15-inch MacBook is my dream machine

[sierramist]

13 inch MBP user here and it is not an M1. Phew.. Yeah, it sucks at this point.

I have long waited for the day I finally give this machine a proper place called the bottom drawer and embrace the sassy new Apple Silicon Mac.

But I don't like MBPs to be honest. They have this flat and thick design from 12 years ago and the notch I dread.

So when I heard of a rumor of a 15-in MacBook or MacBook Air (whichever Cupertino calls it), I thought, 'this is the time!'

Right now, I'm waiting... Waiting for the 15-in MacBook while getting frustrated day by day from the sluggish Intel Mac.

Dazzling colors like the iMac, notch-less 15 inch display, 1080p camera, flat and sleek design. Voila! A perfect MacBook for a long time to go.

Please Apple. Just increase the brightness from 400 to 500 nits. Pros would still have brighter displays so it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[BootLoxes]

Same. Just release it and support 32gb ram and one more monitor and I would buy it instantly

 

[senttoschool]

An new entry-level Macbook Pro makes no sense

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/05/apple-planning-five-new-macs-for-2022/ We know the 13" M1 Macbook Pro is a dead end. We know the gap between a $1000 Macbook Air and a $2000 Macbook Pro 14" needs to be filled by something. Gurman says it's going to be an entry-level 14" MBP. This makes...

forums.macrumors.com

Agreed as both a consumer and an Apple shareholder. I think Apple needs to make a 15/16" Macbook Air-like laptop. There is a huge audience for it and it fills the price gap between the 13" Air and the 14" MBP nicely.

The MBP 16" is incredibly overkill for most people but people want a bigger screen. Even most software developers would be fine with a 15/16" MBA.

 

[Argon_]

The new 14 and preceding 13 have the same posted thickness, according to the Apple website. They just removed the contouring and replaced with a radius. The new machines look significantly thicker, but only the 16 actually is, IIRC.

The old 15s were gorgeous, but then I remember the heat, thermal throttling, and incessant noise. I'm glad they are moving in this direction.

 

[Paradoxally]

But I don't like MBPs to be honest. They have this flat and thick design from 12 years ago and the notch I dread.

The notch is barely an issue, it's like the iPhone. After a while you forget it's there. If you tend to use dark backgrounds, you won't even notice it.

The screen itself was enough for me to get a 16". miniLED is gorgeous. I doubt they'll put the same quality screen on the MB the Pro models, that alone is a lot of the cost of the machine.

Thickness, yeah. That's an issue along with the weight, especially if you want a portable machine. 16" is not exactly portable in the sense that a 14" is.

Even most software developers would be fine with a 15/16" MBA.

I've always looked at Airs and thought "these machines aren't powerful enough". Even nowadays, 8 GB RAM on the base model is a joke for most devs. 16 GB isn't enough for me either, so I skipped it entirely. They should slap a M1 Pro (or M2) on the next MBA and up the minimum to 16 with 32 max.

 

[iSuzan]

The screen of the 16" M1 Pro is georgous! And the notch doesn't disturb at all. Not sure why so much people have problems with it. ?‍♀️
It is the most powerful Mac I've ever had. Never heard the fan. Such a great machine.

But yes, it is relativly heavy. Depends on how often you want to carry it around.

 

[darngooddesign]

...They should slap a M1 Pro (or M2) on the next MBA and up the minimum to 16 with 32 max.

Bring on the MacBook Air Pro Studio LOL

 

[SnackyD]

I'm surprised at how many prospective buyers turn their heads away at the new M1 Pro/Max MBP's because of the notch. I promise you it's not that bad. I forgot it existed by hour 3 of owning my MacBook and i'm sure you will too. If that notch really still bothers you then you have no choice but to wait for next refresh of MBP's.

 

[macsound1]

I think the most amazing selling feature of bringing back the MacBook is a truly middle of the road product.

I'm someone who was thinking of buying a 14" Pro base model, but with 32GB of ram. My use-case doesn't need insane power, but does need something more than the regular M1.

Maybe Apple painted themselves in a corner by calling the M1 Pro, "Pro." Because it has many features that are much more pro-sumer and all the tech nerds couldn't keep themselves from buying the Max (also poorly named but ?‍♂️)

So feature sets would be:

For the Executive MacBook Air - Base Mx chip only, tapered and thin, light, Magsafe, fanless, in fancy colors like gold, starlight, sierra blue
For the Student/ everyman MacBook - Mx Pro chip only, slightly thicker than air, SD, Magsafe and HDMI. In bright iMac colors
For the Pro MacBook Pro - as is.

 

[BigMcGuire]

The screen on the 16' MBP is insane. Bit the bullet and got one finally. Can't imagine life without one now. I'm moving all my reading / consumption / surfing to this monitor. I actually prefer it over my 4k 32' Samsung monitor on my desk.

Been using 13' MBPs since 2017.

 

[senttoschool]

I'm surprised at how many prospective buyers turn their heads away at the new M1 Pro/Max MBP's because of the notch. I promise you it's not that bad. I forgot it existed by hour 3 of owning my MacBook and i'm sure you will too. If that notch really still bothers you then you have no choice but to wait for next refresh of MBP's.

I don't even see the notch anymore. I set my top menu bar to black and it's impossible to know that the notch is there.

 

[planteater]

I'm surprised at how many prospective buyers turn their heads away at the new M1 Pro/Max MBP's because of the notch. I promise you it's not that bad. I forgot it existed by hour 3 of owning my MacBook and i'm sure you will too. If that notch really still bothers you then you have no choice but to wait for next refresh of MBP's.

Yeah, number one notch hater here. I do tend to like dark backgrounds though, and therefore the notch is hidden for me. Even with slightly lighter wallpaper, it’s not bothering me now.

 

[darngooddesign]

I don't even see the notch anymore. I set my top menu bar to black and it's impossible to know that the notch is there.

I started using Lunar to give manual access to XDR/HDR brightness if I want it in bright environments and it has a feature to move the menubar down below the notch. It also reduces the height of the Menubar back to its previous, non-notch size.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I would also really love a 15" Air
But - I do emphasize "Air"

I really am not interested in that fat chunky bloated "bathtub" shape of the new Pros

 

[BigMcGuire]

Bathtub? Ahaha. Haven't heard these new MacBooks called that yet.

I had a work provided 15' MBP i7 with a GPU and that thing got so hot it actually burned my legs (I should have known better but years of using 13' MBPs ....). Case fans were constantly screaming until I hooked it up to an eGPU and used it as a desktop. Right now for work I use a 13' MBP i7 with an eGPU and it's warm (97F) but I can't hear fans.

This 16' MBP (personal use)? I haven't heard the case fans run once, even after gaming for awhile I don't hear fans - it gets a little warm to the touch but nowhere near uncomfortable. I'm very thankful for this design because I can't stand case fan noise and I can actually use something on my lap again! lol. According to TG pro - fans are always off. lol.

I tried the M1 13' but the CPU just wasn't fast enough for the gaming / virtualization stuff I did (personal usage, not work).


But a fan-less air with a 16' screen? - sounds amazing (if only I could use it).

I'm only 36 but I found the M1 13' screen too small. The 14' screen was also a bit tiny for me. 16' screen is just PERFECTION. I've moved almost all my reading/browsing over to this thing. I did some medium web browsing yesterday for hours and only used 10% (no fans) - case felt cool. I imagine size has something to do with that too.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Bathtub? Ahaha. Haven't heard these new MacBooks called that yet.

I got that from a friends wife -- she is, shall we say, "not enamored" with the chunky look.
Her reaction was "looks like my Dad's Dell laptop from 2010" (from a slight distance I think she meant).

That's perhaps a bit much, but I get what she means.
They lost all hints of the "sex appeal" they once had.

I get it -- it's in service of utility, ports and good thermals, etc

I just don't want them to do that to the Air line

 

[BigMcGuire]

I got that from a friends wife -- she is, shall we say, "not enamored" with the chunky look.
Her reaction was "looks like my Dad's Dell laptop from 2010" (from a slight distance I think she meant).

That's perhaps a bit much, but I get what she means.
They lost all hints of the "sex appeal" they once had.

I get it -- it's in service of utility, ports and good thermals, etc

I just don't want them to do that to the Air line

Agreed - there is an art, a beauty about the M1 MBP 13'. I've used that form factor since 2017. Yeah, the new MBPs are definitely chunky.

 

[planteater]

I purchased my 16 inch M1 MBP online for in-store pickup. I'd never seen one in anything but pictures or videos online, and I was not overly impressed with the shape. Using it, I found that it looks much better sitting on my desk or lap than any photos I've seen of it. And as noted by many, it's an absolute pleasure to use, far better than I'd imagined prior to purchasing it. I couldn't be happier. Apple hit the nail on the head with this bathtub.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Using it, I found that it looks much better sitting on my desk or lap than any photos I've seen of it

Fair.. But if when one does a critical reading of what you said… It’s simply better looking than you thought it would be from seeing photos.

I totally relate to people that think it looks pretty chunky and lost a lot of the sex appeal of the previous versions

I’m solely commenting on the aesthetics.
Obviously the actual hardware and performance offering is phenomenal

 

[planteater]

Fair.. But if when one does a critical reading of what you said… It’s simply better looking than you thought it would be from seeing photos.

I totally relate to people that think it looks pretty chunky and lost a lot of the sex appeal of the previous versions

I’m solely commenting on the aesthetics.
Obviously the actual hardware and performance offering is phenomenal

Sitting next to my 2015 15 MBP, I think the 2021 16 inch looks better. Truth be told, I've never really liked the industrial design language of many Apple products, finding other manufactures products vastly more appealing. But I've come to accept them. I'm with Apple for macOS, iOS, and a number of other reasons other than their hardware designs.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Sitting next to my 2015 15 MBP, I think the 2021 16 inch looks better. Truth be told, I've never really liked the industrial design language of many Apple products, finding other manufactures products vastly more appealing.

It's subjective for sure
Great to hear you're loving your new kit!

 

[darngooddesign]

I’m solely commenting on the aesthetics.
Obviously the actual hardware and performance offering is phenomenal

The MBPs might be an 8, but their personalities make them a 10. ?

 

[cwwilson]

A 15" Air or similar would be a walk-off Grand Slam World Series winner for Apple I don't know why they won't go ahead and do it. There's no doubt in my mind it would sell BUCKETS as there's a huge market for those who don't want or need the power from the Pro but still want a solid product with a large screen and good build quality.

 

[Pugly]

What would apple charge for 15” Air? Close to $1000 like $1300, or more towards $2000 like $1700?

Now that the MBP are bigger, it seems like Apple needs more thin and light laptops.

 

[Argon_]

I totally relate to people that think it looks pretty chunky and lost a lot of the sex appeal of the previous versions

I’m solely commenting on the aesthetics.
Obviously the actual hardware and performance offering is phenomenal

Yeah, the previous MBPs were a master class in aesthetics. The inside just didn't match the outside. Glued in batteries, awkward touch bars, uncomfortable keyboards, cranked Intel chips that require an extra boiler at the local powerplant, easily obstructed heatsink exhausts, etc.


The new/retro design still looks better than the rest of the industry, IMO. Build quality is also an order of magnitude better.


My 'perfect' laptop, given current technological constraints, would be a 15" wedge design Air, 32 gigs of RAM, fanless. The M1 Air I currently daily drive is already the best computer I've ever used.