The Case for a $1500 15" MacBook in 2022

[avalon68]

I'm really enjoying it so far. I still prefer MacOS, but Windows 11 has been fine. The biggest attractions were the easily upgradeable RAM and storage, which enabled me to buy the base model with an eye to the future.

Ive been pleasantly surprised by Win 11. I still prefer MacOS, but I do think windows has improved a lot over the last few years. I miss things like continuity and immediate syncing with icloud, but tbh, not enough to pay for a 16inch pro. Just purchased space on google drive to try that out. I feel like Im cheating on apple, but they no longer seem to meet my needs

 

[lJoSquaredl]

My guess is they don't see a large enough customer demand to warrant the effort.

I know a ton of old people that do basic computing but just need the bigger screen size that sits low due to how their bifocal glasses work. I also know a ton of midwesterners using either a phone or 5-10+ year old desktop computer for most of the stuff, but I could see them snagging a cheaper Air with a big screen for basic tasks/movie watching/etc while doing stuff around the house. Yes the iPads kinda fill this role, but "why buy that I already have a big iPhone with iOS" is usually their response.

 

[darngooddesign]

...For $200 to $300, anyone can buy a 27-inch Dell QHD monitor. Why would they spend $500 to $700 on a larger MacBook Air?

Because I don't feel like moving the display from room to room and it keeps falling off my sofa.

 

[va1984]

I bought a 15" Surface Laptop 4 to test alongside this 16" MacBook Pro. Let me know if anyone would care to read some extended thoughts (I have lots!) and photo comparisons, I may have some time to kill over the next couple of days and could see myself making a post about this.

 

[venom600]

Just reading through this makes me think about the time Apple made the machine you want. The 14" iBook. Otherwise identical to the 12", but with a bigger battery and a bigger screen for a few bucks more. Apple has had this idea that a bigger screen means a higher end machine for decades, but that one time with the iBook G4 (and now the 14" Macbook Pro) they bucked that trend.

 

[MBAir2010]

imagine if  released a $699 MacBook LT with 8GB-!28ssd and a m.3 chip with a 1280 dpi screen
2 usb c ports and 3 months free +.
BUT
no one buys computers now

 

[darngooddesign]

Just reading through this makes me think about the time Apple made the machine you want. The 14" iBook. Otherwise identical to the 12", but with a bigger battery and a bigger screen for a few bucks more. Apple has had this idea that a bigger screen means a higher end machine for decades, but that one time with the iBook G4 (and now the 14" Macbook Pro) they bucked that trend.

The problem with the 14" iBook was that its screen was the same resolution so everything was more pixelated.

 

[va1984]

Apple has had this idea that a bigger screen means a higher end machine for decades, but that one time with the iBook G4 (and now the 14" Macbook Pro) they bucked that trend.

See, I don’t mind if it means “higher end”. It depends how they mean it. Between 2016-21 higher end meant slim and (relatively) light weight, therefore pretty ideal for professional users like myself and not ideal for CPU/GPU-hungry professionals. Now after one million YouTubers begged apple to make the machines thick and heavy and with retro ports…i hope Apple remembers there are plenty of others too.

For me personally, it’s not even about the price.

The 2021 16” MBP I have now is the base $2500 model.
I would buy an identical $2500 laptop with
1)M1 instead of M1 Pro,
2)no ProMotion,
3)no HDMI or card slots, and
4)a slightly dimmer screen…
…as long as it weights 1.5-1.6lbs and not 2.1.

 

[avalon68]

I bought a 15" Surface Laptop 4 to test alongside this 16" MacBook Pro. Let me know if anyone would care to read some extended thoughts (I have lots!) and photo comparisons, I may have some time to kill over the next couple of days and could see myself making a post about this.

Yeah, would definitely be interested to see what you think of it. It was one I considered at the time, but went with a different one in the end. Ended up with an LG gram, and it was between that and dell XPS 15inch. Figured Id give LG a try. Doesnt have the build quality of a macbook, but I really like the extra screen size.

 

[TechRunner]

Yeah, would definitely be interested to see what you think of it. It was one I considered at the time, but went with a different one in the end. Ended up with an LG gram, and it was between that and dell XPS 15inch. Figured Id give LG a try. Doesnt have the build quality of a macbook, but I really like the extra screen size.

We went the opposite way. I went with the XPS 15" over the LG. Do you like the Gram? It seemed like a really nice device when I was comparing the two.

 

[va1984]

Yeah, would definitely be interested to see what you think of it. It was one I considered at the time, but went with a different one in the end. Ended up with an LG gram, and it was between that and dell XPS 15inch. Figured Id give LG a try. Doesnt have the build quality of a macbook, but I really like the extra screen size.

We went the opposite way. I went with the XPS 15" over the LG. Do you like the Gram? It seemed like a really nice device when I was comparing the two.

I guess the reason I gave Microsoft priority is because of the 3:2 aspect ratio, which to me if crucial (between the iMac and the UST projector, I wouldn’t dream of watching cinematic content on a laptop, anyway). And the build quality was supposed to be rather good (and by and large that’s true).

 

[avalon68]

We went the opposite way. I went with the XPS 15" over the LG. Do you like the Gram? It seemed like a really nice device when I was comparing the two.

Yeah, Im pretty happy with it for the price. I would still prefer MacOS though but I got to a point where I just needed a bigger screen for multiple documents. It's made a big difference to productivity for me - instead of constantly moving things around the screen and zooming in, I can comfortably have 2 things open at once. Im not doing anything that would push the performance on it - mainly MS Office, so cant speak to its use for more powerful applications, but its pretty quick for what Im using it for, screen is good. Overall a nice laptop to work from.

 

[darkus]

A lineup consisting of:

13” MacBook
14” MacBook Pro
15” MacBook
16” MacBook Pro

Makes perfect sense to me. Gives a lot of options to a wide array of working professionals, travelers, and at home users.

Of the lot I would also take a 15” MacBook if it was something built with the “air” mantra in mind — Manila envelope and all.

But who has known Apple to be logical ?

 

[Slix]

In mid 2005, right before Apple introduced the Intel MacBooks, they sold 5 different laptop models:

iBook G4 12" - $999
iBook G4 14" - $1299
PowerBook G4 12" - $1499
PowerBook G4 15" - $1999
PowerBook G4 17" - $2699

Sounds familiar, right? I think the idea of a larger screen MacBook Air is right on the money. Most people I've met who had a larger screened MacBook Pro didn't need the "Pro" hardware - they just wanted a 15" or 17" screen and the lower end MacBook/MacBook Air didn't offer that. I think offering a 14-15" MacBook Air at the $1499 ish range is right where it should be, and then they can drop the currently offered M1 MacBook 13" and have the lineup look similar to this:

MacBook Air 13" - $999
MacBook Air 15" - $1499
MacBook Pro 14" - $1999
MacBook Pro 16" - $2499

Simple and clear for consumers what model they want, either pro or not, and either small screen or not.

 

[va1984]

I’ve now lived for 3 weeks with the 16” MacBook Pro, as a test. And also with the 15” Surface Laptop 4. Both tests are failing in their own ways.
One issue is that Apple has spoiled us all with excellent screens. The Microsoft Surface screen sucks — I mean, let‘s not even talk about uniformity or bloom around the edges: the text is pixelated, it’s basically like going back to a pre-retina device. [to put it in my wife’s French: ”why would you want to work on that ***?”] It’s unusable. Picking up an Apple anything after spending an hour on the Surface Laptop is like that feeling you had when the first retina displays arrived ten years ago (or whenever it was). It’s a sigh of relief. Add to that the mushy trackpad and laggy interface…

Anyway, yes, at $1500, or $1800, a larger consumer laptop is now urgent because the 16” behemoth of the MacBook Pro, on the other hand, is just too big and heavy. I can pack a 12.9” iPad Pro and a 13” MacBook Air for the weight of the 16” MacBook Pro. And that’s waaay more screen area. It’s an insanely heavy laptop. It’s almost like Apple did out of spite, after hearing so many dumb youtubers going on about how ‘thin and light’ was not the right approach, and then they were like “oh yeah? Here is this 5 lbs brick, enjoy!”

Incidentally, one possible reason for Apple not to do a larger consumer laptop may be precisely what I have just mentioned: integration with iPad OS. With Universal Control eventually coming, and Continuity, and SideCar, you have many options to make use of a “second screen” in the shape of an iPad. I’m not saying that it would be as good as a single larger device. Just saying that maybe this is the reasoning they’re following.