Macbook Released

[filterban]

I figured the only way to break through my own and everyone else's (those who do't have one) speculation was to go check them out.

[*]Black surface: I tried to scratch off the paint at CompUSA - figuring that the system was having problems anyway. It resisted my tough fingernails. I haven't dug into my "precious" too hard but gave it a few loving scratches and so far so good. She purred .

[*]Looks: It is absolutely sepectacular looking

Wow, just wow.

So, you went on this board and complained loudly and voraciously that Apple was ripping off its consumers by charging an extra $150 for the black model.

Then, what did you do?

You bought the black model for perfectly valid reasons:

1) It looks better to you.
2) You don't want it to get dirty.
3) You want it to look different from a G4 iBook.
4) etc.

Every consumer who bought a black MacBook went through a similar decision process, and they decided the extra $150 was worth it. Are they being ripped off?

No.

 

[Mord]

One last thing...
Hector, let's say I wanted to replace the HD in a G4 iBook. Having seen the
procedure outlined online on PBfixit, there are 23 pages of instructions, with
3 pictures/steps per page. So Apple is cool with me doing this as long as I don't screw up?
This certainly goes against all that I have read or heard from several sources.
It has been strongly implied or succinctly stated that if you even crack the
case on a Rev c or higher iMac, an iBook, an eMac, ect, that the warranty is void.
I wasn't sure how they would be able to tell, but still wondered...

as long as you don't screw it up the warranty is intact, even if it was against apples warranty policies it's not like apple centers send apple records ow what HD they have installed in what mac, for all apple knows your HD has been installed by an apple certified tech as long as you do the job properly.

 

[sedi]

I just ordered my black macbook, my very first Mac. Hereby I'm officially a switcher.

 

[matticus008]

Trackpad and clicker - Hateful and sucks, but this is not new. Make it tappable as an option (someone tell me it's in a preference setting somewhere, please).

System Preferences>Keyboard and Mouse.

The two finger click substitute for a second button is so idiotically contorted that it has to be a way to avoid another dollar on the price. Yes, it's doable and it will become easier the more you do it, but it just is 'wrong' in so many ways.

It's actually an aesthetic and ergonomic choice. Apple has gone to great pains to allow multi-button use without betraying its one-button tradition. If you tap for left click, a two-fingered tap for right click is perfectly natural.

Two finger scroll (my first) is ok, but I'm not sure from a usability perspective I think they will find a better way.

You clearly haven't given it enough time yet . Two-fingered scrolling IS the better way.

Bowflexing... someone described the MB as 'flexing under it's own weight' and as I carried it around and did some one-handed 'curls' with it I felt exactly what they meant. It is an amazingly 'dense' piece of equipment.

Magnesium frame. iBooks were far more durable than PowerBooks. I've seen them dropped, kicked, and even sat upon once (lid open) and they all lived on to serve another day. I'd rather have that than a cheap scrap frame or solid plastic Dell construction than save the pound it adds. That's just my preference, though, since the MacBook is not a "thin and light" despite being both thin and light.

Marketing note #2 to Infinite Loop: consider purchasing an OEM license to Windows XP PRO/Vista and making it a pre-installed option. It would be cheaper and easier for your cross-over market expanding newbie buyers.

Never. Apple can't undercut their own business directly. Investors, shareholders, and customers would never allow it. They have to walk a fine line of allowing, but not encouraging. There's no way Apple could pull off selling Windows licenses and not tank completely.

Piracy of OS X isn't ever going to be a serious threat that Apple can discourage by expanding beyond Boot Camp. The people that want OS X on their boxes want to do it for the challenge or the thrill, or because they don't want to spend a single penny. These are people who aren't going to pay for it no matter what Apple does. When Leopard comes out for Intel and PPC, do you think the x86 hackers are going to buy the retail copy and then modify it for their generic PC? Probably not; they'll just keep downloading it.

 

[Snide]

as long as you don't screw it up the warranty is intact, even if it was against apples warranty policies it's not like apple centers send apple records ow what HD they have installed in what mac, for all apple knows your HD has been installed by an apple certified tech as long as you do the job properly.

Thanks for that info. I wanted a G4 iBook to at least tide me over while waiting
for the Macbook, but didn't want to be hobbled by the anemic 4200 RPM HD.
It would have had to go at once! I am extremely thrilled to see how easily one
can upgrade the HD in the Macbook. Hooray!

 

[Gatezone]

Not so fast buddy

Wow, just wow.

So, you went on this board and complained loudly and voraciously that Apple was ripping off its consumers by charging an extra $150 for the black model.

Then, what did you do?

You bought the black model for perfectly valid reasons:

1) It looks better to you.
2) You don't want it to get dirty.
3) You want it to look different from a G4 iBook.
4) etc.

Every consumer who bought a black MacBook went through a similar decision process, and they decided the extra $150 was worth it. Are they being ripped off?

No.

Exploitation is not a one way street. I have made it clear that it is individual choice to participate in their own finanical exploitation. I don't think it should cost $150 to have the color you prefer, no. Did I spend it, yes. Might I return it, you bet. My own cognitive dissonance is such that I do all sorts of things that are not rational

I honestly thought that we established a better understanding of financial exploitation way back in the 1500's? Posts, not the year . Fair market and capitalism gives us the liberty to both exploit and to accept our own exploitation.

My impressionistic experiential 'review' is just what it is. I'm not ashamed to fall in love even for a few days... even after I've resisted the allure. I'm also not opposed to returning things or reselling them. It's both a life of feeling and of analysis.

 

[Gatezone]

System Preferences>Keyboard and Mouse.

It's actually an aesthetic and ergonomic choice. Apple has gone to great pains to allow multi-button use without betraying its one-button tradition. If you tap for left click, a two-fingered tap for right click is perfectly natural.


You clearly haven't given it enough time yet . Two-fingered scrolling IS the better way.

Oh Matticus you party line dude... I need more evidence than you saying that it is so. The verdict is out, but I'm open to two-finger scrolling and one finger saluting. But that two finger tapping and clicking sucks more than giving up the ghost and providing another button, geeze already. And straight tapping to select would be a godsend.

Magnesium frame. iBooks were far more durable than PowerBooks. I've seen them dropped, kicked, and even sat upon once (lid open) and they all lived on to serve another day. I'd rather have that than a cheap scrap frame or solid plastic Dell construction than save the pound it adds. That's just my preference, though, since the MacBook is not a "thin and light" despite being both thin and light.

Not lightweight. Nope, sorry, that one you need to come to grips with. But I'm happy to hear about the tensile strenth. The case feels good to me, but it doesn't seem to be where the weight is coming from. When the system got really hot I saw some lead melting out of the speaker baffles. (just kidding folks)

Never. Apple can't undercut their own business directly. Investors, shareholders, and customers would never allow it. They have to walk a fine line of allowing, but not encouraging. There's no way Apple could pull off selling Windows licenses and not tank completely.

This is no surprise coming from a party line guy, and it not making sense to me won't surprise you . They sell more hardware, they introduce their software because it will be the initial default. Where's the down side? People keep buying Mac's and running windows on it? Gee that would be terrible. A little dumb maybe but I don't see them losing money on the deal if they are not losing money selling their systems without it? It isn't as if I'm suggesting they sell Mac hardware **without** Mac OS.

Piracy of OS X isn't ever going to be a serious threat that Apple can discourage by expanding beyond Boot Camp.

I'm not sure I'm following the threat of a double-negative above... Can you help me parse out that one again? If relevant.

The people that want OS X on their boxes want to do it for the challenge or the thrill, or because they don't want to spend a single penny. These are people who aren't going to pay for it no matter what Apple does. When Leopard comes out for Intel and PPC, do you think the x86 hackers are going to buy the retail copy and then modify it for their generic PC? Probably not; they'll just keep downloading it.

Well this might explain what you were saying. I probably agree, although if Mac OS ran as easily on Intel non-Apple boxes as Windows runs on Mac hardware and Dell OEM'ed it (as Michael Dell has suggested) I don't think it would really matter what the hackers did. But I agree that Apple will not let their software easily run on, nor support it running on the heathen non-Apple hardware.

I'm just suggesting that there is very little to lose and a lot to gain by pre-installing or providing it as a BTO option on new Macs. Don't try to tell me that the extra OS will make it even heavier . Or that they'll have to have separate production runs to accomodate this build to order disk image...

 

[Gatezone]

Vista compatibility with integrated graphics

Not that it will matter to most but a friend just wrote to me with this 'rumor' after reading about my excitement about dual booting and haveing a nice Windows laptop as a bonus to the MB:

I just read (here) that Vista Premier might not work on BlackBook because it doesn't have 128MB of VRAM. And since the GPU shares ram-space with the CPU, it might have some additional video playback issues.

Just something to help keep us forward looking consumers educated...

And before you say it, I know Vista will probably not be out till forever and by then the lightweight non-integrated MB will be sitting on our desks, or in our back pockets.

 

[matticus008]

And straight tapping to select would be a godsend.

Tapping left clicks. What more do you want?

Not lightweight. Nope, sorry, that one you need to come to grips with. But I'm happy to hear about the tensile strenth. The case feels good to me, but it doesn't seem to be where the weight is coming from.

The battery is no cloud, to be sure. 5.2 pounds, though, is definitely below the median for a notebook computer.

This is no surprise coming from a party line guy, and it not making sense to me won't surprise you . They sell more hardware, they introduce their software because it will be the initial default. Where's the down side? People keep buying Mac's and running windows on it? Gee that would be terrible.

I'm not a party line guy. It's rather irksome that people make that conclusion just because this is an Apple forum...I've made hundreds of posts (literally) pointing out problems with Apple, just as I have supporting them.

The problem is that they can't become a Windows OEM. Yes, they would sell more units, but that's not the issue. They need to sell OS X in order to maintain distinction as a company, not just sneak it in under the radar. If market share shrinks of OS X, it poses a substantial financial threat to Apple. Without going into the long and boring details, it comes to this: market share of Apple is measured by OS X, not by the number of Macs...they can't improve their market share by selling Windows-running Macs.

A little dumb maybe but I don't see them losing money on the deal if they are not losing money selling their systems without it? It isn't as if I'm suggesting they sell Mac hardware **without** Mac OS.

It's not that direct. If people don't run OS X, Apple doesn't gain anything. As a boutique PC manufacturer only differing in design from other PC vendors, they're doomed as a company. Just look at the market. Not one PC manufacturer is profitable, aside from Dell, and they've recently admitted that they're missing their growth targets. Apple's the only one not breaking even or in the red, and it's because of OS X.

I'm not sure I'm following the threat of a double-negative above... Can you help me parse out that one again? If relevant.

Well, it's not a double negative, so maybe just read it until it make sense.

Well this might explain what you were saying. I probably agree, although if Mac OS ran as easily on Intel non-Apple boxes as Windows runs on Mac hardware and Dell OEM'ed it (as Michael Dell has suggested) I don't think it would really matter what the hackers did.

It wouldn't. But that's outside reality, as you admit.

I'm just suggesting that there is very little to lose and a lot to gain by pre-installing or providing it as a BTO option on new Macs.

An erroneous and dangerous assertion, and I'm not saying that because Apple is involved. It's happened with other companies in similar situations, and it's never worked for them, and they weren't tackling a 90% market share giant with their strategy.

 

[Cybergypsy]

Mine did... I'm guessing yours are in there somewhere. I think they may have been inserted in between the pages of the manual? They weren't obvious, but I did come across them at one point...

BTW: I'm surprised how many of my neighbors have wireless networks...[/

QUOTE]
Mine was free...

 

[davidmt]

I just came back from the Apple store, wanting to see the new MacBooks in person before I placed an order from Amazon. This has probably been posted, but Amazon.com has a $100+ rebate on Apple computers (desktops and laptops), so I was planning on taking advantage of that.

I mentioned the rebate to the Apple store clerk, and that if it wasn't for the $100 savings, I'd be buying one from them. He talked to his manager, came back and told me he would price match the $100. No waiting for a rebate, and I could walk out today with a new MacBook! They also have a free printer offer with a purchase of a computer, so I got a HP printer/scanner/copier thrown in (that IS a rebate, though).

I'm very pleased with the customer support I've received at the Apple stores. Not only this time, but on several other occasions.

Just thought some of you might be interested

Link to Amazon MacBook (black):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/re...7-2159866?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

Every consumer who bought a black MacBook went through a similar decision process, and they decided the extra $150 was worth it. Are they being ripped off?

No.

I wont second it at all. Coz definitely a black paint job cant cost 150$ at all. And from the way I see things, this will very soon be changed. Apple definitely cant charge 150$ extra for black color forever. IMO by the year end it`ll be reduced to a much sensible 50$. or even less. So you are paying atleast 100$ extra just to make your MB look a little better? Only a fool wud pay 150$ for a black color.





Now before you start. Lemme clear that I was(and still am a lil bit) one of those FOOLS who really wanted a Black MB at any cost, even had the money but had to be satisfied with White in the end as I was left with no other option .

But now with a White one in my lap, I m more than satisfied with the white color. There`s no way anyone can mistake it for a G4 iBook. It`s way too better than G4.

So all those of you who want to buy a Black MB for 150$ premium; I dont think nothing wrong with your idea. Black definitely is cool IMO. But white too is pretty good.

 

[matticus008]

I wont second it at all. Coz definitely a black paint job cant cost 150$ at all. And from the way I see things, this will very soon be changed.

No, but what's the price difference between a 60GB and an 80GB drive? $10? Certainly nowhere near the 50 they charge.

The fact is that by offering a black one, they're dividing their numbers. If they were ordering 1 million white cases before, they got a certain price. Now, 1 million MacBooks will be both black and white--so the white order might only be 600,000, and they don't get as good of a price on the smaller order. The black might be more expensive (different pigment and different finish on the case, different keyboard, different battery...all of which are a few dollars more expensive each), and with the lower discount offset to the black customers, it could easily run up to $50-60 per unit for the black. Apple doesn't want to raise the price for everyone to offer the option, so the black buyers will offset the higher cost of their computers AND the higher cost of the white computers (such that the white computers are actually selling for a slightly lower margin than they otherwise would--still not "at a loss," but at a comparative loss).

Nearly tripling the price of a BTO upgrade is a time-honored tradition for computer manufacturers, so suddenly $150 doesn't seem so bad. Don't get me wrong; I think they could easily get away with charging closer to actual cost, since this and RAM are the most lucrative notebook upgrades. But it's not criminal that their markup is percentage-based. Every other BTO is percentage-based.

 

[bloodycape]

No, they won't fit in the MacBook. If they did, they'd already be in the MacBook. The second part of your comment doesn't seem to be about the DVD drive, but if you're saying the MacBook graphics are upgradeable, they absolutely are not.

Well from the looks of things it seems like you can swap out the gfx chip for another similar chip like the next version of the 950 chips that are suppose to come out. I only say this because I think I remeber reading on an amd/intel forum about how some people upgraded their older 915 chipset to the 940, 945 and even the 950.

 

[matticus008]

Well from the looks of things it seems like you can swap out the gfx chip for another similar chip like the next version of the 950 chips that are suppose to come out.

No, you cannot. There is no "graphics chip" on the motherboard to swap out. It's built directly into the Intel chipset.

 

[filterban]

I just ordered my black macbook, my very first Mac. Hereby I'm officially a switcher.

Congratulations, and welcome. You won't be going back, trust me.

 

[filterban]

Exploitation is not a one way street. I have made it clear that it is individual choice to participate in their own finanical exploitation. I don't think it should cost $150 to have the color you prefer, no. Did I spend it, yes. Might I return it, you bet. My own cognitive dissonance is such that I do all sorts of things that are not rational

I honestly thought that we established a better understanding of financial exploitation way back in the 1500's? Posts, not the year . Fair market and capitalism gives us the liberty to both exploit and to accept our own exploitation.

My impressionistic experiential 'review' is just what it is. I'm not ashamed to fall in love even for a few days... even after I've resisted the allure. I'm also not opposed to returning things or reselling them. It's both a life of feeling and of analysis.

Well, that certainly explains it. (And I think people in the 1500s actually did know what it felt like to be exploited, with all that slavery and indentured servitude/serfdom.)

Your review was also well done. My (white) MacBook will arrive on Tuesday.

For the record, I find it interesting that you and I argued for some time about this issue, with you basically saying $150 was a ripoff just for a new color and me saying that it was fair.

Yet, when purchasing our MacBooks, I bought the white one (I just didn't think it was worth $150 to make it look like a Gateway or Dell) and you bought the black one (for also valid reasons.)

Makes you wonder what the point of these forums is at all, doesn't it?

 

[extramural]

Trackpad and clicker - Hateful and sucks, but this is not new. Make it tappable as an option (someone tell me it's in a preference setting somewhere, please). The two finger click substitute for a second button is so idiotically contorted that it has to be a way to avoid another dollar on the price. Yes, it's doable and it will become easier the more you do it, but it just is 'wrong' in so many ways. Two finger scroll (my first) is ok, but I'm not sure from a usability perspective I think they will find a better way. In my opinion there has always been something just a little off with the Mac laptop pad and clicker. The way it is positioned almost always forced me to use my thumb in a way that is uncomfortable. I used to never use the 'tap' for click option on a laptop but once I got used to it I love it and is almost always easier than 'reaching' for the click bar with my thumb. Don't even say anything about using two hands on the pad/clicker.

Perhaps SideTrack would alleviate some of these issues. A new version that supports the MacBook has just been released. See http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/ for details

 

[MSchen01]

Does anyone happen to know how much hard drive space windows xp takes up?

I am getting my beautiful white macbook on wednesday after MONTHS of waiting...the day they came out I went to the local apple store three times to play with them.

 

[Frozone]

My MacBook is supposed to be here on my 18th Birthday, May 22nd. Even though I know when it's supposed to arrive I can't help but refresh the "tracking" page every 10 minutes. This weekend is going to drive me cRaZy.

 

[Hyuga]

Okay.. I tried to look elsewhere and bit back and didnt see anything about this but it seems MacBook has serious heat problems like MBP. I find this really sad and MacBook service manual makes me cry... seriously...

i give ye links: (clicky me) and then read the bottom part where is the heat issue from here: (clicky me) Sorry.. but.. what is wrong with apple with that thermal paste? and seriously... to cool off at wall ac, is bit EXTREME, I did that last time when I was taking motherboard off from HP laptop and testing overclocking at extreme

 

[Multimedia]

What Apple Store? Who had a free printer offer? Amazon or Apple?

I just came back from the Apple store, wanting to see the new MacBooks in person before I placed an order from Amazon. This has probably been posted, but Amazon.com has a $100+ rebate on Apple computers (desktops and laptops), so I was planning on taking advantage of that.

I mentioned the rebate to the Apple store clerk, and that if it wasn't for the $100 savings, I'd be buying one from them. He talked to his manager, came back and told me he would price match the $100. No waiting for a rebate, and I could walk out today with a new MacBook! They also have a free printer offer with a purchase of a computer, so I got a HP printer/scanner/copier thrown in (that IS a rebate, though).

I'm very pleased with the customer support I've received at the Apple stores. Not only this time, but on several other occasions.

Just thought some of you might be interested

Link to Amazon MacBook (black):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/re...7-2159866?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc

What Apple Store? Any reason you didn't want to say which store? Service quality varies radically from store to store. Who had a free printer offer? Amazon or Apple?

 

[Bolgard]

My MacBook is supposed to be here on my 18th Birthday, May 22nd. Even though I know when it's supposed to arrive I can't help but refresh the "tracking" page every 10 minutes. This weekend is going to drive me cRaZy.

Tell me about it - mine finally shipped from China this afternoon, and I can't help but check the fed ex page every so often, even though I know the damn thing is on a massive cargo plane across the pacific ocean, and more than likely will be for the next several hours.

But hey, can't complain, it's on its way

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

My MacBook is supposed to be here on my 18th Birthday, May 22nd. Even though I know when it's supposed to arrive I can't help but refresh the "tracking" page every 10 minutes. This weekend is going to drive me cRaZy.

Wow best B`day gift you could ever get.(xcept for a really really HOT date)

 

[Frozone]

Tell me about it - mine finally shipped from China this afternoon, and I can't help but check the fed ex page every so often, even though I know the damn thing is on a massive cargo plane across the pacific ocean, and more than likely will be for the next several hours.

But hey, can't complain, it's on its way

Well, mine's coming from Mephis, Tennessee and last time I checked was in Atlanta, Georgia. It's got to make it to south Georgia! This weekend is packed though, so I'm thinking it's going to go fast. Graduation in the morning and spend the rest of the day having fun with friends. Party on Sunday for my two cousin's birthdays and bowling that night. Then to bed EARLY!

Wow best B`day gift you could ever get.(xcept for a really really HOT date)

The hot date can wait a day. Just gimme my MacBook!