Apple's 17" MacBook Pro Delayed Until Feb 19th

[DHagan4755]

Could there be a delay caused by the newer Core 2 Duo processors that they are using? This seems like the most obvious problem since nearly every other component sans the battery is used in the other MacBooks/MacBook Pros.

 

[Apple Corps]

Could there be a delay caused by the newer Core 2 Duo processors that they are using? This seems like the most obvious problem since nearly every other component sans the battery is used in the other MacBooks/MacBook Pros.

You failed to mention the most critical NEW component that IS NOT in use on other MBPs


NEW 17" SCREENS

 

[skavanag]

Could there be a delay caused by the newer Core 2 Duo processors that they are using? This seems like the most obvious problem since nearly every other component sans the battery is used in the other MacBooks/MacBook Pros.

The rumors on the blogs and Mac websites seem to point to the Nvidia graphics cards. This is bolstered by the issues with the 15" MacBook pros that came out in October. Recently an Apple software update that was supposed to address these issues was pulled without giving a reason - further supporting these rumors.

I don't think its the Core 2 Duo processors because these have been in production for some time and the only difference in the MacBook Pros that came out in October and these is the clock speed.

 

[Digital Skunk]

This whole removable battery debate is such a non-issue. My iPhone does not have a removable battery either. There are at least a half-dozen (probably more) external lithium batteries that I can buy, charge, and use to recharge my iPhone (or keep attached to my iPhone) to dramatically extend the usage between recharges.

The MacBook Pro 17 market will spur the exact same 3rd party solutions. I predict more computers will follow because it makes manufacturing easier, extends the internal battery life, and makes for a more streamlined laptop.

This is a BIG plus.

It's a big plus for those that don't do anything with their laptops. I am sure that someone checking facebook and surfing the web will enjoy having 8 hours of battery life with their $3000 laptop, but when i have to churn through some images in Aperture on the go I know that the machine won't last that long.

I am happy to get the 8 hours, but I know Apple could have done that with a removable battery as well. And this obsession with thinness is killing the professional market and limiting the hardware Apple can put in their machines. No one that does high end work on the move will ever say they want less performance for a thinner cuter case.

And we won't see any third party battery packs for the 17" MBP (since it's a horrible idea anyway) until Apple releases the magsafe spec to other manufacturers. And the internal battery in the iPhone and iPod only proves to me that Apple is content on making their $3000 pro laptops into giant iPods for consumers with big deep pockets.

 

[skavanag]

It's a big plus for those that don't do anything with their laptops. I am sure that someone checking facebook and surfing the web will enjoy .....

I code applications in Cocoa and OpenGL. I do surf the web looking for information to support these activities. I'd say 90% of my time is spent doing this.

I am happy to get the 8 hours, but I know Apple could have done that with a removable battery as well.

They could not. Look at the video on their web site where they go into the manufacturing process. To make a removable battery means you have to also include two sub-casings: one for the removable battery and a shell for it to pop into. All that goes away, meaning more space for battery which means more battery life.

And we won't see any third party battery packs for the 17" MBP (since it's a horrible idea anyway) until Apple releases the magsafe spec to other manufacturers.

I think you will be proven wrong on this very quickly. I don't see what your issue is. If you need a removable battery, you will be able to buy one, in the mean time anyone who does not (the vast majority) will not be carrying around the extra dead weight. Instead they will be enjoying a longer battery life.

 

[Piplodocus]

I was gonna get a MBP 17 in october. It didn't come. I waited til jan, it was announced but didn't come. Looks like it's coming soon now, but too bad, I bought a new car instead! So now it looks like I'll be waiting til I save again, then going through the same thing for the Nehalem/Quad core MBP17 next year!

 

[skavanag]

hahahaha!


I was gonna get a MBP 17 in october. It didn't come. I waited til jan, it was announced but didn't come. Looks like it's coming soon now, but too bad, I bought a new car instead! So now it looks like I'll be waiting til I save again, then going through the same thing for the Nehalem/Quad core MBP17 next year!

What did you get? The I was torn between the MBP 17 and a Mini Cooper S - in Chili Pepper Red with a black convertible top. I passed on the Mini because of concerns about the battery life.

 

[twoodcc]

what is with apple and delays lately? they are becoming more and more like microsoft in this category

 

[detz]

It's a big plus for those that don't do anything with their laptops. I am sure that someone checking facebook and surfing the web will enjoy having 8 hours of battery life with their $3000 laptop, but when i have to churn through some images in Aperture on the go I know that the machine won't last that long.

I am happy to get the 8 hours, but I know Apple could have done that with a removable battery as well. And this obsession with thinness is killing the professional market and limiting the hardware Apple can put in their machines. No one that does high end work on the move will ever say they want less performance for a thinner cuter case.

And we won't see any third party battery packs for the 17" MBP (since it's a horrible idea anyway) until Apple releases the magsafe spec to other manufacturers. And the internal battery in the iPhone and iPod only proves to me that Apple is content on making their $3000 pro laptops into giant iPods for consumers with big deep pockets.

What's your definition with "high end work"?

 

[AidenShaw]

What's your definition with "high end work"?

Mine would be anything that uses the CPU and/or GPU.

Watching movies...
3D graphics...
media encoding...
Photo processing...

The MBP 17" has a 95 watt hour battery.

It has a 35 watt CPU, a graphics chipset that probably is in the 10 to 15 range, a display of several watts, hard drive and DVD of a couple of watts each.

Crank them all up, and that battery won't last two hours. It's a simple matter of dividing the battery capacity by the current draw.

 

[detz]

Well if you know you need that much power...don't buy a laptop with a non-changeable battery. ;-) I for one consider myself a power user and I've never had the need to change a battery so I'm happy with the smaller lighter version they've made. 😀

 

[Digital Skunk]

I think you will be proven wrong on this very quickly. I don't see what your issue is. If you need a removable battery, you will be able to buy one, in the mean time anyone who does not (the vast majority) will not be carrying around the extra dead weight. Instead they will be enjoying a longer battery life.

Don't worry, I won't be. Apple hasn't given out tech behind the magsafe connector and I doubt they will. There aren't any 3rd party power adaptors for the MBPs and MBs, and there won't be some slap on attachment for the 17" MBP to extend the battery life like on the iPhones or iPods.

Check it!

The only way manufacturers have gotten around the Apple patent is to get their own magsafes and merge them with their other products. Rising the prices since they have to fork over $79 for the power adaptor.

What's your definition with "high end work"?

Aiden nailed it of course, and I will co-sign and add that it involved anything that cranks the CPU and GPU to max on a pretty much constant basis.

It doesn't have to me 3D modeling and HD encoding, but running VMs, AutoCAD, mathematical computations, etc fit the bill as well.

I think people are forgetting that the 17" MBP is touted as a desktop replacement, and by "desktop" I don't mean iMac.

 

[skavanag]

Don't worry, I won't be. Apple hasn't given out tech behind the magsafe connector and I doubt they will. There aren't any 3rd party power adaptors for the MBPs and MBs, and there won't be some slap on attachment for the 17" MBP to extend the battery life like on the iPhones or iPods.

Check it!

The only way manufacturers have gotten around the Apple patent is to get their own magsafes and merge them with their other products. Rising the prices since they have to fork over $79 for the power adaptor.


OK! The article you cite above talks about HOW Kensington enables you to use their battery pack to recharge a laptop with a MagSafe connector. It actually supports my point that 3rd party products will be available to allow you to easily extend the life of what looks to be the longest-life battery on the market. Problem solved! You can now sleep safely at night.

 

[skavanag]

Don't worry, I won't be. Apple hasn't given out tech behind the magsafe connector and I doubt they will. There aren't any 3rd party power adaptors for the MBPs and MBs, and there won't be some slap on attachment for the 17" MBP to extend the battery life like on the iPhones or iPods.

Check it!

The only way manufacturers have gotten around the Apple patent is to get their own magsafes and merge them with their other products. Rising the prices since they have to fork over $79 for the power adaptor.



Aiden nailed it of course, and I will co-sign and add that it involved anything that cranks the CPU and GPU to max on a pretty much constant basis.

It doesn't have to me 3D modeling and HD encoding, but running VMs, AutoCAD, mathematical computations, etc fit the bill as well.

I think people are forgetting that the 17" MBP is touted as a desktop replacement, and by "desktop" I don't mean iMac.

130wH PowerPad external battery and AC/DC adapter for Macbook Air, Macbook, Macbook Pro.


FROM THE KENSINGTON WEB SITE (WOW! and "ADDITIONAL" 10 +/- hours):

Starting at $499.99 In stock!
Power and Charge your Macbook / MBP / MBA anywhere. Kensington adapter will charge your external battery and your Macbook / MBP / MBA anywhere all at the same time! Comes with Car plug, AC plug, Empower Plug, Magsafe connector, & External Battery. Get additional 10+/- hrs on your Macbook!
Choose your favorite adapter type.

Allow 1-3 weeks for delivery for US customers. Please contact us for availability of rush.

 

[Digital Skunk]

...

You need to fix your quoting.

$500 is a joke.

Like I said and will continue to say, having a removable battery is much better than a battery pack. Simple as that. Also, like I said, it will be too expensive and ungodly.

Have fun with your toys.

 

[skavanag]

You need to fix your quoting.

$500 is a joke.

Like I said and will continue to say, having a removable battery is much better than a battery pack. Simple as that. Also, like I said, it will be too expensive and ungodly.

Have fun with your toys.

That was the top-of-the-line. There were others as well. If you are a "professional" I'm sure you could afford it or a lower priced option. Other alternative include inverters, other battery packs, etc. You are now changing your argument from them NOT being available to carping about the price of a 10-hour external battery pack.

Enjoy your Dell....

 

[pressurecooker]

I called Apple today to express my displeasure... asked what could be done other than cancelling my order and buying something else in stock? Well, they threw in $50 worth of one day business priority shipping. I did suggest say, tossing in a further discount for the unexplained delay on promised shipping. Nope, sorry. Oh well. Wait Wait Wait. Whine Whine Whine.

They still can't or won't explain the delay, but this at least knocks a couple days off the slower 2-3 day, or even longer methods.

They did try the "well demand is so high, yours was delayed" thing, so I inquired "So, a very important client bumped my orders?", "well no, it's first come, first served"... "So, in that case, there should be no delay, right? It doesn't matter who comes after me, I got in first... so?" Nada.

Call them, at at least get free one day!

 

[Bubba Satori]

That was the top-of-the-line. There were others as well. If you are a "professional" I'm sure you could afford it or a lower priced option. Other alternative include inverters, other battery packs, etc. You are now changing your argument from them NOT being available to carping about the price of a 10-hour external battery pack.

Enjoy your Dell....

They make a "Pro" laptop. Hopefully Apple will someday too.

You might not want to look at this. It's not pretty or thin.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&oc=MLB1307&s=biz

 

[Scottsdale]

At least they don't charge your credit card when you order it but rather when it's shipped. I would be mad if that were the case, had I ordered one. I think Apple wants to get it out so it can record the income. This isn't like a $79 in-ear headphone delay; these are $3k computers and sometimes a lot more depending on upgrades and software with it. So at least you all know Apple has a real interest in shipping ASAP. I hope you all get them really soon. Cheers.

 

[queshy]

Apple always delays their new products. It's because they always cram and rush at the last minute to fit their new announcement into the next event.

From now on, Apple can structure its events around its product releases and not the other way around.

Re: the 17" MBP, I think the internal battery is a good idea if it really does give as long as they say.

It's a double edged sword: damned if you do, damned if you don't. Had Apple put in a replaceable battery the complaints would be "battery life way too short for a $3000 laptop!" and as they did it now with the non-user replaceable battery we have tons of complains.

Can't please everyone I guess.

 

[skavanag]

They make a "Pro" laptop. Hopefully Apple will someday too.

You might not want to look at this. It's not pretty or thin.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=555&l=en&oc=MLB1307&s=biz

Did you really look at the specs on the Dell? To make it comparable to the MBP 17 you'd have to add nearly $1,000.00 of upgrades to bring the Dell price to nearly $3500.00. Not to mention the integration of the Dell slab (and it looks like a slab) would be questionable as is the overall workmanship. The upgrades include: RAM from 1 GB to 4GB - add $210, Hard drive from 80 GB to 320 GB - add $440, comparable monitor - add $299, camera - add $30.00.

The graphics cards are comparable - but the FX series is more tuned to CAD/CAM and the GeForce series is more tuned to gaming.

 

[Bwa]

Did you really look at the specs on the Dell? To make it comparable to the MBP 17 you'd have to add nearly $1,000.00 of upgrades to bring the Dell price to nearly $3500.00. Not to mention the integration of the Dell slab (and it looks like a slab) would be questionable as is the overall workmanship. The upgrades include: RAM from 1 GB to 4GB - add $210, Hard drive from 80 GB to 320 GB - add $440, comparable monitor - add $299, camera - add $30.00.

The graphics cards are comparable - but the FX series is more tuned to CAD/CAM and the GeForce series is more tuned to gaming.

There are huge perks to the Dell though:
1. 8 GB for $400, ability to upgrade to 16 GB. And it has 4 DIMM slots.
2. Two hard drives. Dell charges a fortune for these, but 500 GB laptop drives are $100 from NewEgg (I just bought one to upgrade my MBP). You could use one SSD and one HD, or two SSDs since they are a little smaller. 2x256 SSDs would be about $1000 from NewEgg (Dell wants about $2000).
3. Ability to plug-in two external monitors (can't tell if it can drive 2x30" though)

I don't know how the weight compares--and personally 17" is too big to use in an airplane, so I wouldn't buy one.

 

[detz]

Did you really look at the specs on the Dell? To make it comparable to the MBP 17 you'd have to add nearly $1,000.00 of upgrades to bring the Dell price to nearly $3500.00. Not to mention the integration of the Dell slab (and it looks like a slab) would be questionable as is the overall workmanship. The upgrades include: RAM from 1 GB to 4GB - add $210, Hard drive from 80 GB to 320 GB - add $440, comparable monitor - add $299, camera - add $30.00.

The graphics cards are comparable - but the FX series is more tuned to CAD/CAM and the GeForce series is more tuned to gaming.

There are huge perks to the Dell though:
1. 8 GB for $400, ability to upgrade to 16 GB. And it has 4 DIMM slots.
2. Two hard drives. Dell charges a fortune for these, but 500 GB laptop drives are $100 from NewEgg (I just bought one to upgrade my MBP). You could use one SSD and one HD, or two SSDs since they are a little smaller. 2x256 SSDs would be about $1000 from NewEgg (Dell wants about $2000).
3. Ability to plug-in two external monitors (can't tell if it can drive 2x30" though)

I don't know how the weight compares--and personally 17" is too big to use in an airplane, so I wouldn't buy one.

$3,650 to make it even...plus it's almost 2lbs heavier, .35" higher and 0.5" deeper and it's ugly as hell and doesn't run OSX or have a kick ass battery. So, heavier, bigger, ugly, doesn't run OSX and almost $800 more plus it's using old battery technology. Yeah, the Dell rules. 😛

I think most people will be happy with 8GB and yes it's cheaper from Dell only because you're getting four 2GB modules instead of 2 4GB modules...price out their 2x4GB modules way more. Two HDs would be nice but again a majority of users don't need that and to me it's just added bulk and weight.

I don't even know why we're discussing these differences, these computers are aimed at different markets. Everyone I know anyway, if they're interested in an Apple they are not going to switch over to a Dell...that's like dumping Giselle for Roseanne Barr.

 

[skavanag]

$3,650 to make it even...plus it's almost 2lbs heavier, .35" higher and 0.5" deeper and it's ugly as hell and doesn't run OSX or have a kick ass battery. So, heavier, bigger, ugly, doesn't run OSX and almost $800 more plus it's using old battery technology. Yeah, the Dell rules. 😛

I think most people will be happy with 8GB and yes it's cheaper from Dell only because you're getting four 2GB modules instead of 2 4GB modules...price out their 2x4GB modules way more. Two HDs would be nice but again a majority of users don't need that and to me it's just added bulk and weight.

I don't even know why we're discussing these differences, these computers are aimed at different markets. Everyone I know anyway, if they're interested in an Apple they are not going to switch over to a Dell...that's like dumping Giselle for Roseanne Barr.

...and as always with memory, just wait a few months and the prices for the 2x4GB modules will drop considerably.

 

[skavanag]

There are huge perks to the Dell though:
1. 8 GB for $400, ability to upgrade to 16 GB. And it has 4 DIMM slots.
2. Two hard drives. Dell charges a fortune for these, but 500 GB laptop drives are $100 from NewEgg (I just bought one to upgrade my MBP). You could use one SSD and one HD, or two SSDs since they are a little smaller. 2x256 SSDs would be about $1000 from NewEgg (Dell wants about $2000).
3. Ability to plug-in two external monitors (can't tell if it can drive 2x30" though)

I don't know how the weight compares--and personally 17" is too big to use in an airplane, so I wouldn't buy one.

For everything you are putting in it, you'd be better off with a desktop - more expandable and less cost. By the time you're done adding everything, your laptop becomes a "luggable" desktop.

I use a 17-inch PowerBook G4 on planes - not optimal, but I am willing to put up with it so I have the screen real estate when I get to my hotel. I program and the screen real estate (and 1920x1200 resolution) are ideal.

BTW: you have a kick-ass office! Looks like you are a stock/options trader.