Why is Apple still selling MacBook Pro 13 with Disc Drive 2012?

[riley5108]

sekker wrote:
I think Apple is still selling a lot of this model. It's a great machine.

I agree!! It had everything I wanted and needed when I bought it new back in Mid 2012. Going with 8GB of Ram was a good decision, which makes it pretty dang fast.

[Lux Interior]

sekker wrote:
I would love to see someone combine two modern SSDs in a RAID setup in one of these machines and see if they are faster than a MBPR model.

sekker wrote:
I would love to see someone combine two modern SSDs in a RAID setup in one of these machines and see if they are faster than a MBPR model.

Are you posting in RAID setup?

[Onamuji]

gabester wrote:
[quote=C(-)ris]
[quote=gabester]
The real reason is edu customers. It's the least expensive Mac laptop that can go in a cart of iPads and use Configurator with more than 20 of them at the same time.

You forget about the MacBook Air? Any of them will do that, and do it better than the 13" MBP.
Forgive me for citing a PM with Onamuji here:

Onamuji wrote:
No, a MacBook Air can't sync to 20 iPads at a time. It can be used to mass-deploy iPads, locking them down with MDM profiles. Up to 30 iPads can be done in a single session, assuming that your cart or hub has enough ports and power. But even then it does them sequentially.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-co...3123?mt=12

Thanks - yes, using Configurator is exactly what I'm talking about. See here:

http://help.apple.com/configurator/mac/1.7/#/cadbf9a73b

"Use powered USB 2.0 high-speed hubs or carts that support multiple simultaneous device syncing."
There's a technical limit on MacBook Airs such that they can only support simultaneous syncing of just 20 devices at a time, whereas the older 13" MBP w/HDD can support 30 or more. I'm not sure what the technical limit is, I'm still trying to get that detail from my Apple team. I think it has to do with bus power?

On the subject of Configurator deployments: I have been instructed (repeatedly) that although you can do 30 iPads at once in theory, in practice you should limit it to 20 due to technical issues with the software. So, I'm not sure how advantageous the MBP really is in that scenario.

[RAMd®d]

So they can offer a product for customers who want any of the following features.

Built in Ethernet port
Built in FireWire port
Built in Optical Drive
Upgradable Standard 2.5" SATA Drive
Upgradable RAM
Battery level LEDs.
Original MacSafe power connector
Price of $1099

Not to put too fine a point in it, I doubt Apple is really concerned about a user wanting to upgrade the HD and RAM, or LEDs. Sure, these are reasons a lot of people would/do want an MBP, but I don't see Apple caring about it.

If I were to bet money, it would be on the optical drive, and the price. And maybe the Ethernet. I think Apple is cognizant of a market segment that doesn't or can't rely on a wireless network and/or Internet connection for installing software. And Ethernet offers simple security over Wireless, though that might not be on Apple whiteboard.

In reading this thread, that MBP is tempting for the money.

But that Retina display keeps calling meeeeeee e-e-eeeee…

[Filliam H. Muffman]

Ombligo wrote:
Apple has reached the point where form is driving function, and that is not good.

It is more than that. Marketing has been dictating engineering limitations to the hardware design teams since the early '90's. It has just been getting progressively worse every hardware release since the G4 mini shipped.

[GGD]

Filliam H. Muffman wrote:
[quote=Ombligo]
Apple has reached the point where form is driving function, and that is not good.

It is more than that. Marketing has been dictating engineering limitations to the hardware design teams since the early '90's. It has just been getting progressively worse every hardware release since the G4 mini shipped.
I'd be willing to bet that the only reason why Ethernet has been dropped is because the connector was too tall for the thinner MBPR body.

FireWire likely met the same fate.

[DRR]

GGD wrote:
[quote=Filliam H. Muffman]
[quote=Ombligo]
Apple has reached the point where form is driving function, and that is not good.

It is more than that. Marketing has been dictating engineering limitations to the hardware design teams since the early '90's. It has just been getting progressively worse every hardware release since the G4 mini shipped.
I'd be willing to bet that the only reason why Ethernet has been dropped is because the connector was too tall for the thinner MBPR body.

FireWire likely met the same fate.
Exactly right. Add to that, Magsafe V1.