Would You Welcome a Larger 13-15" rMacbook?

[jazz1]

It would drastically reduce portability though. The rMB is tiny. It makes the 13" MBA and MBP look like a tank.

It's footprint is almost as small as an iPad

What I want them to do is make a 14 and 16 inch rMBP.

Great comparison. I'd love to see the same pic with the iPad Pro for a visual comparison!

 

[boltjames]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to start a bit of discussion but would there be many people out there that would be interested in a larger screen version of the Macbook?

Yes, I would.

Thickness and weight are the primary concerns in a portable/travel notebook. Adding an extra few centimeters around the perimeter to get a larger viewing area is no big deal. I'd be just as happy if Apple released the new RMB at 13" or 14" from the outset, I'd say almost all of us accepted the screen size downgrade to 12" from what we were using just because of the wins in thickness and weight.

So as long as Apple could keep the weight down and the thickness down, sure, make 'em with bigger screens too.

BJ

 

[Psyfuzz]

It would drastically reduce portability though. The rMB is tiny. It makes the 13" MBA and MBP look like a tank.

It's footprint is almost as small as an iPad

What I want them to do is make a 14 and 16 inch rMBP.

No doubt it'd be less portable than the current 12 inch version, that's not debatable, but adding a few inches screen space wouldn't suddenly reduce the MacBook's portability to something unacceptable and it's still be a world lighter and more portable than other devices with similar screen estate. As long as the MacBook is the thinnest and lightest laptop in its category then it's still achieving its goal.

If they managed to squeeze a 14 inch Retina display into something lighter, cooler, quieter and thinner than say a 13 inch MacBook Pro then that be fantastic - more screen, better portability.

 

[boltjames]

No doubt it'd be less portable than the current 12 inch version, that's not debatable, but adding a few inches screen space wouldn't suddenly reduce the MacBook's portability to something unacceptable and it's still be a world lighter and more portable than other devices with similar screen estate. As long as the MacBook is the thinnest and lightest laptop in its category then it's still achieving its goal.

If they managed to squeeze a 14 inch Retina display into something lighter, cooler, quieter and thinner than say a 13 inch MacBook Pro then that be fantastic - more screen, better portability.

I believe it's very easy to connect the dots here and see the MacBook as the replacement for the Air, so adding an 11" and a 13" (or perhaps just a 14") solves that quite nicely.

The Air then goes the way of the iPhone 5C as a mass/cheap version for students and the China market. When it was released in 2008 the Air was something special, but today it's thicker than most standard notebooks and no longer deserves the form-factor pedestal it was once put on.

BJ

 

[Psyfuzz]

I believe it's very easy to connect the dots here and see the MacBook as the replacement for the Air, so adding an 11" and a 13" (or perhaps just a 14") solves that quite nicely.

The Air then goes the way of the iPhone 5C as a mass/cheap version for students and the China market. When it was released in 2008 the Air was something special, but today it's thicker than most standard notebooks and no longer deserves the form-factor pedestal it was once put on.

BJ

I agree, the Air kind of sits in a middle ground now where it's main selling point is being undercut by the Macbook retina, I can't see it lasting much longer as a mainstay and I could see it becoming the cheap, sold to schools option the plastic white Macbook was.

Who knows, they might keep it rolling quietly like the current 13 inch unibody Macbook Pro still is.

 

[MacRazySwe]

They make a 13" rMBA. It's called the MacBook Pro. 3.5lbs to the Air's 3lbs. Add a retina screen and the necessary extra battery and the two become identical.

Stop saying this.

So, the 12" rMacBook is heavier than the 11" MBA? Having added the retina screen and extra battery? No, it's smaller and lighter while offering nearly the same performance.

Why are you stuck in 2012? The rMBP is a three year old design! From a different line of computers! Apple could surely make a 13-14" retina laptop which is lighter and smaller than the old 13" MBA by now. And I'm sure they will. Either by reducing the weight and thickness of the 13" rMBP and shifting focus to portability, and/or by introducing a 13-14" rMB, or maybe even a new Air. The 5w Core-M processor would allow a 13"-14" model to be extremely thin and light.

Until then, the MBA is what it is, and the rMBP is what it is. The 13" rMBP IS NOT the spiritual successor to the MBA as it currently stands. I have owned both. People kept telling me the same thing before I got my rMBP. It's wrong. As of today, they are two completely different products with completely different focuses. The MBA was centered around portability without compromise. The rMBP is just a powerful laptop made to be light, but it's intended focus was never around portability. It was around power. The MacBook Air runs quiet and cool to the touch, thanks to its 15w CPU. The rMBP has plenty of power but runs a lot warmer. The MBA was a lot lighter. Noticeably lighter!

If anything, the closest thing to a retina MacBook Air is the 12" rMB. It was designed with portability in mind (NOT power), hence why it uses the 5w CPU. It runs dead silent, since it's fanless. In a year or so, it will probably feature all-day battery life as well.

 

[toddzrx]

Stop saying this.

So, the 12" rMacBook is heavier than the 11" MBA? Having added the retina screen and extra battery? No, it's smaller and lighter while offering nearly the same performance.

Why are you stuck in 2012? The rMBP is a three year old design! From a different line of computers! Apple could surely make a 13-14" retina laptop which is lighter and smaller than the old 13" MBA by now. And I'm sure they will. Either by reducing the weight and thickness of the 13" rMBP and shifting focus to portability, and/or by introducing a 13-14" rMB, or maybe even a new Air. The 5w Core-M processor would allow a 13"-14" model to be extremely thin and light.

Until then, the MBA is what it is, and the rMBP is what it is. The 13" rMBP IS NOT the spiritual successor to the MBA as it currently stands. I have owned both. People kept telling me the same thing before I got my rMBP. It's wrong. As of today, they are two completely different products with completely different focuses. The MBA was centered around portability without compromise. The rMBP is just a powerful laptop made to be light, but it's intended focus was never around portability. It was around power. The MacBook Air runs quiet and cool to the touch, thanks to its 15w CPU. The rMBP has plenty of power but runs a lot warmer. The MBA was a lot lighter. Noticeably lighter!

If anything, the closest thing to a retina MacBook Air is the 12" rMB. It was designed with portability in mind (NOT power), hence why it uses the 5w CPU. It runs dead silent, since it's fanless. In a year or so, it will probably feature all-day battery life as well.

I think you're missing the point. Simply put: many Air owners have been pining away for a Retina Macbook Air for a couple years now (go look at that forum for proof). If Apple were to add a Retina screen and required battery to maintain the same performance as the current 13" Air, you'd pretty much have something the same as the current 13" Macbook Pro.

 

[boltjames]

I think you're missing the point. Simply put: many Air owners have been pining away for a Retina Macbook Air for a couple years now (go look at that forum for proof). If Apple were to add a Retina screen and required battery to maintain the same performance as the current 13" Air, you'd pretty much have something the same as the current 13" Macbook Pro.

Correct, and yet needlessly heavier and bezeled than a 13" or 14" MacBook 2015 which is clearly what Apple will be releasing next year.

The Air is dead. Time to pretend that it doesn't exist and use our imaginations on what the larger screen MacBook 2015's will look like.

BJ

 

[Ghost31]

First of all, I would love a MacBook with a 14 inch screen. Love it!

But I'm trying to think how the design would differ. They choose the screen size based on the "full size keyboard" so it would match right? Add another couple inches and how would it look? Either increase keyboard size (which would be totally unnecessary) or have large gaps

 

[toddzrx]

I'm of the opinion that Apple won't and shouldn't make a larger one. It would defeat the purpose of the machine and make it heavier and less portable. They hit an amazing weight at just 2 pounds.

The MacBook has always just been one size.

No thank you, it defeats the purpose/concept of the rMB IMO

Some might be interested in it, but I am not. I think it's goes against the ethos of the MacBook series.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised at these responses. "It goes against the ethos/purpose/concept of the MacBook series"? What???

I would imagine a majority of forum posters/readers would agree that the new MacBook is the replacement for the Air, me included. A 14" MacBook would be marginally larger and heavier, given a fanless design, and replace the 13" Air. Like others have said, the Air might hang around as the entry level Apple laptop for a while, and for education.

I think the terms "Air" and "Retina" are about to go extinct, simply because at this point they are starting to lose meaning because once the Air is gone, the entire Mac lineup will be pretty thin and they will all have Retina screens (assuming a MacBook Pro redesign for next year).

So for the record: yes, I would champion a 14" MB, because it would be the perfect replacement for my gracefully aging 2010 iMac. I don't need ultra-portability, but it would be nice to have a computer that I can take on the road every now and then when traveling. A future 14" MB, with USB-C that carries all protocols (full USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt), is the perfect easy-to-dock laptop that works just as well on my desktop as it does at the hotel. While some need the smaller size of the 12", I think there is also room in the market for buyers like me who wouldn't mind the bigger screen but don't need the power and ports of the MacBook Pro.

 

[Ghost31]

Quite frankly, I'm surprised at these responses. "It goes against the ethos/purpose/concept of the MacBook series"? What???

.

Apple would never go against their ethos. Obviously

 

[AlexH]

Quite frankly, I'm surprised at these responses. "It goes against the ethos/purpose/concept of the MacBook series"? What???

I would imagine a majority of forum posters/readers would agree that the new MacBook is the replacement for the Air, me included. A 14" MacBook would be marginally larger and heavier, given a fanless design, and replace the 13" Air. Like others have said, the Air might hang around as the entry level Apple laptop for a while, and for education.

I think the terms "Air" and "Retina" are about to go extinct, simply because at this point they are starting to lose meaning because once the Air is gone, the entire Mac lineup will be pretty thin and they will all have Retina screens (assuming a MacBook Pro redesign for next year).

So for the record: yes, I would champion a 14" MB, because it would be the perfect replacement for my gracefully aging 2010 iMac. I don't need ultra-portability, but it would be nice to have a computer that I can take on the road every now and then when traveling. A future 14" MB, with USB-C that carries all protocols (full USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt), is the perfect easy-to-dock laptop that works just as well on my desktop as it does at the hotel. While some need the smaller size of the 12", I think there is also room in the market for buyers like me who wouldn't mind the bigger screen but don't need the power and ports of the MacBook Pro.

It's just my humble opinion on the subject. 15" is only marginally bigger than 14", but once you start these little marginal increases, you end up with product that's significantly different from the original.

For the record, even though I wouldn't be interested in a larger MacBook, I still think it would be a fantastic machine and probably sell quite well.

Also, just because I am not interested in such a product, that does not mean it's a bad product or it shouldn't be produced. I am not the gatekeeper of Apple product lines. I look forward to version two of the MacBook.

 

[zhenya]

Stop saying this.

So, the 12" rMacBook is heavier than the 11" MBA? Having added the retina screen and extra battery? No, it's smaller and lighter while offering nearly the same performance.

No, it's not heavier because they trimmed out all of the ports and reduced the logic board size to the bare minimum, leaving them a lot of empty space to fill with batteries. A rMBA, that retains its ports and and the u-series processor gives up most of that advantage. The point is not that there would be no difference between such a device and the rMBP, rather that it would be so close in design as to be relatively pointless for a company like Apple that isn't in the business of filling every niche.

 

[toddzrx]

I would have to see it in person. The key to the Macbook is its portability, otherwise we would just have gotten a retina Macbook Air, and making it larger kind of takes it away.

I'd much rather see them make a Macbook-Macbook Air hybrid, with best of both worlds, at 14".

What would this supposed "hybrid" look like? Fan or fan-less? Retina or not? How many ports? Battery life? What you are asking for is something that Apple won't build because, as stated before, Apple isn't going to fill every niche. The new MacBook is the future; if anything, they'll just scale it up.

 

[SteveJUAE]

As I have noted before I think the MBA range is what's wrong not the rMB and a new 14" belongs in a new MBA range, as there is too much cross confusion it would seem logical to have a line up where there is a distinction both in form factor and performance eg:

rMB are M processors 12" <2lbs
rMBA are Skylake I5 I7 12/14" no GPU 2x USB-C/HDMI 2-3lbs
rMBP are Skylake I5 I7 13/15" with GPU 2x USB-C/HDMI/+ >3lbs

Quite frankly, I'm surprised at these responses. "It goes against the ethos/purpose/concept of the MacBook series"? What???

I would imagine a majority of forum posters/readers would agree that the new MacBook is the replacement for the Air, me included. A 14" MacBook would be marginally larger and heavier, given a fanless design, and replace the 13" Air. Like others have said, the Air might hang around as the entry level Apple laptop for a while, and for education.

I think the terms "Air" and "Retina" are about to go extinct, simply because at this point they are starting to lose meaning because once the Air is gone, the entire Mac lineup will be pretty thin and they will all have Retina screens (assuming a MacBook Pro redesign for next year).

So for the record: yes, I would champion a 14" MB, because it would be the perfect replacement for my gracefully aging 2010 iMac. I don't need ultra-portability, but it would be nice to have a computer that I can take on the road every now and then when traveling. A future 14" MB, with USB-C that carries all protocols (full USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt), is the perfect easy-to-dock laptop that works just as well on my desktop as it does at the hotel. While some need the smaller size of the 12", I think there is also room in the market for buyers like me who wouldn't mind the bigger screen but don't need the power and ports of the MacBook Pro.

 

[toddzrx]

As I have noted before I think the MBA range is what's wrong not the rMB and a new 14" belongs in a new MBA range, as there is too much cross confusion it would seem logical to have a line up where there is a distinction both in form factor and performance eg:

rMB are M processors 12" <2lbs
rMBA are Skylake I5 I7 12/14" no GPU 2x USB-C/HDMI 2-3lbs
rMBP are Skylake I5 I7 13/15" with GPU 2x USB-C/HDMI/+ >3lbs

It would make more sense, and be more Apple-like (i.e.: less overlap), to only have 2 laptop lines: MacBook, and Macbook Pro, all with Retina screens:

MacBook: M processors (5W), fan-less, 1 or 2 ports, 12" and 14", 2.5lbs or less
MacBook Pro: Core i processors (~28W), fan, discrete GPU on some, multiple ports, MagSafe, 14" and 16", 3lbs or more

MacBooks are consumer oriented, and will probably spend their life mostly web surfing and using Office. Pros will of course do that too, but do some heavy lifting for those who need it.

If Apple wanted to retain the "Air" moniker in their lineup, they would have included "Air" in the name of the new rMB, but they didn't. The Air is on its way out.

 

[Puonti]

I think the 12" retina MacBook has its place in Apple's lineup and I don't see a need for larger rMBs.

What's unnecessarily messy right now is the whole MacBook / MacBook Air portion of their laptop matrix. Price-wise I can understand it and certainly the Air allows for higher performance, but size-wise the it no longer has a place in Apple's lineup. I'm looking forward to Apple cleaning that up when MacBook's price starts gradually coming down (just like Air's did) while performance goes up (just like Air's did).

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

What would this supposed "hybrid" look like? Fan or fan-less? Retina or not? How many ports? Battery life? What you are asking for is something that Apple won't build because, as stated before, Apple isn't going to fill every niche. The new MacBook is the future; if anything, they'll just scale it up.

You are just repeating what you just quoted me for. But personally, I'd like to see a casing size wise between the MB and the MBA, with in-between battery time, but with retina screen, MBA-type processor and 2-3 Thunderbolt 3 ports. I personally don't care about Magsafe, but knows it is a Macrumor user favorite, so they could include that also.

I would for sure buy one instead of a Macbook (Which I will do, when Rev B. comes around).

 

[zhenya]

You are just repeating what you just quoted me for. But personally, I'd like to see a casing size wise between the MB and the MBA, with in-between battery time, but with retina screen, MBA-type processor and 2-3 Thunderbolt 3 ports. I personally don't care about Magsafe, but knows it is a Macrumor user favorite, so they could include that also.

I would for sure buy one instead of a Macbook (Which I will do, when Rev B. comes around).

The more I think about it, the more I think this might be a possibility in the spring. A 14" device, retina screen, 15w processor, two usb-c/thunderbolt ports, no magsafe, ~2.5-2.75lbs. But it will really depend on what they do with the Pro line. If they manage to get those down close to 3lbs on their own, it may make for a hard case for such a machine.

 

[maflynn]

The more I think about it, the more I think this might be a possibility in the spring. A 14" device, retina screen,

I just can't see Apple doing this. I've been wrong before but lets just take in what they'll have if they do that.

Apple will have a series of 11", 12", 13", 14" and 15" laptops. I think that's just overkill, perhaps they'll kill off the MBA line at that point but I don't see a huge need for a 14" laptop when they already have a 13" and 15" laptop

 

[zhenya]

I just can't see Apple doing this. I've been wrong before but lets just take in what they'll have if they do that.

Apple will have a series of 11", 12", 13", 14" and 15" laptops. I think that's just overkill, perhaps they'll kill off the MBA line at that point but I don't see a huge need for a 14" laptop when they already have a 13" and 15" laptop

Yes, I would expect they would kill the MBA at that time. Maybe keep the 11" around for another year as the cheap entry-point until they can get the price down under $1000 for the entry-level Macbook. Then they'd really have a 12" and 14" Macbook and a 13" and 15" Pro lineup. Seems pretty straightforward.

 

[MacRazySwe]

I think you're missing the point. Simply put: many Air owners have been pining away for a Retina Macbook Air for a couple years now (go look at that forum for proof). If Apple were to add a Retina screen and required battery to maintain the same performance as the current 13" Air, you'd pretty much have something the same as the current 13" Macbook Pro.

No, it's not heavier because they trimmed out all of the ports and reduced the logic board size to the bare minimum, leaving them a lot of empty space to fill with batteries. A rMBA, that retains its ports and and the u-series processor gives up most of that advantage. The point is not that there would be no difference between such a device and the rMBP, rather that it would be so close in design as to be relatively pointless for a company like Apple that isn't in the business of filling every niche.

No, I think you guys are missing the point. What does maintaining the same performance, or u-series processors have to do with anything?

The MacBook Air's intended buyer doesn't prioritize power and performance. If they did, they wouldn't even be considering the MBA! Maybe they simply want the same ultra-thin laptop experience, with a display which matches the level of quality they are used to from their iPhone and iPad. The MBA is for the buyer who values portability! Without compromising on core functionality. (I.e., still needs a keyboard and Mac OS, with the option of connecting peripherals, but not needing to connect dual Thunderbolt-peripherals at the same time, in which case they'd be looking at the rMBP).

The intended buyer DOES NOT CARE if it uses a logic board size of bare minimum, if it uses a Core m/i5/i7 of 5 or 15 or 28 watts. Only people at MacRumors do. The intended buyer will walk into an Apple-store and see a fancy new laptop, in three new colors, with a super-slim breathtaking design. They will pick it up and think "my old MBA feels like such a brick. I gotta have this!". They won't be browsing forums investigating whether it's got a 28/15/5w processor, as long as its fast enough for them!

Can we all more or less agree on this?

Now, if you're still saying that Apple couldn't provide a better 13" option than the 13" rMBP for those people, I say you're completely wrong. The 12" MacBook shows the future of a portable option. There is no reason why it couldn't be offered in different sizes. I'm sure Apple could make a 13-14" model, catering to the old 13" MBA users, which would make the 13" MBA and 13" rMBP feel like bricks!

Now, if it uses a Core-m processor, then so be it. As I said, I believe the fanless processors is the new segment which will improve greatly over the next couple of years! In 2-3 years they'll probably offer 90 % of the same performance as the equivalent 15 w model.

 

[boltjames]

The MacBook Air's intended buyer doesn't prioritize power and performance. If they did, they wouldn't even be considering the MBA!

The intended buyer DOES NOT CARE if it uses a logic board size of bare minimum, if it uses a Core m/i5/i7 of 5 or 15 or 28 watts. Only people at MacRumors do.

They won't be browsing forums investigating whether it's got a 28/15/5w processor, as long as its fast enough for them!

Can we all more or less agree on this?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

You judge the slim/light MacBook's on their portability first, performance a distant second.

BJ

 

[toddzrx]

You are just repeating what you just quoted me for. But personally, I'd like to see a casing size wise between the MB and the MBA, with in-between battery time, but with retina screen, MBA-type processor and 2-3 Thunderbolt 3 ports. I personally don't care about Magsafe, but knows it is a Macrumor user favorite, so they could include that also.

I would for sure buy one instead of a Macbook (Which I will do, when Rev B. comes around).

The more I think about it, the more I think this might be a possibility in the spring. A 14" device, retina screen, 15w processor, two usb-c/thunderbolt ports, no magsafe, ~2.5-2.75lbs. But it will really depend on what they do with the Pro line. If they manage to get those down close to 3lbs on their own, it may make for a hard case for such a machine.

I would imagine you'd run into cooling issues with a 15W processor. Either you go fan-less at ~5W, or add the fan and go higher.

 

[toddzrx]

No, I think you guys are missing the point. What does maintaining the same performance, or u-series processors have to do with anything?

The MacBook Air's intended buyer doesn't prioritize power and performance. If they did, they wouldn't even be considering the MBA! Maybe they simply want the same ultra-thin laptop experience, with a display which matches the level of quality they are used to from their iPhone and iPad. The MBA is for the buyer who values portability! Without compromising on core functionality. (I.e., still needs a keyboard and Mac OS, with the option of connecting peripherals, but not needing to connect dual Thunderbolt-peripherals at the same time, in which case they'd be looking at the rMBP).

The intended buyer DOES NOT CARE if it uses a logic board size of bare minimum, if it uses a Core m/i5/i7 of 5 or 15 or 28 watts. Only people at MacRumors do. The intended buyer will walk into an Apple-store and see a fancy new laptop, in three new colors, with a super-slim breathtaking design. They will pick it up and think "my old MBA feels like such a brick. I gotta have this!". They won't be browsing forums investigating whether it's got a 28/15/5w processor, as long as its fast enough for them!

Can we all more or less agree on this?

Now, if you're still saying that Apple couldn't provide a better 13" option than the 13" rMBP for those people, I say you're completely wrong. The 12" MacBook shows the future of a portable option. There is no reason why it couldn't be offered in different sizes. I'm sure Apple could make a 13-14" model, catering to the old 13" MBA users, which would make the 13" MBA and 13" rMBP feel like bricks!

Now, if it uses a Core-m processor, then so be it. As I said, I believe the fanless processors is the new segment which will improve greatly over the next couple of years! In 2-3 years they'll probably offer 90 % of the same performance as the equivalent 15 w model.

OK, not sure what you are trying to argue here, but you are still missing the point of Zhenya's original reply.

Maintaining performance and u-series processors have EVERYTHING to do with how large the computer will be, mainly for battery considerations. You stated in your original post you wanted a 13" Retina Macbook Air. Obviously Apple could just put a retina screen in the MacBook Air chassis while keeping everything else the same, with the consequence that battery life would take a sizable hit, which they are probably not keen to do. Therefore, if you want a Retina Macbook Air that has the same battery life as the current Air, it'd be about the size of the current 13" Macbook Pro due to needing that larger battery.

In point of fact: the Retina Macbook, which is easily the most power-sipping laptop from Apple, requires a slightly more powerful battery to get the same advertised battery life as the 11" Air. It only stands to reason that a 13" Air would require a far larger battery to power a Retina screen, and maintain the 12 hour (advertised) battery life of the current MBA.