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Apple Releases Penryn-Based MacBooks
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I see, thanks. I just called another store and they said they will charge regardless of the reason or day - but the first one did not mention any restocking fee... hmmm, I guess I'll give it a try and see how it works out. I also have a written paper about the sale signed by the original buyer, it should convince them I did not steal it and they might drop the restocking fee...
I'll also chip in on the side of the anti-combo drive brigade.
It's absolutely ridiculous, and pretty funny. DVD writers are obscenely cheap now. Combo drives just shouldn't exist anymore, let alone be in Macs.
Also "I'll never use it" is flawed. I bet you can find a lot of other bits of your macbook you never use, be they the isight, firewire, mini-DVI, line-in, that weird light up battery indicator on the bottom etc.. You're happy to have THAT stuff, and they're all probably more expensive than the difference between CDRW and DVDRW.. As others said I wouldn't even be surprised if the Combi costs Apple more, as no other manufacturer uses them due to them being obsolete. Doh.
looking on the PC world UK site, the absolute cheapest laptop they sell has DVD-RW.. It costs £300 and comes with Vista home premium. The cheapest Macbook is £700. The Macbook is a much better spec.. Apart from the crippled drive.
It's all a load of apologetics and silly. Combo drives don't cut it. Apple ditched the floppy for good reasons yet they keep this outdated POS around for no reason other than differentiating models and getting people to buy the next model up. That's *not* good for the consumer at all.
... And even if it is "good business sense", it shows skewed priorities.
Other than that though, a perfectly nice little bump in the spec.
It's absolutely ridiculous, and pretty funny. DVD writers are obscenely cheap now. Combo drives just shouldn't exist anymore, let alone be in Macs.
Also "I'll never use it" is flawed. I bet you can find a lot of other bits of your macbook you never use, be they the isight, firewire, mini-DVI, line-in, that weird light up battery indicator on the bottom etc.. You're happy to have THAT stuff, and they're all probably more expensive than the difference between CDRW and DVDRW.. As others said I wouldn't even be surprised if the Combi costs Apple more, as no other manufacturer uses them due to them being obsolete. Doh.
looking on the PC world UK site, the absolute cheapest laptop they sell has DVD-RW.. It costs £300 and comes with Vista home premium. The cheapest Macbook is £700. The Macbook is a much better spec.. Apart from the crippled drive.
It's all a load of apologetics and silly. Combo drives don't cut it. Apple ditched the floppy for good reasons yet they keep this outdated POS around for no reason other than differentiating models and getting people to buy the next model up. That's *not* good for the consumer at all.
... And even if it is "good business sense", it shows skewed priorities.
Other than that though, a perfectly nice little bump in the spec.
Nice upgrades, though my 50% slower core duo Macbook suits me just fine. I agree, though, putting out a machine with a combo drive makes little sense. The wholesale cost difference between a super drive and a combo cannot be too much. Even the $500 laptops at Office Max are coming with a DVD burner now.
so is there anyone happy about this and going to get one asap? all i see is bitching and whining about things not included..it never stops, people complain that its taken this long and when they do come out no one is happy
I'm not feeling the lack of a Superdrive on the base model, but really, big deal. This is far less silly than the markup on the black color. The price of the Superdrive model is not much more when you consider that it comes with more RAM and a slightly more powerful chip as standard. Overall this is an OK refresh of the line, but I'm sort of peeved that they didn't so much as offer the option for an LED backlight, similarly to the 17" Macbook Pro.
As for the Macbook Pro, I love the Powerbook case design, albeit dated, but I'd like to see a few tweaks in the case to be more like the MB and MBA, particularly the maglatch and the user-replaceable hard drive.
As for the Macbook Pro, I love the Powerbook case design, albeit dated, but I'd like to see a few tweaks in the case to be more like the MB and MBA, particularly the maglatch and the user-replaceable hard drive.
Fair update.
I have a MacBook that I bought the first day they were released two years ago, mid-range model. I would be tempted to replace it and pass it down the chain, but was really hoping they would go to the LED displays this update. I'll probably wait...
I have a MacBook that I bought the first day they were released two years ago, mid-range model. I would be tempted to replace it and pass it down the chain, but was really hoping they would go to the LED displays this update. I'll probably wait...
Combo Vs Superdrive
First of all, I agree that Apple should default to Superdrives in all Macs. This shouldn't be an option anymore. They do save money by using the combo drive though. I read somewhere online that a notebook superdrive costs them around $50, whereas they can aquire the combo drive version for around $29. Obviously doesn't make up for the $200 difference.
I will say this...the $1299 model is far and away their best selling model. Most people look at the $1099 vs $1299 price and then consider they won't be able to burn DVD's. People don't like the idea of not being able to do something, even if they are not sure they ever will do it. The $1299 model was quite as great of an upgrade once they raised the RAM in the $1099 to 1GB. Before that happened, you just had to explain to a customer that for $200 they were getting 3 upgrades...optical drive, RAM and Hard drive.
Back on the DVD. DVD's are still alive and well. Backing up your Movies, burning your home movies, slideshows, etc. Lot's of reasons to have it. I just wish Apple would make it the default. Almost everyone I know who purchased the combo drive version later regrets not getting the superdrive.
First of all, I agree that Apple should default to Superdrives in all Macs. This shouldn't be an option anymore. They do save money by using the combo drive though. I read somewhere online that a notebook superdrive costs them around $50, whereas they can aquire the combo drive version for around $29. Obviously doesn't make up for the $200 difference.
I will say this...the $1299 model is far and away their best selling model. Most people look at the $1099 vs $1299 price and then consider they won't be able to burn DVD's. People don't like the idea of not being able to do something, even if they are not sure they ever will do it. The $1299 model was quite as great of an upgrade once they raised the RAM in the $1099 to 1GB. Before that happened, you just had to explain to a customer that for $200 they were getting 3 upgrades...optical drive, RAM and Hard drive.
Back on the DVD. DVD's are still alive and well. Backing up your Movies, burning your home movies, slideshows, etc. Lot's of reasons to have it. I just wish Apple would make it the default. Almost everyone I know who purchased the combo drive version later regrets not getting the superdrive.
OMG SO PISSED OF
i only bought my macbook in september now theres a 200+ MHz gap and a bigger hard drive which i so need.
Now the base model is catching up hope this is the last update in a long time!.
Anyway getting a mac pro soon
-Jake (a very pissed of jake)
i only bought my macbook in september now theres a 200+ MHz gap and a bigger hard drive which i so need.
Now the base model is catching up hope this is the last update in a long time!.
Anyway getting a mac pro soon
-Jake (a very pissed of jake
)
Well said. I am rocking a 4 year old powerbook and it still looks great. yeah a bit grubby but that's my fault. were i to give it a wee spit and polish it would look awesome. it was a classic, ahead of its time design and as far as I am concerned, still ahead of it's time. name a better looking laptop.
It's totally retarded to offer a computer *with a built in optical drive* in this day and age where that optical drive cannot write DVDs.
If you're going to have an optical drive, you put a DVD-RW inside, not a Combi drive.
Differentiate elsewhere - RAM, HD, CPU. They're already doing this. What's the harm in sticking in a DVD-RW. Yes, it's to force people to pay $200 to upgrade to the DVD-RW if they want it, even if they don't want the faster CPU or the larger HD. Now I think the improvements in the midrange are worth the money with or without the DVD-RW capability, but that just goes to prove my point. Why can't they add a $20 option for a DVD-RW drive to the low end? Or let you configure a Combi drive on the other options?
I see, thanks. I just called another store and they said they will charge regardless of the reason or day - but the first one did not mention any restocking fee... hmmm, I guess I'll give it a try and see how it works out. I also have a written paper about the sale signed by the original buyer, it should convince them I did not steal it and they might drop the restocking fee...
Can you still contact the original owner? That might help...offer to get him on the phone.
2 bad it did not get the multi touch ............ who cares i bought the new MBP and that 2 for $1599 yeehaw
2 bad it did not get the multi touch ............ who cares i bought the new MBP and that 2 for $1599 yeehaw
How did you get the MBP for $1599?
disappointed...
Well, a mixed update. It's not the MB I was hoping for.
Great: new gen. faster processor, RAM, and more HD.
But no multi-touch, no aluminum case, no LED screen, now charging for the remote, still have to spend $200 more for a Superdrive at $1300, when they come standard on most laptops that cost a third as much.
(Another way to put the criticism of the combo drive, is that if you're going to have an under-featured base model, it can and should be less than $1100.)
Inflexible configuration options are really lame. (Why not an option for a matte screen? across the line?)
And I have to wonder... if there wasn't a MBAir, would they have held back the multi-touch, aluminum case, and LED display from the MB? It seems a very niche-market machine is cannibalizing features from the regular line just so the regular line won't cannibalize sales of the niche-market machine. That's annoying.
So I guess I'll have to live with my G4 PB until the next MB rev for some of these things that I want in my next laptop. And I was hoping to be done waiting...
Well, a mixed update. It's not the MB I was hoping for.
Great: new gen. faster processor, RAM, and more HD.
But no multi-touch, no aluminum case, no LED screen, now charging for the remote, still have to spend $200 more for a Superdrive at $1300, when they come standard on most laptops that cost a third as much.
(Another way to put the criticism of the combo drive, is that if you're going to have an under-featured base model, it can and should be less than $1100.)
Inflexible configuration options are really lame. (Why not an option for a matte screen? across the line?)
And I have to wonder... if there wasn't a MBAir, would they have held back the multi-touch, aluminum case, and LED display from the MB? It seems a very niche-market machine is cannibalizing features from the regular line just so the regular line won't cannibalize sales of the niche-market machine. That's annoying.
So I guess I'll have to live with my G4 PB until the next MB rev for some of these things that I want in my next laptop. And I was hoping to be done waiting...
Today you can't find a single Laptop PC with combo drive including the a $500 Acer..... Shame on you Apple.......
Hmm, not sure... it was a CL ad... might have his number but who knows if it still works...
Is it possible to get this 'swap' done online, over the phone with apple.com?
Sure I read on here that blu-ray drives w/ burning capability weren't ready yet - at least not in the size required for a MBP. Something liek that anyway - i didn't pay much attention as i don't care.
and about SSDs - pro users need HD space - a SSD drive would be too small and also, what's the point? not looking to save weight or size, so why cripple a machine with a tiny amount of HD space for the sake of it being ever so slightly quicker (which would most likely be unnoticeable). (ok, there is the argument about it being safer/more stable but...)
'pro' does not been brand new toys to show off with - it means having some solid gear for the job, a fact that most of the wannabe 'pros' on this messageboard seem to get confused by. Hell, i use a friggin powerbook and make money using it - i guess that makes me a 'pro', right?
Same here. 2.2 white w/4gb ram and 250gb HD. Couldn't be happier. I waited a year until they made exactly the computer I wanted, and I bought. A lot of people are complaining about no multitouch in the new MacBook. Does anyone think that it's feasible that they put the MT chip in and it's just not being used yet?
Hmm, not sure... it was a CL ad... might have his number but who knows if it still works...
Is it possible to get this 'swap' done online, over the phone with apple.com?
brand new macbook in box sold on CL huh? Just doesn't sound legit...what were the sellers reasons for just not returning it? hope you don't take it in with receipt to find it was..a little hot...
Exactly. So why can't we have the option to upgrade the base model to a Superdrive for $20 !
Come on Apple, your business is booming, so give us options and let us pay for what we want. Don't force our hand by limiting and manipulating the options.
What do you mean?
i got to explain this? in case you're not being sarcastic...a guy sells a brand new, boxed macbook - i'm assuming for a loss - rather than just returning it. sounds suspicious. maybe that's just me, but CL is full of dodgy sh*t.
I understand that you're implying it's somehow "dodgy" but I don't understand what does that mean for me, a buyer?
The only case I can think of is if those guys bought it with some stolen CC# etc but it's Apple's responsibility to check the seller's ID at the sale, they cannot claim it's mine. Besides I did check his ID when I wrote a proper Contract for Sale of Goods - heck, he's even on our CCTV archive...