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Macbook Pro sales down to 2010 levels. Worrying for the HN crowd, no? Bloomberg tech reporter saying that the Macbook is going the way of the iPod. :/

sna1l 8y ago
A lot of people were waiting for a macbook pro refresh so that might be the reason for lower sales.
- redial 8y ago
  I think having no updated machine under $1000 for the last 3 or 4 years is the culprit and not the refreshed MacBook Pro, which starts at $1800 and has never been their best seller.
  - todipa 8y ago
    Need to update my wife's Mac but she doesn't need a $1,800 machine.
- jandrese 8y ago
  Every refresh they just make it worse now. Holding out isn't a good strategy.
  - abledon 8y ago
    don't worry, the suck level will integer overflow eventually and it will wrap around to a super positive release
johnflan 8y ago
No wonder Apple were so quick to push out a MBP update
minimaxir 8y ago
It wouldn't surprise me if the iPad is actually cannibalizing MacBook Pro sales. (the meme has come true!)
- toasterlovin 8y ago
  I doubt it's cannibalizing many MacBook Pro sales, but it probably is cannibalizing MacBook and MacBook Air sales.
hw 8y ago
I've been holding off buying the new Macbooks due to issues with the keyboard, CPU performance (which was fixed), and the absence of a non-touchbar 15" Macbook (biggest blocker for me). Until they release a 15" non-touchbar version with a better keyboard, I'll stick to my 2012 rMBP, as I'm sure others (including people I know) are too.
- trevyn 8y ago
  Legitimately curious: What is your plan if they never do?
  - hw 8y ago
    Haven't actually thought about that. I'm holding out for as long as I can, and I think my 2012 will last me for at least another year. I'm hopeful that with next year's refresh they'll put out a 15" without the touchbar, or just the same 2012 MBP with the new chips and 32G RAM.
miguelrochefort 8y ago
What's a computer?
- urda 8y ago
  Clearly that ad campaign did such a great job burning into your mind you can't stop thinking about it. You really need to consider what's not paying rent in your thoughts that takes away from your active attention. Good on Apple marketing though, it stuck hard and each time someone makes a cute comment like OP's, it's just free advertising for Apple.
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dep_b 8y ago
Isn't the whole market shrinking in an even faster rate? Besides that: there's nothing spectacular to upgrade to for people that have bought a MacBook Pro in the last 5-6 years. I don't think that's entirely Apple's fault.
ravitation 8y ago
Apple still relies on the MacBook, and specifically MacOS (of which the MacBook is the flagship product line), as a development platform for all of its other devices... Within Apple's current platform strategy, Apple does not have any alternative for the MacBook. So, it's currently not possible for the MacBook to go the way of the iPod...
- wlesieutre 8y ago
  Sure it can, they still sell an iPod Touch model from 3 years ago. Heck, if all they sold was a Macbook Pro from 2015, quite a few developers would be happier about it.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    They did up until a month ago....
- Alex3917 8y ago
  > Within Apple's current platform strategy, Apple does not have any alternative for the MacBook. They can open source or license OS X. Not within their current strategy, but that has to be one of their backup plans. That said, slower sales doesn’t mean less users, because replacement times are just getting longer. I’m using a late 2016 MBP, and Apple isn’t expected to have a meaningfully better one until late 2022 or so. Even the iPhones have really only changed cosmetically since the 6S came out three years ago. This year’s model will be the first one since then that will actually be noticeably faster.
  - toasterlovin 8y ago
    > Even the iPhones have really only changed cosmetically since the 6S came out three years ago. This year’s model will be the first one since then that will actually be noticeably faster. According to this link, the currently shipping iPhone is roughly 1.75x as fast as the 6S (Geekbench score of ~4200 vs. 2400): https://browser.geekbench.com/ios-benchmarks https://browser.geekbench.com/ios-benchmarks
slantyyz 8y ago
>> Macbook Pro sales down to 2010 levels. Worrying for the HN crowd, no? If you've got a Core i series CPU, your laptop will age fairly well and potentially delay your upgrade. Maybe that's the cause of the decline?

sna1l 8y ago

A lot of people were waiting for a macbook pro refresh so that might be the reason for lower sales.

redial 8y ago
I think having no updated machine under $1000 for the last 3 or 4 years is the culprit and not the refreshed MacBook Pro, which starts at $1800 and has never been their best seller.
- todipa 8y ago
  Need to update my wife's Mac but she doesn't need a $1,800 machine.
jandrese 8y ago
Every refresh they just make it worse now. Holding out isn't a good strategy.
- abledon 8y ago
  don't worry, the suck level will integer overflow eventually and it will wrap around to a super positive release

johnflan 8y ago

No wonder Apple were so quick to push out a MBP update

minimaxir 8y ago

It wouldn't surprise me if the iPad is actually cannibalizing MacBook Pro sales. (the meme has come true!)

toasterlovin 8y ago
I doubt it's cannibalizing many MacBook Pro sales, but it probably is cannibalizing MacBook and MacBook Air sales.

hw 8y ago

I've been holding off buying the new Macbooks due to issues with the keyboard, CPU performance (which was fixed), and the absence of a non-touchbar 15" Macbook (biggest blocker for me). Until they release a 15" non-touchbar version with a better keyboard, I'll stick to my 2012 rMBP, as I'm sure others (including people I know) are too.

trevyn 8y ago
Legitimately curious: What is your plan if they never do?
- hw 8y ago
  Haven't actually thought about that. I'm holding out for as long as I can, and I think my 2012 will last me for at least another year. I'm hopeful that with next year's refresh they'll put out a 15" without the touchbar, or just the same 2012 MBP with the new chips and 32G RAM.

miguelrochefort 8y ago

What's a computer?

urda 8y ago
Clearly that ad campaign did such a great job burning into your mind you can't stop thinking about it. You really need to consider what's not paying rent in your thoughts that takes away from your active attention. Good on Apple marketing though, it stuck hard and each time someone makes a cute comment like OP's, it's just free advertising for Apple.

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dep_b 8y ago

Isn't the whole market shrinking in an even faster rate? Besides that: there's nothing spectacular to upgrade to for people that have bought a MacBook Pro in the last 5-6 years. I don't think that's entirely Apple's fault.

ravitation 8y ago

Apple still relies on the MacBook, and specifically MacOS (of which the MacBook is the flagship product line), as a development platform for all of its other devices... Within Apple's current platform strategy, Apple does not have any alternative for the MacBook. So, it's currently not possible for the MacBook to go the way of the iPod...

wlesieutre 8y ago
Sure it can, they still sell an iPod Touch model from 3 years ago. Heck, if all they sold was a Macbook Pro from 2015, quite a few developers would be happier about it.
- scarface74 8y ago
  They did up until a month ago....
Alex3917 8y ago
> Within Apple's current platform strategy, Apple does not have any alternative for the MacBook. They can open source or license OS X. Not within their current strategy, but that has to be one of their backup plans. That said, slower sales doesn’t mean less users, because replacement times are just getting longer. I’m using a late 2016 MBP, and Apple isn’t expected to have a meaningfully better one until late 2022 or so. Even the iPhones have really only changed cosmetically since the 6S came out three years ago. This year’s model will be the first one since then that will actually be noticeably faster.
- toasterlovin 8y ago
  > Even the iPhones have really only changed cosmetically since the 6S came out three years ago. This year’s model will be the first one since then that will actually be noticeably faster. According to this link, the currently shipping iPhone is roughly 1.75x as fast as the 6S (Geekbench score of ~4200 vs. 2400): https://browser.geekbench.com/ios-benchmarks https://browser.geekbench.com/ios-benchmarks

slantyyz 8y ago

>> Macbook Pro sales down to 2010 levels. Worrying for the HN crowd, no? If you've got a Core i series CPU, your laptop will age fairly well and potentially delay your upgrade. Maybe that's the cause of the decline?