Forward Thinking. Going Backwards.

[aristobrat]

My assumption is that it would have been less expensive than the entry level retina MacBook Pro, but with Apple you can't really tell anymore.

With the 13" retina MacBook Pros, Apple seems to have three models:

$1299 = 128GB SSD "good"
$1499 = 256GB SSD "better"
$1799 = 512GB SSD "best"

With the retina MacBook, they only have two models:

$1299 = 256GB SSD "better"
$1499 = 512GB SSD "best"

For whatever, reason, they didn't start the retina MacBook out with a cheaper "good" model.

So when you compare the "better" and "best" models between the MacBook and 13" retina MacBook Pros, the MacBooks are $200 cheaper.

 

[nrubenstein]

With the 13" retina MacBook Pros, Apple seems to have three models:

$1299 = 128GB SSD "good"
$1499 = 256GB SSD "better"
$1799 = 512GB SSD "best"

With the retina MacBook, they only have two models:

$1299 = 256GB SSD "better"
$1499 = 512GB SSD "best"

For whatever, reason, they didn't start the retina MacBook out with a cheaper "good" model.

So when you compare the "better" and "best" models between the MacBook and 13" retina MacBook Pros, the MacBooks are $200 cheaper.

I'm guessing that the margins aren't so great on the MacBook at the moment. For the next iteration, they will probably have a "good" option at a lower price point. It'll be very interesting, IMHO, to see how long the Air stays around and in what form factors. I can't imagine the 11" Air surviving for very long. ...and if they engineer a little weight out of the rMBP, there won't be much reason other than price point for the 13" Air to exist, either.

 

[johngwheeler]

Design is all about compromise

I mean no offence personally, but I wish Apple were betting there were more 'me's' out there. For the sake of a few millimetres we lose wired connectivity and the chance of battery life rivalled by none.

We lost customisability with the Mac Pro because of 'Style over substance'.

We had one flappy usb port in the original Air for the same reason.

Old and New iPhones struggle to hold their charge and bend when put under forcible pressure by fat guys on youtube and sometimes on their own, again, because they are thinner than a pencil. What a difference a millimetre makes.

The same goes for most companies products these days as they follow Apples lead in the quest for slender deliciousness. Our computing/phone use ends up suffering as a consequence and I struggle to see why so few people actually get that.

Anyone reading this is going to think I have some kind of vendetta but I don't... All I ask is that things stop getting thinner and start becoming at least longer lasting in the battery department since the cry for ports for the new MacBook is wasted as it is already here.

In any case, I might just have to take the good words for it and go try it out since its probably my only option and I really REALLY don't want a windows machine.

#endwhine

I imagine, and hope, that Apple considers all of their design consideration when creating a new product. They have to work within the physical limitations of the available materials and components, and decide on the "balance" between features. In the case of the rMB, they have clearly weighed up the unprecented (for Apple at least) lightweight design against battery life and performance.

I expect someone asked: "what would be the minimum acceptable battery life?" - 8 hours? 10? OK, if we go for 8 hours, how much battery do we need? How thick and heavy will this make it? Bear in mind that if Apple turned out a machine identical to an Asus or Lenovo, they wouldn't have the "wow factor", and would sell less, so yes, there is a real commercial driver in the decisions.

Now you may argue that if it were 1mm thicker that battery life could be 10 hours, which would be better for everyone. Not necessarily. If Apple's research indicated that typical users only require 6 hours unplugged, what advantage would they have in designing for 10 hours?

This is also why I beleive the MBA didn't get updated to retina displays. If the MBA 13 suddenly dropped to 7-8 hours battery (from its current 12+), then millions of potential buyers would be put off (provided they knew about the current specs!). Apple wasn't prepared to make that compromise, and so moved forward with a new design. It's first generation, so not optimal. Skylake will be better, and future generations better still. It just takes time.

 

[rittchard]

I find it odd how many of these threads seem to imply Apple has some bizarre personal vendetta against certain classes of users. Now had they immediately discontinued the MBA and MBP lines when introducing the rMB, sure I could understand, but all they've done is present a new potential forward vision. It's pretty much a repeat of all the griping we saw when the MBA came out. I remember the same stuff: it's too "sexy" (all Apple cares about is superficial outer looks), it's too expensive, it's not powerful enough, it gets too hot, etc etc - and yet look where that design eventually went. Every major manufacturer has tried to copy the design and the entire laptop industry has followed in the trend of creating more mobile and user friendly devices.

For me the thinness is an avenue to lighter weight, and I think as time has passed, people start to forget what a blessing that is. I still remember the old days where carrying a halfway decent laptop meant a minimum of 6-8 pounds + charger, etc, not to mention how awkward it was to use on a plane or in bed. The new Macbook is light and balanced enough (without compromising stability) to use literally in the palm of one hand while typing on another. It's definitely crossing over somewhat into tablet territory - but with a top class keyboard and trackpad experience. So when I sit it down at any table or desk, I have a full Mac to work with. Plus I can still play freaking Diablo 3 on it lol!

As others have noted, and as Apple has shown time and again (just go back to the original MBA threads and compare the discussions, and then look at where the MBA is now), engineering and design are all about making a series of compromises into the best product possible. Contrary to the OP's title, this is what forward thinking and engineering development is all about.

 

[ucfgrad11]

.

But yes, due to the weak exchange rates Macs have become substantially more expensive in Europe, which however is hardly Apple's fault.

You could price the computer in Euro's what you price in USD. Isn't there some Big Mac (yes, McDonald's) chart about this?

 

[nrubenstein]

This is also why I beleive the MBA didn't get updated to retina displays. If the MBA 13 suddenly dropped to 7-8 hours battery (from its current 12+), then millions of potential buyers would be put off (provided they knew about the current specs!).

No. Apple is claiming that the 12" display draws *less* power. They didn't update the Airs because they are a price point play that they are just eating margin on.

 

[iRun26.2]

This may or may not be a new thought from a user of Mac Rumours* (My British Mac auto corrected that) but I can't help but think Apple are thinking to the future of computing before we are actually ready to step in that direction.

I know somebody has to make the first move, but this Macbook has hopped, skipped and jumped head first forward in its thinness and beauty and about a century backwards in time with regard to usefulness.

Think form over function, for instance. The iPhone and iPad (to sync wirelessly) first needs to be connected via a wire to your computer of choice, so if you have an iPhone you need to add a dongle to your basket right away. That instantly says to me that the future isn't wireless after all.

A 'Find My iPhone Over Wifi Via iTunes' feature would have been well implemented, but Apple skipped that part of forward thinking.

This obviously isn't a major issue for all, but I feel a little cheated. I could sacrifice thinness for ports and battery life that could potentially last for days, not to mention the space for more logic board and a fan, because is silent computing actually useful if the machine crawls as some suggest it does at times?

I hope the obsession with being thin or small soon dies so we can gain back some of the speed and usefulness of our Macs.

Thinness and smallness will definitely continue. Apple will lead the way.

 

[iRun26.2]

I mean no offence personally, but I wish Apple were betting there were more 'me's' out there. For the sake of a few millimetres we lose wired connectivity and the chance of battery life rivalled by none.

We lost customisability with the Mac Pro because of 'Style over substance'.

We had one flappy usb port in the original Air for the same reason.

Old and New iPhones struggle to hold their charge and bend when put under forcible pressure by fat guys on youtube and sometimes on their own, again, because they are thinner than a pencil. What a difference a millimetre makes.

The same goes for most companies products these days as they follow Apples lead in the quest for slender deliciousness. Our computing/phone use ends up suffering as a consequence and I struggle to see why so few people actually get that.

Anyone reading this is going to think I have some kind of vendetta but I don't... All I ask is that things stop getting thinner and start becoming at least longer lasting in the battery department since the cry for ports for the new MacBook is wasted as it is already here.

In any case, I might just have to take the good words for it and go try it out since its probably my only option and I really REALLY don't want a windows machine.

#endwhine

I'm sorry you're unhappy with the direction in thinness that Apple is taking. I'm overjoyed with their products and happily purchase them.