Full Laptop Refresh By Holidays?

[generik]

Yeah, that's what I kept telling myself while I waited months for the 15" Aluminum Powerbook to be released too...

(For those who don't remember, the previous model 15" Powerbooks completely sold out something like 5-6 months before the Aluminum update finally happened)

What really happens behind the scenes? Does Apple reimburse retailers for the stocks they have on hand when updates occur?

My guess is Apple being the bastards they are, don't do that and leaves the resalers to take the fall... and meanwhile resalers, anticipating an update soon with tons of C2D laptops starting to show up in the market, refuse to buy new stock until they get further news.

Hence a vicious cycle... Apple keeps mum, retailers refuse to buy more stock.

 

[gonnabuyamac]

I am starting to believe that Apple couldn't put merom in the MB/P, and either decided to trash the design to put it in just like the powerbooks, or they are just waiting for a new chip to throw in, also hopefully rebuilding. Or Steve is reading this right now, on his Merom MBP of course, and is getting off from seeing you guys suffer, prolonging your pain.

If Apple can't get a chip into a laptop while every other computer manufacturer is able to get that same chip into their laptops, then I would never want to switch to Apple (which I am planning on doing as soon as the new laptops come out).

I DO think we're going to see a C2D MBP - Apple is probably just tweaking their design enough to avoid all the issues they had with the CD processors.

Everybody is so cynical, like Apple just is sitting around wanting to piss off their customers. NO COMPANY WANTS THAT! (microsoft just can't help it )

 

[generik]

If Apple can't get a chip into a laptop while every other computer manufacturer is able to get that same chip into their laptops, then I would never want to switch to Apple (which I am planning on doing as soon as the new laptops come out).

I DO think we're going to see a C2D MBP - Apple is probably just tweaking their design enough to avoid all the issues they had with the CD processors.

Everybody is so cynical, like Apple just is sitting around wanting to piss off their customers. NO COMPANY WANTS THAT! (microsoft just can't help it )

Actually Apple can afford to do that.

Due to the small user based Apple can announce changes in architecture every couple of years to induce another round of hardware upgrades (more fleecing for them) since everyone has no choice. Nobody does anything important on a Mac anyway, it is all user applications.

With Microsoft, their customers have a choice. Much of the bugs and security holes that are present in Windows are due precisely to these... backward compatibility. You can actually still run a Windows 3.1 application on a modern Windows XP box. Can you do the same with a classic application on an Intel mac?

In essence Microsoft "blackmails" people into constantly buying back into their platform on the basis of backwards compatibility.

"Buy our new snazzy Windows and your old inhouse VB applications will continue to work!"

Take that away and a huge incentive to stick with Windows vanishes.

 

[bubba73]

switching back?

What really happens behind the scenes? Does Apple reimburse retailers for the stocks they have on hand when updates occur?

My guess is Apple being the bastards they are, don't do that and leaves the resalers to take the fall... and meanwhile resalers, anticipating an update soon with tons of C2D laptops starting to show up in the market, refuse to buy new stock until they get further news.

Hence a vicious cycle... Apple keeps mum, retailers refuse to buy more stock.

As the C2D announcement is taking far too long (if it happens at all) I am looking at the HP Pavillion dv9007 tx. It has:
c2d, media centre (much better than frontrow), 160 GB hard-drive, 1GB RAM, 17" display :: toal $3,000 AUS (about $2,500 US)

Seems far better deal than the 17" MBP (similar spec MBP costs around $4,000 AUS). I have been a Mac user for the last 4 years but loyalty is becoming increasingly difficult to justify.

Can someone give me a good reason why this isnt a great deal?

Virus problems with PC are not enough reason to continue with Mac.

 

[generik]

As the C2D announcement is taking far too long (if it happens at all) I am looking at the HP Pavillion dv9007 tx. It has:
c2d, media centre (much better than frontrow), 160 GB hard-drive, 1GB RAM, 17" display :: toal $3,000 AUS (about $2,500 US)

Seems far better deal than the 17" MBP (similar spec MBP costs around $4,000 AUS). I have been a Mac user for the last 4 years but loyalty is becoming increasingly difficult to justify.

Can someone give me a good reason why this isnt a great deal?

Virus problems with PC are not enough reason to continue with Mac.

HPs are worse than Dells. You'd be happier with a Dell than a HP, that is if you can be happy at all! Read PC Authority and you will always see comments of how another HP user got stuffed, heck, in fact there is a pretty lengthy article in this month's copy.

 

[bubba73]

HPs are worse than Dells. You'd be happier with a Dell than a HP, that is if you can be happy at all! Read PC Authority and you will always see comments of how another HP user got stuffed, heck, in fact there is a pretty lengthy article in this month's copy.

Thanks - don't really know much about PC world so any insights are useful...

what makes them so bad? Build quality?

 

[generik]

Thanks - don't really know much about PC world so any insights are useful...

what makes them so bad? Build quality?

Indian tech support, and basically how they stall your servicing until your warranty expired. Pretty BS on the part of Apple I'd say... I thought all this BSness ended when HP fired that woman CEO.

 

[sth]

HPs are worse than Dells. You'd be happier with a Dell than a HP, that is if you can be happy at all! Read PC Authority and you will always see comments of how another HP user got stuffed, heck, in fact there is a pretty lengthy article in this month's copy.

As a former HP nx7000 user I have to say that their business line notebooks always seemed pretty okay. The tech-support for business notebooks was always very uncomplicated and very fast (speaking from europe).
I really loved that notebook (the purchase was the result of several months searching for "the notebook" back in 2003) and I will really miss some of the features (like the wsxga+ screen in a 15" model). However, the only weak point was the graphics card and that's the main reason why I had to sell it.

If Apple would just release the damn C2D MBP...

 

[generik]

As a former HP nx7000 user I have to say that their business line notebooks always seemed pretty okay. The tech-support for business notebooks was always very uncomplicated and very fast (speaking from europe).
I really loved that notebook (the purchase was the result of several months searching for "the notebook" back in 2003) and I will really miss some of the features (like the wsxga+ screen in a 15" model). However, the only weak point was the graphics card and that's the main reason why I had to sell it.

If Apple would just release the damn C2D MBP...

Perhaps it was good in Europe, but in Australia I heard it is pretty nasty.

 

[Apple Corps]

bubba73 - it is not a good deal if you plan on running Mac OS X and related applications. I run my business on Mac OS X based applications - the hardware is very secondary to me. It really has little to do with "loyalty" - I far prefer the application suite and OS.

 

[Konfabulation]

bubba73 - it is not a good deal if you plan on running Mac OS X and related applications. I run my business on Mac OS X based applications - the hardware is very secondary to me. It really has little to do with "loyalty" - I far prefer the application suite and OS.

Amen to that.

 

[coday182]

maybe apple just isnt going to release a c2d mbp lol.

 

[Konfabulation]

maybe apple just isnt going to release a c2d mbp lol.

This is a place for POSITIVE speculation only...Please.

 

[macman2790]

This is a place for POSITIVE speculation only...Please.

you shouldn't subject yourself to only POSITIVE speculation. People should approach speaking about macs with an open mind. Anything can happen. And besides i think he was just kidding anyways. You didn't notice the lol at the end did you? i don't think laughing is very serious.

 

[generik]

bubba73 - it is not a good deal if you plan on running Mac OS X and related applications. I run my business on Mac OS X based applications - the hardware is very secondary to me. It really has little to do with "loyalty" - I far prefer the application suite and OS.

Apple isn't the only company that makes hardware which runs OSX... in fact Intel does...

 

[gonnabuyamac]

CompUSA.com is out of the 2.0 15" MBP. Most of their stores don't have it availalable for pick up either.

good news?

 

[bubba73]

bubba73 - it is not a good deal if you plan on running Mac OS X and related applications. I run my business on Mac OS X based applications - the hardware is very secondary to me. It really has little to do with "loyalty" - I far prefer the application suite and OS.

ok but just for arguments sake what would you go with if OXS could be run (legally) on an exisitng pc? ie - aside from the software benefits, do you think apple has significantly better hardware?

 

[macman2790]

ok but just for arguments sake what would you go with if OXS could be run (legally) on an exisitng pc? ie - aside from the software benefits, do you think apple has significantly better hardware?

I'd have to go with apple, to me it seems wrong for os x to run on a pc, but that's just my personal preference.

 

[generik]

I'd have to go with apple, to me it seems wrong for os x to run on a pc, but that's just my personal preference.

Here's to macman2790 getting to enjoy the experience of getting his hands all dirty trying to fix Apple's dirt, like this guy here:

http://homepage.mac.com/holtmann/eidac/index.html

ok but just for arguments sake what would you go with if OXS could be run (legally) on an exisitng pc? ie - aside from the software benefits, do you think apple has significantly better hardware?

It does give Apple more competition doesn't it? Why would they want extra motivation to produce better hardware when they can just sit back like they are doing now with their mediocre offerings?

 

[bubba73]

I'd have to go with apple, to me it seems wrong for os x to run on a pc, but that's just my personal preference.

It an interesting delimma. I agree that I think osX is a far more preferrable system BUT if we are effectively paying significantly more for a machine in order to run it (in the case of 17" laptops) is would question if it was that much better.

 

[Konfabulation]

you shouldn't subject yourself to only POSITIVE speculation. People should approach speaking about macs with an open mind. Anything can happen. And besides i think he was just kidding anyways. You didn't notice the lol at the end did you? i don't think laughing is very serious.

Do you really believe i was serious?

 

[bubba73]

It does give Apple more competition doesn't it? Why would they want extra motivation to produce better hardware when they can just sit back like they are doing now with their mediocre offerings?

Wonder if the extra sales generated by apple becomming a software (and ipod) company and allowing osX to run on PC would cover income lost on hardware? ie from people choosing a cheaper pc laptop but installing osX?

 

[Konfabulation]

Wonder if the extra sales generated by apple becomming a software (and ipod) company and allowing osX to run on PC would cover income lost on hardware? ie from people choosing a cheaper pc laptop but installing osX?

No.
But also I doubt that if they were to make a copy of OSX for PC they would stop making their own hardware completely, as you implied they would.

 

[bubba73]

No.
But also I doubt that if they were to make a copy of OSX for PC they would stop making their own hardware completely, as you implied they would.

True - but the comparision between hardware would be bought sharply into focus

 

[Konfabulation]

True - but the comparision between hardware would be bought sharply into focus

Many consumers, probably the majority, who do not use their macs for graphics rendering or film post production hold the exterior design as being more important than the specs, especially when they are quite technical. And macs look way better than the competition.

Techniical as in small, specific differences. For example, Most of my friends don't know what L2 cache is.