Following the introduction of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple is discontinuing the 15-inch model, which was refreshed in May 2019

Goodbye to the classic screen size — The arrival of Apple's new 16-inch MacBook Pro comes with an unexpected twist: the classic 15-inch model is being phased out entirely.

The Verge 2019-11-14 Chris Welch

Context & Ripple Effects

The 15-inch's exit is not an isolated cut but part of a running prune. In 2018 Apple had already pulled the older 2015 15-inch model after sources said the 2016 redesign outsold it, and in July 2019 it dropped the 12-inch MacBook along with the previous-generation Air. What makes today different is speed: the outgoing machine was refreshed only about six months ago.

First-order effects

Pro buyers lose the 15-inch option overnight, funneling that segment into the new 16-inch chassis and whatever remains of channel inventory.
Apple's laptop line collapses from three pro sizes to one, simplifying its price ladder around the 16-inch entry point.

Second-order effects

Windows OEMs get an opening in the mid-size professional segment Apple just vacated, since no MacBook Pro now occupies it.
Accessory and repair ecosystems built around the 15-inch form factor see their addressable base freeze as sales shift entirely to the 16-inch.

Third-order effects

If the pattern holds, Apple keeps consolidating toward fewer, larger pro form factors — a path it followed by later dropping the 13-inch Touch Bar machine so that only 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models remained.
The same narrowing instinct eventually extended beyond laptops, with Apple ending the Mac Pro line outright and stating it has no plans for future Mac Pro hardware.

The trend: Apple is steadily shrinking the Mac lineup to fewer screen sizes and form factors, retiring legacy dimensions within months rather than years.

Discussion

@chriswelch Chris Welch on x
My first Mac was a 15-inch Powerbook G4. Pour one out for the classic screen size. https://www.theverge.com/...
@brianmcc Brian McCullough on x
Prediction: when the new “functional” keyboards come to the entire MacBook lineup, we're gonna have a couple quarters of exploding Mac sales. Years of pent up demand from those of us who have been waiting on the sidelines. https://www.techmeme.com/...
@dhh @dhh on x
In other Apple news, I'm happy that they've finally accepted defeat with the butterfly keyboard! The new 16" MacBook has reverted to scissor-style keys, A PHYSICAL ESC BUTTON!!, and a fixed arrow key arrangement. Halle-fucking-lujah! https://daringfireball.net/...
@dhh @dhh on x
What I'm less happy about is the fact that they continue to deny and deflect on the root cause. A more humble, mature, and kind Apple would have taken THAT crisis as an opportunity to turn the page, and actually own their mistakes. We want Apple to succeed! But only by doing righ
@dhh @dhh on x
It's also not a great look that in order to get a functional keyboard, you have to spend at least $2,400. But I accept that change takes time. And surely now the long Apple nightmare that was the butterfly keyboard will be over in a few months. https://www.apple.com/...
@tim Tim Bradshaw on x
“de-Jony-Ive-ification” https://twitter.com/...
@imyke Myke Hurley on x
Apple are saying that the new MacBook Pro has microphones that can be used ‘for creating superclean podcasts or music recordings on the go’ So we put that to the test: http://relay.fm/... https://twitter.com/...
@joshuatopolsky Joshua Topolsky on x
Oh wow good speakers? Nice https://twitter.com/...
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
This is a good take https://twitter.com/...
@benthompson Ben Thompson on x
It is both a compliment and a condemnation of Apple that I am extremely excited about spending thousands of dollars on a laptop because it has a functioning keyboard. Lots of important subtle points in @gruber's overview ("de-Jony-Ive-ification" anyone?) https://daringfireball.ne…
@tim_cook Tim Cook on x
Pros — you asked for it. And it's here. https://twitter.com/...
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
The screen on the new MacBook Pro is less than 4% larger than the current 15.4 inch. So it's really going to be about the higher resolution, impressive speakers, noise cancelling microphones and of course the all new keyboard (similar to the iMac external Magic Keyboard).
@ericajoy Erica Joy on x
Wow. Wowwowiewowwow. This is the language Apple is using to combat Chromebooks? Kids who use Macbooks (which are quite cost prohibitive) are going to succeed and the kids using the Chromebooks (which are in financial reach for many more kids and school districts) aren't? WOW. htt…
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
Apple in 2017: Y'all are crazy, there's nothing wrong with that keyboard. 2018: We've identified a minor flaw in our keyboard and have fixed it, it's fine now. 2019: LOL jk yeah we knew the keyboard was a disaster all along, we just couldn't admit it until we had a new one.
@dhh @dhh on x
“We are continuing both keyboard designs”, wait, what?! Schiller seems to be saying that the butterfly nightmare is bound to continue, if you don't buy a pro machine. Did I read that wrong? https://www.cnet.com/...
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
@caseyjohnston Would you like to join me in running around in the freezing cold with a laptop?
@dcseifert @dcseifert on x
the new 16-inch MacBook Pro is both thicker and heavier than the 15-inch model it replaces and tbh it's hard to imagine this ever happening under jony ive's watch (to be clear, I don't think Apple's obsession with thinness was a good thing) https://www.theverge.com/...
@snazzyq Quinn Nelson on x
This was great. Must watch! https://twitter.com/...
@zachlatta Zach Latta on x
Apple: We care about diversity and inclusion Also Apple: Chromebooks, which cost $200, can run Linux, and are by far the most popular laptop in public schools, will cause your students to fail. Please buy our $2,399 laptop if you want a working keyboard. Remember LAUSD's iPads? h…
@tonyromm Tony Romm on x
tell this to schools and school administrators who can barely afford basic supplies, i'm sure they'd love to hear that their problem all along was a lack of spending https://twitter.com/...
@macrumors @macrumors on x
16-inch MacBook Pro is here! 🎉 - Larger display - Magic Keyboard with scissor mechanism - A physical Esc key - Up to 8-core 9th-gen Intel processor - Up to 64GB RAM + 8TB storage - Up to AMD Radeon Pro 5500M graphics - Upgraded speakers, mics - $2,399+ https://www.macrumors.com/.…
@panzer Matthew Panzarino on x
Apple has a new 16" MacBook Pro with a completely new scissor-style keyboard and it feels GREAT. https://techcrunch.com/...
@chartier @chartier on x
It just hit me that, across the PowerBook and MacBook lineups, Apple has now made models in 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17-inch sizes. Make an 18-inch MacBook you cowards.
@marcoarment Marco Arment on x
The 16" MBP's default display setting is a simulated 1792x1120 at 2X, scaled to the actual native panel resolution of 3072x1920. One step “larger” and it's 1536x960 at true, unscaled 2X on the panel. The “most space” option is 2048x1280. https://twitter.com/... pic.twitter.com/m…
@matthewkeyslive Matthew Keys on x
Yes, Chromebooks made it into the classroom because Chromebooks are cheap. There was a time when Apple committed to giving computers away in California schools, which is why so many of them had Apple IIs. If Apple did the same with their $2,800 laptop... https://twitter.com/...
@horwitz Jeremy Horwitz on x
Easy to bring the new 16-inch MacBook Pro's price up when the optional 8TB SSD alone is (slightly) more expensive than the entire base computer. https://twitter.com/... pic.twitter.com/L5eDHCU2Pl
@boris Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten on x
This seems unnecessary harsh and brutal coming from Apple. You don't have to like Chromebooks but claiming they'll make your kid unsuccessful? Wow, would love to see the argumentation behind that one... https://twitter.com/...
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
I think Apple pretty much nailed it with the 16-inch MacBook Pro. They really addressed a ton of complaints with the scissor keyboard, physical Esc key, inverse-T arrow keys, plus it is faster, has longer battery life, has more RAM and storage, and still starts at $2,399.
@llsethj Seth Weintraub on x
Wow, Apples defacto head of public relations saying the equivalent of schools need to pay 5x more to get MacBooks for their kids vs Chromebooks doesn't come off well. Being at Apple for awhile you forget that not everyone has unlimited budgets. Schools need help not chiding ffs h…
@caseyjohnston Casey Johnston on x
still waiting for my apology https://twitter.com/...
@adrs Arielle Duhaime-Ross on x
THIS “the lack of an SD card slot when there's this much space to work with seems downright spiteful.” https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@ow Owen Williams on x
Forgive me for not being enthused about Apple's ‘hail mary’ computer when they sold broken models for four years while insisting there was no problem. Difficult to celebrate them ‘listening’ at all when it shouldn't have happened in the first place
@ow Owen Williams on x
@reckless @caseyjohnston @JoannaStern And also, more importantly: they didn't listen for four years, never apologized, and left people spending thousands on computers they now need to replace already
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Apple's marketing spin on these new MacBook Pros is all about “listening to “customers,” but it's pretty important to note that @caseyjohnston and @joannastern are the actual people who highlighted the problems with the previous keyboards over and over again in their reporting
@ow Owen Williams on x
TFW “it has a good keyboard” is both a feature and difficult to believe https://www.theverge.com/...
@rgriff Rob Griffiths on x
Maybe what makes it magic is that it works? https://www.apple.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
you broke the embargo tim https://twitter.com/...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
It really is remarkable that Apple's Mac strategy this year has been “sorry about that, here's the thing you wanted”
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
six thousand dollars $$$ pic.twitter.com/2y7JGCUhQJ
@reneritchie Rene Ritchie on x
Also: #MacPro is coming December. Rack-mount looks hot. Wheels look wheely. Perf is obscene. And there's a new 8TB option. Any questions on the 16-MBP or New MP? Let me know, lots more to come! https://twitter.com/...
@reneritchie Rene Ritchie on x
🔥💻 NEW 16-INCH #MACBOOKPRO! Bigger screen, scissor-switch keyboard, up to Core i9 Coffee Lake Refresh, AMD 5500M, 8TB, 64MB, set your own refresh rate, starts at same price as 15-inch! 📺 https://www.youtube.com/... 📝 https://www.imore.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@backlon Dieter Bohn on x
Here's my hands-on with Apple's new 16-inch MacBook Pro. Keyboard: Good. Esc key: Good. Inverted T arrow keys: Good. Thermals: Optimistic. Speakers: Whoa. Oh yeah right Screen: good. Touchbar: still there. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
There's a new MacBook Pro, and it has a 16-inch display and Apple has gone back to scissor switches for the keyboard. It still has the Touch Bar, though https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...

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