While I would certainly redo the entire chassis and that's been noted elsewhere, as well as liking some of the comments in this thread that have ignored this particular sentence, I'll try to play along:
With the requirement that the MacBooks remain the same as in no hardware changes, what could apple do to make you "happy" or at least neutral about the new MacBooks?
1. 32GB BTO option
2. Price match vs prior year's models, which were already somewhat expensive. They can make noise about TouchBar all they want, but if they expect it to be a true 'standard' in the future, then include it on everything or kill the no-TB options - and don't jump pricing because they
chose to add it.
3. Price-sanitize RAM and SSD upgrades sanely. They chose to lock our user upgrades on a 'Pro' system, so don't charge $300 for $50 in parts. Show us some value in actually staying with Apple. Go price out upgrades on a top-end Thinkpad - upgrade prices are cheaper than most could get on their own, and you know Apple buys enough of everything they're not paying anywhere remotely near retail while charging retail+ to customers.
4. Include a
reliable multi-port dongle in the box. It's their 'push' for everyone to move, so don't penalize customers who aren't there yet or have a lot of investment in non-USB-C/TB3.
The above would have me going to the new 15" model vs the used 2015 15" I picked up after that uninspired keynote and reveal.
I'll add a pair of others into the mix:
1. Re-using the 'old' 2015 chassis, update the screen (actually, or not) and make a 32GB option available w/CPU and dGPU update. Call it MBP for Business or something not 'sexy' sounding to posers wanting a 'Pro' to browse Facebook. I don't care on it's name - I need it for
work.
2. Split out the Product teams clearly:
a. core - core capabilities and designs relevant across all others, e.g. move to USB-C, Lightning, whatever.
b. Consumer - Air and rMB and their replacements.
Portability > Battery Life > Performance and ports. rMB keyboard here is fine.
c. Prosumer - 13" macbook and lower end 15" (any/all of which can be renamed, but the mission remains). Power users not necessarily using 12+ hours a day for work or for heavy duty lifting (e.g. a writer is certainly a professional, but does not need heavy computing power nor many special-purpose ports). This one is a blend of the 3 areas above, perhaps equal weighting across all 3
Performance and ports = Portability = Battery Life balance - 'one to do it all/most.' New MB 'Pro' 13" might fit in here...so might the current 15 if it had 2x TB ports, perhaps old screen. People
use these systems frequently, typing experience on them is key, lose the rMB keyboard.
d. Professional/Business/whatever -
Performance and Ports > Portability > Battery Life.
BTO or ready to buy configured options comparable in the marketplace. Laptops here would start at 16GB RAM and 1TB, no gimping via lower cache CPU option at 'bottom end.' Thermals don't throttle CPU or GPU at multi-hour-long loads - or
fix the chassis, don't reduce the performance. Pick your speed, pick your RAM and SSD (within reason), offer an upgrades screen like last gen pre-retina did (matte high res). For the 15" MBP current version, this would equate to preferably the last gen body with current gen internals + option for 32GB and upgrade for higher res or OLED screen. Use the new trackpad. Reduce battery space from the prior gen if it meant improving thermal performance. If 'needing' to use
closer to the current chassis, the 15" 1TB 16GB touchbar model is the
base model, w/Radeon 460. Stop playing games at $100 each 'bump' for incremental and small GPU bumps already. Include 1 HDMI, SD, 1x USB3. Same
good keyboard as prosumer, or minor changes not impacting ability to supply/manage manufacturing well enough.
Note anything in the 'core' team would apply across all, e.g. TouchID could have been done in unison across all lines, or with less delay. How to connect an iPhone 7 to <whatever new Macs/MBs/MBPs> would be universal across the systems.
