Apple to Discontinue 17-inch MacBook Pro, Predicts Analyst

News
By Billy Taylor
published

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.

Billy Taylor
29 Comments Comment from the forums
  • chuckydb
    Well, look at the price...
    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.
    Reply
  • jacobdrj
    It is a niche product: The 13.3 and 15 inch models are cannibalizing the sales of the 17 inch model because the price descrpepancy is too high to justify the increase in screen area, particularly with no increase in actual resolution...

    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...
    Reply
  • theconsolegamer
    chuckydbWell, look at the price...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.Apple rather discontinue an entire line of products than dropping it's price apparently. They just need to die a fast and lulzy death.
    Reply
  • del35
    Lucky we. Wont be seeing that piece of overpriced junk for much longer.
    Reply
  • halcyon
    For some reason this news saddens me. I auditioned a 17" MBP (an audtion is all it turned out to be) and took it back for my current 2011 15" MBP due to some SSD issues that were common at the time (6GB/s SSDs were causing OS hangs, etc.). ...don't know if they ever got that resolved but the 17" screen and that huge unadulterated slab of CNC'd aluminum was nice.

    Yes, the 17" anti-glare MBP is not economical but neither are a lot of luxury items.
    Reply
  • jdamon113
    50,000 at only about 2200 a pice that is still 110,000,000 . whey would they stop.
    Reply
  • Vladislaus
    jacobdrjIt is a niche product: The 13.3 and 15 inch models are cannibalizing the sales of the 17 inch model because the price descrpepancy is too high to justify the increase in screen area, particularly with no increase in actual resolution...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...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.
    Reply
  • molo9000
    jdamon11350,000 at only about 2200 a pice that is still 110,000,000 . whey would they stop.
    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.
    Reply
  • halcyon
    The 17" MacBook Pro has always been expensive...but with the economy being what it is there is less capacity to spend on something like this. ...I can't think of a 17" laptop I'd rather have though. Everything by everyone else is big and bulky and plastic looking with the exception of the Razer Blade. If the 17" MBP does become extinct I hope the Razer Blade becomes refined (build quality-wise) enough to be a successor (one can wish).
    Reply
  • g-unit1111
    Who would pay the money for a 17" Macbook Pro? Especially when Apple refuses to use the best current hardware available. For that price you could buy a comparably equipped laptop from say Falcon, Sager, Origin, or Digital Storm and you'll have the best hardware you can get for the next 4 - 5 years?
    Reply