MacBook Update to Be Released Alongside New iMacs?

[NightFox]

When I hear "Macbook" now, I have a hard time remembering that it only means the white one ...

Ditto - I'm ready to upgrade my MacBook to a 13" MBP, but I decided to hold out when this rumour surfaced a couple of weeks back, now I've realised there's no rumoured update of the MBP, just the MacBook

Still, might wait for the dust to settle before spending anything incase they do do anything with the MBP, or even if the new MacBook has anything to offer

 

[pestbest]

I'll buy one but I hope they didn't lower the quality of parts to get the price down. Or maybe Apple is ready to flood the market with MACs and really show how crappy Dell/Windows is.

We'll have to see! Merry Christmas everyone!

LanPhantom

How the hell is this related to Windows?

Anyway, I'm excited about this new update to Macbook. I bought my current one in 2007 and I will probably get a new one for myself in the next few years when even a normal budget computer can be used to play games requiring expensive graphic cards at the moment.

And maybe, they aren't changing to white polycarbonate shell. It may just be a rumor.

 

[Veinticinco]

Yawn I don't get this at all...

They've only just revamped and rejigged the MBP family, with the white MB serving as a very capable entry model.

What WOULD be of major interest however, is Apple started thinking about the one (formerly design flagship) product in their lineup that is SCREAMING for an update both internal spec-wise and maybe design-wise too...

...The MacBook Air.

 

[aegisdesign]

Indeed. Sadly, I can't see that happening as Apple is marketing itself as a green company, and rubber is a huge ix-nay in the ears of environmentalists.

Huh? I know the poster was joking but rubber is a sustainable product. It grows on trees!

 

[aegisdesign]

I'm thinking what they'll do is a plastic unibody enclosure. I'm not a materials engineer so I wouldn't know how they can make it 100% constrained every time (plastic deforms much easier than metal).

Apple uses polycarbonate, not just 'plastic'. Polycarbonate can take a lot of abuse, bouncing back into shape where aluminium would permanently dent or bend. Try bending a CD - that's polycarbonate. Try shooting a bullet at bullet proof 'glass' - that's polycarbonate. It'll bend a lot before permanent damage. The problem with Apple is they seem to have progressively used less of it in the shell since they first used it in the iBook which had thick polycarbonate around a magnesium skeleton mid layer.

To stiffen up the structure of the laptop in comparison to an aluminium shell, you just use more polycarbonate, which explains why the MacBook is thicker than the MacBookPro.

Maybe a completely different plastic material? (Carbon fiber comes to mind but I'm guessing a big no when it comes to bean counters)

Carbon Fibre would be an environmental disaster and requires manual layup of the fibres. It would increase cost dramatically in manufacture time and coping with the carbon fibre dust and resin.

Personally, I'd like to see Stainless Steel see some use in laptop cases. It's stiffer than aluminium, doesn't dent as easy and can be thinner than aluminium. Nokia have started using it on their phones and it's made for some very pretty design. It's much nicer in the hand than plastic or annodized aluminium.

Or they could go back to Titanium and Magnesium. The PowerBook Ti was their high point IMHO.

 

[chris7777]

if they ranged the price at $799- $999 and manage to shrink it any way they can, throw in some rainbow colors, they could possibly get more market share, lower than $800 would be better, but frankly I figure it will be in the same neighborhood as the pros.

it also leaves room for the tablet in the same price range, where the tablet would be considered the "air" of the consumer line, with the possibility of being the entry level mobile mac at $699, running full snow leopard.

I know it is dreaming, but if they would do it they could probably get a pretty big expansion, into the market, which seems to be their current busness model.


I am game for all of them, I know I want as mobile as possible but with the ability to tackle most full fledged task, Iknow the current 13" pro is close to my ideal, (wacom tablet dream machine aside.) I am not so sure on a 10 or 9ish inch tablet, but full osx could be persuasive especially if battery life is at least 8 hours, preferably 10, but again I know its dream territory.

but I could still go for a black or some choice poly carbonate colors if the redesign is cool, and they try other colors since the white is totally played out for a while.

 

[racer1441]

Somebody mentioned continuous price reduction. What I know is that three years ago I purchased a MacBook for around £800 with 2 GHz C2D. It had an 80Gb HDD. Since then, I purchased several, most of them I either sold or returned. My last MacBook (Pro) is the same screen size (13.3"), also a Core 2 Duo with 2.26 GHz and a pathetic 160 Gb HDD. I paid not much less than £1000 for it. This time, I wasn't prepared to go for the most powerful 13.3" one. I already burnt myself with the first unibody prototype. Shame on Apple for it, by the way! No Firewire and mega-glossy screen, my a@@@!

In 2006, you could have purchased the mid-range Apple portable for less than what it would cost you today. Unibody construction is not that expensive. The cheap computer elements that you can find in several cheaper PCs can neither justify the price tag. Meanwhile, performance has hardly improved. I mean, a jump from 1.83 to 2.1 GHz as an entry level in three years is unparalleled! We've had budget laptops from 2004 with SD card reader, for Christ's sake! For Apple, it took a while. What's next for them? Proper screens in 2015? Optional Blu Ray in some models by 2013? Optional colours or finish when personal computers become obsolete? There is no denying that OS X is stable and visually pleasing. But it's not as capable for certain tasks as Windows is. I hate Finder, I hate iTunes, I want to do different things than these predetermined tasks for housewives!

I can completely identify with people who complain about the price and performance. But meanwhile, as a medium-term Apple-sufferer, let me tell you this - WAIT FOR YOUR TURN! WE ALL PAID HIGH PRICES FOR OUR MACS. I DON"T WANT ANYBODY PICKING UP BETTER COMPUTERS FOR A LOT LESS THAN WHAT I HAVE! Do you think we pay purely for performance? No, it's vanity, being snobbish and stupid enough to spend that kind of money on a tool. It might be an overpriced product, but what gives me some comfort is that apart from posers in public places, cafes and around universities, I (Also, I am locked in some softwares that don't run on anything else, so it has to be Apple hardware for me, unfortunately. Otherwise, I would become a switcher - from Mac to PC.)

Yikes, stroke out much?

 

[celtikmind]

And who still wants a polycarbonate MB? I think it should be aluminum all the way from now on...

Oh, I would. The naked aluminum look is quickly getting old, it's so nineties. Apple could at least offer 'nanocromatic' MacBook's.

Either way, Apple's getting repepepepepepepetetive (think Dr Cox ). Where's their fresh edge?

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

How about a matte scren for the 13" MBP? PLEASE!!!

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Oh, I would. The naked aluminum look is quickly getting old, it's so nineties. Apple could at least offer 'nanocromatic' MacBook's.

Either way, Apple's getting repepepepepepepetetive (think Dr Cox ). Where's their fresh edge?

Yes, look what they did with the new shuffle...

BUT Apple could really kill itself going back to the multi coloured macs. I remember a store offering extras for some of the harder selling colours. Some just did not sell. At all... That ties up money in inventory and limits storage space for new models. Unless they did couloured macs as a BTO option, it would be hard to pull off at the local Apple store without them having to add on to their stock rooms and stock colours that just don't sell well...

Personally I like the blue colour but that might be a hard sell for some. In my new house the builder commented on the brushed stainless appliances by saying 'It'll be the 'new green' in a few years'. Yeah, ******* but they will be proven right...

As an allegory: I found this outrageous set of luggage. So outrageous that I would doubt that anyone would ever own anything quite so hideous. It was unique. Until the first time I flew. There were three of them going round the luggage bin at the first airport that I flew into... *shrug*

 

[n459umb4786ers]

I think they might make the 13.3'' MacBook Pro $999

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

What Apple needs is a limited edition stainless steel MacBook Pro.

Now that would be cool.

So versatile that you could cut sushi on it and then check the happenings on FaceBook. But I think it would be way cool... Who doesn't like the cool touch of steel...

 

[celtikmind]

Yes, look what they did with the new shuffle...

BUT Apple could really kill itself going back to the multi coloured macs. I remember a store offering extras for some of the harder selling colours. Some just did not sell. At all... That ties up money in inventory and limits storage space for new models. Unless they did couloured macs as a BTO option, it would be hard to pull off at the local Apple store without them having to add on to their stock rooms and stock colours that just don't sell well...

Personally I like the blue colour but that might be a hard sell for some. In my new house the builder commented on the brushed stainless appliances by saying 'It'll be the 'new green' in a few years'. Yeah, ******* but they will be proven right...

I was thinking for the color options to be available on AppleStore and the retail machines could still be 'native' aluminum. Much of the computer stuff have to be ordered from somewhere already so it wouldn't matter much, and they've done for the iPod nano so why not the MacBook. They only have one base model of that now as well.

However, I could accept 'Jet Exhaust Black'. Sort of black shaded/polished aluminum as an intermediary.

Because not everyone looks good in a silvery-grey shirt...

 

[Bubba Satori]

Nehalem and Westmere need to make a showing very soon.

Yes. This needs to be a really good update, not a minor refresh.

 

[Bubba Satori]

I'm going with rubber.

I'm leaning towards bamboo.

 

[Bubba Satori]

15" screen for $700 and blu-ray for $800 sounds reasonable.

You're describing my best selling Vaio and Sony is making money on it. They have the second highest margins in the store next to you know who.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Yea I want colors. Why can't I have an Orange MBP? They make iPods like that....why can't they make computers that way?

Speaking of colors, have you seen the new Pentax K-x ?

http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-x/#/simulator/070101

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

Speaking of colors, have you seen the new Pentax K-x ?

http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-x/#/simulator/070101

YES! I am so tempted to buy one simply because of the colors.

 

[Captain Planet]

In my opinion the updated MacBook should have color options. Not just white and black, they should add red, blue, and orange(or more) This would bring some fun back to Apple. Just white and black (really just white) is super boring and dull. I would love a color change and maybe a bit thinner design, with an LED screen!

I totally agree with this. Choices of colors would be a great idea... I believe people would actually go for that. Combine this with a price drop and this could do very well. Of course, they would have to bring upgrades worth the purchase to go along with the fun side of colors.

 

[Eric S.]

Choices of colors would be a great idea... I believe people would actually go for that.

Yuck. That would make Apple look even more like an expensive toy company.

 

[dernhelm]

Whatever the tablet will be is going to be merged with whatever the macbook is, and there will be one sub $1000 computer that Apple makes (discounting iPhone/iPod type devices).

Everyone will thereby be disappointed.

Do any of you here think the new MacBook will have Mini DisplayPort?

(Just in case you want to know why I'm asking, it's because that will be the deciding factor for me since I want to run a 2560x1600 resolution on a 30" Apple Cinema Display. The current MacBook only has Mini-DVI which limits me to 1920x1200.)

As a matter of fact, I do. But don't make a huge purchase based on my opinion...

 

[immortalix]

Right now, Windows ads attack Mac's high price, and Mac's ads attack Windows' vulnerability to viruses. To date, I haven't gotten a single virus on my Windows pc thanks to free or cheap software called internet security. Windows ads, from the way I see it, has it right; Mac prices are too high, so much so that I'd rather risk getting a virus or two (which is rare even without internet security if you don't visit explicit sites) and save several hundred bucks. And there's no stopping the new and improved Windows 7. The best counter to Windows is to bring down the prices.

 

[NT1440]

Right now, Windows ads attack Mac's high price, and Mac's ads attack Windows' vulnerability to viruses. To date, I haven't gotten a single virus on my Windows pc thanks to free or cheap software called internet security. Windows ads, from the way I see it, has it right; Mac prices are too high, so much so that I'd rather risk getting a virus or two (which is rare even without internet security if you don't visit explicit sites) and save several hundred bucks. And there's no stopping the new and improved Windows 7. The best counter to Windows is to bring down the prices.

Apple doesn't have to counter anything from windows. Switchers are there purely because they are sick of windows, most aren't going back. I switched even after using the 7 RC, it just FELT too much like me for windows to enjoy using.

 

[Red-red]

Right now, Windows ads attack Mac's high price, and Mac's ads attack Windows' vulnerability to viruses. To date, I haven't gotten a single virus on my Windows pc thanks to free or cheap software called internet security. Windows ads, from the way I see it, has it right; Mac prices are too high, so much so that I'd rather risk getting a virus or two (which is rare even without internet security if you don't visit explicit sites) and save several hundred bucks. And there's no stopping the new and improved Windows 7. The best counter to Windows is to bring down the prices.

... then why are you on a Mac forum, go enjoy your trouble free PC?

Apple have certainly mudded up the line up by switching the Uni-body MacBook's to Pro's so it wouldn't surprise me if they release a new MacBook with a new price point.

 

[thelairster]

If you ask me, they're probably going to be nearly the same as the old MacBook, but with an LED display, no firewire, non-removable battery, and a new topcase design that hopefully ends the cracking issues.

^^The only person here thinking logically. I'd like a multitouch trackpad but i doubt it will happen.