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18 inch MBP?

Gregintosh said:
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.
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The limit is 160 Whr, you just need to let the carrier know during check in. The limit is set by IATA, not FAA.
 
mbp17forever said:
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.
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You have to understand the market conditions back then. People accepted large notebooks because everything else was big.

SATA hard drive, DVD writer, ExpressCard slot, full size USB-A ports, Ethernet port.

None of that stuff exists on most modern notebooks today and consumers wouldn’t accept a notebook over 6 lbs.
 
I suspect Apple has the MBP line exactly where it wants it. The 16" screen is exceptional -- I really can't get over how good it is. And Apple has made it easy to extend it further by using an iPad screen, although it would be cool if Apple allowed a wired connection to the iPad for screen-extension purposes. If Apple were going to offer a larger MBP, I suspect it would go bigger still -- say, a 20" version. But at anything over 16" you start to run into backpack/bag incompatibility and things get very niche very quickly. I'm guessing Apple stays with 14" or 16" for the MBP going forward. Those hit the sweet spots.
 
bluespark said:
I suspect Apple has the MBP line exactly where it wants it. The 16" screen is exceptional -- I really can't get over how good it is. And Apple has made it easy to extend it further by using an iPad screen, although it would be cool if Apple allowed a wired connection to the iPad for screen-extension purposes. If Apple were going to offer a larger MBP, I suspect it would go bigger still -- say, a 20" version. But at anything over 16" you start to run into backpack/bag incompatibility and things get very niche very quickly. I'm guessing Apple stays with 14" or 16" for the MBP going forward. Those hit the sweet spots.
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I think that it's hard to describe how good the 16 is - if you don't mind the size and weight.

I see the reaction when someone comes from a Windows laptop to the MacBook Air. They can't believe that a laptop is so powerful and has such great battery life. Most people aren't buying the MacBook Pro 16 because it is so expensive but it is just so good. And the CPU has three times the power that I will need in the next couple of years. Maybe that changes in the future but I don't see it getting taxed for what I use it for.
 
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Onimusha370 said:
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).
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I wouldn't feel comfortable checking in a luggage with a $3,000+ laptop inside it. No way! Things go missing or get damaged all the time. Way too risky. Lithium-ion batteries are generally not allowed from being checked in anyway. So you would be stuck with a laptop you cannot travel with (unless by car).

If you can't bring a laptop on a plane that will disqualify 90% of buyers already. Even ones who never travel might think "well gee, maybe I will want to travel in the next few years so why should I get a laptop I can't bring with me?"

JPack said:
The limit is 160 Whr, you just need to let the carrier know during check in. The limit is set by IATA, not FAA.
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"All battery packs face very strict guidelines for air travel. Lithium-ion (rechargeable) batteries and portable batteries that contain lithium-ion can only be packed in carry-on baggage. They’re limited to a rating of 100 watt hours (Wh) per battery. With airline approval, you can bring two larger spare batteries (up to 160 Wh)." - Found on CNN page.

So it may require special approval, or there could be a scenario where some airlines allow it and some don't which will also create confusion and frustration for users. I would not want a laptop if it meant I now have to worry about being allowed to bring it.
 
darngooddesign said:
It will also be 1 1/2" thick and weigh two pounds more than the 20" M1-Max MBP.
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Simple solution:
Lunchtime-> stop eating burgers, pizza, fries and … and you will have to carry only half the weight;)

Really people a meal + a drink and you already have + 1.00 kg more weight.
2 Pounds = only +0.90 kg.

The 20-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Ultra will also help people a lot to lose weight over time.
 
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Appletoni said:
Simple solution:
Lunchtime-> stop eating burgers, pizza, fries and … and you will have to carry only half the weight;)

Really people a meal + a drink and you already have + 1.00 kg more weight.
2 Pounds = only +0.90 kg.

The 20-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Ultra will also help people a lot to lose weight over time.
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You can say that, but an 8 pound, 1 1/2" thick 20" MacBook Pro with terrible battery life will be a tough sell for Apple. Especially since the smaller than Studio fans mean that it would still throttle and not give you full Ultra performance.
 
Maybe the 18" MBP has sufficient cooling to house the M1 Ultra. That could be a beast of a laptop.
 
Nbd1790 said:
I'm not sure it would sell well. I know the 17 inch MBP had its users, sure. But very few people in the bigger picture of things actually bought that thing. The current 16 inch MBP really treads a fine line of being "portable". I feel like an 18 inch model would be way too big for a laptop. A that point, the user is most likely better off considering a desktop model or an external monitor when they want more screen real estate.

I was a 15 inch user for several years and do a lot of Photoshop and Audio Editing and switched to the 14 inch model when it came out. I most likely wouldn't consider getting a larger laptop than this again and appreciate the portability aspect tremendously. (I use a 27inch monitor at home which I do a lot of my longer sessions on)

Not to mention the endless amount of options that exist in the portable PC world, and yet I can't remember when I saw anything larger than a 15 inch model in the wild.
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The problem of the 17" MBP was that Apple did not utilize the extra cooling capabilities of the 17" MBP. It was literally the 15" MBP but simply bigger and way more expensive.

If you look at PC laptops, 17" PC laptops do have better hardware options available.

If Apple makes the M1 Ultra available to the 18" MBP, it will sell.
 
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Falhófnir said:
17" laptops have made a real resurgence since the small bezel trend has allowed them to be smaller. In the middle of last decade they'd almost died out apart from a few gaming laptops, now you have the likes of the LG gram 17, HP envy 17 and Dell XPS 17. In general people seem to want bigger screened devices across the board.
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When I was student, I was using a 17" laptop. Was fine with me to be honest. I carried it everywhere no problem. But it was a PC laptop running Linux (because Windows was slow as hell at the time) and Windows.
 
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jav6454 said:
Nah it wouldn't as an Ultra chip would suck all power and have terrible battery life.
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The 18" doesn't need to have 21 hours of battery life like the 16". It is more like a desktop replacement machine, that is mobile at the same time.
 
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jav6454 said:
I find an 18" machine as a hard seller as they are not portable things.
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It is fine. When i was student, I was using a 17" laptop (would be 18" if the bezels were not so thick). Carried it with me everywhere and was not a problem at all.
 
jav6454 said:
18" Seems to enter desktop territory.
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Agree. The appeal to me is it being mostly for stationary use with the ability to take out when needed.

I just checked my Case Logic bag and there's a good chance an 18" would fit in it. Close either way. So maybe it would be decently portable. Not use on a plane portable, but definitely transportable between usage locations.

Back in the day, I saw many 17" MBP's in coffee shops. It's likely a new 18" would be in that size range and probably lighter.
 
UBS28 said:
When I was student, I was using a 17" laptop. Was fine with me to be honest. I carried it everywhere no problem. But it was a PC laptop running Linux (because Windows was slow as hell at the time) and Windows.
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I'd still say if anything it's more likely they eventually bump the 14.2" and 16.2" models up to 15.0" and 17.0" than add a third 18" size to the lineup. As 17" machines can now run closer to what was 15" territory the last time there was a 17" MBP it could still be a decent totable option. I could really see 13" and 15" Air and 15" and 17" Pro, as a modernised version of the lauded 2015 lineup (11 & 13 inch Air and 13 & 15 inch Pro). It seems across the board people love their large displays and with the 13" MBA now being so powerful that covers the super-mobile market capably, a 15" mid size is a real sweet spot to appeal broadly, and then the biggest and most powerful model offering a full desktop replacement experience.
 
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planteater said:
Agree. The appeal to me is it being mostly for stationary use with the ability to take out when needed.

I just checked my Case Logic bag and there's a good chance an 18" would fit in it. Close either way. So maybe it would be decently portable. Not use on a plane portable, but definitely transportable between usage locations.

Back in the day, I saw many 17" MBP's in coffee shops. It's likely a new 18" would be in that size range and probably lighter.
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17" MBPs were hideous for me. Too large to appreciate portability.
 
I’d like to see 17” return with smaller bezels for more screen space. But Apple would probably price the base model at a ridiculous amount.
 
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