This morning we brought you news that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had predicted that Apple would be moving to in-cell touchscreen technology for the iPhone 5. That, combined with a thinner battery and metal rear panel would mean that Apple’s next iPhone will be trimmed down by about a millimeter and a half.
According to Kuo’s assessment, though, it seems that the iPhone isn’t the only Apple product that’s getting trimmed down a bit. It seems that Apple may be preparing to discontinue the 17-inch MacBook Pro. Kuo says that shipments of the model have been falling, and that in order to to “maintain a lean product line strategy” Apple will stop making it when the MacBook Pro line refreshes later this year.
While Kuo’s claims haven’t been confirmed – a request for comment from Apple has not yet received a response – they do make sense. The rumor mill recently has been abuzz with reports of a refresh to the MacBook Pro line, but the 17-inch model has been conspicuously absent in those rumors. The latest timeline, published last month, predicted that an updated 15-inch model would be coming in April, followed by a revamped 13-inch model in June. Until now, the absence of reference to the 17-inch model has been puzzling. If Kuo is right, though, then the absence makes sense: there haven’t been rumors about a revamped 17-inch MacBook Pro because there won’t be a revamped 17-inch MacBook Pro.
If that’s the case, then those of you who have been eyeing the larger model but holding off on buying one might want to think about going ahead and striking while you can.
What do you think? Should Apple ditch the 17-inch MacBook Pro? Is 17 inches too big for a “portable” computer? Or do you like having the larger option? Let us know in the comments.
