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leeuk321

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 21, 2018
170
141
Why do I keep hearing that the Macbook is at the end of it's life? I haven't researched purchasing statistics on all the Macbook models, but prior to the 2018 revision of the Macbook Air, I could appreciate how each model attracted a different type of customer. The Macbook Air being the budget customer, the Macbook being for people who prioritized portability, the Pro being for people who wanted extra power, etc. That's a general, simplified observation, but I'm sure you get my point.

Now that the 2018 Macbook Air has come out, I keep hearing that there's no point in the Macbook any more, and that it will die off. I've tried to get my head around this argument, but can't find the logic in it. The Macbook is still the thinnest, quietest, lightest and most portable Apple laptop. By far. And to be honest, if I wanted extra power/ports/screen size, then the 13" Macbook Pro would be the laptop I'd be looking at. And if I wanted even more, then it'd be the 15" Macbook Pro.

Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me that the revamped Macbook Air is the most pointless model in the lineup, and I'd be devastated if that machine pushed out the Macbook in the years to come. If the 13" Macbook Pro didn't exist, then the Macbook air would look like a very attractive machine, and have a worthy position in the lineup of Apple laptops. But the 13" Macbook Pro does exist. Of course, I'm sure it's an ideal machine for a small niche market, whereby their requirements for budget/power/portability etc just about fall into the price and specs of the 2018 Macbook Air. But mostly, it appears like for almost the same price of the 13" Macbook Pro, it falls largely short.

I'm sure the Macbook would do a lot better in terms of sales if it actually replaced the Macbook Air when it launched in 2015, and hence was called the Macbook Air. It seems to be that it's main flaw is how it's been marketed.
 

lambertjohn

macrumors 68000
Jun 17, 2012
1,654
1,719
Regardless of your opinion, you're not Apple. They're going to do what makes them money. If that means replacing the MacBook with the MacBook Air because the Air has a bigger screen, more ports, faster CPU, gen 3 keyboard, Touch ID, and most likely, more profit built into every sale, then so be it. I own Apple stock, and as much as I like the 12" MacBook, I'm behind whatever Apple does to increase the stock price and keep the company around for years to come.
 

leeuk321

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 21, 2018
170
141
Regardless of your opinion, you're not Apple. They're going to do what makes them money. If that means replacing the MacBook with the MacBook Air because the Air has a bigger screen, more ports, faster CPU, gen 3 keyboard, Touch ID, and most likely, more profit built into every sale, then so be it. I own Apple stock, and as much as I like the 12" MacBook, I'm behind whatever Apple does to increase the stock price and keep the company around for years to come.
Hmmm, I’m not sure what point you’re making sorry. I know I’m not Apple and I know that like all companies they’re going to do what makes them money. Got that, thanks. What I’m saying is that of course sales dictates which laptop models are profitable. And a lot of sites are predicting that the MacBook will soon reach the end of its life, which obviously will be because of them predicting more people preferring the MacBook Air over the MacBook. Which is what I can’t get my head around. The MacBook is amazing because of its portability etc, and the 13” MacBook Pro is great because of its power etc. I just can’t see how the 2018 MacBook Air appeals to people to such an extent that it’d push the MacBook out of the race.
 

Ledgem

macrumors 68020
Jan 18, 2008
2,042
936
Hawaii, USA
The issue is that it's now less clear what benefit the MacBook offers over the MacBook Air. They both used to be part of Apple's "ultra-portable" lineup, with the MacBook having the edge in portability as well as screen (retina vs. the Air's non-retina) and arguably processor performance. The MacBook had only a single port, but people seemed willing to live with it. For the longest time, the suspicion was that the MacBook would kill off the Air line, as it was even more portable.

Then Apple updated the MacBook Air. Now is has a retina display; the weight has been slimmed down further, and we're talking less than a pound difference in weight; and the processor went from fifth generation to eighth generation (the MacBook uses seventh generation). The Air has slightly better graphics, two ports compared to the MacBook's one, TouchID, and is rated for about an hour longer battery life. All that, and it's $100 less when comparing the base models.

The MacBook is still technically the smallest and lightest of the Mac lineup, but the Air isn't exactly a large and heavy computer... and now it offers you more, for less money than the MacBook.

I'm on my second MacBook, but if the new Air had been available at the time I was making the purchase, I would have chosen it without a second thought. The MacBook no longer seems like a good buy, especially when it's priced above the MacBook Air.

I don't think that the MacBook line will go away just yet, because the Air hasn't seen a significant redesign to further slim it down and Apple also dropped the 11" Air, which likely would have represented even greater portability than the current MacBook. However it's clear that the product lines are now confused, and while an upgraded MacBook with a redesign to bring up the number of ports might allow it to still have a place that justifies its cost premium over the Air, it seems nonsensical to have two laptops that are so close in their intent, and with a pricing scheme that doesn't make sense when considering the features. I think Apple has been neglecting the Mac lines and isn't focusing enough to try and clear this up, but if and when they do, I expect that we'll see either a MacBook or an Air remaining, but not both.
 

MBAir2010

macrumors 604
May 30, 2018
6,975
6,354
there
The future apple laptops will be the MacBook ProAir and the MacBook AirPro
they will be the same specs except pricewise were one is 200.99 dollars more.
 

The Samurai

macrumors 68020
Dec 29, 2007
2,055
750
Glasgow
One would have thought they [Apple] would have learned their lesson with not updating the Mac Mini and Mac Pro for so long. Given they have corrected the Mac Mini (eventually) and the announcement of a Mac Pro, I don't *think* they would have repeated the same mistake and let the Macbook to linger or EOL it. I think if they wanted to discontinue it, they would have done so when the new Macbook Airs were launched.

My *guess* is that they are waiting for ARM to be ready and this new Macbook will be the prime machine that is targeted. Either this or Apple is waiting for Intel to come out with a better chipset to cater for Apple's need on this calibre of machine.
 

EightyTwenty

macrumors 6502a
Mar 11, 2015
809
1,667
Why do I keep hearing that the Macbook is at the end of it's life? I haven't researched purchasing statistics on all the Macbook models, but prior to the 2018 revision of the Macbook Air, I could appreciate how each model attracted a different type of customer. The Macbook Air being the budget customer, the Macbook being for people who prioritized portability, the Pro being for people who wanted extra power, etc. That's a general, simplified observation, but I'm sure you get my point.

Now that the 2018 Macbook Air has come out, I keep hearing that there's no point in the Macbook any more, and that it will die off. I've tried to get my head around this argument, but can't find the logic in it. The Macbook is still the thinnest, quietest, lightest and most portable Apple laptop. By far. And to be honest, if I wanted extra power/ports/screen size, then the 13" Macbook Pro would be the laptop I'd be looking at. And if I wanted even more, then it'd be the 15" Macbook Pro.

Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me that the revamped Macbook Air is the most pointless model in the lineup, and I'd be devastated if that machine pushed out the Macbook in the years to come. If the 13" Macbook Pro didn't exist, then the Macbook air would look like a very attractive machine, and have a worthy position in the lineup of Apple laptops. But the 13" Macbook Pro does exist. Of course, I'm sure it's an ideal machine for a small niche market, whereby their requirements for budget/power/portability etc just about fall into the price and specs of the 2018 Macbook Air. But mostly, it appears like for almost the same price of the 13" Macbook Pro, it falls largely short.

I'm sure the Macbook would do a lot better in terms of sales if it actually replaced the Macbook Air when it launched in 2015, and hence was called the Macbook Air. It seems to be that it's main flaw is how it's been marketed.

What’s holding the MacBook back is the extremely poor price/performance ratio. Arguably the worst of ANY Apple product on the market today.

Would it kill them to at least offer a 128 GB version and knock $150 or so off the price? At least that would be somewhat reasonable.

I get that portability might be important, but the price is completely out of whack, especially as it’s now 2019 and the newest MacBook is from 2017.
[doublepost=1551474390][/doublepost]
Regardless of your opinion, you're not Apple. They're going to do what makes them money. If that means replacing the MacBook with the MacBook Air because the Air has a bigger screen, more ports, faster CPU, gen 3 keyboard, Touch ID, and most likely, more profit built into every sale, then so be it. I own Apple stock, and as much as I like the 12" MacBook, I'm behind whatever Apple does to increase the stock price and keep the company around for years to come.

Ugh.
 
Last edited:

Dodgeman

macrumors 65816
Nov 30, 2016
1,355
199
The MB and MB Air both have their faults. I however would have probably went with the Air on sale for like 1049 but I found a new Macbook for $799 so that is what I chose and fits my needs.
[doublepost=1551650841][/doublepost]I wouldn't mind the slightly bigger footprint and the memory I felt like I could get by on and the touch ID would have been great little touch but my needs are basic so the price for me was the most important factor.
 

HappyIntro

macrumors 6502
Apr 30, 2016
310
305
What’s holding the MacBook back is the extremely poor price/performance ratio. Arguably the worst of ANY Apple product on the market today.

OK, some products are meant to offer good performance for the price, others offer different, but equally important features for some people. The MacBook offers the BEST size to performance ratio of anything Apple offers. It's way better than any iPad Pro for getting things done, and it's significantly more portable than any other laptop Apple offers. For my uses, it's plenty fast, and it slides into my backpack every working day, providing a sweet, light, compact, full MacOS experience laptop. MacBook is a superior product to anything else Apple offers when it comes to portability/functionality.

That being said, I agree that they should be moving the price point lower over time. But not by a huge amount. MacBook will always be a niche market segment, as most folks will focus on performance specs.
 

poseywong

macrumors newbie
Mar 4, 2019
2
0
The MB and MB Air both have their faults. I however would have probably went with the Air on sale for like 1049 but I found a new Macbook for $799 so that is what I chose and fits my needs.
[doublepost=1551650841][/doublepost]I wouldn't mind the slightly bigger footprint and the memory I felt like I could get by on and the touch ID would have been great little touch but my needs are basic so the price for me was the most important factor.
Where can you get an MACBOOK with 799? thanks !
 
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