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You cant compare it like that.

iBook is a simple name. Powerbook has a differentiation. It is a higher end computer.

What you people are suggesting is that there is a 3000 dollar Macbook on the market. That won't go over well.

Thank you! Back then the iBook was the entry level and the POWERbook was the pro model. Same theory. There SHOULD be a difference...
 
Why not? They bought $3500 PowerBooks. There were no Macs called "Pro" before 2006, and MBPs are no more professional than the G4 PowerBooks were. If you're a professional, you'll buy the stuff that fits your needs no matter what it's called. If you buy stuff only because it says "Pro" on it, you're probably an amateur.

The answer to this was already answered a few posts above.
 
Why not? They bought $3500 PowerBooks. There were no Macs called "Pro" before 2006, and MBPs are no more professional than the G4 PowerBooks were. If you're a professional, you'll buy the stuff that fits your needs no matter what it's called. If you buy stuff only because it says "Pro" on it, you're probably an amateur.

Yeah. And powerbook had the word power in it. It's like asking someone to buy a $50,000 kia.

Based on the demographic that I sold laptops to, people need a justification to drop that kind of cash. To an average person, even a word in the title helps. People on this forum are far more knowledgeable than the average Joe, who WOULD like the Pro name. And, Apple has to cater to the average Joe, because they represent a higher portion of the populous.

As I pointed out earlier, removing pro would not be consistent with the Mac Pro either. Would they start to call it an iMac?
 
iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 worked and none of them had "Pro" in their name?

Why are you people always so afraid?

Having 'Pro' on my laptop makes it look and sound powerful, I like it!

They aren't going to change the names or drop the 'Pro' any time soon - they are too known now. The transition from the PowerBook to the MacBook Pro was to introduce the Intel chips - a huge change.

I can't see anything changing drastically (the 'display' trackpad has been a rumour for ages, and I don't see that happening for another year if ever) performance wise that would trigger them to need to change the naming of the products to indicate that they are now very different to their predecessors.
 
Great argument, but...
You didn't actually say why Pro should be dropped. ;)
Fair enough. ;)

My personal take: In the audio soft- and hardware business where I work, the "Pro" moniker is kind of an in-joke among manufacturers, it's something that nobody with any sense of class will touch with a 40 ft pole. "Pro" is something that sleaze merchants slap on their products in the hope of fooling n00bs (=insecure teenage bedroom producers) into believing they can be one the big boys, if they only buy all the stuff that's called "Pro". We chuckled a bit at the office when Apple started calling their machines "Pro", it was, I dunno, unbecoming of such a cool company to stoop to the level of used car salesmen.
 
Still, does not make the MacBook Pro that much better except #4. With the new models, I think you can call the 13" MacBook: "13" MacBook Pro" if you want to, thus making your arguments moot.
Just when Apple releases the new Macs, see them for yourselves.
I am done with this thread.

Just because you call a 13" MB a MacBook Pro does not make it so. I don't understand what you are getting at. The MBP is still far superior. It will wipe the floor with a MB in any speed comparison and connectivity options. Apple has always made a distinction between the "Pro line" and the "Consumer line".

For example:

imac = consumer
powermac = pro

ibook = consumer
powerbook = pro

intel imac = consumer
mac pro = pro

macbook = consumer
macbook pro = pro

iphoto = consumer
aperture = pro

final cut express = consumer
final cut pro = pro

The list goes on and on. Why would Apple all of a sudden drop the distinction just because the case is Aluminum. Why didn't Apple just call the MacBook Air a MacBook? Because they wanted a distinction between the two products. I seriously doubt Apple will merge the products. In fact, I am willing to bet that Apple will add options to the MBP that will separate the products by a larger margin, such as SSD options, blu-ray options, more ram expansion.

Apple is going to target the MB at the under $1000 crowd and the MBP at the $2000.00+ crowd.
 
Just because you call a 13" MB a MacBook Pro does not make it so. I don't understand what you are getting at. The MBP is still far superior. It will wipe the floor with a MB in any speed comparison and connectivity options. Apple has always made a distinction between the "Pro line" and the "Consumer line".

For example:

imac = consumer
powermac = pro

ibook = consumer
powerbook = pro

macbook = consumer
macbook pro = pro

iphoto = consumer
aperture = pro

final cut express = consumer
final cut pro = pro

The list goes on and on. Why would Apple all of a sudden drop the distinction just because the case is Aluminum. Why didn't Apple just call the MacBook Air a MacBook? Because they wanted a distinction between the two products. I seriously doubt Apple will merge the products. In fact, I am willing to bet that Apple will add options to the MBP that will separate the products by a larger margin, such as SSD options, blu-ray options, more ram expansion.

Apple is going to target the MB at the under $1000 crowd and the MBP at the $2000.00+ crowd.

Well said, but it appears he didn't like people disagreeing with him so he left... :rolleyes:
 
I don't know how you can say that. The pro models have;

1) Faster CPUs
2) Backlit keyboards
3) Larger and higher resolution displays
4) Much faster and more powerful discrete GPU
5) More connectivity and can mirror or drive 30" ACDs
6) Larger and faster HDD options
and probably a few other things as well.

Just because they will supposedly be using Aluminum cases for both does not make the MBP any less superior to the MB. Function-wise the MBP is far superior. Fashion-wise they are equivalent.

1) By 100-200Mhz. Worth? $100 tops
2) That's a big deal? Worth? $25
3) Worth? $200-$300, based on industry prices.
4) They're only midrange, and always outdated. Worth? $150 tops.
5) Great for some power-work users, but for the average consumer, worth little. Such features are crippled on the MB anyway and cost Apple very little. Worth? $50 tops
6) That also cost a ton more than they're worth above and beyond the retail prices. Worth? $100
Max total? $725 (and that's very generous, mind you. Just look around).

To sum up? For a 17" MBP over a top-end MB, I am paying $2800 vs. $1300, or an additional $1500 for $725-worth of features. And that's ignoring the fact that the Macbook costs twice the cost of competitors for similar features.

The MBP isn't much different than the MBP. But you're paying incredible prices for those differences. The MBP doesn't even deserve to be called "Pro". You can get similar specs for $1300 of your standard HP or Dell, with the same parts.
 
Anyone care to take a guess at what the RAM options will be?

Hopefully the macbooks will have a higher capacity than 4 GB which is sure to become just the standard by the end end of its life. I plan on buying my first ever macbook, and if 4 is going to be the max im going to be dissapointed. I might have to save up and get the pro which id be willing to bet will allow for more.
 
Anyone care to take a guess at what the RAM options will be?

Hopefully the macbooks will have a higher capacity than 4 GB which is sure to become just the standard by the end end of its life. I plan on buying my first ever macbook, and if 4 is going to be the max im going to be dissapointed. I might have to save up and get the pro which id be willing to bet will allow for more.

I think it will stay at 4GB max on the MB. That is plenty. I think you will be disappointed then.
 
Yeah, but that's the kind of connectivity you need at your desk, not when you're on the road or in your sofa/bed. So if they were to make a dock/port replicator they could do away with a lot of stuff that's overkill when you're using the MB as a standalone.

Everyone's experience is different. I actually use my ports "on the road" quite a bit. One of my steady clients requires me to travel with a laptop that can hook up to external hard drives and cameras and edit projects together in meeting rooms, hotel rooms, airplanes, wherever. And even when I'm just sitting on my couch at home I'm not fretting about "overkill" -- hell, I still have a 56K modem port but I don't lose sleep about it.

To be able to go on the road with a laptop that has nearly all the capabilities of my Pro tower (minus the processor speed and expandability of course) is a big deal. To be able to edit video or touch up photos or mix music without being tethered to a desk is really important to me and other Pro users, and we don't want to lose that power. So I'd rather keep all the ports and features BUT if there is some kind of dock, it had better be light and portable and not another brick in my bag. And god help us if they move the Superdrive to an external attachment, because the days of running through the halls and riding in a taxi while a DVD is muxing and burning on the way to a presentation would be over (and yes, I've been there).
:p
 
How much cheaper do you think the new macbooks are going to be?????
:apple:

If we're going to follow what people are saying, they'll be competitive, which means either half the current prices on every model, or dedicated graphics and Superdrive on the lowest model, and 2/3 the cost. Don't believe me? Look at PC's sold by HP or Dell and compare the specs.

If the prices are what I think they'll be, they'll all be dropped by $100, with slightly better integrated graphics. And people will hail Apple as having "competitive" prices that are really just as bad as ever.
 
what exactly do they mean by spotted. like do they mean. "oh, look that guy has a new macbook."
 
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