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Oct 24, 2012 9:35 PM in response to pc2k5by davidhunternyc1,I agree with the above post that Apple computers are becoming consumer grade tools rather than professional business grade tools. It is sad. I also can't understand why some people continue to disregard the desires of so many people who want a 17" retina MBP. We all want and need things for different reasons. I, for one, need a 17" retina MBP for my photography business. I've been to the Apple store and I have seen the 15" retina MBP. The screen real estate is just not enough for my needs. I just can't believe that Apple would give up on working professionals who have stood by their products. Where is Apple? Where is their loyalty? Is Apple really going to cede 17" laptops to PC manufacturers? I believe Apple is down but not yet out. I know the costs of retina displays at the moment are exhorbitant and in the future, the costs may scale down. I am hoping this is the case and we will one day see a 17" retina MacBook Pro. I am also hoping that Sony and Samsung are reading this thread and are waiting to pounce on the weaknesses of Apple. Competition is good.
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Oct 24, 2012 9:55 PM in response to davidhunternyc1by Lanny,I am also hoping that Sony and Samsung are reading this thread and are waiting to pounce on the weaknesses of Apple. Competition is good.
Do you actually think that companies like Sony and Samsung pay employees to surf Apple customer support sites.
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Oct 24, 2012 10:11 PM in response to davidhunternyc1by pc2k5,After some thought, I noticed that Apple named their products:
Mac Pro - Tower
and
MacBook Prowhere, I believe the word, *PRO*, means and stands for the word, "PROFESSIONAL".
But I guess since Apple is a consumer company, as opposed to business professional's company, Apple made a minor grammatical error and should at least rename the MacBook Pro to something like
MacBook Con where the "Con" means CONSUMER version.
In fact, Apple should get rid the word, "Pro" in all it's hardware software products and don't allow any 3rd party to offer a "Pro" version sofware or hardware. Wouldn't want to intimidate the average consumer with "professional" products would we?
As Steve Jobs and Apple Marketing would probably say, "It's these business professionals that have all that 'professional' speak and lingo that intimidates the average consumer in regards to computers."
But then again, Apple Marketing is probably saying, "Hey, let's charge $2,800 to $3,500 for a 17" MacBook Pro that's not that much different than our far more popular 15" MacBook Pro for the average "consumer" and hope that the "average consumer" has the same size bank account like a "business professional".
But then again, those that work at top of Apple Marketing is probably part of the 1% (as opposed to the 99% the media and America has been talking about) which probably explains the less than 2% of all laptop sales for the 17" MacBook Pro ;-)
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Oct 25, 2012 8:15 AM in response to ms83285by manilben,Hi everyone, I'm not a professionnal user of my Macbook Pro, still, I enjoy my 17" screen very much! This laptop is my only computer and I wouldn't want to switch for a smaller screen. It's as simple as that!!! I just hope that one way or another, Apple will put this awesome computer back into their product line....
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Oct 29, 2012 1:52 PM in response to trader.618by jplflyer,Remember in all these comparisons, a 22-year-old should not be making decisions for a 50-year old. My 50-year-old eyes can't see nearly as well as even my 40-year-old eyes could, and the problem is going to get worse for me. And the rest of you, you young ones, you'l be where I am eventually. Of course, if you're 20 years old, you don't care for a while.
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Nov 2, 2012 11:22 AM in response to mswagby NY27,I wonder if the absence of Steve Jobs caused a shift in philosophy that led to discontinuing the 17 inch MBP. The 17 inch was seen by many people as the top of the line MBP. It was the most expensive and used by many professionals. Apple charges relatively high prices. This gives it high margins and high profitability. Having the 17 inch MBP enhanced Apple's reputation as the leading laptop computer manufacturer in the world.
Given the prices that Apple charges, it is highly unlikely that the company was losing money on the 17 inch. But it probably was not making as much as it did on higher selling items. The Steve Jobs philosophy seemed to be focus on making the best product and establishing a reputation as a leader. Having the 17 inch model strenghened their reputation. This would help to increase laptop sales overall. The 13 inch MBP was about half the price of the 17 inch. So of course it sold more. But the presence of the 17 inch, considered by many to be the best laptop in the world, almost certainly enhanced the reputation of the 13 and 15 inch MBP's and helped to increase sales of these models.
Jettisoning the lower sales model is the more common business strategy. Perhaps the company makes more money in the short-term. But their reputation takes a hit that hurts in the longer-term. Apple has the margins and profits to support a lower selling 17 inch model that positions them as the leading laptop manufacturer. Focusing on short-term profits potentially reflects lack of the vision that made Apple what it is today.
I'm a writer. I greatly prefer the 17 inch MBP. On the 15 inch, I can't have two documents open side by side, unless I make them excessively narrow. Also, I have to scroll a lot more. I don't need the retina display. The display on my 17 inch MBP is outstanding. As others suggested, I hope that Apple begins reselling the 17 inch MBP, even if it only has the lower resolution display.
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Nov 2, 2012 12:07 PM in response to NY27by NY27,This forum apparently does not allow users to edit their comments. After wrting the above post, I decided to add a paragraph. This is the relevant post. The one above can be ignored.
I wonder if the absence of Steve Jobs caused a shift in philosophy that led to discontinuing the 17 inch MBP. The 17 inch was seen by many people as the top of the line MBP. It was the most expensive and used by many professionals. Apple charges relatively high prices. This gives it high margins and high profitability. Having the 17 inch MBP enhanced Apple's reputation as the leading laptop computer manufacturer in the world.
Given the prices that Apple charges, it is highly unlikely that the company was losing money on the 17 inch. But it probably was not making as much as it did on higher selling items. The Steve Jobs philosophy seemed to be focused on making the best product and establishing a reputation as a leader. Having the 17 inch model strengthened their reputation. This would help to increase laptop sales overall. The 13 inch MBP was about half the price of the 17 inch. So of course it sold more. But the presence of the 17 inch, considered by many to be the best laptop in the world, almost certainly enhanced the reputation of the 13 and 15 inch MBP's and helped to increase sales of these models.
Jettisoning the lower sales model is the more common business strategy. Perhaps the company makes more money in the short-term. But their reputation takes a hit that hurts in the longer-term. Apple has the margins and profits to support a lower selling 17 inch model that positions them as the leading laptop manufacturer. Focusing on short-term profits potentially reflects a lack of the vision that made Apple what it is today.
Discontinuing the 17 inch MBP seems to indicate that Apple is abandoning the professional market and instead focusing on the average consumer or retail segment. As discussed in this thread, many editors, photographers, writers and other professionals want and/or need the larger screen. The screen is the visual interface with the computer. If the screen is small, as a 15 inch is, many people might not take the computer seriously. It might be seen as a toy instead of a serious professional tool. Using an external display often is not a viable option in certain work environments or for people who travel a lot or work in different locations. Even if the 17 inch MBP is a loss leader (which is highly unlikely), maintaining the product shows a strong commitment to the professional market. This will enhance Apple’s quality reputation and help the sales of smaller laptops.
As a writer, I greatly prefer the 17 inch MBP. On the 15 inch, I can't have two documents open side by side, unless I make them excessively narrow. Also, I have to scroll a lot more. I don't need the retina display. The display on my 17 inch MBP is outstanding. As others suggested, I hope that Apple begins reselling the 17 inch MBP, even if it only has the lower resolution display.
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Nov 2, 2012 12:25 PM in response to NY27by veepro,I really enjoy reading these posts, thank you for such insight and professionalism. It is a great feeling to know I am not alone in the way I feel about the 17" MBP. Keep it coming this is awesome!!
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Nov 2, 2012 12:26 PM in response to NY27by Network 23,NY27 wrote:
I'm a writer. I greatly prefer the 17 inch MBP. On the 15 inch, I can't have two documents open side by side, unless I make them excessively narrow. Also, I have to scroll a lot more. I don't need the retina display.
I'm also a writer and do some layout, and on my 15-inch I am comfortable with two letter-size Word documents side by side as well as a two-page spread with both whole pages visible in Word, Acrobat, InDesign, etc. But I think it's because I ordered the High-Resolution Anti-Glare option for the 15-inch, and I think the 1680x1050 resolution keeps full-page text readable even though it isn't a 17-inch. I prefer the 15-inch for the increased portability.
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Nov 2, 2012 12:44 PM in response to Network 23by NY27,There are many different types of computer users. Many people would sacrifice screen size to increase portability. But as this thread shows, many MBP users would greatly prefer to have the larger 17 inch screen, even if portability is lower. (I put my 17 inch MBP in a computer bag. The extra 1 lb of weight does not affect portability for me.) It is possible to have two letter sized documents open on the 15 inch, but only if the text is made smaller than is necessary on the 17 inch. For many people, the smaller, marginally clearer text on the 15 inch will be more difficult to read or less preferrable than the larger text on the 17 inch. Also, more scrolling often will be required on the 15 inch.
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Nov 5, 2012 3:48 PM in response to NY27by veepro,We have to continue to remember how portable the 17" MBP is when compared to other 17" notebooks in the market today, there is no rival ever and so you can't compare portability between the MBPs at all - that just doesn't make sense. We're then just talking about personal preference at that point if we do that.
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Nov 5, 2012 4:44 PM in response to veeproby pc2k5,Portability versus Productivity:
In my opinion, nobody buys a 17" MacBook, or any other Windows Notebook, for portability.
First, at the cost of any 17", and the professional work users are doing on it,
users are going to carry it in some bag or case.
Second, the case a user gets or bag to carry any 17" MacBook or Notebook is going to be large.
It's not going to be in the same class as an iPad or MacAir, no matter how thin it is.
Heck, if could be as thin as a piece of cardboard, but even a 17" piece of cardboard is stillbig to carry and users can't stick in their pocket.
The word, 17" is supposed to be means BIG.
Third, users are going to protect their 17" MacBook because of the important professional work they do on it.
Notice the form factors for the iPhone is at one end of the physical size spectrum (smallest), and the 17" MacBook is at the opposite end of the size spectrum (largest).
The users of the iPhone use it for different reasons than the intermediate sizes, i.e. iPad, 13" and 15" MacBook.
Likewise, the users of the 17" MacBook also use it for different reasons than intermediate sizes as well.
LAST POINT:
Customers don't ask the question of how "portable" the 17" MacBook is.
HOWEVER, if customers did really ask that question on portability, the 17"MacBook would NOT have less than 2% of sales as it is the thinnest of all 17" laptops.
The real question customers of the 17" MacBook ask is, "How productive can I be using a 17" MacBook?"
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Nov 10, 2012 1:29 PM in response to mswagby Pico2006,In a 17" display you can see more than in a 15" (+ 22%).
A 17" display can be used as second desktop monitor and his dimension is nearer the dimensions of the current monitor.
The productivity is even better than 15", but in this case the difference is very small.
A little trouble is only the portability.
I hope that Apple will still produce 17" with retina display!