Apple store online has not one refurb laptop!

[Butthead]

OK, That's true, but I seriously doubt whether Apple would want to keep us waiting for new MBPs much longer. I should think that both the iMac and MBP will be updated at WWDC.

Think again, Apple has never to my knowledge announced a consumer targeted computer (iMac, Mac Mini, MB, and their predicessors) at the WWDC. Apple will not announce an update to the iMac at the WWDC. The iMac maybe updated before or after the WWDC, but there is not connection between the two.

Apple has in the past used the WWDC to announce new pro hardware, but that doesn't mean a MBP will necessarily be updated at the time of the WWDC, it could come as soon as May.

 

[Butthead]

I just hope they rework them so the hard drive is accessible. That's my number one complaint (followed by the lame GPU).

I don't know though, Intel doesn't launch Santa Rosa until next month, right? And Apple's trailed their releases by 2-3 months, so...August-September?

Official announcement of SR by Intel is scheduled for May, correct.

You are confusing the delayed C2D MBP update, most likely due to the fact that there was a temporary constrained/limited supply of the fastest C2D chips available. Apple could have released a speed dumped ( as opposed to speed bump) MBP w/C2D, but that wouldn't have made much sense, now would it? PC laptops with C2D at the higher speed end, also trailed the intro/availability of the slower C2D's. There may also have been cooling issues that Apple had not worked out in time for rapid production, which may have meant the decision to put the 1st C2D's into an updated iMac.

The 1st Apple Intel laptop- many say prematurely introduced with numerous flaws- including, but not limited to, severe overheating problems; was the 15.4in MBP in January of last year, at the same time/same week PC laptops where announced with the CD chips.

 

[Wolfpup]

Regarding LED backlighting...what's our current lighting called? CCL or something? Like Cold...something...something? I think it's a form of florescent light-basically a florescent light back there?

Official announcement of SR by Intel is scheduled for May, correct.

You are confusing the delayed C2D MBP update, most likely due to the fact that there was a temporary constrained/limited supply of the fastest C2D chips available. Apple could have released a speed dumped ( as opposed to speed bump) MBP w/C2D, but that wouldn't have made much sense, now would it? PC laptops with C2D at the higher speed end, also trailed the intro/availability of the slower C2D's. There may also have been cooling issues that Apple had not worked out in time for rapid production, which may have meant the decision to put the 1st C2D's into an updated iMac.

The 1st Apple Intel laptop- many say prematurely introduced with numerous flaws- including, but not limited to, severe overheating problems; was the 15.4in MBP in January of last year, at the same time/same week PC laptops where announced with the CD chips.

Great points! Oh man, I'm getting excited! The Macbook Pro is ready for an update, and we really might see one next month! I didn't realize about the lack of faster Core 2 Duo chips...and even the Macbook is using the second to the fastest chip (and I can see them not upgrading that until the Pro is using Core 2 also)...so I can actually see a legitimate reason there would have been a delay.

Plus they did seem to rework it-I don't recall any of the horrible issues the first version was plagued by.

Apple, just please make the hard drive accessible and I'll buy one for sure! (Heck, I'll grab it even if it still has that dumb x1600...though for crying out loud, they should bump that to SOMETHING better-even a Geforce 7600 would be better than nothing). I would flip out if I can buy a 17" Macbook Pro next month with a user replaceable drive and a Geforce 8600GT

I've got $2400 socked away, ready to go towards this thing...so release it!

 

[Erasmus]

Ummm... Yeah...

X1600 was good for when it was originall installed, but since that time there have been a number of GPU's introduced with 'incrementally' higher watt/performance.

Such as? Give me an example of a card that would firstly fit inside the MBP without a major redesign, secondly has a TDP of about 20W (the X1600 is 17W) and thirdly is much faster than the X1600.

SR introduces support for more expensive, more energy efficient RAM. Also an 'incremental' increase in performance via 800Mhz FSB.

Santa Rosa hasn't been released yet. In my opinion, there is a difference between releasing a higher clocked unreleased CPU (like they did with the 8-core MP) and jumping the gun on a whole new platform. It's just not an Apple thing to do. If Apple can't release it, they won't announce it.

Don't your read the most accurante rumors site nowadays, Digitimes ? LED backlit displays are a possibility. And if not that, then at least higher res. displays.

It hardly seems worthwhile to do an upgrade this tuesday, say, which only features a new screen, especially when Apple only has to wait a month or two to release something really special.

Any number of lesser hardware part updates could see their way into SR updated laptops. Do some research before posting such silly responses.

Obviously we disagree, but I would say your post was the silly one. Apple aren't going to release new laptops until they can get their hands on at least Santa Rosa, if not new graphics cards, and I think it's more likely we'll find a Mobility HD 2600 than a Go 8600 in the MBP. Which I think will be a good thing.

Regarding LED backlighting...what's our current lighting called? CCL or something? Like Cold...something...something? I think it's a form of florescent light-basically a florescent light back there?

Cold Cathode Flourescent Light

 

[Erasmus]

Think again, Apple has never to my knowledge announced a consumer targeted computer (iMac, Mac Mini, MB, and their predicessors) at the WWDC. Apple will not announce an update to the iMac at the WWDC. The iMac maybe updated before or after the WWDC, but there is not connection between the two.

Apple has in the past used the WWDC to announce new pro hardware, but that doesn't mean a MBP will necessarily be updated at the time of the WWDC, it could come as soon as May.

Many people disagree with you. Personally, I don't care, just as long as they release the SR MBP soon (as in May/June as opposed to October). And I also tend to disagree, because the iMac is just a MBP in a different case. When everything is released for the MBP, everything will be available to revamp the iMac too. Will developers be grumpy and say it doesn't belong if Apple releases the iMac at WWDC? I doubt it. Half of them will probably buy one anyway, because they don't quite need a Mac Pro, and affordable power meets their needs quite nicely.

There will not be new Apple laptops for at least a few weeks, meaning at least 3, more likely 6/7. Neither will Apple wait for October's release of Leopard, because that will mean almost a full year will have passed since the last refresh.

 

[Wolfpup]

Such as? Give me an example of a card that would firstly fit inside the MBP without a major redesign, secondly has a TDP of about 20W (the X1600 is 17W) and thirdly is much faster than the X1600.

Personally I don't know and don't care. If it takes a redesign (or a different design to begin with) then so be it. I don't like the current design anyway because it doesn't have a user replaceable hard drive.

Santa Rosa hasn't been released yet.

I think one of the tech sites said a couple of laptops have shipped with Santa Rosa, so that combined with that Intel seems willing to give Apple unique hardware (which is SO COOL!) makes it seem like not impossible.

I think it's more likely we'll find a Mobility HD 2600 than a Go 8600 in the MBP. Which I think will be a good thing.

I bet that's more likely too, but I can steal hope!

I just remembered that Macosrumors has claimed Apple's working on some higher-end laptop that would be good for gaming...they've acted like it could even have SLI (though I think that's unlikely and silly even in a desktop). Maybe I'm remembering that wrong, and I don't know how reliable they are. But I need more rumors to tide me over, darn it!

 

[Erasmus]

Personally I don't know and don't care. If it takes a redesign (or a different design to begin with) then so be it. I don't like the current design anyway because it doesn't have a user replaceable hard drive.

I don't think Apple would bother redesigning the MBP just so it can put in a Go7600. Not worth the time when within weeks new gen mobile GPUs will be released. Hopefully they will redesign it to put something in that's more worth Apple's time, like the HD 2600. Also, I don't think making the hard-drive user replaceable would take that much effort, and it will hopefully be a feature of the fully redesigned Santa Rosa Macbook Pro

I think one of the tech sites said a couple of laptops have shipped with Santa Rosa, so that combined with that Intel seems willing to give Apple unique hardware (which is SO COOL!) makes it seem like not impossible.

Possible, but I still think Apple will wait for it to be properly released. Apple likes to announce their stuff themselves, whithout someone else ruining their fun. I could imagine with something big like Santa Rosa, Intel will want to give us all a good announcement on all of its final, official, true, accurate features. Maybe it's because of this that Apple seems to be getting preferential treatment with things like faster clocked cores that aren't worth a proper song and dance?

I bet that's more likely too, but I can steal hope!

I was under the impression that the Mobility HD 2600 will be a faster GPU than the Go 8600... I should think that it should be able to pump more pixels at lower power because it's on a 65nm process rather than an 80nm process. I would rather the 2600 than the 8600, but that's me. And in my opinion AMD/ATI has more style than nVIDIA

I just remembered that Macosrumors has claimed Apple's working on some higher-end laptop that would be good for gaming...they've acted like it could even have SLI (though I think that's unlikely and silly even in a desktop). Maybe I'm remembering that wrong, and I don't know how reliable they are. But I need more rumors to tide me over, darn it!

Doubt it. More likely we'll get SLI HD2900XTX in the Mac Pro, which has been a rumour for quite a while. I don't think Apple would go any further towards a gaming laptop than the Mobility HD2600XT, but you never know with Apple. Also, I was under the impression that "MacOSRumours" was incredibly unreliable... Or maybe that's "MacOSXRumours"... Bugger...

 

[jdechko]

...More likely we'll get SLI HD2900XTX in the Mac Pro...

ATI's GPU linking tech is "crossfire", nVidia's is SLI.

Anyway, I say bring on the updates. Personally, I like the sleek look of Apple's "Pro" laptops, so a change in the case isn't that big of a deal. Then again, I really don't care if they have to bump the MBP up to 1.25" thick to get it all to fit, it'd still be slimmer than any almost other fully-featured notebook out there. Anyway, I'm not ready to buy just yet, so the more they do now, the better machine I'll be able to afford. A new Mobility HD2600 would be nice-- well anything would be nicer than the GMA 845 or whatever it is running on my VAIO R505. *sigh*