Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple to Launch an $800 Laptop?

Eidorian said:
I'm surprised that you thought so.

If you need more expensive hardware then you're free to buy it. There are plenty of users that would be happy with a $799 MacBook.
Click to expand...

If Apple hits that price point with a superdrive and x4500 graphics I won't be able to keep them in stock. They would fly off the shelves.
 
bytethese said:
There are plenty of users who are happy with a lot of crap. I switched to Mac in 2006 after being a windows user, support professional and computer science student. The reason I made the switch was the elegance of the hardware and (mostly)seemless software integration.

It would be such a pity if Apple cheapened themselves with cheaper hardware. Cheaper prices are one thing, using less quality parts is another...
Click to expand...

HA this is the exact situation i'm in....1st year computer science major and fell in love with Macs....hardware and software
 
shervieux said:
Yes, it is easy to walk into a place and say - there's a mac, hey another mac, look another mac. but seriously, I seen some well used mac's - the polished plastic apple uses looks cool and sharp, but scratches easy, plus with the discolored palm rests overtime, you would think the owner is a pig and did not wash up (brown or real dirty yellow).

I don't care what color they are (just not hot pink, powder blue, or purple for us guys sakes) - functionality is what matters.

Obviously Dell cares about colors - look at their magazines, they are offering Leather and Bamboo wraps on their studio hybrids (at a premium price), and interchangable color sleaves for an extra $20 each.


Plus, have you seen:

dell-inspiron-1525-mike-ming.jpg


Looks cool, but unfortunately still has the same insides..... Funny how we consumers take fashion over functionaility
Click to expand...

you should say it runs windows and not same insides because I would wager u get more hardware for your money from a dell then a mac:rolleyes:
 
bytethese said:
It would be such a pity if Apple cheapened themselves with cheaper hardware. Cheaper prices are one thing, using less quality parts is another...
Click to expand...

Too late. The MB and MBP build quality is below that of any HP, IBM or Dell laptop imho. I have owned both, and deal with 20+ laptops at work - and none of the PC industry laptops I've had have had the build quality problems of the Mac laptops I've had. None have had the overheating problems my Mac's have had.

Apple have had several refreshes, seveal opportunities to get those two line right, and they've not done so. I'm REALLY hoping we see something of geuine good quality, that justifies the price tag, with what looks to be two new designs. I may just find myself switching back if they don't.

Doug
 
I would imagine that the low-end $800 model would not have much if any better specs than the current Black MacBooks or even the 2.4 white version. For $800 I dont believe apple will sell something better than this for that price, I have a strong feeling the low-end will have specs from a current model just a new casing.
 
ddTaylor said:
I think Apple has saturated the high-end notebook market at $1099 for a rather basic and underwhelming notebook. To get a reasonable system from Apple you would need to spend at least $1300 to get a competitive notebook. That market is small in the era of $450 CD or AMD Turion X2 notebook from Acer and Compaq and Gateway. I realize these computers are not in the same league for obvious reasons but price has ALWAYS been an issue for Apple when trying to get converts from Windows. My parents who are retired and in their late 60's always wanted a Mac but at the time the least expensive Apple was $1000 when PC's were selling for $300. I bought them a used iBook G4 about a year ago and then a used iMac and they are very happy. IF apple can get the price-point to a magical number (say that number is $800) they will open-up the market to an entirely new group of users and THAT is ALWAYS a good thing.

If Apple wants to continue past a niche market (that still is what Apple is - just look at the numbers) they need more computers in the hands of the masses and not just those with more than the average disposable income. Life has been good to me so I can buy the things I like and generally the things I want - but not everyone is in the position. I think Apple could CLEAN-UP with a WELL EQUIPPED $800 notebook and NOT a stripped-down MacBook with 1GB RAM and a COMBO-DRIVE! This is a chance for Apple to go for the gold and allow an entirely new group of users to enjoy and experience what a computer can really do!

D
Click to expand...

+2
 
JAQ said:
Hasn't anyone here been inside an Apple Store lately? I had plenty of time to browse while waiting to buy my iPhone, and I remember seeing the 17" MBPro with the uber-res screen for around $3100. If this list is real, that's what the top-priced item on it would be.

And they had 10 price points, not 8: that's 2 MBAirs, 2 MBPro17s, 3 MBPro15s, and 3 MB13s.

As for what the 2 additional models would be, my prediction is that they're dropping prices on the standard MB configs (of course an $800 MB would have a combo drive) and inserting something new into the already-gaping price-point hole between those and the MBPro: either a 15" MB or a 13" MBPro.
Click to expand...

Nice analysis!
 
JAQ said:
Which is it? If it's a market of thousands, it may not be worth the design costs, let alone the manufacturing tooling for Apple to bring the product to market. If it's millions, then maybe it is.
Click to expand...

Well that's somewhat of a nebulous question isn't it? Say they sold 999,991 netbook sized laptops, would that be enough profit for them? ;)

Regardless, looking at recent articles, and top sellers at many companies (including amazon), the netbook sized / priced segment is doing quite well. Perhaps something that Apple could decide to take a chance at. The choice is obviously theirs to make, and for us to speculate upon.

image.php
 
bytethese said:
It would be such a pity if Apple cheapened themselves with cheaper hardware. Cheaper prices are one thing, using less quality parts is another...
Click to expand...
Do I need to bring up the long list of Apple quality (control) issues?

Using a cheaper processor or Santa Rosa while moving the higher end lines to a new platform isn't cheapening the Mac. Take a look at the Mac mini. Why can't their be a budget laptop companion?
 
djellison said:
Why not? OSX runs on an MSI Wind netbook rather well - it even runs on the damn iPhone.
Click to expand...

Runs on the iphone? Is that with the remote software?

I say it won't run OSX not because it is not capable but because Apple did have a netbook and it ran Newton OS. So the new netbook would probably run Iphone OS.
 
wonderkid said:
...not in the EEE PC form factor. We (I!) need this, and it will sell like hot cakes:

1. Full size keyboard
2. 10" screen with minimal bezel border to ensure a compact design. The biggest flaw with the MacBook Air is the huge amount of wasted space around the screen and keyboard. Thin is not as important as narrow!
3. NO DVD drive. What is the point? I can download movies - that is what WiFi and 3G is for. Physical media is obsolete, except for USB drives for backups and quick file transfers between devices.
4. Built in HSDPA modem and sim card slot.
5. Three USB ports
6. Firewire port for TimeMachine backups (for those of us not using Apple's Capsule)
7. Huge multitouch trackpad
8. 5 to 6 hour battery - solar panel on lid for trickle charge?
9. A PowerBook Duo like docking system?
10. £500 UK, $800 US.

I'm ready to buy!
Click to expand...

Dude, you just described my dream laptop. I'm buying that for sure!

Joshua.
 
djellison said:
Too late. The MB and MBP build quality is below that of any HP, IBM or Dell laptop imho. I have owned both, and deal with 20+ laptops at work - and none of the PC industry laptops I've had have had the build quality problems of the Mac laptops I've had. None have had the overheating problems my Mac's have had.

Apple have had several refreshes, seveal opportunities to get those two line right, and they've not done so. I'm REALLY hoping we see something of geuine good quality, that justifies the price tag, with what looks to be two new designs. I may just find myself switching back if they don't.

Doug
Click to expand...

Perhaps you misread. :)

I was referring to parts, not assembly. :) My Macbook pro has the exact same specs as the T60's in my office. Unfortunately, I've never had issues with my Macbook pro but our T60's def have different points of failure. However, for PC-based machines, I'm still a major fan of Lenovo ThinkPads, I just think the Macbook Pro is more elegant. :)
 
I've been a full mac man for the past 8 years, but bought a eeepc (impluse ebay bargin) for travel. Amazing little computer but I would trade it in a heart beat for an Apple version of a netbook!
 
In the new age of Apple,inc. a holiday makes Wednesday the new Tuesday. This fits in conveniently with the Monday Holiday..

I'm guessing invites pop up in inboxes later this afternoon or tomorrow for an event on Tuesday. Jobs will say available for order now.

$799-$1199--Macbooks 16:9 w/superdrives. Higher end Macbook upgrade for Quad-Core
$1799-$2499 Macbook Pro-16:9 w/superdrive. BTO option for Quad-Core.
$999-$1999 iMac 21" and 25"..The iMac is the disparity between the current 8 products and the 12 price points listed in this topic.
 
puffnstuff said:
Runs on the iphone? Is that with the remote software?

I say it won't run OSX not because it is not capable but because Apple did have a netbook and it ran Newton OS. So the new netbook would probably run Iphone OS.
Click to expand...

Huh? Leopard can run on a 867 mhz G4. You're telling me a netbook from Apple at 1.2-1.8 ghz couldn't run Leopard??
 
bytethese said:
Perhaps you misread. :)

I was referring to parts, not assembly. :) My Macbook pro has the exact same specs as the T60's in my office. Unfortunately, I've never had issues with my Macbook pro but our T60's def have different points of failure. However, for PC-based machines, I'm still a major fan of Lenovo ThinkPads, I just think the Macbook Pro is more elegant. :)
Click to expand...

so intel make superior chips for apple then for the pc world even though they have the same model numbers

spot the fanboy:rolleyes:
 
Apple products are high-grade products with a lot of great features, but their quality unfortunately has not been the best recently. Maybe it is growing pains or whatever.

I look forward to seeing what they dish out. My 12" PB felt old for the first time these past few weeks. Maybe I just need to get more RAM :D
 
mitten said:
I have two sons, grades 6 and 8, and both use Macs exclusively at school. They're in middle school now, but that was true at the elementary level as well.

Only one data point, I know (this is the Ann Arbor MI school district), but I think Apple is already pretty decently placed in the younger educational market.
Click to expand...

Out of the 40 school district accounts I'm at, only 2 are Apple - rest are PC's, mostly Dell.
 
Peace said:
$799-$1199--Macbooks 16:9 w/superdrives. Higher end Macbook upgrade for Quad-Core
$1799-$2499 Macbook Pro-16:9 w/superdrive. BTO option for Quad-Core.
$999-$1999 iMac 21" and 25"..The iMac is the disparity between the current 8 products and the 12 price points listed in this topic.
Click to expand...

Most of that sounds pretty good, but I do not think Apple would offer BTO-Quad-Core option for the MacBook. That sounds like it's only for MacBook Pro's at this moment in time.

I just wonder what the Specs on the $800 model would be. Apple will have to shock me to make me want to consider it and drop my powerbook.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back