Apple hasn't truly update the 13" model of the MacBook Pro since 2016, over 6 years ago, adding only the Touch Bar in 2018. I understand keeping the design the same with M1 and the first generation of Apple Silicon, but why did they keep the old, outdated design for M2? It seems to me like the 13" M2 MacBook Pro is a worse deal than even the M1 MacBook Air. It's been proven time and time again that the Touch Bar (Which is the only distinguishing feature on the machine) is almost universally hated, and that people would much rather have a MagSafe 3 port and ProMotion. My question is, what is the purpose of the current 13" MBP, and why hasn't Apple either redesigned or killed the product?
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Why hasn't Apple updated the 13" MacBook Pro?
- Thread starter CalebEdenburn
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Tim Cooks apple is reaaaaaly slow... the rumours of an M3 iMac later this year, the length of time it took to get the Studio Display, the 2 years from 2017-2019 which it took to release the new Mac Pro. Then there is the real travesty, the 4-5 years of stubbornness over the butterfly keyboard, I am still honestly shocked there hasn't been a class action lawsuit. Everything seems to have slowed down at Apple with Tim in charge, with the exception of a few key products nothing is on a yearly update schedule, this is likely to maximize profits as updates cost money and it's probably easier to amortize those updates over 2 years than 1 year.
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I am also always disappointed that the Apple press gives them passing grades for things like the Mac when the go a full year without updating some products even when they have the chips (M2 iMac). In my opinion failing to update products or keeping products with bad/discontinued features in the lineup (Touch Bar in 13" MacBook Pro) should automatically mean that the Mac receives a much poorer grade.
Proven?
Anyway, they probably just don't want to spend more money on it. It's an upsell on the Air (somehow) without people having to go up to 2k for a step up (or just a "Pro" computer really).
I'd much rather have the form factor of the M2 Air (Notch, MagSafe) than a 7 year old design with the same chip with marginally better battery life.
The 13" MacBook Pro is the same price as the M2 Air when configured identically, I don't really think of it as an upsell, rather I think it exists because some people (gamers) might want the sustained performance it offers.
The 14” MBP is the updated 13” MBP.
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A short while ago, there was a huge supply chain issue. Apple couldn’t make enough Macs. TSMC couldn’t make enough chips. Demand was off the charts. Supply chains were in chaos.
So Apple likely decided to keep producing the MacBook Pro 13” because the supply chain for it is a well oiled machine. The supply chain has been running for it since 2016. Apple just needed to keep produce more Macs, any Macs.
In addition, Apple likely kept the MacBook Pro 13” around because there is nothing between the $1200 ($1000 before M2) Air and the $2000 14” Pro. The upcoming 15” Air will fill this gap.
I would be extremely surprised if Apple kept the 13” Pro around after 2023. I think they would like to kill it as soon as possible so they can stop supporting the touchbar in the software.
So to answer your original question, the reason why Apple hasn’t updated the 13” Pro is because Apple sees it as a dead end product.
That’s very true. I disregarded upgrades as I assume most buyers are going for the standard configs.
Eh, I guess. Though I personally prefer the 13” outer body over the redesigned models and I just wish they’d modernise the display (closer to the big Pros) and maybe even fit it with something akin to the port array of the mini.
Does the switch to Apple Silicon and the subsequent upgrade to the M2 chip not count as an update to the 13" MBP? or do you only mean a case design change? I think the point is that that is a legacy machine not intended to last much longer and will be replaced by something fairly soon. The 14" MBP is the obvious replacement. The rumored 15" MBA is another.
Out of all the Mac devices on sale, the 13" Pro is probably the one Apple has the highest profit margins on. Put the new chip in the old design and laugh all the way to the bank. My bet is Apple updates the 13" Pro one last time with the M3 chip and after that they completely phase it out and let the 15" Air take its place to fill the gap between the 13" Air and the 14" pro.
edit: In other words the 13" Pro is just Apple emptying out their Touch Bar chassis parts bin.
edit: In other words the 13" Pro is just Apple emptying out their Touch Bar chassis parts bin.
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My question is why have Apple been making a low-end 13" MBP for what seems to be a wafer-thin niche between the MacBook Air and the "proper" 13/14" MacBook Pro since 2016? (First the '13" MBP without touchbar' then the '2-port 13" MBP'). The more powerful the MacBook Air has got, the narrower the niche for the 13" MBP has become.
If anybody out there prefers the design, or likes the very marginal performance boost over the fanless Air, that's fine, but having such a pile-up of overlapping products is unlike Apple.
There has to be a reason and my guess is that it's something bureaucratic such as a bunch of large customers (maybe government or education or other large organisation - public or private - where the typical process of ossification has set in) who put out tenders for 'Professional 13" laptop' and/or have '13" MacBook Pro' on their list of sanctioned products, and it would take 3 years of committee meetings to have that changed to 'MacBook Air'.
Have you seen the iPads? 🤣
I think you may be right about some hidden market that is buying that 13” MacBook Faux but I can see them maintaining that for too much longer. It just doesn’t fit and a 15” MacBook/Air is likely to be a chance to change that.
There's a lot of people who want a "pro" but don't want to pay full MBP prices.
Apple sold the 2012 13" MBP until October 2016, and despite being outdated it still sold better than you'd expect, apparently. Sure, the 13" Air was better, sure, the 13" Retina MBP was better, but "muh DVD drive" was all that drove them.
Apple sold the 2012 13" MBP until October 2016, and despite being outdated it still sold better than you'd expect, apparently. Sure, the 13" Air was better, sure, the 13" Retina MBP was better, but "muh DVD drive" was all that drove them.
Touché - but then one factor in that pile-up is because Apple always maintain a 'regular iPad' that is targeted at the education bulk-order market.
It'll be around until they've used up their stock of touchbars
They probably need to keep a mainstream 13" (or thereabouts) "MacBook Boring" on the books for business/education, though. This has been happening for a long time - remember the non-retina, spinning-rust 13" MBP with optical drive that stayed on the books for years...?
I’ve been flipping MacBooks as a fun hobby, I’ve done probably 50 of them. I can tell you that the 2016-2019 pro’s with Touchbars, FLY when I list them for sale. Never have any issues selling them very fast. Personally, when I’m using a laptop for Work, I prefer Function Keys, but when just watching videos, or messing around, touchbar is kind of fun.
No one outside of Apple can say for sure. And those inside of Apple won't ever say. But if you want my theory:
Apple, when releasing the M2 MacBook Air probably had plans to release the 15-inch model alongside the 13-inch model to replace the 13-inch MacBook Pro in those same exact price points, but found themselves with (a) supply constraints on what they'd need to successfully launch both models (b) supply excess of components for the 2020 2-port design of 13-inch MacBook Pro. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is likely not long for this world and it's highly likely that we'll see the 15-inch MacBook Air replace it. Ever since the move to Apple Silicon, there has been too much overlap between the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro for the latter to make any sense. I'd argue that with the M2 versions of both products there are definitely reasons one might want the 13-inch MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air, but they largely have to do with those that prefer the stability of a tried and true design to those that merely want the latest and greatest design. Otherwise, the two are redundant and the MacBook Air ought to (and likely will) be the only one remaining.
Update? It got updated last year with an M2.
Or did you mean redesign? Well, the redesigned version is the 14" Macbook Pro.
Meaning the 13" Macbook Pro is just a legacy product. It is there so Apple can claim that Macbook Pros start at $1299 (while in reality, the real Pro machine starts at $1999). In time, it will be discontinued completely, with its price point presumably replaced by the rumored 15" Macbook Air.
This is a solid theory. Yet 9to5Mac reported that not only is Apple updating the MacBook Air to M3, Apple's planning on updating the 13" MacBook Pro with M3. So we'll have a 13 & 15" MacBook Air with M3 & the 13" MacBook Pro with M3. Weird if you ask me!
Yeah, that seems kinda dumb to me. Apple is better off continuing to sell the binned variant of whatever Mx Pro SoC model of 14-inch MacBook Pro from the preceding generation (like they're doing in continuing to sell the binned variant of M1 MacBook Air) to maintain the price points than they are continuing to sell the 13-inch MacBook Pro alongside a 14-inch MacBook Pro. But even that seems silly. If the MacBook Air is as performant, why do we need a MacBook Pro at that price point? People are obsessed with "Pro" and it's mind-numbing.
The Pro is better for sustained workloads and does have a longer battery life.
The 13" Pro should drop the Pro suffix, the Touch Bar, add 2 more USB ports and MagSafe, then it would be a much better proposition.
Why not just have a lower-end 14-inch MacBook Pro at that point?
Because it starts at like $500 more expensive?
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Starts at $700 more expensive, $400 more expensive when configured with the same storage and RAM
I was careful with my word choice. I didn't say "the lower-end 14-inch MacBook Pro" so as to directly imply the current lower-end model. I said "a lower-end 14-inch MacBook Pro" so as to imply a model more lower-end than the current model. They could easily toss the same SoC that currently goes into the 13-inch MacBook Pros into that 14-inch chassis instead.
