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I wonder if the rumor of apple working on a 15" version of a macbook air is in fact related to this rebranding theory.
 
That rebranding, quite honestly, sounds absolutely stupid. The current MacBooks, aluminum or not, are not 'pro' machines. It can even be argued that the current MacBook Pro isn't even a 'pro' machine. Stupid, stupid decision on Apple's part if true.

I'm not surprised. Much like how there isn't just an "iPod" without a descriptive word anymore. However, the reclassification of the 13" UB Macbook as a MBP probably means that the MBP is no longer intended for the 'pro' market.

Additionally, I doubt they would increase the specs of the machine. They might raise the price, though. I'd love to see them drop the MBA down to the entry-level machine, but again, probably not.
 
I could never see the current macbook being called a macbook pro,

It isn't accurate, and it isn't apple's style.

I don't think they should drop the white macbook, (think firewire and cheapest notebook)

but, I question this whole thing....
 

It isn't accurate because the current macbooks simply aren't pro, you can spin it any way you like, but the graphics and lack of firewire are not on a 'pro' level.

The current 15' and 17' MBPs both share most of their features, (save the 7 hour battery, an extra USB, etc.)

If the macbook was upgraded to have said features, then I would agree with it, but not until then.



And it isn't Apple's style because they have always had a differentiated consumer and pro level.

It wouldn't fit with the current system

Ultra-portable l Consumer l Professional

MacBook Air l MacBook l MacBook Pro

Mac Mini l iMac l Mac Pro
 
Who cares what they call it. NONE of them are pro. Until you see FireGL or QuadroFX then they are not a professional content creativity platform.
 
Who cares what they call it. NONE of them are pro. Until you see FireGL or QuadroFX then they are not a professional content creativity platform.

Yep. The 'Pro' part, if anything is in claim only. If they were named MacBook 15" that would be a lot more closer to the truth actually. ;)
 
Who cares what they call it. NONE of them are pro. Until you see FireGL or QuadroFX then they are not a professional content creativity platform.

You could also include RGB LED. 'Pro' these days is a price-point more than anything else.
 
It doesn't make any sense for Apple to call all aluminum notebooks "Pro" - the casing is hardly what makes the system a professional computer.

They've invested too much money into the branding they have now.

They have succeeded in positioning the 'Pro' lineup as high-end; They may tack on a word to the aluminum MacBooks, but I don't see them putting 'Pro' on the lower models.
 
I have every confidence that the design team will screw up the next iPhone as badly as they have the two preceding ones. Those guys could screw up Pizza and beer.
 
You are right, but for first year free of mobileme will cause a lot of revenue lose for Apple, especially in this economy. :D

Blu-ray, in another way, is not so important as a necessity. Even the building DVD burner can be remove for another battery or second HD. :apple:

Mobileme has a problem. Lots of people will never try it because of the expense (it is overpriced). A year of it free would, perhaps, entice a fair number of these people to "try it, you'll like it" and renew at the end of the year. That would promote revenue growth. It would also be a sales item for new hardware.

Apple's position is certainly that Blu-ray is still a bag full of hurt. Just how many customers actually have a need/desire for Blu-Ray anyway? If it is just a comparatively few content creators, I would foresee Apple trying to work out some sort of an application that deals with their needs.
 
I could never see the current macbook being called a macbook pro,

It isn't accurate, and it isn't apple's style.

I don't think they should drop the white macbook, (think firewire and cheapest notebook)

but, I question this whole thing....

Please point me to an industry standard list of what defines a machine as a "pro" machine. I wasn't aware there was one. ISO?

16 inch MacBook Pro (with 1920x1080 resolution, a strong video card and surround sound system) would be nice.

I hope that Apple never goes with a 16:9 screen, because they're useless IMO for anything other than watching movies or playing games.
 
I have every confidence that the design team will screw up the next iPhone as badly as they have the two preceding ones. Those guys could screw up Pizza and beer.

so lets see you do better. I'm not talking 'i would do' talk. I mean an actual device, designed, patented, created and on the market. perfect in the first model, no glitches, etc.

I'm sure you can have it ready to release by June 1, 2010.

Mobileme has a problem. Lots of people will never try it because of the expense (it is overpriced).

given everything it can do, it isn't overpriced. not for the folks that use it for all of those things. for those that are just looking to sync with their phone, that's a different game. but I, for example, would rather pay $110 a year for my own domain and 20gb of web server space for my site with mobile me than 5 times that with someone like godaddy

If it is just a comparatively few content creators, I would foresee Apple trying to work out some sort of an application that deals with their needs.

why should Apple pander to that small few when there are 3rd party drives and software (including Toast when many of them are probably already using) that work with the Mac.

Even several video trade mags are saying that blu-ray might not stick around as streaming tv and video downloads are taking off. so it would seem that Apple is thinking the right way. So, methinks, they should focus instead on leading the way to a compression format that allows you to have 1080 files that aren't super huge (thus making them impractical).

Please point me to an industry standard list of what defines a machine as a "pro" machine. I wasn't aware there was one. ISO?
I was thinking the same thing.
 
<snip>

why should Apple pander to that small few when there are 3rd party drives and software (including Toast when many of them are probably already using) that work with the Mac.

<snip>

I quite agree. I am not a fan of Blu-ray. There are many who doubt its ultimate commercial success. It has not, as yet, achieved any great degree of market acceptance and, should another alternative appear it may become the laser disc of this era.

Apple simply does not want to deal with it, but will do something to work with content creators to avoid them departing the platform. I would expect it to be through third parties for the most part, but Apple will see that it happens. It is a matter of self defense. Apple have seen the movement to PCs of top end pro photographers because of Adobe not keeping up with the Mac releases of Photoshop CS. The ones making the move are the ones who benefit from the order of magnitude improvements in processing with a 64 bit implementation. Many, if not most, of the others who do not need that degree of functionality will continue with the Mac.

Cheers
 
Apple simply does not want to deal with it, but will do something to work with content creators to avoid them departing the platform. I would expect it to be through third parties for the most part,

As I said before. it's been done by the 3ps. there are burners, there is software. no it is not built into the Mac machines or the OS but it is possible if you are one of the 5% that want to create and burn a blu-ray with your Mac you can do it.
 
I hope they make the new iPhone have a matte back, or slightly rubberized for grip with a lightup Apple. :) I hope they consider those "subtle changes".

Light up Apple logo? Blah.

Regarding the moniker change, how on Earth could Apple brand all of their non-pro and pro aluminum laptops "Macbook Pro?" They are two separate product lines! It doesn't make sense to me.
 
Perhaps they're going to give bio-engineered plastics a go. These would be way better for the environment than all the energy required to cut the aluminium casings and would be also biodegradable!?

I happen to like the white Macbook...I hope it sticks around for a while yet. :D

I agree The green credientials and recyclability of unibody mac books must be questionable how much energy is need for that. if they want to be green
REUSE My PBG4 has a perfectly good chassis and a design that was unchanged for years, why not just replace the electronics?
 
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