Would a $799 Non-Retina MacBook 12" Make Sense?

KittyKatta

KittyKatta

macrumors 65816
Would it make sense for Apple to make an OPTIONAL cheaper non-retina version of the MacBook 12? (And seriously, imagine the battery life!)

My reasoning is that, something has to be Apples entry level notebook. So either one of two things will happen.

1) Apple adds Retina to the Air and prices jump several hundred.

2) The MacBook form factor replaces the Air line

Either way, the entry level for MacBooks would go up unless something else took a place at the bottom. So, considering the internals of the new MacBook (Intel M, No Ports, 480p FTCam) then it would seem to be the obvious choice for their "Entry Level Notebook". But the only thing missing would be a reasonable price tag so just make Retina an OPTION and give it a $799-899 price tag.
 
Last edited:
KittyKatta said:
Wouldn't it make sense for Apple to make an OPTIONAL cheaper non-retina version of the MacBook 12? (And seriously, imagine the battery life!)
Click to expand...
It apparently wouldn't make sense for Apple, or they would have done it. Retina vs non-retina has no material affect on battery life.
KittyKatta said:
So the removal of Retina would ... add several precious hours to the battery life
Click to expand...
No, it wouldn't. There are many factors that impact your battery life. See the BATTERY LIFE FROM A CHARGE section of the following link for details, including tips on how to maximize your battery life.
​
The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.
 
GGJstudios said:
It apparently wouldn't make sense for Apple, or they would have done it. Retina vs non-retina has no material affect on battery life.

No, it wouldn't. There are many factors that impact your battery life. See the BATTERY LIFE FROM A CHARGE section of the following link for details, including tips on how to maximize your battery life.
​
The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.
Click to expand...

Hey GGJ, quick question, sorry to hijack the thread but didn't want to make a new post entirely for this question.

As you're quite an authority on charging/batteries etc, is it safe to use a 60W magsafe 2 charger on my MacBook air 11 mid 2013 which came with a 45W charger?

Thanks
 
SSD-GUY said:
Hey GGJ, quick question, sorry to hijack the thread but didn't want to make a new post entirely for this question.

As you're quite an authority on charging/batteries etc, is it safe to use a 60W magsafe 2 charger on my MacBook air 11 mid 2013 which came with a 45W charger?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, it's perfectly safe.
 
GGJstudios said:
Retina vs non-retina has no material affect on battery life.
Click to expand...

What absolute rubbish.

Given all other hardware and software factors being equal, a graphics card having to drive four times the amount of pixels in a retina vs. non-retina screen will have a significant effect on power consumption. A display which has to light four times the amount of pixels in a retina vs. non-retina screen will have a significant effect on power consumption.

Linking to your own FAQ as in order to support your claim doesn't cut it.
 
SlCKB0Y said:
Given all other hardware and software factors being equal, a graphics card having to drive four times the amount of pixels in a retina vs. non-retina screen will have a significant effect on power consumption. A display which has to light four times the amount of pixels in a retina vs. non-retina screen will have a significant effect on power consumption.
Click to expand...
Provide any factual data to support your claim.
 
There is no reason for Apple to do this. Their goal is to maximize profits and maintain a high end brand image.

If Apple's goal was to maximize units sold or market share, then sure, put out a $799 macbook 12", and a $499 11 inch air. Maybe throw in a $250 iPhone into the product mix. Bring Apple to everyone. Though it won't be the same apple, as to stay profitable they'll have to crap-ify the experience with crappier components.

Then more people will use Apple for a while, at the expense of the company losing its appeal to high end users and loyalty and satisfaction since they had to cut down on costs to do it. Poor trade.

So to make a long story short, no, it doesn't make sense for Apple to put out a sub-standard laptop for $799 which will tarnish the Apple name and possibly cannibalize sales.
 
No point in going backwards really, for all the controversial changes Apple have made to the Macbook range in the last 5 years (non upgradable/replaceable parts, radically different IO, no IR blaster etc etc) Retina is one of the additions that I think is universally praised.

This Macbook more than the others is going for 'wow' factor as a USP and focusing on aesthetics, "look at how thin it is! / look how great the new colours are!" etc.

Gotta throw a lovely screen in there to keep the whole package 'sexy'.
 
Psyfuzz said:
No point in going backwards really, for all the controversial changes Apple have made to the Macbook range in the last 5 years (non upgradable/replaceable parts, radically different IO, no IR blaster etc etc) Retina is one of the additions that I think is universally praised'
Click to expand...
The same could be said for MagSafe and look what happened :)

Seriously though. I get your point but MagSafe is one of those amazing things Apple did and other didn't copy so by omitting MagSafe on the new MB (in favor of a cable or dongle that will stick straight out) shows Apple can go backwards if they want. (same goes for 480p FT cam, Illuminated Logo and dropping Thunderbolt)
 
I think the rMB will take the 11" MBA's place as entry-level. It will take a couple of years for the technology to mature, and for the price to go down.

Just like the MBA started at SUPER EXPENSIVE ARE YOU CRAZY level and went down in price / up in specs after a couple of years.
 
GGJstudios said:
Provide any factual data to support your claim.
Click to expand...

Uh, he did. Illuminating pixels utilizes energy. Illuminating 4x the number of pixels requires more energy.
More energy requires more battery capacity.

Boom.

Say you're hauling tons of rock in your pickup truck. Say one day you haul a 2ton load, and the next day you haul an 8ton load. The additional weight will have an impact on the fuel efficiency of your truck. Period. Do you really need to commission a study to understand that? If so, my 6year-old could explain it to you...
 
Last edited:
If this is really successful, it may eventually fill up more of their line at a wider range of price points, regardless of display resolution. For reference look at the cost of the first generation macbook air. You can see details at the bottom of that page.
 
thekev said:
If this is really successful, it may eventually fill up more of their line at a wider range of price points, regardless of display resolution. For reference look at the cost of the first generation macbook air. You can see details at the bottom of that page.
Click to expand...

Maybe it's just me - but I can't see how Apple can go on to lower the resolution to non retina on the MacBook even if they lowered he price. Apple maybe late in playing the spec war, but I can't think of a time when they went back on a particular product line.
 
MisterPunchy said:
Uh, he did. Illuminating pixels utilizes energy. Illuminating 4x the number of pixels requires more energy.
More energy requires more battery capacity.
Click to expand...
My point is that the retina models have the required battery capacity, so you won't see a significant difference in the battery life between the retina and non-retina models that Apple releases.
 
mtneer said:
Maybe it's just me - but I can't see how Apple can go on to lower the resolution to non retina on the MacBook even if they lowered he price. Apple maybe late in playing the spec war, but I can't think of a time when they went back on a particular product line.
Click to expand...

Well they could always go with a twisted neumatic version at the same resolution, although I doubt it. Apple has been trending toward the use of IPS or some similar technology across all displays for some time. Everything to bear the retina trademark thus far has used something like that. I just kind of expect something similar to this to eventually be their entry model, and I think the OP is reading too far into their price correlations.
 
No way would the price drop that much just for the removal of the retina screen. There are other innovations that jack up the price.
 
KittyKatta said:
Would it make sense for Apple to make an OPTIONAL cheaper non-retina version of the MacBook 12? (And seriously, imagine the battery life!)

My reasoning is that, something has to be Apples entry level notebook. So either one of two things will happen.

1) Apple adds Retina to the Air and prices jump several hundred.

2) The MacBook form factor replaces the Air line

Either way, the entry level for MacBooks would go up unless something else took a place at the bottom. So, considering the internals of the new MacBook (Intel M, No Ports, 480p FTCam) then it would seem to be the obvious choice for their "Entry Level Notebook". But the only thing missing would be a reasonable price tag so just make Retina an OPTION and give it a $799-899 price tag.
Click to expand...

It makes more sense to just leave the current 11" MBA around as the entry level macbook.

The high prices of the Macbook is probably due to the high R&D costs incurred when developing this product. It will definitely drop over the next couple of years, but probably nowhere near what you are expecting.
 
KittyKatta said:
[...] Apple can go backwards if they want.[...]
Click to expand...
Going backwards is an interpretation of behavior which someone else might describe as forward thinking. Me, for example. Of course MagSafe has a valid point. But so does USB-C. One port for everything is the future, in my opinion. It might help to not narrow it down to the magnetic function of the MagSafe but see the whole functionality of the port.
 
KittyKatta said:
Would it make sense for Apple to make an OPTIONAL cheaper non-retina version of the MacBook 12? (And seriously, imagine the battery life!)
Click to expand...

The 11" MBA is 899, so I don't think a non-retina MB would be able to undercut the MBA and secondly why sell a non retina MB because they have a 11" MBA at nearly the same price point
 
maflynn said:
The 11" MBA is 899, so I don't think a non-retina MB would be able to undercut the MBA and secondly why sell a non retina MB because they have a 11" MBA at nearly the same price point
Click to expand...

I think if they could get the price down to $1000 or so at their desired margins, they would probably yank at least the 13" Air. That certainly isn't something that happens with the first generation of a machine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Back
Top