The M2 MBP makes absolutely no sense

[portland-dude]

Here's my take on this whole M2 MBP situation (I apologize if this has already been posted about)

The M2 MacBook Pro (and 13 inch MacBook Pros in general) is one of the weirdest and most worthless products that Apple sells. It still has the old design from 2016, while EVERY OTHER MACBOOK has had a redesign.

I think they are not paying any attention to the 13-inch MacBook Pro (the announcement lasted like 2 minutes). They will probably just discontinue it altogether in a few years.

You are paying at least $1300 for a 6-year-old design that still has the touch bar. Now, there is basically no gap whatsoever from the M2 MBA to the 13-inch MBP.

Here's my question/thought - What is the point of the 13-inch MacBook Pro anymore? All you get is 1 or 2 extra GPU cores and a fan. This didn't matter very much in the M1, so I don't think this will matter in the M2 either.

What do you think about this?

What’s funny to me is folks who claim a fan is unnecessary. You can absolutely get the m series laptops hot. Not as hot as intel, but with a fan they aren’t going to throttle. And seriously bro, how first world of you to complain about a 6 year old design. Who the eff cares?! It’s a tool. Use it, or don’t. Whatever. Like omg, people are paying for such an outdated design?! The world is gonna implode!!! Lol man. For real. 🤣🤣🤣

 

[rm5]

I understand where I may have been "wrong"

1. If the 13" MBP did not exist, there would be too much of a gap between the MBA and MBP
2. Some people like the touch bar/old design
3. Fan is useful in some cases, so is the extra GPU core(s).

I'm NOT saying I'm "right" in this, because this is a matter of OPINION. I am just saying in terms of practicality and cost that the 13" MBP makes no sense whatsoever.

Back in the Intel days, if you would have asked me this same question, I would have said "Absolutely the Intel 13" MBP is worth it." But now that they have the exact same specs basically, that is where I'm coming from here - why would you pay $200-300 more for a computer that won't perform much better than the M1 or M2 MacBook Air.

 

[nvmls]

If at this point you still like the touchbar, this machine is definitely for you 🤣

 

[ScholarsInk]

The MacBook Pro branding is strong. Totally anecdotal, but on the day of the event, one of my friends retweeted the news about the new 13” MacBook Pro, but didn’t tweet anything about the new MacBook Air.

I think a lot of the people replying here seem to have forgotten that the "13" MacBook Pro" is basically a product category in itself, and that this isn't the first time Apple has kept its old version around even after a full revamp of the line. It's just that popular.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Didn't you see the keynote? They stated it sells 2nd best of all their Mac line-up.

Sure, that’s great, but that was also when it made sense over the MacBook Air with upgrades in several different attributes to justify its price differential. Now, today, it no longer makes sense in their lineup as it stands.

 

[twistedpixel8]

Why do so many people hate the Touch Bar? I genuinely don’t get it. The only thing I miss with mine is a physical escape key. Why all the fuss about function keys on a Mac though? That’s mostly a Windows thing. I can’t remember the last time I though, “damn, I really wish I had a set of physical F keys…” What would you do with them? Set up shortcuts or something?

 

[Cognizant.]

Why do so many people hate the Touch Bar? I genuinely don’t get it. The only thing I miss with mine is a physical escape key. Why all the fuss about function keys on a Mac though? That’s mostly a Windows thing. I can’t remember the last time I though, “damn, I really wish I had a set of physical F keys…” What would you do with them? Set up shortcuts or something?

I liked the Touch Bar on my 2017 15" MBP, but I've gotten used to not having it again. It was definitely a unique experience, that's for sure.

 

[jwolf6589]

Mark Gurman reported the other day that a 12” MacBook was in the works for late 2023. When it was subsequently followed by a tweet that this 12” model was going to be a MacBook Pro model à la PowerBook G4, it made me wonder if this is what Apple’s intending to replace the dated 13” MacBook Pro design with. Thoughts?

It’s not a dated design.

 

[jwolf6589]

Why do so many people hate the Touch Bar? I genuinely don’t get it. The only thing I miss with mine is a physical escape key. Why all the fuss about function keys on a Mac though? That’s mostly a Windows thing. I can’t remember the last time I though, “damn, I really wish I had a set of physical F keys…” What would you do with them? Set up shortcuts or something?

Mine has a escape key.

 

[Cognizant.]

Mine has a escape key.

He meant a physical escape key, which it doesn't have.

 

[MajorFubar]

It actually makes less than zero sense. We're in the negatives here for comprehensibility. They changed nothing except the chip. They might as well just remove it from the lineup at this point. The Air for every day tasks and the occasional demanding tasks and the Pros for hardcore professional work. They could streamline their Macs at this point. The 13" MBP is in a very weird place that doesn't quite fit into the lineup.

Or it could just come down to them trying to get rid of their extra MBP inventory.

That and the fact it's a money spinner for them being the second best selling Mac. Though you'll see from my posts that I do agree with you, I don't see the point in it at all.

 

[Cognizant.]

That and the fact it's a money spinner for them being the second best selling Mac. Though you'll see from my posts that I do agree with you, I don't see the point in it at all.

The new Air will probably cannibalize the 13" MBP sales at this point.

 

[ikir]

Two my costumers really ordered one, for better battery, a little better performance and for having Touch Bar. You can not like it, but someone else will love it. For sure 90% of M2 sales will be MacBook Air.

 

[Cognizant.]

Two my costumers really ordered one, for better battery, a little better performance and for having Touch Bar. You can not like it, but someone else will love it. For sure 90% of M2 sales will be MacBook Air.

I'm still getting used to not having it. Used it for years and it just feels a bit weird now with it gone. I used it a lot.

 

[dreamerstree]

If you think this is the weirdest thing Apple has ever sold, then clearly you forgot about the iPod Socks.

 

[MajorFubar]

Why do so many people hate the Touch Bar? I genuinely don’t get it. The only thing I miss with mine is a physical escape key. Why all the fuss about function keys on a Mac though? That’s mostly a Windows thing. I can’t remember the last time I though, “damn, I really wish I had a set of physical F keys…” What would you do with them? Set up shortcuts or something?

Because it was an Ivism that once again fixed something that wasn't broken. It consumes extra power, and while a good idea in principle, was too small to be of any practical benefit other than replacing the keys that were there.

That's my take on it anyway. (I've learned that I have to qualify all statements I make round here with "IMO" otherwise people accuse me of being dictatorial, even though I thought it was pretty clear without having to literally say so that everything I type is just my opinion unless I'm quoting provable facts about something.)

 

[Tobby]

Maybe we are witnessing the birth of an undying model like the MacBook Pro 13" (MD101) 500GB HDD with an optical drive! Apple kept that model alive for years even though all the retinas and airs were superior in performance.

Nah, I think this model is there for three reasons.
1. Offering something in between Air and high end MacBook Pro's
2. A lure to make customers unsure and end up investing in the more expensive and modern 14 and 16 inch
3. Keep the Touch Bar rocking!

 

[ikir]

I'm still getting used to not having it. Used it for years and it just feels a bit weird now with it gone. I used it a lot.

Me too

 

[boak]

The M2 MBP has active cooling and a better battery life. It is the same price as the M2 MBA when spec'd out to be the same. The M2 MBP is also cheaper than the equivalent M2 MBA in some countries.

 

[jwolf6589]

He meant a physical escape key, which it doesn't have.

Mine does.

 

[Dydegu]

There are people who think they need a MacBook Pro when what they really need is a MBA. This device is for them.

 

[jwolf6589]

There are people who think they need a MacBook Pro when what they really need is a MBA. This device is for them.

In 2020 I bought my MBP because of the touch bar mostly.

 

[zidarko]

In my Apple history I had two MacBook Airs that barely made until the end of Apple Care. One was perpetually serviced, the other one had some faulty storage. Both were used for fairly light office work - I have an actual supercomputer for heavy lifting.

The replacement for the first MacBook Air was a MacBook Pro that is now in its nineth year and still going strong for my father-in-law. The replacement for the second one is a 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1) that's been working well for the past nine months.

I could have opted for a 14-inch or 16-inch but they were way out of my budget given the expected usage.

Also, I use my machines in clamshell mode 90% percent of the time so I couldn't care less for the TouchBar or the keyboard for that matter.

In other words: there's a market for 13-inch MacBook Pro for users that want something more durable than the Air and can't stomach the price of a 14-inch one.

 

[zidarko]

Having active cooling is an added bonus since I'm living in an always humid climate.

 

[MajorFubar]

In other words: there's a market for 13-inch MacBook Pro for users that want something more durable than the Air and can't stomach the price of a 14-inch one.

That's called the current MBA. It's lightyears ahead of the ones you will have used.