Apple Lineup

[clv101]

I like Apple. It’s good kit. However now I’ve had a good think about it, the Air looks rubbish. The latest inexcusable omission I’ve discovered is that it has no Kensington Security Slot. This makes it largely unusable for a vast number of people including me.

In my opinion Apple have dropped the ball with Air. The products Apple should bring to market are:

13” MacBook Pro – virtually the same as the plastic MacBook but with the metal case, backlit keys, great build quality and a 1440x900 screen.

Headless iMac – same spec as the current iMac, but in a small case similar to a shuttle case with user replaceable/upgradeable optical, 3.5”drive, graphics card, RAM and processor. No screen.

With these two additions the lineup would be great. The Air, with its current specification/price just seems an irrelevance.

 

[clv101]

Personally, 13.3" is the largest size I'd want for a laptop. Anything bigger seems unnecessary. I've seen the Sony Vaio 17"ers... that's not a laptop, it's a breeze block... they're HUGE.

Totally agree - laptops should be small.

 

[clv101]

If it's a desktop-replacement then I have to disagree.

Naw, I use a laptop at at work every day. It leaves my desk maybe only 5 days a month and that's mostly to work at someone else's desk. I still like a small one. I use an external keyboard and large external monitor.

 

[clv101]

Nope 'cos it wouldn't be practical for the 5 days a month then I do have to work somewhere else - when I want it to be as small and light as possible. The other 15 days a month I'm at my desk with my nice keyboard, mouse and screen. Yesterday I had a meeting in London - MacBook works great on the train there and back and for minimal tinkering in the meeting. A 15 or 17 incher would have been extra size and weight for no good reason.

I just see no need for large laptops - if I'm mobile I want it as small/light as possible and if I'm static I use external devices. I think it's crazy to use a laptop at a permanent desk for any significant length of time, even a 17 inch one. The screen is at the wrong height and the wrong place wrt the keyboard.

 

[clv101]

I don't think there is any need for a 13" MBP - the 15" MBP is only slightly wider than the MB, same thickness and weighs the same, I don't think anyone would buy the MB over the MBP for size reasons alone.

But a 13" MBP could be an inch narrower than the MB, thinner and lighter. Not to mention looking better and having higher build quality. Worth £200 over the plastic one? I expect so for many.

Headless iMac - not going to happen. Apple already has low, mid and high end machines and none of their other product ranges overlap. Apple doesn't care about people reusing their screens from PCs tbh.

Those aren't the points. The point is providing a Mac with decent performance/features (3.5" drive, proper graphics card, ability to drive two screens) without having the pay the premium of a 20" or 24" Apple TFT. I for one wouldn't dream of buying an iMac with the built in screen but would consider spending ~£7-800 on a headless iMac. It's not an overlap, it's better than a mini and worse than a pro. The imac is not directly comparable because of the screen.

 

[clv101]

With both these things - I don't think they will happen. Just that I'd like them to happen - they describe the products I'd like Apple to make.

 

[clv101]

Why would they produced a head less iMac? Where would it sit? In between the mac pro and mac mini?

I think maybe the odd thing is that the iMac has a head at all! Why not just make a system unit that sits between the £500 mini and £1400 pro. That's a pretty large gap.

 

[clv101]

So why do Apple "need" to do anything?

Apple will charge what people will pay, they don't need an excuse. They have a demand that matches supply and a great business model.

No business is ever perfect. Are you suggesting Apple's lineup is perfect and couldn't be improved? It's not perfect for me. I spent ~£800 on a MB a year ago and nothing else. I would have spent ~£1000 for a 13 MBP and I would spend ~£7-800 on a headless iMac. Not because I want more for less - because I don't want an expensive Apple 20" TFT.