32GB 600Mhz Video-Capable Next Gen iPhone? MacBook Pro Rebranding?

[chrmjenkins]

Given Kevin Rose's successes in the past, I'd like to see some predictions from him as well.

It also frustrates me that we keep being told "600 Mhz CPU" without the architecture. That's one step away from being useless.

 

[polaris20]

Dual hard drives, SLI video cards, eSata ports, Blu-ray drives, >> 2 USB ports... you get the idea.

What is "Pro" to some people is a uselessly heavy brick to others. Which is why the "Pro" moniker needs to go.

 

[overcast]

I actually like the white Macbooks. But the plastic does not seem to streamline Apple's new eco friendly future.
Could we see a Carbon fiber macbook case?

As for the rebranding, I agree with others, the current Macbook is noway near the Macbook Pro... So I assume they will just stop making Laptops out of aluminum which have the low end specs. Seems logical, since the shinyness (wow is that a word ?) is appealing for Smart people

Carbon Fiber is not eco friendly, the majority of its construction is epoxy resin.

 

[HailToTheVictor]

I hope that the new Iphone will have the following features.

32 and 16 Gigabyte models are inevitable.
My hope and what I think is that the price points will be maintained.
3.2 Megapixel Camera, up from the 2 megapixel.
Video recording and editing capability, as well as MMS (Picture or Video messaging)
Discontinuation of the metal edge between the front and back of the phone.
1.5x the battery life (this is semi-dependent upon the OLED screen)
OLED Screen (WOOOOT!)
600MHz over the currently existing 400MHz as well as 256MB ram over the currently existing 128MB, however, the new iphone should be about 1.5x faster than the current generation.
Built-in FM Transmitter
Apple Logo Illumination
Rubber-tread backing
Sleeker design (possible, but not likely imo, unless it comes from the OLED technology, in that they won't need a backlight... )
Built-in Compass
Turn-by-turn directions

Rubber tread backing...haha. Not a chance.

I would love if Apple went back to the multi-colored logo for the illumination. This is more targeted toward the notebooks, but would be pretty awesome in the iPhone nonetheless

 

[Eidorian]

Rebranding is going to cause a mess.

 

[aarcarr]

Why would rebranding be confusing?

It was the same way with all PowerBooks being all aluminum and Ibooks being plastic. I agree that if they change the al MacBook to a MacBook Pro, they do need to upgrade it to match the rest of the line.

 

[gojira]

I actually like the white Macbooks. But the plastic does not seem to streamline Apple's new eco friendly future.
Could we see a Carbon fiber macbook case?

As for the rebranding, I agree with others, the current Macbook is noway near the Macbook Pro... So I assume they will just stop making Laptops out of aluminum which have the low end specs. Seems logical, since the shinyness (wow is that a word ?) is appealing for Smart people

I like the white and black MacBooks, too. The Matte finish of the black one was especially nice. I'm sure Apple could find a non-metal and recycleable material for laptop cases that's cheaper than aluminum. the old PowerBook G3 Lombard/Pismo cases were great!

Like chrome on cars or granite counter tops...
Shiny = TACKY
MATTE is where it's AT!

Until Apple adds, at a minimum, FireWire and an ExpressCard/34 slot to the MacBook, it will NOT be PRO, no matter what they call it.

ExpressCard/34 slots are great, I use mine for SD and CompactFlash card readers and I'd consider getting an eSATA card for it, too.

 

[gojira]

Pro has got to GO!

Why would rebranding be confusing?

It was the same way with all PowerBooks being all aluminum and Ibooks being plastic. I agree that if they change the al MacBook to a MacBook Pro, they do need to upgrade it to match the rest of the line.

I still hate the unwieldy, dorky MacBook Pro name. I don't wear a cellphone on my belt or walk around wearing a Bluetooth headset!

PowerBook sounds cooler and easier to say. Sure, it was originally connected to PowerPC processors, but Apple still owns it!

 

[aarcarr]

I still hate the unwieldy, dorky MacBook Pro name. I don't wear a cellphone on my belt or walk around wearing a Bluetooth headset!

PowerBook sounds cooler and easier to say. Sure, it was originally connected to PowerPC processors, but Apple still owns it!

I don't like the Pro name either. Especially when people consider them solely for "professional" use. The PowerBooks weren't like that, of course they had more power than the Ibooks, which is why people used them for professional applications.

Ibook- MacBook
PowerBook- Macbook Pro

and yes, the PowerBook name is way better.

 

[gojira]

Pro Ho Ho

Dual hard drives, SLI video cards, eSata ports, Blu-ray drives, >> 2 USB ports... you get the idea.

What is "Pro" to some people is a uselessly heavy brick to others. Which is why the "Pro" moniker needs to go.

Oh, like card readers?

When you start cramming too much crap into a laptop, the weight and bulk go up. It's why Apple doesn't add one-trick-ponies like card readers. Apple is trying to walk a fine line and for the most part, they've managed to do it pretty well.

For me, a Pro Mac means flexibility. So whatever is built-in needs to be extendable and able to be used in multiple situations with multiple peripherals, like ExpressCard/34 slots or FireWire/eSATA/USB2 ports.

Dual hard drives are of limited appeal, especially when you can plug portable hard drive drive into the FireWire 800 port. Yes, it will appeal to a small segment of MacBook pro buyers, but not a clear majority. Again, they add another level of complexity AND weight, bulk and consume more battery power.

Blu-ray is of limited appeal. I have one connected to my HDTV and it's fantastic, but do I need or want one in my MacBook Pro? Are you or I going to burn a Blu-ray disk on battery power or just wait to get back to my office? How much will it drive up the price, weight, etc.?

Again, it's a balancing act between feature-itis, functionality and flexibility. The FOUR 'F's'?

 

[Mousse]

I agree that if they change the al MacBook to a MacBook Pro, they do need to upgrade it to match the rest of the line.

Yup. Looks like FW (most likely FW800) is making a come back on the 13 incher.

 

[SpitzerCR]

gotta take over them blackberry sales

 

[iMacmatician]

I'm not that surprised, to be honest. This may be why the MacBooks and MacBook Pros came closer in design last year.

That being said I can find the name change reasonable but I'm not a big fan of it (at the moment).

 

[Firefly2002]

I wouldn't doubt Gruber, but the whole "MacBook vs. MacBook Pro" thing seems off.

Apple needs to dump the plastic MacBook entirely. While bringing down the prices of the aluminum MacBooks.

Yet you still need a consumer line and a pro line. Hence, MacBook and MacBook Pro. I can't see this changing.

Agreed but to be honest there's not much distinction between the two, and there's not really anything "pro" about the MBP; low-res screen, 6GB max, etc. One would hope for a decent i7 when they're available w/ideally a 4750 mobile variant... and 8 GB max (if not 16), and a 1680x1050 standard w/1920x1080 available for the 15" optionally.

 

[ktlx]

Dual hard drives, SLI video cards, eSata ports, Blu-ray drives, >> 2 USB ports... you get the idea.

This list is ridiculous... You just can't throw out a bunch of buzzwords and claim that means pro.

For the most part, photographers and designers who use their laptops for work, seem to lean heavily on the flexibility external drives offer. I know a whole slew of photographers who don't use their internal drives for anything but the OS and apps. The added weight and inflexibility of dual hard drives would be useless.

There are (virtually) no professional-level applications that do anything with SLI and those I am aware of, couldn't run on laptop hardware anyway. If you're not gaming, SLI is useless.

Unless you mean a blu-ray burner, you're also not talking professional needs via a blu-ray drive. Even then, photographers, designers (both 2D and 3D), sound technicians, etc. wouldn't be able to take much advantage of it.

 

[MacMini2009]

This is what I think.

They will introduce a 13inch MBP with firewire, and discrete graphics.
They should still keep unibody Macbooks.
I think they will keep the White Macbook, I mean the Mac Mini has a white top.
White Macbooks will be around the $600-$800 range and will be the low end notebook like the Mac Mini is the low end Desktop.
The "tablet" or "netbook" will be like and Ipod Touch and be in the Ipod line.

This is just what I think.

 

[Roessnakhan]

They will introduce a 13inch MBP with firewire, and discrete graphics.
They should still keep unibody Macbooks.

That's far too confusing.

 

[MacMini2009]

That's far too confusing.

maybe they should just get rid of the the unibody macbook?

 

[arkmannj]

All I really want.

1) better pricing on AT&T's part, the best of phones is still not an option for many people when the pricing of the plans are ridiculous.

2) Bring back Firewire on all machines. if they want a differentiation between the pro line and consumer line, have 2x FW800 on the pro's and 1x FW400 on the consumer machines.
Oh and bring back the matte screen options across the board (even if it costs 50.00)

 

[Rhalliwell1]

MacBooks become "MacBook Pros" forming a larger MacBook Pro range.
MacBook Airs become "MacBooks"
new tablet become "MacBook Airs"

 

[str1f3]

Example (most recent):

http://daringfireball.net/2009/01/macworld_expo_predictions

He was just about as wrong as one could be on anything that wasn't expected or scheduled to be announced.

As for Twitter, based on the times he posts and the amount he posts:

44 posts (result of search for "twitter" in his own site search box)

That's a lot ... seeing as he's under 1500 total posts for the whole site.

Twitter is a huge buzzword right now ... it's being pitched by the geek elite like it's some kind of miracle form of communication ... Gruber fits into the category of "Geek Elite" that likes to pretend he's hip with everything.

Don't get me wrong ... I don't hate him and I don't mean to bash him here. I just think he's a huge prick who's had some big success being a wannabe by association. Sites, such as this one only link to him for the same reason they use DIGG or Slashdot to promote their stories - hits!



To be fair yet agree with your comment:

I think everyone doubted an Intel switch was coming ... I know I did.

But, if he were as connected as he claims to have been, he would have gotten that right, because that has been almost as big as the iPhone in terms of Apple announcements over the last decade.

I understand what you are saying but the post you linked to he clearly states that they are just predictions. When he says something as clearly as he did yesterday, you know he is telling from a first-hand source. Even in the post yesterday he clearly sets fact from prediction. Along with Dilger, there is nobody more connected to more of what's going inside of Apple. Also, though these guys have close ties at Apple, it does not mean that they are privy to every single thing that apple does. What is clear though is that both Dilger and Gruber have sources that are relatively high up because they have had info on both the Mac and Ipod line. Somebody like Kevin Rose clearly has some ties to the iPod wing.

As for the twitter posts, I don't find it too bad. I wouldn't call it obnoxious. It not like he's linking to Ashton Kutcher's posts. I'm not a huge fan of twitter but it does have it's benefits as well as it's uselessness. Mostly the latter which I find he never links to. Although he may be inside the Silicon Valley "click", I don't think he's nearly as obnoxious as Kevin Rose is.

Gruber may not be the nicest of guys (well known for being extremely arrogant) but rarely is anyone who is exceptional at whatever they do.

 

[str1f3]

I still hate the unwieldy, dorky MacBook Pro name. I don't wear a cellphone on my belt or walk around wearing a Bluetooth headset!

PowerBook sounds cooler and easier to say. Sure, it was originally connected to PowerPC processors, but Apple still owns it!

LOL, I agree. I'm just going to call my old MBP a Powerbook. I know Jobs hates the old guard at apple but if they ever did one good thing it was the naming of "Powerbook".

 

[str1f3]

This is what I think.

They will introduce a 13inch MBP with firewire, and discrete graphics.
They should still keep unibody Macbooks.
I think they will keep the White Macbook, I mean the Mac Mini has a white top.
White Macbooks will be around the $600-$800 range and will be the low end notebook like the Mac Mini is the low end Desktop.
The "tablet" or "netbook" will be like and Ipod Touch and be in the Ipod line.

This is just what I think.

I doubt it though I would like it. Adding those features would raise the prices very close to MBP levels. It would be nice if they added a discrete graphics card and FW800 to the high end 13". That would be perfect.

 

[Peter Maurer]

Macbook Pro becomes a Macbook and all of the laptops come under the single name "Macbook"

That's exactly what I've been expecting to happen for a few years now. The "Pro" suffix still strikes me as tacky and presumptuous. Besides, a name that contains both camel case and normal spacing ("Mac[no space]Book[space]Pro") will never really look right.

Let's just drop plastics, differentiate the remaining MacBooks by size (MacBook 13, MacBook 15, etc. -- cf. iPhone models), give the possibly upcoming tablet a different name (MacBoard? ), done.

 

[robogobo]

There's a 90MHz Pentium out? sweet.