MacBook Pro Upgrade At Photokina?

[absurdio]

Cheers for the input! At the moment I think its going to be the 17" MBP but that may change if the 15" get fw800 and DL drive.

I'm in a similar 15" vs. 17" quandry. If I get a second (larger) display for my desk, the 15" would be fine, provided it gets some of the upgrades already in the 17".

That said, if there's a 15" with fw800, DL superdrive, and a better gpu, it's mine. If any of those are lacking, i'll be forced to go with the 17" (darn).

 

[AppleKrate]

lol, can't believe I forgot to mention the free applecare. Also for £54 you get free pickup

Oh man it just gets better and better... double discount, free applecare, free iPod, free printer... but I don't understand what's free about £54

 

[CHRISonTOPofHER]

my friend ordered a MBP just yesterday and it says it won't ship until the 26th contrary to what it says on the site.

 

[pmbooks]

Well I hope Apple keeps with the ethos of having the same processor in both the MB and MBP lines. It's worked extremely well and aside from the so-called "shortages" of Merom chips (which hasn't stopped every major manufacturer already announcing and in many cases shipping desktops, laptops and bloody tablets for both consumer and pro already) I don't see any reason why Apple should undo a good idea.

And i always thought the Apple ethos was to have two different processors. Up until this year, didn't the ibook more often have a slower processor than the powerbook?

 

[AppleKrate]

my friend ordered a MBP just yesterday and it says it won't ship until the 26th contrary...

you mean like... in 500 years time?!?

 

[HecubusPro]

And i always thought the Apple ethos was to have two different processors. Up until this year, didn't the ibook more often have a slower processor than the powerbook?

Core 2 Duo do have speed varieties in their line. I can see apple including C2D in the MBP and the MB, with the MB obviously receiving the lower speeds--2.0 and 2.16. The only reason I can see why they wouldn't is limited availability of merom chips, IMO. We'll see what happens tomorrow or next week.

 

[tekmoe]

I'm in a similar 15" vs. 17" quandry. If I get a second (larger) display for my desk, the 15" would be fine, provided it gets some of the upgrades already in the 17".

That said, if there's a 15" with fw800, DL superdrive, and a better gpu, it's mine. If any of those are lacking, i'll be forced to go with the 17" (darn).

i bought a 17" powerbook and i love it. unfortunately, i bought a 24" dell monitor to go with my powermac dualcore g5 shortly afterwards and thus, i no longer need a 17" powerbook anymore. when the merom mbp's come out i will be buying the smallest one they release whether that be a 12", 13" or 15". 17" is overkill at this point for my needs.

 

[Leej]

<snip>
Well when you look closely, the 17" only weighs 1.2 pounds more than the 15" and dimensions are only 1.3 inches wider and .8 inches deeper than the 15" model - hardly a burden to any desk's footprint. Plus it's only $300 or 13% more for a lot more features like a 3rd USB2 port, FW 800, the best graphics offered and the much higher resolution 1680x1050 screen
<snip>

Looking at the current configs, the 17" MBP has a 120 gb hd, where as the 15" MBP has a 100 gb hd standard . Upgrading the 15" MBP is an additional $100, narrowing the gap between the 17" and the 15" to a paltry $200!
I was planning on a 15" MBP but thanks to Multimedia, I think I've been swayed to a 17" MBP purchase

 

[shadowx]

!

Actually, the Apple store being down briefly may actually be a good sign... didn't the store go down for a little while the day before the big iMac update?? Maybe they are running a little test for tomorrow...

 

[MacinDoc]

While I'm sure all of that is true and logical, PC buyers have been able to see exactly what they're getting for at least 3 weeks. Apple is stretching out the anticipation just for the satisfaction of saying "now shipping"? Seems a bit anticlimactic for a simple processor upgrade. I won't be the only one disappointed if that's all we get.

Oh, there will be some changes, such as an updated drive bay that allows for easy drive swapping, accommodation for up to 3 GB RAM (if you don't mind the price of adding a 2 GB SODIMM) and possibly a magnetic latch.

 

[MacinDoc]

Core 2 Duo do have speed varieties in their line. I can see apple including C2D in the MBP and the MB, with the MB obviously receiving the lower speeds--2.0 and 2.16. The only reason I can see why they wouldn't is limited availability of merom chips, IMO. We'll see what happens tomorrow or next week.

Agreed.

 

[aly]

Looking at the current configs, the 17" MBP has a 120 gb hd, where as the 15" MBP has a 100 gb hd standard . Upgrading the 15" MBP is an additional $100, narrowing the gap between the 17" and the 15" to a paltry $200!
I was planning on a 15" MBP but thanks to Multimedia, I think I've been swayed to a 17" MBP purchase

I'm swayed towards the 17", though I'm not sure if my bank account agrees its such a good idea as you say, considering the extra upgrades that come standard in the 17", it really narrows the gap between the two! And don't forget the extra usb port and fw800!

 

[pmbooks]

Core 2 Duo do have speed varieties in their line. I can see apple including C2D in the MBP and the MB, with the MB obviously receiving the lower speeds--2.0 and 2.16. The only reason I can see why they wouldn't is limited availability of merom chips, IMO. We'll see what happens tomorrow or next week.

Is Apple justified in the big price difference, then, between the two?

Also, a follow-up question to an earlier post regarding HD swaps: I'm curious how Apple could tell if someone had opened their MB, swapped a HD, but returned original to its place before sending in (for future warrantied repair). Is there some way they could see this, if it was done, say, by a Apple certified tech? (i.e. cleanly)

 

[kelkhs]

17" vs. 15"

The new C2D MBP will be my first mac. And I'm really excited. But I'm kind of debating between the 15" and 17". For an additional $300, I get more screen real estate, 1 more USB and 1 FW800, and better superdrive and HD. But the portability of it is a real big thing for me. Esp. cuz I have a messenger bag and a Nike Epic Laptop bag that will work best with a 15". I need all the input and arguments to help me decide which one to get. I've been debating this in my head for the longest time. Thank you.

 

[akadmon]

i bought a 17" powerbook and i love it. unfortunately, i bought a 24" dell monitor to go with my powermac dualcore g5 shortly afterwards and thus, i no longer need a 17" powerbook anymore. when the merom mbp's come out i will be buying the smallest one they release whether that be a 12", 13" or 15". 17" is overkill at this point for my needs.

Why base the choice of a laptop on an external monitor? I've used every one of my laptops as a laptop exclusively, even around the house. Then again, I don't own a desk

 

[aly]

If your bags will only fit a 15" and you end up buying another one to fit a 17" MBP remember thats just another cost on top. With the saving consider the other items you may buy with your mac. A copy of windows, parallels to run windows, second power supply (one at home, one with you) additional software e.g. office, iwork etc. and you get the idea. If you dont really need the extra features, the money saved getting the 15" can be useful!

Though having said that I think i'm getting the 17", though its not my first mac and hopefully most of the stuff I need to run will do so under rosetta till I have enough to buy UB apps.

Also check out the Crumpler Stickydate, its an awesome messenger laptop bag that accomodates the MBP 17". It is pricey but look around, I got mine for £65, thats a bargain btw!

 

[HecubusPro]

Is Apple justified in the big price difference, then, between the two?

Why not? Just take a look at the new iMac line-up to get an idea of price differences. They're in keeping with what came before.

 

[teme]

The new C2D MBP will be my first mac. And I'm really excited. But I'm kind of debating between the 15" and 17". For an additional $300, I get more screen real estate, 1 more USB and 1 FW800, and better superdrive and HD. But the portability of it is a real big thing for me. Esp. cuz I have a messenger bag and a Nike Epic Laptop bag that will work best with a 15". I need all the input and arguments to help me decide which one to get. I've been debating this in my head for the longest time. Thank you.

I would take 15", because it's much more portable. Sure 17" is nice, but the extra features are not that necessary. 15" is more compact and easier to carry around.

 

[HecubusPro]

The new C2D MBP will be my first mac. And I'm really excited. But I'm kind of debating between the 15" and 17". For an additional $300, I get more screen real estate, 1 more USB and 1 FW800, and better superdrive and HD. But the portability of it is a real big thing for me. Esp. cuz I have a messenger bag and a Nike Epic Laptop bag that will work best with a 15". I need all the input and arguments to help me decide which one to get. I've been debating this in my head for the longest time. Thank you.

Configurations might change with the next update to C2D. Who knows? The 15" might get FW800 too.

Personally, I'm getting the 17" notebook as a desktop replacement. Since I had a 19" monitor with that desktop, getting a 17" MBP makes sense for me. Even better, I can take it from my desk to my sofa, do some work and watch the football game on TV. Of course, you can do that with a 15" as well, but I'm mostly going for the larger version simply because I know I won't be leaving the house with it all that much. Plus, I dig the larger screen to watch movies when I'm lounging on the bed.

Get what you need. Get what you want.

 

[tekmoe]

I would take 15", because it's much more portable. Sure 17" is nice, but the extra features are not that necessary. 15" is more compact and easier to carry around.

shortly before and shortly after i purchased my 17" powerbook, i would have disagreed with you. after owning my 17" for nearly a year now, i must admit that is a bit big for my tastes. i owned a 15" powerbook before and it was almost the perfect size...i'd love for apple to introduce a 13" mbp but i doubt it will happen. with that being said, the 15" is the route i am going to take.

don't get me wrong...17" is freakin' awesome. if it were my desktop replacement, it is absolutely positively the #1 choice. however, i own a powermac with a 24" monitor and keeping the 17" powerbook is really just overkill at this point. need something more portable. gonna happen very very soon...

 

[gmckenzi]

The new C2D MBP will be my first mac. And I'm really excited. But I'm kind of debating between the 15" and 17". For an additional $300, I get more screen real estate, 1 more USB and 1 FW800, and better superdrive and HD. But the portability of it is a real big thing for me. Esp. cuz I have a messenger bag and a Nike Epic Laptop bag that will work best with a 15". I need all the input and arguments to help me decide which one to get. I've been debating this in my head for the longest time. Thank you.

I had a 15" and used to shake my head in wonderment at my colleagues that had 17" monsters. I always swore that I wouldn't go with a 17". Earlier this year after receiving and returning five (!) 15" models at a local retailer (they all suffered from batteries that wouldn't charge) I finally gave in an got a 17" inch because I knew from the forums that the 17" models didn't have the battery production problem that was affecting the 15" models.

All I can say is that I couldn't go back to a 15" now. Yes it is bigger, but the screen size is just plain beautiful. I didn't think I'd be swayed, but now I couldn't go back. I had to experience it first.

Gavin.

 

[Bobthemonkey]

go with the 15 - i've ogt a 17 desktop replacent pc and frankly its just too big to carray around all day - it does jhave one nicefeature though - instead of the dead space either side of the keyboard, the letters are moved to the left, and and full number pad is fitted, like on a proper keyboard.

The 17 is so heavy that im getting my first mac very soon for uni - the basic macbook with edu. discount and maybe a wireless mighty mouse (if i cna get a good answer on how musch these affect the battery of the macbook)

 

[shadowx]

Oh, there will be some changes, such as an updated drive bay that allows for easy drive swapping, accommodation for up to 3 GB RAM (if you don't mind the price of adding a 2 GB SODIMM) and possibly a magnetic latch.

Unless Apple finds a way to solder 1GB of RAM (2 X 512 to keep it dual channel) onto the motherboard for a total of 3GB... JK

 

[ChickenSwartz]

Hypothisize

I know it has been the subject of much debate, but, if Apple does release a 12'' MBP, what do you think the pricing will be? As compared to the 15''?

I guess the best guess would be comparative to 12'' PowerBook, but I don't know how much they cost.

 

[mivida2k]

lol, i've said it before and i'll say it again; some people just have no patience whatsoever. it is almost 100% assured that mbp's about to receive an update yet you have people like this who say they can't wait any longer.

it's all good. one less yonah mbp so a merom mbp can fill it's spot.

I have been waiting for almost two months and need a computer. At some point the waiting has to stop, particularly if you are a student.