Apple did not add "pro" features to the 13", they simply downgraded the low-end 15" to the level of aluminum MacBook aka 13" MBP, and kept calling it a MacBook Pro.
I think you misunderstood me here. I said that that's what Phil Schiller said when he first introduced the first generation of 13" MacBook Pro, and I agree with you, he's wrong. As to why they introduced a crippled version of the 15" MacBook Pro that generation, I am clueless. All I know is that it is (save for an extra audio port and a larger screen) the same computer as that generation's high-end 13" and it has a different service manual than the other 15" models of that generation. Back to a bigger picture, my point is that Phil Schiller's original decision is more flawwed than either (a) the decision to make an Aluminum MacBook in the first place (in October 2008) or (b) the option that Apple has in dropping "Pro" from the title.
Why didn't Apple drop the "Pro" tag in April if it made sense back then? Why would they wait till now to drop it? It's also possible that Apple will make a new low-end 15" MBP like in June 2009 as the Intel IGP doesn't suck as much as it used to.
I think the reasoning there would be that they still had "NVIDIA" graphics, which from a marketing standpoint, means something. NVIDIA is known for decent graphics, even if what they're actually giving you in the 13" Pro is an IGP; and to be fair, the GeForce 320M is the best IGP I've ever used by far. Whereas putting "Intel graphics" makes it sound cheap from the getgo. "I pay $450 for laptops with Intel graphics, why am I paying $1200 for one with an Aluminum chasis and an Apple logo?", or so I'm guessing the logic would be. Sure, Sandy Bridge's IGP, on paper, looks to be the best IGP the company has ever produced, but it still doesn't beat the GeForce 320M, it only barely matches it. For customers that want this machine to be even remotely "Pro" that's pitiful, Sandy Bridge instead of Penryn or not. For customers of "MacBook" this is passable. For customers of "Mac mini" this is passable. Doing it to the 13" Pro makes the fact that said machine is a "MacBook Pro" that more ridiculous.
It's pointless to argue because we won't know until Apple updates MBPs. However, I would be ready to bet 100 bucks that the 13" MBP is here to stay.
You may very well be right. I'm not Phil Schiller or anyone else at marketing, so I'm only taking a stab based on my take on following them for years which may differ from yours. Though I do like a good debate, and again, you're not stupid and, as such, you don't say stupid things like half of the people here arguing to get rid of the optical drive in that endless topic battle. We'll see. Primarily, I just wanted to see you defend that stance as I don't think I've ever seen you clarify it and I've always been curious.
I think it's already been said that anyone doing a lot of disc burning for their profession would use an external with faster burning speed than the internal. You don't say what this profession is so I can't estimate whether you actually require a computer in the Pro line. People at a true "Pro" level wouldn't operate the way you suggest.
External burners are faster. This is why I have one attached to my current generation Mac mini Server which I use as a normal Mac with the client version of Snow Leopard. The Mac mini, if it absolutely has to be that small, is the only Mac other than the MacBook Air, that I see a justifiable reason to remove the optical drive from; it's designed to be stationary, but not all integrated like the iMac is. You're already plugging in an external display, and the thing is already small, is it an extra hassle to have an external ODD? Aside from not being able to use my eject key to eject the third-party burner, nope. Not at all. But last I checked, the point of a laptop wasn't accessorizing, it was convenience, and having me use an external optical drive to do the things that people on this forum just don't do or don't do as frequently is absurd. Get over the fact this forum isn't representative of computer users at large, get over the fact that the MacBook Pro (all three sizes of them) will never be a MacBook Air and move on. When our MacBook Pros have 3G and WiFi, and when every software title and movie is available for download, then and ONLY THEN will the optical drive disappear from a mainstream Mac. And last I checked, the MacBook Air and Mac mini Server don't fall into that category. (The Server should as it's kind of a steal, but whatevs.)
I'd rather they delay the MacBook Pro as much as they need, than release it with a faulty batch of bad chips that melt precisely one day after your warranty has expired.
They say "no moving parts = less chance of failure". I say "no moving parts = it fails in ways you can't even imagine or understand, for no apparent reason". And there's no way to fix it or prevent it, because everything in the computer is on a single board! I'm all for good design and less bulk, but I'd rather have a bulky computer that won't fail after one year and one day of use, than a super-slim one that surprises you with a new hardware failure every week.
This.
Who are you to decide what the "true Pro" is. A "pro" could mean simply that the consumer uses the computer in his profession. And that profession may be best served by not having to bring an external optical drive and cable to what ever job site he/she needs to use his/her computer. A traveler that needs to burn optical media will certainly find that the seat-back tray only holds a single laptop (barely), and not an external optical media reader/burner as well.
Cracks me up when people feel they are the expert for various definitions of other people's use of their own devices. And those users are wrong if they don't meet that "all knowing" person's definition. This includes statements such as "the iPad is not a computer", "no one needs blu-ray, everything is downloaded/streamed", "no one needs to use Data and voice at the same time", "the only reason you don't need simultaneous Data and Voice is because you have never had it" and of course, "you're not a "true Pro" unless . . . .
At times, I think we all need to get over ourselves and realize we are all different, and, when it comes to our personal needs and uses, usually correct. Most of us are not in need of being corrected by someone who does not walk in our shoes.
THIS! So much!
I'd like to see the 13" MacBook Pro get the same resolution as the 13" MacBook Air.
+1 (Or at least it should be an option like it is on the 15")
Sorry you personalized my post. The point I was trying to make was that different people have different levels of needs in a computer and that people with more basic computer needs shouldn't hold back features that are required for those with more intense needs. If they did, a "pro" line would have no value. It is generally agreed that anything called "Pro" is for someone with more intense needs than the average person. Has nothing to do with "profession". That's why there is Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro. You can't convince me that someone whose professional needs are generally limited to email, word processing and the occasional spreadsheet should be taken into account in designing a computer for the person who performs video editing, 3D modeling and serving HD movies on huge screens in convention centers. A person whose profession requires a lot of disc burning (I'd love to know what profession that is) should use a faster external drive or frankly, find a non-disc way of distributing/archiving content. Burning a bunch of discs one by one in an internal drive is not an efficient way of doing business so I don't think that's operating at a pro level, sorry.
Really, are a lot of people regularly burning discs on planes or in the back of taxis? C'mon. If they want to watch a movie, they can rent one from iTunes before they leave, like I do with my nano.
I don't want to HAVE to rent a movie I already own on DVD. That's both pointless and needless. I burn discs when my laptop is at a desk or table, which isn't necessarily in the back of a taxi or on an airplane, super convenient when I need to do it though, yet another reason why removing the optical drive would just be inconvenient.
I would have to assume they're going to keep a model with an optical drive. While most people hardly use it or could easily get by with an external, it is important for some people. Personally, I hardly ever use one and the extra space would be great for a bigger battery, hard drive, whatever really. I have used my drive maybe 30 times in the 3 years I've had my MBP.
Hopefully they would either lower the price of the MBP by a little or add a small feature in the MBP to justify a similar price. After all, you are buying a computer that could be upwards of 2.5-3k, $79 for a SuperDrive isn't really that outrageous. I for one would like the extra space to be utilized for something I'd use more than once every few months. But as I originally said, I can't see them completely wiping out the drive. I simply hope they don't discard it just to make the laptop more compact without utilizing the space. .95 inches thick is already quite thin.
Despite what everyone seems to think, that Apple has completely disregarded it's computer business, I believe they haven't forgotten about it. While we haven't heard much about Lion, there really isn't a whole lot to hear. The new features announced aren't really groundbreaking and it still won't be out for several months so why advertise it heavily when you have a tangible product such as the Verizon iPhone out now and iPad 2 coming soon. SJ and the execs are too smart to see the growth they've had in this segment and simply disregard the opportunity of continued profitability to pursue only iOS products.
The only thing I'll contest here is the notion that $79 for an external super-drive isn't outrageous. It's ridiculous when you can buy a better engineered drive from Asus for $30. $50 for Apple tax on an accessory that is almost guaranteed to fail over an alternative which isn't? No thanks. And sure Apple's internal optical drives are just as guaranteed to fail, but it's not like I can tell Apple to use Asus's drive instead.
