MacBook Update to Be Released Alongside New iMacs?

[NT1440]

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

mulittouch will be there. Apple is pushing it too hard for it not to be. Its part of the future of computing, as far as apple is concerned.

 

[immortalix]

... 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.

I think Apple is very innovative and I like Apple products in general. I just can't afford Apple products, especially not when there are much cheaper alternatives that fulfill my everyday computing needs satisfactorily.

 

[Target362]

Good point.

I like both apple and Microsoft. Both have their good and bad sides.

 

[ticklemonster]

I had a dream about the new MacBook last night. It was much cheaper, had a LED screen, the case was matte white rather than glossy, had no optical drive, and was way thinner. It looked really nice, and I really wanted one. Sadly, I woke up.

 

[Target362]

I had a dream about the new MacBook last night. It was much cheaper, had a LED screen, the case was matte white rather than glossy, had no optical drive, and was way thinner. It looked really nice, and I really wanted one. Sadly, I woke up.

You know what they say about dreams. All dreams take place in an alternate reality.

 

[EGOvoruhk]

had a LED screen

As in OLED? The price would go up 200%

 

[rubenerd]

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

Yes, because those multicoloured computers in the late 90s were such a flop and did nothing to help Apple

I for one think it would be a brilliant move on Apple's part to introduce coloured cases to the low end MacBooks. Not my cup of tea, but as the iPod Nanos have demonstrated there's a segment of the market that do like their machines in colours other than black, white or silver. If anything it'd also really help distinguish the MacBook Pro brand with their aluminium construction as the more "professional" machines.

 

[MinorBidoh]

Apple will stay with the white poly (it's iconic) no chance of there being colours I think. Multitouch trackpad is a deffinate but I see little other changes apart from a bump in the HDD to maybe 250GB. And my bet is on a £649 UK price.

Oh and DDR3 ramm.
And a BTO option of bamboo...

 

[wolfpackfan]

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.

I am one of those switchers. I bought a Mac mini in January after a life time of PC's and I am glad I did. The thing is, it's not just the virus', for end users IMO OS X is just a better, easier to use, more intuitive OS. I found when running Windows, even if I wasn't worrying about virus' (and I had many instances), I found Windows slow (even XP). OS X boots up fast and is fast to operate. Programs seem to start faster. With Windows, it seemed like every time it booted, Windows wanted to do some kind of update or the virus software had to update. This doesn't happen with OS X. In the past I was one of those that complained about the high cost of Mac hardware vs. PC hardware, but you can't just compare hardware to hardware, you have to take into account you are buying a platform that runs OS X. I'll never go back to the PC platform.

 

[superlatic]

Apple will stay with the white poly (it's iconic) no chance of there being colours I think. Multitouch trackpad is a deffinate but I see little other changes apart from a bump in the HDD to maybe 250GB. And my bet is on a £649 UK price.

Oh and DDR3 ramm.
And a BTO option of bamboo...

I would guess same or similar enclosure

2.26ghz processor (1066mhz FSB)
4GB DDR2
250GB HDD
NVidia 9400M IGP
Superdrive
13.3" Screen
No multitouch

Agree with UK price, would expect around £649

 

[Target362]

Apple will stay with the white poly (it's iconic) no chance of there being colours I think. Multitouch trackpad is a deffinate but I see little other changes apart from a bump in the HDD to maybe 250GB. And my bet is on a £649 UK price.

Oh and DDR3 ramm.
And a BTO option of bamboo...

Its not iconic. Get that out of your little head. Take a look at the other apple products, are any of those white? Besides the time capsule and the mouse, nothing is white anymore. Its all sliver and black now

and remember, it will be launched in the US first, not the UK.

 

[drsmithy]

Could the new macbook be more along the lines of the ibook?

Imagine the ibook, updated to today's tech. Multi-touch pad, sd card reader, ect, but at the same time a smaller footprint, say by 15%.

I'd be on that pretty quick.

Huh ? In what way is the "old" MacBook not "along the lines of the iBook" ?

 

[MLS]

I'm hoping that if this happens, the MacBook won't be white again. The entire lineup of Mac products is aluminum/black, and I think that the MacBook shouldn't be an exception.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

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)

The only way not to get Windows nasties is to never plug the computer into the Internet and never insert / connect external storage. So-called "security" software is always a step behind the morons writing the nasties. You may think you haven't got any, but it's almost guaranteed that you have, it's simply that your particular "security" software hasn't picked it up.

This hopeless Windows XP computer I'm using right now has Avast always running, but still gets nasties installed (and without visting "explicit sites) that neither Avast nor any of the other "anti-nasty" software even recognises let alone gets rid of. The only way to get rid of it is to manually delete enteries from the Regitry.

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.

That's like saying the best way counter to Hyundai is for Rolls Royce / Ferrari to lower prices ... ain't gonna happen and their aimed at totally different audiences. Apple is the better quality, more exclusive brand, and as always you have to expect to pay more for it.

Besides which, the "Macs are more expensive" thing is largely a myth anyway, proven by a few people over the last few years doing exact spec comparisons (or at least as close as you can get) - the Mac proved to be at worst slightly more expensive and in some cases cheaper than the equivalent PC.

Yes, you can get cheap no-name brand Windows PCs, but they aren't equal spec to the Mac - they're just cheap 'n' nasty machines where you are getting what you pay for. That's one of the main reasons Windows PCs look cheaper.

The other reason PCs often look cheaper is due to PC bundle deals (Office, printer, etc.) that the stores can have simply because they do sell more Windows PCs.

 

[Captain Planet]

Besides which, the "Macs are more expensive" thing is largely a myth anyway, proven by a few people over the last few years doing exact spec comparisons (or at least as close as you can get) - the Mac proved to be at worst slightly more expensive and in some cases cheaper than the equivalent PC.

Yes, you can get cheap no-name brand Windows PCs, but they aren't equal spec to the Mac - they're just cheap 'n' nasty machines where you are getting what you pay for. That's one of the main reasons Windows PCs look cheaper.

Calm down, fanboy.

 

[Undo Redo]

I think Apple is very innovative and I like Apple products in general. I just can't afford Apple products, especially not when there are much cheaper alternatives that fulfill my everyday computing needs satisfactorily.

After 20 years with Macs I bought a netbook with WinXP and hadn't realized how little difference there is. When my desktop Mac is due for replacement, the new one might not be a Mac, sad to say. Apple just hasn't kept up on affordability.

 

[iAlex]

After 20 years with Macs I bought a netbook with WinXP and hadn't realized how little difference there is. When my desktop Mac is due for replacement, the new one might not be a Mac, sad to say. Apple just hasn't kept up on affordability.

I've had just the opposite experience. I recently purchased a Netbook ( a good one too) because of its affordability, and I have to say every time I hear the XP start up chime I get a shiver. The hardware if fine, the Atom does a fine job, but XP is simply archaic, going on -what is it 8+ years now... it's far less intuitive then OSX, everything takes 3 more steps (clicks) to get going. Set up was a nightmare, hours downloading and setting up Anti-vr ware, ant-spyware, firewalls, close socket apps, etc. etc. The GUI just plane sucks, apps close when you want them to remain running, and the icons looks like something made by Fisher Price. Overall, the form factor is just too small to be productive with. All the text is tiny, unreadable unless you like working with your head-in-your-Netbook. Great to carry, small, light, nice screen, great battery life. But what good is carrying something you can't be productive with? Bottom line... Sometimes cheap is expensive.

 

[camiloken]

I'm hoping 2 models:

1st. White poly macbook (ultra thin)
2.0Ghz core2duo
2GB of DDR3 ram
160GB hard drive
nvidia 9400
SD card reader
Super Drive
6 hour internal battery
$ 799 USD

2nd Black poly macbook (ultra thin)
2.4 Ghz core2duo
2GB of DDR3
250GB hard drive
nvidia 9400
SD card reader
Super Drive
6 hour internal battery
$ 999 USD


They would come with display link, 2 USB ports, 1 ethernet port and no Firewire 400.

 

[Undo Redo]

I've had just the opposite experience. I recently purchased a Netbook ( a good one too) because of its affordability, and I have to say every time I hear the XP start up chime I get a shiver. The hardware if fine, the Atom does a fine job, but XP is simply archaic, going on -what is it 8+ years now... it's far less intuitive then OSX, everything takes 3 more steps (clicks) to get going. Set up was a nightmare, hours downloading and setting up Anti-vr ware, ant-spyware, firewalls, close socket apps, etc. etc. The GUI just plane sucks, apps close when you want them to remain running, and the icons looks like something made by Fisher Price. Overall, the form factor is just too small to be productive with. All the text is tiny, unreadable unless you like working with your head-in-your-Netbook. Great to carry, small, light, nice screen, great battery life. But what good is carrying something you can't be productive with? Bottom line... Sometimes cheap is expensive.

You're right of course. There are several advantages to Macs, particularly in the OS. For the record, I wasn't claiming a netbook is a do all, workhorse machine.

I guess I've been blinded by Apple's stubbornness. Their refusal to use desktop parts in desktop machines. Their refusal to offer a decent affordable desktop computer (with desktop components) to which you can attach any monitor. Their idiocy of offering only glossy reflective displays on iMacs, the new LED monitor, and most MacBooks. And their snails pace at reducing prices.

Many argue what's good for Apple — making money by the boatload — is fabulous, awesome, etc. And I've seen a lot of snobbish comments around the Mac web to that effect, like a country club attitude; "if you can't afford the price of entry..." I would argue Apple should make Macs affordable to the masses. It's ridiculous that a Mac costs twice as much as a roughly equivalent PC. So after years of being a Mac loyalist, my attitude is changing.

 

[diamond.g]

I've had just the opposite experience. I recently purchased a Netbook ( a good one too) because of its affordability, and I have to say every time I hear the XP start up chime I get a shiver. The hardware if fine, the Atom does a fine job, but XP is simply archaic, going on -what is it 8+ years now... it's far less intuitive then OSX, everything takes 3 more steps (clicks) to get going. Set up was a nightmare, hours downloading and setting up Anti-vr ware, ant-spyware, firewalls, close socket apps, etc. etc. The GUI just plane sucks, apps close when you want them to remain running, and the icons looks like something made by Fisher Price. Overall, the form factor is just too small to be productive with. All the text is tiny, unreadable unless you like working with your head-in-your-Netbook. Great to carry, small, light, nice screen, great battery life. But what good is carrying something you can't be productive with? Bottom line... Sometimes cheap is expensive.

Have you tried Hackintoshing it?

 

[LeviG]

Have you tried Hackintoshing it?

or linux or even windows 7 (rc or on release)

 

[superlatic]

I'm hoping 2 models:

1st. White poly macbook (ultra thin)
2.0Ghz core2duo
2GB of DDR3 ram
160GB hard drive
nvidia 9400
SD card reader
Super Drive
6 hour internal battery
$ 799 USD

2nd Black poly macbook (ultra thin)
2.4 Ghz core2duo
2GB of DDR3
250GB hard drive
nvidia 9400
SD card reader
Super Drive
6 hour internal battery
$ 999 USD


They would come with display link, 2 USB ports, 1 ethernet port and no Firewire 400.

I think the standard RAM for any computer at $799 or approx £500 UK price is 4GB, but most of the computers around this price with 4GB Ram use DDR2 anyway.

Replace the RAM with 4GB of DDR2 on both models and I dont think their a million miles away

 

[sravana]

Have you tried Hackintoshing it?

That's *my* plan - and I'm def not a geek. Check out www.mydellmini.com for loads of info.

Though I'd love to dual-boot OSX SL/W7, I'm not sure if the PC software I use will work with W7 - so I'll probably stick with XP. Oh, and I still have an XP laptop, but it's so filled with crap and slow that I can barely use it.

 

[blackapple3]

I'm hoping 2 models:

1st. White poly macbook (ultra thin)
2.0Ghz core2duo
2GB of DDR3 ram
160GB hard drive
nvidia 9400
SD card reader
Super Drive
6 hour internal battery
$ 799 USD

2nd Black poly macbook (ultra thin)
2.4 Ghz core2duo
2GB of DDR3
250GB hard drive
nvidia 9400
SD card reader
Super Drive
6 hour internal battery
$ 999 USD


They would come with display link, 2 USB ports, 1 ethernet port and no Firewire 400.

I'm not sure about a SD card reader on the low-end model. There isn't one on the current MacBook, as well as the old aluminum ones.

 

[NT1440]

Replace the RAM with 4GB of DDR2 on both models and I dont think their a million miles away

Apple is not going to use DDR2 anymore. It makes much more sense for them to streamline their component supplies.