Macbook Uber Alles
Today’s laptop announcement from Apple has made me wonder whether they’ll sell many MacBook Pros and Airs any more.
The one major advantage the MacBook Pro had over the MacBook — a larger maximum RAM capacity — has disappeared. The MacBook even sheds its budget plastic case for the same aluminum casing found in the Pro model. For many customers, I suspect that the rationale to fork out the $700 to jump up to the Pro line has evaporated. It certainly has for me.
The MacBook Pro still differentiates itself from the lowly Macbook through speed and expansion options. You can load it up with a 2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo and a fast nVidia graphics chip that should give it a perceptible edge in performance. It also offers a Firewire 400/800 port and an ExpressCard slot, two things not available on the lower-end MacBook.
The MacBook Pro thus continues in its role as a primary computer for customers, if not the only one they own. It is a few-compromises design, giving people a truly viable alternative to a desktop computer. This is only reinforced by the new Apple Cinema Display with a built-in MagSafe charger and speakers. Buy a MacBook Pro if you need the mobility of a laptop with the power of a desktop.
The MacBook, by comparison, looks to be playing two roles now. It is clearly is aimed at the audience it has always been: price-sensitive customers such as consumers and students. Starting at $1299 ($999 for the older model, still available), it is a low entry point for customers who need a portable Mac. You sacrifice a bit of speed and expansion, but it’s a very capable computer for many.
It is also looking more and more like a solid second computer, a perfect complement to a desktop. Trouble is, that’s the role the MacBook Air was always meant to play, sacrificing some capabilities for ultra light weight. But the Air starts at $1799 versus $1299 for the MacBook. And while the Air is certainly thinner and lighter, it also offers fewer expansion options and a slower processor. With the MacBook now also offering an identical screen, aluminum case and just a bit more pork (at just 4.5 lbs), I have a difficult time understanding the market for the MacBook Air in its current form. Or the 15” MacBook Pro, for that matter
Apple’s clearly got a solid and well-priced machine in the MacBook. I think we’ll see sales of the Pro and Air drop as a percentage of Apple’s laptop sales, as a result.
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