There have been plenty of rumors flying around in recent months that the MacBook Pro may soon resemble the MacBook Air, slimming down and losing bulky, traditional hard disk and optical storage. But what if the Pro lineup was simply being absorbed into a larger Air?
Electricpig is reporting that Apple may have the MacBook Pro’s neck in a noose right about now, presumably in an effort to simplify the notebook lineup and rally around the wildly popular MacBook Air, which may soon come in a 15-inch version.
“We heard word from one anonymous vendor that Apple’s likely to launch a 15-inch MacBook Air in April, effectively killing the Pro for the average consumer,” the report reveals. “This particular company is a key player in MacBook docking solutions, so they’ve got to keep abreast of the finer details of what’s coming. And what is coming? If you take our source’s word for it, a 15-inch MacBook Air with ports on both sides, no optical drive and no Ethernet cable.”
Oh my. While the time is right for Apple to ditch optical drives given the wide availability of Wi-Fi and streaming movies, Gigabit Ethernet is still a faster option than even 802.11n Wi-Fi -- although we’re guessing that Cupertino might offer an Ethernet dongle the way they do for the MacBook Air. But wait -- maybe Electricpig has it wrong…?
“While our source wasn’t certain that this would completely destroy the Pro (he also stated that Apple might hold on to the 17-inch model, which would make sense for the sizeable audience of professional editors out there), he was fairly sure that the shakeup will happen in April,” the report continues. “To that end, our source’s company’s got its manufacturers on standby to be able to make and ship a new product lineup inside of 90 days.”
We’re not doubting that a 15-inch MacBook Air exists in Apple’s labs, and could even be rolling off the assembly lines right about now, if that April date is to be believed. Assuming that Apple can deliver a larger, more powerful MacBook Air, it would make sense to kill off the Pro line, with the exception of the aforementioned 17-inch model aimed at hardcore road warriors. But we’ll still get a little misty-eyed about it, should it actually happen…
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buffaloseven
March 15, 2012 at 9:57am
Like others have said, this is another rumour that just doesn't fit with how Apple operates.
This is akin to the "air" design for the new iPhone with the tapered back. It simply doesn't work if you wanted to hold it in landscape, and that's a core functionality of the iPhone.
One of the core functionalities of the Macbook Pro is to have a pretty powerful computer with you on the go. As nice as the Air is, it is -not- a Macbook Pro, nor will it be one if it gets a 15" screen.
Like stated, the MBP is about mobile performance: fast processors with large caches, gigs and gigs of RAM, and moderately powerful graphics. The air simply can't compete on any of these things, and were it to, it would cease to be the Air (in particular, the battery life that is a staple feature of the Air would be decimated).
Could I see Apple switching to SSDs for the MBP? Certainly; and once they're large enough and relatively cost-effective, I bet they will. Removing the optical drive? Perhaps...but again many people use them as production machines and being able to burn a DVD with video or photos can be an indispensable way of sharing.
The Air and the MBP are two different target markets. I could easily see the 13" MBP disappearing forever, but the 15" and 17"? It simply doesn't fit.
Geoduck
March 15, 2012 at 8:33am
I don't care if they drop the optical drive
I don't care what they call it.
I don't care if they switch to SSD (that would actually be a good thing)BUT
The point of the pro is power. If it's not Ivy Bridge, Quad Core i7 with a good, possibly dual, video card, and up to 8Gb RAM then I'm not interested. I'll get a refurb October 2011 MacBook Pro instead.
Argelius
March 15, 2012 at 8:21am
I don't care if they get rid of MPBs, but I would love a 15" Air (to replace my 13" Air) which will hopefully have a 512 GB SSD. Storage is the biggest downside to the current Air lineup. Don't miss the CD ever...
