The next MacBook Pro redesign (merged)

[Dave245]

Here is a Dell 7.55 lbs laptop with up to 13 hours battery life made for your happiness. Enjoy your Dell.

Wow that thing is ugly and VERY big by the looks of it i always say that thinner and lighter laptops add more portability which is a good thing. There is always going to be a compromise on everything tho, would you sacrifice a couple of hours battery to be able to carry a Macbook around is just one of the compromises, i'm sure Apple ask themselves this when they are making new Macbook's.

 

[6749974]

Wow that thing is ugly and VERY big by the looks of it i always say that thinner and lighter laptops add more portability which is a good thing. There is always going to be a compromise on everything tho, would you sacrifice a couple of hours battery to be able to carry a Macbook around is just one of the compromises, i'm sure Apple ask themselves this when they are making new Macbook's.

Whether something has 10-hours vs 11-hours doesn't matter to 99% of people because there is a hump you have to get over, probably 24-hours battery, before someone DOESN'T need to charge their laptop overnight. Until then, I think a focus on consumer facing benefits such as portability and the emotional aspect (loving your device!) is the right move. Isn't that why we're on the forum? We love our macs? I never loved my Dell.
[doublepost=1464877661][/doublepost]

i'm sure Apple ask themselves this when they are making new Macbook's.

Exactly. Apple is aware of the consequences. For the other poster to keep saying "inconsequential" is not respectful of all the employees and the overall design of the product that balances all the consequences to create a product we don't just find some utility in, we love.

 

[bayer]

@LudicrousLampost is spot on.

The people that want a PRO laptop thinner than the current MBP are in the minority. There's an entire range of ultrabooks that are thin as paper for those that need it.

Instead of increasing battery life with better battery tech or more battery, Apple is relying on Intel and AMD improving their efficiency so they can reduce the weight/footprint of their product in this ridiculous pursuit for paper thin.

People that are buying a pro laptop don't want paper thin, they want power and battery life so they can get real work done.

 

[Dave245]

Isn't that why we're on the forum? We love our macs? I never loved my Dell.

This is very true, i have to be honest and i use to use Windows machines, i used them but i didn't like them if that makes sense, they were ugly looking and the OS was just tiresome to use. Then in 2011 just before i started television production at university i brought a Macbook Pro and from the moment i took it out of the box i loved it, it has been far more reliable than any Windows machine i used in the past! I have had no problems with it, and now 5 years on it is still working, in fact I'm using it right now to type this reply it is only because Apple may be announcing new Macbook Pro's this year and that this one is now 5 years old that I'm considering upgrading this year, but it is still a good machine that has lasted 5 years and worked well for me. I don't regret one bit switching to a Mac, i would never go back to a Windows Pc now regardless. This isn't intended to be a Windows/MS bashing post I'm just being as honest as i can about my own personal experience's

In my option even tho Apple have a very small share of the computer market they build the best computers, just like the iPhone has a very small share in the overall smart phone market but it is the best phone and the same goes for the iPad.

 

[6749974]

@LudicrousLampost is spot on.

The people that want a PRO laptop thinner than the current MBP are in the minority. There's an entire range of ultrabooks that are thin as paper for those that need it.

Instead of increasing battery life with better battery tech or more battery, Apple is relying on Intel and AMD improving their efficiency so they can reduce the weight/footprint of their product in this ridiculous pursuit for paper thin.

People that are buying a pro laptop don't want paper thin, they want power and battery life so they can get real work done.

Why make 99% of the market suffer your very, very specific need to get 13+ hours of After Effects work done in the middle of the desert?

Anyone who needs to get pro work done after the 6th hour and does not have access to an outlet is less than >1% of the market, and for them they can buy a battery pack and carry the weight.

Even if you disagree, @LudicrousLampost is NOT spot on. He's way off the spot. Battery life is not the constraint people have now-a-days. Price is, which if it is Apple is not the best fit. I would say portability is the next constraint. THEN battery life.

We're progressing in the right direction. See here:

In 2010 the 15” MacBook Pro weighed 5.6 lbs. Apple reports that this model has a "77.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery" that provides "up to 8-9 hours of wireless productivity".​

In 2016 the 15” MacBook Pro weighs 4.49 lbs. Apple reports that this model has a "99.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery" that provides "up to 9 hours" of wireless web use or iTunes movie playback.​

The studies are in. Very few people need to do more than 9 hours of work a mile away from an outlet. BUT EVERYONE benefits from portability of a portable computer. It's kind of the point.
[doublepost=1464881223][/doublepost]

This is very true, i have to be honest and i use to use Windows machines, i used them but i didn't like them if that makes sense, they were ugly looking and the OS was just tiresome to use. Then in 2011 just before i started television production at university i brought a Macbook Pro and from the moment i took it out of the box i loved it, it has been far more reliable than any Windows machine i used in the past! I have had no problems with it, and now 5 years on it is still working, in fact I'm using it right now to type this reply it is only because Apple may be announcing new Macbook Pro's this year and that this one is now 5 years old that I'm considering upgrading this year, but it is still a good machine that has lasted 5 years and worked well for me. I don't regret one bit switching to a Mac, i would never go back to a Windows Pc now regardless. This isn't intended to be a Windows/MS bashing post I'm just being as honest as i can about my own personal experience's

In my option even tho Apple have a very small share of the computer market they build the best computers, just like the iPhone has a very small share in the overall smart phone market but it is the best phone and the same goes for the iPad.

Yes, your anecdote is much of a bigger point many haters (on all sides, Apple and PC) don't always understand. Our brains have a limbic system. We bond and attach and become sentimental to objects, some less, some more. Apple has more and more understood the emotional human, and bridges the divide between computer and companion. Apple has created the first device (iPhone) that the human animal carries with them everywhere (which they learned from the iPod). It's obsession, frankly. It's nearly glued to our hand, and we freak out if not nearby. It's not just the tech, but how it responds and communicates back. How it feels. There is joy in owning one. It's a peculiar thing that many very literal, overly-logical, somewhat robotic personalities lack understanding in—which is OK. Hey, be an engineer! Build bridges! But also let the humanists and artists in. Thats what we love about Apple, because it matters.

 

[nj-morris]

Your comments lead me to believe you don't actually have the foresight to appreciate the extent to which you have been brainwashed. So I'll leave you to it.

Looking at the new terraced contoured cells, and bearing in mind that much of a batteries volumetric space is on inner and outer layers of protective battery containment materials, plus battery housing structural plastics etc, along the lines of volumetric math whereby the retaining layers have similar volume to the volume of the substance (battery cells) being contained...

You aren't seeing that it is actually just a small number of millimeters of actual battery space/volume/capacity that are used, and that by adding another 3mm of battery height across an area the size of the keyboard, we would go a long way to doubling the battery life.

What you are not seeing also, is that apple will sell more laptops over the next 20 years, by not rolling out this intelligence in design now, and by not touting it (it* being longer battery life).

This has very little to do with me (Im never far from a power source and am not one of those users who is out there in the field on the go, I don't need a longer battery life daily, etc... but I want one).

The science behind and investment of energy that goes into the psychology of creating hardware needs and wants in users is as sophisticated as the technology inside the machines themselves.

Apple could easily double battery life, without adding much bulk, at all, to the next generation of laptops.

Forget doubling battery life. In real terms, what I am saying is that, along with the space saving technological advancements, instead of shaving off 3mm, apple could if they wanted to, add 50% more battery life, and that might involve adding a few mm instead.

This would boost sales of the next generation that featured this super high capacity battery, but would have an adverse affect on the sales of the generation of laptops that followed.

There are half a dozen minds at work, when a user buys a laptop. What the consumer thinks they want, what they think they know they want, and what they really need. There are also the voices of what the manufacturer has told consumers they need, what the manufacturer has touted as being an element to focus on, and very rarely (if ever) do marketing giants/manufacturers design brands to satisfy consumers in such a way that they reduce their future sales, by giving users a longer lasting product.

This way of thinking seems to be outside your scope of understanding, but it is, I'm afraid, the very essence of marketing.

If Apple were to add a few mm instead of shaving a few mm off, and add 50-80% of additional battery life to their various MacBooks, and also offer the user the ability to add far, far more ram themselves from third parties, they would be increasing the number of units they sold initially, but damaging sales the generation beyond, somewhat.

You must remember that there is not one, or two or even half a dozen types of buyer. There are hundreds of types, each who feel slightly differently about their own complex understanding of what they feel they need.

Apple can significantly increase battery life, by ceasing (for 2 generations) to do further slim reductions, focusing on battery capacity instead.

You can't argue that slimness is everything and deny that you haven't been brainwashed by apple, when it comes to apple products, and I'll tell you why. The reason is that they are already the manufacturers of the worlds slimmest most powerful mainstream laptop, and to talk about bag space, sore backs, sore shoulders etc kind of overlooks that every other manufacturer over the last 25 years has sold plenty of laptops and does to this day, which are thicker, heavier, bulkier and bigger.

So, going back to those 3mm (lets just run with a 3mm figure for arguments sake)... apple are not going to stop and say hey, ok, this next generation, lets just keep the size we have. We have already reduced the size every generation for a long time and already have incredibly powerful and portable technology. Lets keep the size the smallest and thinnest for just one generation, and cram in another few mm of battery.

It won't happen for so many reasons.

But if they did offer a laptop in 2 flavours, one being 3mm thicker with added battery capacity, at the SAME price, we all know which one would sell ten times better!

To argue that you need 3mm shaved off, instead of apple making an inconsequential decision (regarding your ability to carry your laptop) and focus instead of battery capacity, you have been brainwashed. And apple have done their job.

Another reason it won't happen, is why would apple forego their leading position of the thinnest coolest most in demand you must have this item THINNESS first place pole position as industry leaders, to please consumers with a bigger battery which means less need for upgrading? They won't for that reason too.

Honestly though, do we really need double the battery life? During the time when I used a MacBook I wasn't unimpressed with the battery life, and I was very impressed with charging time. On the other hand, lightness is key if you're carrying the laptop around.

 

[LudicrousLampost]

You say I'm brainwashed, but then go on a long battery/engineering rant. So which is it?

• Am I brainwashed?
• Or am I ignorant or just not have a degree in battery systems engineering?

I just don't see how wanting my loving laptop to be even more portable and personal (like the phone) makes me brainwashed. Preference is not brainwash. There is a human element you seem to lack sense in.

OK, I'll answer your question.

Instead of siding with me, and saying yes, I would happily trade 3mm of space for a lot more battery (we are debating precisely that), you are saying "I don't want a longer battery, I just don't want it, and Im right that its not needed because you are not looking at the human aspect"

The human aspect of your statements indicate that you have either been brainwashed, or are simply just up for a bit of an argument and this kind of banter.

I don't know about you, but my laptop does not work when the battery reaches zero. A bigger battery prevents that from happening. And even from home, I find it annoying having to go plug it in twice per day. I have no idea (as I said several posts previous) how uni users manage an 8 hour day.

You need not worry. Apple will not give up their hard earned and enviable position of being the thinnest, for a more useful and practical ability to actually use the device 50% longer. Focussing on thinness and not giving users a much longer product shelf life will be best for sales.

It is a shame I am one of the only people bringing this up (and getting shot down in the process)

And you say you're not brainwashed...
[doublepost=1464901511][/doublepost]

Why make 99% of the market suffer your very, very specific need to get 13+ hours of After Effects work done in the middle of the desert?

Anyone who needs to get pro work done after the 6th hour and does not have access to an outlet is less than >1% of the market, and for them they can buy a battery pack and carry the weight.

Even if you disagree, @LudicrousLampost is NOT spot on. He's way off the spot. Battery life is not the constraint people have now-a-days. Price is, which if it is Apple is not the best fit. I would say portability is the next constraint. THEN battery life.

We're progressing in the right direction. See here:

In 2010 the 15” MacBook Pro weighed 5.6 lbs. Apple reports that this model has a "77.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery" that provides "up to 8-9 hours of wireless productivity".​

In 2016 the 15” MacBook Pro weighs 4.49 lbs. Apple reports that this model has a "99.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery" that provides "up to 9 hours" of wireless web use or iTunes movie playback.​

The studies are in. Very few people need to do more than 9 hours of work a mile away from an outlet. BUT EVERYONE benefits from portability of a portable computer. It's kind of the point.
[doublepost=1464881223][/doublepost]
Yes, your anecdote is much of a bigger point many haters (on all sides, Apple and PC) don't always understand. Our brains have a limbic system. We bond and attach and become sentimental to objects, some less, some more. Apple has more and more understood the emotional human, and bridges the divide between computer and companion. Apple has created the first device (iPhone) that the human animal carries with them everywhere (which they learned from the iPod). It's obsession, frankly. It's nearly glued to our hand, and we freak out if not nearby. It's not just the tech, but how it responds and communicates back. How it feels. There is joy in owning one. It's a peculiar thing that many very literal, overly-logical, somewhat robotic personalities lack understanding in—which is OK. Hey, be an engineer! Build bridges! But also let the humanists and artists in. Thats what we love about Apple, because it matters.

A small portion of what you say might make sense, but I am not getting anywhere near 9 hours of aftereffects use.
1) I don't use aftereffects, just a simple, light weight photo editor for images/photos.
2) I find that Im not getting 6 hours of life, nor 5, so to say that 9 hours isn't enough for me is incorrect. I would be delighted with 9 hours of actual usage. Instead of a half day battery that is claimed as a day.

There is always someone who likes to argue that we don't need better. To argue the point in the face of 3mm, makes me for one curious as to why you are hell bent on the debate in the first place. As we are talking about the 3mm, you are very much in favour of losing it, but I have yet to feel that it is important to anyone, except to apple, in their continued GARGANTUANLY powerful media campaigns.

Look, they even have you fighting their corner and they haven't had to lift a finger
[doublepost=1464901751][/doublepost]

Honestly though, do we really need double the battery life? During the time when I used a MacBook I wasn't unimpressed with the battery life, and I was very impressed with charging time. On the other hand, lightness is key if you're carrying the laptop around.

- I specifically said, ignore the double the battery life analogy.
- I also explained how 3mm in height of battery cells, under the keyboard, would go a long way towards increasing life.
- I also said, Im getting 4 hours out of my machine a lot of the time (2014 laptop)

My half day of use, I didnt say wasn't good enough. I did say they can do more, but won't.

There are two reasons why they won't focus on a MUCH improved battery.
1) Apple stand to lose their pole position in the thinness war
2) A much bigger battery would give the machine far more lifetime cycles and would (possibly just in a small way) not have a positive impact on sales of the following generation. The laptop would have more life. In some peoples eyes.

 

[6749974]

There is always someone who likes to argue that we don't need better.

• Who said we don't need better? We need better laptops. We need better devices. You and I are just arguing in terms of the balance of these features.

To argue the point in the face of 3mm, makes me for one curious as to why you are hell bent on the debate in the first place. As we are talking about the 3mm, you are very much in favour of losing it, but I have yet to feel that it is important to anyone, except to apple, in their continued GARGANTUANLY powerful media campaigns.

• I'm not arguing against a literal 3mm of extra battery. I would be curious if I could see, hold, and live with both devices—which one I would prefer.
• But when will you be happy? Are you saying that if Apple adds 3mm of battery, you will be satisfied? If Apple had added that 3mm already, would you be on MacRumors Forum arguing that we are all brainwashed because Apple could have added 3mm to that, but didn't? When will you be satisfied man?! How much battery does Apple have to add before I'm no longer brainwashed? Because... I don't want to be brainwashed. Should I write a letter to Tim Cook?
• ("Dear Tim Cook, Today I found out I was brainwashed. I thought 9 hours of battery was enough, but LudicousLampost explained to me about the 3mm you have been hiding from us all! You've been brainwashing us through the GARGANTUANLY [sic] powerful media campaigns.")

Look, they even have you fighting their corner and they haven't had to lift a finger

• Yeah I don't think you understand. PC manufacturers have been catering to your "Form over function" needs for a very long time. Many of us are attracted to Apple's more intuitive, design-focused value system. This choice is great. In theory, we should all get along. But every once in awhile an Apple user gets upset because the GPU isn't the "best choice" Apple could have made. Or in this case, Apple could have added more battery. THEN...OH THEN... EVERYBODY ELSE IS BRAINWASHED.
• It's sad how self-centered you are. You claim to understand marketing, but you have serious emotional issues with it's fundamentals... to the point of calling other segments you don't belong to "Brainwashed."

I'm disappointed in you.

 

[LudicrousLampost]

• Who said we don't need better? We need better laptops. We need better devices. You and I are just arguing in terms of the balance of these features.

• I'm not arguing against a literal 3mm of extra battery. I would be curious if I could see, hold, and live with both devices—which one I would prefer.
• But when will you be happy? Are you saying that if Apple adds 3mm of battery, you will be satisfied? If Apple had added that 3mm already, would you be on MacRumors Forum arguing that we are all brainwashed because Apple could have added 3mm to that, but didn't? When will you be satisfied man?! How much battery does Apple have to add before I'm no longer brainwashed? Because... I don't want to be brainwashed. Should I write a letter to Tim Cook?
• ("Dear Tim Cook, Today I found out I was brainwashed. I thought 9 hours of battery was enough, but LudicousLampost explained to me about the 3mm you have been hiding from us all! You've been brainwashing us through the GARGANTUANLY [sic] powerful media campaigns.")

• Yeah I don't think you understand. PC manufacturers have been catering to your "Form over function" needs for a very long time. Many of us are attracted to Apple's more intuitive, design-focused value system. This choice is great. In theory, we should all get along. But every once in awhile an Apple user gets upset because the GPU isn't the "best choice" Apple could have made. Or in this case, Apple could have added more battery. THEN...OH THEN... EVERYBODY ELSE IS BRAINWASHED.
• It's sad how self-centered you are. You claim to understand marketing, but you have serious emotional issues with it's fundamentals... to the point of calling other segments you don't belong to "Brainwashed."

I'm disappointed in you.

I rest my case on both points

 

[6749974]

I rest my case on both points

What points? You make horrible points

EDIT: We should both agree that we represent two different use-cases (which is my point all along.) Agree? You want 12-hours of battery in a heavier, thicker form factor. I want 9-hours and a slimmer, more portable laptop I feel I can carry with me always.

There! We're done.

 

[LudicrousLampost]

What points? You make horrible points

EDIT: We should both agree that we represent two different use-cases (which is my point all along.) Agree? You want 12-hours of battery in a heavier, thicker form factor. I want 9-hours and a slimmer, more portable laptop I feel I can carry with me always.

There! We're done.

And there you have it folks. A perfect example of a brainwashed individual missing all of the many points already made, including the important one that we need 50% more from a battery, and not a 4 hour battery which is claimed as all day, as he brings thicker into the debate and says himself he wants even slimmer, more portable...

Anyways fella, that is EXACTLY what I was on about. The fact that you can't quite see that someone else is doing your thinking for you, does help me illustrate my point. You sort of walked right into that one, but as I said, I rest my case, suff said

 

[6749974]

And there you have it folks. A perfect example of a brainwashed individual missing all of the many points already made, including the important one that we need 50% more from a battery, and not a 4 hour battery which is claimed as all day, as he brings thicker into the debate and says himself he wants even slimmer, more portable...

Anyways fella, that is EXACTLY what I was on about. The fact that you can't quite see that someone else is doing your thinking for you, does help me illustrate my point. You sort of walked right into that one, but as I said, I rest my case, suff said

That's a lot of made-up conclusion there.

 

[Arline]

"I want to have a lifetime battery life and I will carry a nuclear reactor on my back for it. Apple should do it for everyone and if you're not happy to do it too you're brainwashed."

- The Non-Brainwashed
​

 

[aevan]

@LudicrousLampost is spot on.

The people that want a PRO laptop thinner than the current MBP are in the minority. There's an entire range of ultrabooks that are thin as paper for those that need it.

Instead of increasing battery life with better battery tech or more battery, Apple is relying on Intel and AMD improving their efficiency so they can reduce the weight/footprint of their product in this ridiculous pursuit for paper thin.

People that are buying a pro laptop don't want paper thin, they want power and battery life so they can get real work done.

I understand what you're saying, but I respectfully disagree. I don't really care about my next MBP being paper thin (although it would look cool) but I would like it to be lighter and easier to carry. We've come a long way from the first laptops, but my 15" Retina is still a bit heavy for me to comfortably carry with me. It's almost there - I'd say the 13" weight is quite fine. Personally, I would love it if I could have something like the new MacBook but with the power of a MBP.

I love the idea of carrying my studio everywhere I go, whether it's another country or just the local coffee shop.

As for the battery life, anything better than 8 hours for standard workflows is great, and I expect the new MBP to have 10 hours.

I just hope it's thermal efficient. Still, I don't think the biggest problem here is the size (though everyone seems to think so), it's more the components and cooling solutions inside. I don't think a few extra mm would provide much better TDP.

At the end of the day, I trust Apple to make the best design choices. I know this is not a popular opinion here, but I do, in fact, trust them. My current MBP is one of the best computers I have ever owned.

 

[danniexi]

I understand what you're saying, but I respectfully disagree. I don't really care about my next MBP being paper thin (although it would look cool) but I would like it to be lighter and easier to carry.

this 100%. form factor is not the issue. it's the weight. but sadly they go hand in hand.

 

[bayer]

The real solution to this problem is simple, but Apple is too greedy and/or incompetent to do it.

Every single major laptop manufacture has multiple product lines that cater to different segments of the market.

Apple needs to beef up the MB. They can keep the Air around as well for those that need ultra-portability and are willing to compromise performance at that form-factor.

The MBP needs to be in the workstation class.

That's all I'm saying. A lot of us want a laptop/workstation that is powerfully enough to replace a desktop, but in a laptop form-factor that allows us to move our "office" when we need to.

 

[aevan]

The real solution to this problem is simple, but Apple is too greedy and/or incompetent to do it.

The old debate. I'm sorry, but you're wrong about the greedy part. The reason Apple will offer far less choices than other companies is not greed - it's their company philosophy. You don't have to agree with this, but it is one of their core values. They offer "a few great things" and intentionally try to keep their product line as simple as possible. In fact, I know people who thought that offering iPhone in 2 sizes when the 6 came out was "not Jobs-like" (there's no pleasing people).

Also, and I know this makes people see Apple as arrogant (and perhaps they are) - they operate on the idea that people don't know what they really want. For example - imagine if they offered a heavy, large laptop with an even larger battery and a power-hungry gpu (one of those "gamer laptop gpus that last two hours on a charge) - and that it's big and heavy. People would buy it because they think specs are everything and end up using it far less because they don't want to carry it around. So what would you get: low customer satisfaction.

Even if you're a technical person, chances are you wouldn't take every aspect into account when making your purchase decision. This is why not everyone is a designer (unless you're a Macrumors forum member, that is )


Again, you don't have to like it - other laptop companies offer many more models. But Macs do have the best customer sat in the industry. Of course, most people here like to insult that large majority as "non-technical sheep", but I think Apple did quite a great job with Macs so far.

 

[Eldiablojoe]

I'm not a "Pro" user. I am a fan of the simplicity and the ease of use Apple environment, especially in regards to stability and reliability. That being said, I want a rMBP because I want the best machine I can get for flexibility and longevity purposes. I am that type of Apple customer that simply wants a headache-limited, well-running, and reliable machine (and OS) that will last as long as possible. I do not need it to cut tracks, or line a gallery with my photos or art work. I do NOT work in any creative arts field, unlike so many of you talented and inspirational MR members.

I am simply willing to pay the high asking price for the reliability and simplicity. I do not want to struggle with a crap-ware loaded PC that I cannot make do what I want it to do easily and without frustration.

I'm still on my white unibody 2009 MacBook, my first Apple computer. I upgraded the HDD to SSD and added some RAM a couple years ago because I was getting the spinning beach ball of death regularly. I just needed it to gimp along until this new rMBP was announced.

My customer profile now explained, one of THE most important things for me is the magsafe. Why? Because Mrs. Eldiablojoe has walked past the coffee table and yanked the cord off the machine dozens of times in the last few years. DOZENS! Yes, she's a bit awkward and clumsy, with limited dexterity, and yes I sit on the couch surfing the web almost every evening. Every time she has yanked the cord with sufficient force such that a non-magsafed (sorry, verb-ified a noun) machine would have flown off my lap and onto the floor/coffee table and likely suffered catastrophic damage.

While many of you have said you've never needed or see little need for the magsafe, others find it an invaluable feature. Everyone has their preferences. Many of you "need" an SD slot, but I can count under 10 times I've plugged my USB-to media reader adapter into the machine to use an SD card. An SD slot is not a deal-breaker for me at all.

I would hope that some anonymous Apple exec is reading and aggregating the responses here as a free focus group. I hope they take the information back before it is too late and incorporate it into the new design. The magsafe and the SD slot are valuable features for a lot of their core users, and I hope they do not alienate their main customer base for the sake of one man's commitment to thin design. That is a good way to lose your prime customer base.

 

[tofagerl]

I wonder what the results of a survey filled out by absolutely all Apple users would look like, if you had to pick the features you wanted from your perfect machine. How big would the screen be on average if people who use rMBs and 27" 5K iMacs had to coexist on the same scale...

My guess is the "perfect average mac" would suck!

 

[Wowereit]

The old debate. I'm sorry, but you're wrong about the greedy part. The reason Apple will offer far less choices than other companies is not greed - it's their company philosophy. You don't have to agree with this, but it is one of their core values. They offer "a few great things" and intentionally try to keep their product line as simple as possible. In fact, I know people who thought that offering iPhone in 2 sizes when the 6 came out was "not Jobs-like" (there's no pleasing people).

Also, and I know this makes people see Apple as arrogant (and perhaps they are) - they operate on the idea that people don't know what they really want.

That's something that made Apple great, sure.
But the problem is: it only works if there is the right dictator who's good at knowing what people will like and pressing it through.

 

[6749974]

I'm not a "Pro" user. I am a fan of the simplicity and the ease of use Apple environment, especially in regards to stability and reliability. That being said, I want a rMBP because I want the best machine I can get for flexibility and longevity purposes. I am that type of Apple customer that simply wants a headache-limited, well-running, and reliable machine (and OS) that will last as long as possible. I do not need it to cut tracks, or line a gallery with my photos or art work. I do NOT work in any creative arts field, unlike so many of you talented and inspirational MR members.

I am simply willing to pay the high asking price for the reliability and simplicity. I do not want to struggle with a crap-ware loaded PC that I cannot make do what I want it to do easily and without frustration.

I'm still on my white unibody 2009 MacBook, my first Apple computer. I upgraded the HDD to SSD and added some RAM a couple years ago because I was getting the spinning beach ball of death regularly. I just needed it to gimp along until this new rMBP was announced.

My customer profile now explained, one of THE most important things for me is the magsafe. Why? Because Mrs. Eldiablojoe has walked past the coffee table and yanked the cord off the machine dozens of times in the last few years. DOZENS! Yes, she's a bit awkward and clumsy, with limited dexterity, and yes I sit on the couch surfing the web almost every evening. Every time she has yanked the cord with sufficient force such that a non-magsafed (sorry, verb-ified a noun) machine would have flown off my lap and onto the floor/coffee table and likely suffered catastrophic damage.

While many of you have said you've never needed or see little need for the magsafe, others find it an invaluable feature. Everyone has their preferences. Many of you "need" an SD slot, but I can count under 10 times I've plugged my USB-to media reader adapter into the machine to use an SD card. An SD slot is not a deal-breaker for me at all.

I would hope that some anonymous Apple exec is reading and aggregating the responses here as a free focus group. I hope they take the information back before it is too late and incorporate it into the new design. The magsafe and the SD slot are valuable features for a lot of their core users, and I hope they do not alienate their main customer base for the sake of one man's commitment to thin design. That is a good way to lose your prime customer base.

Thanks for sharing your use case. And I feel confident that Apple would not remove the MagSafe from MacBook Pro, here's why:

• Removing the MagSafe in 12" rMB made sense because of one-port vision, and due to it only being 2lb; and more importantly because it has (now) 10h battery life. The use case for rMB is that you never use it while plugged in unless there's a late night emergency. It's charged at night for all day battery usage. Another way of putting it: why would anyone want to use a rMB tethered to a plug while on the couch?
• Where as with a rMBP, especially the 15", it weighs too much to neglect the mag safe. Also, it's meant to be used plugged in a lot of the time. It's a hybrid that is meant to partially be portable, and partially be a desk workhorse when using it heavily and at home (encoding, using GPU, etc). (We would like to see it borrow from rMB, most people are looking for more "revolutionary form factor" but that won't happen overnight. It's still 15", still houses GPU, and heavy battery to match)
• Also, people who use rMBP, unlike those who use rMB, still need many ports. So I suspect MagSafe + Many ports on the new form factor.

Anything is possible so we'll have to see what the next form factor is, but it's likely Apple themselves would never rid the MagSafe on their bigger device.
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I wonder what the results of a survey filled out by absolutely all Apple users would look like, if you had to pick the features you wanted from your perfect machine. How big would the screen be on average if people who use rMBs and 27" 5K iMacs had to coexist on the same scale...

My guess is the "perfect average mac" would suck!

Exactly. Designers, engineers, technicians, marketers, consumer behavior psychologists...they know what we want because they are conscious and studied on bias, behavior, and human need in numbers.

Most of us can't even satisfy ourselves. It takes a lifetime to even make sense of our own behavior let alone billions of people of various perspective, demographic, culture, ethnicity, and career.

Imagine any poster here starting a computer company. It would be worse than Gateway.

Imagine all the rich millionaires and billionaires in the 90's that were positioned to create the next Apple but didn't have the foresight and intuitiveness to do it. That's a wall posters here could not cross but believe they can.

Just read the MacRumors posts when iPod came out. 99% of the posters where pooping on Steve Jobs, just like people now poop on Tim Cook.

Nothing changes. Same patterns repeating themselves.

 

[HellasLEAF]

I'm 7 months in to MacBook Pro 13 inch ownership and loving it. It's a fantastic computer and just a touch heavier than my old Air.

Based on what I see coming, I am very comfortable with my choice and will be hanging onto this computer for many years.

If anything, if I really wanted portability and thin/light for vacationing etc when I need a keyboard, I would go refurbed 1st gen 12 inch. I have all the power I need in the Pro.

 

[6749974]

I'm 7 months in to MacBook Pro 13 inch ownership and loving it. It's a fantastic computer and just a touch heavier than my old Air.

Based on what I see coming, I am very comfortable with my choice and will be hanging onto this computer for many years.

If anything, if I really wanted portability and thin/light for vacationing etc when I need a keyboard, I would go refurbed 1st gen 12 inch. I have all the power I need in the Pro.

That's cool.

As an aside, if Apple drops the current 13" rMBP by 1lb it will feel and handle like a 13" MacBook Air which is Apple's most loved and best selling notebook ever. So it makes sense to go there, while upgrading Intel chips. Your 13" will most likely become a better looking retina MacBook Air. (I'm excited to own that)

 

[HellasLEAF]

Sounds good to me SA.

All I ever wanted was a retina screen in my 2011 air anyway lol.

 

[MyopicPaideia]

@SAdProZ Just wondering your opinion on the alleged leaked photos of the bottom chassis of the new 13" rMBP and there being exclusively USB-C/TB3 ports, albeit 4 of them? No MagSafe. Assuming they are legitimate, do you still think the 15" will retain its current port configuration, or something similar?