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Aluminum MacBook and MacBook Pros Spotted?
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I am not arguing that the MacBook Pro is not badly needing an update. It does need an update on all fronts to stay superior.
You also cannot just go listing components and saying that their sum should be the difference. Look at the MBA. It costs the same as a MBP but has a slower CPU, poorer GPU, less ram, less connectivity, etc. But as a super light weight portable it brings value.
Putting all the high end components that Apple uses in the MBP into one light weight power saving portable makes it worth the extra money for pro users.
Obviously if a MB fills your needs then a MBP is a waste of money.
and your basis for this is.....?
Why doesnt somebody whos good at economics do the math and figure out what the price drop could be if apple is expecting to go from 36ish % to 31%? (i cant remember the technical term for what those percentages are, i think it was margins?)
wow those are great prices even though they are older models. canadian unis don't get discounts like that at all hehe im jealous i would so pick that mbp for $1499. (thats how much a blackbook costs here minus $50 but 13% sales tax!)
however, i believe the macbooks that are to be in stock are the current models because those are the ones advertised on the page. probably picked up cheap stock from apple like mentioned above.
either way we all know its coming soon!!!
How come so many people want banana-colored Macbooks? Just buy a white MB and use it for a while. You'll have nice yellow wristrests before too long. 
I'm a "pro" in that I design, write and edit for work and for play. But I do it all on a regular old Macbook C2D. Why? Because when I bought it, I couldn't afford-slash-justify the extra $800-1000 for the Pro.
In 2 years, the only real regret I've had is the screen resolution. (I wish it could power dual external monitors too.) I use the CS3 suite AND the FCP2 suite (including Motion, to an extent), and while certainly not what it could be, it's all been very usable on my little Macbook.
(I've upgraded myself to 320GB HD and 4GB ram/3GB recognized, which cost much less than $800 and has helped of course.)
That said -- I am totally hoping to buy whatever the new MBP is. I'm ready for Apple to give us something that's truly different from the baseline and worth the money. Powerful graphics, high-res screen, whatever else.
But I vividly remember being on the other end of the spectrum -- the realization after much research that there really just wasn't that much difference between MB's and MBP's. It was a relief then. But now that I really want the higher-end graphics performance, it's going to be tough to swallow if there's still so little distinction.
I'm a "pro" in that I design, write and edit for work and for play. But I do it all on a regular old Macbook C2D. Why? Because when I bought it, I couldn't afford-slash-justify the extra $800-1000 for the Pro.
In 2 years, the only real regret I've had is the screen resolution. (I wish it could power dual external monitors too.) I use the CS3 suite AND the FCP2 suite (including Motion, to an extent), and while certainly not what it could be, it's all been very usable on my little Macbook.
(I've upgraded myself to 320GB HD and 4GB ram/3GB recognized, which cost much less than $800 and has helped of course.)
That said -- I am totally hoping to buy whatever the new MBP is. I'm ready for Apple to give us something that's truly different from the baseline and worth the money. Powerful graphics, high-res screen, whatever else.
But I vividly remember being on the other end of the spectrum -- the realization after much research that there really just wasn't that much difference between MB's and MBP's. It was a relief then. But now that I really want the higher-end graphics performance, it's going to be tough to swallow if there's still so little distinction.
I think Beric was very close to what should be expected...
The margins alone won't help much because we are only discussing a few of the items that Apple makes... So that would be pure speculation...
That means @ 36%, the cost for Apple to build a $2099 MBP is $1343.
So they make $756. Some of that probably goes into insurance for the 1 yr warranty.
Down to 31% would get the cost up to $1448, so they would make $650 from a base MBP.
That probably means $100 price drops. Or an extra $100 worth of features or material.
Can't argue on the MBA. You can't find that thinness elsewhere.
Apple doesn't have "high-end" components in their MBP's. They're the exact same components you'll find in a typical $1200-$1300. And they are way underspecced for a "Pro". What if I'm a power user who wants good specs in his laptop? I buy a PC, no matter how bad I want OS X, because Apple charges insane prices for outdated tech that doesn't perform.
And what if a MBP doesn't fill my needs AND a MBP is a waste of my money? Isn't Apple supposed to fill my needs? So where's a reasonable priced laptop that focuses pure specs at the cost of weight and thickness? What if I want a powerful laptop that runs OS X and the MBP clearly isn't it?
Again with the "always"... Apple didn't even have a consumer line before the iMacs and iBooks were introduced. There was one PowerBook G3 and one PowerMac G3. Prior to the G3 there was a myriad of different models where the pricetag dictated which ones were aimed at professionals and which weren't.
Actual professionals aren't going to stop buying high-end Macs just because Apple stops calling the machines "pro". Those customers are already in the bag, no further persuasion required. The purpose may be to change the perception of the consumer models. They want to motivate potential buyers of the low-end models to buy machines that are more expensive than low-end PCs, and in order to do so they need to convey that these guys will be getting something extra when they go Mac. There are two things preventing that right now. One is that the MacBooks are made from cheapo plastic. The other is that the non-plastic models are called "Pro", and logic tells one that the plastic models must be very much non-pro, then. But if the low-end models get an aluminium casing and Apple stops calling the high-end models Pro, the low-end machines will look a whole lot better and more worthy of their pricetags.
I think Beric was very close to what should be expected...
The margins alone won't help much because we are only discussing a few of the items that Apple makes... So that would be pure speculation...
The main thing i was upset about Berics comment was the "praising" comment.
As much as people like to say we are all idiot fanboys, many of us have a very good reason for our devotion to apple. Beric on the other hand is the type of person that looks at everything in a financial way. Different stokes for different folks.
my mistake, as much as i am tech savy, when it comes to economics im almost clueless (should i run for president?
)They better not cripple the Macbook Pro in their quest to make everything super-duper-awesomely-fantastically-thin.
I can see it now:
Steve Jobs: Isn't it beautiful? [crowd stirs and makes cooing sounds like a baby]
SJ: Lets see the side here...Look at how thin that is. It is only 0.00004 cm thick. Incredible!
Macbook Pro is a workhorse model. Keep it that way. Leave the incredible thinness and gimmicky **** exclusive to the general consumer side. I just want to get work done and not have to mess around with cables or external devices.
I can see it now:
Steve Jobs: Isn't it beautiful? [crowd stirs and makes cooing sounds like a baby]
SJ: Lets see the side here...Look at how thin that is. It is only 0.00004 cm thick. Incredible!
Macbook Pro is a workhorse model. Keep it that way. Leave the incredible thinness and gimmicky **** exclusive to the general consumer side. I just want to get work done and not have to mess around with cables or external devices.
Please! No. That laptop is WAY too thin. Just think of the heat issues, as if the MBA wasn't enough.
I myself want a THICKER MB and MBP, like the iBook and Powerbook G4 thicknesses. Then we can dump the outdated specs, heat issues, and poor cooling systems once and for all.
That makes no sense. That cheapo plastic has done well for Apple and millions of customers. Making comments like that shows how immature a person is. Plus there will be a distinction and should be. In a few days you will be proven wrong.
Gotcha! I was just saying that, while the prices may be more "competitive" as stated, it will be a minimal drop...
I agree, he has repeatedly spoke about prices for other computers which have little relevance on an Apple forum. Hackintosh maybe...
I will NEVER own anything other than an Apple, and although I am not rich by any means, pricing means very little to me when it comes to my Apple purchases.
The thing no one ever seems to factor into price is all the "little" things about apples designs that are so neat or make computing actually enjoyable again.
Sorry, but it's become clear over the last couple of years that Apple will stop at NOTHING to make each model thinner than the last one, just so that Steve can get up on stage and fire off the word "thin" 3 times per sentence. You know how anorexia works, people lose track of reality. They don't care that their teeth are falling out or that they can't muster the strength to lift a pair of socks, they only have one goal -- to get rid of that perceived "excess fat" (=skin and withered muscles).