Is Apple planning to ditch the MacBook pro?
Rumors are beginning to swirl that yet another SteveNote might be on it’s way quite soon. October 14th soon if you believe what is being said. Add to that the rumors that brand new MacBooks are on their way to stores as we speak, and you have the idea that we might just have a new MacBook event on our hands. Since there is a keynote presentation planned, you can bet that there is new hardware in the mix. Apple wouldn’t call the press out for a processor upgrade. So what’s coming? New designs for the MacBook? Or new designs for the MacBook Pro.
I’m going to make a bold prediction and say that MacBook pro is going away, and that these are new designs for the MacBooks.
Yes, I said it. It’s rampant speculation with no basis in reality, and I could very well be wrong, but I think it’s a good possibility that they will indeed remove the MacBook Pro from the line entirely.
That isn’t to say that there won’t be 15″ and 17″ notebooks with the former CAPABILITIES of the MacBook Pro though. I think it just might be possible that Apple will consolidate the Macbook and the Macbook Pro into one line of notebooks with three screen sizes 13″, 15″ and 17″. Since the design is rumored to be all aluminum anyway, I don’t think there would be enough of a differentiation between the two to be able to call the MacBook Pro … well.. Pro. The processors are nearly the same, and as of now, the only real advantage the MacBook Pro has, is it’s more powerful graphics chip and larger screen size.
It seems almost obvious to bring them all into one line, with the MacBook air in it’s own category for business users. The general consumer tends to like larger screened laptops, but would more likely be turned off by a device that would seem to be aimed at professionals. Professionals however probably wouldn’t care as long as the device is powerful enough for the tasks they would want to accomplish.
I have a feeling that these new MacBooks will also be dramatically less expensive than the previous generation as Apple starts to make more inroads into the general public and continues to grow its notebook marketshare. I’ve heard rumors of a starting price of $799. Though I think that might be a bit low for Apple. I could see them starting at $899 though for the 13″ and then moving up in both price and capabilities as you go bigger.
I could be way off, but somehow, A new MacBook line in 3 sizes without the pro moniker just seems right to me. Either way, we’ll find out on October 14th.
September 16th, 2008 at 11:42 am
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September 17th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
It would seem like the smart move, but a lot of people purchase a laptop as their first computer. If they kept the prices as low as you mention, sure. If not, they would be way out of reach for most people.
September 17th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I dont think that’s true Nick. Apple has become quite a large player in the Notebook industry even with it’s high prices. Lower prices across the board will do nothing but drive numbers higher. Removing the pro moniker and a price reduction will put the larger laptops within reach of the normal consumer as well. It seems like It’d be a win win for Apple.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:23 am
The MacBook Pro is not the laptop the average consumer for Apple chooses. So if they dropped the “Pro” and just went straight MacBook, but kept the prices of the current MacBook I don’t think they would within reach for most people.
If they kept the prices you mentioned – Apple would probably take over the notebook market.*
*Okay, that’s a little unbelievable**, but they would sell a heck of a lot more than they have been.
**Very unbelievable.
September 18th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I don’t think it’s TERRIBLY unbelievable. Apple already has near 12% of the overall notebook market, which is fairly good considering it has what is generally considered to be a niche status.
Among college students the percentage is even higher, some have stated that it’s close to 40%. As the people in college now age further, and subsequent generations move into college, the overall marketshare numbers are likely to increase.
All Apple needs to do to boost it’s marketshare with everyone else is to keep it’s similar level of quality, and lower the price. I could see a MacBook at $899 leading to a double digit increase in overall notebook marketshare without much problem.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
[...] thats funny. I believed I called this one back a couple of weeks ago (see “Is Apple planning to ditch the MacBook Pro?“). As I’ve said previously, Apple’s movement in the notebook space makes it [...]