Apple Killing Off 15-inch Macbook Pro?
- November 28th, 2006
- 3 Comments
An interesting find today as we stuck our hand blindly into the Apple rumor box - it seems that Apple may be doing away with its 15” model of the Macbook Pro. The reasoning behind this poppycock is that the price of LCDs has fallen so much, the price difference between 15” and 17” is miniscule enough to offer 17″ displays at a 15″ price. To add fuel to the fire, rumors are also saying that Apple is prepping a 17” widescreen display for a Q1 2007 release - probably around the time of Macworld.
The aforementioned rumor could be true and on some levels, it makes sense. Bigger laptops are on the rise and people need more screen real estate. But the 15” model of the Powerbook was very popular and so is the 15” Macbook Pro. To force users to upgrade to a gigantic 17” display is ridiculous and the size of a 15” is perfect for on the road. I suspect Apple will release a 17” widescreen display, but will keep the 15” Macbook Pro so customers have choices. Then, sometime in 2007, Apple will bust out a 15″ Macbook and that’s when it’ll do away with the 15″ Macbook Pro. What do you think?
17″ Widescreen Price Falls: Is the end nigh for the 15″ MBP? [Insanely Great Mac]
Alasdair Allan (Who am I?)
1 year ago
Sorry, but that would be insane. There are two core demographics in the laptop use, which I’ve always called the “road warriors” and the “power users”. Power users want desktop replacements; more screen, more hard disk, faster CPUs. But road warriors want longer lighter, smaller, laptops and are willing to sacrifice everything except battery life to get it.
I was, and still am, amazingly annoyed that Apple haven’t offered anything to replace the 12-inch Powerbook (see http://www.babilim.co.uk/blog/2006/01/future-for-apple-powerbook.html and http://www.babilim.co.uk/blog/2006/05/what-about-12-inch.html) as even the 13-inch MacBook is too large as far as I’m concerned.
I would considering getting a 15-inch MacBook Pro to replace my ageing 12-inch Powerbook if nothing better (like a small foot print flash based MacBook or MacBook Pro, see http://www.babilim.co.uk/blog/2006/10/flash-based-macbooks_02.html) comes along. But I, and I think a lot of other people that travel almost constantly, would never in a million years buy a 17-inch laptop. Surely Apple know this?
AAM (Who am I?)
1 year ago
I like my 15″ powerbook and hope they keep the line.
the 17″ is nice if your editing film, but I don’t have the need for it.
terry chay (Who am I?)
1 year ago
Two years ago, I got a replacement 17″ Powerbook because the price over a 15″ was so small (less than $100 after EDU discounts and similar spec). Recently, I dropped from that to a 15″ Mac Book Pro because of the extra two inches limited bag selection. While the 17″ is svelte, it wasn’t svelte enough.
Because pixel density has increased, I didn’t lose any resolution.
Somehow I doubt Apple would kill off the high margin 15″ MBP. Currently the price difference is $300 and there is a bump in hard drive and superdrive spec cutting into that gap. For the some of us who carry our notebooks everywhere by car, bicycle, and train/bus the 15″ seems ideal.