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0 pointsmikeash10y ago0 comments

I don't think the MacBook [Pro] is a flattering comparison. Apple is rapidly falling away from their traditional simple and obvious product lines, and the current MacBook lineup is extremely confusing to a lot of people.

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wlesieutre10y ago

Having a new "MacBook" that's thinner than the "MacBook Air" is admittedly a bit weird, but it's a transition period. Once the price on the new one goes down, they'll drop the Air from the lineup, and it'll just be MacBook vs MacBook Pro again.

hobarrera10y ago

I completely agree.

The MacBook Pro Retina 13" is almost the same weight and size as a MacBook Air 13". It no longer makes sense to keep the Air around as a "lighter" alternative.

IMHO, both the Air and the non-retina-Pro are going away. Keeping just the MacBook and the retina-Pro is what makes sense the most (the rest are just cheaper alternatives, and Apple doesn't generally do cheap).

nsxwolf10y ago

The problem is the performance of the new MacBook has taken such a hit. The Airs had started converging on the territory of conventional high performance laptops, but now they're back to ultra low power low performance Intel skus to make the form factor possible again.

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rickyc09110y ago

Apple actually makes a good way of differentiating the products on their site (http://store.apple.com/us/mac/compare). On top of that their sales people will generally ask you what your purpose for the laptop is as to not oversell you on something you don't need.

kaolinite10y ago

My dad went into an Apple Store intending to spend £1000 on a MacBook. He ended up coming home with a £400 iPad which suited his needs better (and which he loves). I couldn't respect the sales staff more for that.

tim33310y ago

Yeah - one of the nicest things about the Apple stores. Presumably the staff are not on commissions pushing them to make sales. You can go in and just check your email and no one bothers you. In contrast I used to live opposite a Sony store and tried wandering in to check if they's invented any cool stuff lately and there would be a sales guy in my face with 'which model are you interesting in buying sir?' within about 20 seconds. Shame really. Scared me off and presumably other people who like Sony as the store was empty and closed soon after.

gress10y ago

Confusing to people actually buying MacBooks, or just to those writing about them?

Also even if the current lineup is not perfectly orthogonal because the purpose of the Air is less clear than it used to be, this has happened before when new lines are introduced. What leads you to assert that they are 'rapidly falling away' from anything, rather than just in a transition period with the new line?

mikeashOP10y ago

The MacBook line has been a mess for years now. There was a bad point when they had retina and non-retina versions for the whole Pro line. The iPad line is becoming pretty nuts. They simultaneously advertise the iPad Air 2, the iPad Air, the iPad Mini 3, the iPad Mini 2, and the original iPad Mini. Even iPhones are starting to suffer from this. It used to be obvious (either pick the best, or decide how much less you want to pay, then buy the one at that price) but now you have to figure out whether you want bigger or smaller, better camera or better pocketability, etc.

I like having more choices, personally, but Apple used to have a much more streamlined product offering.

gress10y ago

I'll concede that the iPad line is weird, but I just don't agree with the pattern you are trying to make for the rest of them.

I don't agree that 2 sizes of iPhone is any different from 2 sizes of laptop or two sizes of iPad.

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wlesieutre10y ago

hobarrera10y ago

I completely agree.

The MacBook Pro Retina 13" is almost the same weight and size as a MacBook Air 13". It no longer makes sense to keep the Air around as a "lighter" alternative.

nsxwolf10y ago

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rickyc09110y ago

kaolinite10y ago

tim33310y ago

gress10y ago

Confusing to people actually buying MacBooks, or just to those writing about them?

mikeashOP10y ago

I like having more choices, personally, but Apple used to have a much more streamlined product offering.

gress10y ago

I'll concede that the iPad line is weird, but I just don't agree with the pattern you are trying to make for the rest of them.

I don't agree that 2 sizes of iPhone is any different from 2 sizes of laptop or two sizes of iPad.

1 more reply

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