Anyone wanting to let Apple know how we feel?

[Necrotique]

When they started having sealed batteries I already knew this is on the cards. With the latest soldered memory and SSD chips, all I am getting is an overglorified iPad with a keyboard.

Thanks, but... no thanks. I actually need my Mac to do work so I too am quite at a loss what to get once the older (fat) MBP is discontinued.

Will probably switch over to the Windows camp.

I love how the -dare I say- fan-boys are voting us down for seeing that it's wrong that we're being forced into either getting the (now $450AU) applecare to cover us for 4 years all up, or to have the 1 year limited warranty.
Just think, if any component fails that's soldered onto the board, you have to replace the whole logic board.
How is that moving forward at all? It'd be like having a car with a brilliant engine with the rest made of cardboard. Everytime the engine overheats, the whole car's rooted and you have to buy a new one.
inb4 everyone pointing out it's not a car. I think we know you can't drive a laptop.
It really is just an over-glorified iPad now.
I for one do not welcome our new "recyclable" throw-away overlords. I'd rather have something I can pay a small sum to fix myself.

Really, the $450 AU applecare is now compulsory, so add that to the base $2100 base price for a retina model with negligible graphical capabilities and the entry-level price seems a hell of a lot less appealing.

Cue the vote-downs.

 

[iMusings]

I'm sorry, Apple is clearly not for you then. If you like OS X so much, your only option is a hackintosh.

All of the people clearly upset over Apple's business strategy are better off acting upon their threats and engaging Apple directly with their criticisms (and taking their money elsewhere) rather than venting on a forum that means absolutely nothing in the long-run. I'm not saying this to single you out or in response to you, just a general statement.

Really people, Windows 7 isn't that bad, and all of the hardware options you yearn for are over there.

You are right, and I am thankful that photocopiers are working very well these days.

Windows 7 is not even bad, in comparison to Lion some aspects I actually find it better over the other side.

I love how the -dare I say- fan-boys are voting us down for seeing that it's wrong that we're being forced into either getting the (now $450AU) applecare to cover us for 4 years all up, or to have the 1 year limited warranty.
Just think, if any component fails that's soldered onto the board, you have to replace the whole logic board.
How is that moving forward at all? It'd be like having a car with a brilliant engine with the rest made of cardboard. Everytime the engine overheats, the whole car's rooted and you have to buy a new one.
inb4 everyone pointing out it's not a car. I think we know you can't drive a laptop.
It really is just an over-glorified iPad now.
I for one do not welcome our new "recyclable" throw-away overlords. I'd rather have something I can pay a small sum to fix myself.

Really, the $450 AU applecare is now compulsory, so add that to the base $2100 base price for a retina model with negligible graphical capabilities and the entry-level price seems a hell of a lot less appealing.

Cue the vote-downs.

I am not too concerned about the memory actually. I was actually trying to dig up more specs on the SSD blades Apple uses, and to be frank with you, I was hoping to find some confirmation that Apple uses mSATA-compatible cards.

Apparently they don't, and that sealed the deal for me. I will probably pick up a non-retina Ivy Bridge MBP from the store when they start showing up at some point, but in the long run I really think Windows is the way to go. No need to put up with arrogant **** dictating to me how and what is permissible and what isn't.

My patience has been wearing thin with the new AppStore sandboxing requirements anyway.

Like I said, I wasn't too upset about the memory. As much as I don't like it, I was willing to accept it. But SSDs are consumables. Sure, perhaps they might last a long time. But I can write an app that burns yours out in a month. In my book they count as consumables.

 

[tom vilsack]

Apple laptops have always been a pain to upgrade...i changed the harddrive on my ibook G4 and was royal pain in the ***

If buying a new Apple laptop,it's always best to buy the best you can afford...

 

[Necrotique]

You are right, and I am thankful that photocopiers are working very well these days.

Windows 7 is not even bad, in comparison to Lion some aspects I actually find it better over the other side.



I am not too concerned about the memory actually. I was actually trying to dig up more specs on the SSD blades Apple uses, and to be frank with you, I was hoping to find some confirmation that Apple uses mSATA-compatible cards.

Apparently they don't, and that sealed the deal for me. I will probably pick up a non-retina Ivy Bridge MBP from the store when they start showing up at some point, but in the long run I really think Windows is the way to go. No need to put up with arrogant **** dictating to me how and what is permissible and what isn't.

My patience has been wearing thin with the new AppStore sandboxing requirements anyway.

Like I said, I wasn't too upset about the memory. As much as I don't like it, I was willing to accept it. But SSDs are consumables. Sure, perhaps they might last a long time. But I can write an app that burns yours out in a month. In my book they count as consumables.

Thankyou.

 

[Mackilroy]

Really, the $450 AU applecare is now compulsory, so add that to the base $2100 base price for a retina model with negligible graphical capabilities and the entry-level price seems a hell of a lot less appealing.

Cue the vote-downs.

It's only compulsory if you abuse your machines -- if you take care of them, AppleCare doesn't matter that much.

Also, negligible graphics capabilities? I'm not sure where you got that from, but it has an identical GPU to the traditional MBP and a much better screen.

 

[JohnnyQuest]

I'll let Apple know how I feel buy shelling out $2600 for the best notebook they've ever made.

 

[splitpea]

Yeah, as a power user, I'm increasingly disappointed with Apple's choices to turn both hardware and OS into appliances for the lowest common denominator. Some cool features (OK, yeah, I'm drooling over the retina display and form factor), but decreasing flexibility and control.

I'm 12-18 months away from my next hardware purchase. I'm starting to look into software alternatives that would let me move onto a non-Apple stack.

It'd suck to have to use Windows + Linux VM in order to have my Photoshop and UNIX on the same box, and I'm not looking forward to maintaining those operating systems or losing my favorite text editor and FTP client. But I can't live with autosave, and I can't justify purchasing a computer whose memory and hard drive I can't even upgrade (and overpaying by a factor of 10 for the upgrades from the factory).

It's clear that I'm no longer Apple's target customer, and complaining to them isn't going to change the fact that the vast majority of their customers are satisfied with exorbitantly priced "appliances", so I'll have to find a way to get what I want elsewhere.

 

[Necrotique]

Yeah, as a power user, I'm increasingly disappointed with Apple's choices to turn both hardware and OS into appliances for the lowest common denominator. Some cool features (OK, yeah, I'm drooling over the retina display and form factor), but decreasing flexibility and control.

I'm 12-18 months away from my next hardware purchase. I'm starting to look into software alternatives that would let me move onto a non-Apple stack.

It'd suck to have to use Windows + Linux VM in order to have my Photoshop and UNIX on the same box, and I'm not looking forward to maintaining those operating systems or losing my favorite text editor and FTP client. But I can't live with autosave, and I can't justify purchasing a computer whose memory and hard drive I can't even upgrade (and overpaying by a factor of 10 for the upgrades from the factory).

It's clear that I'm no longer Apple's target customer, and complaining to them isn't going to change the fact that the vast majority of their customers are satisfied with exorbitantly priced "appliances", so I'll have to find a way to get what I want elsewhere.

Blegh, the amount people just come onto here to downvote our legitimate views is saddening. They don't even bother to reply.

To be honest, I'll probably build myself a hackingtosh as I think, for now, we've seen the last of the greats.

I don't see the "bleeding" edge people are talking about, and the negligible graphical abilities are evidenced in the new RMBP (high-end) showing as playing Diablo III at 20fps.... before any fight sequences.

Why do people insist on buying hardware that can hardly play the latest games and has a bottleneck GPU that can't even power the screen through modern games, let alone future ones?

I don't think I'll ever get the blind fanaticism people show towards Apple.

Also, I don't think every single of the new, untested-over-time RMBP is going to hold up a long time without applecare, given that it's a bottlenecked system. If anything fails, the majority of the components deign to be replaced.

 

[Mackilroy]

Blegh, the amount people just come onto here to downvote our legitimate views is saddening. They don't even bother to reply.

To be honest, I'll probably build myself a hackingtosh as I think, for now, we've seen the last of the greats.

I don't see the "bleeding" edge people are talking about, and the negligible graphical abilities are evidenced in the new RMBP (high-end) showing as playing Diablo III at 20fps.... before any fight sequences.

Why do people insist on buying hardware that can hardly play the latest games and has a bottleneck GPU that can't even power the screen through modern games, let alone future ones?

I don't think I'll ever get the blind fanaticism people show towards Apple.

Also, I don't think every single of the new, untested-over-time RMBP is going to hold up a long time without applecare, given that it's a bottlenecked system. If anything fails, the majority of the components deign to be replaced.

Your views are certainly legitimate, but they're also incredibly negative, which I bet is one reason why you get downvoted.

I have a hackintosh, but you can't (easily) build a hackintosh laptop. They're good, don't get me wrong, but they have issues (mostly minor) which make it a less seamless experience for productivity and so on.

No, you don't, because you choose not to. Who else ships a laptop with that high of a resolution AND IPS? Who else makes the display a part of the body to reduce weight and increase strength? Who else has the airflow in the new MBP? Just because you refuse to see doesn't mean something isn't there.

Even a GTX 680 would have trouble at 2880x1800, and the 650M is the same as what's in the other MBPs, so you are again wrong. Not only that, but there's far more to computers than gaming. Don't get me wrong, games are fun -- but if you're buying a Mac for gaming, you already know in advance there's going to be tradeoffs. Besides, you can always run the machine at 1680x1050 or 1440x900 if you like.

You don't know that it will or it won't. No one does. And it's not as if it's the first laptop Apple has made this way, so they've gained experience from the MBA which they could apply to the RMBP.

 

[Bwilky]

When they started having sealed batteries I already knew this is on the cards. With the latest soldered memory and SSD chips, all I am getting is an overglorified iPad with a keyboard.

Thanks, but... no thanks. I actually need my Mac to do work so I too am quite at a loss what to get once the older (fat) MBP is discontinued.

Will probably switch over to the Windows camp.

Uhm. When have you ever needed more than 8gb ram. If you need more, 16gb for 180. I'm sure the computer world won't been needing more than 16gb of ram while your laptop is still running.

 

[xalexx]

No one wants to log on the forums, all excited about their new multi-thousand dollar purchase, only to met with Debbie Downer's nit-picking and bashing the new macbook they just purchased.
Apple is a business. They're admirable in many ways. They make great quality products and back them up with brilliant marketing campaigns.
No one is forcing you to buy anything Apple sells. We get to configure our computer when we purchase it. If you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to upgrade down the road, DON'T BUY the RMBP. If you don't want that many pixels because you think it's unnecessary, DON'T BUY the RMBP.

Say what you've got to say about it, but at the end of the day, Apple released an amazing machine and I'm excited to get my hands on it.

All you negative Nancy's can vote me down, but this is an Apple forum and I'm disappointed to see so many people complaining about Apple and promoting switching to window's at such an exciting time for Macbooks.

 

[rockbird]

After spending sometime going through your post history, i believe you are just a troll here. So many inconsistent stories being told through all your posts and i dont believe anythinc you say.

As a pc user for 15 years, the new mbp will be my first mac ever because it is just amazing.

I hope you can stop with all your biased and trolling comments.

Blegh, the amount people just come onto here to downvote our legitimate views is saddening. They don't even bother to reply.

To be honest, I'll probably build myself a hackingtosh as I think, for now, we've seen the last of the greats.

I don't see the "bleeding" edge people are talking about, and the negligible graphical abilities are evidenced in the new RMBP (high-end) showing as playing Diablo III at 20fps.... before any fight sequences.

Why do people insist on buying hardware that can hardly play the latest games and has a bottleneck GPU that can't even power the screen through modern games, let alone future ones?

I don't think I'll ever get the blind fanaticism people show towards Apple.

Also, I don't think every single of the new, untested-over-time RMBP is going to hold up a long time without applecare, given that it's a bottlenecked system. If anything fails, the majority of the components deign to be replaced.

 

[boomhower]

While the points are valid, it isn't going to make a bit of difference. Unfortunately those that don't like the new form factor are going to be the minority, and the sales will prove it. Is it better or worse, eh, that's up to each individual. Will the majority buy it because it has Apple stamped on the box, yup. It's just the fact, Apple has built a tremendous following that will go with the flow, for better or worse. Apple would have to do something extremely drastic to cut off that following. Leaving ethernet off a notebook labeled "Pro" is extremely disappointing. When 802.11AC gets here that may be viable, but not right now. And no I don't want a dongle. In the end I will probably get a Retina as it's the best value for the money in the Pro line-up. I may even wait until next year and see if the Retina display makes it's way to the older chassis.

 

[I'mAMac]

Honestly, you're better off getting something like this and hacking it and putting OS X on it, or just building your own pc. I'm growing ever unimpressed with the lackluster hardware apple puts in its machines at a staggering price.

 

[maswriter]

No one wants to log on the forums, all excited about their new multi-thousand dollar purchase, only to met with Debbie Downer's nit-picking and bashing the new macbook they just purchased...

People have the right to complain, but it seems to me that too many posters are complaining for the wrong reasons.

Apple isn't making products specifically for them and them alone. Apple is trying to appeal to the broadest possible customer base possible. Laptop users are more interested in portability than upgradability. Windows laptops have sealed and soldered components too, but most people don't seem to mind as long as the system is light and powerful enough. Most people don't even bother cracking open the computer. I've had five laptops in 15 years, including my current MBP, and I've only upgraded the RAM in the first laptop I bought.

It also seems that there are people complaining for the sake of complaining. Every discussion about a problem with Apple's products winds up being an attack on Apple and the fact that Steve Jobs isn't around to run it anymore. The complainers seems to think that Apple will be heading back to 1990s Failureland at any moment.

At the risk of getting banned by promoting the competition , there is an excellent post about why Apple generates such a strong reaction on Cult of Mac (http://www.cultofmac.com/172428/why-does-apple-inspire-so-much-hate/).

No product is perfect, and I'm sure there will be bugs to be ironed out in the RMBP when the first ones are put to serious use. But let's have some perspective and critique these products for the right reasons.

 

[Necrotique]

Your views are certainly legitimate, but they're also incredibly negative, which I bet is one reason why you get downvoted.

I have a hackintosh, but you can't (easily) build a hackintosh laptop. They're good, don't get me wrong, but they have issues (mostly minor) which make it a less seamless experience for productivity and so on.

No, you don't, because you choose not to. Who else ships a laptop with that high of a resolution AND IPS? Who else makes the display a part of the body to reduce weight and increase strength? Who else has the airflow in the new MBP? Just because you refuse to see doesn't mean something isn't there.

Even a GTX 680 would have trouble at 2880x1800, and the 650M is the same as what's in the other MBPs, so you are again wrong. Not only that, but there's far more to computers than gaming. Don't get me wrong, games are fun -- but if you're buying a Mac for gaming, you already know in advance there's going to be tradeoffs. Besides, you can always run the machine at 1680x1050 or 1440x900 if you like.

You don't know that it will or it won't. No one does. And it's not as if it's the first laptop Apple has made this way, so they've gained experience from the MBA which they could apply to the RMBP.

Thankyou for replying honestly and seeing I'm not trying to be a troll.
The main part I found deceptive and that got to me is how they showed Diablo 3 at WWDC showing that it could run on the high-end RMBP.
The point is, they make a promise as if you can run it in a good, tolerable frame rate, while the reality is that it's lucky to push 20fps in a non-action sequence
I'm just a little bugged that they release a new feature (retina) which is not fully supported by the hardware. If it was purely a software problem then they could fix it, but it's down to the raw power of the machine, which is sadly lacking.

After spending sometime going through your post history, i believe you are just a troll here. So many inconsistent stories being told through all your posts and i dont believe anythinc you say.

As a pc user for 15 years, the new mbp will be my first mac ever because it is just amazing.

I hope you can stop with all your biased and trolling comments.

Not trolling. Well, unless having a view that goes against the norm and one that would rather save money. Then yeah, I guess I'm "trolling"
It's deeply sad that no-one can post on a forum of a brand they (used to) love without being called a troll, simply because they hold different views.
I'm just stating my opinion and backing it up with real world results (http://www.extremetech.com/computing/130819-analyzing-the-macbook-pro-with-retina-display/2)
To be honest, I just post on here to get other people's opinions, to document changes I make, and to get software/hardware support. I don't have any intentions typing out giant trolling liturgies. I type what I need to and leave, as I like to spend my time wisely, unlike someone who spends their time on here reading through another member's entire post history with the unbased intent to call them a troll.

Think about it, I get enjoyment out of debating with people and getting support. If you want to be bitter and hold a different view, then that's fine. That doesn't make me a troll though. Also, considering I started off today with a post vote of -8 and now it's only -2, I know some people agree with me. Having a different opinion does not make you a troll.

----------

People have the right to complain, but it seems to me that too many posters are complaining for the wrong reasons.

Apple isn't making products specifically for them and them alone. Apple is trying to appeal to the broadest possible customer base possible. Laptop users are more interested in portability than upgradability. Windows laptops have sealed and soldered components too, but most people don't seem to mind as long as the system is light and powerful enough. Most people don't even bother cracking open the computer. I've had five laptops in 15 years, including my current MBP, and I've only upgraded the RAM in the first laptop I bought.

It also seems that there are people complaining for the sake of complaining. Every discussion about a problem with Apple's products winds up being an attack on Apple and the fact that Steve Jobs isn't around to run it anymore. The complainers seems to think that Apple will be heading back to 1990s Failureland at any moment.

At the risk of getting banned by promoting the competition , there is an excellent post about why Apple generates such a strong reaction on Cult of Mac (http://www.cultofmac.com/172428/why-does-apple-inspire-so-much-hate/).

No product is perfect, and I'm sure there will be bugs to be ironed out in the RMBP when the first ones are put to serious use. But let's have some perspective and critique these products for the right reasons.

Well said, and thankyou for the interesting read

 

[C4FF]

I think people need to decide what they are really complaining about, in this thread I see two distinct negative opinions:

- I can't upgrade my MacBook Pro later on
The main thing people are complaining about is the amount of money Apple charges vs after market components for RAM and SSD. While I can agree to a certain extent, it is not a lot of money when you take into account the cost of the machine. Just purchase what you need to make the machine useful throughout It's life. (personally, I think the 512gb ssd version is a really good deal when you look at aftermarket costs).

- I can't repair my MacBook Pro myself
Again, while I agree that if RAM fails you can't just pop it out, just let Apple deal with the problems. If something goes wrong tell them. If you are worried about the machine after the first year then purchase AppleCare. If you are not willing to purchase AppleCare then just run the risk of something going wrong and having to pay for it.

 

[MR.BUTTON]

but, apple still keeps the old design macbook pros. you can still have them. but i think discontinuing the 17 inch is no a really wise decision.

 

[leman]

It is almost impossible to build a laptop that offers the mobility and performance of the MBP and still make it upgradeable (btw, the SSD should be fairly easy to upgrade). I'd take the lighter and thinner machine over an upgradeable brick anytime. If people like you hat their right, we would still drive around carburetor cars with pre-war mechanical parts.

What do you want to upgrade anyways? The specs are already top.

 

[pandamonia]

I think we all know what I mean.
The people who've been local customers for years or decades and are now faced with a future of non-upgradeable, dispensable laptops from Apple.
But wait, they're really thin!
We should create a petition to show them that we won't purchase from them anymore if they don't bring the old form-factor and common components back.
I don't think I want to buy a new laptop every 2 years, and they could easily have just put a retina display on the current form factor.

I'm half-asleep so I can't articulate my point entirely, but this is basically for all the people who feel let down by Apples greed and want to let them know they've potentially lost future business from us.

YOU REALISE THE OLD FORM FACTOR IS STILL PURCHASABLE? RIGHT?

No offence but apple won't listen to someone who is unable to navigate the online store and see both are for sale.

Also you realise that the CPU and GPU have not upgradeable for donkeys years?

If you want to upgrade then go buy a Desktop.

Deeper integration and custom design is the future.

 

[leenak]

I don't see the "bleeding" edge people are talking about, and the negligible graphical abilities are evidenced in the new RMBP (high-end) showing as playing Diablo III at 20fps.... before any fight sequences.

Why do people insist on buying hardware that can hardly play the latest games and has a bottleneck GPU that can't even power the screen through modern games, let alone future ones?

I don't think I'll ever get the blind fanaticism people show towards Apple.

Also, I don't think every single of the new, untested-over-time RMBP is going to hold up a long time without applecare, given that it's a bottlenecked system. If anything fails, the majority of the components deign to be replaced.

Someone buying a laptop doesn't show blind fanaticism. I only buy laptops and I play games, this often means that within a few years of buying a laptop, I know that I'll either not be able to play 'new' games or I'll have to run them on low settings. It is a trade-off.

The games I've been playing lately on my (Windows-based) laptop are run on low settings and although I could upgrade the RAM or the HDD on my computer, my video card is the issue. I don't know of any laptops that allow you to upgrade those. So I'm ok with the idea of not being able to upgrade my SSD or my RAM.

If someone is truly a 'gamer gamer', then they most likely are playing on Windows. They may have an Apple system as well but for ultimate upgradeability, most would be using desktops not laptops. And there are laptops coming out targeted towards gamers (and not Alienware), some of them cost $3k or more. How many people are buying the high end ones? Not many. Even the 15" laptops I've looked at that are more gaming friendly weigh over 6 lbs and are pretty bulky.

Although you can certainly play games on the new MBPs, I'm guessing most people aren't buying them specifically for that. It is the package of form and function. If you want a light laptop with a slim form that has good performance, then a MBP (even the older body) are the way to go. If you just want performance, upgradeability, etc, then I say look elsewhere.

I'm also on the fence with Applecare because I never buy extended warranties for my laptops but this is the most expensive laptop I've ever bought so I will probably buy Applecare 'just in case'. If I was buying one of the cheaper systems, I wouldn't though.

 

[Necrotique]

It is almost impossible to build a laptop that offers the mobility and performance of the MBP and still make it upgradeable (btw, the SSD should be fairly easy to upgrade). I'd take the lighter and thinner machine over an upgradeable brick anytime. If people like you hat their right, we would still drive around carburetor cars with pre-war mechanical parts.

What do you want to upgrade anyways? The specs are already top.

I'll quote you but this is in response to all repliers.
Thanks for the honest replies - it's nice to see people taking my posts in the seriousness I make them, and I love debate.

I guess I should have phrased it better - I'd like to see the current, upgradeable form-factor, but with retina.
Also, I'd like them to have hardware that plays the modern games in retina at above 30 (preferably 50) fps.
I know this would be possible, and it would make a lot of people happier, as it would be, at least a bit, more future-proof.

I guess that's the main point I was trying to make

Also, I have 16GB RAM in my '11 MBP and it can easily use 11GB of it with two Chrome browsers open running 5 youtube videos, lots of tutorials, Facebook, etc.
This is according to iStat Pro.

Of course, YMMV, and I guess it's up to the average end user, who will get the most from the device while using it differently to me.

 

[pandamonia]

I'll quote you but this is in response to all repliers.
Thanks for the honest replies - it's nice to see people taking my posts in the seriousness I make them, and I love debate.

I guess I should have phrased it better - I'd like to see the current, upgradeable form-factor, but with retina.
Also, I'd like them to have hardware that plays the modern games in retina at above 30 (preferably 50) fps.
I know this would be possible, and it would make a lot of people happier, as it would be, at least a bit, more future-proof.

I guess that's the main point I was trying to make

Laptop graphics are Crap. End of.

Have you seen the size of a 680 GTX or 690 GTX desktop card? they are this big for a good reason. They use 300w of power and generate more heat than a hair dryer.

690GTX would be needed to play on max settings at 2880x1800 and you would struggle to stay above 60fps on BF3.

Thats a £800 video card.

Gaming on laptops is a futile experience at best. You are never going to get the best out of any game on a laptop.

Heck! the 680M GTX isn't even a 680 chip. Neither is the 7970M a 7970 chip.

When you understand the dynamics of resolution and GPU horsepower you will understand that you cannot get Good to high end performance out of a notebook.

You can basically get acceptable performance on acceptable settings on a notebook the size of a MBP.

 

[Rudy69]

Personally I would rather have a thinner laptop than an upgradable one.

 

[leman]

I guess I should have phrased it better - I'd like to see the current, upgradeable form-factor, but with retina.
Also, I'd like them to have hardware that plays the modern games in retina at above 30 (preferably 50) fps.
I know this would be possible, and it would make a lot of people happier, as it would be, at least a bit, more future-proof.

1. You do realize that no mobile GPU is capable of native gaming at that resolution? You would need to use SLI or CF for that, compromising the battery and form factor. The 650m is enough to play the games at 1440x900 or 1680x1050 (same quality as the regular MBP) and it will even happily run most games at 1080p

2. Why do you want it to be upgradeable anyway? You already get the fastest SSD for less than it actually costs elsewhere. What else you want to upgrade? RAM? 16GB laptop RAM as two sticks costs around $130, Apple wants $200 for the upgrade (mind, the RAM is soldered on-board), which is far from 10x increase in price as someone was claiming in this thread. And BTW, I have more then two dozens of tabs open in Chrome at any time + lots of applications, XCode and my 2009 MBP with 4GB RAM digests it without any problem. 8GB is more then enough, unless you are using multiple VMs.

What Apple did here is create a computer which is more mobile as some of the so called 'ultrabooks' out there, with unprecedented quality and performance levels. I don't really get how one can be unhappy with it... I mean, I understand that people want upgradeability when stock parts are crap (as it used to be with older MBP SSDs), but now you really get the best (and that for very reasonable price) in a truly mobile computer. I guess that some people are never happy.