Wait and see. I've got it sorted out. Like I said in the other big article about this guy's claims I think that he's got it wrong about them adding a 3rd series of computers. They aren't. They are expanding the "Air" series to a 15 inch model but dropping the Air from the name. What we used to call the Macbook Air is just the Macbook and it will be fronted as THE lineup. There will be a single Pro model in the 13 and 15, perhaps two that will be what we know as the Pro with the ODD, firewire etc. These might only be available custom order as might the 17 inch model. They could also be the only ones with a Retina Display (part of what makes them Pro)
I'll get the machine that suits my needs best, as usual, but psychologically I don't want an Air because I don't want a CULV processor, lack of dGPU, or insuffient number of ports. I want a Pro machine but without the ODD that is 25% of my internal space without ever being used and forcing the machines to be larger and have more engineering constraints.
The only reason would be that nobody is buying it!
I've actually have seen engineers give up their 17" machines (Windoes) because they aren't practicle for travel or field use. As much as 17" MBP users want to believe they are in a large and dynamic group the real trend is away from such large computers.
It is the workhorse of the creative group that is one of the major target groups for Apple. Also for education in the creative area, architecture, art, music, etc. everybody loves the display and the size (thickness and weight) of the 17-inch MacBook Pro. It both a desktop and laptop to creative folks.
AutoCAD after many years of being absent from the Mac has been recently reissued for the Mac. Folks using AutoCAD love using on the 17-inch MacBook Pro.
Real pros are not completely stupid, they can recognize a high performance machine without the "Pro" label in the devices name. This is the most odd and twisted thing posted in this forum thread.
That analysis of Apple's notebook product roadmap seems extremely convoluted. Keeping Pro and Air brands make more (or at least as much sense) as eliminating the Air and keeping MacBook and Pro brands. And it makes far more sense than having Air, MacBook, and Pro. I don't see the Pro becoming simply the Macbook. Pros want a Pro brand and the MacBook has been end-of-lifed even for the education market, right?
Wrong! Mac Book is just another name, they could drop the "Mac" completely and call the new machines Cortland and real pros would be able to recognize that they are high performance machines relative to the AIRs.
Reintroducing the MacBook brand would seem like a) a step backward and b) a violation of Steve's brilliant vision for separate consumer and professional notebook lines.
Complete garbage. Let me state this clearly, if a professional can't recognize a machine with a feature set suitable for his Profession he isn't much of a professional. It would be like a plumber going to a home center for some crappy pipe wrench instead of buying a Ridged. Professionals build their operations around the right tools for the endeavors at hand.
Why not:
11", 13" MBAs stay, possibly rebranded as MB, but that would be a lot of rebranding in a little time for Apple's entry level notebook. Ergo, MBA stays as the brand.
15", 17" MBPs (17" is introduced 2013 or gets dropped, depending on how well 15" Pros fit Pro consumer's needs)
Differentiating factors are that, unlike Airs, Pros get more screen real estate with Retina displays,
Retina is not about screen real estate!
discreet graphics, SSD/HDD with optional SSD-only models. Dropped optical drives make room for SDD/HDD option with sufficient room for larger battery. Done.
I really don't know what Apple is doing with their lineup. If they do take this approach it might be a sign that they are testing the waters to see if people really do want that optical drive in their laptops. There is much whining about the optical going away but the reality is I don't think most Apple customers care. Such a lineup gives Apple a way to test the waters the only honest way possible which is with actual sales. My suspicion is that sales will dry up for the optical equipped MBPs pretty quick, because so many don't know what they are talking about.
It still amazes me that people think AIRs are high performance machines! They aren't even close, even if the Ivy Bridge GPU dramatically improves the model. People act like the 13" AIR and the 13" MBP are the same class machine when they aren't even close.
In any event I really have a positive feeling here, you should get what you want real soon.
I'll get the machine that suits my needs best, as usual, but psychologically I don't want an Air because I don't want a CULV processor, lack of dGPU, or insuffient number of ports. I want a Pro machine but without the ODD that is 25% of my internal space without ever being used and forcing the machines to be larger and have more engineering constraints.
Here's what I'd like to see happen in the Apple notebook space in 2012:
- MacBook Air renamed to MacBook, with some spec improvements (but no Retina display)
- New-generation slim MacBook Pro (no optical drive, tapered, etc.) with Retina display on all models
- Previous-generation MacBook Pro model production continues until demand declines enough to cancel them
(I just don't think there's a big enough niche between the current MBA and MBP lines to wedge in an all-new intermediate line. Remember the G4 Cube? Apple surely does.)
This could happen.
A new macbook with a retina display would be the selling point as well as the all solid state ram design.
Who needs an optical drive these days anyway?
I'm sure it won't be long before we see fast, blue tooth optical drives. They exists but I haven't seen them for laptops. Have any of you?
They might see how well the 17" MBP sells next to the new retina display 15s before making a decision. Would screen real estate win over resolution? TBD.
Mmm.... I think some of this is true but I believe in some different scenario:
MacBook Air name disappears. The line simplified to MacBook, maybe except for one 15" with optical drive, which I doubt will stand and still.
Just 3 models ala Air 11", 13" and 15".
11" and 13" more powerful than today's models and with Retina Display. 15" with Retina Display an special option (that display must be too expensive for a base model).
Same prices for 11" and 13" as today, or maybe $100 more for that display. It worths the $100.
No Solid State HD, but cards of memory.
Models 3G/4G/LTE/GPS capable(*) for $129 more. Ok, maybe that's too much asking, but it is about time, I'm not dreaming here.
PS: Mac Pro with a complete redesigned form factor with very little foot print. I think they are going to show us a very good looking aerodynamical design.
Yep - makes no sense to have a MacBookpro and a new MacBook with better specs for roughly the same price point.
My vote is for continued differentiation between pro and consumer lines. There's no good reason to blur the distinction. "Two" is as simple a dichotomy as can be.
And the logo on the back omits the Apple part entirely, leaving just the leaf.
First they remove Computer from their name and now they remove Apple from their logo. What is Tim Cook doing to the company. Steve would have never done that. Oh the humanities. You maniacs. You blew it up. You blew it up! Damn you! God! Damn you all to hell!
Ding! This is the reason I will never own a Macbook Air.
It is a lot to give up!
However I'm not willing to say never. An 8GB AIR might draw my interest. However the bigger deal is the lack of suitable secondary storage. There is no way a machine with a 256GB SSD is on my purchase list.
Comments
I'll get the machine that suits my needs best, as usual, but psychologically I don't want an Air because I don't want a CULV processor, lack of dGPU, or insuffient number of ports. I want a Pro machine but without the ODD that is 25% of my internal space without ever being used and forcing the machines to be larger and have more engineering constraints.
I've actually have seen engineers give up their 17" machines (Windoes) because they aren't practicle for travel or field use. As much as 17" MBP users want to believe they are in a large and dynamic group the real trend is away from such large computers.
Wrong! Mac Book is just another name, they could drop the "Mac" completely and call the new machines Cortland and real pros would be able to recognize that they are high performance machines relative to the AIRs. Complete garbage. Let me state this clearly, if a professional can't recognize a machine with a feature set suitable for his Profession he isn't much of a professional. It would be like a plumber going to a home center for some crappy pipe wrench instead of buying a Ridged. Professionals build their operations around the right tools for the endeavors at hand. Retina is not about screen real estate!
I really don't know what Apple is doing with their lineup. If they do take this approach it might be a sign that they are testing the waters to see if people really do want that optical drive in their laptops. There is much whining about the optical going away but the reality is I don't think most Apple customers care. Such a lineup gives Apple a way to test the waters the only honest way possible which is with actual sales. My suspicion is that sales will dry up for the optical equipped MBPs pretty quick, because so many don't know what they are talking about.
In any event I really have a positive feeling here, you should get what you want real soon.
Here's what I'd like to see happen in the Apple notebook space in 2012:
- MacBook Air renamed to MacBook, with some spec improvements (but no Retina display)
- New-generation slim MacBook Pro (no optical drive, tapered, etc.) with Retina display on all models
- Previous-generation MacBook Pro model production continues until demand declines enough to cancel them
(I just don't think there's a big enough niche between the current MBA and MBP lines to wedge in an all-new intermediate line. Remember the G4 Cube? Apple surely does.)
Uh, no. It's not official until Apple says it is. This analyst isn't the official word on anything. Period.
This could happen.
A new macbook with a retina display would be the selling point as well as the all solid state ram design.
Who needs an optical drive these days anyway?
I'm sure it won't be long before we see fast, blue tooth optical drives. They exists but I haven't seen them for laptops. Have any of you?
They might see how well the 17" MBP sells next to the new retina display 15s before making a decision. Would screen real estate win over resolution? TBD.
I have just one word for this rumored line-up: Complicated!
Mmm.... I think some of this is true but I believe in some different scenario:
MacBook Air name disappears. The line simplified to MacBook, maybe except for one 15" with optical drive, which I doubt will stand and still.
Just 3 models ala Air 11", 13" and 15".
11" and 13" more powerful than today's models and with Retina Display. 15" with Retina Display an special option (that display must be too expensive for a base model).
Same prices for 11" and 13" as today, or maybe $100 more for that display. It worths the $100.
No Solid State HD, but cards of memory.
Models 3G/4G/LTE/GPS capable(*) for $129 more. Ok, maybe that's too much asking, but it is about time, I'm not dreaming here.
PS: Mac Pro with a complete redesigned form factor with very little foot print. I think they are going to show us a very good looking aerodynamical design.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
And the logo on the back omits the Apple part entirely, leaving just the leaf.
Now That I like!
MacBook /Air/Pro...ShmacBook... whatever....
Rumor has it that Apple is consolidating all lines onder a single name -- the UltraBook
I'm just speculating like everybody else. I'll think they'll add USB 3 and drop the name "Air", optical drives, maybe even HDD:s and 17":
11" MacBook (Air design, SSD)
13" MacBook (Air design, SSD)
15" MacBook (Air design, SSD)
13" MacBook Pro (replaceable SSD and RAM)
15" MacBook Pro (replaceable SSD and RAM)
If you need DVD or bigger screen you'll need to use external. They say Apple may even drop ethernet but I think that's a stretch.
Who cares what it's called. Here's what I want in a new carry around computer:
15" screen
Retina display
Replaceable memory
i7 quad core
HDD (SSD supplemental is OK)
Discrete graphics
USB3 and thunderbolt ports; lots of them
Ethernet would be nice, but not a deal killer.
My vote is for continued differentiation between pro and consumer lines. There's no good reason to blur the distinction. "Two" is as simple a dichotomy as can be.
First they remove Computer from their name and now they remove Apple from their logo. What is Tim Cook doing to the company. Steve would have never done that. Oh the humanities. You maniacs. You blew it up. You blew it up! Damn you! God! Damn you all to hell!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heyref
Who cares what it's called. Here's what I want in a new carry around computer:
Replaceable memory
Ding! This is the reason I will never own a Macbook Air.
It is a lot to give up!
However I'm not willing to say never. An 8GB AIR might draw my interest. However the bigger deal is the lack of suitable secondary storage. There is no way a machine with a 256GB SSD is on my purchase list.