MacBook, MacBook Pro and Ultra-Portable Updates

[MacRumors]

ThinkSecret updates with claims that both MacBook and MacBook Pro updates are coming sooner than expected.

The rumor side had previously pegged MacBook Pro updates for WWDC, but now expects an announcement "as early as Tuesday". The new MacBook Pro is expected to utilize features from Intel's recently introduced Santa Rosa chipset.

Appleinsider concurs with this report with their own claim that the MacBook Pro will see features such as "faster front-side bus speeds of 800MHz, and second-generation Core 2 Duo mobile processors that scale up to 2.4GHz." They also believe the new MacBook Pro will house the new LED backlit displays. Appleinsider, however, gives no time frame for the revised Pro laptop.

Meanwhile, based on dwindling supplies of the consumer MacBook, ThinkSecret believes we will see a MacBook update in the near future, but they can only speculate that the MacBook may utilize the Santa Rosa chipset. However, they do not believe that the new MacBook will incorporate LED screens. Appleinsider is more confident that the next MacBook revision will not introduce any new features (such as Santa Rosa) and instead be a very modest update.

Finally, Appleinsider posts details of the rumored "ultra-portable" MacBook. They believe that this upcoming 13" laptop model (and not the MacBook revision) will ship with the rumored 13" LED Panels that Apple has been investigating. The rumor site summarizes the features they believe this "ultra-portable" will have:

Ultra-Portable MacBook

• 13-inch ultra-thin, LED-back lit display
• No optical disc drive
• On-board NAND flash for faster application launching and boot times
• Built-in iSight webcam
• Thinner and lighter than existing MacBook offerings
• AirPort Extreme 802.11n enabled
• MagSafe power adapter
• Target launch late '07, early '08

[Eraserhead]

Boo, if they aren't gonna update the Macbook, it being good was what made it sell so well when it went Intel .

[siurpeeman]

ultra portable sounds awfully tasty right now. please be under $2,000.

[dcv]

I'd love an ultra-portable notebook but 13" doesn't sound particularly "ultra" portable to me

[MvdM]

Originally Posted by dcv

I'd love an ultra-portable notebook but 13" doesn't sound particularly "ultra" portable to me

12" sounds more portable, hope it comes back.

[SMM]

Originally Posted by MvdM

12" sounds more portable, hope it comes back.

Who knows, maybe they kept the bezel extra thin? Then you get increased screen size, with the same form factor.

[siurpeeman]

Originally Posted by dcv

I'd love an ultra-portable notebook but 13" doesn't sound particularly "ultra" portable to me

i don't know. if it has a super-thin bezel and is made with lightweight materials, i can see 13" being the right size. under 3 lbs would be nice.

Originally Posted by FF_productions

How does one live without an optical drive?

If you need to re-install OSX, what do you do? (Considering you do not have an external drive)

external super drive. apple did something similar with the duo 2400 (external floppy).

[czeluff]

Originally Posted by dcv

I'd love an ultra-portable notebook but 13" doesn't sound particularly "ultra" portable to me

you're right. Ultra-portable should be a 5" display! now that'd be a SWEET Macbook Pro :P

cz

[sushi]

Originally Posted by dcv

I'd love an ultra-portable notebook but 13" doesn't sound particularly "ultra" portable to me

Agree that the 13 inch is too big.

Sony's new ultra-portable has a 11.1 inch display.

Maybe Apple will use the 11.1 inch display in their ultra-portable laptop.

[Zwhaler]

Originally Posted by dcv

I'd love an ultra-portable notebook but 13" doesn't sound particularly "ultra" portable to me

Yeah, why cant they make it a 10 so it us "ultra" portable. I would rather have a smaller screen just so I can take it literally everywhere.

[Project]

I have to echo the sentiments of other posters. To me, ultra portable has always been about optical drive-less 10-11" notebooks that hardly weigh anything.

[Marlon_JBT]

New MacBook Pros next Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surprised nobody said this already.

(Although it doesn't flow off the tongue as easy as New PowerBooks next Tuesday)

[chrisdazzo]

Originally Posted by siurpeeman

ultra portable sounds awfully tasty right now. please be under $2,000.

more like please be under $1,500. but we can only hope.

[JPark]

Originally Posted by siurpeeman

ultra portable sounds awfully tasty right now. please be under $2,000.

Crikey I hope it's no where near $2k. I'm thinking more in line with the Macbook's price range.

[Spanky Deluxe]

13" is way too big. Personally I don't want a thin MacBook, I want a laptop that compares to the Powerbook 12" in portability. I wouldn't want an 'ultra portable' if its just as much smaller than the MacBook as the Powerbook 12" was smaller than the iBook 12". 13" is too big and I'd rather have an optical drive.
A 12" Powerbook sized model that's been squished together a little more so as to use a 12" widescreen instead of 4:3 ratio would be perfect. 12", 1280x800 resolution, iSight, dual core and optical drive. All the other specs are by the by imo.

[dcv]

Originally Posted by Spanky Deluxe

13" is way too big. Personally I don't want a thin MacBook, I want a laptop that compares to the Powerbook 12" in portability. I wouldn't want an 'ultra portable' if its just as much smaller than the MacBook as the Powerbook 12" was smaller than the iBook 12". 13" is too big and I'd rather have an optical drive.
A 12" Powerbook sized model that's been squished together a little more so as to use a 12" widescreen instead of 4:3 ratio would be perfect. 12", 1280x800 resolution, iSight, dual core and optical drive. All the other specs are by the by imo.

Yep, I'm with you on that. I don't mind an external optical drive option though if it makes it smaller/thinner.

[rtdunham]

Originally Posted by dcv

...I don't mind an external optical drive option though if it makes it smaller/thinner.

Agreed, but let's look at a bigger picture (pun intended):

I believe many buyers would try to use the ultraportable as their only computer*. Those customers would want/need a larger monitor on their dorm room/home office desk.

Some users might also want a better keyboard (I don't like my MB kbd), or a mouse, if they prefer that to the touchpad--AND they'd want that small, slim external superdrive for loading software, backing up, etc.

So how does this mess up the workspace, and conflict with apple's quest for attractive industrial design? Well, consider...

Apple's Duos had two great docks:
1) a large one with an additional hard drive, an ethernet jack and other ports, and a modem, and which served as a base for the monitor it could connect to. It might have included a floppy drive, too.
2) a "mini" dock, which merely provided the ports so you could leave the optional externals attached and slide the Duo into the dock to accomplish all the connections quickly and easily.

If a new ultraportable sacrifices a few features for size and weight--if it has a screen too small for regular use, or lacks an optical drive--then maybe it's time for apple to reconsider the dock concept.

Most simply, of course, apple could design the externals--super drive, mouse, whatever--so they'd clip or hang to the back of the monitor--out of sight, but immediately at hand and already connected for when they're needed.

But imagine a monitor with slots built-in for a few accessories: a bluetooth mouse could recharge while in its slot; so could an iPod and bluetooth earpiece. The slim, portable external optical drive could similarly slide into a slot on the back of the monitor, achieving a "smart" multi-functional monitor. Given my druthers, i'd have a card reader built in, too. And why not a slot for an additional user-installable 2.5" drive? This desktop would be sleek and uncluttered. Yet the functionality is multiplied many times over. And when the owner wants to take that optical drive on the road, it just slides out.

The benefits to the user seem obvious. And it gives Apple another "wow" product to differentiate itself from products from companies that don't "think different".

Your thoughts?

==========================
* -- SO: would anyone buy an untraportalbe and want to use it as his/her only computer? I say yes. For ten years i juggled files between a top of the line apple laptop and apple tower. It soon became apparent the computing power of the 15" MacBook Pro met my needs: I sold my big MacPro and other than adding an external hard drive because of the limited capacity of 2.5" drives, I've never looked back: It's great knowing all my significant files are always with me, on the road, at a friend's, wherever i'm working in either house, etc. Yes, part of my large archive of photos and videos resides on an external drive. But hat was always the case with the prior two-computer scenario too. Now, however, i never have to worry whether the file on my laptop is the current one, or whether i revised it on the desktop machine. Ad infinitum. Fact is, the most recent MacBooks so closely approximated the MBPs in computing power, i'm now using one of those. And if an ultraportalbe comes out, well, that would be tempting--after all, when i sit down at my desk, there's that 23" cinema display to hook up to.
More to the marketing point, not everyone can afford two computers. I think lots of college kids would covet an apple ultraportable, if they had that big screen functionality when at "home". And I think a lot of road warriors would see this combination as a welcome solution to some of the hazards of maintaining files on two different computers.

[sushi]

The Sony VAIO VGN-TXN29N/L has some interesting specs:
- 11.1 inch display
- Built in optical drive (dual layer)
- 2GB RAM
- 100GB HD

Price is around $2,600.

I don't see Apple introducing a ultra-portable much cheaper than $2,000. Maybe $1,600, but not anything close to $1,000.

[QCassidy352]

no santa rosa for the macbooks?? but they need it most of all, to get that damn GMA950 out of there! The x3000 would be a huge improvement that won't mean a thing on the MBP. I don't even know what they could do to the macbooks without using SR - drop the bottom model and slash the price on the others?

[natejohnstone@g]

The "Ultraportable" will definitely be in the $2000 price range, quite simply because it can fetch that much based on demand. But I agree with everyone here that 13" is way too big. Even 12" is too big, even if it's only 3 pounds. The new Sony 11.1" is as big as I think you can go on a so-called "ultraportable" or else it's just a light Macbook. If this is going to be a new animal, it needs to be different.
Like how about this...put a think LED screen on a Mac Mini jk

But seriously I hope AI is wrong and the new MacBook refresh is Santa Rosa, LED, etc. If not, I will be getting the Dell back-to-school XPS special and Apple will loose out on a LOT of other back-to-school types, because by then the MB will be $500 overpriced for it's hardware (it's close already).

[timmillwood]

The ultra portable does sound nice, in the next few months i will need power more than portability so i will be swaping my macbook pro for a mac pro.

But i would love an ultra portable for around the house and when out and about. 13" does seem big, i remember my first mac was a 12" iBook, that was small but not ultra portable. I was hoping 10"-11", the size of a large portable DVD player.

[tjwett]

there is nothing "ultra portable" about a 13" laptop, regardless of its weight or slimness. i've been waiting a long time to replace my 12" PowerBook. i want something with the same or less of a footprint, half the weight, twice the battery life, flash storage and a higher res screen. if leopard is really going to be res-independent then smaller screens become more and more usable. 13" is bad news.

[ryanide]

Originally Posted by sushi

The Sony VAIO VGN-TXN29N/L has some interesting specs:
- 11.1 inch display
- Built in optical drive (dual layer)
- 2GB RAM
- 100GB HD

Price is around $2,600.

I don't see Apple introducing a ultra-portable much cheaper than $2,000. Maybe $1,600, but not anything close to $1,000.

I have the Sony TX series Laptop and it is the perfect combination of size/weight/performance. If it only ran Mac OS X it would be ideal. If sony can make a computer this size, then apple should be able to match it. At this point I wouldn't even consider a mac laptop just because they are SO HUGE! Granted some people use them as replacement desktops, fine, but they are nothing close to an ideal ultraportable. Guess the closest Apple came to it was the 12" G4, which they no longer make.

[Lyra]

No Optical Drive!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!


Then how are you going to upload MacOS X, Photoshop, Pages, you name it...

Will it be an internet book? Wow... that sucks.

Sorry, as cool as it may sound, it falls face down without a disc drive... Unless Apple will finally introduce Data Crystals, in which case I'll shut up...

[aLoC]

Sounds like they won't be much faster than the current gen. 2.4 vs 2.33 Ghz. And the new FSB and motherboard will only add a small percentage.

Hopefully they will excel in other areas such as battery life.