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Apple Prepping for Notebook Refresh?

What about a MacBook with a case that doesn't crack?

After all these years of making laptops, excuse me, notebooks, they still have problems making plastic cases for them that don't crack after a few months. What about a MacBook case that lasts for more than 3 monts? I don't care much about the hardware on the inside except for the combo drive you still find in their $999 laptop :eek:
 
hiptobesquare said:
This is interesting, especially considering that I need to order nearly 60 17" MBPs for the business I do, and I am on a time table.

I am sure someone won't be happy if a new design comes out right after ours get distributed... Oh, well. What can you do? :shrug:
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In your situation I would try to not buy macs then. This is the exact reason why enterprises avoid Apple products. They want timelines, planning, etc...
 
D4F said:
I disagree.
Try a full HD at least 52" screen with a blue ray movie. Hard to compare anything to it.
So in terms of quality there is a significant difference... Price... well... Still away from mass market.
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Well, how many people have a 52" screen? Yep, not many...

As for me, I have a 32" Sony Bravia HD...nice screen and all, with HD trailers via AppleTV...do they look better? Sure. But not enough for me to ditch my DVD and go all out HD...the same rationale applies for BR, especially in this new market environment where you have online offers like YouTube and AppleTV, or easy access to full DVD collections at a low price.
 
elppa said:
As much as a like Apple's hardware, it is certainly time for a hardware refresh, particularly on the pro side where we have had practically the same cases since 2003.

SONY have set a pretty high bar with their latest range of VAIO portables, particularly the Z Series, which has amazing specs and to my eyes leading industrial design.

64GB x2 RAID SSD, Bluray, 1600x900 resolution, HDMI out, hybrid graphics system which let's you switch between integrated (better battery) and dedicated (better performance) chipsets on the fly.Not the thinnest, but in terms of specs it packs a punch. Only 3.42lbs as well.

Up to Apple now to answer.

z_overview_surface.jpg


Aside from raving about the souped up VAIOs, the two main issues I would like addressing in the Apple MacBook ranger are:

[1] Less weight.
[2] Less heat / better heat dispersion

Third on the list would be higher density screens across the board. 1280 x 800 is fine, but a little tight. Obviously they will get quicker etc.

Anything else would be a bonus. Those are my main two issues with the designs.
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Damn, thats a nice design. Sony Vaio design is really good. Certainly gives Apple a run for there money, shame it runs windows.
 
The Chicklet vs. Non chicklet kb reminds me of the glossy/matte debates. So maybe apple will allow you to choose what kb you want when you order one of the new laptops.
 
BRLawyer said:
if you REALLY wanna watch a movie in big screen, you won't use a computer for that.
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I can go with you on everything but this - don't forget with the DVI out you can easily hook the computer up to a big screen tv, and in fact I have my desktop hooked up to my big tv so I can run cut footage for people so they don't have to crowd around the monitor, of course this is the exception - but if I had a $500 BR option I'd get that instead of a player and it would be just as easy to hook that up to the TV and use it like a player, in addition to all the other things it can do.

Having said that - I have 0% expectation that we will get this in this next update. But I think there's a real chance of seeing it with the Nehalem MBP.
 
To sum up what the consensus, or at least the most sensible opinion, in terms of the blue ray issue, is, that although it is noticibly better than dvds there are other conveniences such as video on demand, and divx files in huge hds that haven't yet motivated enough people to change.

Let me add another issue here, it's too early to change. Dvd's are only merely a few years affair in terms of their mass market adoption. Not everybody wants to feel like a capitalist idiot chasing after whatever new (and improved) fad (but still a fad) comes out and replace their equipment and their already huge collections in dvd's . People did it once with vhs to dvd, most don't want to feel like idiots and start over again. If they had something better they should have f. released back when they released dvds (and of course they could have) but they waited so they could force people to re-buy and hand over their hard end cash. Well guess what, turns out their little ploy is falling through.

And still another issue aren't something close to 99% of modern movies uttter garbage? And I mean the pits.
 
BRLawyer said:
Well, how many people have a 52" screen? Yep, not many...
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A large proportion of sets sold today and in the last few years are 42" and up. You won't see a huge difference in the sub 40" screens (your HD set at 32" would most likely be a 720p only set - or is it a CRT at 1080i?) but in the larger screens the resolution makes a real difference.
 
Could we please, please, pretty PLEASE stop talking about Blu Ray and HD adoption and HDTVs? Unless I'm mistaken these topics have absolutely nothing to do with this thread, aside from the extremely remote possibility of a blu-ray drive being incorporated into the new notebooks. Peace out.
 
Yeah let's start this up again!

I hope macbook pros are updated in early august.. I just need one or two more paycheques! XD

It'll be great for university- I can't wait!
 
jackfrost123 said:
Not everybody wants to feel like a capitalist idiot chasing after whatever new (and improved) fad (but still a fad) comes out and replace their equipment and their already huge collections in dvd's.
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The problem with that thought is that you just have to replace the player. The DVDs will all play in the new machine - and if you didn't have an upscaling player, they will look even better. So you don't HAVE to replace anything, you can just get the new discs going forward, or replace if you feel the need. As with many things choice is a beautiful thing :)
 
Formativeyears said:
Could we please, please, pretty PLEASE stop talking about Blu Ray and HD adoption and HDTVs? Unless I'm mistaken these topics have absolutely nothing to do with this thread, aside from the extremely remote possibility of a blu-ray drive being incorporated into the new notebooks. Peace out.
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B-)
 
Probably been said already but since I'm at work I don't have time to read through the whole thread so apologies if I'm copying someone else, but...

G5 PowerBooks next Tuesday!
 
Fenir said:
The Chicklet vs. Non chicklet kb reminds me of the glossy/matte debates. So maybe apple will allow you to choose what kb you want when you order one of the new laptops.
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I sure hope you are right, although I doubt it.
I hate those stupid chicklets.
It screams consumer machine.....no real pro would want those surely?
But I will remain positive and trust that they will not downgrade the keyboard.

Meanwhile what is the deal with portable displays being able to "show" all 16 million colors?
I'm still smarting over my 17" MBP display's inability to do that.
Anyone know if this is possible yet?
 
jackc said:
No.
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:( Sniff Sniff - ok. But as a switcher who has been used to a 2-button mouse for 20+ years......

Oh well, more cables.

THEN I WANT MORE USB PORTS. :eek:

1. for my mouse
2. for my Time Machine Drive
3. One for my cool pad
4. And one for the soon to be external only CD drives.

Damn all the cables - so much for portable...... :p looks like instead of a laptop it is a real small desktop with built in screen and keyboard (if the keyboard was separate then it would be an imac with an external CD drive). :rolleyes:

Woops, better not give apple any ideas :D
 
My other issue with Blu Ray is, well, how many movies are there out there that I'd actually want to watch in Blu Ray? All that come to mind are a few sci-fi and action/adventure movies. Do I need to watch comedies, dramas, documentaries, etc. in 1080p HD? Just don't see the benefit or the need... Lord of the Rings in Blu Ray for example would no doubt look even more amazing than it would in DVD, however do I need to see Get Smart, Miami Vice or Jerry McGuire in HD? Nope. Pointless. :p ;)

Not to mention the fact that the bulk of movies these days are utter garbage. For many of them I can't bring myself to watch them once, yet alone buy a copy and watch them multiple times. Ah well, I guess Hollywood doesn't care, as there will always be suckers out there to lap up every drop of their drivel... :rolleyes: But that's a topic for another discussion... :cool:

Formativeyears said:
Could we please, please, pretty PLEASE stop talking about Blu Ray and HD adoption and HDTVs? Unless I'm mistaken these topics have absolutely nothing to do with this thread, aside from the extremely remote possibility of a blu-ray drive being incorporated into the new notebooks. Peace out.
Click to expand...

Oh fine then... ;) :D
 
whatever said:
DVI is the computer industry standard. If Apple's goal is to use only one port then they should do DVI and then sell a DVI to HDMI cable.

The video on an HDMI cable is DVI. So all you would lose is the audio.
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I understand that, but would it be more sensible to use an HDMI port on a notebook and ship it with an HDMI to DVI converter rather than coming up with some new thing like Micro-DVI? (MacBook Air) The size is pretty similar and at least HDMI would offer some sort of direct connection without adapters.

Also, I don't know the limitations of HDMI related to a video card, but if we could get digital audio and video through one connection, I would be much more excited about hooking my computer up to my TV.

Although I guess Apple TV/PS3/Xbox360 are supposed to convince me not to want to do that.
 
~Shard~ said:
My other issue with Blu Ray is, well, how many movies are there out there that I'd actually want to watch in Blu Ray? All that come to mind are a few sci-fi and action/adventure movies. Do I need to watch comedies, dramas, documentaries, etc. in 1080p HD? Just don't see the benefit or the need... Lord of the Rings in Blu Ray for example would no doubt look even more amazing than it would in DVD, however do I need to see Get Smart, Miami Vice or Jerry McGuire in HD? Nope. Pointless. :p ;)
Click to expand...

The point of Blu-Ray isn't all about HD content. It's also about capacity. In theory (with time) it should cost less to produce a season set on one Blu-Ray in Standard Def quality (if that's all there was) than several DVD discs. This will take some time to do but it will eventually cut down on cost, packaging and waste biproduct.
 
BullMooseFilms said:
The problem with that thought is that you just have to replace the player. The DVDs will all play in the new machine - and if you didn't have an upscaling player, they will look even better. So you don't HAVE to replace anything, you can just get the new discs going forward, or replace if you feel the need. As with many things choice is a beautiful thing :)
Click to expand...

The problem with your thought is that it's simplistic. If someone replaces their player they are bound to feel pressurized to replace their dvd libraries too into blue ray. They are going to be transitioning to something new just a few years after transitioning from dvds, and what is in most people mouths is toward the big co's is : if you did have the technology for blue ray five years ago (which of course they did) why didn't you release them concurrently then and give us the option THEN to choose a better digital format instead of bullying us now to change again. Is so going to give me the f. difference if I buy a blue ray disc from the same dvd film I got a few years back? Of course they won't. But people are not as naive as they were a few years back, like you said choice is a beautiful thing and they 've so far chosen to say f. you too to the manipulations of the big co's. Thank god for torrents! Choice is indeed a beatiful thing. :D
 
shervieux said:
:( Sniff Sniff - ok. But as a switcher who has been used to a 2-button mouse for 20+ years......]
Click to expand...

Whats wrong with the two finger click? Put two fingers on your pad and press the button - voila, you have a right click. I've got it enabled now (can be done via the system preferences) and I can assure you that I'd rather that then having two buttons.
 
This is what we need

canova.jpg


This is what Apple needs to work on, only thinner and still having an internal superdrive with 4 usb ports, firewire and DVI. Not sure I could get used to a virtual keyboard - but I like the idea of the integrated tablet and also doubling for dual screens....

and I bet Apple could pull it off in a thin design too.......
 
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