Did anyone actually really think it would be better, bigger, faster, better battery life AND thinner and lighter? Really?
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Your thoughts on new MBP form factor.
- Thread starter satchmo
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Wanting a more aesthetically pleasing design doesn’t mean what we want is necessarily something that’s thinner and lighter.
Design has so many more variables than that and some of us think that Apple could have put more attention into the physical design.
At the end of the day they’re pro machines meant for productivity so looks aren’t likely to be the deciding factor for most people buying these (myself included), but often with Apple you get both and that’s why I really like their products.
I’m happy as I now realise that my upgrade from 15 to 16 inches will have a smaller footprint, although with all that beef will be a tad chunkier.
My present MacBook Pro 15-inch, mid-2015
Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm)
Width: 14.13 inches (35.89 cm)
Depth: 9.73 inches (24.71 cm)
Weight: 4.49 pounds (2.04 kg)
Soon to be replaced by 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 Max): 4.8 pounds (2.2 kg)
My present MacBook Pro 15-inch, mid-2015
Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm)
Width: 14.13 inches (35.89 cm)
Depth: 9.73 inches (24.71 cm)
Weight: 4.49 pounds (2.04 kg)
Soon to be replaced by 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 Max): 4.8 pounds (2.2 kg)
Just chiming in on behalf of those who appreciate thin designs, this MBP although packed with awesomeness is too thick for me and the feet look kind of old school from images. The ideal MBP for me would be this one but a lot thinner, no old ports (helps keep it thinner) and I'd pay more for a TB option if it were available.
First time for me with M1, the Air is powerful enough and it has a design that's good for me, this year's M1 MBPs won't bring me back. I'm now thinking my next Mac will likely be an upcoming redesign of the Air with hopefully a similar screen as new MBP without the thickness and old ports.
First time for me with M1, the Air is powerful enough and it has a design that's good for me, this year's M1 MBPs won't bring me back. I'm now thinking my next Mac will likely be an upcoming redesign of the Air with hopefully a similar screen as new MBP without the thickness and old ports.
new macs look amazing. Love that PowerBook retro vibe going for it but mainly for all the tech finally coming into apple.
Weirdly I think the promotional renders Apple have released make them look a lot worse than they do in actual live photos. In the renders they look like they will be literally an inch thick when closed - but they're not. The 'iPad Air' shape of the topcase (the bottom section the computer) doesn't disguise the actual depth of the computer like the retina and Touch Bar designs did, which doesn't help either.
Has actually no one noticed, that Apple measured the thickness of the new MBPs WITHOUT the devices feet? The only scaled the body thickness of the MacBook Pro, but left the feet out. so technically, these devices are thicker than the previous generation, but are thinner on paper when you don’t consider the additional thickness that comes with their feet…
Why would you count The small round feet in additional thickness? I don’t count the feet ever. It’s only the computer itself I Measure. Are we nitpicking
I wish that were true, but there’s a couple hundred page thread about the 16” MBP overheating and I’ve been running my $4.5k laptop with turboboost disabled so my fans aren’t at full blast. I’m very very happy that they’re putting out a laptop that leans more towards function.
Looks good in the pics, but I won't know for certain until my new MBP arrives.
I've been designing products for 30+ years, and I'm picky.
I've been designing products for 30+ years, and I'm picky.
I'd rather it work better than look better.
It feels like they’ve finally made the actual pro laptop that pros want, and now they need to bring back the regular MacBook line which can be similar to the pro in terms of MagSafe, screen size, good speakers, etc, but processing power relevant to normal everyday use. And keep it thin as hell, super sexy, whatever. And then the air can be the entry level model.
Jony Ive still consults for Apple. His company probably had a lot of input with the new MBP design.
If you never saw the 15"/16" MBP from 2016-2020, you'd probably feel a bit differently. This is a tasteful evolution of the 2015 with ports. Y'all wanted no compromise performance - this what it takes. It's all about thermals.
This definitely isn't a laptop for everyone. Apple is slowly creating more differentiation between Pro and non-Pro devices. The 2016-2020 MBP wasn't terrible, but it was too size constrained to really deliver for the Pro market. Kind of the "best I've got, but I'm not thrilled" solution.
Sure, still lots to rethink in this new design, but anyone that's owned gen1 of a new generation of Apple products knows this the beginning of a lot more interesting things to come. Now that Apple controls their destiny with processors, they can do a lot more.
Today the computer is designed around the processor. In the future, design goals can influence the processor design as Apple controls both sides of that conversation.
This definitely isn't a laptop for everyone. Apple is slowly creating more differentiation between Pro and non-Pro devices. The 2016-2020 MBP wasn't terrible, but it was too size constrained to really deliver for the Pro market. Kind of the "best I've got, but I'm not thrilled" solution.
Sure, still lots to rethink in this new design, but anyone that's owned gen1 of a new generation of Apple products knows this the beginning of a lot more interesting things to come. Now that Apple controls their destiny with processors, they can do a lot more.
Today the computer is designed around the processor. In the future, design goals can influence the processor design as Apple controls both sides of that conversation.
Keep in mind a lot of people likely assuming thermal issues would be taken care of by Apple Silicon replacing Intel without needing a thicker chassis. Look how well the M1 Air performs in super thin chassis and no active cooling. The 16“ Intel MBP was already noticeably thicker than the previous models (to get back better keyboard), now the M1 MBP is again thicker than the aforementioned 16” laptop.
That said I guess Apple made a good move, hardly anyone buys a new laptop every year. This round they‘ll attract some of the haters of design over function, where’s the legacy ports… then in future iteration perhaps they’ll have less dramatic performance improvements and focus again on design improvements (for the lower “half”).
That said I guess Apple made a good move, hardly anyone buys a new laptop every year. This round they‘ll attract some of the haters of design over function, where’s the legacy ports… then in future iteration perhaps they’ll have less dramatic performance improvements and focus again on design improvements (for the lower “half”).
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On the other hand, the 2016-2019 design language looks more fragile than the more utilitarian look of the new 2021 models. It gives it a more "this sucker means business" vibe which is important since we've come from an area where form over function seemed to rule the day.
Given everything I first heard about Apple Silicon, I was actually expecting more of the same form factor.
Yeah it is chunky, but I think it'll wear better than my current 2018 MBP
The old ones had sharp edges to help accentuate the thinness. I have a few little dents on mine. It's not a big deal, but not ideal. I don't want to baby the thing that much. The 2018 felt delicate in many ways. Not just the keyboard.
I like that the new ones have a boxy design. It's a tad bit more honest. They're not trying to finesse the design to make it appear smaller than it really is.
The new boxy look will also go well with all their other products like the new iPhone, iPad, and iMac. The rumor is the New Airs will also be flat. I suspect the curvy surfaces are going to start to look dated in a couple years.
The old ones had sharp edges to help accentuate the thinness. I have a few little dents on mine. It's not a big deal, but not ideal. I don't want to baby the thing that much. The 2018 felt delicate in many ways. Not just the keyboard.
I like that the new ones have a boxy design. It's a tad bit more honest. They're not trying to finesse the design to make it appear smaller than it really is.
The new boxy look will also go well with all their other products like the new iPhone, iPad, and iMac. The rumor is the New Airs will also be flat. I suspect the curvy surfaces are going to start to look dated in a couple years.