Disappointing update. (And to all you puppets of a corporate giant who live to flame others) No, I'm not expecting MacBook Pro features crammed into a MacBook. Its about using old technology into new machines. The GMA 950 is approaching the two year old mark. Intel released new chipsets and faster integrated graphics, and Apple decided against using it. Thats actually purposely staying behind. And the black tax? wow.. Still?
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Apple Releases New MacBooks
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Or maybe the consumer model is for checking email, playing that chess game, surfing the web, typing documents and presentations and looking at pictures. That means if you want a model with the graphics in it, get a PRO. It will have what you need. The PRO is the flagship. They are not going to do anything to hurt it. Spend the extra money on the computer that you apparently really want, and shut up. If you are on this site you should know enough of this already to understand that. The standard Mac consumer will not care about the graphics card and those who do, have a MBP.
Price drop also in German store
In the German Apple Store the price for all MacBooks was also dropped by 70 euro, now starting at 1049 incl. 19% VAT. That's still way too expensive compared to $1099 by current exchange rates
, but what the heck if you consider that now you really get more MB for your money.
In the German Apple Store the price for all MacBooks was also dropped by 70 euro, now starting at 1049 incl. 19% VAT. That's still way too expensive compared to $1099 by current exchange rates
, but what the heck if you consider that now you really get more MB for your money.Has anyone else noticed the 50 quid price drop for all the MB's in the Apple UK Store? this combined with a student discount puts the MB base model at under 700 quid... What a bargain!! Also, I'm from outside the EU, so I can buy it here and claim VAT back on it when i go back home. woohoo... Thank you.. This is an awesome update!!!
Yeah, it's obvious that apple is indifferent towards gaming. I guess because historically macs haven't been used for gaming. I personally don't do computer games (super lame, that's what consoles are for anyways), and couldn't give a crap whether it plays that game or not.
The macbook is perfect for normal consumers. Everyone I know who has one, absolutely adores it. The only people that seem to have the problem, are the net nerds that have nothng better to do than complain.
Have Fun!
Actually the SR platform includes one HUGE update for the MB - the x3000 GPU. One of the weakest points of the MB (and mini) is the graphics, and any improvement in that department will be a huge one.
For all those STILL defending Apple's choice to keep using Combo drives, and blaming users "who want everything but don't want to pay for it", just ****. The price of a DVD-RW drive is about $60 shipped RETAIL. So, assuming the combo drives are free (they're not of course) the end impact on the price tag would be sub-$50. In reality, the price difference between the Combo and SD is probably sub $20, and that doesn't even account for the added cost of maintaining two inventories. But, they put it into a package of slightly faster CPU, bigger HDD, and SD so they can charge you another $200, when all you probably wanted was the burner.
It's just marketing to get you to upgrade. Apple's ENTIRE product line is built to get you to upgrade to the next machine up the latter, just to get some feature you want, at the expense of also having to buy several other more expensive ones. The SD on the MB, the black MB, the SD in the mini, the screen size of the iMac... it's all the same trick and it's getting a bit old.
So because you don't use the superdrive and don't miss it at all it's okay for Apple to not include it on a $1099 machine, while touting the virtues of iLife incessantly, whose features are handicapped b/c of it's non-inclusion. Lets face it. The difference in price in a combo and superdrive is negligible at best. Apple needs to find some other way to separate the price points other than to not include a dvd burner in the year 2007.
Of course OS X, and the entire Apple experience are the main reasons most of us here choose Apple, but that doesn't mean they should get a free pass on things like this. Especially while having commercials saying everything "just works" out the box. We can say people should do due diligence before purchasing a computer but a lot wouldn't even know what the hell a superdrive is until they needed it. I've known a few switchers who purchased a base macbook, only to be highly disappointed when they found out that beautiful home movie they made would have to sit on their hard drive, until they could find someone with a dvd burner. Seems pretty absurd, especially when there are $400 laptops at circuit city with dual layer burners.
$299 Apple TV has a better graphics chip than the Macbooks. Grrr... Why not put that nvidia chip in the macbooks? It would be worth the $50 more.
People are also forgetting that the low-end macbook has seen a bump in:
L2 cache (2MB ->4MB)
Processor speed (1.83GHz -> 2.0GHz)
Hard drive space (60GB -> 80GB)
RAM (512MB -> 1GB)
All this with a DROP in price.
Sounds great. (not that I'd get a non-DVD burning MAc, but the update is more than a lot of people are making out).
L2 cache (2MB ->4MB)
Processor speed (1.83GHz -> 2.0GHz)
Hard drive space (60GB -> 80GB)
RAM (512MB -> 1GB)
All this with a DROP in price.
Sounds great. (not that I'd get a non-DVD burning MAc, but the update is more than a lot of people are making out).
It took Apple 8 months to stick in a new core 2 duo. WOW! Must be that everyone including the janitors are working on the iphone and they have no one to put in an hour on putting out a real update.. Nice! And you wonder why Apple makes up only 8% of thr market.. CUZ THEY COULD CARE LESS!
No no, I understand why consumers would use a dedicated card, but I still get tired of all the complaints after every MB update. You need to look at the lines - it just wouldn't make sense to not only equip the MB with the same processor, specs, and HD as the MBP, but now also introduce a dedicated card as well. It's just one of those things saved for the pro line, and from a business stand-point, it wouldn't make sense for Apple to change that.
Plus, I don't really think Apple is targeting gamers. The MB targets students - most of which, believe it or not, aren't die-hard gamers/even technologically savvy enough to know the importance of a dedicated card. The typical student, if they like games, has a console for that, or they're playing games that the 950 can handle easily. The gamers, on the other hand, probably aren't shopping for an Apple at all - they're looking for a PC.
I'm sure the market was carefully studied, and Apple decided that the cost of implementing a dedicated card in the MB just didn't make economical sense - either there wasn't enough of a market gain (ie: not enough gamers that were suddenly pursuaded to buy an Apple laptop), or they ended up losing money because of what happened to the MBP sales. People just need to accept it and move on already.
I'm not flaming you but if you know that much you should just get the MBP. A standard consumer is not going to care about what is in their Mac or how old it is or whatever. They are going to get it and use it and not care. To them, as advertised, it will be faster and have a bigger hard drive. There for they can do stuff on their like download music and whatever else.
Until the MBP is updated however there will not be a significant update to the MB line. That's what the argument is about. The MB people want it..NOW NOW NOW!! When it would be the equivalent of a MBP. Does not make sense to do that especially since most people really don't care. But once the MBP is updated and top of the line again, expect a MB update.
there's really no need to fight guys.
They're computers. They are what they are and there needs to be some seperation between the MB and MBP lines.
If you want power, look towards the MBP.
If you want cheaper and mobility then look at the MB.
it's that simple. Don't try to make a MB a MBP by throwing in FW800 and a dedicated graphics card. Besides the heat dissipation problems you'd also have the hard task of fitting all of that in the 1" case. it's not impossible, just not practical.
Lastly, a LOT purchasers of MB's are students, and most don't need the options that a MBP give. IF they DO... well then that's why they make the MBP.
They're computers. They are what they are and there needs to be some seperation between the MB and MBP lines.
If you want power, look towards the MBP.
If you want cheaper and mobility then look at the MB.
it's that simple. Don't try to make a MB a MBP by throwing in FW800 and a dedicated graphics card. Besides the heat dissipation problems you'd also have the hard task of fitting all of that in the 1" case. it's not impossible, just not practical.
Lastly, a LOT purchasers of MB's are students, and most don't need the options that a MBP give. IF they DO... well then that's why they make the MBP.
Seriously: you make it sound like you are entitled to a Mac-laptop with certain specs. Here's a hint: No, you aren't. Apple offers you a product with certain specs. If those specs suit you, great. If they don't, too bad. But just because you (or someone else) starts shouting "but I want Santa Rosa!" does not mean that Apple should scramble to satisfy your demands. Hey, I want a iPhone-derived full-screen iPod and I want it yesterday. But I do not expect Apple to offer me one just because I want one. Seriously: you do not run a business by trying to satisfy everyone all the time. That would be impossible. What you can do is to offer as good products as possible.
Of course it's in Apple's interest to offer you a product that is as good as possible for your needs. After all, that is how they get their money. But that does NOT mean that you are entitled to one. And the whiners on these forums seem to think that they are entitled to certain specs, and that Apple has somehow betrayed them when they didn't deliver.
What is with these "Hey, I'm ENTITLED to this!"-folks? Just because you exist does not entitle you to certain kind of laptop. Just because you bought a Mac in the past does not entitle you to certain kind of laptop. Sometimes there's a product that suits your needs and sometimes there isn't. That's just life.
Sorry to break the news this way but:
MacBooks are NOT meant for gaming! It's like walking into a car shop and ask the clerk for a cheap Ford so you could race in NASCAR....
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but (like everyhting Apple) a lot of people get caught up in anger because Apple didn't released EXACTLY what they wanted... It's like Apple is based in the North Pole and are watching us 24/7, delivering our dream machine in the next update... get real
Whats the HE discount? My educational store is showing £656.83 for the base model...
I'm happy with a CDRW builtin as I have an external DVDRW to use when required. So now i can max it out with the HDD and memory and have my first mac!! hoorayy!! i'm so excited!!
I really don't care. I have a Macbook. How did it leave a lot to be desired? Basically if you were going to buy you just got some freebies.
You don't have to pretend. It is what it is. If you don't like it tough. Calling you pathetic has nothing to do with my like or dislike of the update. But all the whining here is just that, whining. It doesn't change anything and most of you post crap about how much Apple sucks instead of having an actual discussion. These are... discussion forums you know?
These updates are lame. Period. A 160MHz speed bump is not a big deal, especially when there's better hardware available now.
I'm REALLY tired of these apologists, who not only think "it's just fine" but also insult people for pointing out the obvious.
I wasn't actually expecting a speedbump. I expected the new chipset and integrated graphics, running CPUs at the same speed (but probably with a faster front side bus) That would have been a solid upgrade. Adding 15" models with the same hardware would have been even better.
MUCH worse. Intel's GMA 950 is a Direct X 6 part, circa early 1999.
No one is trolling except people calling a 160Mhz speed bump "solid".
Me too The Radeon x1600 was pathetic a year ago. And it's still pathetic.
Don't let those weird apologists get to you. Not all Mac users act like jerks and drink the koolaid.
I think someone said those are based on the improvement over a Core 1. An 8% speed bump is barley even perceptible. It certainly doesn't translate to that kind of speed increase.
GMA960 is a Direct X 6 class part. x3100 is a Direct X 9 part. It's low end, but way, way, way better than a 950. The weakest link in the Macbook has always been the GPU, so throwing in something that at least qualifies as low-end is a huge improvement. A much bigger deal than an extra 160Mhz.
NO ONE thought the Macbook was going to be the "fastest possible system". They did think it was going to use obvious upgrades like the new Intel graphics. You aren't being "calm and rational", you're being an apologist, and a jerk for how you're treating people on this thread. You're anything but acting "calm an rational".
Because it's time for an update, and Apple has done lots of upgrades without anything showy. Every Macbook except the original Macbook Pro has been released without any fanfare.
This is such a load of crap. Do you actually believe that? Of COURSE people are mad at this non-update! A 160MHz speed bump amounts to almost nothing. There's nothing about today's Macbook that would sell it to someone who wasn't sold on it's specs yesterday.
You can't be serious with this, can you? You've either never looked at other brands of notebooks, are are totally immersed in the reality distortion field.
Maybe because THEY WANT TO BUY APPLE HARDWARE?!?
I *HATE* this "well if you don't like <blank> you should just leave!!!" mentality.
I agree with that. Lower prices would be more welcome than the non-update we got.
1) This isn't an entry level laptop. It's a mid-range product.
2) That doesn't mean people don't want to be able to do some light gaming on it. For the price, it should have a low-end GPU on it (at least).
Thankfully not all Apple users are jerks and apologists.
According to who? I haven't seen pricing on the new chipset, but presumably it's about the same as the old chipset.
And I have no idea what availability is looking like, but then neither do you. I don't know why availability on a new chipset would automatically be scarce.
And again NO ONE EXPECTED A TOP END SYSTEM. Not one person has said that. We DID expect it to use current hardware. And while no one expected it, for the price it SHOULD be using at least a low-end discrete GPU.
You can get close to top end for well under $2000. Spending over $3000 just gets you a slightly faster CPU and a higher end GPU (ie Geforce 7950GTX instead of a 7900GS).
Huh?!? You should be able to get the new integrated graphics NOW. Why would you have to wait 18 months? Apple had sure better be selling something better than today's hardware in 18 months.
What exactly do you want? The only thing a theoretical smaller Macbook Pro might have is a discrete GPU. Other than that they're the same hardware.
It's not entry level. Entry level is $400-500, not $1100-1500.
The only rants have been from apologists like you, being complete jerks to understandably disappointed people.
I'm so sick of this "Consumer/Pro" argument from apologists. I've been hearing it since at least the early 2000s with the iBook and Powerbook.
"Pro" and "Consumer" are made up distinctions from Apple. If other companies offer so-called "Pro" hardware (or better) for so-called "consumer" prices, then people have a right to be upset.
Apple can call it whatever they want, but that doesn't automatically mean it has any bearing on the current market.
Yup.
I think this update is okay, *IF* it's just short term. If Apple comes out with better Macbooks like in June/July/August, then I think we can say this was an okay bump. But if this is supposed to carry us over until November...!
Get OS X on there! Maybe throw in some more RAM, but 10.4 *will* run pretty darned decently on there (especially if you've got a GPU that accelerates the GUI).
I know a 700MHz G3 was dirt slow under 10.2. Slower than a 533Mhz G4 (with better GPU)...but under 10.4 it's actually pretty snappy, so I'm sure a 500MHz G4 would be too.
I'm REALLY tired of these apologists, who not only think "it's just fine" but also insult people for pointing out the obvious.
I wasn't actually expecting a speedbump. I expected the new chipset and integrated graphics, running CPUs at the same speed (but probably with a faster front side bus) That would have been a solid upgrade. Adding 15" models with the same hardware would have been even better.
MUCH worse. Intel's GMA 950 is a Direct X 6 part, circa early 1999.
No one is trolling except people calling a 160Mhz speed bump "solid".
Me too The Radeon x1600 was pathetic a year ago. And it's still pathetic.
Don't let those weird apologists get to you. Not all Mac users act like jerks and drink the koolaid.
benchmarks that apple are claiming look quite impressive actually!
I think someone said those are based on the improvement over a Core 1. An 8% speed bump is barley even perceptible. It certainly doesn't translate to that kind of speed increase.
GMA960 is a Direct X 6 class part. x3100 is a Direct X 9 part. It's low end, but way, way, way better than a 950. The weakest link in the Macbook has always been the GPU, so throwing in something that at least qualifies as low-end is a huge improvement. A much bigger deal than an extra 160Mhz.
NO ONE thought the Macbook was going to be the "fastest possible system". They did think it was going to use obvious upgrades like the new Intel graphics. You aren't being "calm and rational", you're being an apologist, and a jerk for how you're treating people on this thread. You're anything but acting "calm an rational".
Because it's time for an update, and Apple has done lots of upgrades without anything showy. Every Macbook except the original Macbook Pro has been released without any fanfare.
This is such a load of crap. Do you actually believe that? Of COURSE people are mad at this non-update! A 160MHz speed bump amounts to almost nothing. There's nothing about today's Macbook that would sell it to someone who wasn't sold on it's specs yesterday.
You can't be serious with this, can you? You've either never looked at other brands of notebooks, are are totally immersed in the reality distortion field.
Maybe because THEY WANT TO BUY APPLE HARDWARE?!?
I *HATE* this "well if you don't like <blank> you should just leave!!!" mentality.
I agree with that. Lower prices would be more welcome than the non-update we got.
1) This isn't an entry level laptop. It's a mid-range product.
2) That doesn't mean people don't want to be able to do some light gaming on it. For the price, it should have a low-end GPU on it (at least).
Thankfully not all Apple users are jerks and apologists.
According to who? I haven't seen pricing on the new chipset, but presumably it's about the same as the old chipset.
And I have no idea what availability is looking like, but then neither do you. I don't know why availability on a new chipset would automatically be scarce.
And again NO ONE EXPECTED A TOP END SYSTEM. Not one person has said that. We DID expect it to use current hardware. And while no one expected it, for the price it SHOULD be using at least a low-end discrete GPU.
You can get close to top end for well under $2000. Spending over $3000 just gets you a slightly faster CPU and a higher end GPU (ie Geforce 7950GTX instead of a 7900GS).
Huh?!? You should be able to get the new integrated graphics NOW. Why would you have to wait 18 months? Apple had sure better be selling something better than today's hardware in 18 months.
What exactly do you want? The only thing a theoretical smaller Macbook Pro might have is a discrete GPU. Other than that they're the same hardware.
It's not entry level. Entry level is $400-500, not $1100-1500.
The only rants have been from apologists like you, being complete jerks to understandably disappointed people.
I'm so sick of this "Consumer/Pro" argument from apologists. I've been hearing it since at least the early 2000s with the iBook and Powerbook.
"Pro" and "Consumer" are made up distinctions from Apple. If other companies offer so-called "Pro" hardware (or better) for so-called "consumer" prices, then people have a right to be upset.
Apple can call it whatever they want, but that doesn't automatically mean it has any bearing on the current market.
Yup.
I think this update is okay, *IF* it's just short term. If Apple comes out with better Macbooks like in June/July/August, then I think we can say this was an okay bump. But if this is supposed to carry us over until November...!
Posted today on an OS 9.2.2 PMG4-500 with 512mb ram !
Get OS X on there! Maybe throw in some more RAM, but 10.4 *will* run pretty darned decently on there (especially if you've got a GPU that accelerates the GUI).
I know a 700MHz G3 was dirt slow under 10.2. Slower than a 533Mhz G4 (with better GPU)...but under 10.4 it's actually pretty snappy, so I'm sure a 500MHz G4 would be too.
Never suggested you do that.
Did I suggest you should? You made some blanket statement that the ONLY difference between two computers was a couple of items when it was far more.
You must not have any art or film schools near your shop.
Could have fooled me. You don't even know how to position product to your customers.
Just seems like you have an awfully big chip on your shoulder and make up your customers minds for them before they even tell you what they need.