What's with you people and the need for an optical drive???? Obviously such laptop would not be your only machine, you are looking at a market where someone has the power they want at home or at work (be it a iMac or a MacPro) and they want the portability outside. Personnally, I would be willing to even ditch the Ethernet card in such laptop if that can save some space and allow it to run cooler (my main issue with my PB).
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MacBook, MacBook Pro and Ultra-Portable Updates
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Most PC SR platforms indicated the new system still use DDR2-667 which runs asynchronously to the new 800FSB. It's still unknown if Apple will be the first to introduce SR platform with DDR2-800 SODIMM. One would expect the new MBP to include the following update:
1. Preload with Leopard
2. LED backlight
3. 2.6GHz CPU (T7700) E-1 stepping (available from Intel already for OEM/retail customers)
4. 1.8v DDR2-800 SODIMM
This review will give us an idea what to expect from the updated SR platform in terms of performance, power consumption, etc.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=2985
1. Preload with Leopard
2. LED backlight
3. 2.6GHz CPU (T7700) E-1 stepping (available from Intel already for OEM/retail customers)
4. 1.8v DDR2-800 SODIMM
This review will give us an idea what to expect from the updated SR platform in terms of performance, power consumption, etc.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=2985
A laptop of these specs sounds like an addition to the digital hub concept. This would be a laptop for someone who has maybe 
TV an iMac or other Mac and a wireless network. The laptop would be an addition too your life, sync it up.. maybe we will see that user folder on your iPod concept applied here.
TV an iMac or other Mac and a wireless network. The laptop would be an addition too your life, sync it up.. maybe we will see that user folder on your iPod concept applied here.
How is a 13" an "ultra-portable" anyway? Sounds like BS to me. Gotta be 12" or smaller.
Apple needs a laptop I can dock. I don't want an ugly cable mess coming out the sides.
Apple needs a laptop I can dock. I don't want an ugly cable mess coming out the sides.
Optical Drive Needed
My 12" powerbook is great for watching dvd's on plane, plus you never know when you have to burn/copy a disc. Until the world is blanketed in superfast wifi for moving and streaming data, I'd prefer a built-in optical drive.
My 12" powerbook is great for watching dvd's on plane, plus you never know when you have to burn/copy a disc. Until the world is blanketed in superfast wifi for moving and streaming data, I'd prefer a built-in optical drive.
Oh dearsweetgoodness I hope this is true...
My home PC is DYING, DYING, I tell you (takes up to 4 minutes to switch windows, no joke) and I've got some important recording sessions coming up in the immediate future... it'd be great to record this stuff in Logic on a new MBP instead of bumming someone else's computer!
Come on, Apple!
Ya'll clamor all you want for some ultraportable pocket sized 'book. Me? I'm ecstatic for a big honking SR MacBook Pro that screams along at 2.4 ghzs of Core 2 Duo glory with 4 gigs of RAM, all to be viewed on the supreme highness of an LED backlit display...
Hell, even the a bottom of the line MB would have more than twice the processing power and ram of my current pos winbox...
Goodygoodygoodygoody.
My home PC is DYING, DYING, I tell you (takes up to 4 minutes to switch windows, no joke) and I've got some important recording sessions coming up in the immediate future... it'd be great to record this stuff in Logic on a new MBP instead of bumming someone else's computer!
Come on, Apple!
Ya'll clamor all you want for some ultraportable pocket sized 'book. Me? I'm ecstatic for a big honking SR MacBook Pro that screams along at 2.4 ghzs of Core 2 Duo glory with 4 gigs of RAM, all to be viewed on the supreme highness of an LED backlit display...
Hell, even the a bottom of the line MB would have more than twice the processing power and ram of my current pos winbox...
Goodygoodygoodygoody.
i disagree. i've had my 12" PowerBook for well over a year now and i literally NEVER used the optical drive until just this past week when i blew away the HD to reinstall the OS. it could have been defective this entire time and i never would have known. and they whole time i was installing from the disk i was just wishing i was doing a netinstall over ethernet, or installing from firewire. optical media is slow and prone to damage.
in a laptop they just take up a bunch of space/weight and add more moving parts to the equation, which means more problems and more battery suckage. Apple have options for those who need optical drives. one without to address the need of those who don't want it would be a welcome addition to the lineup. i don't even carry my 12" PowerBook any more b/c i don't feel like having another 5 pounds on my back. and if i do i leave the battery at home. that's just dumb.
If this is generally true, I'm betting it's slightly different from what we think. There is no way apple would release something with an extenernal drive- it's inelegant. Apple's focus on design and simplicity simply doesn't allow it. A thirteen inch ultraportable doesn't sound all that portable, either, when there are 11 inch ones with optical drives out there. So how would this compete?
2 options:
First, if apple can do it, they want to build something that's not "just another...". So they're going for the first computer to have a nice sized screen but weigh as little as ultraportables do. In other words, this is going to be a quantum leap in thinness. An 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper is just a little smaller than 13 inches diagonally, and briefcases, backpacks, etc. are designed to fit that size plus binding comfortably. Since no computer with a keyboard is going to fit in a purse, a 13 inch should fit in whatever your carrying, and the only difference in size that matters is weight. So keep the big screen, take out the optical drive, and make a computer that massively broadens the appeal of an ultraportable. Of course, this has problems- strength, increased surface area to volume ratio (which requires more casing, and hence weight), etc. But if apple pulled off a computer .6 inches thin and under 3 lbs, with a 13 inch screen, would that not knock your socks off?
The second option is that they're mixing rumors here- the macbook is getting a bit thinner and keeping it's 13 inch screen, while an ultraportable will be released in a smaller size and with a smaller screen.
Or it's just wrong.
I wonder if the PB updates could come with a case redesign? it's been forever, but they never do a redesign without press people there.
2 options:
First, if apple can do it, they want to build something that's not "just another...". So they're going for the first computer to have a nice sized screen but weigh as little as ultraportables do. In other words, this is going to be a quantum leap in thinness. An 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper is just a little smaller than 13 inches diagonally, and briefcases, backpacks, etc. are designed to fit that size plus binding comfortably. Since no computer with a keyboard is going to fit in a purse, a 13 inch should fit in whatever your carrying, and the only difference in size that matters is weight. So keep the big screen, take out the optical drive, and make a computer that massively broadens the appeal of an ultraportable. Of course, this has problems- strength, increased surface area to volume ratio (which requires more casing, and hence weight), etc. But if apple pulled off a computer .6 inches thin and under 3 lbs, with a 13 inch screen, would that not knock your socks off?
The second option is that they're mixing rumors here- the macbook is getting a bit thinner and keeping it's 13 inch screen, while an ultraportable will be released in a smaller size and with a smaller screen.
Or it's just wrong.
I wonder if the PB updates could come with a case redesign? it's been forever, but they never do a redesign without press people there.
Updates coming soon sound very nice for the MacBook Pro, but the Ultra portable specifics are a little disappointing. Obviously its not set in stone but when i think ultra portable i think 10-11'' screen. The no internal optical sounds good to me, as does the flash. To me making an ultra portable isn't just dumbing down an already existing laptop, that's making one smaller and more efficient. 13'' is not ultra portable.
Interesting...
I just checked our distributor and the MacBook is OOS (Out Of Stock) and the ETA is listed as:
(warehouse, quantity in stock, on order, ETA date)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 141 11/29/06
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 41 12/06/06
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 60 05/16/07
xxxxxxxxxxxx 0 60 05/14/07
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 217 11/27/06
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 50 05/16/07
for the high end
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 353 05/10/07
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 101 03/20/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 131 01/09/07
xxxxxxxxxxxx 0 92 05/07/07
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 345 03/20/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 62 05/08/07
for the mid and
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 281 11/28/06
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 65 05/13/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 85 05/14/07
xxxxxxxxxxxx 0 46 12/06/06
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 136 04/10/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 105 05/14/07
for the low end.
They also have very low stock on MBP's too...
23 17", 9 15" 2.33 and 23 15: lowend.
They show massive quantities of MBP on order with 5/19 and 5/20 ETA's...
Strange thing is that with the ETA's on the MacBook, it's highly unusual for ETA dates not to be updated with more durrent dates, when available...
I'd say that the chances for a new MacBook is good and a new MBP good but perhaps not as good as the MacBook, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me... I'd think that Apple would do a new MBP first or at least at the same time...
Time will tell... This is a LARGE distributor and I edited out the names of the individual warehouse to help protect the identity of the distributor...
I just checked our distributor and the MacBook is OOS (Out Of Stock) and the ETA is listed as:
(warehouse, quantity in stock, on order, ETA date)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 141 11/29/06
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 41 12/06/06
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 60 05/16/07
xxxxxxxxxxxx 0 60 05/14/07
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 217 11/27/06
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 50 05/16/07
for the high end
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 353 05/10/07
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 101 03/20/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 131 01/09/07
xxxxxxxxxxxx 0 92 05/07/07
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 345 03/20/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 62 05/08/07
for the mid and
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 281 11/28/06
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 65 05/13/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 85 05/14/07
xxxxxxxxxxxx 0 46 12/06/06
xxxxxxxxxxx 0 136 04/10/07
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 0 105 05/14/07
for the low end.
They also have very low stock on MBP's too...
23 17", 9 15" 2.33 and 23 15: lowend.
They show massive quantities of MBP on order with 5/19 and 5/20 ETA's...
Strange thing is that with the ETA's on the MacBook, it's highly unusual for ETA dates not to be updated with more durrent dates, when available...
I'd say that the chances for a new MacBook is good and a new MBP good but perhaps not as good as the MacBook, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me... I'd think that Apple would do a new MBP first or at least at the same time...
Time will tell... This is a LARGE distributor and I edited out the names of the individual warehouse to help protect the identity of the distributor...
Interesting (II)
The IBook/MacBook Applecare appears to be discontinued...
Interesting?
No sight of an 'Utra-portable' MacBook...
iMac quantities are high (mid 200's to 400)
iPod stock is HUGE with nearly 1,00 of some and the lowest in stock quantity being 149... Probably no new iPod, yet...
The IBook/MacBook Applecare appears to be discontinued...
Interesting?
No sight of an 'Utra-portable' MacBook...
iMac quantities are high (mid 200's to 400)
iPod stock is HUGE with nearly 1,00 of some and the lowest in stock quantity being 149... Probably no new iPod, yet...
Apple may be waiting for the LED displays for the MBP before they launch those.
It's been...
...replaced by a different SKU that drops the 'IBook' from the name... I assume that the price is the same but can't tell because the company that I work for isn't authorized to sell Apple. We can see stock and description only...
...replaced by a different SKU that drops the 'IBook' from the name... I assume that the price is the same but can't tell because the company that I work for isn't authorized to sell Apple. We can see stock and description only...
This entire story stinks. It sounds like ThinkSecret/GizModo profit-making fantasizing to me.
We will hear nothing new on Tuesday other than mac addicts' sighs and moans -- not of the hedonic kind.
We will hear nothing new on Tuesday other than mac addicts' sighs and moans -- not of the hedonic kind.
Mine's for a MacBook so no biggy then. $155 bet the new price, if any, won't beat that!
I have an idea - I don't think it will happen very soon, but it would be revolutionary if it did:
What if Apple released an ultraportable with NO moving parts? Flash disk, and a touch-screen keyboard? Due to tactile feedback concerns, that second one is unlikely - but can you imagine it - a laptop which is made out of simply two screens, with some CPU somehow squeezed in. better yet, make that two touchscreens that fold. And that's it - no moving parts. Highly unlikely, questionable in how good of an idea it is, but still an interesting concept...
Of course, Apple may just say that the iPhone is their ultraportable.
What if Apple released an ultraportable with NO moving parts? Flash disk, and a touch-screen keyboard? Due to tactile feedback concerns, that second one is unlikely - but can you imagine it - a laptop which is made out of simply two screens, with some CPU somehow squeezed in. better yet, make that two touchscreens that fold. And that's it - no moving parts. Highly unlikely, questionable in how good of an idea it is, but still an interesting concept...
Of course, Apple may just say that the iPhone is their ultraportable.
Ultra-Portable MacBook
13-inch ultra-thin, LED-back lit display
No optical disc drive
On-board NAND flash for faster application launching and boot times
Built-in iSight webcam
Thinner and lighter than existing MacBook offerings
AirPort Extreme 802.11n enabled
MagSafe power adapter
Target launch late '07, early '08
Without an optical drive, how are you supposed to add your favorite apps? If this rumor is true, then Apple better think of a pretty nifty way to get new applications onto it. (Like an online downloading service where you pay for it, and then download the whole application. And i see this especially possible because of the way Apple thinks EVERYONE has a T3 connection at home. Kinda like how they think downloading movies off of iTunes only takes a matter of hours) Unless Apple feels like keeping all the applications closed to only Apple supplied programs. *cough cough, iPhone* oh...excuse me, I think I may have caught something...