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

Would you buy a new 17" MacBook Pro if Apple made one?

Would you buy a new 17" MacBook Pro if Apple made one?

  • Total voters
    233
B

booksbooks

Suspended
Original poster
Aug 28, 2013
794
795
I'm at a point where I'm interested in a larger screened laptop from Apple. The 15.4" is nice, but even bigger would be great.

My ideal set up would be a 17" MacBook Pro and a 12" MacBook so I have scale and ultra-portable options.

Apple hasn't made a 17" laptop for a long time, but maybe it's time to revisit that? Now that these devices can be made quite thin and light, with very small bezels around the screen, a 17" laptop from Apple may be surprisingly portable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
In a heartbeat.

I don't know if I could get used to the butterfly keyboard, but if not I'd still keep it as a backup for this 17".
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Nope. I had the last of the 17s that they made and I always regretted the decision. Damn close to impossible to use on a plane in economy class. Few really nice laptop cases were made that fit. Didn't fit in the side cases on my motorcycle.

The extra display area was nice, but 90% of the time I was connected to an external monitor. When I was truly mobile, I was mostly working on email or Word docs; it was still not enough space to be great for design purposes.

I downsized to a 13" which was maybe a little too small for me although I really appreciated the light weight and the ability to jam into a space around a crowded conference table, but I have a 15" now which seems to be my sweet spot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Closingracer, sartrekid and V.K.
It's never going to happen but if it did I would buy in a heartbeat as long as it came with an equivalent spec bump.

A current 15" with an increased footprint to make it a 17" would still fell svelte in my mind compared to the old 17" due to the thinness and reduced bezels. My previous 2 laptops before I moved over to Macs were both 17"ers - a HP 8740W and a Dell M6500 - and they were not just large screens, they were tanks with tank power bricks to match, so a 17" MacBook would be no problem for me.

I think the reason a lot of people don't understand the want for larger laptops is thinking laptop=portability=constantly walking around with the laptop in a bag all day. In my case I would just like the extra power that comes with a 17" that I can unplug, put in a bag, go out to my car and drive to my office or a client. Minimal walking and a screen I can work on all day.

We can dream....
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Still use the penultimate 17" maxed out specs and after a SSD upgrade runs High Sierra well. Compared to modern 15" it a beast but it has survived a lot .. including dents where is broke my fall from a bike crash. like many "pros" I was gutted when they ended the line. Agree with the previous comment. Portable does have to be light. After effects and Final cut were always fine on at 17" screen .. not so on current models.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
I’ve used, not owned, 17” laptops in the past. They are too big to be mobile and to carry around.
Might be great if it sits on the same desk 95% of its life. My laptop is with me as I live the house every day and 17” would just be too bulky to be mobile.
 
What other distinguishing characteristic besides being 17" would that laptop have? The 17" Apple made before was not any more powerful or anything than the 15" — and with the advent of HiDPI displays, its decisive advantage — higher resolution — has disappeared.
 
leman said:
What other distinguishing characteristic besides being 17" would that laptop have? The 17" Apple made before was not any more powerful or anything than the 15" — and with the advent of HiDPI displays, its decisive advantage — higher resolution — has disappeared.
Click to expand...

Absolute resolution isn't the draw, it's the physical canvas being larger (optionally along with more resolution).

That stuff can matter a ton if it's a primary machine, or you are doing mobile editing or working with lots of Excel and any number of other things where a physically larger screen is a huge draw.

I would also add that there'd be lots of room for ports! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Falhófnir, RandomDSdevel, butterburger cookybutter and 1 other person
leman said:
What other distinguishing characteristic besides being 17" would that laptop have? The 17" Apple made before was not any more powerful or anything than the 15" — and with the advent of HiDPI displays, its decisive advantage — higher resolution — has disappeared.
Click to expand...

It’s a happy medium for many people; between a laptop and dedicated desktop computer. The screen is not too small and it’s not too big. It’s an equilibrium.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Falhófnir and RandomDSdevel
Not me. 15" is about the limit of computer I want to lug around. If I need a bigger display I will just use an external one with a proper mechanical keyboard and mouse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: nnoble
booksbooks said:
Apple hasn't made a 17" laptop for a long time, but maybe it's time to revisit that? Now that these devices can be made quite thin and light, with very small bezels around the screen, a 17" laptop from Apple may be surprisingly portable.
Click to expand...

Nope. I had the 17". Was great to use with expresscard, but most people would not pay the asking price. A retina 17" would be extremely expensive. Same reason the 17" was killed off in the first place.
 
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