Apple Updates MacBooks to Santa Rosa, GMA X3100

[machatch]

The MacBook Pro just got a 2.6GHz upgrade option! This is definitely just a small refresh and I'm expecting something bigger by January or March.

yeah in the next 190 days..then theres a new upgrade..:)

[~David]

Anyone know if iSight has been upgraded in this revision?

[Eidorian]

If anyone is going to compare the MacBook to a Dell please compare it against the XPS M1330.


I didn't asked for a faster processor. And I said these small upgrades were welcome. You brought it up by speaking the faster fsb. I said that wouldn't matter. And if you can barely tell the difference in a big render, there is no way you can see it when surfing the web or doing spreadsheets without a stopwatch.

Bottom-line - Selling it with 1Gb instead of 2x512, better speakers and (why not) give away the mini dvi adapters would be better. Maybe for you it's better opening safari in less 0.02 seconds... Happy porn watching for you!What's up with all the pron watching comments?

I've been nice but I'm close to reporting someone. :mad:


http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20071101102750141

A problem to take seriously, or will be fixed in software?It's a driver issue. Apple needs to mature their drivers for the GMA X3100.

I still use PINE MAIL...

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/a/a5/222px-Hans_Moleman.png

[CJD2112]

Wow, what the hell happened to this thread, it just seems to be a giant useless pile of trolling. Did the mods all take the day off or what?

The administrators have been alerted. :)

[bchreng]

Sweetness! This makes the MacBook all the more tempting for me. Anyone know how well the new graphics chip performs?

[mrwheet]

Okay, I pretty much never post to this forum, but I couldn't resist.

What's up with a useless speedbump to the Macbook! The Mac Pro desperately needs an upgrade, and I desperately need a new Mac Pro!!!! I heard talk about hardware releases this week, and was dying for a new tower (Penryn-based, etc.), but then this crap comes along...

This is sooooooo lame, Apple.

Yes, yes... I realize we may see one around Nov. 12th... we better, or I'll cut my own head off with a butter knife. The Mac Pro upgrade is waaaaaaaaay past due...

[Eidorian]

Okay, I pretty much never post to this forum, but I couldn't resist.

What's up with a useless speedbump to the Macbook! The Mac Pro desperately needs an upgrade, and I desperately need a new Mac Pro!!!! I heard talk about hardware releases this week, and was dying for a new tower (Penryn-based, etc.), but then this crap comes along...

This is sooooooo lame, Apple.

Yes, yes... I realize we may see one around Nov. 12th... we better, or I'll cut my own head off with a butter knife. The Mac Pro upgrade is waaaaaaaaay past due...It brings the MacBook into 2007?

It's an entirely new platform under Santa Rosa that makes the MacBook more capable and well rounded against other laptops.

[studiomusic]

Quote your sources please... serious talk only with non-troll arguments please... :)

Could you quote your source for your price comparison? (Dell, 1,024 $ : Inspiron 1420)

And make sure you add the Unlimited version of Vista (unlimited version of Leopard ships with the Macbook).
You also forgot the integrated bluetooth module (included with the mac).
And the remote.
And the webcam.
And the 30 day phone support.
And the media software bundle...

The cheapest I could get is $1,241 for the 2.0 core 2 duo model (without the media software, with 1 year warranty and after the $300 instant rebate).

[MitchC]

Yes, yes... I realize we may see one around Nov. 12th... we better, or I'll cut my own head off with a butter knife. The Mac Pro upgrade is waaaaaaaaay past due...

At least the Pro sports a likable (by my standards) case design... :(

Mitch

[BRLawyer]

Apple won the computing wars ??? Not to Wozniac, they did not.

Honestly, Woz has no clue about markets...he is about creating fancy geeky gadgets, and was pretty good at designing the Apple II...but to follow his advice in terms of how Apple is conducted? Not by a long shot.

[machatch]

it's allways nice with upgrade..
info from apple - ".... To enjoy the greatest possible performance for processor-intensive tasks such as video rendering, gaming, and more, you can upgrade the processor in your MacBook Pro from the standard 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo to an even faster 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo."

gaming?:):)

And the 200 gb 7200 rpm are nice but i shoulda bin 250 gb 7200 rpm..
I think they put on the 2.6 just to make a distance beetwen the pro and regular(the mackbook cannabilizem theory....it would be bether if they had waited longer and make a real upgrade with 2.8 penryn and a bether graphics..
but a "quiet" upgrade is bether then nothing i guess..

the question is should we wait for bether macbook pro's ore just hit it?

[lasuther]

Well, I have my winner here. Way to go, dude ! Macs are cheaper than PCs : this should be a new commercial running on all channels and networks. I wonder why the Apple commercial guys didn't think about this idea already ??? :p


Well, you said you wanted to compare similar hardware. There are $399 PCs too, but the hardware doesn't compare to what you get with a MacBook.

When you actually do the comparison properly with 13.3" widescreen slim and stylish notebooks from Dell and Apple, the Dell is more expensive. The Dell does have other advantages such as more upgradeable options like a optional NVIDIA graphics card. Its not that surprising, you just have to know what you are talking about. And you don't know what you are talking about.

[gnasher729]

I can't tell you about specific sites, but I can warn you against LaCie. This is one of the few things about Apple I dislike, and that is the apparent support for LaCie external HDD's. I have seen numerous, and I mean NUMEROUS, LaCie drives fail. They have to be one of the most unstable HDD manufacturers I have ever experienced.

Personally, I would get a Western Digital drive, making certain if it is an internal drive, such as a slave drive for a Mac Pro, that it is Serial ATA. Otherwise, FireWire 800 is the best way to go for an external drive (and I don't know why Apple seems to be dropping FireWire 800 support for FireWire 400, although at least machines still have "a" FireWire 800 port). I also believe Mac's ship with Western Digital drives.

Western Digital seems fine, Hitachi and Fujitsu probably as well. At www.dabs.co.uk, the Western Digital has eight reviews, all positive, seven from MacBook owners (and one PS3 :D), not one Windows laptop. Now what does this say about "I buy a PC because you can't upgrade Macs"? And it seems that everyone buys the Western Digital because it is cheaper.

I got an external USB case, because it was a third of the price of a firewire case, and speed is not critical for me. If you buy an external 500GB disk, that is a different story.

[lord patton]

Has this been said before... probably, didn't read the thread. Still,

Apple is charging $850 to upgrade to 4 GB of RAM. The same upgrade can be had from OWC (macsales.com) for 159.99.

That's a teeny tiny difference.

Oh, and what's with the combo drive? This is 2007, yes?

[phalewhale]

I realise many other have said this before but it's the first thing I thought of when I saw the RSS feed pop into mail...

Why oh why are Apple still offering the Combo on the basic MB model? I just can't believe it! Two and a half years ago I bought the basic 12" iBook with a combo and thought it was a bit stingy back then, but acceptable.

To still offer this now stinks nowadays to be fair.

[milo]

What's up with a useless speedbump to the Macbook!

"useless speedbump"? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Or is this the sad but common internet notion of Anything That Doesn't Help Me is Useless?

You also forgot the integrated bluetooth module (included with the mac).
And the remote.
And the webcam.
And the 30 day phone support.
And the media software bundle...

It depends how you look at it...the flipside is that on the Dell you have the option of leaving those off and saving the money if you don't need them. On the mac side, there's much less flexibility in configuration so you may get stuck paying for features you'll never use.


And I have to add yet another to the WTF combo drive? pile. WTF?

[Bassassin]

Sounds like a stupid question but how do I make sure I'm getting the SR chipset on the macbook I order online. I asked a chick on the apple chat website thing and she wouldn't confirm anything. Or are all the macbooks being sold online now coming with SR.

[Richmond1958]

I can report that I am just back from the Apple Store at Mall of America in Minnesota. They do have the new units in stock at this store; I checked the Rosedale store as well about 10:30 am, and they did not have any yet (for the benefit of my fellow Minnesotans). They are not out on the sales floor yet and you have to ask for the new version. I suspect they will sell you the prior versions until they run out, and -- no -- the prior versions did not seem to be on sale.

I got the black version (wife insisted). It comes with a photo of the Leopard desktop, and the box contents don't seem to indicate that there is a Leopard upgrade disk to worry about. Salesperson told me that they had just found out about them this morning. BTW, the new chipset was among the features listed on the box label.

[julianbc]

I think I might order a black macbook tonight. I am a university student, so I went to the education discount online store. But I thought that the education discount was 10%? They list the black macbooks for 1,399 with the education discount. Why isnt it 1350?

[Brianstorm91]

Well, looks I'm back to waiting until January for a proper MacBook update. :o

[gnasher729]

Let's pretend Dell and Apple use the same manufacturers. In this case, I'm doing Apple a favour, since we know it's been using some corean second-rate hardware for years (check the apple cinema display for instance). And also, Apple is known to hide the brand of its hardware. On the contrary, PC manufacturers, especially Dell, practice the glasnost policy. Ever tried to get the brand of your optical drive on your Macbook ? See what i mean then.

"About this Mac", "More Info", and the Mac shows you everything you want to know.

[tripwire]

And the 200 gb 7200 rpm are nice but i shoulda bin 250 gb 7200 rpm..
I think they put on the 2.6 just to make a distance beetwen the pro and regular(the mackbook cannabilizem theory....it would be bether if they had waited longer and make a real upgrade with 2.8 penryn and a bether graphics..
but a "quiet" upgrade is bether then nothing i guess..

the question is should we wait for bether macbook pro's ore just hit it?

And who do you suggest Apple buy these 2.5" 250GB 7200 rpm disks from?
MBP with a 2.8Ghz penryn should be out in Jan/Feb.
The 2.6Ghz option for the MBP is just there to boost sales a bit for the Xmas season.

[technocoy]

Wow, that made me chuckle lol. Most of the LaCie drives I worked on were Maxtor models (which is now owned by Seagate) and Samsung. Western Digital did manufacture some drives and parts for LaCie years ago, but due to the incorporation of LaCie drive parts found that their drives weren't functioning properly in accordance with their quality standards and broke or refused to renew their contract with LaCie.

Interesting story though (and sorry for your troubles, nothing sucks more than a drive crashing). My photographer friend had his LaCie drive crash a few months ago with all his nieces' wedding photographs on it. I was able to recover 75-80% of the photographs using Data Rescue II and some work, highly recommend that program.

Yeah, I definitely hate maxtor as well... Here's to hoping that Seagate quality goes into maxtor and not the other way around...

That being said (slightly off topic i know) I have to agree on Data Rescue... One of the best recovery apps I have ever seen.

[Edot]

Specs are here to stay, dude. They're like facts. You can't beat a fact. Otherwise, you're just another sheep to the Apple herd.

Apparently, you are not understanding my point, so I will clarify it.

A value judgement is comprised of many different factors and subfactors, and each of these factors must be considered when making the judgement. Otherwise, you may over emphasis a factor that when combined with other factors, contributes very little to the overall judgement.

You are trying to make a value judgement about a computer. Specifically whether one computer is more valuable than another.

A computer includes many different factors that need to be considered when forming a conclusion about the value of a computer. Examples include Hardware, operating system, device support, 3rd party software support, maintainence, hardware/software support, etc. Even within these factors are sub factors. Within hardware, the hard disk, memory, processor, etc.

A value judgement or comparision can be assigned to a particular factor by holding all other factors equal and applying a value. After all factors have been assigned a value the total value can be attained and compared with other computers.

Your value judgement is not based on all of the factors that need to be assigned a value concerning a computer. Your value judgement of the hardware is also incomplete since you are not holding all values of other factors constant. For example, if one hard drive is 160GB in capacity, and another is 80 GB in capacity. You assigned a value judgement based soley on the capacity of the drive. However, if the 160 GB drive is faster than the 80 GB, and the 80 GB drive is more reliable, the value judgement may change if I need the fastest drive possible, or the most reliable. A value judgement cannot be assigned properly because the factors necessary in making the judgement have not been considered.

In summary, you failed to include the necessary factors in your value judgement, and you failed to make a proper value judgement on the factors you did include.

Of course making a value judgement about hardware is benefitial and important in making a value judgement about a computer. Nevertheless, without making a proper judgement about the hardware, and without including the other necessary factors that are important to making a value judgement about a computer, the value judgement is rather inaccurate and incomplete.

The main issue is that you have made a value judgement about the hardware (nevermind a poor one) and applied that value judgement to the computer as a whole. This misstep, above the others, leads to your value judgement being inaccurate and potentially misleading.

[MacPhilosopher]

It is about time that they gave a speed bump change to the MacBook. However, as I said in the previous rumor thread, this was not going to be the complete redesign and overhaul that others were calling for. Generally, these are the kinds of updates that you see in the fall. Wait for late winter or spring for big surprises.

[Brianstorm91]

It is about time that they gave a speed bump change to the MacBook. However, as I said in the previous rumor thread, this was not going to be the complete redesign and overhaul that others were calling for. Generally, these are the kinds of updates that you see in the fall. Wait for late winter or spring for big surprises.

But what will they update other than the case (hopefully)?

[Digital Skunk]

it's allways nice with upgrade..
info from apple - ".... To enjoy the greatest possible performance for processor-intensive tasks such as video rendering, gaming, and more, you can upgrade the processor in your MacBook Pro from the standard 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo to an even faster 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo."

gaming?:):)

And the 200 gb 7200 rpm are nice but i shoulda bin 250 gb 7200 rpm..
I think they put on the 2.6 just to make a distance beetwen the pro and regular(the mackbook cannabilizem theory....it would be bether if they had waited longer and make a real upgrade with 2.8 penryn and a bether graphics..
but a "quiet" upgrade is bether then nothing i guess..

the question is should we wait for bether macbook pro's ore just hit it?

I don't think any HDD company makes a 250GB 7200 rpm drive just yet. The 200 is good start though. When they make the 250GB 7200 rpm I will be in line for one ASAP.

I am going to wait until Jan/Feb when the official upgrade for the MBP comes out. 2.6 isn't enough of a jump from the current models and the graphics cards are a bit dated now, so hopefully there will be a GFX update in the MBP as well. A new case design would be nice too, but upgrading the guts is enough for me.

As for LaCie disks being unreliable... it's all personal opinion and experience. I could say the same for all the Western Digital drives that are sitting on a friend of mines desk, dead and useless, or all of the Hitachi Deathstars that roam about my former college campus and on the internet, but I have had no problems with any of the drives I have used, many of them from Hitachi, a few from Western Digital, and a few from Seagate. Many of them are in LaCie cases and G-Tech cases, stuck inside my MBP and PowerMac G5. All of which have been running constantly for weeks on end only being shut down for long trips away from the machine or updates.

[KissStephanie]

If anyone is going to compare the MacBook to a Dell please compare it against the XPS M1330.Yes, and the Dell costs about $1600.00 ($300 more than the mid MacBook) for a 1.5 GHz core 2 duo Santa Rosa (700MHz slower than the mid MacBook) and the same graphics. However that price does include a 160 GB hard drive (40 GB more than the mid MacBook), and 2 GB's of RAM (twice the RAM than the mid MacBook) included. The MacBook also ships with Leopard and iLife, while the Dell has Vista Home! Yuck!

The option of the 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS graphic card for $100 extra is the best feature of the Dell.Well, looks I'm back to waiting until January for a proper MacBook update. :oJanuary? I don't think so. Try April/May.

[MacPhilosopher]

Sorry for the double post. I messed up when trying to fix my typo: "concure" is misspelled. Concur is the correct spelling.

[Digital Skunk]

Let's pretend Dell and Apple use the same manufacturers. In this case, I'm doing Apple a favour, since we know it's been using some corean second-rate hardware for years (check the apple cinema display for instance). And also, Apple is known to hide the brand of its hardware. On the contrary, PC manufacturers, especially Dell, practice the glasnost policy. Ever tried to get the brand of your optical drive on your Macbook ? See what i mean then.

NO.... I have no problem at all finding out the hardware on my Mac and many others right out of the box. System Profiler tells you just about everything you need to know. If you need to know more, you can go online (at Apple's website) or open the case yourself.

This statement is simple not true, and Dell and Apple use pretty much the same hardware. Apple isn't short changing anyone.

P.S. You obviously haven't used an ACD. They are over priced and underspec'd compared to others, (including Dell's) but they are still the most color accurate and best looking displays on the market. And the only ones you can get with a very useful FW400 port on the back. I would get any other manufacturer's model if I were on a budget, but if I have the cash, ACD it will be.

[MacPhilosopher]

"About this Mac", "More Info", and the Mac shows you everything you want to know.

My optical drive taken right out of "About this Mac":

"MAT****ADVD-R UJ-846" (Note: I tried to bold the letters between "MAT" and "DVD-R" for emphasis on quality, but could not do so without offending the censors. Use your imagination. My apologies to the censors:)

[Brianstorm91]

January? I don't think so. Try April/May.

:eek: But what about MacWorld?

I am feeling I should just swallow my pride and get a BlackBook.. I just really want an Aluminium case :o

[Digital Skunk]

Yes, and the Dell costs about $1600.00 ($300 more than the mid MacBook) for a 1.5 GHz core 2 duo Santa Rosa (700MHz slower than the mid MacBook) and the same graphics. However that price does include a 160 GB hard drive (40 GB more than the mid MacBook), and 2 GB's of RAM (twice the RAM than the mid MacBook) included. The MacBook also ships with Leopard and iLife, while the Dell has Vista Home! Yuck!

The option of the 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS graphic card for $100 extra is the best feature of the Dell.January? I don't think so. Try April/May.

**cheers and applauds***

That is truly the only benefit of the Dell 1330. You can spec to be a MBP contender, that's it, and you will pay MBP prices for it as well. Personally.... the only thing holding a lot of people back from buying the machine over the MB is that it can only run Windows Vista, which sucks according to many PC supporters, or Linux, which doesn't have the backing of Mac OS X and Windows.

When you buy PC, you have to pick your poison.

[machatch]

And where do you suggest Apple buy these 2.5" 250GB 7200 rpm disks from?
2.8Ghz penryn should be out in Jan/Feb.
The 2.6Ghz option for the MBP is just there too boost sales a bit for the Xmas season.

you're right 250 currently dont exist..i thought hitachi but no..little wishfull thinking..but 2x160 gb(7200 rpm) exist and could be clever.. ore 320 gb 5400 rpm..
I think it's little slick to demand 250$ extra for the "upgrade" to 2,6..they should be included..But if they should decleare a 2,8 penryn in mackworld it would make some sense..and apple could make more money in the mean time..
don't now about the boost for xmas season, (maybe the mackbook would boost sales)..i dont think 2.6 will change people's heart..2.8 had definitely bin a hit in the Xmas season..But it's just impossible for Apple to doe so..because of the penryn comes to late to make it hapend....I think the dell's does it big this xmas..And the design in macbook/pro are indeed little boring...

[Macula]

Customizing the MB Pro to the 200GB/7200 RPM drive delays the shipment ridiculously by 2-3 weeks.

Isn't it amazing how they know how to discourage those (like me) who have just received a machine with a 160GB/7200RPM drive from calling Apple and asking for a replacement? (This seems the only reasonable explanation for the delay -- there are certainly plenty of drives in stock already!)

2-3 weeks is a long time for working people and, besides, in a month from today there will already be discussion about the MB Pro updates at Macworld in January

[emilsjr]

And yeah, Apple specs are *****, thats why a MacBook Pro was voted the fastest windows machine. Ha.



Voted ? By whom ? Macrumors.com ? :)


Try PCWorld

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136649-page,3-c,notebooks/article.html

But what do they know?

[machatch]

I don't think any HDD company makes a 250GB 7200 rpm drive just yet. The 200 is good start though. When they make the 250GB 7200 rpm I will be in line for one ASAP.

I am going to wait until Jan/Feb when the official upgrade for the MBP comes out. 2.6 isn't enough of a jump from the current models and the graphics cards are a bit dated now, so hopefully there will be a GFX update in the MBP as well. A new case design would be nice too, but upgrading the guts is enough for me.

.


Yes the 2.6 upgrade was indeed lame...a new case design in the 2,8 would be cool ..-so you can distinct them from eachother(the great vs the ugly:cool:)-..the new breed of macbook pro with a blueray burner.2,8 penryn with the option to clock:confused: it..
More Hard-disc option..bether graphic-card..led screen..and a radically changed design(??).::D

[tripwire]

I think the dell's does it big this xmas..And the design in macbook/pro are indeed little boring...

You think so?
I'm by no means an Apple fanboy, but I do think that Leopard (although it's far from perfect) is the best OS for desktops/laptops.
More and more people are taking notice of it and are buying Apple hardware.
In my opinion the design of the MBP is great, and as far as I'm concerned they stick with it for another 5 yrs.

[dcorban]

Awesome! I was hoping they would migrate the new function hotkey layout (from the new aluminum keyboards) to the new MacBook, and they did!

Here is confirmation:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306843

[wizard]

I just realised how cheap the Macbooks in the US actually are; do you guys realise that the most basic Macbook you can buy in Ireland costs $1515?

That is a shame, but I'm not surprised. I spent some time in Ireland in the past for work and can say that from the economic standpoint I have to wonder how you people do it. Everything was more expensive in Ireland. Heck the stuff in the Waterford Crystal plant was more expensive than it needed to be.

In the same way that I found things expensive, when the Irish guys where in the US to visit our plant they always came with a little extra cash to update their electronics collections. The pricing differences even after exchange rate issues of the time where dramatic. I don't know what the problem is but in the case of cameras both items get imported in to our countries. Maybe you guys need a few Walmarts and Best Buys!!

In Ireland there is a reliance on the small business owner to deliver goods and services. Often they do so with little competition. The problem is this is not a good model to deliver mass produced commodities. Add in European tax structures and you are pretty much screwed.

Dave

[starman0147]

It’s almost an anti climax now the updates are here. My general realistic expectations have been filled, however how they deem fit to put still to include a combo drive in the base model is beyond me. Also the price of the black book remains at a premium, why can’t they offer a choice of black or white for each configuration??? I am in the UK btw so the update has not officially yet to appear on the site.

Now the Macbook has been updated what are the chances it will get another update at Macworld?

Also I know the MBP is supposed to be updated but at Macworld but what kind of update should we expected to see? How much of improved will it be over the current MBP?

I am not sure to jump now and get one or wait that little bit longer till Macworld as I have been waiting so long anyway. A generous revision to the MBP would be something to seriously get excited about.

[MitchC]

Awesome! I was hoping they would migrate the new function hotkey layout (from the new aluminum keyboards) to the new MacBook, and they did!

Here is confirmation:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306843

See a few posts earlier... ;)

Mitch

[KissStephanie]

:eek: But what about MacWorld?What about it? If Apple releases a new consumer portable in January, then that will be a first. I am expecting other releases. Maybe there will be a new pro portable release, or a smaller than 13 inch portable announcement, but these refreshed MacBooks won't see an update in my opinion.I am feeling I should just swallow my pride and get a BlackBook.. I just really want an Aluminium case :oMaybe that will happen in April/May of next year. Apple normally announces new portable Mac's just prior to Summer when people can take them outdoors and buy them for the new school year ahead, or just before Christmas. I don't expect that to change in January of next year.

[Roba]

What other media software is needed? You can also get a free word processing tool which is decent with the Dell. You can also get phone support if you own a Dell. Why do some people feel the need to include Vista Ultimate into comparsions like these?
Most consumers would just opt for Vista Home Premium anyway if they were looking to buy the Dell.

The MB is a nice laptop but it is heavier than the XPS M1330 and it is still all plastic and it still offers no LED or the option of a dedicated graphics card.


Could you quote your source for your price comparison? (Dell, 1,024 $ : Inspiron 1420)

And make sure you add the Unlimited version of Vista (unlimited version of Leopard ships with the Macbook).
You also forgot the integrated bluetooth module (included with the mac).
And the remote.
And the webcam.
And the 30 day phone support.
And the media software bundle...

The cheapest I could get is $1,241 for the 2.0 core 2 duo model (without the media software, with 1 year warranty and after the $300 instant rebate).

[chicagostars]

As of right now, it looks like Apple hasn't changed their pricing in the Canada Store to reflect the strong Canadian Dollar. I call B.S. on that one.

Here is what I mean:

U.S. Store Prices for the three new MacBooks:
US Prices............ In Canadian Dollars after conversion:
$1099 USD............ $1039.22 CAD
$1299 USD............ $1228.34 CAD
$1499 USD............ $1417.46 CAD

Canadian Store Prices:
$1249
$1449
$1649

And let's not forget sales tax- in Canada, we're talking 14% tax on top of those high Canadian prices. If I take a quick drive down to Buffalo, NY, I can pay the U.S. price and only approximately 8% sales tax. Even if I have to declare the MacBook at the border, the duty fees I would have to pay would not come close to the more than $200 difference (over $320 difference including taxes). Oh, the cost of gas would only be around $50-60 to drive there and back, so it's still a big savings.

When Leopard was released, Apple priced it competitively in Canada to the US price, at $129 CAD. I expected them to do the same with the MacBook, considering our dollar is stronger than the U.S. and is still going up. I think that they've dropped the ball here. The price differences between products in Canada vs. the U.S. is a big story right now in Canada, and it's only a matter of time before this story appears on the news.

Guess where I'll be driving in the next couple of weeks? At least I'll be able to eat at The Cheesecake Factory.....

Still, Apple isn't the only reatailer whose prizes aren't as fluid as the monetary exchange rates. Could be cool for some consumers, but chaotic for the book balancers of many companies.

On a side note . . . DAMN!!! Long gone are the days when we in the US could count on at least the CAD to be worth less than the USD. Soon you'll be like the British, coming to the US for the "All-American Half Price Sale!" :):):)

[Eidorian]

Sounds like a stupid question but how do I make sure I'm getting the SR chipset on the macbook I order online. I asked a chick on the apple chat website thing and she wouldn't confirm anything. Or are all the macbooks being sold online now coming with SR.I ordered one this morning at 9:50 EDT (-5 GMT) and it was the Santa Rosa model.

Yes, and the Dell costs about $1600.00 ($300 more than the mid MacBook) for a 1.5 GHz core 2 duo Santa Rosa (700MHz slower than the mid MacBook) and the same graphics. However that price does include a 160 GB hard drive (40 GB more than the mid MacBook), and 2 GB's of RAM (twice the RAM than the mid MacBook) included. The MacBook also ships with Leopard and iLife, while the Dell has Vista Home! Yuck!

The option of the 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS graphic card for $100 extra is the best feature of the Dell.January? I don't think so. Try April/May.Thank you for proving my point. :rolleyes:

It's nice to get someone else to do the work.

[machatch]

You think so?
I'm by no means an Apple fanboy, but I do think that Leopard (although it's far from perfect) is the best OS for desktops/laptops.
More and more people are taking notice of it and are buying Apple hardware.
In my opinion the design of the MBP is great, and as far as I'm concerned they stick with it for another 5 yrs.

can't argue with the leopard(even though theres bin problems with the firewall(quote:1.i turns off when you install it.2."block all" dont block all.3.hide firwall rules in a black box the user can acces and a trojan coming.. http://www.intego.com/news/ism0705.asp)
But thats normal.
I think the design in mackbook pro are ok..But it would be cool with a new design...yeah maybe they stick with it 5 years..that would be boring..

[muttley1211]

haha... I was going to go pick up my new macbook today after waiting a couple months of waiting.So I get online to check the number to call the apple store to see if the have the new macbooks in stock, but the website says the apple store close to my house is closed for renovations from October 29 - Nov 2 :mad:

There are two other apple stores 30 minutes from my house, but that is in normal traffic. You don't want to be around those areas at 5pm on a weekday.......Atlanta traffic is no joke.

Looks like I'll have to wait just a little longer to switch over to a macbook :cool:

[stefan15]

We probably wont see prices come down here in Canada for some time now. Many retailers view the current economic situation as "unstable", and I have to agree. You can't just instantly change prices when, historically, the Canadian dollar has been less value compared to the US.

That said, I wish they'd do it already!!!!

[Richmond1958]

Sounds like a stupid question but how do I make sure I'm getting the SR chipset on the macbook I order online.

Further to Eidorian's point, the label on the box will also show the new chipset listed, so you will be able to tell before you open the box. At least it does on the 2.2 GHz MB one I just picked up today from the local Apple Store.

[macme55]

Fantastic new macbooks.........arrived finally..
Any idea when the international websites get updated so i can order one ?
:D

Need to order one quick ... My PC is screaming KILL ME !!!.... but really....... I am surprised its still working.

[carlop]

Its disgusting how apple still hasn't updated their canadian prices. There's still over 13% difference on the price of the lower end macbook, when the canadian dollar is worth almost 5% more than its us counterpart.

even the macbook pro upgrades... 250 US$ vs 275 CAN$...

At least reduce the gap just a bit...

Come on Apple! Get with the times already!!

[JSpence]

Further to Eidorian's point, the label on the box will also show the new chipset listed, so you will be able to tell before you open the box. At least it does on the 2.2 GHz MB one I just picked up today from the local Apple Store.

Also, when I placed my order, my order printout told me the specs of the Mac I was getting. It said 2.2 Ghz. If you purchase it online, they give you a reciept online during checkout. Pretty much any purchase online from this point will be SR. But like quoted, it will also say on the outisde of the box.

[Eidorian]

Also, when I placed my order, my order printout told me the specs of the Mac I was getting. It said 2.2 Ghz. If you purchase it online, they give you a reciept online during checkout. Pretty much any purchase online from this point will be SR. But like quoted, it will also say on the outisde of the box.

Further to Eidorian's point, the label on the box will also show the new chipset listed, so you will be able to tell before you open the box. At least it does on the 2.2 GHz MB one I just picked up today from the local Apple Store.And here's what I got in my e-mail this morning.

http://www.math.purdue.edu/~abarreno/order.png

[tripwire]

I think the design in mackbook pro are ok..But it would be cool with a new design...yeah maybe they stick with it 5 years..that would be boring..

You call it boring, I call it continuity ;-)

[Brianstorm91]

DAMN!!! Long gone are the days when we in the US could count on at least the CAD to be worth less than the USD. Soon you'll be like the British, coming to the US for the "All-American Half Price Sale!" :):):)
However our petrol fare is considerably higher ;)

[KingofAwesome]

LOL no kidding. Buck up, people. I do video editing on a G4/1GHz Powerbook. Cry me a freaking river.

Back in the day I had to use PINE MAIL (anyone remember this) on a terminal emulator. Let's all grow some perspective here and appreciate the industrial design that Apple has to offer and not become little Nigel Tufnels worried that the knob absolutely must go to eleven.

You can still surf pr0n, e-mail the latest youtube link of some douchebag nutting himself on a handrail, and watch pirated movies on the current Macbooks...

As for the professionals who complain about specs... If you don't know how to be more creative/productive on a lesser tool, then you're not that creative or productive to begin with. You can have a 20 piece drum kit and still be the worst drummer in the world. Buddy Rich got more sound out of a busted-ass four piece than most drummers to this day. Shakespeare had a vocabulary of over 650,000 words and didn't sit there whining about not having a better quill...

Man makes the tools, not the other way around.

I'm going to ignore the inflammatory patronizing and counter your last point. Yes, the tools aren't the only factor for a creative professional. But speed is important in some cases - for example, at my job, we may film a press conference in the morning and need to have it captured, edited, and rendered to a few different formats (including a DVD master copy) in a matter of hours. Do you think we're going to do that with a G4/1GHz?

Of course not. We can use MBP's to capture the video on the way back to the office, and then upload to our server and use a few Mac Pros to do various tasks.

And speaking as a musician, better tools help there as well. The best musician in the world will still sound better with better gear. Professionals invest in their equipment. I hope you don't do professional editing with such antiquated gear.

Yes, I remember PINE. I also remember genlocks and video toasters. I upgraded when the tech was available because my product depended in part on my image - potential customers wanted to do tech business with someone who uses modern tech. No amount of "back in my day" will attract more customers.

[tuc]

why would the weight of these new MBs go from 5.2 to 5 pounds even?

The new chips might run enough cooler that they could take 3 ounces out of the heat sink. That's just a guess-most likely wrong.

[Eidorian]

The new chips might run enough cooler that they could take 3 ounces out of the heat sink. That's just a guess-most likely wrong.I like your answer anyways. :p

[HowEver]

1. When does the Buyer's Guide get updated?

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook

.

2. Can someone tell me the cost for an educationally priced Black MacBook in the United States? I'd like to compare it with the Canadian price. Thanks!

[jdsmoooth]

With all the rumors of an updted macbook, and myself in the market for a mac laptop after the purchase of my first imac. I work from home. So, without a macbook I can't get away from my home office. I have been bouncing off the walls. I also started to have some sick adiction to checking the rumor mill and the mac site numerous times a day recently.
I almost folded and purchased prior to the update, just for my own sanity, and I'm new to this rumor stuff.... I'm glad I waited. Picked up my black macbook today. Thanks' everyone for the information. ... now maybe I can start obsessing over iphone 2.0. :)

[Roba]

I have just speced up both of these laptops
A XPS M1330 with a 2.2 processor, CCFL screen, 2GB, 160 HD, Works, Bluetooth, N Wifi and 1 year warranty with phone support costs $1,693
The MacBook with the same specs with the 2GB of ram and bigger HD and iWork added costs $1,603.
The prices are quite comparable.

[Sarcasmo]

I'm joining this community waiting for the Holy Grail.

I'm telling you this from a reliable source who prefers to remain anonymous : the new Macbook and Macbook Pro will be announced January the 14th, 2008.

The same goes for Office 2008 for Mac, a huge upgrade.

So you've got to be patient. 2 1/2 months to go. Save your money !

I love it. Hours, freaking HOURS after a new update to the Macbooks, albeit a small one, there is already a "Ohmygoddon'tbythisonebuythenextoneitscomingoutsosoonisweaaaaar." posts.

2.2/SR/2gb ram/3100 will last me a couple years. To hell with aluminum. Maybe if it breaks I get a new one anyway.

Enough speculation, time for some Mac-ulation! :apple:

[yzp]

not a major update, but a big minor-one though!

[Brianstorm91]

I have just speced up both of these laptops
A XPS M1330 with a 2.2 processor, CCFL screen, 2GB, 160 HD, Works, Bluetooth, N Wifi and 1 year warranty with phone support costs $1,693
The MacBook with the same specs with the 2GB of ram and bigger HD and iWork added costs $1,603.
The prices are quite comparable.

-$90 for OS X :D

[yzp]

display options are quite interesting on macbook pros!!

an hd laptop screen ;)

useless, but interesting!

[jaeger19604]

I ordered a new, slightly beefed up black macbook this morning. YaY!:D

[Brianstorm91]

Any news as to when updated MacBooks will be available on the UK Store?

[darthraige]

-$90 for OS X :D

Wouldn't that be, -$129? :)

[Sceneshifter]

The 4gb RAM is a HUGE upgrade, this is basicaly a Macbook Pro, without the GPU, at least for my needs! :-D

[jasonh1234]

Its disgusting how apple still hasn't updated their canadian prices.

I agree! I'm probably going to have to go to the Seattle the weekend after next, to get my MBP. Unless there's an Apple store in Bellingham or somewhere closer to Vancouver

I wonder how much I'll get dinged bringing it back across the border?

[Sarcasmo]

I love it. Hours, freaking HOURS after a new update to the Macbooks, albeit a small one, there is already a "Ohmygoddon'tbythisonebuythenextoneitscomingoutsosoonisweaaaaar." posts.

2.2/SR/2gb ram/3100 will last me a couple years. To hell with aluminum. Maybe if it breaks I get a new one anyway.

Enough speculation, time for some Mac-ulation! :apple:

By the way, the 2007 Iron-and-Steel-Clad Balls Award goes to Apple Inc.

Charging $1100 for the low-end Macbook in late 2007 takes some real stones. Kudos, :apple:

[Sarcasmo]

I agree! I'm probably going to have to go to the Seattle the weekend after next, to get my MBP. Unless there's an Apple store in Bellingham or somewhere closer to Vancouver

I wonder how much I'll get dinged bringing it back across the border?

You pay the sales tax. Which, by the way, would STILL make it cheaper. That assumes the customs inspector spots the apple box in your car/carryon ;)

[Darkroom]

I just realised how cheap the Macbooks in the US actually are; do you guys realise that the most basic Macbook you can buy in Ireland costs $1515?

well, let me tell you... this is a new product that is selling for $200 more (per model) in Canada than in the USA, when the canadian dollar is worth more... figure that one out...

[OldTimey]

You do realize the wireless reception sucks with aluminum casing as compared to plastic, right?

The main reason I have a Macbook is because of the superior wireless reception where I live when compared to the 1.67 PowerBook and the MacBook Pro I previously owned. I wish Apple would give an option for the matte screen on the MacBook, as that's my main dislike with my current one.

maybe you should try positioning your wireless router in a more central location! I always have 4 bars with my PB, and I live in a dense part of town.

[OldTimey]

well, let me tell you... this is a new product that is selling for $200 more (per model) in Canada than in the USA, when the canadian dollar is worth more... figure that one out...

well, apple is an american company, so that's the way it goes folks. I have to pay $2.99 for a box of imported Italian pasta that probably goes for a 1 euro or less in Milano.

[Brianstorm91]

Wouldn't that be, -$129? :)

$1 693
-$1 603
_______

$0 090

:)

[Cloudsurfer]

Nice update :) I'm in absolutely no need for a new computer, but it's nice to see things slowly changing up to the point where I do need a new one :D

I wonder how that X3100 fares against the 950... does Mac OS support it's T&L function? Last time I checked Intel was still writing some Windows drivers for that.

[~David]

well, apple is an american company, so that's the way it goes folks. I have to pay $2.99 for a box of imported Italian pasta that probably goes for a 1 euro or less in Milano.

O_o

Yes, but the Euro is worth more than the US Dollar. And seeing as how the Canadian Dollar is worth more, MacBooks should be cheaper here!

[jasonh1234]

That assumes the customs inspector spots the apple box in your car/carryon ;)But if I'm asked if I have anything to declare and I say no, and then he spots the box in the trunk, won't they send me to Guantanmo or something?

[Digital Skunk]

By the way, the 2007 Iron-and-Steel-Clad Balls Award goes to Apple Inc.

Charging $1100 for the low-end Macbook in late 2007 takes some real stones. Kudos, :apple:

If we are talking 2007, let's give it to Palm, for introducing the worthless Foleo about five years too late, then taking it off the market just in time to save itself from embarrassment.

Or we can give it to Microsoft, for unleashing the stink bomb Vista in five different versions, and over charging on every version while simultaneously crippling the necessary features and mix matching options that would have sold them more copies of one version over another.

Screwing your own dedicated users in the arse is the only way a company can show it's still the sh**. Apple still has a way to go. :D

[jasonh1234]

...selling for $200 more (per model) in Canada than in the USA, when the canadian dollar is worth more... figure that one out...
$300 more for the MBP. Stupidity. At those prices I'm amazed Apple isn't bumping up advertising in Canada. They make way more money off us than Americans.

[Roba]

I have tried both and there isn't much difference between Vista Premium and Vista Ultimate.
With Vista Home Premium you can back up your work to a HD like you can do with Leopard.
I'm pretty sure that you are also able to use Remote desktop with Vista Home Premium although it maybe more advanced in Vista Ultimate.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
I am aware of stuff like Garageband as well but at the same time when i bought a Mac i paid £65 to have a paint program.

There are a few other differences as well the Dell has a HDMI port an ExpressCard 54 mm slot and also 8-in-1 removable memory card reader.

Like i said i think that they are both good laptops but i think that the XPS M1330 is maybe more aimed at the mid market and maybe higher end market.

-$90 for OS X :D

[Digital Skunk]

O_o

Yes, but the Euro is worth more than the US Dollar. And seeing as how the Canadian Dollar is worth more, MacBooks should be cheaper here!

Yeah... but shipping that heavy load of computers through all that snow is what brings the cost up. And over there in Europe, you have to get it across that huge pond. :D

(by pond I mean the Atlantic Ocean)

[AdamB60]

I got mine today, first Macbook. I'll get to play with it after I finish writing some papers.

[tuc]

a bit upsetting.. i'm officially one of those 'bought a MPB 4 days before refresh' people.

i suppose i'm better off having spent $150 maxing out the RAM at 4gb (purchased at newegg) than spending $250 on .2ghz anyway.

Probably so, but note that the pre-November macbooks can use only 3.3gb of that 4gb RAM you bought. The new macbooks should be able to use all 4gb.

[Digital Skunk]

I have tried both and there isn't much difference between Vista Premium and Vista Ultimate.
With Vista Home Premium you can back up your work to a HD like you can do with Leopard.
I'm pretty sure that you are also able to use Remote desktop with Vista Home Premium although it maybe more advanced in Vista Ultimate.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
I am aware of stuff like Garageband as well but at the same time when i bought a Mac i paid £65 to have a paint program.

There are a few other differences as well the Dell has a HDMI port an ExpressCard 54 mm slot and also 8-in-1 removable memory card reader.

Like i said i think that they are both good laptops but i think that the MB is maybe more aimed the mid market and maybe higher end market.

AppleInsider did and extensive look at Time Machine and other features of Leopard that make it tiers better than Vista Ultimate. For me, the biggest features that is obviously hand over foot better than Vista is live partitioning, desktop sharing without added software, and sharing over the web without setting up an FTP or any other software.

Vista has those capabilities, but it has to come by added software, or configuring your machine and time consuming setups. Mac OS X makes it easy, Vista eats up your time.

Also, Apple's website give you a good look at the main features that users will be using in Leopard, you should have a look at it.

[tuc]

I can't see an equality between the top end MacBook and the low end MacBook Pro?

Just the differences in case materials, graphics card, FW 800, External 30" Monitor's, ect...

External 30" support is worth thinking about. Does the X3100 GMU in the new macbooks support any more displays than the old GMA 950 did?

[Sarcasmo]

Oh, also in the Balls Department...Charging $850, yes $850 for an upgrade to 4gb. That is INSANE. And yes, I used the caps lock. Do they never even look at 3rd party sites?

[Digital Skunk]

External 30" support is worth thinking about. Does the X3100 GMU in the new macbooks support any more displays than the old GMA 950 did?

I don't think so, I am too lazy to check the specs. But if FW800, a 15" matte or glossy higher resolution display, express card 34 slot, and dedicated graphics aren't enough of a difference then the MacBook is perfect for you.

[OldTimey]

$300 more for the MBP. Stupidity. At those prices I'm amazed Apple isn't bumping up advertising in Canada. They make way more money off us than Americans.

that makes no sense...the US market is 10 times the size of the Canadian one...

im sorry, but Americans pay more for German cars than Germans do, more for Earl Gray Tea than the English, more for Irish Whiskey and Guinness than the Irish, and more for some smelly French cheese than the French do. So you pay more for American computers than Americans. I'm no patriotic homer, and I do not approve of the current administration's international policies, but for all the grief foreign countries give the United States over their politics it seems lame whining about this. suck it up and pay the 300 bucks. you get free healthcare. we don't, and that can get REALLY expensive.

[compuguy1088]

If you have MacBook, you can do it yourself.

If you have MBP, you can have the drive upgraded by apple certified technicians without voiding warranty.

If you are in nova, I know apple certified technicians.

Your referring to nova as Northern Virginia, right?

[RonJ83]

this is kinda disappointing if they expect this to lure in buyers for the upcoming holiday. i was really looking forward to something that would blow me away and force my hand but this isnt that much for me to give up my powerbook yet.

[theBB]

I know it's been said before, but I gotta say it as well. Combo drive??? Come on... $200 extra for SuperDrive... I want to buy a Macbook for my parents, but I don't want to pay another $200 for SuperDrive, as they won't need the CPU upgrade. Damn...

[Sarcasmo]

this is kinda disappointing if they expect this to lure in buyers for the upcoming holiday. i was really looking forward to something that would blow me away and force my hand but this isnt that much for me to give up my powerbook yet.

And its not like they are even trumpeting it. It's not even on the front splash page yet. That likely means brand spanking new in six months. but to heck with that I've been waiting since the original.

[Sound Evolution]

Guys,

What is wrong with you.. How could u even dare to mention Dell:mad:. I don't care the MB's don't have the best specs for the money. There is no single laptop on the market that look so classy, tight and aesthetical beautiful designed as an MB. The Dell laptops look like ugly **** to me! I don’t even want to have one for free. MB’s are great machines and they work great. Even if OS-X would be available for both PC and MAC, I still would buy MAC (laptop) hardware since I really love their products. They are smarter, more elegant and so much different then any other laptop on the market. Vaio's are nice but still on par with Apple IMHO.

I love APPLE stop complaining and be happy with all the success apple gained last years.

Coming Jan. Will is "THE" month of the great new stuff, and I hope we see new designed MBP's that going to blow everyone and us away! IF someone can do it, it is apple!

I only want a 13" mini MBP so badly!! :( Please Apple deliver it soon!!!!

:apple::apple::apple:

Regards,
Bas

[compuguy1088]

why don't they get rid of the nasty combo drive!!!

I have no clue why they don't get rid of it. These days DVD burners are pretty cheap, though I wonder if there is a large enough premium for these ultra slim slot loading drives?

[Sarcasmo]

I have no clue why they don't get rid of it. These days DVD burners are pretty cheap, though I wonder if there is a large enough premium for these ultra slim slot loading drives?

The reason is simple. the low end model is designed to drive people to the mid and high end model. Someone just said on here that it would be hard NOT to buy a high end one. And thats exactly the point.

The low-end one is there for the people who really need a cheap notebook but want Apple. With the student discount its 999, so its there if you need it, but it's ridiculously easy to upsell.

[Stella]

There is a slight difference between buying products in u.s that were made in Europe - firstly, there's the transportation. Transportation isn't much of an issue between u.s and Canada - its certainly a lot easier than say, Europe - there's no pond to cross.

Its quite obviously Apple have not updated their prices to reflect the strength of the CDN Dollar, if they had done, there wouldn't be such a price difference.

No one is expecting there to be a parity between u.s and Canada on Apple products because there is always the cost of doing business in Canada ( and other countries ) - such as import taxes ( which would definitely apply to most other countries - not sure about Canada due to NAFTA) and other overheads.

Healthcare isn't exactly free, we pay higher taxes ( which, to be perfectly honest, I don't mind, there's the safety net should I ( or any one else ) get ill or break a limb etc etc).

that makes no sense...the US market is 10 times the size of the Canadian one...

im sorry, but Americans pay more for German cars than Germans do, more for Earl Gray Tea than the English, more for Irish Whiskey and Guinness than the Irish, and more for some smelly French cheese than the French do. So you pay more for American computers than Americans. I'm no patriotic homer, and I do not approve of the current administration's international policies, but for all the grief foreign countries give the United States over their politics it seems lame whining about this. suck it up and pay the 300 bucks. you get free healthcare. we don't, and that can get REALLY expensive.

[jasonh1234]

Americans pay more for German cars than Germans do, more for Earl Gray Tea than the English, more for Irish Whiskey and Guinness than the Irish, and more for some smelly French cheese than the French do. So you pay more for American computers than Americans.
When you put it like that... :o

suck it up and pay the 300 bucks. you get free healthcare. we don't, and that can get REALLY expensive. Touche':o

[Blaxje]

Did someone mention before that the new models sport the new keyboard layout with buttons for dashboard, exposé etc. :)

[Hattig]

A timely article that should answer the PC/Dell/Value Troll from earlier ...

http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=19552

I think I'll be soldiering on with my last-generation iBook for a few more months, it's more than good enough for what I'm using it for now. The MacBooks are terribly tempting though, but I just cannot justify it.

[basesloaded190]

i started watching this site was during the last macbook update. i don't know if everyone remembers but what people were bitching about then we got now. yes it may have gotten then a few months later. people were rummoring this update that we would get x1300 and SR updates. we got those. why can't people just be happy. at least its not like the update before this when we got nothing that we wanted...

[tripwire]

Yeah... but shipping that heavy load of computers through all that snow is what brings the cost up. And over there in Europe, you have to get it across that huge pond.

Those laptops are made in China ;-)

[Farani]

Hells ya! Rolling on my new 2.0Ghz SR Macbook!

[akwild]

I've been monitoring these boards for a while because I'm in the market for a new Macbook. My 2001-2 era Dell Latitude C600 is, uh, not getting it done anymore.

As of yesterday, I was waiting for the following to be added to the Macbook:

Santa Rosa
3100 GPU (dedicated GPU I think is a pipe dream if I don't want to drop Pro-level coin)
up to 4 GB RAM
LED display
Aluminum case

The case I'm not too concerned about, especially given aluminum's wifi interference.

First question is: is it worth waiting 6 months (in all likelihood) for the complete overhaul of the line so that I can get LED plus whatever other changes they make? (I'm guessing another modest upgrade in speed, possibly upgraded GPU again). Santa Rosa will be in the next line of Macbooks as well, I would guess, since the Penryn chips will go in the new Pros. A secondary question is, will Leopard run alright with the 3100?

Second question is, assuming I'm convinced I should buy now, who should I buy my RAM upgrade from? Even with EDU discount $765 for 4 MB of RAM is hilarious. I'll take the 2x512's and replace them with 2x2 GB for $160-$180.

Any other considerations I'm missing here? I don't do much gaming or video editing so I have no need for the pro apart from feeling awesome about myself for blowing an extra 300-500 on a status symbol.

[Farani]

Oh, also in the Balls Department...Charging $850, yes $850 for an upgrade to 4gb. That is INSANE. And yes, I used the caps lock. Do they never even look at 3rd party sites?

That's absurd! You can get 4GB's for $140. No joke.

[tripwire]

im sorry, but Americans pay more for German cars than Germans do

Actually, you don't.

[Farani]

The only question is can you wait 6 months before you get a laptop?

[Snide]

The Dell also doesn't have n wireless and doesn't state what resolution the screen is it. Also, being 14" probably makes it LESS desirable as it is bigger to lug around. Furthermore, Dell doesn't state the weight. I briefly considered PC laptops, but it's hard to find one that isn't a cow....

You also forgot to include the bluetooth, and if you include the 802.11n and the bluetooth, you are looking at less than $100 difference. Not to mention that if you want the "ultimate" version of windows, the Dell is MORE expensive. You get the ultimate version of Leopard with the macbook :)

That being said, how long does it usually take for the laptops to get out to resellers? Because of my situation(long story) I pretty much have to order from a reseller.

Value of running Leopard and not Vista (or XP):

PRICELESS

[Eidorian]

Oh, also in the Balls Department...Charging $850, yes $850 for an upgrade to 4gb. That is INSANE. And yes, I used the caps lock. Do they never even look at 3rd party sites?Post of the day. :D

Luckily I still have 2 x 1 GB from last year. ($150 ouch!)

I'll get 4 GB one day.

[basesloaded190]

I've been monitoring these boards for a while because I'm in the market for a new Macbook. My 2001-2 era Dell Latitude C600 is, uh, not getting it done anymore.

As of yesterday, I was waiting for the following to be added to the Macbook:

Santa Rosa
3100 GPU (dedicated GPU I think is a pipe dream if I don't want to drop Pro-level coin)
up to 4 GB RAM
LED display
Aluminum case

The case I'm not too concerned about, especially given aluminum's wifi interference.

First question is: is it worth waiting 6 months (in all likelihood) for the complete overhaul of the line so that I can get LED plus whatever other changes they make? (I'm guessing another modest upgrade in speed, possibly upgraded GPU again). Santa Rosa will be in the next line of Macbooks as well, I would guess, since the Penryn chips will go in the new Pros. A secondary question is, will Leopard run alright with the 3100?

Second question is, assuming I'm convinced I should buy now, who should I buy my RAM upgrade from? Even with EDU discount $765 for 4 MB of RAM is hilarious. I'll take the 2x512's and replace them with 2x2 GB for $160-$180.

Any other considerations I'm missing here? I don't do much gaming or video editing so I have no need for the pro apart from feeling awesome about myself for blowing an extra 300-500 on a status symbol.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/

i think they have a great value and rep. for mac memory

[gwangung]

That's absurd! You can get 4GB's for $140. No joke.

Hey, I agree...do it myself and save big.

But if they charge that AND get it...is Apple stupid for charging it?

[voxmeow]

I just bought the latest macbook at the Biltmore Apple Store. They insisted I wanted a macpro...no new macbooks. This went on for awhile when somebody said they were unloading things in the back. Another guy goes out to look and gee, I'm not brain dead after all, MacBook 2.2. and it's being called "Ultimate MacBook."

Then they wondered aloud in a huddle wether they were allowed to sell it yet. I was cranky at this point and took out credit card, said I was buying right now or going home and ordering online. They sold it to me.

Their attitude took a chunk of fun out of buying a new toy. I'll get over it as soon as I take this new "ultimate" out of it's box. I'm upgrading from an older G4 ibook so this should be damn cool.

[akwild]

The only question is can you wait 6 months before you get a laptop?

The only things I use my laptop for work-wise is word processing and web-based research. My Dell does these things crappily and causes me a fair amount of frustration, but strictly speaking I can put up with it for another 6 months or so if there is something truly worth it down the line.

[Cybergypsy]

I really am happy as i am not sure how the alum will look always liked the white so bought today, the new imacs look tacky, IMHO, and worry what will happed to the macbook :) so i am good.

[OldTimey]

Its quite obviously Apple have not updated their prices to reflect the strength of the CDN Dollar, if they had done, there wouldn't be such a price difference.


i can see what you are saying here. but if we paid attention to how well the CDN Dollar was doing, we wouldn't really be America, Land of the Self-Involved...now would we?:D


Healthcare isn't exactly free, we pay higher taxes ( which, to be perfectly honest, I don't mind, there's the safety net should I ( or any one else ) get ill or break a limb etc etc).

Taxes, schmaxes...i am jealous of all countries with 15% sales tax and healthcare for all.

Tax people for what they BUY not what they EARN! ughhhh....at least i can get macs cheaper!

[reflex]

belgium no update, even not compare specs, probbaly an accident

Don't forget that most people in Belgium have the day off today. At least that's why I think they haven't updated the Belgian store yet.

[tripwire]

Don't forget that most people in Belgium have the day off today.

How could we? ;-)

[rockaceone]

Is apple just slow on updating all their pages? I am purchasing one of these for work ( I work at a church) and we go through an association that gets us a discount (it's like going to the education pricing page). But when I go to the store and click on Macbook, just the picture and info appear but none of the options to select and then checkout. I noticed they are updated for the education pages though. Comon Apple... I want my Macbook! I already waited 2 months for Leopard and then the update....

[Farani]

Hey, I agree...do it myself and save big.

But if they charge that AND get it...is Apple stupid for charging it?

No, they are geniuses if they get it lol.

Really if they cut the price down though, more people would upgrade and they might make more profit in volume.

[Farani]

The only things I use my laptop for work-wise is word processing and web-based research. My Dell does these things crappily and causes me a fair amount of frustration, but strictly speaking I can put up with it for another 6 months or so if there is something truly worth it down the line.

If you can hold out, do it. I bought an iMac 6 week ago and have never had a laptop and I don't want to wait 6 months, so I didn't. And I love this little bad boy :cool::apple:

[Robert321]

If buying a US Macbook with the idea of using it in the UK, what compatibility issues will I come up against?
I am aware of the obvious power cable, and also I have heard of some issues with DVD regions and keyboard layouts?
What are the major issues I will come up against?
Many thanks,

[DrEasy]

I've been waiting for this update ever since my iBook G4 800Mhz died on me last summer (logic board failure)!

Since the Canadian online store insists on gouging us though, I think I'll make a trip to New York city to visit that spanking new Apple Store instead. :)

I have some questions for you guys:

- Will I still be able to get an edu discount at the NY Apple Store even though I work/study in Canada? Do I need some paper proof to get an edu discount? (I've only ever shopped online for edu discounts for Apple products)

- is there a store in NY city where I can buy some good and cheap RAM for the MB that I'll be buying (might as well max it out to 4GB if I can get a good deal)? Will they do the install for me?

- does Leopard run smoothly on 1GB of RAM? I'm asking just in case I wait a little bit before upgrading my RAM...

- the battery on my iBook was getting really weak near the end and I wonder if it's partially my own fault. Just so I don't make the same mistakes with the new one: do you leave the laptop plugged in or do you unplug it when working? Do you leave it plugged in when the lid is closed and the battery is fully recharged? Or do you unplug it?

- can I expect some longer battery life from this SR upgrade?

Thanks!

[whirlpool]

to all those Canadians:

Did apple change the price of the new macbooks compared to the older ones?

I'm in Oz, and the AUD is much stronger than it has been and is now almost equal to USD, yet the current prices are still as if the AUD is 1/3rd less valuable...

(Apple hasn't updated the AUS store yet, which is why I'm asking to see if I can expect a price cut)

[mosx]

If you look at Dells there is only 1 computer comparable to the Macbook; the XPS M1330.

Take the base model, add a 2.2GHz processor, Bluetooth, Wireless N card, and a 56 W/hr battery and you’ll be paying $1449. That is $150 more that a $1299 MacBook which comes with Leopard and iLife 08.

Oh please, don't give me that. If you look at the actual size comparisons of the XPS M1330, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and other 15.4" notebooks, you'll find that the MacBook really isn't that much smaller at all. Just single CM here and there.

For a little over $1500, you can confingure the XPS M1330 to have a better GPU, 85Whr battery (compared to the MacBooks 55Whr), and all of those other things.

I have my MacBook sitting next to my 15.4" HP right now and it is *barely* noticeably smaller. And my HP doesn't have the rough edges that cut into your wrists when typing.

Leopard and iLife aren't worth the inferior hardware.

The $600 15" laptops are crap. And even when you tried to equip it like a MacBook, you end up paying $1113 for something with junk software, horrible materials and design, that bigger and weighs more.

You can go to Dell, and for $1299, you can get the Inspiron 1520. It'll have a 2GHz Core 2 Duo (Santa Rosa), 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD writer, and a 256MB GeForce 8600M GT. For $50 more you can throw in that 9 cell 85Whr battery. Yes the processor is "slower", but you're getting the same GPU as the MacBook Pro. Is it heavier? Maybe a pound more than the MacBook. Is it bigger? A cm or 2 in each direction. Junk software? Its hard to call Windows junk when you consider all the choices you get, especially when it comes to things that are important to many people.... like choices for online music stores, choices for burning software (sorry, Toast sucks), superior DVD players (DVD Player in Leopard is still a joke compared to Windows offerings), and games.

You have a point, but keep in mind that yesterday Apple was selling macBooks with GMA 950.

X3100 is definitely low end but I think, for most of us, acceptable.

Apple is still selling macMinis with GMA 950. That could qualify for "worst of the worst" GPU.

The X3100 is only on par with a low end GPU from 2002. For $1408 (MacBook in California after taxes), that is entirely unacceptable. Especially with no option to upgrade.

Dell XPS M1330 (the only Dell that compares to a MacBook)
Add a 2.2GHz processor, Bluetooth, Wireless N card, 56 W/hr battery so you get a comparable machine.
$1449 Total

And that doesn’t take into account iLife and Leopard which make the MacBook more attractive.

Bluetooth? What for? I've had bluetooth in every one of my notebooks and I've simply turned it off. Completely useless. You're also forgetting that the Dell gives you the option of the higher capacity battery, 30Whr more than the MacBook, as well as an option for a *gasp* DEDICATED GPU.

iLife? The only iLife application that gets any regular use from most users is iPhoto. Picassa and Vista's built-in iPhoto rip-off work just as good. Leopard? Not worth it for inferior hardware and a lack of a dedicated GPU.

And, again, when you realistically compare the size difference, the MacBook and XPS M1330 are NOT that much smaller than 15.4" systems, including the MacBook Pro. Just a CM or so in each direction. That means that 15.4" systems can be compared. In that case, the MacBook is a TERRIBLE value, as is the MacBook Pro. Especially when you can get a fully loaded Inspiron 1520 WITH blu-ray writer and GeForce 8600M GT 256MB for several hundred dollars LESS than the entry level MBP. Oh and thats with a 1680x1050 screen too.

It's an entirely new platform under Santa Rosa that makes the MacBook more capable and well rounded against other laptops.

Except for the fact that every other notebook out there at least gives you the OPTION to upgrade to a dedicated GPU.

When you actually do the comparison properly with 13.3" widescreen slim and stylish notebooks from Dell and Apple, the Dell is more expensive.

Again, go look at the actual size specs available at dell.com and apple.com and you'll see that the MacBook and XPS M1330 are only smaller than 15.4" notebooks by a cm or so in each direction.

Anyway, its astonishing that people here are advocating Apple's ripping off of the consumer. IT's 2007. Every notebook should at least have the OPTION of getting a dedicated GPU. The integrated GPU in the MacBook is now on par with what low end desktops 5 years ago had, according to Intel's own words. That makes it basically useless for modern games, and even older games will still only be playable on the lowest settings. The X3100 is extremely slow, doesn't offer any kind of advanced video features that integrated GPU's from other manufacturers do.. why even use it? Oh yeah, to maximize profit.

It's also unacceptable that Apple forces you to spend $2000 to get a 15.4" notebook with a 128MB dedicated GPU. Some companies sell 512MB GeForce 8600M GTs in their system for under $1400! For $2000 you can get a PC that has dual 8600M GTs. If you were looking at the 17" MacBook Pro, you can get a system elsewhere with dual GeForce 7950 GTX cards with a full 1GB of RAM. Yes, the GeForce 7950 GTX is about twice as fast as the 8600M in the $2799 MacBook Pro.

Apple was getting competitive with their pricing when they first announced the MacBooks and MacBook Pros back in 2006. But now they've fallen very behind and charge much more for much less.

[jeremytehjerk]

so i ordered my macbook the night before these changes. and saw them when I woke up in the morning and immediately looked on my shipping status to see I could still cancel the order, so I called into customer service and explained that I was about to cancel but if they could switch my order to the new model I would prefer that to going through cancellation/creating a new order. The guy on the phone was kinda sketchy tried to convince me not to do it on the grounds that it would push back the shipping date.. haha. but in a few minutes laster after he accepted that I wasn't going to be convinced to take the older model to save a week or 2 shipping time he looked in their shipping information and apple had already switched my order to send me the new 2.2 macbook instead.

yay apple for switching this for me :) granted whatever they did caused 5 separate charges to trigger on my credit card and I got a call from fraud alert but the end result was the right place and the new macbook model. might be a small upgrade but ill take upgrades the night after finalizing a computer purchase ANYTIME.

[Farani]

- is there a store in NY city where I can buy some good and cheap RAM for the MB that I'll be buying (might as well max it out to 4GB if I can get a good deal)? Will they do the install for me?

Buy online at www.newegg.com
You can install it yourself... it is VERY easy. You can get 4GB's of ram for around $140 onlinw.


- does Leopard run smoothly on 1GB of RAM? I'm asking just in case I wait a little bit before upgrading my RAM...

Yes. I have 1GB on my 2.4Ghz iMac and my new SR MacBook and it runs splendidly


- the battery on my iBook was getting really weak near the end and I wonder if it's partially my own fault. Just so I don't make the same mistakes with the new one: do you leave the laptop plugged in or do you unplug it when working? Do you leave it plugged in when the lid is closed and the battery is fully recharged? Or do you unplug it?


I leave it plugged in whenever I can.


- can I expect some longer battery life from this SR upgrade?


YES! My battery is 10 mins from being fully charged and I'm running the normal setting on power settings and it estimates 6 hour and 5 mins!

[davenet]

I think I might... if I buy a MacBook at all. I don't exactly like supporting companies that gouge customers like this.

That Dell XPS M1330 is looking really good.

As long as you like the OS that goes along with it. Otherwise the Apple product looks alot better to me since it comes with the OS I prefer.

[QCassidy352]

The reason is simple. the low end model is designed to drive people to the mid and high end model. Someone just said on here that it would be hard NOT to buy a high end one. And thats exactly the point.

The low-end one is there for the people who really need a cheap notebook but want Apple. With the student discount its 999, so its there if you need it, but it's ridiculously easy to upsell.

I don't know about that. $200 for:
2 Ghz --> 2.2 Ghz
80 GB --> 120 GB
combo --> super

There are so many people who:
- wouldn't notice the processor difference
- have far less than 80 GB on their HD
- never burn DVDs

I myself would not go for the low end model given those differences, but for many, there would be no real-world difference in their experience whatsoever. So why not pocket the $200 or buy a new nano or something?

[imrichar]

Do the new macbooks have Leopard pre-loaded? Will the re-install DVD let you do a fresh Leopard copy without having to rely on a 10.4 install?

[flopticalcube]

Do the new macbooks have Leopard pre-loaded? Will the re-install DVD let you do a fresh Leopard copy without having to rely on a 10.4 install?

I doubt Tiger would even work on them due to the new GPU.

[Farani]

I don't know about that. $200 for:
2 Ghz --> 2.2 Ghz
80 GB --> 120 GB
combo --> super

There are so many people who:
- wouldn't notice the processor difference
- have far less than 80 GB on their HD
- never burn DVDs

I myself would not go for the low end model given those differences, but for many, there would be no real-world difference in their experience whatsoever. So why not pocket the $200 or buy a new nano or something?

This is what I did. I was very close to getting the middle model but went against it. I NEVER burn DVDs and I have a superdrive in my imac. I don't need 120GB's on my laptop as I store all my media on an airdisk. So $200 for 200Mhz? I'll see what 3%-5% performance gain. I can take that $200 and get 4GB's of run and multitask like a hero.

[chadder007]

How do we know it doesn't have an LED backlight now? Wasn't Apple buying up a lot of 13 inch LED backlights when they got the ones for the MBP 15"?

[Farani]

Do the new macbooks have Leopard pre-loaded? Will the re-install DVD let you do a fresh Leopard copy without having to rely on a 10.4 install?

Yep Leopard is pre-loaded and I would assume that the re-install CD has leopard on it because there was only the standard 2 DVDs in there... no up-to-date leopard cd.

EDIT: good point... i don't think the X3100 would work on Tiger unless the last Tiger update has the drivers which I doubt.

[xUKHCx]

EDIT: good point... i don't think the X3100 would work on Tiger unless the last Tiger update has the drivers which I doubt.

FYI I can confirm it doesn't.

[whirlpool]

to all those Canadians:

Did apple change the price of the new macbooks compared to the older ones?

I'm in Oz, and the AUD is much stronger than it has been and is now almost equal to USD, yet the current prices are still as if the AUD is 1/3rd less valuable...

(Apple hasn't updated the AUS store yet, which is why I'm asking to see if I can expect a price cut)

[feyn-man]

I don't know about that. $200 for:
2 Ghz --> 2.2 Ghz
80 GB --> 120 GB
combo --> super

There are so many people who:
- wouldn't notice the processor difference
- have far less than 80 GB on their HD
- never burn DVDs

I myself would not go for the low end model given those differences, but for many, there would be no real-world difference in their experience whatsoever. So why not pocket the $200 or buy a new nano or something?

Just for fun. There is an old saying: A product could be so much expensive without any reason (maybe just like the black macbook). But there is always reason (known or not) if it is cheaper than others.

So I will never buy the cheapest one.

[Brianstorm91]

Update the UK Store for Heaven's sake :mad:

[~David]

So nobody knows if the iSight in these models has been updated to the newer 1.3mpx one?

[carlop]

well, apple is an american company, so that's the way it goes folks. I have to pay $2.99 for a box of imported Italian pasta that probably goes for a 1 euro or less in Milano.

Well I guess someone didn't know the Free Trade Agreement applies to Electronics/Computer Equipement as well.

[Farani]

Just for fun. There is an old saying: A product could be so much expensive without any reason. But there is always reason (known or not) if it is cheaper than others.

So I will never buy the cheapest one.

Yes, but if you don't need the extra power, why buy it?

[stefan1130]

This is what I did. I was very close to getting the middle model but went against it. I NEVER burn DVDs and I have a superdrive in my imac. I don't need 120GB's on my laptop as I store all my media on an airdisk. So $200 for 200Mhz? I'll see what 3%-5% performance gain. I can take that $200 and get 4GB's of run and multitask like a hero.

I agree. As soon as I'm off work, I'm going to the store to get it (the low end). I also never burn DVD's and have an iMac if need be, and I have a nice portable hard drive that most of my stuff goes on anyway. Also, I'm going to invest my saved $200(not spend $700+ at apple) on 4GB of Ram...Although I want the 4GB today(very impatient). Anybody know of any retailers that sell RAM for cheap? CompUSA is out of business. Maybe Best Buy has some.

[feyn-man]

Yes, but if you don't need the extra power, why buy it?

don't need? who knows that!
several years ago, when I buy my first PC, somebody tell me: why you need a 20G harddisk? A 10G HD will never be used.

[feyn-man]

I agree. As soon as I'm off work, I'm going to the store to get it (the low end). I also never burn DVD's and have an iMac if need be, and I have a nice portable hard drive that most of my stuff goes on anyway. Also, I'm going to invest my saved $200(not spend $700+ at apple) on 4GB of Ram...Although I want the 4GB today(very impatient). Anybody know of any retailers that sell RAM for cheap? CompUSA is out of business. Maybe Best Buy has some.

Maybe you will go to china, where you can always buy a cheaper one.

[psychofreak]

don't need? who knows that!
several years ago, when I buy my first PC, somebody tell me: why you need a 20G harddisk? A 10G HD will never be used.

But paying for a 20GB disk may not have been worth it if you didn't need it until the time came for a new computer...

[oramaman]

How powerful is the GMA X3100? Would I be able to run Maya and 3D studio max somewhat decently with this graphics card? Right now 3ds max chugs slowly on my 512mb eMachines PC. I'm hoping that this would be a different case on a 4GB Macbook.

[feyn-man]

But paying for a 20GB disk may not have been worth it if you didn't need it until the time came for a new computer...

of course, if you really sure about that. But do you really sure? I don't think that all people really know what they need.

[MacFly123]

no superdrive on the first , lame.

I know!!! Seriously, who in the hell would ever buy that one???

[timmyb]

Update the UK Store for Heaven's sake :mad:Yes yes yes!!! I'm hoping it'll be done overnight, as with the US. Could the delay be due to simple logistics, i.e. time spent flying them over so that when released they're available immediately?

[Farani]

don't need? who knows that!
several years ago, when I buy my first PC, somebody tell me: why you need a 20G harddisk? A 10G HD will never be used.

lol very very true. But psychofreak made a good point, too, when you needed the 20GB's back then it was probably time for a new machine.

But for me, I'd rather have 4GB's ram over 200Mhz. And for drive space, I can easily swap a new drive in and it won't cost me much.

[Farani]

I agree. As soon as I'm off work, I'm going to the store to get it (the low end). I also never burn DVD's and have an iMac if need be, and I have a nice portable hard drive that most of my stuff goes on anyway. Also, I'm going to invest my saved $200(not spend $700+ at apple) on 4GB of Ram...Although I want the 4GB today(very impatient). Anybody know of any retailers that sell RAM for cheap? CompUSA is out of business. Maybe Best Buy has some.

Circuit city. Best Buy's ram selection is weak.

Newegg.com has the best deals for online from what I've seen.

[psychofreak]

of course, if you really sure about that. But do you really sure? I don't think that all people really know what they need.

Yes, I've got 1GB RAM. When I have a craving for 2GB (probably with 10.6) I'll upgrade for cheaper than it costs now. Technology goes down in price, and upgradeability is awesome :)

[stefan1130]

Is it a bad decision for me to stick with the low end model with the *cough*Combo - Drive*cough*? I really don't plan on burning DVDs or using the optical drive often.

How powerful is the GMA X3100? Would I be able to run Maya and 3D studio max somewhat decently with this graphics card? Right now 3ds max chugs slowly on my 512mb eMachines PC. I'm hoping that this would be a different case on a 4GB Macbook.

I don't know about this macbook being suitable for Maya and 3DSMax, but it will definitely be much faster than a machine with 512MB of RAM, as those programs rely heavily on RAM. As for the GFX card, I'm no help.

For reference, the Adobe suite ran pretty smoothly on the old non-Santa Rosa, with only 1GB of RAM.

[celloman]

YESSSS I WAS WAITING FOR THIS FOR 2 MONTHS NOW!!!! :D but no major updates. so do you think slim/ big revamp will be for MWSF?

[Brianstorm91]

I've decided, I'm buying a new SR MacBook, and if the upgrade is worth it I will sell the MacBook and buy a new one.
Well done Apple, you might have got me to buy 2 laptops in 3 months.
:apple:

[oramaman]

Thanks for mentioning Adobe Suite performance, stefan. I'm actually going to use it mainly for Adobe CS3 but I'm hoping I can do some 3D work on it too.

[Roba]

I think that the MB is a pretty good consumer laptop although it would be good if it maybe offered more options.

Integrated graphics will never interest me though. I have found that computers with dedicated graphics tend to last longer than computer with integrated do.
Also i am not to fond of how onboard graphics shares ram.

Now if Apple brought out a 13 inch MBP i would probably be all over it.

It seems that people love to keep on comparing to Dell on this forum there are other computer manufacturers out there. I think that the Sony CR (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SYCTOProcess?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921665239971) competes with the MB also.

I didn't really expect more from this update i think it is a decent update and it will please a lot of people.

[xUKHCx]

I've decided, I'm buying a new SR MacBook, and if the upgrade is worth it I will sell the MacBook and buy a new one.
Well done Apple, you might have got me to buy 2 laptops in 3 months.
:apple:

have to update your sig then

Status: Awaiting proper MacBook update

[Farani]

Thanks for mentioning Adobe Suite performance, stefan. I'm actually going to use it mainly for Adobe CS3 but I'm hoping I can do some 3D work on it too.

I'm installing adobe updates right now. I'll see how CS2 works.

[Brianstorm91]

have to update your sig then

It could well change again though before the night is out :D

[tomo111]

There is a slight difference between buying products in u.s that were made in Europe - firstly, there's the transportation. Transportation isn't much of an issue between u.s and Canada - its certainly a lot easier than say, Europe - there's no pond to cross.

I dont think that it should make a difference, as I think the macbooks are produced in Suzhou (China).

[Absolutist]

Just my 2 cents about this whole dell vs apple thing (or pc vs apple for that matter):

Why don't we give it a rest. Some people prefer Apple, some people prefer PC. Why slack each other off? It's all a matter of opinion. I myself get the best of both worlds: I am buying a macbook and I have a desktop PC. Why do I buy a macbook? I think Apple provides reliable and quality products and I want to see what else there is besides windows. A friend of mine will buy a new Dell laptop soon. Fine with me: he has what he wants, I have what I want.

But to the people who flame each other: grow up please. You don't have to convince everyone that YOUR choise is THE BEST choise there is and everyone who doesn't choose what you choose is an idiot. This isn't kindergarden.

Now, on to some more important stuff: who has some benchmarks of the new macbook? Also I would like to know how World of Warcraft runs with the new videocard (if it's playable with the sucky drivers).

[MitchC]

I've decided, I'm buying a new SR MacBook, and if the upgrade is worth it I will sell the MacBook and buy a new one.
Well done Apple, you might have got me to buy 2 laptops in 3 months.
:apple:

Your tempting me mate!!! I might buy now and sell it...? I am not sure if I want to go through the hassle of selling the laptop on eBay or anything though?

Mitch

[stefan1130]

Circuit city. Best Buy's ram selection is weak.

Newegg.com has the best deals for online from what I've seen.

Thanks for the recommendation. Couldn't find anything at Circuit city or Best buy that was available at my nearest store though. But I did find memory at PC Club, in which there's one right by my house. It'll be $30 more than if I ordered from newegg (after tax/shipping), so I think $30 is worth not having to wait over the weekend and then some.

[Farani]

Things seem to be moving pretty well in Photoshop CS2 and some other programs running with 1 GB of ram. 4GB will fly.

[Farani]

Thanks for the recommendation. Couldn't find anything at Circuit city or Best buy that was available at my nearest store though. But I did find memory at PC Club, in which there's one right by my house. It'll be $30 more than if I ordered from newegg (after tax/shipping), so I think $30 is worth not having to wait over the weekend and then some.

haha I know that impatient feeling. Let us know how it runs on the 4GB's because I am definitely looking at going with 4 gigs soon. Start a new thread if you could :)

[hob]

For those interested, UK Macbook Page now shows specs, but still not in the store... I'd like to buy, and I'm sure I'd end up with the new one, but I don't want to risk it! Ah well...

[gnasher729]

If buying a US Macbook with the idea of using it in the UK, what compatibility issues will I come up against?
I am aware of the obvious power cable, and also I have heard of some issues with DVD regions and keyboard layouts?
What are the major issues I will come up against?
Many thanks,

Obviously you get a different power cable, so you need an adapter. Plugging it into different voltage is no problem, the power supply can eat everything. And you get a US keyboard. Slightly inconvenient if you are British and want to type a pound sign, very inconvenient if you are German or French or Italian and used to a completely different keyboard.

DVD regions: It used to be the case that you could switch regions five times. So you lose one life. I'd say the keyboard is the problem; you'll have to decide if you can live with that.

[feyn-man]

Now, on to some more important stuff: who has some benchmarks of the new macbook? Also I would like to know how World of Warcraft runs with the new videocard (if it's playable with the sucky drivers).

I think there will never be enough to run World of Warcraft. I have seen sb playing that in his PC without any a little lag several months ago. He spend about $20,000 on that beast.

[gnasher729]

The low-end one is there for the people who really need a cheap notebook but want Apple. With the student discount its 999, so its there if you need it, but it's ridiculously easy to upsell.

I have a Mac with a DVD writer, I don't need a second one. Clockspeed doesn't matter too much, almost everything is fast enough anyway, and Handbrake runs overnight no matter how fast your machine is :D Memory and hard disk are cheaper bought elsewhere. So there is not too much need for a more expensive Mac here.

[UBCmed]

Hey everyone, my first post on this forum! I've been reading with interest about the macbook/macbook pro updates.

I got into UBC Medical School and I've started first year medicine. All good doctors should have an Apple notebook with them!

I'm interested in the MacBook Pro but according to many rumours (Canadian spelling) there will be a new macbook presented at MacWorld in January? I sure hope so!

After learning that the macbooks have only had minor updates I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that...

1) A total macbook pro revision will occur by late January and will include many novel features ie. Penryn and "interesting touchpad" and will have a totally redesigned case.

2) the macbook will also receive a new case and new features found in the macbook pro but they will not be released until June this is because
A) Apple recently updated the macbook
B) Apple doesn't want to hurt it's MBP sales in January
C) Almost all new features appear in pro models first
D) Grads and tax refunds are in May/June so they can target students and mainstream consumers

Apple has some awesome stuff coming down the pipe next year and I can't wait. I'm going to buy the new Macbook Pro. It's time to practice in style. :cool:

Let me know what you guys think

[deadkenny]

Yes, but if you don't need the extra power, why buy it?

Exactly. And Italian Pasta is made in Italy while MacBooks are Made in China so the shipping cost for MacBook -> USA and MacBook -> Italy should be equal.

[flopticalcube]

I think there will never be enough to run World of Warcraft. I have seen a guys playing that in his PC without any a little lag several months ago. He spend about $20,000 on that beast.

I can play WoW on my GMA950 MacBook. Its not great but its playable. Its beautiful on a 2.4GHz iMac. Should be fine on the new MacBooks.

[koobcamuk]

Oh please...

Why do you own a MacBook then?

[misfit356tsw]

Does anyone know what type of RAM to buy for the new Macbooks. I have heard that Macs are picky with memory.

[feyn-man]

Exactly. And Italian Pasta is made in Italy while MacBooks are Made in China so the shipping cost for MacBook -> USA and MacBook -> Italy should be equal.

If you buy a macbook in china. It's also more expensive, about 20%.
what a weird market!

[stefan15]

Source: http://www.digitimes.com/displays/a20070507PD207.html on May 7th...
...AUO and CMO are both having their samples of 13.3- and 15.4-inch panels certified by Apple, with shipments to officially commence in the second or third quarter of 2007, the sources noted.

This from earlier, as most of you have probably seen. LED panels are inevitable, what interests me is the timing. Perhaps it got pushed to holiday season... in which case MWSF. But surely no later than that.

[Farani]

Does anyone know what type of RAM to buy for the new Macbooks. I have heard that Macs are picky with memory.

DDR2 PC2-5300

[stefan15]

Does anyone know what type of RAM to buy for the new Macbooks. I have heard that Macs are picky with memory.

PC2-5300 DDR2 SODIMM
Speed: 667 Mhz
Timings: 5-5-5-18
Voltage: 1.8 volts
Pins: 200 Pin SODIMM Unbuffered

[David G.]

I plan on buying myself a :apple: BlackBook within a week if my dad doesn't make me wait for Christmas to come around so he can buy me one.
Seriously, to all you parents out there, why wouldn't you let your child buy something for themselves instead of forcing them to wait for Christmas so you could buy it for them?

[koobcamuk]

that makes no sense...the US market is 10 times the size of the Canadian one...

im sorry, but Americans pay more for German cars than Germans do, more for Earl Gray Tea than the English, more for Irish Whiskey and Guinness than the Irish, and more for some smelly French cheese than the French do. So you pay more for American computers than Americans. I'm no patriotic homer, and I do not approve of the current administration's international policies, but for all the grief foreign countries give the United States over their politics it seems lame whining about this. suck it up and pay the 300 bucks. you get free healthcare. we don't, and that can get REALLY expensive.

That's rubbish. And don't whinge to us about health care. It isn't free at all. It's free if you don't pay any taxes.

[feyn-man]

I plan on buying myself a :apple: BlackBook within a week if my dad doesn't make me wait for Christmas to come around so he can buy me one.
Seriously, to all you parents out there, why wouldn't you let your child buy something for themselves instead of forcing them to wait for Christmas so you could buy it for them?

that is because you always need to buy him something for Xmas, even a macbook has been bought.

[offwidafairies]

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pissed right now. My MBP arrived 3 days ago (minus leopard). I rang Apple to see if I could get an upgrade or refund. They said even though the cooling off period is 10 days, I cannot return mine because it was a CUSTOM order. I chose the high-res screen and 7200rpm HDD. So I havent even used the computer yet. Im waiting for them to send me Leopard now..... I just spent $4000 on this machine, was wanting to get top of the line and it is already 2nd best and I havent even used it.

I would pay the extra to get the 2.6Ghz

I went to a local Apple store before placing my order and asked a sales person if I should wait another week or 2 in case Apple updated their computers with Leopard. He said "DEFINITELY NOT, THERE WILL BE NO UPGRADE BEFORE JANUARY". He also convinced me to order online.

Might I add that my MBP was not due to arrive until Nov 6 - 11th. They shipped it early. I can't express how upset I am.

And they say there is nothing I can do about it.

[Brianstorm91]

I guess I should join in on the price moan, even though the £ is at $2.07 now, a baseline MBP is approximately $600 more at £1 300, and $300 more for the BlackBook at £700.
:mad:

[hbrodaty]

do not expect any news about the macbook till aprill 08.

[Brianstorm91]

Long live combo drive.

I sense some kind of combo-cult coming on.

[psychofreak]

do not expect any news about the macbook till aprill 08.Its a joke that they still have a drive without a dvd burner. If that option cost £10 more with a superdrive, TONS of people would get it...

[Val-kyrie]

Hrmf.. No LED backlight? :(

The lack of LED is the only thing preventing me from purchasing a MB. I didn't really expect LED at this time, but I WAS hoping. Everything else is just what was anticipated (realistically). Perhaps I will wait to see Apple's ultraportable in January.

[gwangung]

Its a joke that they still have a drive without a dvd burner. If that option cost £10 more with a superdrive, TONS of people would get it...

*sigh*

ANOTHER marketing genius. :rolleyes:

[Brianstorm91]

If that option cost £10 more with a superdrive, TONS of people would get it...

It could be to force the majority to buy the mid-range which is what they'd rather, much like Apple TV: 40GB for £199 or 160GB for £269, it makes people feel like they're getting a good deal.

[jokarak]

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pissed right now. My MBP arrived 3 days ago (minus leopard). I rang Apple to see if I could get an upgrade or refund. They said even though the cooling off period is 10 days, I cannot return mine because it was a CUSTOM order. I chose the high-res screen and 7200rpm HDD. So I havent even used the computer yet. Im waiting for them to send me Leopard now..... I just spent $4000 on this machine, was wanting to get top of the line and it is already 2nd best and I havent even used it.

I would pay the extra to get the 2.6Ghz

I went to a local Apple store before placing my order and asked a sales person if I should wait another week or 2 in case Apple updated their computers with Leopard. He said "DEFINITELY NOT, THERE WILL BE NO UPGRADE BEFORE JANUARY". He also convinced me to order online.

Might I add that my MBP was not due to arrive until Nov 6 - 11th. They shipped it early. I can't express how upset I am.

And they say there is nothing I can do about it.

Well, this does seem to be an unfortunate case of severe bad timing. Note that most people at the Apple stores I've been to have been pretty much useless in terms of useful information, even some so called "geniuses." Moreover, in the case of release schedules, they are as much in the dark as the average person (unless they happen to have the new products in the stockroom waiting for the release date - which usually is only a day or two before release).

I know that some people will say that your mac is as good now as it was when you ordered it, blah, blah, blah, but yeah, it is a sucky feeling and I feel for you. Maybe you could try to get a discount or something? Good luck to you and I hope you find a resolution that satisfies you...in the worse case scenario, you still have a great machine on hand, even if it not the "top of the line."

[Xtremehkr]

I was really hoping to see aluminum Macbooks debut this time around. I like how they look now, but I think a lot of people would like it if they could match their Macbook to their Nano.

How about a black Macbook Pro? That would be a nice change. Aluminum looks nice in black as well.

[feyn-man]

The lack of LED is the only thing preventing me from purchasing a MB. I didn't really expect LED at this time, but I WAS hoping. Everything else is just what was anticipated (realistically). Perhaps I will wait to see Apple's ultraportable in January.

Could somebody explain to me, what is LED backlight?

[machatch]

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pissed right now. My MBP arrived 3 days ago (minus leopard). I rang Apple to see if I could get an upgrade or refund. They said even though the cooling off period is 10 days, I cannot return mine because it was a CUSTOM order. I chose the high-res screen and 7200rpm HDD. So I havent even used the computer yet. Im waiting for them to send me Leopard now..... I just spent $4000 on this machine, was wanting to get top of the line and it is already 2nd best and I havent even used it.

I would pay the extra to get the 2.6Ghz

I went to a local Apple store before placing my order and asked a sales person if I should wait another week or 2 in case Apple updated their computers with Leopard. He said "DEFINITELY NOT, THERE WILL BE NO UPGRADE BEFORE JANUARY". He also convinced me to order online.

Might I add that my MBP was not due to arrive until Nov 6 - 11th. They shipped it early. I can't express how upset I am.

And they say there is nothing I can do about it.

I feel sorry for you.Funny it is different return policies with "custom" made(is not that custom....bad service they shoulda give you a new MBP..ore just offered you service to manually change the prossesor for you..though luck..

[Eidorian]

Could somebody explain to me, what is LED backlight?LED (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED) backlight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlight).

http://www.macworld.com/2007/05/firstlooks/ledbacklight/index.php

[fewture]

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pissed right now. My MBP arrived 3 days ago (minus leopard). I rang Apple to see if I could get an upgrade or refund. They said even though the cooling off period is 10 days, I cannot return mine because it was a CUSTOM order. I chose the high-res screen and 7200rpm HDD. So I havent even used the computer yet. Im waiting for them to send me Leopard now..... I just spent $4000 on this machine, was wanting to get top of the line and it is already 2nd best and I havent even used it.

I would pay the extra to get the 2.6Ghz

I went to a local Apple store before placing my order and asked a sales person if I should wait another week or 2 in case Apple updated their computers with Leopard. He said "DEFINITELY NOT, THERE WILL BE NO UPGRADE BEFORE JANUARY". He also convinced me to order online.

Might I add that my MBP was not due to arrive until Nov 6 - 11th. They shipped it early. I can't express how upset I am.

And they say there is nothing I can do about it.


Dude, they are bringing out new Penryn Macbook PRo's in January! I mean even if you got the 2.6 option, it would be obsolete in a couple of months anyway. Penryn will be much better and we also might see some case redesign among other things.

In any case, 2.6 won't be much faster than 2.4. and probably much hotter

[Jade Cambell]

Has anyone else noticed that they now offer a 200GB 7200rpm hard drive in the MacBook Pro? Me wants!!!

[feyn-man]

LED (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED) backlight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlight).

http://www.macworld.com/2007/05/firstlooks/ledbacklight/index.php

ok, thanks.
but I still want to know what's difference if MB use a LED backlight?

[Eidorian]

ok, thanks.
but I still want to know what's difference if MB use a LED backlight?Longer battery life, better color representation, and more environmentally friendly. ;)

[feyn-man]

Longer battery life, better color representation, and more environmentally friendly. ;)

So if MB does not have LED backlight, what kind of light it used?

[MitchC]

Longer battery life, better color representation, and more environmentally friendly. ;)

Just as the article read... :rolleyes:

Mitch

[MitchC]

So if MB does not have LED backlight, what kind of light it used?

Did you read that article even?

Mitch

[aliquis-]

It could be to force the majority to buy the mid-range which is what they'd rather, much like Apple TV: 40GB for £199 or 160GB for £269, it makes people feel like they're getting a good deal.For me Apples options only makes it feel like I'm beeing screwed, then butt ****ed, and then ran over with a car, and then ****ed again, and then shoot in the head.
And I don't mean that in a good way.

[feyn-man]

Did you read that article even?

Mitch

actually no. :( feel so sorry, but it's really too longer.

[offwidafairies]

Dude, they are bringing out new Penryn Macbook PRo's in January! I mean even if you got the 2.6 option, it would be obsolete in a couple of months anyway. Penryn will be much better and we also might see some case redesign among other things.

In any case, 2.6 won't be much faster than 2.4. and probably much hotter

I know but I'm going overseas at the end of the year and needed to buy a new computer before then (due to tax purposes, needed to be bought in Australia)

Im very unhappy with Apple's custom order policy

[machatch]

Could somebody explain to me, what is LED backlight?

correct me if i'm wrong.but compare to normal lcd screen the led produce: more colour,use less power,they are longlasting,they light up more faster therefor higher respons time,they are incredibile thin compare to lcd because of small compenents.and the green thing they do not contain mercury..
But they are very pricy..
:):)

[Eidorian]

actually no. :( feel so sorry, but it's really too longer.tl;dr eh?

I'll do the work for you then. They currently use CCFL (Cold cathode fluorescent lamps)

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

[David G.]

that is because you always need to buy him something for Xmas, even a macbook has been bought.

What, you don't think I would get him something very nice anyway?

[iDAG]

Apple didn't let me down after all. New 2.2GHz MacBook coming by Christmas! :D

For me Apples options only makes it feel like I'm beeing screwed, then butt ****ed, and then ran over with a car, and then ****ed again, and then shoot in the head.
And I don't mean that in a good way.

I had no idea that you felt so deeply about what Apple did to you :cool:

[carlos700]

Dude, they are bringing out new Penryn Macbook PRo's in January! I mean even if you got the 2.6 option, it would be obsolete in a couple of months anyway. Penryn will be much better and we also might see some case redesign among other things.

In any case, 2.6 won't be much faster than 2.4. and probably much hotter

I agree. I wouldn't speed an extra $250 for 200MHz bump. I would like to see with Penryn MacBook Pro's a new design or maybe in a darker Aluminum? I'm not sure. The graphics card (GeForce 8600M GT) is fine and will suffice for the next MacBook Pro revision. I don't know what the power requirements and heat dissipation of the 8700M GT versus the 8600M GT.

[LyzziFall]

Just letting everyone know, there is also an option to choose a 4GIG ram for the mac books!

Picture:
http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/4205/4gigramdc3.th.jpg (http://img378.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4gigramdc3.jpg)

[AdamB60]

Just letting everyone know, there is also an option to choose a 4GIG ram for the mac books!

Picture:
http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/5912/4gigramgt7.jpg

Whoever pays Apple $850 for 4 GB is an idiot. You can buy it yourself for over $500 less.

[LyzziFall]

Whoever pays Apple $850 for 4 GB is an idiot. You can buy it yourself for over $500 less.

Oi, Oi, Oi... I wasn't saying it was logical, I was simply pointing out a change.

[Eidorian]

Whoever pays Apple $850 for 4 GB is an idiot. You can buy it yourself for over $500 less.~$120-180 for 2 x 2 GB.

[AdamB60]

Oi, Oi, Oi... I wasn't saying it was logical, I was simply pointing out a change.

I realize that, but I don't want people to think it's a good deal. :p

[psychofreak]

~$120-180 for 2 x 2 GB.

Only Apple could get away with $850 for 4GB...

[psychofreak]

It could be to force the majority to buy the mid-range which is what they'd rather, much like Apple TV: 40GB for £199 or 160GB for £269, it makes people feel like they're getting a good deal.

Thats great for those determined to get a Mac, but for potential switchers, price is important, and they see themselves having to pay an unnecessary premium when the only improved thing over the low-end MB they want is a superdrive...

[LyzziFall]

Only Apple could get away with $850 for 4GB...


Haha! So true.

I just wish that I could look forward to getting a mac sometime soon.

[~David]

Just placed the order for mine, I caved. Got the middle model with no upgrades.

Ahh! I can't wait until it comes in :D

[drew0020]

I ordered a new Mac today. How can I confirm it is the new Macbook?

[Eidorian]

I ordered a new Mac today. How can I confirm it is the new Macbook?http://www.math.purdue.edu/~abarreno/order.png

Maybe you want to check the specs of the laptop. :p

[jackc]

I ordered a new Mac today. How can I confirm it is the new Macbook?

The mid and Blackbook are now 2.2 GHz

[drew0020]

I ordered the 2.0ghz version.

[~David]

And the product number ends with "/B".

[MacBlackBook22]

I just called 1-800-myapple to ask about the pricing discrepancy between US and Canada.

I asked if I could order from the US store- he said no. I asked if he could explain the pricing discrepancy- he hummed and hawed and said nothing. I asked if I could talk to somebody who could explain it- he said no. I told him I'd hold off on my purchase.

Could all good Canadians on this forum do me a favour and call them up?

Thanks!

I was just talking to the Apple rep here too as I am looking at getting a Mac Pro and the price difference is just criminal. I got the same humming and hawing too when I told them that this was not acceptable. Wonder who else we need to talk to.

[AidenShaw]

I was just talking to the Apple rep here too as I am looking at getting a Mac Pro and the price difference is just criminal. I got the same humming and hawing too when I told them that this was not acceptable. Wonder who else we need to talk to.

steve@mac.com is where the buck stops....

[SkyBell]

For the people complainign about the combo drive...

You would expect the low end to come with something less then the high end, no?

[LyzziFall]

Just placed the order for mine, I caved. Got the middle model with no upgrades.

Ahh! I can't wait until it comes in :D


I wish I could just splurge like that!

[psychofreak]

For the people complainign about the combo drive...

You would expect the low end to come with something less then the high end, no?

Not in this department, no...just like they both have the same webcam, speakers, keyboard, screen resolution, OS etc...

[DMann]

Hrmf.. No LED backlight? :(

For price point of Pro books only....

[MacBlackBook22]

I think that the website you looked at is for individual consumers, not large companies that import large amounts of products. But anyway....

OK.... so let's go with your numbers and say that duty is 15% (the highest of the range you provided) 15% of, let's say $1233 CAD ($1299 USD) is still less than the $200-300 difference. And let's not forget that the US Dollar is weaker than the Canadian Dollar, it's not at parity anymore.

That still doesn't explain the Leopard pricing parity of $129 CAD and USD. Why were they able to do it with that product? I guess they have different pricing policies depending on the item? My feeble Canadian brain is confused :confused:

The real joke here is the pricing of the new BT keyboard. Its the same price on the Canadian and American sites but in the education store here in Canada it sells for $71 and in the US site its not discounted.. So to me there is no good reason why the sites are on on par. All computers are shipped from China and so we should not be charged the extra. This is just plain gouging

[joemama]

I priced out a mid-range MacBook with 2 gigs of ram, the 160 HD and Apple care.

Nex I priced a low-end MacBook Pro (which comes with the 2 gig and 160 standard) and Apple Care.

There is a 500 dollar difference! Why pay that much? Why not get the MacBook? they are both 2.2 Ghz. $500 more for a backlit keyboard and bigger frontside bus?

Am I missing something?

[JSpence]

I priced out a mid-range MacBook with 2 gigs of ram, the 160 HD and Apple care.

Nex I priced a low-end MacBook Pro (which comes with the 2 gig and 160 standard) and Apple Care.

There is a 500 dollar difference! Why pay that much? Why not get the MacBook? they are both 2.2 Ghz. $500 more for a backlit keyboard and bigger frontside bus?

Am I missing something?

Graphics, LED screen, backlight keys, alum body, 30" screen support, etc.. small details that make a pro part of the pro line

[Eidorian]

I priced out a mid-range MacBook with 2 gigs of ram, the 160 HD and Apple care.

Nex I priced a low-end MacBook Pro (which comes with the 2 gig and 160 standard) and Apple Care.

There is a 500 dollar difference! Why pay that much? Why not get the MacBook? they are both 2.2 Ghz. $500 more for a backlit keyboard and bigger frontside bus?

Am I missing something?You can save more but getting non-Apple RAM.

You can get 4 GB for the price that Apple charges for 2 GB. :rolleyes:

[psychofreak]

Am I missing something?
Aluminium casing. Better quality webcam. Bigger screen. Better battery. Dedicated graphics.

[rhpenguin]

Wow, so you took an older Mac case and used it. Color me impressed. That's actually not a bad idea, in the end, it sort of IS a Mac (well, it would be if your motherboard and chipset were Intel). But you're still missing my point ;) lol.

Well, lets have a civil discussion about what makes a Mac a Mac shall we?

Im going to use some comparisons that people already feel are not valid. Hopefully by the time I'm done you will see they are valid.

Lets compare your average Dell machine with your average Apple machine.
The hardware inside should break down to something like this. This is very simplified, but this is how I look at it. Inside every computer you will find these items:

CPU Socket
RAM Slots
Northbridge
Southbridge
IO Ports (USB/FW/e-SATA/PS2/Audio etc)
Expansion slots.
Intel CPU
RAM
GPU

Again, that is very simplified, but you get the point. Now lets break this down.

A Dell has a S775 CPU socket. An Apple machine has a S775 CPU socket.
A Dell has RAM slots. An Apple machine has RAM slots.
A Dell uses an Intel supplied Northbridge. An Apple machine uses an Intel supplied Northbridge.
A Dell uses an Intel supplied Southbridge. An Apple machine uses an Intel supplied Southbridge.
A Dell has Expansion Slots. Some Apple machines have expansion slots.
A Dell machine has IO ports. Apple machines have... You guessed it IO ports as well.
Some/most Dells use Intel CPUs. Apple Uses Intel CPUs.
Dell Uses DDR spec RAM. Apple uses DDR spec RAM.
Dell uses Intel GMA/Nvidia/ATI GPUs. Apple uses Intel GMA/Nvidia/ATI GPUs.

So, What do you get from that? The vast majority of the hardware seems the same to me. So what is it that makes a Mac a Mac? Ahh... OS X. But as its already been stated, that too can run on a Dell. After all, Its OpenBSD with a pretty window manager overtop.

So really.. The only things that I can come up with as to what makes a Mac a Mac is.... 1) The Apple logo on the outside. Once it receives that Apple logo it magically ceases to be a PC, even though it still uses generic PC hardware. 2) TPM.

Maybe its more than that. Maybe its a status thing that makes a Mac a Mac. Maybe its the Premium price tag. Maybe its that your buying into a "community". Maybe its some VERY brilliant marketing. IMHO the difference went away when Intel hardware was brought into the picture.

Anyone care to debate this with me? Im not putting this out as flame bate, I just wanna have a real conversation about this!

[AidenShaw]

Am I missing something?

Not missing anything.

In Apple Land, "pro" means "quite a bit more money for little things that you would have expected to be standard".

For example, how many ExpressCard ports in a MacBook vs. a MacBook Pro?

[Digital Skunk]

Not missing anything.

In Apple Land, "pro" means "quite a bit more money for little things that you would have expected to be standard".

For example, how many ExpressCard ports in a MacBook vs. a MacBook Pro?

Why do you think this is true? Granted the ExpressCard is one thing, but there aren't too many machines out there that have a FW800 port, backlit keyboard, and support for a 30" display standard. The extra $500 is worth it.

[thedarkhorse]

Is iDVD included with the combo drive macbook?
If it is it's pretty much useless.

[peedub]

Any sign the Mini got a stealth update too?

I still can't believe the combodrive is still there. TOTALLY unacceptable.

im hoping so, i'm quite keen to get one, but would like a slightly better vid card so i can play the old guild wars a little nicer (gma950 in macbook is still pretty sweet tho)

planning on using the mini as a media centre

[DMann]

The real joke here is the pricing of the new BT keyboard. Its the same price on the Canadian and American sites but in the education store here in Canada it sells for $71 and in the US site its not discounted.. So to me there is no good reason why the sites are on on par. All computers are shipped from China and so we should not be charged the extra. This is just plain gouging

Although $71 is hardly a discount from $79, it is puzzling that the US EDU gets zero discount for the BT keyboard. Perhaps with rev b we'll see the discount apply.....

[xzolian]

You can save more but getting non-Apple RAM.

You can get 4 GB for the price that Apple charges for 2 GB. :rolleyes:

Would this RAM work:
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT25664AC667

What does everyone recommend using?

[gwangung]

Is iDVD included with the combo drive macbook?
If it is it's pretty much useless.

Disk image.

[slm]

Well, lets have a civil discussion about what makes a Mac a Mac shall we?

A Dell has a S775 CPU socket. An Apple machine has a S775 CPU socket.
A Dell has RAM slots. An Apple machine has RAM slots.
A Dell uses an Intel supplied Northbridge. An Apple machine uses an Intel supplied Northbridge.
A Dell uses an Intel supplied Southbridge. An Apple machine uses an Intel supplied Southbridge.
A Dell has Expansion Slots. Some Apple machines have expansion slots.
A Dell machine has IO ports. Apple machines have... You guessed it IO ports as well.
Some/most Dells use Intel CPUs. Apple Uses Intel CPUs.
Dell Uses DDR spec RAM. Apple uses DDR spec RAM.
Dell uses Intel GMA/Nvidia/ATI GPUs. Apple uses Intel GMA/Nvidia/ATI GPUs.

So, What do you get from that? The vast majority of the hardware seems the same to me. So what is it that makes a Mac a Mac? Ahh... OS X. But as its already been stated, that too can run on a Dell. After all, Its OpenBSD with a pretty window manager overtop.

So really.. The only things that I can come up with as to what makes a Mac a Mac is.... 1) The Apple logo on the outside. Once it receives that Apple logo it magically ceases to be a PC, even though it still uses generic PC hardware. 2) TPM.

Maybe its more than that. Maybe its a status thing that makes a Mac a Mac. Maybe its the Premium price tag. Maybe its that your buying into a "community". Maybe its some VERY brilliant marketing. IMHO the difference went away when Intel hardware was brought into the picture.

Anyone care to debate this with me? Im not putting this out as flame bate, I just wanna have a real conversation about this!


well, the same ingredients don't necessarily make the same meal.
I can cook from the same stuff as your mom - which meal would you choose?

Apple just tastes better :)

[DMann]

Is iDVD included with the combo drive macbook?
If it is it's pretty much useless.

Are you suggesting that the Macbook would be too underpowered to run iDVD?

[gwangung]

Would this RAM work:
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT25664AC667

What does everyone recommend using?

Crucial works.

I've gotten memory from Data Memory Systems, Other World Computing, with few problems.

[Stella]

I dont think that it should make a difference, as I think the macbooks are produced in Suzhou (China).

Go back and read the original post. I wasn't only talking about Apple products.. the OP referring to European made products that are more expensive in u.s ( not surprisingly).

:)

[gwangung]

Are you suggesting that the Macbook would be too underpowered to run iDVD?

If an iBook 900 Mhz is good enough to run iDVD, then a Macbook can run the current iDVD.

[DMann]

Would this RAM work:
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT25664AC667

What does everyone recommend using?

Yes, this RAM would work. However, confirm that it is backed by a Lifetime Warranty, and be sure to run Memtest after install:

www.memtestosx.org