LED-Based Laptops from Apple in 2007?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

With confirmation from Apple that they would be pursuing LED-based screen technology in the coming future, there was speculation on which specific models would first see the new LED screens.

Digitimes claims (http://digitimes.com/displays/a20070507PD207.html) that Apple is currently considering 13.3" and 15.4" panels from AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optotronics. These displays would ship in "second or third quarter of 2007" suggesting a relatively soon launch for the new displays:
Sources recently said AUO and CMO will enter volume production for LED-based LCD modules (LCMs) in the second and third quarter, respectively, of 2007, with CMO being more aggressive in the segment since it will launch more models than AUO.

[eenu]

I wonder if these suffer from 'dead pixels'

[flopticalcube]

New MacBooks before September?

[4np]

I hope these will be included in the next revision MBP's... June?

[mkrishnan]

Erm... they use LED backlights instead of traditional ones. The backlight has never had anything whatsoever to do with dead pixels. Why would it be any different now?

This is something different from OLED panels that do not use LCDs. Here, the LCD is essentially the same one, from the same small handful of manufacturers, as ever, and now the backlight in the assembly is different.

[Peace]

Flash based with backlit LCD MBP at WWDC!!

[EagerDragon]

Sounds like a winner, but it does shows that the updated laptops including SantaRosa, 4 Gig memory (fully addressable) and LED will be here later rather than sooner.

No sense to make two revisions in 4 months.

[hob]

So this is the beginning of Apple's new green commitment...

[masse]

Bad. I need it before August.

[eenu]

Erm... they use LED backlights instead of traditional ones. The backlight has never had anything whatsoever to do with dead pixels. Why would it be any different now?

This is something different from OLED panels that do not use LCDs. Here, the LCD is essentially the same one, from the same small handful of manufacturers, as ever, and now the backlight in the assembly is different.

Well what i was presuming is that the screen is made up of LEDs and that you could have a dead LED.

[skellener]

How about ANYTHING in 2007???

It's May 2007!! Apple has only shipped one new computer all year (8-core). Most of the line hasn't been updated since Sept. 2006! C'mon already! There's no PPC excuses anymore. Let's see some new machines already!

[Westside guy]

"... in the coming future ..."?

As opposed to the non-coming future? :D

[EagerDragon]

Bad. I need it before August.

More like October before we see them.

[Mydriasis]

How does the power consumption of LED backlights compare to those used today?

[AppleMan101]

Well what i was presuming is that the screen is made up of LEDs and that you could have a dead LED.

it sounds like you've misunderstood the technology

[4np]

How does the power consumption of LED backlights compare to those used today?

this has already been answered in sooooo many threads... power consumption goes down! :)

[flopticalcube]

How about ANYTHING in 2007???

It's May 2007!! Apple has only shipped one new computer all year (8-core). Most of the line hasn't been updated since Sept. 2006! C'mon already! There's no PPC excuses anymore. Let's see some new machines already!

I agree and you can hardly call the 8-core an new machine. Just plop in two new CPUs. They didn't even spec bump/reprice anything. :mad:

[psychofreak]

"... in the coming future ..."?

As opposed to the non-coming future? :D

No, as opposed to the already-been future

[emotion]

14.1" widescreen macbook (the bezel is big enough to be shrunk to fit this in the existing design, and 14.1 is more common a size) and LED backlit would be nice to see.

the mbp is due a refresh first though. black anodized too please apple.

[Diatribe]

this has already been answered in sooooo many threads... power consumption goes down! :)

But I think he was more interested in percentages.. ;)

Power consumption goes down about 13% for the display but since the display is one of the major energy users in a laptop, this is quite a bit. Probably gonna up the battery life by a half hour or so.

[whatever]

Although this based on nothing, don't be surprised to see new Apple Laptops before the launch of the iPhone.

Now which line will be updated first. The pro or consumer. Updating the pro line could cut in to sales of the iPhone and an updated MacBook could cut into the MacBook Pro line.

However, since the new Final Cut Pro suite cannot run on either Mac Mini or MacBook, I wouldn't be surprised to see an updated MacBook.

Again this is based on nothing (but expect to see this happen before May 18).

[mkrishnan]

Well what i was presuming is that the screen is made up of LEDs and that you could have a dead LED.

Yeah... that technology is coming, but it's not the one that Apple is talking about. I think it's forecasted to start dropping on notebook computers with smaller displays in the next four or five years. LED backlights are the technology that is here now, but they have not been available in high enough volume or large-size format for replacing every LCD's backlight with the technology so far. :( I do believe that there are notebooks (Sony?) with this technology already being sold.

[mrkramer]

I agree and you can hardly call the 8-core an new machine. Just plop in two new CPUs. They didn't even spec bump/reprice anything. :mad:

Well if you don't consider that an upgrade then we haven't seen any updates for several years.

[Diatribe]

Yeah... that technology is coming, but it's not the one that Apple is talking about. I think it's forecasted to start dropping on notebook computers with smaller displays in the next four or five years. LED backlights are the technology that is here now, but they have not been available in high enough volume or large-size format for replacing every LCD's backlight with the technology so far. :( I do believe that there are notebooks (Sony?) with this technology already being sold.

Yep, as soon as the quirks of OLED or similar display technologies are worked out (short life span for example) and they can be produced at a reasonable price they will be used in laptops. And THEN we will see huge gains in battery life, color reproduction, brightness, viewing angle, etc.

[maxp1]

Aren't we half way through the second quarter already?

[manu chao]

How about ANYTHING in 2007???

It's May 2007!! Apple has only shipped one new computer all year (8-core). Most of the line hasn't been updated since Sept. 2006! C'mon already! There's no PPC excuses anymore. Let's see some new machines already!

There have been no new processors from Intel since September 2006 either (except for the quad-cores). Santa Rosa with slightly faster processors is coming out this month. Apple did (so far) not miss out on anything.

[eenu]

Yeah... that technology is coming, but it's not the one that Apple is talking about. I think it's forecasted to start dropping on notebook computers with smaller displays in the next four or five years. LED backlights are the technology that is here now, but they have not been available in high enough volume or large-size format for replacing every LCD's backlight with the technology so far. :( I do believe that there are notebooks (Sony?) with this technology already being sold.

So whats the benefit? Just reduced power consumption?

[Corrosive vinyl]

Power consumption goes down about 13% for the display but since the display is one of the major energy users in a laptop, this is quite a bit. Probably gonna up the battery life by a half hour or so.
nice!:) i leave my notebook unplugged to save on the electric bill... use the battery... all I gotta do i recharge it when it gets low. This means longer periods of not having to plug it in, and therefore less energy spent, less electric bill, yays! this will also apply to desktps... less energy being used by the monitor, less you pay on electric bill to have your mac up for a month straight!

[Ha ze]

Although this based on nothing, don't be surprised to see new Apple Laptops before the launch of the iPhone.

Now which line will be updated first. The pro or consumer. Updating the pro line could cut in to sales of the iPhone and an updated MacBook could cut into the MacBook Pro line.

However, since the new Final Cut Pro suite cannot run on either Mac Mini or MacBook, I wouldn't be surprised to see an updated MacBook.

Again this is based on nothing (but expect to see this happen before May 18).

Well, if it's based on solid information like "nothing" I guess I'll have to agree.

The only thing I agree with here is yes, new books are coming, but like someone else said, they aren't going to update this month, and then again in 3 months. We'll get new processors and displays perhaps near the start of the next school year, can't miss the back to school buying season.

[briansolomon]

Do LED displays dim less over time? This is where I would like to see improvement...

[mkrishnan]

So whats the benefit? Just reduced power consumption?

Elimination of mercury from screen assemblies (the big one), reduced power consumption, potentially better evenness of color and better true-white and true-black.

[eenu]

nice!:) i leave my notebook unplugged to save on the electric bill... use the battery... all I gotta do i recharge it when it gets low. This means longer periods of not having to plug it in, and therefore less energy spent, less electric bill, yays!

Think you have the science wrong.....

[ejl10]

Bad. I need it before August.

yo tambien...

Grad school waits for no man.

[Mydriasis]

nice!:) i leave my notebook unplugged to save on the electric bill... use the battery... all I gotta do i recharge it when it gets low. This means longer periods of not having to plug it in, and therefore less energy spent, less electric bill, yays! this will also apply to desktps... less energy being used by the monitor, less you pay on electric bill to have your mac up for a month straight!

Running your notebook off the battery does not reduce your electric bill! You use the same amount of energy. (Assuming you use the same setting, screen brightness, etc.)

As a matter of fact, it is far more efficient to have it pluged in. Notice how hot your notebook gets when you charge the battery... thats lost energy.

[digitalbiker]

I agree and you can hardly call the 8-core an new machine. Just plop in two new CPUs. They didn't even spec bump/reprice anything. :mad:

What does Apple still make computers? :confused:

I thought they just made music devices, wireless video routers, and cell phones.

Sad, Sad, Sad! :(

Even OS X is suffering due to the diversification of Apple.

[AppleMan101]

nice!:) i leave my notebook unplugged to save on the electric bill... use the battery... all I gotta do i recharge it when it gets low. This means longer periods of not having to plug it in, and therefore less energy spent, less electric bill, yays! this will also apply to desktps... less energy being used by the monitor, less you pay on electric bill to have your mac up for a month straight!

You've got messed up logic/knowledge...

There is at least the same amount of energy being used by your laptop when it's running off its battery or the mains, which means you're using at least as much energy as you would if you just left your laptop plugged into the mains supply. Charging / discharging a battery isn't close to being 100% efficient so you're wasting more energy there, you're also killing your battery cycle by cycle, you'll have to get a replacement sooner.

I think you need to review your energy saving techniques a little, may I suggest a couple of ideas for you...
1) Don't run it 24/7 for a month at a time
2) Turn the backlight down
3) Reduce processor performance
4) Set it to turn the display off when it's idle
5) Learn some basic physics :)

[Vidd]

You've got messed up logic/knowledge...

There is at least the same amount of energy being used by your laptop when it's running off its battery or the mains, which means you're using at least as much energy as you would if you just left your laptop plugged into the mains supply. Charging / discharging a battery isn't close to being 100% efficient so you're wasting more energy there, you're also killing your battery cycle by cycle, you'll have to get a replacement sooner.


Not that it's terribly relevant to the point of this topic but I often use my iPod in a dock which means i don't really wear down the battery. Is that bad for it?

[Corrosive vinyl]

You've got messed up logic/knowledge...

There is at least the same amount of energy being used by your laptop when it's running off its battery or the mains, which means you're using at least as much energy as you would if you just left your laptop plugged into the mains supply. Charging / discharging a battery isn't close to being 100% efficient so you're wasting more energy there, you're also killing your battery cycle by cycle, you'll have to get a replacement sooner.

I think you need to review your energy saving techniques a little, may I suggest a couple of ideas for you...
1) Don't run it 24/7 for a month at a time
2) Turn the backlight down
3) Reduce processor performance
4) Set it to turn the display off when it's idle
5) Learn some basic physics :)

i leave it on for only a few hours a day, 6 or 7 at most. i was referring to other ppl with desktops that keep them on for extended periods of time. Also i set my energy settings to better battery life. and i did turn down the time that the HDD kicks off and it goes idle...

but i did not think of the excess power when recharging or killing the battery cycle

[DeaconGraves]

Sigh... I hope this doesn't mean longer delays for new macs. I really want a new mbp by the end of August for grad school. :(

Although if production is starting in 2Q (ie: now?) that should hopefully mean we could get new ones by June, right?

[AppleMan101]

Not that it's terribly relevant to the point of this topic but I often use my iPod in a dock which means i don't really wear down the battery. Is that bad for it?

TBH i'm don't know how intelligent iPods are at battery management from mains supply. Laptops are power savvy enough to adjust the current into their battery to get the best performance out of it, that was one thing the latest apple battery update (v1.2) did. If iPods are clever enough to do this, leaving it in the dock shouldn't ruin the battery.

I have read, however, that iPods/mobile phones get their batteries trashed by in-car chargers because they assault the battery with a large current, like a quick-charge setting.

[wrxpert]

Although this based on nothing, don't be surprised to see new Apple Laptops before the launch of the iPhone.

Now which line will be updated first. The pro or consumer. Updating the pro line could cut in to sales of the iPhone and an updated MacBook could cut into the MacBook Pro line.

However, since the new Final Cut Pro suite cannot run on either Mac Mini or MacBook, I wouldn't be surprised to see an updated MacBook.

Again this is based on nothing (but expect to see this happen before May 18).

Do you know something that we don't???

[AppleMan101]

Sigh... I hope this doesn't mean longer delays for new macs. I really want a new mbp by the end of August for grad school. :(

Although if production is starting in 2Q (ie: now?) that should hopefully mean we could get new ones by June, right?

I think that's wishful thinking. You would think that they would want to test the new units for an extended period of time for QA, no?

Anything released in June would detract from the iPhone focus. I don't expect anything to be released until the autumn, with either Leopard on-board, or with a coupon to get Leopard free as soon as it's released.

Edit : Of course there is the possibility we'll get something much sooner...tomorrow?

[iJawn108]

Would ASUS also be making these new MBP? Because I remember we saw similar notebooks to the MacBook announced from them just before the MacBooks came out.

I found this yesterday
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/06/asus-g1s-and-g2s-gaming-notebooks-with-santa-rosa/

[Manic Mouse]

I would expect updates for pretty much the entire line at some point soon. Santa Rosa is officially out next week, which means a new chipset for everything. And they're all about due an update too. If they wait until August or later it'll have been almost a year since updates.

[flopticalcube]

I think we will see some new machines soon. Maybe not everything but at least some new iMacs. Leopard is too far away to wait and June is all about the iPhone.

[paulsonn]

To get back to the subject at hand--LED backlighting on notebooks--

Anybody know how these work? LEDs are always tiny, almost point-sources of light. How in the world do they get even lighting from these little bits of light in a thin space such as the screen of a laptop?

Do they put in an array of thousands of LEDS and diffuse them to give even light? Just curious.

[eenu]

Would ASUS also be making these new MBP? Because I remember we saw similar notebooks to the MacBook announced from them just before the MacBooks came out.

I found this yesterday
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/06/asus-g1s-and-g2s-gaming-notebooks-with-santa-rosa/

I'd doubt it as Apple moved away from Asustek as manufacturers as the macs they were turning out were utter crap. Can't see them going back there unless they are desperate.....

[mkrishnan]

I'd doubt it as Apple moved away from Asustek as manufacturers as the macs they were turning out were utter crap. Can't see them going back there unless they are desperate.....

This should basically be a drop-in replacement. They just receive a new display assembly (which is already not made at the same assembly location as the notebooks, AFAIK) from the display assembly manufacturer. In principle, as far as I understand, this could be a very, very minor "running change" to their production.

[CrackedButter]

While they're at it, release a 15" MB as well. As if people are going to pay the premium of a MBP to get that size or be bothered to get an external monitor.

[kdon]

I've been putting off buying a new laptop because "new ones are coming soon" for about 3 months now. I really hope Apple isn't postponing the new laptops because of the iPhone. I don't see how releasing new laptops is going to take away from the iPhone -- if anything, the release of the new iPhone will get non-Mac people into the stores which would help Apple upsell more of their slick new laptops, right? I think the iPhone can stand on it's own -- I think launching new products alongside of it is a smart thing.

[iJawn108]

To get back to the subject at hand--LED backlighting on notebooks--

Anybody know how these work? LEDs are always tiny, almost point-sources of light. How in the world do they get even lighting from these little bits of light in a thin space such as the screen of a laptop?

Do they put in an array of thousands of LEDS and diffuse them to give even light? Just curious.

Ever owned a timex watch? only 1 LED did that.

[inkswamp]

There have been no new processors from Intel since September 2006 either (except for the quad-cores). Santa Rosa with slightly faster processors is coming out this month. Apple did (so far) not miss out on anything.

Last time I checked, the computer is made up of other component besides the processor so that's hardly an excuse. In that time, Apple could have done one of two things. 1. Bump up the specs on the other components--given how fast things move in computer technology, I tend to think this would be an easy thing to do and wouldn't eat into profits. 2. Give an across-the-board price break. Apple used to do that occasionally back in the PPC days when the lineup got stale, and there's no reason they shouldn't do it now. The longer they hold off for the next generation of processors from Intel, the more outdated their offerings get. A price break for stuff that old is pretty reasonable.

I love Apple's products, but we shouldn't be making excuses for this kind of delay in updates. My suspicion is that it has a lot less to do with available components and more to do with Apple's intense focus on the iPhone. I'll be glad when that's finally out the door.

[mjstaceyuofm]

My suspicion is that it has a lot less to do with available components and more to do with Apple's intense focus on the iPhone. I'll be glad when that's finally out the door.Couldn't agree with you anymore....

8 Months without any updates (other than a bto MacPro option) is ridiculous.

[Manic Mouse]

Couldn't agree with you anymore....

8 Months without any updates (other than a bto MacPro option) is ridiculous.

Whenever you're waiting for the next upgrade to buy your first Mac it's just painful... :(

[whatever]

Last time I checked, the computer is made up of other component besides the processor so that's hardly an excuse. In that time, Apple could have done one of two things. 1. Bump up the specs on the other components--given how fast things move in computer technology, I tend to think this would be an easy thing to do and wouldn't eat into profits. 2. Give an across-the-board price break. Apple used to do that occasionally back in the PPC days when the lineup got stale, and there's no reason they shouldn't do it now. The longer they hold off for the next generation of processors from Intel, the more outdated their offerings get. A price break for stuff that old is pretty reasonable.

I love Apple's products, but we shouldn't be making excuses for this kind of delay in updates. My suspicion is that it has a lot less to do with available components and more to do with Apple's intense focus on the iPhone. I'll be glad when that's finally out the door.

I really don't understand people like you. If Apple's products were sitting stagnate in warehouses, maybe I would agree with you. However, that's not the case. Apple is selling more product now than they have ever. The "average" consumer is no longer playing the "I need the fastest computer with the bleeding edge technology" game anymore. Instead, what they're looking for are reliable computers that works well with the software that they need/want to use (iLife, iWorks, MS-Office, browsers).

With that said people (again this is the average consumer, not most people here, who think they're better than the average consumer) are switching and buying more Macs.

Last quarter Apple sold more computers than they have ever! What percentage of those people went into an Apple store and said, maybe I should hold off for the next release of this computer?

Now you mentioned that Apple should offer a price break. Why? Again if the product was not moving, maybe, but it is moving. The prices are set to sell and people are buying!

Back in the PPC days, Apple very rarely offered price breaks, they would do a refresh and the highend machines would become the midend machines, but I don't recall a price break. Monitors, yes, but computers...I don't recall that.

[mrtekkid]

It's hard to sell my friends into Macs with all this bull'crap' delaying going on. I think there are more people who aren't going to buy the iPhone than there are going to buy. Waste of resources.

But back on topic. It's hard to get my friends to switch if things are gonna get delayed.

Me: "Hey, buy a Mac. Better OS, better stability etc. But hold off, the new OS will be out Spring '07 as of the Apple Website."

Friend: "Oh okay."

Me: "Ehhh, buy your Mac now and forget the new OS. They pushed it back a few months. The curent one can prolly do just as much as this one anyhow."

Friend: "Why?"

Me: "iPhone bull'crap'."

Friend: "Stupid iPhone"

-----------------

Me: "Wait for the new laptop update before you get one. new OS, new technology that will increase battery life."

Friend: "Yeah, okay."

Me: "Ehhh.... buy this one now even though it's an old model. The other ones aren't coming out until later."

Friend: "Why?"

Me: "New screen that will increase battery life."

Friend: "When will that come out?"

Me: "Uhhh...not June."

Friend: "Why?"

Me: iPhone Bull'crap'

Friend: "Stupid iPhone"

:(

[kdon]

Are LED screens going to last longer -- extend the life of the computer?

[Mydel]

Running your notebook off the battery does not reduce your electric bill! You use the same amount of energy. (Assuming you use the same setting, screen brightness, etc.)

As a matter of fact, it is far more efficient to have it pluged in. Notice how hot your notebook gets when you charge the battery... thats lost energy.

You didn't understand him. He charge the battery somewhere else :D

[MrCrowbar]

Are LED screens going to last longer -- extend the life of the computer?

They might. LEDs do last quite long these days and lots of laptops get trashed because of the dead backlight. If you mean battery life, it's pretty sure to get better as LEDs hardly eat up any power compared to the current technology.
I just wonder how good it will look. The colors on my Macbook look pretty bad compared to my Dell Ultrasharp Screen. But hey, that Dell gets warm as hell and is pretty heavy.

[MrCrowbar]

You didn't understand him. He charge the battery somewhere else :D

Well that's good for saving you money, but it's worse for the earth! :p
Rule of thumb: Charging a battery takes energy from your power outlet and puts it into the battery. While doing this, lots of energy goes to waste in the form of heat. It's healthy to use up the battery once a month (discharge to 0%, wait 1, 2 hours, charge until full) if you're using the laptop on the power brick only.

[Dustman]

okay.. so this means exactly what? i know it would translate into better battery life.. but is there anything else we can look forward to regarding these new backlights?

[Tom B.]

Are LED screens going to last longer -- extend the life of the computer?

Yes

[DeaconGraves]

I really don't understand people like you. If Apple's products were sitting stagnate in warehouses, maybe I would agree with you. However, that's not the case. Apple is selling more product now than they have ever. The "average" consumer is no longer playing the "I need the fastest computer with the bleeding edge technology" game anymore. Instead, what they're looking for are reliable computers that works well with the software that they need/want to use (iLife, iWorks, MS-Office, browsers).

With that said people (again this is the average consumer, not most people here, who think they're better than the average consumer) are switching and buying more Macs.

Last quarter Apple sold more computers than they have ever! What percentage of those people went into an Apple store and said, maybe I should hold off for the next release of this computer?

Now you mentioned that Apple should offer a price break. Why? Again if the product was not moving, maybe, but it is moving. The prices are set to sell and people are buying!

Back in the PPC days, Apple very rarely offered price breaks, they would do a refresh and the highend machines would become the midend machines, but I don't recall a price break. Monitors, yes, but computers...I don't recall that.


Last quarter the current noteboook models were only 3-6 months old (depending on when you bought it). It will be interesting to see how the numbers shape up in 2Q with all the announced delays.

That said, I agree with you on the price drops. I would much rather the prices never drop if that means when the new models come out the prices stay relatively the same. Less sticker shock is a good thing.

But there really needs to be an update of some kind. I'm already getting "back to school sale" flyers in the mail from Dell. I'm already set on switching but it'd be nice if Apple could throw me something shiny and new as a thank you for new business. :D

[mtrctyjoe]

:D 14.1" widescreen macbook (the bezel is big enough to be shrunk to fit this in the existing design, and 14.1 is more common a size) and LED backlit would be nice to see.

the mbp is due a refresh first though. black anodized too please apple.


You said it.... that is THE SWEET SPOT as far as I am concerned. Man I hope you are right...:D

[emotion]

Last quarter the current noteboook models were only 3-6 months old (depending on when you bought it). It will be interesting to see how the numbers shape up in 2Q with all the announced delays.

What "announced" delays are these?

Leopard is delayed and nothing else.

[Dustman]

:D


You said it.... that is THE SWEET SPOT as far as I am concerned. Man I hope you are right...:D

they wouldnt do that unless they released a 12inch notebook with it.
:eek: G5 Macbooks next tuesday!

[JPark]

You didn't understand him. He charge the battery somewhere else :D

Yeah, in college I used a similar strategy to save on toilet paper.

[BenRoethig]

I think we will see some new machines soon. Maybe not everything but at least some new iMacs. Leopard is too far away to wait and June is all about the iPhone.

We might indeed see something soon. There are unsubstantiated rumors floating around that Apple might be a launch customer for both Santa rosa and the GeForce 8600M series. There's no evidence, but I'm getting my hopes up.

[sjo]

There have been no new processors from Intel since September 2006 either (except for the quad-cores). Santa Rosa with slightly faster processors is coming out this month. Apple did (so far) not miss out on anything.

The prices of the components have come dramatically down since the last updates. This would have allowed Apple to up the specs of the entire line or alternatively adjust the prices. There has been none of that, the decrease of the component prices has only resulted vastly improved profits.

Nothing wrong with that, it's what the company is there for, but from the point of view of a buyer it's absurd that upgrading eg the hdd cost much more than the component bought separately!

[emotion]

they wouldnt do that unless they released a 12inch notebook with it.


11.1" widescreen to be precise (using the same LED backlit dispays that's in those TX series Sonys) :)

C2D LV 1.6GHz chips (L7400)/ santa rosa.

Black anodized.

[zimtheinvader]

Leaving it docked does not effect battery life, according to various techs, because the iPod uses a firmware-based battery management system. However so does the Macbook, so one would think there are similar consequences. Personally I wouldn't worry about it at all, I frequently leave my iPod/PB plugged in for months, then take it on trips where I repeatedly deplete the battery, and it only recently (years later,) started showing its age. My iPod still lasts for days!\

And Re: MB updates, they still have SATA Hdd, DDR, Core2Duo, and a UNix-Based OS, its still the best computer on the market for a lot of people. They really don't *need* to update yet. I just wish they'd slap a PenAbled stylus on it. TabletPCs and UMPCs with 3G/CDMA integrated are the new emerging market, imho.

[whatever]

Last quarter the current noteboook models were only 3-6 months old (depending on when you bought it). It will be interesting to see how the numbers shape up in 2Q with all the announced delays.

That said, I agree with you on the price drops. I would much rather the prices never drop if that means when the new models come out the prices stay relatively the same. Less sticker shock is a good thing.

But there really needs to be an update of some kind. I'm already getting "back to school sale" flyers in the mail from Dell. I'm already set on switching but it'd be nice if Apple could throw me something shiny and new as a thank you for new business. :D

Now tell us all exactly why you need an update? What will these new computers do that the current ones can't do. In please, think of what you will really do.

Hey, if you can do it with a Dell and it's cheaper, buy a Dell. I would, but then again I'm not a big fan of Windows or Dell (hell, buy a Dell today, it will be replaced tomorrow!).

[whatever]

It's hard to sell my friends into Macs with all this bull'crap' delaying going on. I think there are more people who aren't going to buy the iPhone than there are going to buy. Waste of resources.
But back on topic. It's hard to get my friends to switch if things are gonna get delayed.
Me: "Hey, buy a Mac. Better OS, better stability etc. But hold off, the new OS will be out Spring '07 as of the Apple Website."
Friend: "Oh okay."
Me: "Ehhh, buy your Mac now and forget the new OS. They pushed it back a few months. The curent one can prolly do just as much as this one anyhow."
Friend: "Why?"
Me: "iPhone bull'crap'."
Friend: "Stupid iPhone"
-----------------
Me: "Wait for the new laptop update before you get one. new OS, new technology that will increase battery life."
Friend: "Yeah, okay."
Me: "Ehhh.... buy this one now even though it's an old model. The other ones aren't coming out until later."
Friend: "Why?"
Me: "New screen that will increase battery life."
Friend: "When will that come out?"
Me: "Uhhh...not June."
Friend: "Why?"
Me: iPhone Bull'crap'
Friend: "Stupid iPhone"

:(
Thank God you're not in sales (if you are then you won't be for long).
If someone I knew was looking at new computers, I would ask them first what their timetable was. Do they need to replace a computer today or are they willing to wait. Then I would ask them what they plan on doing with it. Then I would talk to them about the advantages/disadvantages of switching to a Mac.

Telling them to wait because of better battery life? Come on! Telling them to wait for a new OS. Would a switcher even know the difference! Going from Windows to OS X is a big enough leap.

I know it's easy to fall into this trap of waiting for new technology, but there is always going to be new technology in the pipelines.

Remember a computer is just the means to the end, not the end in itself. In other words it's not what in the machine that counts, it's what you do with the machine!

[Donnacha]

Look, no-one wants to see their premium purchase depreciate a couple of weeks after they order it, so, I totally get why, in May '07, people aren't happy to buy an October '06 laptop, even if it can do everything they need.

[manu chao]

Last time I checked, the computer is made up of other component besides the processor so that's hardly an excuse. In that time, Apple could have done one of two things. 1. Bump up the specs on the other components--given how fast things move in computer technology, I tend to think this would be an easy thing to do and wouldn't eat into profits. 2. Give an across-the-board price break.

My post was a response to (and including as a quote) the sentence:
"There's no PPC excuses anymore."
Maybe I should have spelled things out clear enough for everybody to understand:

"There's no PPC excuses anymore." No, but one can use Intel as an excuse equally well.

[joepunk]

Now tell us all exactly why you need an update? What will these new computers do that the current ones can't do.

I also get the same feelings when reading peoples posts on their wishing for updates all the time. IMO several months is not really a long time to wait. Are they going to buy the computers right away or are they going to wait for the so-called price drops, if any, some months after release?

[Mydel]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but arent those 15" (made by AUO) panels having max resolution of 1440x900?? that would mean although we may get LED backlit screens resolution will be left the same as now.

[mrtekkid]

Thank God you're not in sales (if you are then you won't be for long).
If someone I knew was looking at new computers, I would ask them first what their timetable was. Do they need to replace a computer today or are they willing to wait. Then I would ask them what they plan on doing with it. Then I would talk to them about the advantages/disadvantages of switching to a Mac.

Telling them to wait because of better battery life? Come on! Telling them to wait for a new OS. Would a switcher even know the difference! Going from Windows to OS X is a big enough leap.

I know it's easy to fall into this trap of waiting for new technology, but there is always going to be new technology in the pipelines.

Remember a computer is just the means to the end, not the end in itself. In other words it's not what in the machine that counts, it's what you do with the machine!

First of all...it was a generalization. I have sold many people into Macs buy showing them the potential of what a Mac can do. The software the features the integration and reliability. I've even been told by different Mac sales people, in store and online, that I could sell macs. It is just hard to try to get people to switch when you are like.... "well you can buy it.... but it will be out of date about a month from now." People want to buy something that is going to have a top product life longer than that. Would you be happy if you bought something expensive to only find out that if you had waited a month or so you could've gotten better for the same amount??

Part of being a good sales person is being able to identify and relate with the consumer on their level. If you can't do THAT, then you will not be in sales for very long.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Look, no-one wants to see their premium purchase depreciate a couple of weeks after they order it, so, I totally get why, in May '07, people aren't happy to buy an October '06 laptop, even if it can do everything they need.

Yea it seems to be a common theme, with people waiting and other people are like.... just get it if you need it or it's gonna do the same thing. I am waiting to get a new MBP as well, however I am not going to spend $2000+ on a MBP now if 2 months from now or whatever as new one comes out. Why buy a computer that is approaching almost a year old if a new one is right around the corner?? I wouldn't want to buy something at the same price if something else at the same price that is newer and better comes out shortly after.

[emotion]

My post was a response to (and including as a quote) the sentence:
"There's no PPC excuses anymore."
Maybe I should have spelled things out clear enough for everybody to understand:

"There's no PPC excuses anymore." No, but one can use Intel as an excuse equally well.


....but everything is pretty much up to date with Intel isn't it?

[kdon]

Look, no-one wants to see their premium purchase depreciate a couple of weeks after they order it, so, I totally get why, in May '07, people aren't happy to buy an October '06 laptop, even if it can do everything they need.

Very well said. That's the bottom line. Apple is overdue for an update. Why would I buy something today knowing full well that it could be outdated in a few weeks. It the computer world, 8 months without an update is a long time, and common sense says that if Apple should have had a new model come out months ago, it's foolish to pay full price for a soon-to-be replaced model.

So, I guess I'll keep on waiting...

[whatever]

Part of being a good sales person is being able to identify and relate with the consumer on their level. If you can't do THAT, then you will not be in sales for very long.

Exactly, "on their level."

If they need a computer, then here is what you can buy today.

Most people who buy computers don't check to see if their computer is the latest greatest everyday.

Granted people who are forums such as this would, but we're not average users.

And basically if someone is asking you about computers, then they're not on the same level as you and they wouldn't know when or if Apple released an updated version of a computer or even care.

[mrtekkid]

I also get the same feelings when reading peoples posts on their wishing for updates all the time. IMO several months is not really a long time to wait. Are they going to buy the computers right away or are they going to wait for the so-called price drops, if any, some months after release?

for whatever
And how do you know that Apple is, as you so kindly said it, "bull'crap' delaying" any update to a laptop? I highly doubt that Apple needs to follow our time tables when it comes to the update cycles.

I believe that was directed at me and not whatever......

********ting being defined as "idle chatter" ehhh.... as far as I am concerned....devoting resources from the OS to something as stupid and less used as the iPhone.....would be that.

I'm not saying they had to follow our time tables.....they can't even follow their own at this point. :D Look at 10.5 releasing in Spring'07 for example.

But along the lines of marketing...and update in August for back to school would be wise for a MBP update.

[Diatribe]

I believe that was directed at me and not whatever......

********ting being defined as "idle chatter" ehhh.... as far as I am concerned....devoting resources from the OS to something as stupid and less used as the iPhone.....would be that.

I'm not saying they had to follow our time tables.....they can't even follow their own at this point. :D Look at 10.5 releasing in Spring'07 for example.

But along the lines of marketing...and update in August for back to school would be wise for a MBP update.

Well, until now there has been nothing to update the line with. Once there is, Apple will update.

[mrtekkid]

Exactly, "on their level."

If they need a computer, then here is what you can buy today.

Most people who buy computers don't check to see if their computer is the latest greatest everyday.

Granted people who are forums such as this would, but we're not average users.

And basically if someone is asking you about computers, then they're not on the same level as you and they wouldn't know when or if Apple released an updated version of a computer or even care.

Sticking to the theme of on their level..... you would also want to think about how you would feel if you wanted a laptop. You would want to have the full knowledge of the product, and not have someone pretty much say.... "Well you can buy this now it is well worth the buy!!!!!!!" While leaving out critical information such as, "Well the model itself is about a year old and a new update is not far away." To only have them but the computer and maybe find out later, "Yea, you could have waited and have a newer model for the same price. Yea, I left that information out because I did not feel the need to tell you while I sold you an old piece of equipment."

Withholding information is dishonest and is not good for business. If they are asking, yes you may know more than them but that doesn't mean you have the right to not give them the full information. After maybe knowing that the new computer is coming out, why would they buy this one now?? If they can get the new computer later for cheaper after the newer one is out ... or get a newer one for pretty much the same price.....

Impatience would be a key factor in buying now without waiting... some people take great pride in this... :D But, having all the information first is better. Why buy a product you know little about??

I hope you aren't in sales. I am staying away from your store.

[kdon]

I believe that was directed at me and not whatever......

But along the lines of marketing...and update in August for back to school would be wise for a MBP update.

...or even before August for those who don't make their decisions at the last minute -- wonder if there's a chance they'll release new laptops at WWDC07?

[mrtekkid]

Well, until now there has been nothing to update the line with. Once there is, Apple will update.

Yup. I know. Hell if the OS had released on time, I would have just bought a MBP with 10.5 and taken to loss on the hardware. But there are updates coming and its going to be worth the wait.

[Diatribe]

Sticking to the theme of on their level..... you would also want to think about how you would feel if you wanted a laptop. You would want to have the full knowledge of the product, and not have someone pretty much say.... "Well you can buy this now it is well worth the buy!!!!!!!" While leaving out critical information such as, "Well the model itself is about a year old and a new update is not far away." To only have them but the computer and maybe find out later, "Yea, you could have waited and have a newer model for the same price. Yea, I left that information out because I did not feel the need to tell you while I sold you an old piece of equipment."

Withholding information is dishonest and is not good for business. If they are asking, yes you may know more than them but that doesn't mean you have the right to not give them the full information. After maybe knowing that the new computer is coming out, why would they buy this one now?? If they can get the new computer later for cheaper after the newer one is out ... or get a newer one for pretty much the same price.....

Impatience would be a key factor in buying now without waiting... some people take great pride in this... :D But, having all the information first is better. Why buy a product you know little about??

I hope you aren't in sales. I am staying away from your store.

The point he was trying to make is not withholding that information but rather not implying that they HAVE to wait when in reality they don't.
Telling them there might be a new laptop coming out soon is fine but don't tell them in such a way so they think they have to wait for it to suit their needs.

Besides, we don't even know when new laptops are coming out. Just that someone is saying soon for the last half year. :rolleyes:

[mrtekkid]

...or even before August for those who don't make their decisions at the last minute -- wonder if there's a chance they'll release new laptops at WWDC07?

I would like to see that done, if they are it will have to be alongside of Steve Jobs 'demi-god' child called the iPhone. They may be there but I would doubt it. But if they are do not expect much media attention from the release as the iPhone will get.

Mac Book Pros will sell whether or not they are updated.

iPhone is a new product and will be heavily marketed to try and get people to buy into it.

[Diatribe]

Yup. I know. Hell if the OS had released on time, I would have just bought a MBP with 10.5 and taken to loss on the hardware. But there are updates coming and its going to be worth the wait.

That is for each and everyone to decide. Worth the wait for us? Yes, most likely. Worth the wait for my mum for example? Probably not.

[mtrctyjoe]

I just want Apple Inc. to offer a laptop with a screen bigger then 13 inches for LESS THEN $2000.00..... How hard can that be? How Hard?:mad:

[Watters]

Sounds like a winner, but it does shows that the updated laptops including SantaRosa, 4 Gig memory (fully addressable) and LED will be here later rather than sooner.

No sense to make two revisions in 4 months.

Ya i am super choked about this. I was hoping for santa rosa update in may and they are almost surely not doing that now. :(

[Diatribe]

I just want Apple Inc. to offer a laptop with a screen bigger then 13 inches for LESS THEN $2000.00..... How hard can that be? How Hard?:mad:

Get the MBP. It is only $1999 :D :p

[mrtekkid]

The point he was trying to make is not withholding that information but rather not implying that they HAVE to wait when in reality they don't.
Telling them there might be a new laptop coming out soon is fine but don't tell them in such a way so they think they have to wait for it to suit their needs.

Besides, we don't even know when new laptops are coming out. Just that someone is saying soon for the last half year. :rolleyes:

I addressed this in that blurb. Once they are informed about the new computers and they still choose to buy one now, that is their own decision. Let them have it now if they want it. At least they know there are other new ones on the way.

I'd be pissed if I bought a computer to find out later, by a month or so, that if I had waited I could have gotten something better.

Others would be like....whatever...I want it now

[AidenShaw]

Well, until now there has been nothing to update the line with. Once there is, Apple will update.

Oh really?

What about 3G radios in the laptops? My Dell Latitude has a builtin Verizon Wireless EV-DO card, so just about anywhere I am I can be my own hotspot.

What about a laptop with a port-replicator connector, and a nice mini-dock or other desktop dock? What's with having to constantly connect, disconnect and reconnect all those cables?

What about the 12" MBP?

What about a Conroe/Kentsfield mini-tower or home theatre pizza box?

There's a lot that Apple could do. Lately, though, the Mac "innovations" seem to be mostly putting a new CPU or chipset in the same old box.

[ortuno2k]

How about ANYTHING in 2007???

It's May 2007!! Apple has only shipped one new computer all year (8-core). Most of the line hasn't been updated since Sept. 2006! C'mon already! There's no PPC excuses anymore. Let's see some new machines already!

Blame the iPhone.:rolleyes:

[Diatribe]

Oh really?

What about 3G radios in the laptops? My Dell Latitude has a builtin Verizon Wireless EV-DO card, so just about anywhere I am I can be my own hotspot.

What about a laptop with a port-replicator connector, and a nice mini-dock or other desktop dock? What's with having to constantly connect, disconnect and reconnect all those cables?

What about the 12" MBP?

What about a Conroe/Kentsfield mini-tower or home theatre pizza box?

There's a lot that Apple could do. Lately, though, the Mac "innovations" seem to be mostly putting a new CPU or chipset in the same old box.

Well, most of the things you described are business decisions that Apple chose not to pursue, most of them having a close enough product within the line or requiring a copmplete redesign of current products that Apple is not willing to do atm.
The 3G for example will come out 2Q next year integrated from Intel, so why include it now?

[kdon]

Speaking of updates, does anyone know when they're going to update the Apple IIgs? I've been waiting what seems like forever to update my desktop at home, but with this update being overdue, I'm hesitant to do anything.

[DeaconGraves]

Speaking of updates, does anyone know when they're going to update the Apple IIgs? I've been waiting what seems like forever to update my desktop at home, but with this update being overdue, I'm hesitant to do anything.

I've heard that they are running short on materials to make the new flash based 5" floppy drives. Should be another few months.

[Telp]

Flash based with backlit LCD MBP at WWDC!!

Here's to hoping !!!!

[Diatribe]

Flash based with backlit LCD MBP at WWDC!!

Backlit LCD now THAT would be something. :D

[sinstoic]

I feel Apple has too much on its hands to devote its time to computers in 2007. I feel the best computers from Apple will be unveiled during Macworld 2008. Hope I can wait till January/February 2008.

[aswitcher]

So the Apple cinema displays will get the treatment as well I guess. Maybe we will see them first at WWDC since its an easier upgrade.

[dartzorichalcos]

Perhaps Apple will update the 13" MacBook and 15" MacBook Pro's displays to LED-lit displays at WWDC (http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/).

[notjustjay]

I feel Apple has too much on its hands to devote its time to computers in 2007. I feel the best computers from Apple will be unveiled during Macworld 2008. Hope I can wait till January/February 2008.

Yeah, it's not like they're a computer company, after all... they don't even have the word Computer in their name.

:(

[anthroid]

13.3!!!!!!!!! woohoooooooo!

[amk29j]

You've got messed up logic/knowledge...

There is at least the same amount of energy being used by your laptop when it's running off its battery or the mains, which means you're using at least as much energy as you would if you just left your laptop plugged into the mains supply. Charging / discharging a battery isn't close to being 100% efficient so you're wasting more energy there, you're also killing your battery cycle by cycle, you'll have to get a replacement sooner.

I think you need to review your energy saving techniques a little, may I suggest a couple of ideas for you...
1) Don't run it 24/7 for a month at a time
2) Turn the backlight down
3) Reduce processor performance
4) Set it to turn the display off when it's idle
5) Learn some basic physics :)

Actually, you're incorrect. The fact is, as long as the power supply is plugged in, it's pulling a constant 65W (or whatever wattage it is). Even if it's not directing that power into the laptop. That's why environmentalists always tell people to unplug their laptop and cellphone charges. They are constantly pulling power even if they're not plugged in on the other end. So the original guy was right, he is saving energy by not leaving his laptop plugged in.

[siurpeeman]

How about ANYTHING in 2007???

It's May 2007!! Apple has only shipped one new computer all year (8-core). Most of the line hasn't been updated since Sept. 2006! C'mon already! There's no PPC excuses anymore. Let's see some new machines already!

not that i'm disagreeing with your point, but macbook pros and macbooks were updated in october and november, respectively. their entire portable lineup (granted, it's only two computers) were updated after september 2006. it's been six months since the macbooks were updated; that isn't unheard of in apple product update history. as well, santa rosa is only starting to become available. there was no place for the macbook/macbook pros to go.

anyway, it's a good thing to hear what's coming, but it sucks that it might be so far away. i'm happy i bought my macbook when i did.

[flopticalcube]

Actually, you're incorrect. The fact is, as long as the power supply is plugged in, it's pulling a constant 65W (or whatever wattage it is). Even if it's not directing that power into the laptop. That's why environmentalists always tell people to unplug their laptop and cellphone charges. They are constantly pulling power even if they're not plugged in on the other end. So the original guy was right, he is saving energy by not leaving his laptop plugged in.

Not true. Hook up a simple watt meter to any power supply. If there is no load to feed, a properly designed power supply will draw only a very small current. As the load it is feeding increases, it draws more power.

[koobcamuk]

I just want Apple Inc. to offer a laptop with a screen bigger then 13 inches for LESS THEN $2000.00..... How hard can that be? How Hard?:mad:

I want a laptop that's about 1KG in weight and 11" or so. No optical drive needed. Bring it on Apple. Less than £2000 - you've got me there.

[Diatribe]

I want a laptop that's about 1KG in weight and 11" or so. No optical drive needed. Bring it on Apple. Less than £2000 - you've got me there.

There have been so many rumors that a subnotebook is coming, I believe it will, it is only a matter of time. Last rumors said end of this/beginning of next year.

[diehldun]

With all these radical updates (which all sound great), I don't know if it'll be worth the hassle in the long roun getting a "Rev. A" model this summer for college...

[AidenShaw]

Not true. Hook up a simple watt meter to any power supply. If there is no load to feed, a properly designed power supply will draw only a very small current. As the load it is feeding increases, it draws more power.

My Dell 90VA power supply draws 0.1 watt when plugged in but not connected to the laptop, according to the Watts Up! Pro.

https://www.doubleed.com/images/WattsUp_Pro2.jpg

https://www.doubleed.com/products.html

[Max Payne]

The new revision with Leopard? Sounds good news.

[Clive At Five]

11.1" widescreen to be precise (using the same LED backlit dispays that's in those TX series Sonys) :)

C2D LV 1.6GHz chips (L7400)/ santa rosa.

Black anodized.

It wouldn't *have* to be an 11.1" screen. I'm sure the manufacturers make other sizes. They might be a little pricier but I don't think Apple is as ready as people think they are to introduce a "sub-notebook." My first guess is that Apple will introduce a 13.3" MBP. It doesn't make sense for them to create a totally new form-factor for an incremental step down in size (I'm talking to you, 14" advocates). It just gets more confusing for inventory when they have 17 different screen-sizes.

I would agree that Santa Rosa is a good opportunity to release a smaller MBP due to its enhanced power-saving features but *Apple will take its time and work its way down to an 11.1" or whatever size they choose to select for thier "sub-notebook" if they should decide to go that route, as many think they will.

*=IMHO

-Clive

[kdon]

Apple IIgs update??? Hell-ooooooo????

[slffl]

God I can't wait for the iPhone. I've had my Powerbook for over 4 years now, and it looks like I'll be waiting even longer to get a new one. I'm hoping the iPhone will make the wait a little easier.

[Telp]

God I can't wait for the iPhone. I've had my Powerbook for over 4 years now, and it looks like I'll be waiting even longer to get a new one. I hoping the iPhone will make the wait a little easier.

NEXT MONTH!!!

[Shagrat]

NEXT MONTH!!!

Next Tuesday?????????????

[Telp]

Next Tuesday?????????????

Ahhhh dont we wish.

[Chef Medeski]

Running your notebook off the battery does not reduce your electric bill! You use the same amount of energy. (Assuming you use the same setting, screen brightness, etc.)

As a matter of fact, it is far more efficient to have it pluged in. Notice how hot your notebook gets when you charge the battery... thats lost energy.

Yeah it probably increases it. A battery is just not an efficient way of storing energy.

[Clive At Five]

I feel Apple has too much on its hands to devote its time to computers in 2007. I feel the best computers from Apple will be unveiled during Macworld 2008. Hope I can wait till January/February 2008.

I feel you are mistaken.

That would be 15 months without a significant Mac update. That would be unpecedentedly stupid for Apple, even if this is "The Year of the Gadget."

*Apple will take advantage of Santa Rosa, sooner rather than later, or they will face the unbridaled criticism and rage of not only Mac-users, but the entire industry and shareholders too.

*Expect new laptops before H2'07.

* = IMHO

-Clive

[johnee]

Actually, you're incorrect. The fact is, as long as the power supply is plugged in, it's pulling a constant 65W (or whatever wattage it is). Even if it's not directing that power into the laptop. That's why environmentalists always tell people to unplug their laptop and cellphone charges. They are constantly pulling power even if they're not plugged in on the other end. So the original guy was right, he is saving energy by not leaving his laptop plugged in.

You need a lesson in electrical engineering.

If I plug in a the AC cord of a computer AC adapter which only converts AC to DC, and I don't plug the DC end into a device, there is NO current being drawn through that battery charger.

this assumes all the AC adapter does is convert from AC to DC. Now if there are any lights (LEDs) inside that AC adapter, there will be such a small current being drawn, it's not appreciable. We're talking at most 10 mA of current.

If you plan on saving 10 mA of current, that's a penny-wise pound-foolish method of doing so.

[Chef Medeski]

Actually, you're incorrect. The fact is, as long as the power supply is plugged in, it's pulling a constant 65W (or whatever wattage it is). Even if it's not directing that power into the laptop. That's why environmentalists always tell people to unplug their laptop and cellphone charges. They are constantly pulling power even if they're not plugged in on the other end. So the original guy was right, he is saving energy by not leaving his laptop plugged in.

That makes no sense. Its an open circuit then. Theorethiclaly no power should be pulled.

[live4ever]

I'd love to see some hi-res displays too - 1920x1200 on the 17" at least.

[mistafreeze]

any chance on new graphics card?
they've had the ati 1600 256 for over a year now.

EDIT:
according to a post, posted by another user, the new asus laptops offer 1920x1200 on the 17 inch (but wow how small the text would be)

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/06/asus-g1s-and-g2s-gaming-notebooks-with-santa-rosa/

but I would love that new graphics card, geforce and maya, been putting up with ATI and maya on these new intel machines for too long.

Would also enjoy the $2300 and $2560 pricetag offered by asus (15/17)

[AidenShaw]

That makes no sense. Its an open circuit then. Theorethiclaly no power should be pulled.

A transformer uses significant power even when the output is an open circuit. They're always warm.

The Dell power supply has a transformer, but apparently has circuitry to disconnect the transformer when the output is open. When I plug it in, it uses about 7 watts for a second or two (after the spike), then drops to 0.1 watt. I assume that there's some active circuit that isolates the transformer.

By the way, when shopping for usb hubs, battery chargers, phone chargers, and other items with small power bricks - buy light. If the power brick is heavy, it's probably a transformer that's always sucking power. If it's lightweight, it's probably an electronic device that isn't a vampire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_vampire

[byeehaaw]

do you think the led screens will be out in time in july or aug so we can get the free ipod too =D?

[sinstoic]

I feel you are mistaken. Expect new laptops before H2'07. -Clive

Apple at any cost has to succeed at iPhone! To this effect, they have chosen to delay the release of Leopard. Shareholders are interested in profits only, it doesn't matter if it is from iPhone or Macbooks. Apple has made it clear that it is no longer just a computer company. Keep in mind, unlike iPod, Apple will offer a large number of accessories for iPhone. And then we don't know about the next generation iPod (touchscreen?) and Apple TV (DVR?, Game console?).

I may be wrong but I believe (due to lack of time to develop computers):

Apple is likely to offer free upgrades to Leopard (when it is released in October 2007) for computers bought during/after WWDC 2007 and empty its current generation computers to back to school suckers!

Apple can afford to skip computers based on Merom + Santarosa in June/October 2007 and announce Penryn + Bearlake systems during Macworld 2008.

[lazyrighteye]

The only thing I agree with here is yes, new books are coming, but like someone else said, they aren't going to update this month, and then again in 3 months. We'll get new processors and displays perhaps near the start of the next school year, can't miss the back to school buying season.

My memory isn't the best... but I want to say that I recall Apple always missing the back to school shopping period.
Is that accurate?

Thanks.

[Mr Fusion]

Apple is likely to offer free upgrades to Leopard (when it is released in October 2007) for computers bought during/after WWDC 2007 and empty its current generation computers to back to school suckers!

Apple can afford to skip computers based on Merom + Santarosa in June/October 2007 and announce Penryn + Bearlake systems during Macworld 2008.
Easy for you to say... My PB Ti is literally falling apart at the seams! I would buy a new MBP to replace it, but am not willing to pay todays price for yesterdays hardware. :)

I think the next update to the MBP line will be big, a significant case re-design as well as new insides. Once Leopard is unveiled, the hardware across all product lines will be changed to reflect it. To me such reasoning makes more sense than the hysteria over the iPhone.

:apple:

[flopticalcube]

My memory isn't the best... but I want to say that I recall Apple always missing the back to school shopping period.
Is that accurate?

Thanks.

If you go by the MacRumor's buying guide (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/), there are a lot of 9s and 10s in the months and not a lot of 7s and 8s so your memory is just fine. :)

[sikkinixx]

hurry apple before I cave and buy a dell :eek:

[Zadillo]

For anyone who wants to see the benefits of LED-backlighting, see if you can find a store with a premium Sony SZ laptop on display (models like the SZ370, SZ450, SZ460, etc.) or the Sony TX ultraportable laptops. These premium SZ models as well as the TX feature LED-backlighting, and they do a good job of showing how they are brighter and more vibrant than normal non-LED backlit screens.

I can't wait to see these on Apple's portables.

[deadpoet]

Does anyone know if these new LED-based LCDs for Mac notebooks will use TN panels? That is my big fear, since most of the new "enhanced gamut" LCDs nowadays are actually crappy TN panels.

Why can't they use S-IPS for notebook displays? My MBP's screen sucks compared to my Cinema Display. I want good colour accuracy on my notebook, not just on my desktop. An enhanced gamut notebook LCD is all well and good, but it's pretty much wasted if the viewing angles are pathetic, as is the case with TN panels.

[whatever]

I would like to see that done, if they are it will have to be alongside of Steve Jobs 'demi-god' child called the iPhone. They may be there but I would doubt it. But if they are do not expect much media attention from the release as the iPhone will get.

Mac Book Pros will sell whether or not they are updated.

iPhone is a new product and will be heavily marketed to try and get people to buy into it.

You know what, it comes down to this.

Apple has made more money with the iPod since it's release than it has with computers.

And one of the reason that Apple is able to invest time and resources into their computer business is due largely to the success of the iPod. The iPod has raised the awareness of Apple as a whole. Might this awareness had happen without the iPod, maybe, but regardless the iPod execrated it. The entire "halo" concept appears to be working.

And if the iPhone is a success expect more of the same for Apple.

[jonutarr]

if they will help keep fan noise down i will be very interested :cool:

[whatever]

I just want Apple Inc. to offer a laptop with a screen bigger then 13 inches for LESS THEN $2000.00..... How hard can that be? How Hard?:mad:

Well, you should head over to the nearest Apple Store and pick a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro. This baby has a 15 inch screen,1440 x 900 pixels, 1GB memory, 120GB hard drive1, 6x double-layer SuperDrive,
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB SDRAM and costs only $1,999.00.

[LaMerVipere]

Please let there be an updated MBP with LED and Santa Rosa sometime this summer, ideally at WWDC! I've got the cash and am ready to spend spend spend! :o

[Chef Medeski]

Please let there be an updated MBP with LED and Santa Rosa sometime this summer, ideally at WWDC! I've got the cash and am ready to spend spend spend! :o

Here here. And if there was tablet. Id squeem. I wonder if the makers of the ModBook would update their lines to include Santa Rosa immediately. I would so get me one then.

[kingofkolt]

From what I've been reading on these forums (I just registered but I've read the forums for a while), the general concensus seems to be that Apple will update the MBP line before the school year; am I right? One person mentioned that Apple hasn't been too good about meeting back to school demand (it often updated the MBP in September/October), but I noticed that this is the longest time from the beginning of any year that Apple has waited to update the MBP. Every other year, the MBP was updated in January or April (or both). I'm just worried as hell that Apple won't update it before August and I'll be going to school with my crappy 3-year-old Dell. I want to wait until the MBP is updated because I do a lot of both gaming and graphic design and I have to wonder, will they update the video card to something better, like the x1900? Or, maybe something by NVIDIA?

Anyone have any idea how likely that is?

[Zadillo]

From what I've been reading on these forums (I just registered but I've read the forums for a while), the general concensus seems to be that Apple will update the MBP line before the school year; am I right? One person mentioned that Apple hasn't been too good about meeting back to school demand (it often updated the MBP in September/October), but I noticed that this is the longest time from the beginning of any year that Apple has waited to update the MBP. Every other year, the MBP was updated in January or April (or both). I'm just worried as hell that Apple won't update it before August and I'll be going to school with my crappy 3-year-old Dell. I want to wait until the MBP is updated because I do a lot of both gaming and graphic design and I have to wonder, will they update the video card to something better, like the x1900? Or, maybe something by NVIDIA?

Anyone have any idea how likely that is?

There hasn't been anything to update the MBP too. The Santa Rosa platform debuting May 9th is the first real thing since the Core 2 Duo chip was introduced that warrants an update.

It is very likely that Apple will have to do a Santa Rosa update in June or July, to keep up with other laptop makers.

The 15" MBP will still have to use a GPU designed for 15" laptops........ right now that would be something like the GeForce 8600M..... we haven't heard of ATI's equivalent upgrade yet (i.e. a mobile X2600).

[ncbill]

No 11" LED-backlit panels in that story?

Guess we won't be seeing the rumored MBP-Mini until 2008 after all.

(11" panels seem to be the choice for US-market subnotebooks)

[diehldun]

From what I've been reading on these forums (I just registered but I've read the forums for a while), the general concensus seems to be that Apple will update the MBP line before the school year; am I right? One person mentioned that Apple hasn't been too good about meeting back to school demand (it often updated the MBP in September/October), but I noticed that this is the longest time from the beginning of any year that Apple has waited to update the MBP. Every other year, the MBP was updated in January or April (or both). I'm just worried as hell that Apple won't update it before August and I'll be going to school with my crappy 3-year-old Dell. I want to wait until the MBP is updated because I do a lot of both gaming and graphic design and I have to wonder, will they update the video card to something better, like the x1900? Or, maybe something by NVIDIA?

Anyone have any idea how likely that is?


Looks like we're both in the same boat. I REALLY want Apple to release a new MBP (or even MB) this summer before school starts.

[heisetax]

What does Apple still make computers? :confused:

I thought they just made music devices, wireless video routers, and cell phones.

Sad, Sad, Sad! :(

Even OS X is suffering due to the diversification of Apple.


Finally someone saying what I have said for a long time. My Mac Pro suffers from not being an Apple design, but an Intel design. The last PPC G5 PCI Express PowerMacs have 32 lanes for use. The Intel designed Intel Mac Pro has only 26 lanes. My video cards use 16 + 8 or 24 of those lanes. A SCSI card wants 4 lanes, but I have only 2 available. That means that video must be degraded.

Apple had already taken Computer out of their business long before they took computer out of their name. These non-Mac ideas are in general nice, but as we are seeing they are at a cost of much slower Mac hardware & software development.

Bill the TaxMan

[iW00t]

Finally someone saying what I have said for a long time. My Mac Pro suffers from not being an Apple design, but an Intel design. The last PPC G5 PCI Express PowerMacs have 32 lanes for use. The Intel designed Intel Mac Pro has only 26 lanes. My video cards use 16 + 8 or 24 of those lanes. A SCSI card wants 4 lanes, but I have only 2 available. That means that video must be degraded.

Apple had already taken Computer out of their business long before they took computer out of their name. These non-Mac ideas are in general nice, but as we are seeing they are at a cost of much slower Mac hardware & software development.

Bill the TaxMan

I think it is not because of Intel's design, but more because of Apple's own cost cutting specifications.

[twoodcc]

looking forward to them :)