18 inch MBP?

[Bug-Creator]

I think an 18" XDR-type screen with Pro Motion and the same proportional specs would be very expensive.

It would most likely be cut from the same motherglass as the 16 and 14" screen which should make it about 30% more expensive. But that isn't what was discussed and there is no question that such a MacBook would come at a hefty premium for the user to pay.

The discussion was about how expensive the development would be and I stand by my point unless the go crazy with the specs that it wouldn't be prohibitively bad.

 

[pshufd]

Before switching to Apple devices, I used to own a 17” laptop that I had bought for some game dev and gaming needs.
Not a monster hardware-wise - but the weight was awful.

As a desktop replacement I would maybe consider something like that again but not as a device I actually take with me.
For a device to take with me, I don’t think I’ll ever buy anything bigger than 14” again.

I'm quite happy with the 16 but I'm mostly at home with it.

I would consider a 16 inch Air for casual use and travel. I just don't see a 17 or 18 inch air though.

The LG Gram 17 sells well and there are many that like the big screen and light weight but it's not something with a lot of compute punch. The better comparison to the LG Gram 17 would be a MacBook Air 17.

 

[Onimusha370]

I disagree. I think an 18" XDR-type screen with Pro Motion and the same proportional specs would be very expensive.

My guess would be an extra £300 above the 16" for the same specs. Currently a £200 gap from the 14" to the 16", I can't see why the jump to 18" would be a huge leap in price? (happy to be proven wrong!)

 

[jav6454]

Hey everyone, [...]

Cool to get peoples thoughts on whether they'd consider it in 2022.

One way would be to increase real estate on the screen itself by making bezels thinner... but even then.

 

[Calaveras]

The 17 MBP was so great. Not only did you get more screen real estate, but that baby had all the ports one could ever want or need. Including good old expresscard.
At my old job 10 years or so ago a bunch of our engineers liked them. They would run VMs to do QA tests. Having several windows open and a few network interfaces hanging off the TB, USB and Expresscard.
They also looked great in those Henge docks.
And it really didnt weight much more than a 15".
Had one as my company laptop for about 6 months before our VP backed his Audi over his laptop by accident and I had to find a substitute in a jiffy.
They were also great for converting the optical to a 2nd hard disk. You basically got a portable server.
The main drawback was that there were a lot less cases and such for them than the more popular 13" and 15".

Apple seems to be obsessed with minifying things for the last 5 years or so. Maybe with Ive gone we are seeing more practical desgins and less Braun worshipping. So maybe? Perhaps a "Macbook Studio"

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

An 18" MacBook Pro would be an instant buy for me. I was always fascinated by the size of the 17" Macbook Pro. I think that was also the perfect size. I really don't care about the thinness or how small it is. To me it's more so about functionality, durability and more screen estate.

The MacBook Pro 17" was an incredible machine. If Apple introduced MacBook Pro 18". I can't even imagine how good it is going to be.

Apple's Last 17-Inch MacBook Pro Set to Become Obsolete

Apple will soon make the Mid-2011 MacBook Air and Late 2011 MacBook Pro obsolete, meaning the two models will no longer be accepted for official...

www.macrumors.com

 

[JPack]

You mean an iMac with a battery. Excellent idea ?

No, that would be way too heavy and expensive.

Something like Dell and Lenovo's portable monitor at 1.5 lbs.

 

[darngooddesign]

The discussion was about how expensive the development would be and I stand by my point unless the go crazy with the specs that it wouldn't be prohibitively bad.

The 16" is only $200 USD more than the 14"; I agree that 18" wouldn't be that much more than the 16". Probably weigh just under 6 pounds.

 

[jav6454]

No, that would be way too heavy and expensive.

Something like Dell and Lenovo's portable monitor at 1.5 lbs.

I almost forgot of those.

 

[wilberforce]

I hated my 17" and found it the worst of both worlds: poor as a desktop substitute (screen too small), and poor as a portable laptop (too big and heavy). I think an 18" would be even worse than a 17".
In contrast, a small but powerful laptop with an external monitor is the best of both worlds, IMO.

But I acknowledge there are probably use cases where a user is forced into, or likes, this compromise.

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

I would love this. Same use case for me.

I mostly use it at my desk, but will always have a laptop and external monitor instead of desktop. Every now and then I take it somewhere, and I couldn’t go desktop.

Now that apple has all but completed the move to their own silicon, MAYBE we will see new designs. We did just get a brand new Mac line with the Studio. Maybe that bodes well for people who would use relatively niche hardware like this.

 

[pshufd]

I would love this. Same use case for me.

I mostly use it at my desk, but will always have a laptop and external monitor instead of desktop. Every now and then I take it somewhere, and I couldn’t go desktop.

Now that apple has all but completed the move to their own silicon, MAYBE we will see new designs. We did just get a brand new Mac line with the Studio. Maybe that bodes well for people who would use relatively niche hardware like this.

I expect more designs in volume areas. My example is a 15 inch or 16 inch Air. There are lots of people that want a bigger screen, don't need an M1 Pro and want something lighter than the MacBook pro 16.

 

[arian71]

27 inch ipad pro with wheels is my dream

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

I'm quite happy with the 16 but I'm mostly at home with it.

I would consider a 16 inch Air for casual use and travel. I just don't see a 17 or 18 inch air though.

The LG Gram 17 sells well and there are many that like the big screen and light weight but it's not something with a lot of compute punch. The better comparison to the LG Gram 17 would be a MacBook Air 17.

Oh yeah, I'm not saying Apple shouldn't do this. In fact, I think they should - there seems to be market for especially a larger MBA. As someone who has waited (in vain) for certain tech products, I'd be genuinely happy for the folks who want this if it ever came out.

I'll admit I'd go to the nearest Apple Store to try them out, too. Just like I did with the 16" MBP. Awesome machines, but I'd still go for the smaller ones.
I should also mention that I do have a Mac mini with a 27" 4k display on my desk - so my preference for smaller displays is purely for on the go/sofa/bed ;D

 

[pshufd]

Oh yeah, I'm not saying Apple shouldn't do this. In fact, I think they should - there seems to be market for especially a larger MBA. As someone who has waited (in vain) for certain tech products, I'd be genuinely happy for the folks who want this if it ever came out.

I'll admit I'd go to the nearest Apple Store to try them out, too. Just like I did with the 16" MBP. Awesome machines, but I'd still go for the smaller ones.
I should also mention that I do have a Mac mini with a 27" 4k display on my desk - so my preference for smaller displays is purely for on the go/sofa/bed ;D

Costco is a good place to try these out as they have the whole Apple lineup and they have Windows systems, including the LG Gram 17. If Costco sells it, then it's a high-volume product.

 

[Appletoni]

An 18" MacBook Pro would be an instant buy for me. I was always fascinated by the size of the 17" Macbook Pro. I think that was also the perfect size. I really don't care about the thinness or how small it is. To me it's more so about functionality, durability and more screen estate.

The MacBook Pro 17" was an incredible machine. If Apple introduced MacBook Pro 18". I can't even imagine how good it is going to be.

Apple's Last 17-Inch MacBook Pro Set to Become Obsolete

Apple will soon make the Mid-2011 MacBook Air and Late 2011 MacBook Pro obsolete, meaning the two models will no longer be accepted for official...

www.macrumors.com

The 20-inch with M3 Ultra will also have: HDMI 2.1, SD Express 8.0, Ethernet port, 1xUSB-A, Thunderbolt 5, Wifi7, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, Face ID and Touch ID, OLED.EX, 2000 nits brightness, refresh rates up to 240Hz, 8K.

 

[mbp17forever]

18-inch MBP would be fantastic.

When Apple stopped producing 17-inch laptops it was 2012 and the biggest iPhone was the 4-inch iPhone 5.

In a world where the 6,7 inch iPhone Pro Max is a best seller, a 18-inch MBP would be a best seller too.

Btw, most people hate external displays, dongles etc. They just want a big screen laptop to watch Netflix or edit YouTube videos.

 

[Gregintosh]

I think the 16 inch pro already uses the maximum capacity of a battery allowed on airplanes by FAA rules.

If you had an 18 inch and could not get a bigger battery than the 16 already has, that means it would not last as long. Though that may not be a huge issue as long as it can get 7+ real world hours of productivity.

 

[Onimusha370]

I think the 16 inch pro already uses the maximum capacity of a battery allowed on airplanes by FAA rules.

If you had an 18 inch and could not get a bigger battery than the 16 already has, that means it would not last as long. Though that may not be a huge issue as long as it can get 7+ real world hours of productivity.

Agree if the battery was bigger you wouldn’t be taking it into a plane - I think you’d be able to have it in your luggage though, just not actually in person? (Let me know if that’s wrong though!)

I’d personally be happy with that trade-off, i.e. get a 20% bigger battery and not be able to use on planes (it’d be pretty unwieldy anyway).

 

[Onimusha370]

18-inch MBP would be fantastic.

When Apple stopped producing 17-inch laptops it was 2012 and the biggest iPhone was the 4-inch iPhone 5.

In a world where the 6,7 inch iPhone Pro Max is a best seller, a 18-inch MBP would be a best seller too.

Btw, most people hate external displays, dongles etc. They just want a big screen laptop to watch Netflix or edit YouTube videos.

Yep couldn’t agree more - would be awesome for anyone who wants a mobile desktop

 

[gpat]

The most sensible move would be to switch from 14" + 16" to 14" + 18".
The 16" is already a bulky machine by Apple standards, it's made to be bought by people that need a portable workstation with a big screen and proper cooling, they care about that more than they care about the extra inch or pound in the backpack.

So it would make sense to make a bigger 18" to replace it, it could be thinner than the actual 16" while keeping the same level of cooling and battery (you can't put a bigger than 100wh battery anyway because of flight regulations).

Meanwhile, you keep the 14" as it is right now, because it already appeals to a completely different audience.

So you would have a 18" with weight similar to current 16", thickness similar to current 14" and all the strong points of the current 16". I'd buy it instantly (as an owner of the current 16").

 

[azentropy]

I wouldn't mind seeing it as I would value choice of size over choice of colors ( that is a different argument), but really don't see it happening. The 17" sold really poorly in terms of number of units and in terms of percentage of Powerbooks sold. A larger version today would just take sales away from the 16" model rather than create new sales IMO and the smaller "MacBooks" already greatly outsell the 16" version.

People pick on the iPhone mini for bad sales, but really it is only poor sales vs the other ipHone models. Any other company would love to have a model with those sales numbers.

It seems people want large iPhones and smaller "MacBooks".

 

[pshufd]

I wouldn't mind seeing it as I would value choice of size over choice of colors ( that is a different argument), but really don't see it happening. The 17" sold really poorly in terms of number of units and in terms of percentage of Powerbooks sold. A larger version today would just take sales away from the 16" model rather than create new sales IMO and the smaller "MacBooks" already greatly outsell the 16" version.

People pick on the iPhone mini for bad sales, but really it is only poor sales vs the other ipHone models. Any other company would love to have a model with those sales numbers.

It seems people want large iPhones and smaller "MacBooks".

I have an iPhone 13 mini and love it. It is great to run with because it is small and light. I previously used an iPhone 7+

I also have an iPad mini 5, though, so, if I need a bigger screen, I have one available.

So it may be the combination of devices which determines what people want for a particular device.

My desktop is 1x5k + 3x4k + 1xQHD. If I need more screen real-estate, I'll just walk over to my desktop.

 

[azentropy]

I have an iPhone 13 mini and love it. It is great to run with because it is small and light. I previously used an iPhone 7+

I also have an iPad mini 5, though, so, if I need a bigger screen, I have one available.

So it may be the combination of devices which determines what people want for a particular device.

My desktop is 1x5k + 3x4k + 1xQHD. If I need more screen real-estate, I'll just walk over to my desktop.

I'm in the same boat. I have a 12 mini because when I'm out and about I don't need a big screen/device (I'm actually doing stuff and not doing things that would benefit from the larger screen) and appreciate the smaller form factor. When I'm home I rarely use my iPhone (other than for actual calls) and use my iPad instead. If I need to do even more demanding work I sue my MacBook and if I need even more than that I use my iMac...

 

[spiderman0616]

Nah--wouldn't buy one for my setup. I already find the 16" MBP pretty big and heavy. Though, I do have to travel with it next week, so I'll have to see how that ends up working out. And I do appreciate that it has a couple extra hours battery than my M1 Air had or my M1 Pro 14" has. I'd be willing to bet that on my upcoming work trip that I won't even ever have to charge it.