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Downsizing of the MacBook?

  • Yay but only if a larger size in still available

    Votes: 4 19.0%
  • Yay

    Votes: 5 23.8%
  • Nay

    Votes: 10 47.6%
  • Nay the current MacBook is a stupid product

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • Total voters
    21

NOT..BLUE..ENOUGH!

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 28, 2018
11
6
I love the idea of an 11" MacBook or perhaps an unprecedented sub-11" device, compact notebook nirvana. Is anyone else interested in such a product? Another thought I have is replacing the headphone jack with a second usb-c port.
 

fokmik

Suspended
Oct 28, 2016
4,909
4,688
USA
Nope, we have ipad with bigger display
But maybe a little smaller 12 MB by making the bezels as slim as the mbp..but still the keyboard is at its limits in width
 

NOT..BLUE..ENOUGH!

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 28, 2018
11
6
The MacBook is more 1 1/8 inches wider than the 10.5 iPad Pro and 1 5/8 inches wider than the now discontinued 9.7 Pro. I admit I have no experience with the smart keyboards and whether they're too tiresome for prolonged use. Scaling down to 7/8 of the current size would shave 1 3/8 from the width. A 1/8 reduction in form factor seems within reason.
 

HardBall

macrumors regular
Jan 10, 2006
234
88
Nope, we have ipad with bigger display
But maybe a little smaller 12 MB by making the bezels as slim as the mbp..but still the keyboard is at its limits in width

seconded.

The 12" is a fantastic size for a screen, probably the most usable screen size that is still portable for a laptop. I can't see them doing away with that. Maybe something like 11.6" would still be in the realm of acceptability.

But really, the primary need is to slim down the bezels more. Once you half the bezels, especially the top one, and reduce the size of the speaker grill on top of the KB, the size becomes even more portable. That would make it probably the best general purpose device in Apple's lineup, and probably one of the best computing device of any kind for 90% of the people out there; provided they can replace the headphone jack with a second usb-c.
 

canuckRus

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2014
966
358
I love the idea of an 11" MacBook or perhaps an unprecedented sub-11" device, compact notebook nirvana. Is anyone else interested in such a product? Another thought I have is replacing the headphone jack with a second usb-c port.[/QUOTE

It is already near perfection with a 12"screen in a case 1" SMALLER than that of an 11" MacBookAir.
 

NOT..BLUE..ENOUGH!

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 28, 2018
11
6
"12"screen in a case 1" SMALLER than that of an 11" MacBookAir" , not quite, it's roughly .75 inches narrower in width while being .2 inches deeper though it does net about a 4% reduction in total footprint.
[doublepost=1540800355][/doublepost]
seconded.

The 12" is a fantastic size for a screen, probably the most usable screen size that is still portable for a laptop. I can't see them doing away with that. Maybe something like 11.6" would still be in the realm of acceptability.

But really, the primary need is to slim down the bezels more. Once you half the bezels, especially the top one, and reduce the size of the speaker grill on top of the KB, the size becomes even more portable. That would make it probably the best general purpose device in Apple's lineup, and probably one of the best computing device of any kind for 90% of the people out there; provided they can replace the headphone jack with a second usb-c.
It slipped my mind that the sizing of the Air's were nominal. The 12" screen is great for most things but I think nothing further would be lost in screen reduction, the chief issue is keyboard size. At the end of the it's a lighter use device, without sacrificing it's functionality, the smaller the better.
 

Loge

macrumors 68030
Jun 24, 2004
2,836
1,312
England
Well the smart keyboards on the 10.5 and 9.7 iPad pro show that usable keyboards can exist at that sort of size (appreciate not everyone will agree). I would love a tiny mac that would fit in a coat pocket.
 

redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,657
9,324
Colorado, USA
At this point, most people who prefer an ultra-portable laptop with a tiny screen would be fine with an iPad Pro instead, and more demanding users will prefer a larger 12" or 13" screen at a minimum.

I was never a fan of the 11" MacBook Air before it was discontinued, and I don't expect Apple to bring it back.
 

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,566
2,465
DE
I voted “nay.” My MB is a perfect companion to my 10.5” IPP. If Apple downsized the MB even more, I might as well just go with an iPad and iPhone setup.
 

HardBall

macrumors regular
Jan 10, 2006
234
88
"12"screen in a case 1" SMALLER than that of an 11" MacBookAir" , not quite, it's roughly .75 inches narrower in width while being .2 inches deeper though it does net about a 4% reduction in total footprint.
[doublepost=1540800355][/doublepost]
It slipped my mind that the sizing of the Air's were nominal. The 12" screen is great for most things but I think nothing further would be lost in screen reduction, the chief issue is keyboard size. At the end of the it's a lighter use device, without sacrificing it's functionality, the smaller the better.

exactly, that's why I was saying that the top bezel especially could be chopped.

As long as we can shrink the top bezel and the speaker grill, the width of the device can remain the same. That way, no KB is sacrificed, only possibly the awfule isight cam. Come to think of it, it i might be better to implement a small notch in the middle, since there is almost always nothing there, at the center of the menu bar anyways.

Maybe just a small set of sensors in the middle half inch of the top bezel in a notch, and slim the top and bottom bezels to be the same as the sided, and shrink the speaker grills drastically. That would make a significantly smaller machine, maybe at 1.7 lbs, you would barely feel it at all in a bag.
 
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