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Apple Updates 13" Aluminum MacBook, Rebranded as "MacBook Pro"
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Are you sure about that? Because in the Apple Store here in Mexico the Apple Care price is:
2,829 MXN (210 USD) for MBP 13", MBA and MB white
3,689 MXN ( 274 USD) for MBP 15"
This at least applies in the Education Store
The new MacBook Pro 13" model is pretty nice. I am liking the SD card reader, but my camera takes CF cards, so it's still not helping me reallyMy own fault though.
get a girlfriend.
I agree about the girlfriend.
Oh, about the CF vs. SD cards: there are cheap adaptor that allow you to use an SD card into a CF slot (sort of enclosure). They work fine, no difference to me in my Olympus C-5050
Nice but still frustrating
Nice update, soooo glad they brought Firewire back and the SD card slot is a nice addition. Not thrilled about losing the removable battery, but not a huge issue for me. I have a second battery for my MacBook now and have only used it a few times over the 3 years. Lack of at least a BR option is still mystifying. Lack of a matte option is downright frustrating and probably will keep me from purchasing. I still don't understand why a company of the size of Apple can't at least offer a online Apple Store matte option. They can handle the inventory issues of having 9 different iPod nano colors but not the option for a second type of screen????
Yes, in the right conditions the glossy screen is superior. However, in 3 of the conditions that I use a portable most it either downright sucks or is is unusable by me. In my family room I have a the sun coming though window behind me, glare is awful. It is one of the reasons I went for an LCD years ago instead of a Plasma TV. Outside I've find my current MacBook pretty much unusable (it is sunny here in Phoenix 95% of the time!). My 7 year old iBook and $400 Samsung NC10 netbook are MUCH better to use outside (both have matte screens). The conference rooms that I use a work and the remove office I sometimes travel to and work at have overhead lights that again make the glare extreme annoying. So much so that after a bit I get bad headaches.
Whining and complaining helped bring back FW, so I'll keep whining and complaining about no Matte option!!!
Nice update, soooo glad they brought Firewire back and the SD card slot is a nice addition. Not thrilled about losing the removable battery, but not a huge issue for me. I have a second battery for my MacBook now and have only used it a few times over the 3 years. Lack of at least a BR option is still mystifying. Lack of a matte option is downright frustrating and probably will keep me from purchasing. I still don't understand why a company of the size of Apple can't at least offer a online Apple Store matte option. They can handle the inventory issues of having 9 different iPod nano colors but not the option for a second type of screen????
Yes, in the right conditions the glossy screen is superior. However, in 3 of the conditions that I use a portable most it either downright sucks or is is unusable by me. In my family room I have a the sun coming though window behind me, glare is awful. It is one of the reasons I went for an LCD years ago instead of a Plasma TV. Outside I've find my current MacBook pretty much unusable (it is sunny here in Phoenix 95% of the time!). My 7 year old iBook and $400 Samsung NC10 netbook are MUCH better to use outside (both have matte screens). The conference rooms that I use a work and the remove office I sometimes travel to and work at have overhead lights that again make the glare extreme annoying. So much so that after a bit I get bad headaches.
Whining and complaining helped bring back FW, so I'll keep whining and complaining about no Matte option!!!
Considering that applecare on a notebook is really essential. Effectively, it means that the £899 macbook (pro
) is £999. This is craftiness of the first order, and many will buy and then only realise they have an extra hundred to pay later.Yeah I have double checked the price here in the UK store and am positive. I am not complaining though as this update was way better than I expected! Will be buying one this Sunday provided they are in stock!
AnDy
Yes they do, they have customers who want it, like me. They are a business. They can promote iTunes downloads without snubbing those customers who want Blu-ray support. If they truly believe downloads are already the better option they should let their customers decide that on the merits of the formats, shouldn't they, instead of metaphorically crying and taking their ball home.
Will the world end without Blu-ray support? No, I'd just like it, and it discourages me from buying a new mac. Adding Blu-ray support as an option, just like they've given CD-ROM / CD-RW, DVD-ROM / DVD-RW options on machines for years and years wouldn't kill them or their lofty download ambitions.
As someone else recognised, I mean SD as in Standard Definition, not SD as in Secure Digital card. My bad, I should have been clearer, but I thought the context of your question about watching HD made it clear enough.
That would be a reasonable example if it weren't for the fact that Microsoft, who as you say are also selling movie downloads, also support Blu-ray playback through their OS.
I'm not stopping them! I completely understand your and their position. I just what the OPTION for playing back Blu-ray discs. Seeing as I'm not going to be touching iTunes downloads with a barge-pole it should make no difference to you or Apple. I'm willing to pay the extra! It feels like they're just being lazy and spiteful because things aren't progressing as fast as they like with downloads. Apple have their vision, I know. But they compromise on it in loads of areas when the demand is strong enough. Otherwise you couldn't run Firefox, or USB would have ever replaced Firewire in iPods, etc etc.
Also if Apple are so opposed to Blu-ray they should stop being hypocrites and resign from the Blu-ray Disc Association board. Right now they just look silly.
Lucky you. Not everyone has 50mbps. The average in the UK is something like 3.5Mbps, which is naturally distorted by the lucky ones such as yourself having speeds up to 50Mbps. It doesn't even matter, because even IF everyone had 50Mbps tomorrow, Blu-ray would have a decent run as a niche format for people who just plain prefer it over what iTunes offers.
7 years is a very rough guess, I don't know. Japan is an extreme example, with high population density (though the UK surely should be far ahead on that compared to the US for obvious reasons). I hope it's much sooner, I just don't have any confidence at all in it happening fast enough to make Blu-ray irrelevant. Especially not so long as it's not in BT's interests to provide all their competitors with an infrastructure. Even their ADSL2+ plans only really improve connections for people who already have the fastest ones. There will be huge numbers of people left with slow connections for years to come yet, IMHO.
I think it's a point worth repeating, that while CDs still sell it's not credible to say discs for movies are near being dead. I can download music all I want (and do download music), but I actually choose the CD over the download quite often still, because of quality, price or their collectible nature.
Again, So patronising. I fully understand the Blu-ray format and personally already have my money's worth in enjoyment from it. I just want Apple to support it to give me even more value.
I don't like Windows any more than you do by the sound of it. I would really rather not have to use a Windows machine, and I'm not going to buy one just for Blu-ray support. I think Apple knows this, which sucks a bit really.
I actually might move soon, but it'd be a ridiculous suggestion to imply someone should move house because Apple won't support Blu-ray wouldn't it? And even IF I had the speed, to be honest I'd still be preferring Blu-ray to what iTunes currently offers. And being slightly geeky, access to to decent internet speeds WILL be a consideration when I look at places, but I'm not sure the average film fan would be doing that.
Well, IF it's perfected. I rather suspect the restrictions of downloads will continue to be far more annoying than those on disks ever were... but sure, assuming that one day in the future Apple get it all perfect great, they can not offer Blu-ray support THEN, not NOW. In terms of mass-adoption, Downloads are still the FUTURE, Blu-Ray is the PRESENT!
You still never told me what you'd do if you had a Blu-ray you wanted to finish watching on your mac. Buy it again? Buy and install Windows and buy an external drive just for that?
The vast majority of Blu-ray (no 'e') discs here in the UK don't have 'digital copies' or DVDs included. I have over 70 titles now, and I think I have three, and they discs are US imports meaning I can't use them anyway! Ironically (given Steve Jobs' er, jobs), Disney are the best at including a DVD copy with the BD, which is fine and if they all did that it would go some way to alleviating the problem.
I started watching a BD at home the other day, it'd be nice to have been able to take it with me to finish, that's all.
Yes. Quoted for truth, as they say.
Apologies to all for a semi-thread de-rail, but I think it's a discussion worth having, especially while people still don't get why those who would like Bu-ray support would like it. We have discs we know the mac is powerful enough to play, so we want Apple to give us the option. I don't think that is unreasonable.
Headfuzz
I am sure that the response you gave is not representative of the knowledge you seem to have about Apple computers and software.
- “Macbook white always available” -
I would prefer to get a new windows pc if the option your giving me is an outdated notebook (although the revision made it a little better). The plastic finish, especially the white one is unworthy of Apple and definitely not up to todays standards (ok for students).
- “When I bought my Blackbook there were rumors of an aluminium Macbook being released before too long. Turned out to be 3 months later your version was released with far superior graphics, unibody enclosure and so on but I didn't get upset because what I had suited my needs and that didn't change with the new model”
Totally different issue. Everyone knows that that you can never keep up with technology nor do I want to. I however do not expect that a product of this nature has such a short cycle and that a company like Apple will do a 360 turnaround after being so adamant in its views. (and if it does take responsibility for them)
- “Far superior graphics”
Just because the other graphics were totally obsolete does not make these exceptional or superior to most other notebooks. They are OK
- “You made a choice that an aluminium body was more of a desire than Firewire”
No i didn't. I simply went along with the story that firewire was an old format and that it was coming to an end. Stupid me!
- “If it bugs you that much then sell it on ebay to someone who doesn't constantly keep up to date with the Apple world (and there's a lot of those people on ebay) for not much less than you bought it, then pay the difference for a new model.”
Yes it Bugs, I feel like I have been taken for a ride and dam stupid about it
- “Are you able to get an SD card reader from ebay for 99p / 99¢? Highly likely”
Who said anything about Missing an SD card reader. I admit I had to get one when I bought my Macbook as the old windows PC had it inbuilt. I however use a lot of compactflash so already had a multimedia card reader at home.
- “I realise you're upset because you wanted Firewire, but does the fact there's a new model out with Firewire render your USB camera redundant?”
No, but its the other way around. I had a firewire mini dv camcorder from Canon and bought a new one (cheap) so as to be able to connect it to my Macbook through USB.
Sorry if this was too long
This is the update I've been waiting for since selling my 12" PowerBook years ago. I just pulled the trigger on a new 13", 2.53, 500 gig. I've been using a 2.33 15" MBP for work, and while I enjoy the resolution, it's a pain to lug around, so I went back to portability for my personal machine. When apple displays see a price drop, I'll buy one for home when more real estate is required.
Pros:
The price drop was significant. Before the update, I priced out the high end 13 with a 320 gig drive and 4 gigs of ram at $1969CDN. After the update, the same config was $1809CDN.
Firewrire is back! I don't need to worry about slow USB backups to my external drive.
Screen improvements. The original UB 13" screen was crap and I refused to buy one until it was updated. Patience is a virtue.
Battery life. Sure, the battery isn't removable, but in exchange for 7 hours of battery life who cares! Sure, it'll probably really only last 5, but still, pretty impressive.
Cons:
Audio input/output reduced to a single port. In all honesty though, not a big deal. If I use the audio in for recording, I can monitor through my built in speakers. And if I want to do pro audio, I'd be using a firewire interface anyway.
Remotes are no longer included. Sure it only costs $20, but it's a low blow by Apple to try and suck extra cash out of their customers.
SD slot. Useless. I use a Nikon D300 so if it was a CF slot great. But with Apple leaning toward people using their iPhones as their point and shoots, the inclusion of an SD slot is baffling.
Glossy screen. Despite the screen improvements, I'm a bit worried about the glossiness. I have a strong glasses prescription and have problems, for instance, with seeing white text on dark backgrounds, so I worry about eye strain. Time will tell and I'll post some long term reports down the road.
Anyway, enough blathering for now.
Pros:
The price drop was significant. Before the update, I priced out the high end 13 with a 320 gig drive and 4 gigs of ram at $1969CDN. After the update, the same config was $1809CDN.
Firewrire is back! I don't need to worry about slow USB backups to my external drive.
Screen improvements. The original UB 13" screen was crap and I refused to buy one until it was updated. Patience is a virtue.
Battery life. Sure, the battery isn't removable, but in exchange for 7 hours of battery life who cares! Sure, it'll probably really only last 5, but still, pretty impressive.
Cons:
Audio input/output reduced to a single port. In all honesty though, not a big deal. If I use the audio in for recording, I can monitor through my built in speakers. And if I want to do pro audio, I'd be using a firewire interface anyway.
Remotes are no longer included. Sure it only costs $20, but it's a low blow by Apple to try and suck extra cash out of their customers.
SD slot. Useless. I use a Nikon D300 so if it was a CF slot great. But with Apple leaning toward people using their iPhones as their point and shoots, the inclusion of an SD slot is baffling.
Glossy screen. Despite the screen improvements, I'm a bit worried about the glossiness. I have a strong glasses prescription and have problems, for instance, with seeing white text on dark backgrounds, so I worry about eye strain. Time will tell and I'll post some long term reports down the road.
Anyway, enough blathering for now.
er... they do, by supporting DVD though, don't they?
I live in the UK too. Most BDs do not cost £20 unless you don't shop around at all. The vast majority of mine cost less than half that.
And I was a student of film. I had to buy plenty of films. Most of the DVDs back then were about the same price as BDs are now. And good luck lending a download to fellow students. The film dept's film library might have been a bit sparse if they'd been relying on iTunes too.
Why do you believe the white Macbook to be outdated? Even before the recent speed bump it had the MCP79MX chipset with Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics. It's hardware may not be on-par with the aluminum MacBook, but it's certainly current-generation. You're dismissing the whitebook just because the cosmetic design of it has been around for a while, therefore you see it as inferior and outdated, which it's not.
Go for it... The screen is livable unless you do a lot of graphics stuff but then if your into Photoshop and Video Editing I would probaly go for something more powerfull with a larger screen and wouldnt be looking at the 13" Macbook.
Yes the original Unibody screen was "crap" I can vouch for that lol
The Sd slot may not be as useless as you say, a lot of cameras and camcorders use SD and lets not forget that the 13" macbbok is an entry level notebook.
There may be a problem with the Sd slot im not sure if it acccepts SDHD, if it cant then yes its useless
Great camera by the way
I feel so screwed
My college-bound daughter wouldn't let me buy her a unibody MacBook till she was convinced that nothing better would come along by September. "Trust me," I assured her, "I read MacRumors every morning. Nothing will be upgraded except maybe a speed bump."
So a month ago, she bit the bullet and we bought a backlit 4GB MacBook. To get a 500GB hard drive with it, we went to an independent Mac shop.
Then THIS is announced. My daughter will be SO pissed at me for misleading her. The SD slot would have simplified her life; the Firewire would have made Time Machine more pleasant; the across-the-board backlight would have spared me from buying the priciest model; the 500GB option would have let me order it all online.
How did no one see this coming???
My college-bound daughter wouldn't let me buy her a unibody MacBook till she was convinced that nothing better would come along by September. "Trust me," I assured her, "I read MacRumors every morning. Nothing will be upgraded except maybe a speed bump."
So a month ago, she bit the bullet and we bought a backlit 4GB MacBook. To get a 500GB hard drive with it, we went to an independent Mac shop.
Then THIS is announced. My daughter will be SO pissed at me for misleading her. The SD slot would have simplified her life; the Firewire would have made Time Machine more pleasant; the across-the-board backlight would have spared me from buying the priciest model; the 500GB option would have let me order it all online.
How did no one see this coming???
Wow, I am completely stunned. I thought this was going to be all about the iPhone and then Apple drops the bombshell. I can now get a macbook for 1099 on student discount with backlit keyboard, firewire 800, updated processor and 8gb of ram capacity. Unbelievable. I'll be purchasing as soon as the first reviews begin surfacing.
I do however, feel really bad for those folks who just bought a macbook. You paid more money for less. I know some friends that are going to be pissed.
Graphics wise, the integrated gfx in the 13" is actually more powerful than the dedicated Radeon 1600 in my current 15" MBP, which I do a lot of photoshop work on. So I'm not concerned about that. I have my xbox for games.
No, but in the interests of reducing general scrolling RSI I'll just quote that so we know which post I'm referring to
White Macbook - how can it be unworthy of Apple when it's their best selling Mac line? Unworthy is simply your opinion (which of course you're entitled to).
Short life cycle - This is not a new thing. Apple have done this before, with the Late 2007 (November) -> Early 2008 (February) Macbook revision. This info was always here on MR Buyer's Guide and also on Wikipedia's Macbook entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbook
Far superior graphics - I was referring to the refresh between my model and yours, (I agree the current models aren't on a par with the latest and greatest mobile graphics chips) but my point still stands; they were the same between both white and alu MB's at the point you went to buy one so the graphics chip was a non-issue
Firewire - perhaps I worded that badly, apologies. I meant you came to the conclusion that the alu would be a better deal despite the lack of Firewire. Unfortunately the old saying is true, don't believe everything you read (especially anecdotal advice on the net!). Both Firewire and USB have a future at the moment, USB is more widely supported because there are more peripherals available (as a result of Apple's early licencing fees for FW iirc) but it remains to be seen how the 3rd gen of both technologies plays out (afaik, neither are in common use yet and are still only ratified standards on paper)
Fwiw though I didn't know you already had a FW camera, and I feel your pain there. I possibly misread the OP and assumed you had just bought a USB camera as a first video camera. It's a tricky one but I think I would have gone for the white Macbook if I had a really good FW cam, else sold it, gone for the alu and bought the best USB cam possible with the funds from the sale of the FW cam. But a bugger of a choice for sure.
Like I say, there are plenty of people willing to pay good money for your model on ebay wouldn't even know what Firewire was, so if you really wanted you could always take that route. Your alu model won't have depreciated by too much.
There's a "Buyer's Guide" link at the top of this page. It shows very clearly when products were last updated and the average update cycle. All of the laptops were well past their average update period, so we all knew an update was coming. WWDC was the obvious marker.
headfuzz said:
You won't be blamed for not expecting revisions today but it's not the first time they've come after such a short period.
EDIT: Fwiw, Apple do a Back to School promotion every year which she would have qualified for as well. Usually they throw in an iPod of some sort and/or printer... Traditionally this starts a few weeks after WWDC iirc.
Apple Stores will sometimes take a previous gen model back and exchange for the new one within a reasonable timeframe of a revision launch (I think a month is probably top end of "reasonable"). Can't say the same for an independent but it can't hurt you to ask.
To be fair.
The major factor in buying a Mac is the OS however you simply can not close your eyes to everything else.
The macbook white casing is, to me, of unacceptable quality. It absorbs grease, dirt and its not easy to clean. It cuts your wrists, lol. I have a friend that has one and it looks bad.
Aged look and feel about it
It had an outdated dvd rom and an outdated screen when everyone else was providing Hd quality. (not even a year ago)
Slow Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2.0GHz. (before speed bump)
The GMA 950 and then 1300 integrated graphics were totally obsolete (less than a year ago)but then it was upgraded to the Nvidia chip. The 9400M was made for (Mac) laptops using DDR3 memory and when used with DDR2 will be notably slower. Correct me if I am wrong
Most notebooks of this price will have a graphics card that will outperform by far this card. Take a look at some of the ATI cards. Battery consumption may go up but its a good trade-off. Have a look at the 3d Mark results
It uses DDR2 but then most notebooks are still using this type of memory
Only 160GB 5400rpm disk for this price when everyone else is providing 250GB or above
Only 2GB of DDR2 when most laptops will give you 4GB for the same price
Connectivity connectivity...
I am not sure about the technical stuff about this Mac but give me some time and I would probably find you some more stuff to moan about lol.
Having said this the peace of mind that the OS gives me is worth it but I do miss the extra graphics and faster processors at resonable prices. But hey "Im a Mac" now so live with it!!!.