Why No M4 16" MBP?

[psycoperl]

I am upgrading from a 2017 intel 15" MBP and am having a hard time to determine which new MBP to purchase.

The issue is that I don't think that I need the processor power of the M4pro or M4max as I am not doing crazy 4k/8k video or 3D graphics. But I like a large screen to have my work displayed without having to strain my eyes, which is why it is disappointing that Apple is not offering a M4 16" model.

My normal use of my MacBook Pro currently is office work, spread sheet, video viewing w/ light editing (for example, trimming clips from videos I use my iPhone to take or are from zooms), screen captures, presentations, video conferences, ripping and converting DVD + Blu-ray movies to play on my Apple TV. Other tasks are light web and database design. In the future I want to work on learning coding for the Mac, as I currently work in primarily in VBA on Windows and have been looking into learning new coding skills and language.

I do not know if a m4 pro would really be worth the expense for the limited things that I do/plan to do.

thoughts are welcome

ps my history with Macs have been a 17” MBP 2007; 2013 & 2017 15” (since apple discontinued the 17”)…. I am worried that 14” may not be large enough.

 

[russell_314]

Maybe take a look at the 15” MacBook Air? If possible, go to the Apple Store or an electronics store near you that sells them so you can put hands on. It’s one thing to look at pictures, but it’s another to actually physically see and touch it.

 

[svish]

I too would like to see a 16" with a base M series chip. Don't need the power of a Pro chip. Just a slightly bigger screen than 15" Air and with ProMotion. Could be priced at around $400 less than the price of current 16"

 

[psycoperl]

I too would like to see a 16" with a base M series chip. Don't need the power of a Pro chip. Just a slightly bigger screen than 15" Air and with ProMotion. Could be priced at around $400 less than the price of current 16"

I did a comparison and specked out a m4 pro in both 14 and 16 inches, the difference was $300 for the larger screen so I don’t understand why Apple made the arbitrary decision to not offer a M4 base chip in 16” with just a $300 price difference

 

[Andrey84]

Because it's a "Pro" machine.

In my opinion, it'd be ridiculous to put an iPad chip into the top-end MacBook Pro. I was surprised you're allowed to have the base M4 chip with the 14" MBP.

You have 3 options:
1. Bite the bullet, given the M4 Pro will provide you with increased longevity, and get it.
2. Get a used M3 Pro 16" MBP, which is now relatively cheap on eBay.
3. Get a 15" MacBook Air, which will perform all your tasks brilliantly and is also significantly lighter.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

4. Wait a few months and buy the 16" Refurb for 10%-15% off.
5. Wait a few weeks for Black Friday and possibly buy a new 16" for upwards of 10% or so off from third party retailers.
6. Wait maybe 2 months or so (particularly into the "holiday hangover" period for retailers of JAN-FEB) for third party retailers to offer 16" for upwards of 15% off.
7. If in America, hop into the Education store to cut the base price of 16" by $200, which gets you a good part of the way to that difference today.

...OR...

8. Go a little radical and pick up a Mac Mini and a portable screen. I see many examples of the latter for about $350 at over 17" (one example) or a little more for 18.4"... but both well below even the 14" MBpro Base price. Mac mini base is $499 in the Edu store. You wouldn't have the built-in battery of a laptop but if you don't really need battery-only usage, there's a 17"-18" portable Mac for about $850-$1K, assuming you already have a keyboard and mouse. And all that should easily fit in a laptop-like bag (albeit, perhaps one a little thicker than typical). There's even many portable batteries with 2 sockets to power them (yes, this 'think different' "Frankenstein" is not nearly as sleek as an all-in-one laptop that fits the various pieces inside of one slim package, but you'd get the M chip you want and a bigger screen than even 16" while dramatically addressing the pricing gripe by about $500+).
9. While you probably don't need the added power, the base M4Pro Mini + the 17" screen would come it at about the same price as the base MBpro 14" price... and if you hypothesize how much more a 16" M4 MBpro would cost, you could probably wash the 18.4" screen with an M4Pro Mini. The upgraded tech guts fit in the same-sized package, so if #8 becomes an actual consideration, this option requires no additional space in the bag. In short, instead of saving about $500 but still getting your bigger screen, you might apply the $500 to the Mac portion to "go pro" and 18.4" (mobile) screen.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Why No M4 16" MBP?"

Because if you can afford the 16" version, you can also afford the M4pro CPU...

 

[Ceegibbie]

I am upgrading from a 2017 intel 15" MBP and am having a hard time to determine which new MBP to purchase.

The issue is that I don't think that I need the processor power of the M4pro or M4max as I am not doing crazy 4k/8k video or 3D graphics. But I like a large screen to have my work displayed without having to strain my eyes, which is why it is disappointing that Apple is not offering a M4 16" model.

My normal use of my MacBook Pro currently is office work, spread sheet, video viewing w/ light editing (for example, trimming clips from videos I use my iPhone to take or are from zooms), screen captures, presentations, video conferences, ripping and converting DVD + Blu-ray movies to play on my Apple TV. Other tasks are light web and database design. In the future I want to work on learning coding for the Mac, as I currently work in primarily in VBA on Windows and have been looking into learning new coding skills and language.

I do not know if a m4 pro would really be worth the expense for the limited things that I do/plan to do.

thoughts are welcome

ps my history with Macs have been a 17” MBP 2007; 2013 & 2017 15” (since apple discontinued the 17”)…. I am worried that 14” may not be large enough.

I myself recently did the exact same upgrade. I came from a 2017 15in MacBook Pro. And was looking at the M4 chipset, and realized it was just powerful enough for the base chip. I was so excited to get one in the 16in model when I saw the 14in had it, but to my disappointment, the 16in model doesn't have it, so I went with the 15in MacBook Air 24gb of ram and 512gb of storage. I really hope that within later M chip series they make that difference. Cause I am someone who watches movies on their iPad Pro 12.9in all the time and my 15in MacBook Pro all the time, but I would have loved to have that 120hz promotion, and that 16in screen variation model in the future. Cause I also code on my laptops as well, and its not that CPU intensive on my computer, but it would be nice, just to have that option like the 14in variant.

 

[srminton]

Because it's a "Pro" machine.

In my opinion, it'd be ridiculous to put an iPad chip into the top-end MacBook Pro. I was surprised you're allowed to have the base M4 chip with the 14" MBP.

You have 3 options:
1. Bite the bullet, given the M4 Pro will provide you with increased longevity, and get it.
2. Get a used M3 Pro 16" MBP, which is now relatively cheap on eBay.
3. Get a 15" MacBook Air, which will perform all your tasks brilliantly and is also significantly lighter.

If the MacBook Air "will perform all your tasks brilliantly", then it's disingenuous to define the M4 as an 'iPad chip'.

There are a few reasons why someone might prefer a MacBook Pro to a MacBook Air, despite running the same chip. The much superior display is the most obvious reason, but other reasons would include more ports, stronger battery life, better audio etc. It costs a little more than the MacBook Air, but it seems a fair deal to me, considering those additional features and strengths. It's a tradeoff against MacBook Air strengths, which include portability and lower price.

I prefer the 14-inch and I do need an M4 Max for my work, but I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to wish there was a 16-inch M4 version. I also don't understand the argument that putting an M4 in a MacBook Pro is "ridiculous", just because it has the word "Pro" in the model name. The "pro" label is marketing, it's not a way to gate-keep access to the best computers. Otherwise, everyone with an iPhone Pro should return their phone if they're not using it to shoot 4k video for their YouTube channel.

The reason there isn't a 16-inch M4 version is a business decision based primarily on lower demand, nothing to do with it being an 'iPad chip' and not wanting to "allow" people to have one. If there were enough people wanting to buy it, Apple would sell it, because the M4 could run a 16-inch laptop without breaking a sweat.