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Your thoughts on new MBP form factor.

S

satchmo

macrumors 603
Original poster
Aug 6, 2008
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Canada
Maybe this doesn't apply to you. But for me new Apple products have a certain industrial design aesthetic quality about it. Call it sexy or a lust factor that makes you want it...now!

On first blush here, these new MBP's don't have any of that.

I like the ports, but overall it feels like a dated looking design. From the rounded base corners to the still too thick bezels, it just looks like a laptop from 10 years ago.

Maybe Jony wasn't so bad after all.
 
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I do agree that I get retro vibes from the design. Definitely not Apple's prettiest MacBook.

With that said, It looks like Apple did what needed to be done - They clearly took all the complaining to heart, which is good. High performance M1 chips, no touch bar, magsafe, HDMI, and an SD Card Slot. Pro's can't say Apple didn't listen, that is for certain.

Professional laptops have never been pretty, so I don't think it matters too much.
 
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I immediately saw my best ever 15" MBP being revived but equally for 2021 I thought, meh, they could have done better. Does it matter that it may be perceived as being too close to an old, outdated design? Probably yes to a lot of people.
 
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I was looking at the physical specs vs the 2019... they are bigger and heavier. For a company that normally obsesses over this stuff, seems like they went the opposite direction.
 
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These laptops are aimed at professionals. Wait for the updated MacBook design coming early next year before worrying about the design team's prowess.
 
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mashinhead said:
By how much
Click to expand...

MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2019:

  • 0.64 inches (1.62 cm) high
  • 14.09 inches (35.79 cm) wide
  • 9.68 inches (24.59 cm) deep
  • 4.3 pounds (2.0kg) in weight (varying slightly by configuration.)

MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2021:

  • Height 0.66 inch (1.68 cm)
  • Width: 14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
  • Depth: 9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
  • Weight (M1 Pro): 4.7 pounds (2.1 kg)
  • Weight (M1 Max): 4.8 pounds (2.2 kg)
 
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I’m replacing my early 2011 15” MBP, so it’s smaller in every size aspect, but has a bigger screen. I’m happy.
1634588672966.jpeg
 
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mashinhead said:
Looks thick. Like first gen unibody thick. I don’t like the feet. Wonder why there is no closed shot
Click to expand...

The first gen unibody was .95" thick. This is still substantially thinner than that, but the weight is catching up fast. I'm eager to get into the M1 lineup, but they're not making this an easy decision on me. Besides having to consider how the new dimensions and weight slide into my current setup, all this talk of neural-cores and GPU cores is total Greek to me... not that the old system of describing chip specs was actually transparent in terms of actual performance.

As was the case as before, if you need to ask, wait for the benchmarks. I want one of these new machines, but I'm also going to wait for the benchmarks. I have to decide whether I want a larger screen more or if I'd rather save myself a little bit of weight.
 
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I wish they would have continued with the wedge design — even slightly. I’m not a fan of rounded corners. Straight edges with the tapering would have been more pleasing to my eyes, like the first three iPads compared to the subsequent non-pro models. I’m still getting one though, as this has no bearing on the usability of the machine.
 
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It’s not as pleasing as the previous gen, for sure. It seems clear to me they’re evoking the aluminum PowerBooks, but I don’t like the clash between the top and bottom cases. It looks like a boat.

That said, they’re still quite thin even if the product shots don’t convey that well so I’ll wait to reserve final thoughts until I can see them in person. It would be nice if they went with a much darker shade for Space Gray.

Specs-wise they’re great, and I don’t mind the notch, so ultimately I’ll just have to deal with it.
 
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mashinhead said:
Looks thick. Like first gen unibody thick. I don’t like the feet. Wonder why there is no closed shot
Click to expand...
There are plenty of closed shots on Apple’s website. It is way thinner than the original unibodies. It’s 0.1mm thinner than the 13” mbp / previous gen 16” - it looks slightly thicker because the edges are less tapered.
 
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xmonkey said:
It’s not as pleasing as the previous gen, for sure. It seems clear to me they’re evoking the aluminum PowerBooks, but I don’t like the clash between the top and bottom cases. It looks like a boat.
Click to expand...

I'm waiting to see them in person before I pass judgment. I think that side profile photo may be misleading. I got the impression that they were as chunky as the Unibodies from the side profile shot, but they're actually still thinner than the rMBPs (barely).

In any case, I'm not too concerned if it's a work of art or not. I am a bit concerned that it might be edging into being heavier than I want it to be though... tradeoffs oh tradeoffs.
 
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