I think that demand is a self-fulfilling prophecy...that those Macs are selling because they're all Apple is offering!
Apple invests a tremendous amount in market research - it really HAS to, considering how much value there is in Apple product sales relying on the "intangibles" of hip, cool, new, sexy, light, thin, etc. I have to assume their products are being evolved in the direction that lots of research has told them will sell the best.
So like it or not, it's our fault
Sorry for taking so long to post back.
Here's a comparison of the specs of the 2010 and 2015 13" and 15" MacBook Pros (Having had both 15"ers side by side gave me some real-life perspective.):
- 2010 MBP 13" 4.50 lb 0.95" H x 12.78" W x 8.94" D (114.25" sq.)
- 2015 MBP 13" 3.48 lb 0.71" H x 12.35" W x 8.62" D (106.46" sq.)
- 2010 MBP 15" 5.60 lb 0.95" H x 14.35" W x 9.82" D (140.92" sq.)
- 2015 MBP 15" 4.49 lb 0.71" H x 14.13" W x 9.73" D (137.48" sq.)
Both got ~1/4" thinner and shed a ~pound (22% and 20%, respectively), and their footprints decreased by ~8" sq. (7%) and ~3 1/2" sq. (2.5%), respectively.
And this is end cost of the "miniaturization" (excluding the weight and space requirements of appurtenances
*)):
- User-serviceable RAM & The option to upgrade against need: $100 (plus the loss of the OEM DIMMS for backup or sale)
- User-serviceable SSD & The option to upgrade against need: $150 (plus the loss of the OEM SSD for backup or sale)
- Ethernet port**: $30 Apple adapter
- Optical drive & Loss of the bay for an another drive: $79 Apple SuperDrive or $x.xx enclosure, as the case may be
- Audio line-in: $40 Griffin iMic
- Battery indicator light: Having to boot to determine battery status
- State indicator light: Irreplaceable...cost measured in loss of peace of mind
That's
waaay too big a giveaway for a quarter of an inch and a pound (OK, I'll concede that I'd appreciate at least part of the pound if I carried my deuced Mac(hina) around a lot.), and I stand by my accusation that it's nothing more than a money-grab dressed in "designer clothing",
not "what users want".
I doubt that Apple has lost any users because of it, but their exercise in corporate avarice has most assuredly resulted in some degree of alienation, which is neither good business nor good
for business.
* Apple's SuperDrive adds 0.7" and 11.82 oz to a 0.24" slimmer, 17.76 oz lighter carrying bag.
** Why hasn't Apple maintained support for Ethernet, which is ubiquitous, by simply designing a new, slimmer port and selling adapters? They'd be no big deal to design and make...and profitable.
And as for the truly portable members of the Mac line...
I agree with you that the Retina MacBook and MacBook Air
are "what users want"...slimmest and lightest, regardless of the consequences.
The RMB was released almost simultaneously with the Apple Watch and actually strikes me as an under-the-radar "wearable".
Buy all four colors, keep 'em synced with iCloud, and you're ready for anything.
Carry the one that matches your mood...carry the one that matches your outfit!
The MBAir's functionality and price point don't jive with those of the RMB and MBP...too much for too little, so joemike's report of its rumored demise makes sense, and if it comes to pass,
there will be no truly portable Apple product with enough functionality to be suitable as a home/work computer.
I wonder if that's "what users want" too?
