro users in certain industries.

And what on earth are you talking about ? "antithetical to Apple's new image of thin, sleek products"

lolwut?

It's a pound or so heavier than the 15" and only ~2 inch larger footprint.
Click to expand...
I've had 2 of them. I love them. I certainly don't hate the product, it just doesn't seem like Apple. I repeatedly get comments about how huge the product is.
thermodynamic said:
Along with the Expressslot, another unique strong point to the 17" model is the sumptuous screen and resolution of 1920x1200.

I think it will remain, as a premium model. I'll keep buying.
Click to expand...

Me too. As long as the price doesn't go up more, I'll keep buying them. I hope they'll stay 16:10 though.
 
appleguy123 said:
I repeatedly get comments about how huge the product is.
Click to expand...

<guytalk>
So do I , but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.
</guytalk>

I mean, the 27" ACD is several times the resolution than the 11" MBA, but there are things that just can't be done on such a small screen. Likewise, you can't take the 27" into cramped bathrooms and crawl spaces. Doesn't make the other less/more adequate.
 
IMO the 13" MBP is more at risk of getting axed due to its MBA competitor. The air is only going to get more powerful, and when Apple remove the OD from their MBPs the 13" MBP will be dangerously similar to the air. When that happens I'll either have to get an 13" MBA or a 15" MBP. It'll be a hard choice!

EDIT: If they remove the 17" MBP, then when the 13" needs to be axed there'll only be a 15" left. IMO when it comes to that they should make a 14" and a 16" MBP :)
 
mrsir2009 said:
IMO the 13" MBP is more at risk of getting axed due to its MBA competitor. The air is only going to get more powerful, and when Apple remove the OD from their MBPs the 13" MBP will be dangerously similar to the air. When that happens I'll either have to get an 13" MBA or a 15" MBP. It'll be a hard choice!

EDIT: If they remove the 17" MBP, then when the 13" needs to be axed there'll only be a 15" left. IMO when it comes to that they should make a 14" and a 16" MBP :)
Click to expand...

I really want a 17" air. I don't need power, I just enjoy a large screen.
 
mrsir2009 said:
IMO the 13" MBP is more at risk of getting axed due to its MBA competitor. The air is only going to get more powerful, and when Apple remove the OD from their MBPs the 13" MBP will be dangerously similar to the air. When that happens I'll either have to get an 13" MBA or a 15" MBP. It'll be a hard choice!
Click to expand...

This has been going around for ages.

No macbook, too many 13" laptops

No macbook pro, too many 13" laptops

Blah.

The MBP13 will be around forever and will always be able to distinguish itself from the MBA13.
 
The MacBook Pro 13" is Apple's best selling MPB. The air and 13'' Pro are two completely different laptops at the moment. The Air is the netbook of MacBooks, its super portable, but its not powerful enough, and unless i5 and i7 processors, Large SSDs, and EVERY program that is made for the Mac, the Air will not take over the 13'' MPB. Its gonna take a while before all that is available, and affordable at the same time. The current Airs are just as expensive and have specs from 2 years ago expect for the display.
 
Al Coholic said:
This has been going around for ages.

No macbook, too many 13" laptops

No macbook pro, too many 13" laptops

Blah.

The MBP13 will be around forever and will always be able to distinguish itself from the MBA13.
Click to expand...

Who knows? Maybe Apple will drop the 13" MBP & offer a 12" MBP. :eek: That way, Apple will have 11" (MBA), 12" (MBP), & 13" (White MB &/or MBA)! :p Different sizes for different people/needs! :D Each one of them has got a different flavor (config/built/size) too! :p
 
I'd say maybe Apple will offer a netbook but they already do...take an iPad, put it in a flip case, and enjoy your netbook.
 
Al Coholic said:
This has been going around for ages.

No macbook, too many 13" laptops

No macbook pro, too many 13" laptops

Blah.

The MBP13 will be around forever and will always be able to distinguish itself from the MBA13.
Click to expand...

I disagree. As soon as the MBP drops the ODD the lines may blur too much.

In SB we have desktop replacement grade CPUs an internal storage capacities are already over and above JoeAverage's needs.

The way I see it:
iPad
11" MBA
13" MBA
15" MBA
15" MBP
17" MBP
 
Santabean2000 said:
I disagree. As soon as the MBP drops the ODD the lines may blur too much.

In SB we have desktop replacement grade CPUs an internal storage capacities are already over and above JoeAverage's needs.

The way I see it:
iPad
11" MBA
13" MBA
15" MBA
15" MBP
17" MBP
Click to expand...

I doubt the 15" MBA because the MBA is supposed to be portable(or extra portable for those people who think the 15" MBP is portable) and for most of us, the 15" screen size is not portable compared to 13" and 11"

Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge is more expected in the next MBA refresh though.

But who knows? I dont work inside of apple. And only about 100 +/- inside apple knows about whats actually going on!
 
Al Coholic said:
The MBP13 will be around forever and will always be able to distinguish itself from the MBA13.
Click to expand...

It'll be a lot harder once the optical drive goes and it gets thinner and redesigned. Plus when the ix processors go into the MBAs there'll be almost no difference between the two. Apple will then have to axe one of them, unless there is a radical MBP 13" redesign!
 
Wirelessly posted (Johnny iphone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

I love my 17" 2011 MBP - I don't need a expresscard slot- as I can't find any working usb3 cards for them! I love the display and improved GPU when compared to my 2010 MBP 2010 base model! No competition!

Replacement if the ODD for a second Sata 3 hdd allowing raid0 of x2 mercury 6Gs
Would be awesome! TB bluray would be nice for when I need an optical drive and for bluray use in mac osx
 
I do not think the 17" will be discontinued. People want "big" laptops, so Apple provides a product for that niche. Wondering whether the 17" will be discounted is speculation at best. IMHO :D
 
mrsir2009 said:
It'll be a lot harder once the optical drive goes and it gets thinner and redesigned. Plus when the ix processors go into the MBAs there'll be almost no difference between the two. Apple will then have to axe one of them, unless there is a radical MBP 13" redesign!
Click to expand...

The OD may go in the MBP13 but all the other performance boosts will stay. Some will be added. Indeed, the OD may stay a lot longer than people think. Now that Apple has decided we are stupid and no longer need discrete graphics there's room for it to stay.

The 13" MBA on the other hand will always be thinner and lighter with all the inherent problems associated with its smaller size. It will have less ports, no backlight keyboard, short battery life, be closed to upgrades and of course will always have a processor so far behind anything in the 15" model that a MBP13 will always be in demand. There will be just too much of a gap between the 13" Air and 15" MBP.

There is room for 2 "high end" and very distinct 13" laptop designs. No need to drop anything.

If anything goes it will be the macbook marshmallow.

Edit: To stay on topic the 17" will stay.
 
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