In contrast to Apple’s promise of clean, simple lines, the New MacBook Pro lineup is a sprawling mix of Airs and Pros, M3s and M2 Maxs, with multiple screen sizes and multiple designs.
In this weekend’s Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes Apple’s return to revenue growth after four quarters of decline.
The iPhone launch in September increased iPhone sales by six percent for the quarter, but the new M3-powered MacBooks, launched just a few weeks after the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro family, have barely made an impact.
In October, Apple updated its computer lineup with three new MacBook Pros and a new iMac, powered by faster M3 chips. Sales grew to $7.78 billion, but missed the $7.9 billion estimate.
A note of optimism here is that the October launch focused on MacBook Pro laptops, while the MacBook Air, which would sell in higher numbers, was delayed until March 24. As a result, Apple concentrated its Apple Silicon inventory on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max smartphones, which were expected to sell in high numbers…
However, there was another way to present the various MacBook laptops that might have reduced confusion and perhaps helped consumers better understand the modern MacBook.
Walt Mossberg, a long-time tech reporter, talked about Apple Design Chief Jony Ive’s desire to unify the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines into a single behemoth “MacBook” offering (via Apple Insider), arguing that the MacBook Pro could be just as thin and portable as the MacBook Air.
In the end, that didn’t happen, but Apple’s next MacBook Air at this time was minimally different, but enough to differentiate it from its predecessors. Apple’s Intel-powered MacBook line-up remained crowded and confusing.
Apple’s launch of Apple Silicon amplified that problem when it paired the consumer-focused M1 chipset into both MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros. While the former paired well, the latter was merely a fan-cooled MacBook Air; six months later, the true MacBook Pro would arrive with a new design, a choice of 14-inch or 16-inch displays, and the M1 Pro and M1 Max Apple Silicon chipsets, aimed at professionals.
The M1 MacBook Pro was stranded.. too expensive compared to the MacBook Air and too underpowered compared to the other MacBook Pro laptops. While there was a thin argument that it was important to have both the Air and Pro brands on display, Apple continued with the Frankenstein MacBook Pro in both the M2 and M3 generations.
As a result, Ive has emphasized a smaller portfolio offering value at each segment, following the Apple tradition of offering a good/better/best product for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and MacBook. Would the Apple Silicon family have looked different if Ive had his way and merged the Air and Pro into one single MacBook category?
There would be an entry-level model that caters to consumers—which is likely to be the MacBook with the M3, a mid-tier model with the M3 Pro, and a top-tier model with the M3 Max. You have a simplified range with a choice of 14-inch or 16-inch displays, and everyone knows which model is right for them.
As a result, Apple has a confusing array of Airs and Pros, with different markets targeted by similar machines, mismatched design and performance steps, and a portfolio that upsells you.
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