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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2019-11-21, 11:06

I might've created this thread a bit too soon - premature explanation? - as it looks like the "loaner" status on this 13" Pro I'm using is generously "open-ended", which should take me well into 2020. By then I should have saved up enough to look at the options available come next spring/summer. I'm big on refurbs, but I'd certainly spend another $200-300 and buy new if it were based on a superior, more reliable keyboard (an important part of a notebook) and whatever other improvements (thermal, battery, speakers, etc.), especially since the chance of me keeping it for at least five solid years (and likely beyond) is quite high...I've always preferred to pay a bit upfront, once, for a good 4-5 (or 11 ) years, than to constantly be shelling out $1,299-1,999 every 2-3 years like many do.

I do think, heading into 2020, that any notebook with the word "Pro" attached to it, regardless of size, should come with 16GB RAM stock. So I'm hoping maybe that would be one to he features of a new 13/14" model as well. Just seems petty and chintzy at this point to be selling a "pro"-designated notebook for $1,299 - let alone $1,799 and 1,999 - with 8GB...you know it doesn't cost Apple anything to make that 16GB a stock feature for these particular models. If folks want to upgrade/BTO up to 32 or 64, they can do so (I'm not asking/expecting those RAM amounts to be stock anytime soon). But having to pay $200 to go from 8 to 16GB in 2019-2020 on a "pro" model is a Moe Howard eye-poke at this point.

But they've always treated the smallest "pro" notebook (12" PowerBook G4, 13" MacBook Pro) over the years as a less-than afterthought, always running behind in every way possible to its 15" (and, at one time, 17") big brother. I realize, due to space and thermal-related issues, the smaller variants might not be cut out for the fastest, highest-performing processors and graphics. That's reasonable, I understand. But I wouldn't think RAM or storage falls under that. If the new 16" MacBook Pro now, finally, comes with 16GB RAM standard, the new 13/14" model 2020 should as well. I don't think that's an unreasonable, "out there" request. Ideally, as much as possible, the only differentiator between the 13" and 16" models should be just that...display size. Especially now that all the various ports and optical drive have been jettisoned...all they need to fit on the sides these days are a couple of small Thunderbolt 3 ports (vs. multiple USB, Ethernet, HDMI, SD slot, etc., which may have been dependent on chassis size in the past).

The Air can come stock with 8GB and i5 (upgradeable to 16GB and i7) for as long as it makes sense and nobody is going to complain or care (especially if it's the general-use notebook "for everybody" and it helps keep the pricing down). But I would hope the Pro models, both sizes, unify on the 16GB RAM/i7 baseline in 2020. The fact they offer the i7 upgrade for the 13" models means that it can run it, so there are apparently no thermal/performance issues there. So knock it off with the chintzy nickel-and-diming to get to those two levels on this particular model. Come 2020, make i9 and 32/64GB RAM* the BTO options on the pro notebooks for those who really need that extra "oomph", but everyone else, especially for $1,799+, should at least have the RAM that's stock on the larger model...display size shouldn't determine that particular spec.



*I realize i9 and 32/64GB RAM currently aren't available upgrades for the 13" model, and that may be due to board types or technical reasons beyond my grasp. In that case, fine...the 13" tops out in those two areas (i7 and 16GB RAM) and the only BTO option would be storage). I don't think people would care if they couldn't upgrade to a non-existent spec/component, if they knew they were getting a good baseline, stock unit for the money/model name. And if future advances allow the smaller model to support i9 and 32/64GB RAM, then my statement in the previous paragraph would apply). Point is, a new redesigned 13" Pro is surely coming in 2020; it would be nice if it was more on par with the 16" in some areas, to where the customer mainly just had to decide based on screen size and overall budget (because currently it kinda sucks to want a 13", but to almost have to spend the cost of a 16" to get the specs/performance that should come out of the box on the smaller model.

EDIT: If I BTO the current $1,999 13" MacBook Pro (because it has the 512GB storage the new 16" model has), then it costs $500 to upgrade to the 2.8GHz quad-core i7 ($300) and 16GB RAM ($200), putting it at $2,499...$100 more than the stock 16" model.

Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2019-11-21 at 11:34.
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