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

Though Discontinued, Apple Offering a Plethora of Discounted 17" MacBook Pros

sweetbrat said:
Completely untrue. If you can refocus the effort you were spending to make that 1% profit onto something that generates more sales, then there's every reason to stop selling it. That's why product lines get condensed, not just in computers but everywhere. Less options means streamlined production, less material cost (because you don't need as many different parts). As long as you can move sales from the discontinued product to one of your other products, it makes perfect sense.
Click to expand...

Not exactly true. This statement might be true in a constrained environment where there is a limit on either engineering design capacity or manufacturing capability. In the event that apple is not constrained, then the result is to loose those sales to customers that insist on a 17 inch laptop.

My personal opinion is that the low cost of engineering a new generation of 17 inch laptop would make money even if this is a two percent market. But then I don't know how hard it would be to select new processors, slap in a big ssd along with a hd, switch out the ports, and tell China to get busy manufacturing. Oh, wait ... I guess I do know how hard it is. (I know I ignored the whole motherboard thingy to work with new gen processor and memory and usbThree)

But I won't be surprised to see a 17 inch again some day.
 
The 17 inch is the only one in the line up, where the screen size exits the, in reality, confidence monitor of the 13 and 15 units. In any case, the computing power of the MBPr does not compute with the retina everyone is going so gaga about. You still need a free standing monitor (or two) for work serious enough to utilize included processors.
 
ohbrilliance said:
The retina Macbook Pro also offers 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 settings: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5998/macbook-pro-retina-display-analysis

These are scaled at uneven ratios, so the performance and quality are still to be seen, though Anandtech says that 1680x1050 on the retina looks a lot better than native 1680x1050 on the non-retina high-res MBP. Sounds promising.
Click to expand...

I tried it out at the Grand Central Apple Store yesterday, and I'm happy to report that even at 1920x1200, it looks _fantastic_. As though that were the native res. No doubt in my mind, when I get my rMBP I will change the res to 1920x1200 first thing and just leave it there.

As for text being too small to see, this wasn't really an issue for me. And my eyes aren't exactly 20/20 :eek:
 
Discounts could be steeper. I don't think these deals stack up too well compared to new pricing - but I guess that's usually apple's way. I like their refurbs on the current generation as compared to new but am not impressed by the additional (very small) discount applied to generation-old refurbs.
 
retina display on the 13" macbook pro on the horizon?

Does any of you guys know or think Apple will start to manufacture retina display ensemble on the 13" macbook pro models?

please reply
 
-not that great of a discount compared to student discount of a new machine

Of course, you can't get a new 17 inch but the discount is still unsavory to me.
 
There are some applications in which screen size alone is beneficial. If one is doing audio engineering on a portable, a big screen helps to view more tracks. Fitting more tracks into a 15" display by making the tracks smaller doesn't really aid productivity--it just increases eye strain.

Same with event or ENG-type field video production work. No, you wouldn't want to build a full video editing suite around a laptop, but for location work an MBP can really be a great tool.

There may also be some occasions in which a graphic designer might want to show a client ideas on a laptop as part of a pitch for his/her services. The 17" looks pretty impressive in such applications.

So those are the first three applications that spring to mind when I consider the utility of the 17" MBP. At one point of another I've dabbled in all three and would have LOVED having the "big unit".

I hope they bring it back at another point in time. The extra chassis space that a 17" inherently includes could really be put to better use. Dual quad CPU's for eight cores? They'd have to be a little slower than quad core configs due to the heat, but for multi-core apps that make good use of eight cores (the kind that "pros" often use), such a config might be beneficial.

More RAM slots? Get 'er up to 32GB?

Any of you remember the easy-swap battery/expansion bays on the G3 Pismo? It'd be great if a future 17" had that functionality (perhaps based on TB? SATAIII?), so that a professional could quickly configure his/her system to the specific needs at hand (extra drive, hotshot auxiliary GPU, DSP for audio, etc.) but swap out for monster dual batteries if extended use was most important. That might be preferable to making one's MBP an octopus of TB dongle tentacles.

Then again, it might be tricky adding an expansion bay to something 1/2" thick. I'm sure Ives could figure it out, though.
 
Last edited:
rmwebs said:
I wouldnt have thought that these are actually refurbished at all. They are likely new ones that were never sold. Apple dont simply 'run out' of computers just before an update, they sell off the older models at a slightly discounted rate. It should really be the 'refurbished & old models' section.
Click to expand...

But then you would think these would show up in the "Clearance" part of the store where non-refurbished stuff normally shows up.

That said, I buy Apple Refurbished as often as possible and have had good luck so far, so I wouldn't care if it's actually refurbished or not.
 
nilk said:
But then you would think these would show up in the "Clearance" part of the store where non-refurbished stuff normally shows up.

That said, I buy Apple Refurbished as often as possible and have had good luck so far, so I wouldn't care if it's actually refurbished or not.
Click to expand...

True, maybe when they have a huge amount of them to get rid of they spread them across both clearance and refurbished. Either way they should be pretty much the same.
 
Damn. It.

My first Mac was a 17" Powerbook G4 1Ghz. I LOVED that thing. Kept it until I bought a PowerMac G5 Dual 2 Ghz, and kept that while waiting for a redesign until after the unibodies came out.

I tried the 13" and 15" MBP unis, but went right back to the 17. There is just no substitute for a 17" portable, for those that like them, and Apple's was the only one worth having.

That thing wasn't just a PC, it was a tv, gaming machine (moderately), movie heaven, perfect for research (web page and Word side-by-side), the only expandable portable (Expresscard was flexible for ESATA, extra Firewire, CompactFlash, etc). When you have no other alternative (such as a deployment), this was the best all-in-one there was.

The 15 Retina is NOT a replacement for this. To me, this is like Apple discontinuing its (superb) iMac 27 and leaving us with a Retina 21. A bigger screen is a bigger screen, period. I don't care about the resolution apologies.

I will replace my 17 with a newer (refurbished) one so as to hold me off for another 3 years (when AppleCare expires) or until Apple changes their mind (hopefully).
 
Mums said:
The top end of Apple's customer base is breaking off because of Apple's disregard for the pro market. Once iToys lose their current fashion status, Apple Inc. will lose much of its value. I can't believe they're being this short-sighted. Now they've even turned the most beautiful, most powerful computer ever made - the MacBook Pro - into an iToy.

As far as this absurd debate between 15"/17" real estate is concerned - you could put infinite resolution on a pin head - it still wouldn't have more real estate than 1920X1200 pixels on a 17" MacBook Pro. Please stop being so illogical. It hurts my head.

Lastly, if 1% of sales is at profit, then there's zero reason to stop selling it.
Click to expand...

Perfect statement. Was Apple taking a loss from manufacturing these, or keeping the ability to make them up and running? I just don't understand how they killed an EXCELLENT product-the best one in any market in its class. A smaller screen is not better than a bigger one, just different. But one thing they surely are not is equivalent, regardless of what I call the resolution "apology".
 
Mums said:
The top end of Apple's customer base is breaking off because of Apple's disregard for the pro market. Once iToys lose their current fashion status, Apple Inc. will lose much of its value. I can't believe they're being this short-sighted. Now they've even turned the most beautiful, most powerful computer ever made - the MacBook Pro - into an iToy.

As far as this absurd debate between 15"/17" real estate is concerned - you could put infinite resolution on a pin head - it still wouldn't have more real estate than 1920X1200 pixels on a 17" MacBook Pro. Please stop being so illogical. It hurts my head.

Lastly, if 1% of sales is at profit, then there's zero reason to stop selling it.
Click to expand...

When you factor in economies of scale and production capacities, it really doesn't make sense to continue producing something that customers do not want to buy, even if it is profitable. If iToys do go out of fashion as you suggest, Apple will find out what they want and sell it. In the end, it's a business, so why tie up production lines for something that is less than 1pct of revenue?
 
gugy said:
Damn, I will miss the 17".
The extra 2 inches and with retina would be fantastic. Too bad. :(
Click to expand...
And we would need only 1 inch more, if bezel's size would be cut to half.
And MATTE screen mandatory!
KnightWRX said:
Some people need better glasses. I'd argue that it's Bigger size on the 17" and that some people just don't want things bigger.
Click to expand...
Things shouldn't always be at extreme. Even if I had better glasses, so I could read smaller text, I'd still prefer bigger screen. Some people also like big tv's and some even go to movie theater to see the gib screen.
orangesauce said:
If they were to produce a 17" Retina display, where would the screen come from? Does anyone make one?
Click to expand...
They could cut 17" pieces from the same mother glass they are cutting 15" already. Yield wouldn't change much.
Producing the mother glass is the big effort. Cutting it differently sized pieces is peanuts.

PS. No refurb section in AppleStore Finland...
 
KnightWRX said:
Don't get me wrong, choice is great. However, Apple very much doesn't waste ressources on choice if the customers don't show up for it, unlike other OEMs who keep low volume models around.

Apple's treshold for low volume just isn't that low.
Click to expand...

finally something we can agree on. it was Apple's choice what technology to support. Doesnt mean there was not value to some people to have a 17" display, which was my point.
 
toke lahti said:
Things shouldn't always be at extreme. Even if I had better glasses, so I could read smaller text, I'd still prefer bigger screen. Some people also like big tv's and some even go to movie theater to see the gib screen.
Click to expand...

I never talked about screen inches. I talked about PPI. Sure, give me the same 147 PPI on a 17" screen, that means higher than 1920x1200, I'm all for that. Give me more pixels!

Again, I find around 160 PPI screens to be top for laptops. If you can make me a 17" at 160 PPI, you can then shut and take my money.

I think a lot of people are misunderstanding the concept of inches vs PPI vs resolution. More pixels = more stuff on screen. More pixels per inch = more stuff on screen. That's what is real screen real-estate. Inches alone don't mean jack squat.

----------
G5isAlive said:
finally something we can agree on. it was Apple's choice what technology to support. Doesnt mean there was not value to some people to have a 17" display, which was my point.
Click to expand...

Personally, I find that the 15.4" 1920x1200 display is superior to a 1920x1200 17" display. More portable, yet same real-estate. Match the PPI to 147 on that 17" though, and suddenly it's got an advantage on the 15.4" : more real-estate.

The problem is no one is shipping laptops with higher than 1920x1200 screens. Hence the smaller package you can get it in, the more portable your huge screen real-estate is, and laptops up to 160 PPI are pretty darn readable by the average human with average eyesight.
 
Screen size and upgradibility !

G5isAlive said:
better deal has little to do with it when comparing the 17" and the 15" rmbp...

its about what someone needs. some people really do want those extra inches of screen to have code side by side with a compile window for example. don't get me wrong I am a fan of retina displays but sometimes there just is no replacement for display inches... talking squinting at the screen here regardless of resolution.

reality is one size does not fit all :)
Click to expand...


Yeah agreed! I don't need the retina display for a 17in body, I need powerful processor that I can update at will when I 'need' to. That is the most important thing for my expanding musical expressions. I am still falling in love with my 17"mbp every morning when I wake up and start my day, editing tracks, mastering or setting up for recording. Then on my days off I am in the mountains with my tea and a great film, swinging in my hammock! Life is good for me and my 17" mbp.

But I am looking forward to my new friendship with the 15"rmbp on its way to me!

I'm gonna take advantage of the discounts and get a 17"mbp Oct2011 release anyways.

----------

Can someone give me an idea of what exactly refurbished means in terms of the body/frame and screen? What if it has some nicks here and dents, scratches or marks on the body or screen? Does apple also do a full body replacement as well as defective inner components?
 
100Teraflops said:
I hope so too, but they manufacture 13" and 15" non-retina displays. :(

I like your optimism though!
Click to expand...

I'm sure by next year when the price of retina come down this will allow apple to have 13 inch retina .

And may be in year or two the Macbook air will be retina .
 
Typical Apple to "quietly" do something. We don't deserve to know why it's discontinued? I have more respect for a company that explains their actions.
 
Mackan said:
Typical Apple to "quietly" do something. We don't deserve to know why it's discontinued? I have more respect for a company that explains their actions.
Click to expand...

Hey Mackan,
Are you the Mackan that used to post on Bullshido.net?

Grtz,
Zendokan.

PS: Still happy with my new MBP 17", bought last Tuesday.
 
Decisions at the margin

TTarkas said:
Not exactly true. This statement might be true in a constrained environment where there is a limit on either engineering design capacity or manufacturing capability. In the event that apple is not constrained, then the result is to loose those sales to customers that insist on a 17 inch laptop.
Click to expand...

Remember, the goal is not just to make positive or incremental profits.

The goal is to maximize profit through investing limited resources like time, money, and research into ventures which yield the greatest return per risk taken.

The net present value, economies of scale, and reliability of expected sales favors 15 RMBP over 17 MBp.

-from a finance PhD with 17" MBP
 
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