Full Laptop Refresh By Holidays?

[georgi0]

please explain...

.. i am wondering if the price of the current line of MB and MBP will drop or it will stay the same and it will be replaced by shiping out MEROM laptops.

thanks..

 

[tyroja00]

Does it even MATTER if Apple keeps up? Do we actually WANT Apple to release a new computer every month when Intel bumps up their chips a few megahertz?

See, it's easy to get lost in the specs war. The Mac Pros came out and I was salivating, even though I have a dual 2.0GHz G5 sitting at home. And then one day, as I was editing some HD footage, it occurred ot me that my G5 here - my now outdated G5 - was editing 1080p high-def footage without so much as a flinch. It was SO fast it was not even necessary at all.

So I really have to ask - does Apple really need to get into that stupid-ass PC specs war? Is it really hurting you guys that Apple has been slow to update? Are you really doing tasks that the current computer lineup cannot do?

It is not the speed that I care about but the 64bit processing. I plan on keeping the thing for a few years and want to take full advantage of any 64bit software on my laptop.

Oh and with the spec wars comes price drops which I also wouldn't mind. We are so use to paying more for our Apples b/c we had no comparison. But, now we can really compare apples to apples. Anything else is just excuses.

However, I am willing to pay more for Apples reliability, ease of use, and lack of numerous viruses. But, not too much more.

 

[georgi0]

i agree and i believe that Apple should keep at least for 1 year the same models before updating, except when a new tech comes out like true 64 bit support.

let's see now....

 

[mencles]

If they don't update their MBs before October '06 - I see myself forced to buy a PC Laptop- because I really need one for university and I am not buying an outdated product.

 

[generik]

Haha, sounds like other people's disappointment amuses you. Feeding the fires of anticipation there... I can play along.

Any likelihood that we will see a laptop (NOT notebook) that can actually be used in one's lap without suffering from burns?!

Well it is not "other people's" disappointment, I know for a fact that if the nice HDD bay didn't make it into the next speedbump I'd be royally pissed. But yeah, somehow I have a really bad feeling that it is just going to be a chip swop.

 

[generik]

However, I am willing to pay more for Apples reliability, ease of use, and lack of numerous viruses. But, not too much more.

Apple's reliability? Care to elaborate more specifically? Good high quality well designed never dying logic boards that run at 40-ish degrees Celsius for one?

 

[mgauss]

Please where is my 2 pound laptop?

Several other companies have 2 lb laptops. Where is my Mac 2 lb laptop?

 

[georgi0]

Several other companies have 2 lb laptops. Where is my Mac 2 lb laptop?

i think this will imply a huge expansion for apple (to cover on all markets of laptops) resulting in problems with the assebly lines too many models to support and etc.

ithink just a few models for now will gurantee better support and clear problem solving when something happensto them.

 

[BlizzardBomb]

1.83 GHz and 2 GHz Core 2 Duos for the MacBook, 2.16 GHz and 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duos for the MacBook Pro. Simple. And an MR X1800 (XT?)/ Go 7800 (GTX?) for the MacBook Pro!

 

[ZildjianKX]

If all MBPs came with a gig of RAM standard, DL DVD drives, and a better graphics card (and Merom CPU), I would be thrilled.

 

[MacinDoc]

Masters of the obvious...

AppleInsider expects that Apple will update its complete laptop line (13" MacBook and 15/17" MacBook Pros) to Core 2 Duo "Merom" before the holiday shopping season starts in late November.

Oh, really? What are they going to predict next, that the sun will rise tomorrow? Of course Merom-based products will replace their Yonah counterparts, which are slower, have inferior power management, and in some cases, cost more! I don't know if I could have predicted that.

MacShrine and MacOSXRumors expect the MacBook Pro to be updated[/url] at Apple's September 25th event preceding Photokina. AppleInsider is unsure whether the updated MacBook will be unveiled at that event or be held off to ensure adequate supply of Intel's Core 2 Duo Merom chip.

Gee, AppleInsider really went out on a limb on that one.

Apple's reliability? Care to elaborate more specifically? Good high quality well designed never dying logic boards that run at 40-ish degrees Celsius for one?

Check out the surveys of tens of thousands of computer users at Consumer Reports. Apple's laptop reliability is within 1% of the best in the industry, and in the desktop department, Apple is by far the most reliable; some PCs are nearly twice as likely to need repairs as Macs. Rumor sites are hardly the best place to look for computer reliability data...

 

[Glassman]

there's no reason not to switch to Core 2 Duo as they sell for the same price as Core Duo and are drop in replacement.. the only possible reason for the delay is supply shortage.. it's not unusual to see PC vendors announce new processors even though they are unable to ship them at that time, but at the same time they keep options for the older model, which ships instantly.. Apple thinks differently, they will announce the update when they're ready to ship and starting that day they cease selling the older models.. I think thats fair.. the only difference is that they don't make announcements several weeks in advance..

Apple has no reason not to follow Intel's speed bumps, because on each speed bump the prices shifts towards the lower models, in other words Intel keeps the prices the same but speed bumps at every level.. if Apple does not update, they're keeping extra money in their pockets..

as for the updates, I'm curious wheter it's gonna be just a processor switch or wheter they will also move from ATi to nVidia as they did in iMacs.. ATi is now owned by AMD and maybe somehow Apple bets more on nVidia because of using Intel processors only.. also I don't expect MXM slots for video cards for the same reason there's no processor socket in MBP, they ough to keep this as tight as possible..

I personally don't care about DL SuperDrive, but as they managed to fit it into same 1" thick 17" model, they should do it with 15.4" models too..

what I miss absolutely the most is WSXGA+ resolution in 15.4" and WUXGA in 17" - make that an option, it's so easy to do so - the displays are bog standard and can be exchanged w/o any redesign..

I'd be in for a model with lesser GPU like X1400 or Go 7400 because it would save battery life and run cooler.. and for those who don't play - just perfect..

otherwise I'm pretty much content with MBP..

let's see..

 

[McKellar]

What is wrong with you people? Meroms in other brands of laptops haven't, or are only *just* starting to ship, and you people wail that Apple is doomed, when in the worst case scenario, they'll be a few days behind Dell. If they don't ship by next month, then sure, complain, but really, most of those who moan that Apple is "OMG SO OUTDATED MEROM MBPS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED 2 MONTHS AGO!!!" are out of touch with reality.

 

[MacinDoc]

Two Newbies With Some Sense!

there's no reason not to switch to Core 2 Duo as they sell for the same price as Core Duo and are drop in replacement.. the only possible reason for the delay is supply shortage.. it's not unusual to see PC vendors announce new processors even though they are unable to ship them at that time, but at the same time they keep options for the older model, which ships instantly.. Apple thinks differently, they will announce the update when they're ready to ship and starting that day they cease selling the older models.. I think thats fair.. the only difference is that they don't make announcements several weeks in advance..

Apple has no reason not to follow Intel's speed bumps, because on each speed bump the prices shifts towards the lower models, in other words Intel keeps the prices the same but speed bumps at every level.. if Apple does not update, they're keeping extra money in their pockets..

as for the updates, I'm curious wheter it's gonna be just a processor switch or wheter they will also move from ATi to nVidia as they did in iMacs.. ATi is now owned by AMD and maybe somehow Apple bets more on nVidia because of using Intel processors only.. also I don't expect MXM slots for video cards for the same reason there's no processor socket in MBP, they ough to keep this as tight as possible..

Exactly.

What is wrong with you people? Meroms in other brands of laptops haven't, or are only *just* starting to ship, and you people wail that Apple is doomed, when in the worst case scenario, they'll be a few days behind Dell. If they don't ship by next month, then sure, complain, but really, most of those who moan that Apple is "OMG SO OUTDATED MEROM MBPS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED 2 MONTHS AGO!!!" are out of touch with reality.

Amen!

 

[archurban]

Mc keller, you're right. there are somebody misunderstand. we're not all geek, OK? I just use mac for my work or entertainment. my macbook will be kept for 2 years. so I don't care until 2008. plus, merom is only 10% better. it's not much different, and gets more hotter. I won't buy it.

 

[NewSc2]

Does it even MATTER if Apple keeps up? Do we actually WANT Apple to release a new computer every month when Intel bumps up their chips a few megahertz?

See, it's easy to get lost in the specs war. The Mac Pros came out and I was salivating, even though I have a dual 2.0GHz G5 sitting at home. And then one day, as I was editing some HD footage, it occurred ot me that my G5 here - my now outdated G5 - was editing 1080p high-def footage without so much as a flinch. It was SO fast it was not even necessary at all.

So I really have to ask - does Apple really need to get into that stupid-ass PC specs war? Is it really hurting you guys that Apple has been slow to update? Are you really doing tasks that the current computer lineup cannot do?

Hm, well my Powerbook runs barely 4 instances of Sculpture on some of my works. MacBook Pros can run about 15-17, but I've been holding off on the Rev. A because of all the heat issues. Hopefully those get cleared up.

Anyways -- yes, I think we should expect Apple to update along with everybody else on the PC front. Maybe not every small speed bump, but whenever a newly designed chip comes out.

 

[ZoomZoomZoom]

What is wrong with you people? Meroms in other brands of laptops haven't, or are only *just* starting to ship, and you people wail that Apple is doomed, when in the worst case scenario, they'll be a few days behind Dell. If they don't ship by next month, then sure, complain, but really, most of those who moan that Apple is "OMG SO OUTDATED MEROM MBPS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED 2 MONTHS AGO!!!" are out of touch with reality.

Except that:

(1) Meroms in other brands of laptops have been shipping for nearly 3 weeks. A quick Google shows that some people have been receiving them on their doorstep by the first day of September.
(2) Those of us that buy Macbook Pros are throwing down $2500+ for top-of-the-line laptops. Sub-$1000 laptops have had a better processor than Apple's flagship laptops for nearly a month now. If you can still defend Apple after this, do a reality check on the fanboyism.

 

[dclocke]

As I is naught en Amerikan canned sumone plz tell mi wen tanksgifting is?

Que?

 

[ZoomZoomZoom]

Does it even MATTER if Apple keeps up? Do we actually WANT Apple to release a new computer every month when Intel bumps up their chips a few megahertz

Why yes we do.

If you can get more speed, and if the competition is doing it, why not? If you're spending a ton of money on a computer, wouldn't you want to most recent one available? Am I being too greedy when I see competitors using a newer, faster chip at the same price as the old chip (easily swappable too) and demand that I want that in my "pro" laptop from Apple?

As for constant revisions, you're probably thinking a bit about resale values. In the long run, constant speed bumps won't affect your resale value at all. (Think about it. You compare old laptop speed to current generation speed. It doesn't matter whatever happened in the middle.)

 

[ruutiveijari]

I hate this "one week until new ******" -time of the year when I'm going to buy something new. Last time I decided to wait was with the PowerBooks. Someone said next tuesday (quite a few times) I believed it and I'm still using my PB G4.

Now I'm the market for a new MacBook and ... Well.

Damn. Though the interesting thing is I don't need the speed increase, My Core Duo iMac is too fast for my mediocre every day use. It still want Merom, badly, not knowing why.

EDIT: typo

 

[dclocke]

2. It won't be any cooler and it won't have greater battery life, period. Unless Apple has an amazing new design in store.

I know there are conflicting sources on this issue. But here it is anyway:
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=288&type=expert&pid=10

These tests were conducted with no powersave features and wireless disabled. For what it's worth...

 

[Reach]

Damn. Though the interesting thing is I don't need the speed increase, My Core Duo iMac is too fast fast for my mediocre every day use. It still want Merom, badly, not knowing why.

haha At least you get it. Most people shouldn't fall into the everchurning machine on incremental updates to keep people buying more than they really need.
But for some it makes a difference though, usually the Pro-users, and time saved on processing data is time saved for making money, and I understand why they "need" it. Well, maybe I understand so readily because I "need" it myself.

 

[BruinJohn]

Shipping differences in MacBook, MBP

So, the shipping says 5-7 days for all the MacBooks, and 24 hours for the MBP. I think that means the MacBooks are getting refreshed next week. Either that, or the MacBooks are selling like crazy so its hard for Apple to keep up with demand. But the MBP have been out longer, and need a refresh. Just change them all Apple, and put the current models on sale. I'd love to get a white MB for around $900!

 

[(L)]

If all MBPs came with a gig of RAM standard, DL DVD drives, and a better graphics card (and Merom CPU), I would be thrilled.

Look, I don't mean to pick on anybody, and I'm sure this is valid and relevant, but just about anybody would love to see things get generally better. Like, I wish the MacBooks were as fast as the Mac Pros and weigh in at 1 lb. Realistically, while I do agree that MBP's would make sense with 1gb ram standard, I'm not so sure about the other updates. As for updating the CPU, Apple does well to keep up on the technology so long as they can afford to, even if it is the operating system that draws most new users, and I do think they will update it soon, at least for MBPs. But, this is to stay competitive and to offer a pro model that can really be used as a pro model - not to thrill consumers with just how much they can upgrade the machines.

 

[generik]

Check out the surveys of tens of thousands of computer users at Consumer Reports. Apple's laptop reliability is within 1% of the best in the industry, and in the desktop department, Apple is by far the most reliable; some PCs are nearly twice as likely to need repairs as Macs. Rumor sites are hardly the best place to look for computer reliability data...

Ok... I suppose you like to put that much stock into Consumer Reports published by unbiased organisations! Now please excuse me, I need to place my order for some Snake Oil to take advantage of this "Buy 1 get 1 free" promotion on TV

I don't really believe in all those reports, to date I have owned countless PCs (actually a lot of Thinkpads) and never once have I gotten a DOA, but yet there was actually one champion who got 5 DOAs in a row. Sure it can be argued that forums are hardly the best place to draw your sample, but how can it possibly be SO bad?! When I hardly ever got a single bad PC?

Edit: Oh and by the way, I have dealt with Applecare twice at various times for the last 4 Macs I owned (1 PBG4, 2 Minis, 1 Macbook), I have to say I am not WOWed by Apple's service at all. Likewise if you ask around here you will find that Dell actually gives pretty no quibble service. Perhaps they know what they are selling is crap and hence are not surprised when it goes bad.. who knows... but I'd rather deal with a humble organisation than a "Think different" know-it-all turd.