Apple to Discontinue 17-inch MacBook Pro, Predicts Analyst
Apple is predicted to drop the 17-inch MacBook Pro from its mobile lineup later this year due to poor sales.
According to a new report by research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is expected to discontinue and replace its current 17-inch MacBook Pro with a newer more compact model. The cause of the predicted discontinuation stems from low sales for the first quarter of 2012, where the company sold roughly 50,000 MacBook Pro 17-inch variants out of a total of 3.1 million notebooks sold. Kuo predicts the company's solution will be to replace the 17-inch MacBook Pro with a new model in the third quarter of this year.
“We also predict Apple will roll out a fully new MacBook model in early 3Q12, boasting strong performance and easy carryability by combining the advantages of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro,” said research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. “While adding new products, Apple is likely to stop making the 17-inch MacBook Pro this year due to falling shipments, in order to maintain a lean product line strategy.”
This could be unfortunate news for 17-inch MacBook Pro lovers, who may lose some screen real estate from the model re-design.
It's the worst ripoff ever, even by Mac standards. No wonder the sales are bad.
If they lowered the price by almost 500$, then it might sell.
If they offered something unique: more resolution, higher quality panels, value pricing, more people would buy the Mac Book Pro 17 as their desktop replacements. But as it stands, they are just too expensive for all but the most niche type customers...
It's the worst ripoff ever, even by Mac standards. No wonder the sales are bad.
If they lowered the price by almost 500$, then it might sell.
If they offered something unique: more resolution, higher quality panels, value pricing, more people would buy the Mac Book Pro 17 as their desktop replacements. But as it stands, they are just too expensive for all but the most niche type customers...
Apple rather discontinue an entire line of products than dropping it's price apparently. They just need to die a fast and lulzy death.
Yes, the 17" anti-glare MBP is not economical but neither are a lot of luxury items.
What do you mean with no increase in actual resolution? The 15 inch mack book pro has native resolution of 1440x900 while in the 17 inch is 1920x1200.
High fixed costs.
The cost of developing the 17" model and setting up a production line is probably not worth it, if they only sell so few units.
The CnC-milling of the aluminum chassis is also different to what pretty much all other 17" laptops have. Maybe that's particularly expensive or something.
I'd rather have the MBP...I'd settle for the Falcon if I couldn't. The CPU and GPU are only part of the picture. ...and when you don't use your laptop for gaming the GPU isn't all that important.
The gigantic price increase for bigger size and a quad-core doesn't fill any real purpose.
The 15" already comes with a quad-core. The 15" has either a 2.2 ghz or 2.4 ghz quad-core i7 while the 17" is the same configuration as the higher-end 15", just with a bigger screen with a higher resolution (1920x1200 17" compared to 1440x900 15").
The 17" MBP has the same hardware as the highest-end 15" MBP. The $300 premium that Apple charges is basically just for the 1920x1200 resolution.
Think about it this way, if you HAD to spend $2500 I'm not sure you could find a computer worse than the MBP.
Think about it this way, if you HAD to spend $2500 I'm not sure you could find a computer worse than the MBP.
Think about it this way, if you HAD to spend $2500 I'm not sure you could find a computer worse than the MBP.
Think about it this way, if you HAD to spend $2500 I'm not sure you could find a computer worse than the MBP.
I agree with bardia. There's no doubting that the MBP is actually a great product. For those that like it, the Mac OS is good (but I just don't like it. I have tried and tried to like it since 2000, but to no avail). Music and video editing software on Mac's is the best, or at least almost for the average consumer. Their battery tech is totally unmatched. And finally the casing is so simplistic it makes it pretty pleasing to the eye.
HOWEVER.
I think most people still like windows more, despite its numerous problems. Also, for just about HALF the price, you can get the same product in a pc laptop. The discrepancy is even greater when comparing desktops. There just isn't that much justification to pay double. For $2.5k, I would definitely not buy a 17" mbp. I would buy a ~$1400-1500 gaming desktop that is upgradeable later and use the rest on a really, really nice mac book air or comparable new intel (or amd) ultrabook. I will say this. Mac book air's are pretty darn good. The price discrepancy between the mac book air and the same ultrabook is only $100-300.