MacBook Pro Update Due for Launch as Soon as Tomorrow?

[dreven79]

I can't believe i don't have to wait for next tuesday ! its a great feeling to finally be done with waiting. Personally i'm excited to get my first ever MBP and as i was gunning for a 15" , i'm quite pleased.

I don't understand why ppl are complaining so much , nobody is forcing you to buy it if you don't like it ...

Yes i agree that Apple products are way over priced but you just have to get beyond that.

I'm not an apple fanboy . If Microsoft made something better i'd go that way. At the end of the day it's what you want and what you are using it for. They are just another company wanting your hard earned dollars.

Nobody is gonna give you a certificate just because you were loyal to Apple or Windows.

Keep hearing oh i have been using Mac since the 80's or something along that line . Good for you , you dinosaur. Steve is coming to your house next thanksgiving to personally thank you.

Well for now my biggest problem would be deciding what specs i want to updgrade my 15" MBP to.

Good luck eveyone

 

[Digital Skunk]

I can't understand why some people are complaining either. There's not mucc room to complain even with the absence of i3 CPUs on the 13" model. The 13" MBP is a NICE improvement over the previous model, and makes me eager to grab one and leave it unplugged all day.

There just aren't too many users clamoring for a 13" with 15" i7 power. Battery life, and improved graphics is what just about everyone was begging for with the 13" MBP, and we got it. On the 17" 15" side, it was improved performance, graphics, hi def 15", and express card 34, we got three.

 

[AttilaTheHun]

I can't understand why some people are complaining either. There's not mucc room to complain even with the absence of i3 CPUs on the 13" model. The 13" MBP is a NICE improvement over the previous model, and makes me eager to grab one and leave it unplugged all day.

There just aren't too many users clamoring for a 13" with 15" i7 power. Battery life, and improved graphics is what just about everyone was begging for with the 13" MBP, and we got it. On the 17" 15" side, it was improved performance, graphics, hi def 15", and express card 34, we got three.

it's allways good to see the full side of the cup

 

[Ketle]

Gaming, performance and 1080p

Firstly, gaming on any laptop (windows or osx) is an inferior experience compared to a high-end desktop PC or console. You should never buy a laptop for the purpose of gaming.

Secondly, 1080p screen resolution on a 13" or 15" is total waste of energy. The resolution is too high for such small screens.

Thirdly; there are many people comparing this and that of the MBP to other Windows based PC's and saying this and that is better on the other laptop. I have been using Windows only since Win 3.11 and have been using the last 2 months looking for a Windows laptop with very good build quality, very good battery life, light weight and decent performance. I found MBP! For the first time in my life I am buying a Mac. I'm not sure yet if I will use OSX only or dualboot with Win7. MBP made the choice easy because it gives you the best total package at an ok price.

Remember a thing can be more than just the sum of its parts!

 

[Eric S.]

I can't understand why some people are complaining either. There's not mucc room to complain even with the absence of i3 CPUs on the 13" model. The 13" MBP is a NICE improvement over the previous model, and makes me eager to grab one and leave it unplugged all day.

There just aren't too many users clamoring for a 13" with 15" i7 power. Battery life, and improved graphics is what just about everyone was begging for with the 13" MBP, and we got it.

I had no plans to upgrade right now but when I do I'll definitely be looking for more cpu performance in the 13". This new model barely has better specs than my late 2008 unibody Macbook.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I had no plans to upgrade right now but when I do I'll definitely be looking for more cpu performance in the 13". This new model barely has better specs than my late 2008 unibody Macbook.

True, and for those users it may be a bit of a disappointment (unless the power was sufficient and you're an insecure buyer that's happy the upgrade didn't push your current model too far down in obsolescence.) In your situation there's keeping your current machine, or grabbing up a 7% - 10% faster 2.66GHz 13" for $1499.

I think my glee also comes from the price drops used Aluminum Macbooks and first run 13" Macbook Pros are going to get. Entering the Unibody class of Apple laptops has gotten a whole lot cheaper if one can find a reasonable seller that understands where their machine sits in the market.

 

[Great Dave]

I can't understand why some people are complaining either. ... On the 17" 15" side, it was improved performance, graphics, hi def 15", and express card 34, we got three.

There are actually plenty of reasons why people are complaining...

The 15 did not get a hi def screen - it got closer, but still is not Full HD specs.

Also, Apple chose not to go with the quad processors that have been available for sometime in PC laptops.

Therefore, the new MBP use slower ram, don't have as big of cache.
The new MBP also is stuck as 512 MB for graphics, where 1GB has been available for PCs for awhile.

Also, we didn't get the express card back.

Still no blu-ray!

etc. etc. etc.

However, I am happy that there were finally updates, and improved battery life and the graphics switching capability.

But, still a day late and a dollar short!

 

[Digital Skunk]

There are actually plenty of reasons why people are complaining...

The 15 did not get a hi def screen - it got closer, but still is not Full HD specs.

Also, Apple chose not to go with the quad processors that have been available for sometime in PC laptops.

Therefore, the new MBP use slower ram, don't have as big of cache.
The new MBP also is stuck as 512 MB for graphics, where 1GB has been available for PCs for awhile.

Also, we didn't get the express card back.

Still no blu-ray!

etc. etc. etc.

However, I am happy that there were finally updates, and improved battery life and the graphics switching capability.

But, still a day late and a dollar short!

SO this isn't the typical Apple that we should be expecting because they've done it for four years HOW?

The only reason I see for people to be upset is because they've just jumped on board the Apple wagon, and aren't used to NOT getting what they wanted. To them I say, welcome aboard. It's a smooth ride, but you won't get what you want while on this ride.

p.s. that 1680 x _____ (I forget the number) is better . . . much better than the 1440x900 that we used to have.

 

[Great Dave]

SO this isn't the typical Apple that we should be expecting because they've done it for four years HOW?

The only reason I see for people to be upset is because they've just jumped on board the Apple wagon, and aren't used to NOT getting what they wanted. To them I say, welcome aboard. It's a smooth ride, but you won't get what you want while on this ride.

p.s. that 1680 x _____ (I forget the number) is better . . . much better than the 1440x900 that we used to have.

Yes, I guess it is the typical Apple of late - which I hate.

Was it the iPod that started the change?

They used to release innovative, tech edge machines.

Yeah, the 1680x1050 screens are better - and I am happy for the matte option, too, but...

They are still not full HD screens and

As I was just informed, the Apple LCDs are not RGBLED screens which are an option on Dells and I assume other PCs. I didn't realize how much better they (RGBLED screens) are. How come we didn't get this or as an option on our "Pro" machines?

Again, this update is a follow from Apple, not a lead.

And have Apple release machines that are labeled "Pro" and clearly inferior to others, is clearly disappointing!

 

[AttilaTheHun]

Firstly, gaming on any laptop (windows or osx) is an inferior experience compared to a high-end desktop PC or console. You should never buy a laptop for the purpose of gaming.

Secondly, 1080p screen resolution on a 13" or 15" is total waste of energy. The resolution is too high for such small screens.

Thirdly; there are many people comparing this and that of the MBP to other Windows based PC's and saying this and that is better on the other laptop. I have been using Windows only since Win 3.11 and have been using the last 2 months looking for a Windows laptop with very good build quality, very good battery life, light weight and decent performance. I found MBP! For the first time in my life I am buying a Mac. I'm not sure yet if I will use OSX only or dualboot with Win7. MBP made the choice easy because it gives you the best total package at an ok price.

Remember a thing can be more than just the sum of its parts!

wow 100% like me

 

[Digital Skunk]

Yes, I guess it is the typical Apple of late - which I hate.

Was it the iPod that started the change?

They used to release innovative, tech edge machines.

Yeah, the 1680x1050 screens are better - and I am happy for the matte option, too, but...

They are still not full HD screens and

As I was just informed, the Apple LCDs are not RGBLED screens which are an option on Dells and I assume other PCs. I didn't realize how much better they (RGBLED screens) are. How come we didn't get this or as an option on our "Pro" machines?

Again, this update is a follow from Apple, not a lead.

And have Apple release machines that are labeled "Pro" and clearly inferior to others, is clearly disappointing!

You hit the nail on the head brother/sister, Apple's "Pro" nomenclature is just to help people help separate it from the Macbook and Macbook Air. Other than that, it's really just a middle of the road, one size fits all lineup.

It kind of started with the complete switch to Intel, and climaxed with the iPhone. Once Apple found that people were happy with less features/performance/options Apple knew they didn't have to wow us with tech specs and hardware.

I haven't checked out the RGBLED monitors yet, but I DO hear a lot of good things about them. Have to go see about them.

 

[saltyzoo]

I've never understood why people pan Apple so bad on "being behind" in technology. It's fascinating to me. Every time I read one of these threads I go out to Dell, et al, and look and I can never find these mythical machines that are so much more advanced than what Apple offers. I went to Dell and I could not find a single 15 inch laptop that has an i5 or i7 and can support 8 gigs of ram. Not one. And there is only one 17 inch laptop that can offer those features. And when you load it up with equal features that the Apple offering has, the price is pretty much the same. I'm still looking for those quad i7 laptops that supposedly everyone else but Apple has......

I think "the grass is always greener".

I also think these new offerings are quite good.

And I am anything but an Apple fanboy.

 

[arogge]

I don't understand what I'm missing about the MacBook Pro updates. I have been wanting the 13-inch version. I don't want the 13-inch version because I want something cheaper than the 15-inch and 17-inch versions. I want the 13-inch because I can't use the 15-inch without smacking it several times a day and generally having it in my way.

So, I still can't get anything except a Core 2 Duo CPU unless I pay for the 15-inch version that I don't want?
I can't get rid of that stupid glossy monitor?
The only way to get ExpressCard support is to buy the 17-inch version?
I can't have the separate ports for audio in and audio out unless I buy the bigger screen?
There's still no NVIDIA Quadro FX support?

I'm assuming that I've hastily misread the specifications page, and that there's the consumer-level options shown on the Apple Store page that I looked at, but the professional customization options are listed somewhere else.

Core i5 and i7 CPU options
ExpressCard slot
eSATA port
Certified Quadro FX mobile graphics
Audio I/O on separate channels
Daylight-readable 13-inch monitor with anti-glare coatings
Touchscreen optional

Where can I access these options? Apple couldn't be silly enough to forget about these readily-available technologies, or could it?

 

[BettBee]

I've never understood why people pan Apple so bad on "being behind" in technology. It's fascinating to me. Every time I read one of these threads I go out to Dell, et al, and look and I can never find these mythical machines that are so much more advanced than what Apple offers. I went to Dell and I could not find a single 15 inch laptop that has an i5 or i7 and can support 8 gigs of ram. Not one. And there is only one 17 inch laptop that can offer those features. And when you load it up with equal features that the Apple offering has, the price is pretty much the same. I'm still looking for those quad i7 laptops that supposedly everyone else but Apple has......

I think "the grass is always greener".

I also think these new offerings are quite good.

And I am anything but an Apple fanboy.

Well I'm delighted with my new 13" 2.4Gz MacBook Pro. I can only imagine what the 15s and 17s are like. But I'm just chiming in to say that the grass is just fine right here where I am.

I was hovering on the edge of getting the next one up, or even the 15", but decided this was enough. The manager said that if I decide to upgrade to a more expensive model in the next two weeks, they will waive the restocking fee. But I don't think I'm going to bother.

This is a beautiful thing. I'm coming from a late 2007 white MacBook, and the difference is huge. Certainly enough to make me happy. If I end up with any serious money making opportunities then I'll upgrade in a year or so. I'm not loving the new magsafe terminal, the cord seems cheaper than the last one, and there are a couple of other minor things, but these are quibbles.

As for comparing Macs to PCs, I can only say that I spent the first half of the last 20 years on PCs, and the second half on Macs. Macs are better. If there is a PC out there that is faster, it'll eat up any time you save in chasing stupid problems around, driver hell, defragging, registry fun and games, I could go on. I used to reformat my windows HDs every six months and reinstall everything as a matter of course as the most efficient way to keep it all up to speed. Neither of my macs ever had anything like those problems. The Y2K Quicksilver is still working, albeit rather slowly, and the white macbook survived stuff I can't imagine any of my old Windows notebooks ever living through. If the white macbook hadn't died I wouldn't have even known about the latest update for some time, because I wouldn't have needed to replace it. And it only died because I dumped coffee in it two years ago and dropped it about a million times - it underwent three years of commuting to school on a crazy schedule.

All of this being said, I'm no Apple fangirl either. I've spent all night migrating my stuff from the dear departed white macbook's HD and have way more to go, all because the great and powerful Jobs and his flying monkeys have decided to "simplify" things. (The migration assistant was not as helpful as I hoped.) As I told the kid at the store, if there was another machine that worked as well but did not micromanage my computing experience the way Apple does, I'd be buying that instead. And it's apparently only gotten worse under Snow Leopard.

I got a great kid, by the way. I lucked out. He hung in there while I made up my mind, actually had enough information to help me make it up, hung in further while the bank decided to pitch a hissy and I got trapped in automated telephone hell, helped me seriously out by calling the bank himself and resolving said hissy as I guess Apple has access we mere mortals do not, and then gave me new earbuds for my phone because he saw mine were a bit worn. He didn't even try to sell me anything I didn't want and all in all, I left a happy customer. Oh, and I got a wireless HP printer for what will amount to 29.00 plus the sales tax after the rebate. Not bad. All in all a good day. And a loooong night getting all my applications, settings, etc. up to speed.

 

[saltyzoo]

All of this being said, I'm no Apple fangirl either. I've spent all night migrating my stuff from the dear departed white macbook's HD and have way more to go, all because the great and powerful Jobs and his flying monkeys have decided to "simplify" things. (The migration assistant was not as helpful as I hoped.) As I told the kid at the store, if there was another machine that worked as well but did not micromanage my computing experience the way Apple does, I'd be buying that instead. And it's apparently only gotten worse under Snow Leopard.

So much truth in that. It is too bad.

 

[Digital Skunk]

So, I still can't get anything except a Core 2 Duo CPU unless I pay for the 15-inch version that I don't want?
I can't get rid of that stupid glossy monitor?
The only way to get ExpressCard support is to buy the 17-inch version?
I can't have the separate ports for audio in and audio out unless I buy the bigger screen?
There's still no NVIDIA Quadro FX support?

I'm assuming that I've hastily misread the specifications page, and that there's the consumer-level options shown on the Apple Store page that I looked at, but the professional customization options are listed somewhere else.

Core i5 and i7 CPU options
ExpressCard slot
eSATA port
Certified Quadro FX mobile graphics
Audio I/O on separate channels
Daylight-readable 13-inch monitor with anti-glare coatings
Touchscreen optional

Touchscreens are extremely over rated. I'd love to see a 13" MBP with express card slot and eSATA port, or at least a 15" with the return of Express Card 34.

The only reassurance I have now is that Apple won't butcher the 17" MBP like they've done with the 15" MBP. If I needed a 15", I'd really have to get a pre-built-in-battery 15" unibody MBP.

Good luck in your search for those missing Apple specs.

 

[satcomer]

I found MBP! For the first time in my life I am buying a Mac.

Also get cheaper Mac RAM from the links at RAMSeeeker.cm.

I'm not sure yet if I will use OSX only or dualboot with Win7. MBP made the choice easy because it gives you the best total package at an ok price.!

Bookmark the sites MacWindows.com, MacOSXHints.com and Accelerate Your Macintosh.com. Also most definitely get the book Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition because it will be a great switching resource to understanding the move to OS X.

After this you should be set. By the way do you know OS X will boot off external disks while Windows system can't?

 

[sommer182]

Perfectly Happy

I picked up a new i5 15" base model on opening day. I was all set to go with the top 13" unit, since I've had a 13 white MacBook since '08 and have loved it. In the end I decided I wanted a little more real estate on the screen, and the graphics switching.

But I will bottom line it for all the tech lovers on this website--Apple's success in recent years has NOT been to cater to the high end media producers (altough their products are still amongst the best in that department from what I hear) or the tech oriented folks that often visit this site. Their success has been built on the MASS MARKET consumer. Like, for example, my wife. She see's a higher price tag on a Mac, but she also sees a computer that LASTS a dang long time. Before going to Apple (and never looking back) we owned THREE PC desktops in three and a half years. One motherboard fried. One hard drive died. And one just plain stopped working after getting some sort of virus--despite paying monthly fees to Norton. We picked up a new G5 17" iMac back then, and over five years later it still runs just fine. Slow compared to my new MBP, but it runs with no issues at all. There have been no problems with the 2008 MacBook either.

So, you have a computer that costs a little more. So, you have a computer that might not have top of the line specs. But you also have a computer that you can use five years later. That is one of the things that appeals to the mass market, and one reason Apple has had success.

Now...HOW LONG UNTIL THE NEXT UPDATE?????

 

[Chilliemann]

Mac-Virginity Loss

So, I finally did it. I bought my first Mac! I settled on the cute little 13" with a connector to my 22" HP monitor, as well as a remote for controlling the little box of awesomeness from afar. Unfortunately, it says it'll be 5 days before they send it, and the ETA for delivery is 3-4 May ! Gonna be a tough wait but at least I'm gonna have something to look forward to. Hopefully my first Mac-experience is gonna be a satisfying one

 

[Great Dave]

You hit the nail on the head brother/sister, Apple's "Pro" nomenclature is just to help people help separate it from the Macbook and Macbook Air. Other than that, it's really just a middle of the road, one size fits all lineup.

It kind of started with the complete switch to Intel, and climaxed with the iPhone. Once Apple found that people were happy with less features/performance/options Apple knew they didn't have to wow us with tech specs and hardware.

I haven't checked out the RGBLED monitors yet, but I DO hear a lot of good things about them. Have to go see about them.

I agree with you.

Ever since the update where Apple removed the express card slot (dumb!) and got rid of the second FireWire port (dumb!), and at the time dropped the matte option (dumb!), a lot of people complained it was no longer a "Pro" machine.

And I agree with you, this update further places this "Pro" machine as just middle of the road machine.

 

[excruc1o]

I am just completely surprised that best buy wont carry the new macs until June. ridiculous hah. No money to buy from the apple store

 

[dsprimal]

my thoughts on people worrying about stronger specs...

I'm a mac virgin still. Coming from the PC world. I can say that from a PC POV. We (PC's) wish we had the build quality of a mac, the luxury of a mac, and most importantly the life span of a mac (without having to reformat every 6 months to keep a PC in its best shape). From seeing a couple posts from people complaining about the lack of power, and other components like Blu-ray, HDMI etc. Yea those things would be nice, but it wouldn't make a mac...a MAC. Pretty much what I'm trying to say is, there's always something you gotta give up.

Apple knows what their doing.....they know exactly where they are in the market. I doubt they would continue adding fuel to the "less power/no HDMI/BLU RAY" bon fire people think that their currently in if they didn't have something clever up their sleeves (their thinking LONG TERM). Don't forget what company were talking about people!!!!!

By the way......what I fear is.....apple planned this current update as a "medium" or "filler" upgrade to hold off until the 2011 models. In which they might want to change the whole external look to the laptop AND THEN throw in HDMI/USB 3.0/BLU RAY and all the goodies people are raving about.

Just a thought of mine, cause if i wanted to throw in things that were never on a machine before, I would want to put it on a newly designed laptop...and the current aluminum unibodies are already 2 years in so its kinda too late to just throw in new stuff to an out of date look. BUT THATS JUST ME!


PS: I hope I'm wrong and apple doesn't change the look of the macbook pro (i have no clue how often apple changes their designs) but I already ordered my 15" 2.66ghz core i7 MBP the other day before the thought of WAITING FOR ANOTHER UPDATE popped into my head. cause i would probably cry everyday for the next YEAR until the next update.

 

[NonFatForever]

I for one am very happy with the release of the 15" MBP with i7, 500GB HD @ 7200rpm, & anti-glare 1680x1050 widescreen on Tuesday. My circumstances required that I order my new MBP by April 13th, and I am thrilled to be getting the updated version instead of the old alternative (which I almost had to settle for). My new MBP is now ordered and scheduled to arrive this coming week. For me, it is a definite answer to prayer, and I have no reason to lament what's not in the new unit (especially when it is replacing my 3 year old 2.33GHz 15" MBP).
There will always be new and better updates, and I hope when they arrive, I can time my next computer purchase as well as this one is working out for me. The timing was literally down to the nail-biting wire for me, and the rumors were driving me a little nuts; but in retrospect, I am thrilled with the results. Thank you Apple!
Today everything is working out well, and any complaints will have to hopefully be scheduled for another distant day.

 

[Eric S.]

Apple knows what their doing.....they know exactly where they are in the market. I doubt they would continue adding fuel to the "less power/no HDMI/BLU RAY" bon fire people think that their currently in if they didn't have something clever up their sleeves (their thinking LONG TERM). Don't forget what company were talking about people!!!!!

Just because a company is making the decisions that are best for itself from a profit standpoint doesn't mean it's making the best decisions from a technical standpoint. You could just as easily have said "Microsoft knows what it's doing" back in the 80s and 90s when it was making money hand over fist but was still creating products that were marginal or below technically (and buying up or stamping out others who challenged it with better products).

 

[mypins]

Very happy with my new 17" MBP

Over the past week I have been traveling internationally with my new 17" MBP, i7, 500GB HD, 8GB RAM and the best damn anti-glare, hi-res screen on the face of the planet. Battery has been pushing more than 7 hours on the plane as well, and there is negligible heat coming from the bottom of the laptop and onto my lap. My trusted 15" G4 Powerbook for more than 5 years has been passed down in the family and I haven't looked back. Very, very satisfied and happy with my purchase. Now I get to wait for the new iPhone!