Would you like a 13" MacBook with active cooling and a Pro Processor?

[Scarrus]

As the announcement of the 15" MacBook is nearing and knowing it will probably also have the option for a Pro class Processor along with active cooling, would you like to see a similar 13" model with the same specs?

I assume the design is probably going to be different to the new MBA one so a 13" model would also imply a different chassis, probably a marginally thicker one.

 

[sorgo †]

Yeah, I am one of the random weird people who would probably upgrade to a baby-fied 13” MacBook “Pro” with active cooling and an M3, regardless of whether it gets an updated design (I’d actually prefer the current/older design if it keeps costs down). I don’t really need a literal “Pro” processor, though; just the base M3 with full GPU cores would be enough.

 

[GMShadow]

I'd worry about battery life but it might be an interesting item. Not sure how big the market is though.

 

[Scarrus]

I'd imagine battery life would be about the same as the "current" old 13" MBP.

 

[raythompsontn]

I would like a lot of things. However, Apple has yet to listen to my desires. I take what I can get, that is the closest match to my needs. I have an MBA M2, 16 gig, 1TB. Seems to do everything I need. What I would really like is cheaper memory and storage upgrades. What Apple charges is, well, Apple math.

 

[transphasic]

I want a 12 inch mac like my 2017 retina macbook with apple silicon like an M2 chipset, same keyboard, but with two USB-C ports, 1TB storage and 16GB of RAM.

 

[beach bum]

I want a 12 inch mac like my 2017 retina macbook with apple silicon like an M2 chipset, same keyboard, but with two USB-C ports, 1TB storage and 16GB of RAM.

Same! I just picked up my rMB from a forum member, and I'm in love. The keyboard is fine for me, but I am seriously praying to the Apple gods that they re-introduce the MB. Instant buy. There is just something so satisfying when using this rMB.

If I need heavy lifting, I use my 16" M1 Pro.

 

[Yebubbleman]

As the announcement of the 15" MacBook is nearing and knowing it will probably also have the option for a Pro class Processor along with active cooling, would you like to see a similar 13" model with the same specs?

I assume the design is probably going to be different to the new MBA one so a 13" model would also imply a different chassis, probably a marginally thicker one.

Not sure where you're getting your rumors from, but the 15-inch MacBook is NOT rumored to get a Pro SoC, nor has there been anything said about active cooling (if it is a MacBook Air, it probably won't have active cooling).

Similarly, you're not going to see a Pro-class SoC in the current 13-inch form factors; you DO see it in the current 14-inch form factors, but that's due to a thicker chassis.

 

[Tagbert]

Not sure where you're getting your rumors from, but the 15-inch MacBook is NOT rumored to get a Pro SoC, nor has there been anything said about active cooling (if it is a MacBook Air, it probably won't have active cooling).

Similarly, you're not going to see a Pro-class SoC in the current 13-inch form factors; you DO see it in the current 14-inch form factors, but that's due to a thicker chassis.

I've seen a lot of wishcasting on these forums about a Pro Air but there do not seem to be any actual rumors that it is going to happen.

 

[Arctic Moose]

I want a 12 inch mac like my 2017 retina macbook with apple silicon like an M2 chipset, same keyboard, but with two USB-C ports, 1TB storage and 16GB of RAM.

As long as we’re wishing, I’d go one inch further and ask for 11”.

Actually, **** it, just let me install macOS on my ****ing iPad Pro.

 

[Scarrus]

I remember there being some rumours about the 15" getting the Pro Soc, sure it was from someone reliable, a known leaker.

 

[okkibs]

I am all for more options as long as that proposed 13" would be a downsized 14", with XDR and notch, 32GiB, 4TB.... but the old touchbar design needs to go - which I think it will anyways as demand for these models drops and manufacturing ramps down. I don't want to go back to that old darker screen especially, and I am glad I no longer have to use a touchbar either. The base model still comes with 8GiB/250GB to this day which for a "Pro" machine is simply absurd.

(My first Mac with 16GiB was a 2012 MBP... and 10 years later Apple is still pretending less than that is acceptable.)

My dream for Apple's MBP line would be to have a purchasing process where you no longer have to choose between designs and instead you just click on one of three sizes, 12", 14", 16" and then you get presented with the SoC options, M2 fanless, M2 Pro, M2 MAX... that are compatible with the selected size. 4TB option in every model, at least 32GiB in every model, XDR in every model, and so on right down to the 12" option.

I don't think 13" is necessary, it wouldn't be that much smaller and lighter than the 14". 12" on the other hand would be an extremely portable workstation, even with a passively cooled SoC, as long as 32GiB and 4TB are possible there's still a lot that Mac could do. (32GiB should be easy with a further M3 memory bandwidth increase.)

 

[theluggage]

I remember there being some rumours about the 15" getting the Pro Soc, sure it was from someone reliable, a known leaker.

...except that doesn't make much sense with the processors that we currently know about. Part of the point of the base M1/M2 is that they can work with passive cooling, enabling thinner designs and longer battery life.

Maybe, with the move to 3nm, the processor line will be re-balanced somehow (perhaps the 'base' Mx could be replaced by various binned Mx Pros so Apple could build everything off a single die design) but in the meantime a M2 Pro 15" sounds like something between the 14" and 16" MBPs.

Meanwhile, a 15" Air does make sense - because the M2 is quite capable of powering a passively cooled laptop with a 15" screen. There's been a gap in the MacBook lineup for years for anybody who wanted a bit of extra screen real estate for mundane jobs like WP, spreadsheets, light development or even media consumption without paying for a higher-end, overkill CPU and GPU... and the base M2 is now capable of a lot more than WP and spreadsheets.