Death knell sounds for last 17-inch MacBook Pro model, will be added to obsolete list June...
Effective June 30, Apple will add the last of the 17-inch MacBook Pros to its running list of vintage and obsolete products, ending a lineage of large-screen portables that began in 2003 with the 17-inch G4 Powerbook.
In an internal document seen by AppleInsider, and first published by 9to5Mac, the list, Apple will make the Mid-2011 MacBook Air models, and all Late 2011 MacBook Pro models obsolete for most of the world, except California and Turkey. The first generation 802.11n AirPort Express will also be added to the list of equipment that Apple will no longer repair.
The Mid-2009 17-inch MacBook Pro, and the iPhone 3GS will be obsolete world-wide when the list goes into effect.
Apple's original 17-inch portable, the PowerBook G4 17-inch, had a 1 GHz G4 processor, with a 167 MHz system bus, 512 MB of RAM, and a 60 GB hard drive. The machine that shipped with OS X 10.2.4 retailed for $3299.
The last 17-inch MacBook Pro shipped in Late 2011, had either a 2.5 GHz or 2.7 GHz i7 processor, a 5 Gigatexels per second system bus, 4 GB of RAM, and a 750 GB hard drive. At launch, the 2.5 GHz version retailed for $2749.
Apple routinely obsoletes legacy devices as new hardware versions --or new products --take their place. Earlier in May, the company announcedthe end of support for the polycarbonate MacBook, and mid-2009 MacBook Pro models.
In an internal document seen by AppleInsider, and first published by 9to5Mac, the list, Apple will make the Mid-2011 MacBook Air models, and all Late 2011 MacBook Pro models obsolete for most of the world, except California and Turkey. The first generation 802.11n AirPort Express will also be added to the list of equipment that Apple will no longer repair.
The Mid-2009 17-inch MacBook Pro, and the iPhone 3GS will be obsolete world-wide when the list goes into effect.
Apple's original 17-inch portable, the PowerBook G4 17-inch, had a 1 GHz G4 processor, with a 167 MHz system bus, 512 MB of RAM, and a 60 GB hard drive. The machine that shipped with OS X 10.2.4 retailed for $3299.
The last 17-inch MacBook Pro shipped in Late 2011, had either a 2.5 GHz or 2.7 GHz i7 processor, a 5 Gigatexels per second system bus, 4 GB of RAM, and a 750 GB hard drive. At launch, the 2.5 GHz version retailed for $2749.
Apple routinely obsoletes legacy devices as new hardware versions --or new products --take their place. Earlier in May, the company announcedthe end of support for the polycarbonate MacBook, and mid-2009 MacBook Pro models.
Comments
The current 2016 15" MacBook Pros are about 5.5 years newer! They have the same amount of memory, less storage, a smaller screen, and require dongles for connecting to pretty much everything. I priced it out and I would be spending about $5k for a fully loaded MacBook Pro + dock + dongles. Too many compromises to make it worth it.
Hey Apple, please release a MacBook Pro that us 17" users actually want to buy. It is 2017, and I've already replaced the motherboard and battery once in my 17". I would really like to upgrade, I would really like to give you my business, but the current offerings dont work for the amount you are charging. Please fix!
My wife told me to buy a laptop, so I bought a 15" MBP (the "good" 2015 model, of course) and then she said the screen was too small. I told her Apple doesn't make a 17" anymore and she grew noticeably upset. It upsets me too, even though I've never had a 17" before.
Even if some of you out there don't really want one, just be kind and join those of us who do. Make your case known to Apple here:
https://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html
With "a 2.5 GHz or 2.7 GHz i7 processor, a 5 Gigatexels per second system bus, 4 GB of RAM, and a 750 GB hard drive", this machine was hardly obsolete. Well, OK, the memory needs upgraded, but otherwise, except for power users, this machine is still perfectly functional. So why did Apple obsolete it?
For myself: I'm typing this on a Thinkpad T410 with similar specs (except I upgraded the memory to 8Gb). It was manufactured a year prior to the MBP that Apple just obsoleted. And, I am perfectly happy with this machine -- it does everything I need and does it quite well -- and I have every reason to expect it to continue doing well for the next several years... (at some point I will wipe it and use it to replace my 11 year old IBM T60p that I use strictly to maintain my finances -- but currently, both the T60p and the T410 are working just fine.)
So, WHY did Apple obsolete this 6 year old MBP? While the machine needs more memory, otherwise it is a very functional machine. Is Apple obsoleting based on chronologic age rather than some legitimate functional or technologic reason?
I'm not giving up on Apple yet but if push comes to shove (i.e. my MBP finally kicks the bucket) I'll have to look for alternatives.
Such a beautiful, big device. And only ever used to check email and browse the internet (snif).
That said, you must realize you are an outlier. Apple has moved on from the giant laptop business. I am in favor of the current strategy. A 15" MBP is about the biggest laptop I want to carry everywhere. There are usually monitors to plug into where I go to work. And developers have had 10+ years to optimize their applications to work well on a laptop screen, and they have done good work to make the small screen better.
Before you dismiss me as someone who 'doesn't get it' know that my first MBP was a 17" model. While the large screen was great, dragging it around was not fun. I split time between my girlfriend's home and my own at the time and it was just too much.
The MBP can have up to 8TB of disk, or 4TB and an optical drive (The best you can do in the mini is 5TB, the biggest mini PCIe SSD you can get right now is 1TB). They both max at 16GB RAM, but the MBP has a quad-core i7 processor, the best you can get in the mini is dual-core.
And you're stuck plugged into a wall. Even if power is available (and it's not always) it may not be convenient.
Its the same 5 or so people that bitch and whine about the lack of a 17" laptop option. That must mean that there's a market for this, right??? Am I right?
I will never understand why Apple thought it was a good idea to make the screen shiny.
I'm living with one on my 2011 15", but as soon as I run into one, I'm swapping this for a 2012 15" antiglare.
There's nothing compelling for me about any MBP past 2012 at this point. 16 GB RAM was great in 2011. It's pitiful in 2017, but you still can't get a new MBP with more than that.
I don't usually carry my 2011 17", for what I do it's just a bit too big to carry conveniently. When I do carry it, it's because I need the big screen, and the 15" just won't do.
I'm not dumping Apple, everything else out there is awful, and while a Hackintosh can be a great desktop, it doesn't work so well for laptops.