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Intel Announces Centrino 2 (Montevina)

I was almost hoping that the IGP problems would last a bit longer, and perhaps force Apple to give the MB a real GPU. It really is ridiculous that the only option to get a real GPU is to buy a MBP. I mean, why not put a low end (8400 etc) GPU in the BlackBook (and as a BTO in the top MB)? There really is no replacement for the 12" Powerbook, for those who want a "complete" computing solution but in a portable form factor. Having gone from a 15.4" DELL desktop replacement to my current MB I would never go above 13.3" again for a laptop since it really isn't that portable. Yet I would like the option (and be willing to pay for it!) of having a LOW end GPU in my MB.

And BTW, everyone hailing the death of Blu-Ray are highly misguided. For a start, nobody has the download speeds or HDD space to house 1080p movies. You also can't lend them or watch them on your TV without an Apple TV if you get them from iTunes. Also, with the move to SDDs we'll have to learn to live with LESS HDD space than before so I'm afraid removable media is here to stay.
 
collegedu3 said:
Fair enough. My question is when will Blu-ray become akin to film cameras? Some people still maintain that the quality of film is simply better than digital (I don't know if they're right, but follow the comparison). While that may be true, film is less convenient than digital, very much how disks are inconvenient compared to wireless transfers. Though no one exactly has crystal balls to read the future, at what point will internet speeds and wireless speeds become fast enough and disk storage become cheap enough to cause the near extinction of disk technology?
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Actually I don't think this comparison makes any sense.

Film is an analog format. Digital cameras are digital. The comparison here is digital to analog. Film quality is no longer considered better even by professionals. Digital CCD and CMOS sensors have now caught up with film in resolution and have past film in sensitivity. Digital offers the advantage of no darkroom, digital post-processing and adjustment, easier distribution, lower cost.

Blu-ray disk vs. internet distribution is a comparison of content delivery systems. Both are digital content. Blu-ray delivers true HD 1080p. Most internet delivery systems deliver much lower quality. I don't see any similarities to the film vs. digital camera comparison. Both distribution methods have their pluses and minuses. Currently I don't personally see one having any major advantage over the other.
 
Bmuse21 said:
Hoping the 15.4" MBP is the sweet spot I'm looking for.
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I know. I absolutely love the 15.4" screen, and it's a shame they don't offer it in a higher resolution. If you can wait for an update, I would. If you can't wait and you really need the higher resolution and are willing to spend the money, go for the high res 17", it's an awesome display. I prefer glossy to matte, you get true blacks as opposed to the matte display where it's more grayish. Plus everything looks washed out on a matte display if you compare it to glossy because matte diffuses light so there will always be a slight glare at any angle. Glossy gets the extreme ends of the spectrum, bad glares, awesome colors.
 
tenks said:
Whomever asked about a MBA replacement chip? yes this launch includes those but further into 2008, and there are a ton more flavors too. They even run 3 watts cooler then the current MBA chips. They are the SP line:


Core 2 Duo SP9400 45nm Penryn Montevina 2.40GHz 1066MHz 6MB 25W 22mm^2

Core 2 Duo SP9300 45nm Penryn Montevina 2.26GHz 1066MHz 6MB 25W 22mm^2

Core 2 Duo SL9400 45nm Penryn Montevina 1.86GHz 1066MHz 6MB 17W 22mm^2

Core 2 Duo SL9300 45nm Penryn Montevina 1.60GHz 1066MHz 6MB 17W 22mm^2

"The Core 2 Duo SL9400 and SL9300 are prime MacBook Air replacement candidates, they run at slightly higher clock speeds, have more L2 cache and actually have a lower TDP than the chips in the MacBook Air (17W vs. 20W). "


Source


I think they should try and stuff the SPs in, instead...If apple chooses to use these chips maybe they will help justify the pricetag of the air more, being on parity with mid level pros and mbs as far as cpu speeds go...
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Thanks for the info.
 
please stop the freaking, lying FUD

gkarris said:
My friend that bought a Vista PC a few months ago will not be able to use Windows 7 on it 2 years from now.
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gkarris said:
Easy, take Vista's useable requirements, and double that for MS's next OS release...:eek: (pattern?)
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http://arstechnica.com/journals/mic...rnel-for-windows-7-same-requirements-as-vista

He [Chris Flores of the Windows Client Communications Team] went on to say: "one of our design goals for Windows 7 is that it will run on the recommended hardware we specified for Windows Vista and that the applications and devices that work with Windows Vista will be compatible with Windows 7."
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diamond.g said:
So where can we download 1080p video with lossless 7.1 audio? That is all I ask for. BD-ROM delivers, digital downloads doesn't...
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Note that the "lossless 7.1 audio" can be "lossless 192KHz/24-bit 7.1 channel audio.

But, people who believe that 128Kbps AAC/MP3 is "CD quality" and who believe that Apple TV is "DVD quality" probably wouldn't notice.
 
record guy said:
I know. I absolutely love the 15.4" screen, and it's a shame they don't offer it in a higher resolution. If you can wait for an update, I would.
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Yep -- whatever this update is, I'm buying it. So surprise me, Apple! :)

Thanks for your time. Didn't mean to inject a "should I buy now?" sidetrack, was just wondering if screen res was part of the rumor mill.
 
blu-ray

collegedu3 said:
Fair enough. My question is when will Blu-ray become akin to film cameras? Some people still maintain that the quality of film is simply better than digital (I don't know if they're right, but follow the comparison). While that may be true, film is less convenient than digital, very much how disks are inconvenient compared to wireless transfers. Though no one exactly has crystal balls to read the future, at what point will internet speeds and wireless speeds become fast enough and disk storage become cheap enough to cause the near extinction of disk technology?
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i have heard people say that about film, too. and, i agree. things shot on film just looks better to me. comparatively, shooting on digital has this "digital-videoy" look to it no matter what. i think people have to work harder to make things look "good" on digital. it's technology going backwards. oh, well. the only thing saving digital is that everything is going digital and logically, it will get better. but, will it? i don't think so.
 
I want to see the MBP ready to be sitting on my desk by mid to late August so I can take it to Penny Arcade Expo with me :)
 
Tallest Skil said:
That's right. The Air will be a yearly update, anyway, because of its custom CPU. Like the iPods and iPhone.
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It's an off-roadmap processor, but it's not an Apple exclusive or anything.

Intel has already released the successor to the Air CPU. The P8000/P9000 series.
 
Mobile Blu-ray playback still needs another generation of IGP development from Intel. It's possible using an ATi or nVidia graphic solution but you're still going to be eating your battery life.

Then again this is only on the hardware side of things. Where's our GPU decoding Apple? :(
 
So for next couple of months every Tuesday is going to be met with great expectations and great disappointment. Ah well no rushfor me to get a MB or MBP at the moment
 
If Apple can get upgrades out before the end of August they are going to have another record setting quarter for the company. Certainly with back to school and with the fame of iPhone more students are going to be heading to the Apple stores and *gasp* Best Buy's to purchase their Macs.
 
collegedu3 said:
Why do we even care about Bluray?!

While Blu-Ray may have won the battle with HD-DVD, are discs really in our future? With more people acquiring high-speed internet connections daily, as our computers more and more become our entertainment systems, and hard disk storage becomes even cheaper, why do we care about bluray disks when technology technology is moving away from disk use?

No one I know uses CDs anymore. iTunes is the number one music store in the world. Just as music moved away from disk distribution as technology advanced, movies will do the same. Hard disk storage, high-speed internet film distribution, and wireless connections will cause the death of the disk, which will make Bluray obsolete.
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Last I checked, a mac can't decode DTS HD MA or Dolby True HD and can't spit out 7.1+ channels (without the proper hardware, macs need to start shipping with hdmi ports). Also, it would take me about 4 days to download a Blu-Ray movie. And when, yes when, ISPs start charging based upon # of mb's downloaded, you're going to be glad they still sell the discs.
 
maestro55 said:
If Apple can get upgrades out before the end of August they are going to have another record setting quarter for the company. Certainly with back to school and with the fame of iPhone more students are going to be heading to the Apple stores and *gasp* Best Buy's to purchase their Macs.
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Imagine if Apple came out with new iPods after the school promo deal, as well. Say October/November to let the new Mac computer pro sit for awhile. This would be a record setting year for Apple sales.

Thinking about it that way, are we sure they're not going to space it out awhile? :confused:
 
I just wish they release a new Mac Mini...

One towards the Home Theater PC market...

But I guess like everyone else - we gotta wait!


Flavio Zanetti
Boston, MA
 
fzanetti said:
I just wish they release a new Mac Mini...
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Here's hoping Apple shows the mini some true love by releasing a montevina mini BEFORE the next laptop updates. What happens really depends on what Intel can supply, Apple's current inventory, and the market.
 
HLdan said:
People that make a living doing cinematography, heavy video editing, professional studio recording that requires extensive midi hookups, animation and game creation are just SOME of the reasons that people "need" a Mac Pro. Yes, not all people like you are buying them, just because.
You are perfectly in your rights to buy anything you wish and you do not need to explain yourself in general however I was asking a generalized question in response to a poster saying earlier that Apple knows college students will need a MBP for this coming fall. Again I see no reason for any college student to need a MBP. I'm a college graduate in computer science and I never even had a computer for school.
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I agree here.
My Pro is running 24/7 for the last 2,5 months and good 22 hours of that time it goes on all cores maxed. I barely do anything on it as it is rendering all the time. And that is why I have the iMac :D

As for new MBP... That would be sweet :)
 
I just have to comment on a couple of things. I’m a photographer and I like the film analogy. The switch to digital has not been driven by quality but by convenience. Face it, this is a laptop. If I am sitting in front of a 40”+ HDTV with quality surround then yes, HD is almost a must, but on a road trip with your laptop? The laptop will be in a much more casual environment on a relatively small screen with a good chance of nothing but the internal speakers or headphones. The convenience of wireless downloads will outweigh the quality loss almost all of the time.
Second, I’m also a recent graduate. Why do students get so much heat when they buy a pro model for school? Where do the pro users come from? Lots of software companies offer education packs to colleges so students can use the software at no cost on personal systems. Universities are teaching the methods that industry is using and students are expected to keep up. Sure, if you’re an English major, not much benefit but I really don’t think that all students will be content 4 years from now with a macbook class machine. It falls short in many applications. Besides, if you can afford it, why not treat yourself to multitouch, a nicer display, aluminum case etc…
 
One BD to play in them all

gtg738w said:
If I am sitting in front of a 40”+ HDTV with quality surround then yes, HD is almost a must, but on a road trip with your laptop?
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If I have a nice library of BDs for my 52" theatre setup - I'd want to be able to bring a few of those same BDs on the road.

For me, that's the key to a BD player on the laptop - using the same discs I use at home. It's the convenience of one format everywhere, and any improvement in quality over DVD or download (shudder!) is just gravy.
 
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