Apple’s decision to delay the launch of the ‘professional’ 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops into 2023 has impacted the current line-up and those looking to upgrade. Apple’s smooth presentation and reliable confidence around product launch timings hold true for the iPhone, but for the Mac platform, it remains a hit-and-miss affair with Apple refusing to offer a stable schedule that people can plan around.
Is there a better way?
03 March 2022, Russia, St. Petersburg: Apple products are offered for sale in a “re:store”, an Apple … [+]
One thing that the delay does impact positively on is the MacBook Air. Curiously launched at the professional-focused Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier in 2020, it stands out as the current “best” MacBook laptop you can buy; that’s likely going to make it a best seller throughout the festive period.
And yes, Apple does have an M2-equipped MacBook Pro, but on closer examination, it’s little more than a MacBook Air with a cooling fan. It offers a little bit more performance, but for the vast majority of users, the M2 MacBook Air is going to have more than enough capability. Arguably the M1 MacBook Air still delivers here as well. Apple certainly thinks so, keeping the latter on sale at the $999 entry-level price.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is for those who want an illusion of a Pro. Those who want full-throated power available on tap for complete development and media creation will be looking towards the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. Although they are still using M1 technology – the M1 Pro and M1 Ultra chipsets outperform the vanilla M2 currently fitted to the consumer machines.
Professionals and companies looking for their next-generation update are going to have to wait well into next year before they can move on. They are now caught in a quandary of “buy now but buy the previous generation” or “make do with whatever you have now and wait for the next generation.” Neither of these are attractive answers.
One of the benefits of the iPhone’s production cycle is how predictable it is/ The second week in September comes around every year, and with it comes a new iPhone. Consumers take this as read and can plan accordingly.
Moving away from Intel to its own silicon gives Apple more control over the design and production schedule of the entire Mac platform. It should be able to offer the Mac user base a regular and reliable schedule of upgrades… and it should be able to communicate this as well.
The iPhone launch schedule is boring by design, and it works. The Mac platform needs to inherit this attitude as quickly as possible so that consumers, professionals, and enterprise customers are not caught out by Apple’s plans. If the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops are to be updated biannually, then this should be common knowledge, communicated clearly, and be part of a predictable pattern put in place by Tim Cook and his team.
But that would require an even more shocking decision from Apple. A decision to tell people about their future product plans.
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