Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

The new low-end MacBook Pro is a great value.

Brookzy

Brookzy

macrumors 601
Original poster
May 30, 2010
4,985
5,578
UK
It is no secret that Apple has been gouging us on price for the last several years, across its product line. I think this has been most acute in the MacBook space, and has certainly alienated a lot of customers along the way.

And the reason was, until this week, if you wanted the proper MacBook Pro, you were looking at spending upwards of $1799 plus tax. The price of entry for a MacBook Pro - the model that is meant to be the mainstream of the consumer premium computer market - was for many people breaching two grand. Just too much.

But this week, the proper MacBook Pro became $1299. This is the same price as the 2015 Retina Pro was that everyone loved, before the butterfly keyboards came along, and this doesn't seem to be getting the attention it deserves.

The reason the $1299 Pro is now the proper one is because it is, to the average user, indistinguishable from the $1799 model. Normally, for a ~$500, or ~30%, discount, you would expect Apple to really strip it down. But these models are now the same in so many ways:
  • They both have the Touch Bar. Like it or not, this is a premium, luxury feature that will certainly add to the bill of materials.
  • They both have Touch ID.
  • They both have the T2 chip.
  • They both have quad core processors, which, incredibly, benchmark similarly. Of course in real world use the lower TDP chip in the $1299 model will be slower, but not night and day.
  • They both have fast flash.
  • They both have the same great screen.
The only real differences are the processor class, 128GB vs. 256GB, and two ports vs. four. For $500. They could so easily have left out the Touch Bar, Touch ID, T2 chip, and just put these new processors in and called it a day.

So thank you, Apple, for returning the proper MacBook to the affordable premium market. I think I will enjoy this machine more knowing that I feel it is a better value.
 
  • Like
Reactions: theapplehead, afir93, EedyBeedyBeeps and 4 others
Probably 2x2 wifi vs 3x3. I agree though, it's a big step up from the dual core it replaced.
 
Agreed. I'm glad I upgraded.

Mine arrived today. So far so good. I'm loving it. It's fast as hell and the battery has been great which was my biggest concern. My previous MBP had great battery life even after four years.

I upgraded from my Retina MBP 13 (Early 2015). I do miss my HDMI / USB inputs but I never used them anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: twanj and Howard2k
MadManDan said:
Agreed. I'm glad I upgraded.

Mine arrived today. So far so good. I'm loving it. It's fast as hell and the battery has been great which was my biggest concern. My previous MBP had great battery life even after four years.

I upgraded from my Retina MBP 13 (Early 2015). I do miss my HDMI / USB inputs but I never used them anyway.
Click to expand...
What differences did you notice after upgrading to the latest unit? I still adore my Mid '14 MBP Retina, but I would like to know the differences.
 
How to miss something that you never used?!
Great choice
I guess Apple will cut price for the 15” when the 16” will come
 
Another difference is one fan vs two - this makes the base machine a lot louder under load, but yeah overall this is a really big improvement. I just wish they made it in a 15" size, I'd probably even be willing to chance the junk keyboard for ~£1,500, while I'm not if I'm shelling out closer to £3,000. In the latter case I'd really want it to last at least 3 years, for the former I'd be willing to rid myself of it after a year and move on if I experienced the well known issues.
 
Falhófnir said:
Another difference is one fan vs two - this makes the base machine a lot louder under load, but yeah overall this is a really big improvement. I just wish they made it in a 15" size, I'd probably even be willing to chance the junk keyboard for ~£1,500, while I'm not if I'm shelling out closer to £3,000. In the latter case I'd really want it to last at least 3 years, for the former I'd be willing to rid myself of it after a year and move on if I experienced the well known issues.
Click to expand...

Is the a tear down of the new one showing it has one fan?
 
Brookzy said:
So thank you, Apple, for returning the proper MacBook to the affordable premium market.
Click to expand...
I'm not one who things is an affordable premium computer. Apple did a good job, with this one model but overall I don't think its a great value for your money.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macintoshmac
Brookzy said:
But this week, the proper MacBook Pro became $1299. This is the same price as the 2015 Retina Pro was that everyone loved, before the butterfly keyboards came along, and this doesn't seem to be getting the attention it deserves.
Click to expand...

Not really. The 2015 13" used a 28W CPU and it had a full connectivity implementation. The base 2019 13" is still using the 15W CPU and the cut-down connectivity. Yes, its a much better buy, but it also represents a cleft in features where previously we didn't have one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macintoshmac
roflc0pter said:
The single fan that fal brought up. I got the new base model yesterday and will need to pay close attention to the thermals and noise level
Click to expand...
I see, thanks for the clarification. The 13" has had a single fan for like forever though hasn't it?
 
isn't the new model as fast as the 15" from 2016? Seems like a big step up for the 13's especially for the base model.
 
A couple of the videos I saw yesterday where people were running tests mentioned that the fan's sound signature was loud/annoying.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back