iPod Touch and MacBook Updates for September?

[docyoast]

What about using other colors of brushed aluminium instead of plain silvergrey? (I was thinking of dark blue or greyish black)

 

[dasikes]

Calm down man... they're usually pretty random.

Calm down? What was said that wasn't calm?

 

[iMacmatician]

If they update the Macbook and NOT the Macbook Pro I'll certainly be disgusted with Apple. If that happens, I might as well consider buying the consumer Macbook because it will be just as powerful as the Pro not to mention it will be completely refreshed compared to the pro.

Not really, the MacBook will still lag in terms of specs, especially the GPU.

 

[dasikes]

Aren't you forgetting something? Seems Apple is too (actually, I can kinda see why they haven't updated it, but by now it's about time): the Mac Mini. I can see it in aluminum as well, provided they can give it good airflow, so we very well might see an all-aluminum lineup soon. Of course, it could just be a different type of plastic.

OOPS! You're totally right. I totally forgot about the Mac Mini. It's just so all-but-forgotten these days. Most Apple purchases aren't desktops, so its easy to forget about all of them

 

[jnc]

Some of you are on drugs

the MBP NEEDS an upgrade ...desperately - a whole year++ has passed and the only thing was the processor upgrade + touchpad upgrade

Oh, shush. One year ago the MBP maxed out at 2.4GHz, 256MB vRAM. Today, the entry level model carries those specs, plus an 80GB larger HD, multi-touch trackpad, and no change to the pricing structure.

tl;dr you can get a better MacBook Pro today at $1999 than you could under 6 months ago at $2499

Yep and I sure hope they come out with the LED back lit display too!

Right, so then it'd be a consumer Apple notebook with an alumium enclosure, LED backlighting and illuminated keyboard, ... how about a multi-touch trackpad, firewire 800, expresscard and a dedicated GPU for good measure... and all for $999, right?

Not really, the MacBook will still lag in terms of specs, especially the GPU.

No one ever seems to acknowledge stuff like that though; they seem to think that fitting the MacBook in aluminium will somehow mean they can bag themselves a MacBook Pro experience at a more budget concious pricepoint.

"Oh, they both run at 2.4GHz, same thing"

Everytime I hear someone on here fantasising about shoehorning MBP's various features into the MacBook (and retaining the pricetag) I wonder if they realise how silly they sound.

The regular Macbook name will be dropped.

It'll have to be, if it's to meet the lofty expectations of some of the guys here

 

[CWallace]

If they update the Macbook and NOT the Macbook Pro I'll certainly be disgusted with Apple.

I expect the MacBook to be upgraded before the Pro so as to take advantage of folks buying in preparation for returning to school. Also, I do not believe Apple normally launches multiple Mac product families at the same time.

However, the MBP will likely be upgraded within 30-60 days afterwards, so hopefully folks will exercise patience and not flood the forum in the interim with lambasting of Apple for not launching both families simultaneously.

 

[clu10]

Right, so then it'd be a consumer Apple notebook with an alumium enclosure, LED backlighting and illuminated keyboard, ... how about a multi-touch trackpad and a dedicated GPU for good measure... and all for $999, right?


MACBOOK PRO?

It'll have to be, if it's to meet the lofty expectations of some of the guys here

I SOOOO AGREE WITH THIS PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING THAT THE MACBOOK DOES HAVE SPECS THE THE PRO HAS,

WHY NOT JUST GO AHEAD AND BUY THE PRO

 

[paulshephard]

I SOOOO AGREE WITH THIS PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING THAT THE MACBOOK DOES HAVE SPECS THE THE PRO HAS,

WHY NOT JUST GO AHEAD AND BUY THE PRO

Because quite a few people, especially students, can't afford the Macbook Pro.
Yet the Macbook is actually relatively expensive when you compare it to other laptops curently on the market.
You can get laptops with the spec of a Macbook Pro for easily cheaper than a Macbook nowadays.

 

[jnc]

I SOOOO AGREE WITH THIS PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING THAT THE MACBOOK DOES HAVE SPECS THE THE PRO HAS,

WHY NOT JUST GO AHEAD AND BUY THE PRO

Because they can't afford it, and would rather spread speculation and hope some of it rubs off on Apple somehow, then magically, if they hold out for 6 months, these things will start materialising on a lowly $1099 MacBook.

Doesn't work though, or we'd have Blu-Ray 7 inch MacBooks with touch screens and glass trackpads by now, or whatever waffle is floating about on the rumournets these days.

You can get laptops with the spec of a Macbook Pro for easily cheaper than a Macbook nowadays.

Subsidy for bundled OS and software, aesthetics premium, closed pool of systems with unified hardware and software, robust worldwide support, superior user experience, still capable of running Windows ... you've heard it all, and you know why it is how it is, whether or not you particularly agree.

Everytime someone specs up a "comparable system" ... it's not a Mac. So it's NOT comparable, and I'll maintain that until I have a PC experience akin to that which made me switch to Mac in the first instance. Which I'm guessing won't be soon.

 

[paulshephard]

Because they can't afford it, and would rather spread speculation and hope some of it rubs off on Apple somehow, then magically, if they hold out for 6 months, these things will start materialising on a lowly $1099 MacBook.

Doesn't work though, or we'd have Blu-Ray 7 inch MacBooks with touch screens and glass trackpads by now, or whatever waffle is floating about on the rumournets these days.

I can understand that some requests are outlandish to slot into a Macbook, but somehow, the Macbook manages to be a relatively low-end laptop spec-wise, but high end price-wise in comparison to the rest of the laptop market.

 

[macsmurf]

Right, so then it'd be a consumer Apple notebook with an alumium enclosure, LED backlighting and illuminated keyboard, ... how about a multi-touch trackpad, firewire 800, expresscard and a dedicated GPU for good measure... and all for $999, right?

Even the $550 MSI Wind has LED backlighting. The Dell XPS M1330 has had LED as an option for more han a year. These days, it will cost you an extra $125.

 

[jnc]

I can understand that some requests are outlandish to slot into a Macbook, but somehow, the Macbook manages to be a relatively low-end laptop spec-wise, but high end price-wise in comparison to the rest of the laptop market.

Depending on who you ask, the MacBook is either "low-end" or "almost a MacBook Pro". Weird.

Even the $550 MSI Wind has LED backlighting. The Dell XPS M1330 has had LED as an option for more han a year. These days, it will cost you an extra $125.

We pretty much can take an educated guess LED's on the way, but stuff like illuminated keyboards (and even multi-touch, whether or not it eventually makes it to MacBook) are extravagances that aren't particularly required on an entry level system, I hope you'd agree.

If they can squash them into a MacBook at no extra cost, then sure, but that does blurs the line between the models and shorten the exclusive feature list of "higher end" products, so I'd hope they too either see new tweaks or their pricetags are lowered as a result.

 

[stainlessliquid]

thats because the dell is brand new, and the current macbooks are not. i mean c-mon, i hope you didnt expect they laptop not to exceed current or previous brands. like when people said the air looked better than any laptop pc makers ever made, untill a few months later when newer laptops can out, and why judge how good a computer is by it's looks, for my experience, i've learns that the coolness of the design dosent make a good computer.



wow disgusting screens? i always thought they where pretty decent screens, i didnt realise they where horrible.

EDIT:well i have to admit they are pretty, but i'd still prefer a macbook
(and the specks arent THAT amazing though they are a bump up, but again it's NEW technology)

Thats why I said they better bring something good. They havent significantly updated their macbooks since the PPC days. The new Precessions arent just looks anyways, they have specs never seen before in normal sized laptops, Im not sure why you consider the specs just a bump. If they retain the price of the current ones then they will be a force to be reckoned with among pros. Apple is going to have to really do something special.

And ya the MBP screens are really quite awful compared to PC screens, with the MB screens being some of the worst screens out of any laptop you can buy. They dont display millions of colors and just suck compared to the screens in similarly priced PC laptops. The screen in the Precision will be professional quality, the kind of color reproduction you would expect from a nice desktop monitor.

 

[Manic Mouse]

Because they can't afford it, and would rather spread speculation and hope some of it rubs off on Apple somehow, then magically, if they hold out for 6 months, these things will start materialising on a lowly $1099 MacBook.

And what about those of us who want a 13.3" with a dedicated GPU, and are quite prepared to pay for it?

I wish Apple would either release a 13.3" MBP or give the high end MB's an 8400 or whatever. Sure, keep the IGP in the base MB. But give us some choice on the higher-end Apple.

 

[macsmurf]

We pretty much can take an educated guess LED's on the way, but stuff like illuminated keyboards (and even multi-touch, whether or not it eventually makes it to MacBook) are extravagances that don't belong on an entry level system, I hope you'd agree.

The guy you responded to only mentioned LED. Illuminated keyboard does seem like a luxury. Multi-touch? I don't know. I'd like to have it, but it's not that important to me. LED is, though.

Then there's the combo drive, which is a bit ridiculous. Maybe they'll replace it with a 5 1/4" floppy drive in the new one for that authentic retro experience

 

[jnc]

The guy you responded to only mentioned LED.

I know, but my quote he referenced mentioned some other stuff so I just covered that as well.

Thats why I said they better bring something good. They havent significantly updated their macbooks since the PPC days.

Again, what? A completely redesigned enclosure with in-line iSight, new keyboard, drops in weight and dimension, up to 4GB supported RAM, built-in Wifi and bluetooth across the range... resolution, GPU, processor and hard drive improvements.... what on earth are you going on about?

And what about those of us who want a 13.3" with a dedicated GPU, and are quite prepared to pay for it?

And what about those of us who want a 15.4" without a dedicated GPU? You can't have it all your way.

 

[Bengt77]

If they update the Macbook and NOT the Macbook Pro I'll certainly be disgusted with Apple. If that happens, I might as well consider buying the consumer Macbook because it will be just as powerful as the Pro not to mention it will be completely refreshed compared to the pro.

Another poster mentioned that Apple might do away with the Macbook and go with one laptop line. Interesting idea. They could with all aluminum like they currently offer in the proline... then go with an entry level product that has Macbook features; a middle ground laptop with separate gpu; a high-end with 17" screen and provision for 4 processors (bigger case with larger heatsink). If Apple carried 3 versions of the same laptop, they would be able to sell if for less and update the line more frequently. Each model could provide for more upgrade options beyond the base model like they currently offer. And because they offer only 3 models, the upgrade options can be more diverse than what the offer now.

Sounds interesting. Would be excellent if they go this route. Spec the MacBook you want, the way you want it. Count me in.

 

[stainlessliquid]

Again, what? A completely redesigned enclosure with in-line iSight, new keyboard, drops in weight and dimension, up to 4GB supported RAM, built-in Wifi and bluetooth across the range... resolution, GPU, processor and hard drive improvements.... what on earth are you going on about?

I meant design wise. There have been very minor modifications, but nothing completely new. All those technical upgrades were just natural phases in computer evolution anyways.

 

[jnc]

I meant design wise. There have been very minor modifications, but nothing completely new. All the technical upgrades were just natural phases in computer evolution.

What exactly do you... expect? I say this because I see iBooks in my line of work every day, and they are VERY different in appearance to MacBooks

The larger trackpad, repositioned speakers, widescreen orientation, new magnetic closing mechanism and power port... the MB was a complete visual rehaul, I can't see how you can even dispute that...

 

[stainlessliquid]

A bigger redesign than this?

And the macbooks are both plain white and have the same rounded corners and are pretty much the same from a distance. I think "VERY different" is one hell of an exageration. The MBP's are just identical.

this is a redesign

or this

 

[jnc]

A bigger redesign than this?

And the macbooks are both plain white and have the same rounded corners and pretty much the same from a distance. I think "VERY different" is one hell of an exageration. The MBP's are just identical.

You're clutching at straws a bit now, we're talking about iBook to MacBook, not PowerBook to MacBook Pro. The MacBooks did see a total do-over at the Intel transition whereas the MacBook Pro was more subtle. But that was never my point, so heck knows why you brought it up.

Sit an iBook next to a MacBook and tell me you can't see anything different. You'd be lying if you did.

 

[kabunaru]

Sit an iBook next to a MacBook and tell me you can't see anything different. You'd be lying if you did.

I miss the old iBook G4 design.
Seriously, why did Apple have to re-design it when they transitioned to Intel?

 

[stainlessliquid]

I could definitely see things that are different, but I wouldnt exagerate it like you are by saying they are completely different which is just crazy. They still share the same idea and style, which is stale and looking very dated.

 

[branjosef]

Something I whipped up.

I like it.


Edit- Figures the photo wasn't carried over

 

[paulshephard]

What exactly do you... expect? I say this because I see iBooks in my line of work every day, and they are VERY different in appearance to MacBooks

The larger trackpad, repositioned speakers, widescreen orientation, new magnetic closing mechanism and power port... the MB was a complete visual rehaul, I can't see how you can even dispute that...

In all fairness, it was said that from a distance they look very similar, and that can't be disputed, because unfortunately they do.