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Is there any demand for the 17" MBP?

SchuettS said:
In my opinion, notebooks are supposed to be portable and 17" is pushing it. I personally wouldn't go above 15" and just get an external monitor if needed.
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You mean 17" is the limit, because there have been PC notebooks who push it and it is just ridiculous to say the least, because :apple: didn't design it.

The 17" MBP is simply perfect and a true marvel, an awesome marriage of sleek, professional, portable and screen size. It is the original MBP and will always be.

The machines Apple are now pushing out like hot cakes, are just that, with lots of frosting and syrup.

The 17" MBP is in no means "ultra portable" but it remains very portable for what it is, compared to the other 17" notebooks out there because most of those are strictly gaming units which stays anchored at home just like the bottoms of the gamers.

Since late 2006 I have been carrying my 17" MBP everywhere, traveling, touring, gigging, field recording, video making, love making etc etc etc, it is everywhere - one of the best tools of the trade for me. She is still working hard for me this early 2007 17" MBP.

These machines are already thin enough since the unibody design, the retina macbook design is the thinnest it can go before it is just so ridiculous.

If you want to talk about portable, I would go straight to the eyefone and just use it and keep my 17" at home, you know what I mean? What doesn't the eyephone do now a days?

But I hate fones, I like free universal wifi for all humans.

Thank you.
 
sold one early this year for a very good price
the 17 is a niche, but there is a very loyal user base, and commands solid resale values. I, for one would buy one in a heart beat if a retina version came out..

Resale value may be affected by the increase in 17s in the Apple refurb stores, but you'd be surprised how many people aren't aware of this.

Good luck!
 
I adore my MBP 17. My previous mid-2009 one was going strong, and I expected to keep it for another year, but when it was discontinued I had to buy the latest one. I've maxed it out (and will swap the hard drives for 1Tb SSDs once that becomes affordable, in a year or so, probably) and keep it for as long as possible.

I do agree that a MBP 17 will probably return once a retina version becomes feasible. I certainly hope so - there is no substitute for screen real estate, and an iMac isn't something you can use on a train or plane.
 
Assimilated said:
I do agree that a MBP 17 will probably return once a retina version becomes feasible. I certainly hope so - there is no substitute for screen real estate, and an iMac isn't something you can use on a train or plane.
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If Apple would release a 17" rMBP next year, I'd sell my 15" rMBP immediately!
 
My favorite thread right now!

This is my favorite thread right now, people conversing about really meaningful and productive things. I salute you all !
 
lovetamarav said:
I have a late 2011 17" Macbook Pro. It's a great machine, but I find that I don't need the huge screen now that I've been editing on my iMac instead. I looked into trading it in through Apple's recycle program but the price they offer is ridiculously low IMO. Is there still any kind of demand for these machines on eBay or anywhere else?
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Yes there is.

Try craigslist and ebay.

Lots of people prefer screen real estate over screen resolution.
 
If you really, really want the 17" to come back I would drop a polite and earnest email to Tim. Tell him how much you like the product, why you think it would fit in Apple's line up, ask him to consider it, and then thank him.

I still believe in my heart that we have not seen the last of the 17" MBP. I think as the technology become available, a 17" MBPr will be released. I always felt if the 17" wasn't that big of a seller than make it BTO so customers who want it can special order it which would save money on making stock 17" MBPs.


Cheers!
-P
 
We just bought our 1st Macbook and 17" was the only size we considered. We aren't into editing or anything like that.....just have always preferred the bigger screen. I'm sure Apple will wait until the rumble is loud enough and the retina 17" will make an appearance.
 
It is clear...

It is clear that it is only just a matter of time before Apple unveils their new 17" Macbook Pro. They are wiping out the 'current' line and replacing them all with the retina technology, the 17" inch has always been Apple's top of the line MacBook Pro which set the ultimate standard in portable computing for the industry, so they will bring it back and blow the world away in awe once again.

I am all for that day to come and will get one as I have already started saving up for one!
 
vpro said:
It is clear that it is only just a matter of time before Apple unveils their new 17" Macbook Pro. They are wiping out the 'current' line and replacing them all with the retina technology, the 17" inch has always been Apple's top of the line MacBook Pro which set the ultimate standard in portable computing for the industry, so they will bring it back and blow the world away in awe once again.

I am all for that day to come and will get one as I have already started saving up for one!
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Exactly how is it clear? Have they made an announcement making this clear or do you have an inside source that has revealed this to you? Your logic is flawed because the advent of retina models did not followed by their removal from the market in the case of 13" and 15" models. In fact, they have retained the cMBP of each size. I see no logic that would imply the removal of a 17" model would be followed by a retina version replacement.

The 17" has always been Apple's SLOWEST selling MacBook which makes it more likely that they will NOT be bringing it back.
 
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I love my Mid-2010 17" with Anti-Glare. I'm still holding out for a 17" rMBP, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. :(
 
vpro said:
Here in Canada there is an Apple resaler who takes in your pristine mac and gives you up to 1500 in store credit towards your new machine!!!!! I did it for my one of my nephews, got him a 64GB 4th gen iPad recently. Looks something like that up nearest you!

All the best!
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Which resaler?
 
Wow maybe I should consider selling my 17" MBP. I could easily get away with a 13" rMBP on my current workload.
 
Here is the way I think of my 17"

17"ers are like nice wool hiking socks. When you play with them in the store you can't figure out why people like them but after you go for an all day hike you understand.
 
Geckotek said:
Your logic is flawed because the advent of retina models did not followed by their removal from the market in the case of 13" and 15" models. In fact, they have retained the cMBP of each size. I see no logic that would imply the removal of a 17" model would be followed by a retina version replacement.
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Apple likes simplicity. They want one, clear top-of-the-range machine. At the moment, a retina MBP 17 isn't technically possible (at least, at any even halfway sensible price). They didn't want a rMBP 15 and cMBP17 sitting as competitors for the top-of-the-range slot, so the MBP 17 is gone for now.

My guess is it will return when a rMBP 17 is feasible. Remember, it was slow-selling for *years* and they kept it because it was an important machine to many people who had a whole bunch of Apple kit.
 
Assimilated said:
Apple likes simplicity. They want one, clear top-of-the-range machine. At the moment, a retina MBP 17 isn't technically possible (at least, at any even halfway sensible price). They didn't want a rMBP 15 and cMBP17 sitting as competitors for the top-of-the-range slot, so the MBP 17 is gone for now.

My guess is it will return when a rMBP 17 is feasible. Remember, it was slow-selling for *years* and they kept it because it was an important machine to many people who had a whole bunch of Apple kit.
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I still don't see how this is clear. There is nothing clear about it, this is all conjecture.
 
Not clear...

Assimilated said:
Apple likes simplicity. They want one, clear top-of-the-range machine. At the moment, a retina MBP 17 isn't technically possible (at least, at any even halfway sensible price). They didn't want a rMBP 15 and cMBP17 sitting as competitors for the top-of-the-range slot, so the MBP 17 is gone for now.

My guess is it will return when a rMBP 17 is feasible. Remember, it was slow-selling for *years* and they kept it because it was an important machine to many people who had a whole bunch of Apple kit.
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Geckotek said:
I still don't see how this is clear. There is nothing clear about it, this is all conjecture.
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The only thing that is clear is it is unclear, we can all speculate all we want, the 17" Macbook PRO will return, I have all my bets on it.

Also, I wanted to include this, a really good read from our friendly Apple communities board, I'm just gonna quote a little bit of a larger piece someone contributed on there:


Given the prices that Apple charges, it is highly unlikely that the company was losing money on the 17 inch. But it probably was not making as much as it did on higher selling items. The Steve Jobs philosophy seemed to be focused on making the best product and establishing a reputation as a leader. Having the 17 inch model strengthened their reputation. This would help to increase laptop sales overall. The 13 inch MBP was about half the price of the 17 inch. So of course it sold more. But the presence of the 17 inch, considered by many to be the best laptop in the world, almost certainly enhanced the reputation of the 13 and 15 inch MBP's and helped to increase sales of these models.

- from discussion: "retina display for 17 inch macbook pro"

So to conclude... We have to continue to remember how portable the 17" MBP is when compared to other 17" notebooks in the market today, there is no rival ever and so you can't compare portability between the MBPs at all - that just doesn't make sense. We're then just talking about personal preference at that point if we do that.

Thanks.
 
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Geckotek said:
I still don't see how this is clear. There is nothing clear about it, this is all conjecture.
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Of course (and I'm not the one saying it's clear it will return, I just think that's the most likely outcome).

----------
vpro said:
So to conclude... We have to continue to remember how portable the 17" MBP is when compared to other 17" notebooks in the market today
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Very true: exterior dimensions and weight are on a par with a typical 15.4-inch Windows laptop.
 
vpro said:
It is clear that it is only just a matter of time before Apple unveils their new 17" Macbook Pro. They are wiping out the 'current' line and replacing them all with the retina technology, the 17" inch has always been Apple's top of the line MacBook Pro which set the ultimate standard in portable computing for the industry, so they will bring it back and blow the world away in awe once again.

I am all for that day to come and will get one as I have already started saving up for one!
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I recall talk in the media last January that Apple was developing a 17" MBA model. Since they eliminated the superdrive and some of the other peripherals, maybe it is not so much science fiction and perhaps an eventual reality!!
 
We wont settle for just enough.

No we wont, we will not settle for just enough, 15" is not big enough, 17" was the PRO standard and shall continue to be what we the Pro users demand as the greatest expectation of Apple. We do not settle. We expect the best to be upheld and only the 17" MacBook Pro is the way.

Thank you.
 
vpro said:
No we wont, we will not settle for just enough, 15" is not big enough, 17" was the PRO standard and shall continue to be what we the Pro users demand as the greatest expectation of Apple. We do not settle. We expect the best to be upheld and only the 17" MacBook Pro is the way.

Thank you.
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Dude it's just a computer. I love Computers as much as anyone (especially Macs) but you're acting like the "much anticipated return" of the 17" MacBook Pro is the next coming of Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, is it really that big of a deal if 15" is the largest option? Technology is at a stage where smaller is better. That's just the way it is right now and I personally don't see that changing anytime soon.
 
I don't know if I'd want a 17" Retna if they removed the optical and express card slot. They can tout the magical stuff they want but I want to burn disks and have the expandability of express card.
 
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