Macbook 13" aluminum unibody non pro general

[mosx]

As much as I rip on Apple's notebooks (love my iPhone, half a dozen iPods), I don't see what Apple did wrong. They updated a system 8 months after the last update.

If anything, Apple doesn't update fast enough. Look at their line of notebooks. What exactly has changed in the last year? Same CPUs, same screens, same GPUs. While HP and Dell have the same designs and models as a year ago, they've moved on to Core i7, faster CPUs, they've revised the GPUs in them several times over the last year.

Apple really doesn't update quick enough. The only real difference between the current 13.3" MacBook Pro at $1199 and last year's aluminum MacBook is 260MHz, a single format card reader, and Firewire that most people have never used and will never use. Oh and the battery was downgraded and made non-user replaceable.

Look at PCs from a year ago to today. You have 16x9 screens, cheaper blu-ray, significantly faster GPUs, Core i7 options across the board (even standard), etc. While Apple is still using the same CPUs, nearly 2 year old GPU technology (older if you want to get really technical), and still using 12 year old DVD only technology.

Apple definitely doesn't owe anything to anyone other than the people they suckered money out of for systems with Intel GPUs

 

[adder7712]

Apple definitely doesn't owe anything to anyone other than the people they suckered money out of for systems with Intel GPUs

They stopped using Intel GPUs in their laptops and the 9400M is not 2-year old technology. It came out last year, along with the rest of the GeForce 9 series.

 

[mosx]

They stopped using Intel GPUs in their laptops and the 9400M is not 2-year old technology. It came out last year, along with the rest of the GeForce 9 series.

The first GeForce 9 was introduced nearly 2 years ago at the beginning of 2008, Feb. 2008.

Most of the GeForce 9, particularly the mobile series, were just rebadged GeForce 8 cards with slightly faster clock speeds, or chip shrinks, or both.

So yeah, one could argue that GeForce 9 technology is two years old or more.

Edit: Plus millions upon millions of MacBooks at $1099, $1299, $1499, as well as Mac minis at $599, and $799 were sold with those POS Intel GPUs.

 

[bimmerfreak0]

Look, I am with the OP, it pissed me off to know end that they retrofitted the MB with firewire and a better screen...

I could care less about a card reader (usb...done), same with spec bump in processor, nobody would notice...

BUT, I really do not like my screen 8C9C (the most horrible one I think) and I really do/did want firewire...but I chose to be an early adopter because my Asus laptop pretty much died...so it was either wait 6-8 months while in college with no lappy or know I was going to get screwed with Rev. A...

Fu Apple...they were simple addon's...I knew spec bumps were coming, did not expect there to be an upgraded screen, better battery, card reader and (OH WAIT!!!!) FIREWIRE THAT YOU ORIGINALLY HAD ON THE OLDER ONE!!!!!!!!!

 

[bimmerfreak0]

They stopped using Intel GPUs in their laptops and the 9400M is not 2-year old technology. It came out last year, along with the rest of the GeForce 9 series.

I don't care how you roll the ball the 9400m is junk...I play homeworld 2 and it struggles (this is a game developed in 2002 btw, before there was widescreen gaming even!)

The 9400 was an excuse to get rid of intel...but still put crap in the computer...

They should have at least given some options for graphics cards (you could even upcharge...what a concept) like every other laptop manufacturer out there...

 

[pellets007]

I don't care how you roll the ball the 9400m is junk...I play homeworld 2 and it struggles (this is a game developed in 2002 btw, before there was widescreen gaming even!)

The 9400 was an excuse to get rid of intel...but still put crap in the computer...

They should have at least given some options for graphics cards (you could even upcharge...what a concept) like every other laptop manufacturer out there...

For what is being paid for the laptop, I agree that the 9400M is junk. However, relative to most IGPs, the 9400M is quite well off.

To the OP, don't let the 'Pro' sticker irk you. Really, the only notable changes were in the battery and the screen, and if you bought you MacBook after February, the screen change is null. Sure there is FireWire and an SD slot, but you knew what you were buying, and if FireWire or an SD slot were considered necessities, it is likely that you wouldn't have bought a computer without those ports. The processor speed differences (for example, 2.0 Ghz to 2.13Ghz) can only been seen under a microscope; through meticulous testing.

 

[KnightWRX]

Here's a tought. Use the fact that the Macbooks have great resale value, sell it on kijiji or any other free site, take the cash to the Apple store and buy a MBP.

You lost some money on the dollar, but you got your upgrade, not to mention over a year of use on your Macbook.

Seriously, you knew what it was when you bought it. At the time, the price charged vs the goods given was good enough for you. It's a computer, you just knew that somewhere down the line, one with better specs would come out.

Heck, I bought my WRX in March '08. They announced the '09 models in July. That's 4 months. The new WRX had 35 more horses, more peak torque, better looking body panels, many other accents and wasn't really more expensive (1k$ on a 32k$ car is nothing). I didn't piss and moan and cry. When I bought my car, I knew the price and the specs and those were satisfying to me.

 

[polaris20]

Here's a tought. Use the fact that the Macbooks have great resale value, sell it on kijiji or any other free site, take the cash to the Apple store and buy a MBP.

You lost some money on the dollar, but you got your upgrade, not to mention over a year of use on your Macbook.

Seriously, you knew what it was when you bought it. At the time, the price charged vs the goods given was good enough for you. It's a computer, you just knew that somewhere down the line, one with better specs would come out.

Heck, I bought my WRX in March '08. They announced the '09 models in July. That's 4 months. The new WRX had 35 more horses, more peak torque, better looking body panels, many other accents and wasn't really more expensive (1k$ on a 32k$ car is nothing). I didn't piss and moan and cry. When I bought my car, I knew the price and the specs and those were satisfying to me.

Do you have the hatchback? Great cars, I'm envious.

I agree with you in terms of the topic at hand though. The original uMB is a nice laptop, however the much better battery life, FW800 (which I use all the time), and the screen would make it worthwhile (to me anyway) to sell it on Evilbay and get the newer model. The memory capacity is a big factor too, because it'll extend the usable life of the laptop when 4GB DIMMs fall more.

 

[Chaosen1]

I bought my uMB in October. I'm not even the slightest bit disappointed in how Apple handled the situation. I had arguably the best computer on the market for 8 months, before the competition stepped up. Why would you buy a laptop that didn't have everything that you wanted? The current uMBP is virtually identical! Being easier to upgrade HDD and RAM, and the ability to swap out your battery outweigh some of the other features that the uMBP doesn't have.

If you can remember back to when the uMBP was released, if you had bought a regular uMB 2 weeks before the announcement, you could return/rebuy and get back $100 (due to the price drop).

 

[darngooddesign]

You should start an online petition.

I supposed if you complain loudly enough to Apple you might get an iTunes card.