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Will there be a new non-touch bar MacBook Pro?

B

boombox15

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 17, 2013
272
22
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Since it has now been 2 years since Apple has updated the non-touch bar MacBook Pro, I am wondering if there will be another one anytime soon. I currently own a 2017 non-touch bar MacBook Pro 13 inch and it still works great, but the space bar, and several other keys get stuck sometimes, so I am going to get it fixed.

I am wondering if it would be a good idea to sell my non-touch bar MacBook Pro and get the 2018 MacBook Air, which has a better keyboard, and Touch ID. My MacBook Pro now is worth $570 from Apple, and I wonder if I should sell it sooner rather than later so I can get as much money for it as possible.

Thoughts?
 
We don’t know if it will be updated but I would assume not.

I would certainly consider the move to the Air. It’s covered by the keyboard replacement program and would get the 2019 replacement. I imagine the used prices for the 2016/2017 models will tank. Certainly I wouldn’t buy a used one as it gets closer to the end of the four year program.
 
Apple has the refurbished 2018 MacBook Air for $1019 for the 128GB and $1189 for the 256GB version. With Apple offering $570 for my MacBook Pro, that means I could get a pretty good deal for it. My only concern is that reviews of the MacBook Air mention that the display is not as bright and vibrant as the MacBook Pro. Is it a huge difference? I would be willing to wait a bit to see if Apple does update the MacBook Pro non-touch bar, but I don't want to wait too long so I can still get a good amount of money for my MacBook Pro.
 
The initial reviews said the screen was disappointingly dark but a software update increased the brightness. It's not the issue that it was AFAIK.
 
According to rumors this morning, the non-touch bar MacBook Pro may get an update in the fall alongside with Mac OS 10.15. But last week, the Eurasian fillings with the 7 new notebooks had 10.14 as an operating system. Is an update possible this summer?

I feel like this is the longest Apple has ever gone without updating a Mac.
 
boombox15 said:
According to rumors this morning, the non-touch bar MacBook Pro may get an update in the fall alongside with Mac OS 10.15. But last week, the Eurasian fillings with the 7 new notebooks had 10.14 as an operating system. Is an update possible this summer?

I feel like this is the longest Apple has ever gone without updating a Mac.
Click to expand...


The 10.14 doesn't mean anything I don't think. Looking at past devices they list the then current version.
 
applesed said:
Doesn’t have the same color gamut, to each his/her own.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure the nTB has the exact same screen as the 13" TB; it's the Air that has the lower gamut screen. As for whether it continues, I'd say if another opportunity to refresh it comes and goes and we hear nothing again, it's done. I would like them to keep it and offer a similarly specced and priced 15" variant (maybe $100 more spec for spec like the two sizes of Air were) - perhaps they could roll the 12"MB into the Air line, and rebrand these as the 13" and 15" MacBooks. Nice, middle of the road, general use machines.
 
I hope Apple abandon the touch bar. It had few use cases at launch, and little has changed since. There was a large price increase at the time of it's introduction. I don't know if it was completely the result of the touch bar, but it must have contributed significantly. I hope the price reduces if it is removed. The fingerprint scanner of the new Air is a much better option.
 
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I previously owned the 2017 MBP no touch bar model and moved over to the 2018 MBA, so I can weigh in with pros and cons.
  • Regarding the keyboard, I much prefer the design of the 2018 MBA. It's quieter and more comfortable to type on. It's clearly not the best keyboard in the word but the benefits are realized.
  • Regarding the screen, the 2018 MBA saw a boost in brightness in an OS update to 400 nits. It was a welcome addition but I do find myself trying to increase the brightness only to find I'm at the maximum. It's not the worst, but I do wish it would go up one or two more ticks.
  • Regarding the color accuracy, I put the 2017 MBP no touch bar beside the 2018 MBA and I struggled to see a big difference. I noticed a minor difference but, in my opinion, I think the difference in brightness was more apparent.
  • Regarding the processor power, which you hadn't mentioned, I saw a noticeable decline when moving from the 2017 MBP no touch bar to the 2018 MBA. It's the one thing I really hate about the MBA. Because of that, I'm considering buying a 2018 MBP with touch bar.

If you're looking for a suggestion, I would sell your 2017 MBP no touch bar on Swappa or eBay. You should easily get more than what Apple is offering you. But I would sell this model know as the market is aware of the keyboard issues and the values are dropping considerably. If brightness and color gamut don't mean much to you, and if you're not concerned with a slightly lower powered device, I would purchase the 2018 MBA. If you do require a bit of power, I would purchase a refurbished 2018 MBP from Apple.
 
It sounds like there MAY be a new 13" non-touchbar MacBookPro, but... it may not be called a "MacBook Pro"....
 
Will there be 8th gen or better i5/i7 quadcores?

If so, a 13”, ntb / escape, 16gb mbp, 512 ssd, 4th gen butterfly keyboard, with a quad core i5 would be 1700ish given current pricing standards...

My 2012 non-retina mbp is doing alright (13”, 2.9 i7, upgrades to 16gb and Samsung 850 500gb ssd, 10.14) bit is starting to show age. Plus, it’s aggravating to carry at times.

It might be time to make the non-retina into a home-only machine if Apple can get to that price and show that the new keyboards aren’t screwy.
 
DookSucks said:
Will there be 8th gen or better i5/i7 quadcores?

If so, a 13”, ntb / escape, 16gb mbp, 512 ssd, 4th gen butterfly keyboard, with a quad core i5 would be 1700ish given current pricing standards...

My 2012 non-retina mbp is doing alright (13”, 2.9 i7, upgrades to 16gb and Samsung 850 500gb ssd, 10.14) bit is starting to show age. Plus, it’s aggravating to carry at times.

It might be time to make the non-retina into a home-only machine if Apple can get to that price and show that the new keyboards aren’t screwy.
Click to expand...

I would gladly buy an updated 13" MB NTB so long as it had the updated 3A or 3B keyboard. Now, the real question is whether it will be dual or quad core. I'm not an expert here on what is or is not possible, but I would venture that Apple would stick with a dual core processor for this model if they were to update it. Sadly, however, I still think the model will be discontinued or left to sell without an update. Time and time again they've showed they're happy to take that approach (e.g., non-retina MBAs).
 
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