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Hypothetical Future of Apple's Laptop Offerings

Will0827

Will0827

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2008
155
17
With the Retina Macbook being sort of a peek into what the future of macbook in my opinion. What would guys think of apple only offering two laptop models along an iPad pro. With the Macbook creating a space between the air and the 13"RMPB, i envision apple getting rid of the Air line & 13" RMBP and only offering the Macbook as the smaller screened laptop and the 15" RMBP for the lager screened laptop.

Some reasons for this thinking
  • Thin out product line
  • Intel Core I processors are getting smaller & more energy efficient. This would allow a future iteration of the Retina Macbook to have a processor comparable to the one currently in the MBA and retain it's design
  • USB type c would allow for all products to smaller & thinner anyway so a RMBA with usb c is essentially what the new Macbook is now, just with more ports, which would presumably be added to the future Macbook update.
  • Should apple adopt smaller bezzle ala the XPS 13, the 13" Macbook would be similar in size to the 11" air & the 15" around the size or slighty larger as the current 13" (only assuming it would pan out this way)
  • The "iPad Pro" could take the place of the 11" MBA

Obviously this is all hypothetical and nothing more then speculative chatter but hey isn't everything. Would love to hear your guys & gals thoughts.
 
hypothetical imperatives = no

you should buy apple because you love apple, not because of any consequence or gain from doing so. be a true zombie.

categorical imperatives = yes
 
I doubt 13" rMBP will be discontinued. Many people need laptops' ports to connect the machines to other devices like external screens, audio interfaces, etc. 13" rMBP is a volume seller for those who need to have those functionalities and performance. I rarely see new 15" rMBP's. Well, 15" models are a bit pricy...

Apple will probably go with consumer + pro lineup. The new rMB will be consumer product while rMBP will occupy pro market just like there is Mac Pro. I'm guessing prices for rMB will come down eventually.

I am not sure about MBA. If there is enough demand, Apple will continue selling them.
 
If anything gets discontinued, I'll bet it's the MacBook Air...

The 12" MacBook is both thinner and lighter weight than the current MBA and has a superior display. I don't think most of its target demographic is going to care about the low-power Core-M CPU that much.

The MBA is in an odd spot right now. It's no longer the darling it once was and the 2015 13" rMBP is a much better value than the top-spec'd 13" MBA. It sacrifices a tiny bit of battery life and is a tad heavier, but it's superior in practically every other way.
 
They would be stupid to discontinue the 13" rMBP. It's an excellent laptop for its price point. I know for my personal use once my late-2013 dies I would have to go back to Windows possibly or go iMac plus iPad Air. The 15" rMBP is just a little expensive and big for my use. As a student and future preschool teacher, I need affordable and portable. Anything to not have to use the crappy hybrids the preschool I work at got to replace the aging desktops.
 
ZBoater said:
I agree. The MBA's days are numbered...
Click to expand...

I agree. Give the rMB a couple of years. It will come down in price and displace the MBA completely. I would think the rMBP line will carry forward in both sizes, with some hardware changes like the new trackpad and USB C connections replacing USB A.
 
I think Air will be cancelled as well as the ancient cMBP. The Pro line could undergo a redesign along the lines of the new MacBook with a 14" and a 16" model with the same physical size as today and edge to edge screen.
 
Apple's computer line is too crowded, and with apple's questionable move to calling the new MB a MacBook instead of a MBA, it means the MBA as a brand is probably going to be cancelled.
 
maflynn said:
Apple's computer line is too crowded, and with apple's questionable move to calling the new MB a MacBook instead of a MBA, it means the MBA as a brand is probably going to be cancelled.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's what I've been saying. Their laptop offerings are very crowded, indeed.

Currently, we stand at:

The 12" rMB, offered in two base configurations, not including color options
The 11" MBA, offered in two base configurations
The 13" MBA, offered in two base configurations
The 13" cMBP (long overdue to be killed)
The 13" rMBP, offered in three base configurations
The 15" rMBP, offered in two base configurations

That's 12 base configurations for their laptop line alone. The 13" rMBP is quickly making the 13" MBA irrelevant from a price/performance standpoint. The upcoming 12" rMB will likely steal away most of the sales the 11" MBA once had, despite its high price tag. Remember, when the MBA debuted, it was very expensive for what it was, too - and people still bought it anyway.

To me, this all makes perfect sense: Streamline the entire lineup to simple MacBook and MacBook Pro lines by axing the "legacy" non-Retina models. Less SKUs to carry and manage, simple marketing.
 
The only reason the MBA is still in there is price. They aren't willing to price the new MacBook where it should be. That would be 800-1000 $ range. They could easily sell them there. The core-m ain't cheap but it isn't that expensive either and the rest isn't that expensive. The retina displays are becoming standard and not some expensive option.
Apple will discontinue the MBA once they have milked the cow enough. Being new and shiny they make it expensive but eventually they will drop the prices. Maybe they will even bring a MacBook with an Atom to get the price low but keep everything else the same and provide a serious incentive to upgrade. So they have the cheap options for those not willing to pay more. Or Intel will offer some cheaper core-m's with i5 like prices the next time around, which will offer the same result.
MBA is poor compared to all the competition the display is just not good enough anymore and good displays are both cheap enough and power efficient enough for there really not being any excuse for the MBA other than being the cheap Apple entry product.

The 13" retina will remain. With its ports and power advantage it is something different. Maybe a 17" will eventually show up but they won't drop the 13".
The MacBook will eventually get cheaper. It is brand new and the core-m isn't cheap while apple likes their big profit margin. It is essentially a tablet with a keyboard and can and should be price below 1000$, which I am sure it will. Then it will be just the cheap standard Macbook. The Air then being meaningless because not being the thinnest while being called Air is just stupid, so it will go, but first they milk the cow properly :D.
 
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