AppleInsider: MEROM MACBOOK PRO'S AROUND SEPTEMBER 5th

[arsonata]

I read an argument on here that the MBP case will not change because it needs to stay congruous with the Mac Pro case. I agree that it will look pretty much the same, but wouldn't it make sense to put in the new MB keyboard and the magnetic latch? In keeping the aluminum and the same speaker covers it will still be in the style of the Mac Pro.

...Nothing too special said here, but dammit, I just wanted to participate!!!




...I'm ...so ...lonely

 

[BornAgainMac]

I want a Mac Mini Pro

I love my MBP but I am ready for a Mac Mini Pro. I have a 30 inch Cinema display that I would like it to support so I can sell my Powermac. A Mac Mini Pro should support (2) 3.5 Inch hard drives and a Superdrive and 4 GBs of memory and a ATI Radeon X1900 XT or at least one step up from the iMac. Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n and generous supply of FW and USB 2.0 ports. Heck, throw in a 7-1 card reader to be built-in.


I don't care about the extra PCI Express slots. I didn't use the PCI-X slots on the Powermac. Don't need them.

 

[jameshopkins]

I am ready for a Mac Mini Pro. I have a 30 inch Cinema display that I would like it to support so I can sell my Powermac. A Mac Mini Pro should support (2) 3.5 Inch hard drives and a Superdrive and 4 GBs of memory and a ATI Radeon X1900 XT or at least one step up from the iMac. Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n and generous supply of FW and USB 2.0 ports. Heck, throw in a 7-1 card reader to be built-in.


I don't care about the extra PCI Express slots. I didn't use the PCI-X slots on the Powermac. Don't need them.

You are in dream land my friend, I dont see them ever having a screen less mac between the iMac and the Mac Pro

Only a slightly cheaper Mac Pro, maybe with Conroe

 

[teme]

I love my MBP but I am ready for a Mac Mini Pro. I have a 30 inch Cinema display that I would like it to support so I can sell my Powermac. A Mac Mini Pro should support (2) 3.5 Inch hard drives and a Superdrive and 4 GBs of memory and a ATI Radeon X1900 XT or at least one step up from the iMac. Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n and generous supply of FW and USB 2.0 ports. Heck, throw in a 7-1 card reader to be built-in.

That would be sweet, but I'm losing my hopes on that... guess I'll have to buy a PC.

 

[dernhelm]

I read an argument on here that the MBP case will not change because it needs to stay congruous with the Mac Pro case. I agree that it will look pretty much the same, but wouldn't it make sense to put in the new MB keyboard and the magnetic latch? In keeping the aluminum and the same speaker covers it will still be in the style of the Mac Pro.

Strange arguement. Who cares if the MBP case looks anything like the Mac Pro case? It isn't exactly a fashion accessory or anything...

The best arguements I've heard for Apple keeping their cases the same are:
1) It ain't broke, so don't fix it
2) They wanted the Intel macs to look exactly like the PowerPC-based macs, thereby giving the feeling of continuiity over the transition.

Over time I fully expect the MB and the MBP to converge in looks (externally) while diverging in capabilities (graphics, CPU speed, ports, etc). Apple does tend to have a similar design philosophy trend through their product line, but it is mostly of a "form follows function" type. It wouldn't suprise me if the MB and MBP moved away from aluminum and over to something sexier sounding (and perhaps more mar-resistant) like carbon fiber or something.

 

[Kelmon]

Over time I fully expect the MB and the MBP to converge in looks (externally) while diverging in capabilities (graphics, CPU speed, ports, etc). Apple does tend to have a similar design philosophy trend through their product line, but it is mostly of a "form follows function" type. It wouldn't suprise me if the MB and MBP moved away from aluminum and over to something sexier sounding (and perhaps more mar-resistant) like carbon fiber or something.

? Why would Apple choose to make their consumer and professional products look similar? People are already having problems deciding if a MacBook Pro is worth the money vs. the MacBook and making them physically look the same would only exacerbate the problem. Personally, if I'm going to pay top-dollar for a MacBook Pro I don't want it to look like a cheap(er) consumer laptop. While the iMac and Mac Pro clearly have different design concerns, I can't see the iMac ever adopting the Mac Pro metal case style and I can't see the Mac Pro suddenly going for a white plastic case either.

Product differentiation is important and blending them together just makes things more complicated for consumers.

 

[TangoCharlie]

No, this is just the beginning!

Hoooray! Maybe all the "When is Merom coming out?" "Should I wait for Merom?" etc. threads will stop now.

So, we know the MBP will get a boost.... but what about the iMac.... as I've said before I think it'll go Merom very soon.... and Conroe later. And what about the speculation for the MacBook?!

And to be completely reckless, what about more wide speculation concerning a new "Mac" to fill the gap between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro?!

 

[jameshopkins]

So, we know the MBP will get a boost.... but what about the iMac.... as I've said before I think it'll go Merom very soon.... and Conroe later. And what about the speculation for the MacBook?!

And to be completely reckless, what about more wide speculation concerning a new "Mac" to fill the gap between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro?!

I think the prices will drop on Yonah and Apple will stick with it until next Jan in all MacBooks.

MBP will defs go to Merom in sept, possibly top end iMac's too. I think putting Merom in the MacBook will cause even more people to choose MB over MBP. This is mainly semi-pro users.

I also dont think that any comparative (price) Dell's will have Merom in either.

I dont see a screen-less dektop between Mini and Pro happening, as it would effect iMac and Mac Pro sales.

 

[Whiteapple]

Sweet. I can wait till September 5th. It would be a nice birthday present to myself.

you, sir, were born on the same day of the year as me

 

[Whiteapple]

So, we know the MBP will get a boost.... but what about the iMac.... as I've said before I think it'll go Merom very soon.... and Conroe later. And what about the speculation for the MacBook?!

And to be completely reckless, what about more wide speculation concerning a new "Mac" to fill the gap between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro?!

Yes, can you imagine that the Intel(R) transition(R) is now complete?

Nahh...

I think we will see a "Mac" rather soon, so we get a true "every saga has a beginning" ermm, end I mean

Why wouldnt Apple use conroe? They can't put it in the iMacs, for cooling/space problems I suppose, so they'll have to release an Extreme Mini, or Cube rev 2.0.

Whatever happens, I'm saving for a custom 2.16Ghz Core 2 Duo Mac Mini, (instead of core solo 1.5).
And by the way, isn't the mac mini world's cheapest computer, in terms of number of OS s that you can run on the same machine?

 

[Meemoo]

Thx for this good post atad6, I have a queston though: Is it only the FSB that will be faster next year? Does this make such a huge difference? Conroe has a 1066mhz FSB IIRC, still Merom is not obsolete in comparsion...

Not to mention the PowerBook G4 had a 167MHz bus speed.

 

[macffooky]

I'm itching for a new iMac to replace my trusty eMac but I'm a-hopin' they go with Merom, at least initially as I'm sure they'd want to try a new design if they go with Conroe and I've no desire for my machine for the next three years to be a Rev A

 

[neonfever]

I read an argument on here that the MBP case will not change because it needs to stay congruous with the Mac Pro case. I agree that it will look pretty much the same, but wouldn't it make sense to put in the new MB keyboard and the magnetic latch? In keeping the aluminum and the same speaker covers it will still be in the style of the Mac Pro.

...Nothing too special said here, but dammit, I just wanted to participate!!!




...I'm ...so ...lonely

I totally agree they need to fix their latch design big time. But with the MBP spanning up to 17", i don't think a magnetic latch would be very ideal considering how wobbly the screen already is. It needs something that will just let it go rather than requiring a small amount of force by the user to open it up. With the macbook having a plastic enclosure and being only 13" I think the magnetic system works great. I think the have a great latch design at the moment...but they need improve on quality control and assembly big time... what really lets the MBP down at the moment IMO is not how it was designed, but how it's built.

 

[ro2nie]

This is good news, but I've gotta wait for Leopard, iLife07 and Clovertown processors to come out, before I spend my money in a new Mac...

 

[playaj82]

This is good news, but I've gotta wait for Leopard, iLife07 and Clovertown processors to come out, before I spend my money in a new Mac...

Sounds like you are waiting at least another year before buying a new mac

 

[Josias]

I would mostly like an iMac. My next Mac is definiantly gonna be an iMac. Largest size. Everything maxed out, except perhaps HDD. I dunno if I wanna take a core 2, or wait for Core 3, I will pass my MB onto my brother very soon...

 

[milo]

No Conroe Macs?

Not yet. I'm sure we'll see them, but Apple can't update every single mac at once. Not to mention that conroe just started shipping and isn't that widely available yet. (Are there conroe dells yet?)

I'll bet iMac gets it at some point, and maybe mini as well. And if not mini, a new mid-level model.

so does this mean merom macbooks also

Doubt it. At least not just yet.

I thought "Core 2 Duo" was intended to be a desktop chip, and "Core Duo" was the laptop version.

If this is not the case, what was the point of the "Core Duo" ?

Nope. There are mobile and desktop versions of Core 2. The point of Core Duo was that it was the first one released, and Core 2 is newer and better.

As for the core solo, I'd like to see it stay if it means that they can drop the mini to $499 or less. I'd love to see them do that and add a third middle model (solo 1.5/duo 1.6/duo 2.16).

 

[danielwsmithee]

Not to mention that conroe just started shipping and isn't that widely available yet. (Are there conroe dells yet?)

Conroe based machines have been shipping through Dell, HP, Gateway and many other companies for close to a month now. Conroe was available about a month ago while Merom is not yet shipping in mass quantities.

It would be a a shame if Apple does not use Conroe in something because it is the desktop chip with the largest market. My guess is they will use it in the iMac as I stated earlier. It appears they are just waiting for the opportune moment to announce it. They wanted to wait for a little while after the Mac Pro was announced to get as many people as possible to move up to the more expensive system. I'm still holding out for a headless Conroe based "Mac" though.

 

[milo]

The nano was introduced in September 2005 and, if the mini example is to be repeated, the nano would be retired in May 2007.

Nobody expects the nano to be retired any time soon. A september release would be either a capacity bump or a minor update to the design. It would still be a nano.

I'm glad because I thought going from 64bit G5 to 32bit Intel seemed like a step back, and yes I know it isn't it's just the perception.

A step back on what? The iMac? How exactly are the intel iMacs "a step back" from the G5s? Specifically, how can the user tell AT ALL that they're using a 32 bit machine instead of 64?

you are so right. apple is skimping on graphics across the board. take a look at the lousy basic cards they put in the Mac Pro.

That "lousy" card saves a few hundred bucks. If they shipped with a better card, it would just raise the base price of the machine and users who didn't want to spend that money (like me) would end up downgrading the card anyway to get the current base price. It's a moot point, like it makes no difference if the base model is the 2.0 or 2.6 as long as you can upgrade or downgrade.

I think we can all safely say that the iMac will see the Conroe processor and not Merom.

We can't safely say anything. Conroe would be a smart choice, but in the short term, they could release a merom model - upgrading to conroe requires a new mobo, merom doesn't. Right now, nobody knows.

You are in dream land my friend, I dont see them ever having a screen less mac between the iMac and the Mac Pro

And we think you're in dream land. There's really no argument for apple NOT doing that other than "are you nuts? they'll never do that!" Which isn't really an argument.

Why wouldnt Apple use conroe? They can't put it in the iMacs, for cooling/space problems I suppose, so they'll have to release an Extreme Mini, or Cube rev 2.0.

Conroe doesn't take any more space than merom. And the jury is still out on whether the iMac can handle the cooling - I'd be surprised if it can't handle it, considering how hot the G5 is. I think we'll definitely see conroe in the iMac eventually, the big question is whether it will be soon, or if there will be a stopgap merom model first.

 

[fixyourthinking]

While these new processors are a substantial leap forward in speed they are not a tremendous leap forward in actual Ghz ... what the public will go by. Apple will most likely have to add something else to each system instead of just bumping the processor to Core 2's.

 

[50548]

Yes, once Apple properly implements 64-bit then the 64-bit Windows apps will be ported to the Mac....

http://www.maxon.net/pages/products/c4d/64bit/64edition_e.html

Note for Apple users
Even though the G5 processors of the Apple Power Mac series are 64-Bit CPUs, 64-Bit applications are not entirely supported by the OS X operating system. Only command line based programs can take advantage of the 64-Bit memory adressroom. Programs with a graphical user interface (GUI) can only run in 32-Bit mode.

Therefore we can unfortunately not offer a 64-Bit version of CINEMA 4D for Macintosh.​

Notwithstanding the fact that 64-bit computing is totally irrelevant for 99% of computer users, a bit of reality check is always good...Leopard is miles ahead of Vista in terms of 64-bit support.

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33666

 

[Thanatoast]

And we think you're in dream land. There's really no argument for apple NOT doing that other than "are you nuts? they'll never do that!" Which isn't really an argument.

Except for cutting into their sales of iMacs and Mac Pros.

Would *I* like a mid-level mac tower? Yes, but that doesn't mean Apple hasn't run the numbers and found they can make more money doing what they're doing now.

 

[teme]

Except for cutting into their sales of iMacs and Mac Pros.

I just can't understand this argument. How does it hurt Apple if they sell a one iMac less and one MacTower more? It's sales and profit for Apple anyway. Right now they are hurting themselves because they aren't offering enough selections to satisfy different customers' different needs.

 

[milo]

Except for cutting into their sales of iMacs and Mac Pros.

Which isn't an issue as long as the new box has similar profit margins. Sure, some buyers would buy a minitower instead of one of the other models. But you'd also increase mac sales overall by attracting buyers who haven't bought a mac *at all* because there isn't a model that fits their needs. Better selection of models is also attractive to mac buyers on the fence about buying a second machine. (I notice that you don't mention that it would probably also cut into sales of the cheaper minis as well!)

It's foolish to worry about cannibalizing sales of macs when it means missing the opportunity to get more switchers from PC. Using that logic, should Apple discontinue the mini and macbook? After all, don't they cut into sales of the MPB and Mac Pro?

 

[riversky]

I think the case will change

Don't worry, they won't change the case. There's not even a chance. The Mac Pro is all the proof you need. Aluminum is perfect!

I think they will stay Aluminum but they will adopt the keyboard style of the MacBook and the Mag case close latch. Also new GPU's and perhaps a new feature we don't know about.

Reason is they rushed the MacBook Pro to market in Jan just to get the Intel transition started.

The REAL next gen MacBook Pro is coming.