Do YOU want a 12 inch MacBook Pro?

[fblack]

nope

I can see how some people might want a smaller machine. But not me, bad eyesight demands minimum 15 inch. I wouldn't mind a 17 but it just feels to cumbersome to carry around, like luggage.

What we really need is a laptop at about 12 inches but the screen folds out to about 17...

 

[mac-eroni]

I agree that there were some differences, of course, and that it was a good choice for many, but people seem to whince about the death of the beloved 12" PB as if it were a full-on PowerBook in a small case, something that it decidely wasn't.

I guess we're in agreement then. LOL. Ya, you have to sacrifice some power for enhanced portability, that's for sure.


capoditutti:
Here are the specs on the old 12" powerbook. As netdog mentioned it does have lower specs than the 15" or even 17" in it's series.
http://support.apple.com/specs/powerbook/PowerBook_G4_12-inch_1_5GHz.html

 

[JDN]

They could do something to separate the BlackBook from the white ones a bit more. Possibly even just add a backlit keyboard or something simple like that. Or an Express Card 34 slot. Just a little extra type thing.

 

[andiwm2003]

I agree that there were some differences, of course, and that it was a good choice for many, but people seem to whince about the death of the beloved 12" PB as if it were a full-on PowerBook in a small case, something that it decidely wasn't.

i agree.

i wouldn't want a 12" MBP in a way the 12" PB was. it would have to be a 13.3" MBP with all the features of the maxed out 15.4" MBP.

if they get a 13.3" widescreen, 2.33GHz C2D or better, a 256MB X1600, a 160GB HDD, a Superdrive, an expresscard slot, FW400&800, airport, bluetooth, 2xUSB, Gigabit ethernet, (backlit keyboard and dual layer DVD not necessary) then i would be interested.

if it's a just MB in an aluminum case then i rather buy the white MB.

 

[Martin C]

if they get a 13.3" widescreen, 2.33GHz C2D or better, a 256MB X1600, a 160GB HDD, a Superdrive, an expresscard slot, FW400&800, airport, bluetooth, 2xUSB, Gigabit ethernet, (backlit keyboard and dual layer DVD not necessary) then i would be interested.

if it's a just MB in an aluminum case then i rather buy the white MB.

I'm with you on this one andiwm.

I'm not familiar with the 12'' PB pricing. Did they price it higher than 15'' just because of the smaller form factor, or was it a couple hundred cheaper?

 

[Vidd]

Since the 12" was 4:3 what size would the modern equivalent be and what would the resolution be?

 

[Techguy172]

Just a thought - the sticking point seems to be about graphics capability, even though the physical size limitations of the screen mean not much meaningful graphics/creative work is going to be done on that size screen anyway, so....

1. Is there a 12.1" laptop out there at the moment currently shipping with anything better than Intel integrated graphics (GMA900/950)?

We can move on from here

Yes there is the dell xps m1210

But I think it would be awesome if they had a 12" Macbook pro Maybe i'll just buy a powerbook.

 

[macjay]

A 12" widescreen MBP would be noticeably smaller than the 12" Powerbook. Although some people use(d) their 12" PB/iBooks as their main machine, I couldn't see that happening with a 12" widescreen MBP. Just too small, from what I've seen of the 12" PC laptops out there.

 

[r6girl]

i love the performance of my macbook, but miss the perfect size of my 12" powerbook. i'd sell my macbook in a hot second if a smaller macbook pro comes out...

 

[FleurDuMal]

Isn't this a bit of a pointless question? The consumer is never gonna ask for less choice, so of course they'll say yes they want a 12" MBP! The question is, is it financially viable for Apple to release one, to which the answer is obviously no.

 

[macjay]

Since the 12" was 4:3 what size would the modern equivalent be and what would the resolution be?

I think 13" WS may be closer to the 4:3 PB than a 12" WS. If you've ever seen a current 12" WS PC laptop, they look much smaller to me than the 12" PB/iBook.

Also, a 12" WS laptop has less screen surface area than a 12" 4:3 (while a 13" WS has more).

 

[macjay]

i love the performance of my macbook, but miss the perfect size of my 12" powerbook. i'd sell my macbook in a hot second if a smaller macbook pro comes out...

Have you seen a 12" widescreen PC laptop yet? I thought I wanted a 12" MBP, then I saw how much smaller the 12" Toshibas (widescreen) are compared to my 12" iBook. The 12" PC laptops look to me like companion computers for travel.

 

[dualcore]

that would be perfect for me, i want a macbook but want dedicated graphics for FCP, AFX and photoshop. ahhhhh mbp 12 inch would be perrrrrfect.

 

[FF_productions]

that would be perfect for me, i want a macbook but want dedicated graphics for FCP, AFX and photoshop. ahhhhh mbp 12 inch would be perrrrrfect.

The only app you mentioned that would utilize the graphics card is After Effects (I think) .

 

[Spectrum]

Most 12" bashers miss the point: weight

The Macbook/Pro line fails in a spectacular way in a very key area (for some): Weight.

13" MacBook : 5.2 lb !!!
15" MacBook Pro : 5.6 lb
17" MacBook Pro : 6.8 lb

12" iBook : 4.9 lb
14: iBook : 5.9 lb

12" PowerBook : 4.6 lb !!!
15" PowerBook : 5.6 lb
17" PowerBook : 6.9 lb

With the shift to Intel processors, all of these computers could have got lighter - NONE of them did - they all got significantly more powerful instead (no bad thing when balanced appropriately).

Hopefully, next revision things will calm down and we'll start to see some weight losses from Apple's output.

FWIW: We have three students in our lab. All use 12" PBs.

 

[portent]

The MacBook is a nice discount/budget laptop. It fails as a "mobile professional" laptop.

To be a true 12" PowerBook replacement, it needs

- to be AT LEAST a half-pound lighter than the MacBook
- a Pro-type keyboard
- dedicated video memory
- a matte display option
- FireWire 800 (maybe)

Ideally, you'd get a true Apple thin-and-light. Maximum 4 lbs.

 

[Cult Follower]

Who wouldn't want one, the perfect size with dedicated graphics. Everyone who says they don't want one is probably lieing.

 

[portent]

Who wouldn't want one, the perfect size with dedicated graphics. Everyone who says they don't want one is probably lieing.

More likely, they've never seen/used a 12" PowerBook. That is, they were never potential 12" MacBook Pro customers anyway.

 

[interlaced]

I would definitely buy one. I used to own a 12" and it was the best computer I ever had. Small, yet powerful enough to do almost anything! Plus I could toss it into my backpack and set it up quickly in class. I never liked the iBooks and am still not a big fan of the Macbooks. The dedicated video card was a definite plus. If Apple were to put out a new sub-notebook, I doubt it would have FW800 or a backlit keyboard, but if it did, that would make it so much better.

 

[knowledg333]

What a horrid poll. How about an option for "yes, even though I probably will not buy one" or "no." I would like to see a 12" MBP, but only because I would like to have a smaller laptop for when I don't want to carry around the somewhat cumbersome 17"

 

[invigorated]

This thread: Perfect example of how to rig a poll.

Yes or No should have been the options because I don't believe thats what the macbook is for or that they should make a 12 inch powerbook.

In my opinion the reason apple has not made a smaller macbook pro is that the professional use of a macbook pro really requires more screen real estate to be usefull.

The macbook is a consumer notebook, not a professional notebook so it doesn't fit the category. Really it's not that much smaller than the macbook pro in terms of actual dimensions anyway.

I understand the benefits of having a really portable laptop having owned a 12inch powerbook.

However I think it's impractical to have a laptop that size for professional use these days because the screen resolutions aren't high enough to be productive, or if they are everything becomes unusably hard to look at.

 

[invigorated]

Double...

 

[3nm]

i'd buy an ultra portable MBP in a heartbeat, it must have backlit KB though.

 

[dartzorichalcos]

I would buy one only if it has the same 12" PowerBook G4 design.

 

[iW00t]

Yes

but it has to be a widescreen display.

Once you go widescreen you can't go back!