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MacBooks to slim down in October?

S

sbbruiser

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 3, 2004
17
0
Newport Beach, CA
Did anyone see this rumor on CrunchGear?

http://crunchgear.com/2007/06/20/rumor-macbooks-slim-down-in-september/

"So you held off on buying a MacBook till after WWDC juuuuuuuust in case a new model was announced. Well friends, do you think you can wait just a little bit longer? CG recently spoke to a “trusted source” that has given us “reliable” intel in the past, and he/she/it says to expect new MacBook models around September October for back-to-school time. He/she/it says they’ll be about half the thickness of current models (which would be quite the feat) and they’ll be made from new plastics/materials."

Ack! So frustrating! :mad: I am in the market for a MacBook before b-school starts this fall, and I my frail nerves can't handle with this kind of speculation.

::sigh::

jp

P.S. Can we start a movement to boycott the BlackBook until Apple stops charging users $125 extra to Lenovo their computer? Shout out if you agree.
 
I'd say buy one now, and if they come out with something new, sell it on eBay and get the new one. You can wait yourself to death and end up with nothing to work on!

I think the extra $125 is a waste, especially for a coating that will probably start flaking off at the corners within a couple months. BUT since it costs extra for them to coat it, they pass the savings on to you! :p
 
sbbruiser said:
P.S. Can we start a movement to boycott the BlackBook until Apple stops charging users $125 extra to Lenovo their computer? Shout out if you agree.
Click to expand...

No; it requires an extra manufacturing process and on top of that, they want to make a profit. That's why there is a premium.

Also, how could the Macbook get any thinner? What a bogus rumour.
 
sbbruiser said:
He/she/it says they’ll be about half the thickness of current models (which would be quite the feat) and they’ll be made from new plastics/materials."[/I]
Click to expand...

Don't bet on it. The only way it'd be half the thickness of the current MacBooks (currently 1.04"/2.6mm) is if it doesn't have a HDD (1/3" high) or optical drive (just over 1/2" high).
 
oscuh said:
I think the extra $125 is a waste, especially for a coating that will probably start flaking off at the corners within a couple months. BUT since it costs extra for them to coat it, they pass the savings on to you! :p
Click to expand...
The last generation black was only a $50 premium - what happened? I got a previous generation black refurb for only $1049 and am quite happy with it, but I might not be for $125 extra.
 
This rumor is crap like the other poster mentioned. There is no way the macbook was loose half of its girth for the reasons of the other poster, and I highly doubt that Apple would make their consumer laptop thinner than their pro models, it just doesnt send the right kind of vibe. If apple was producing any laptop that thin, it would have to be the Pro ultraportable, but as mentioned at that thickness thats no CD/DVD and flash memory (hella $$$) so I doubt that will happen for a while.
 
thebrain74 said:
This rumor is crap like the other poster mentioned. There is no way the macbook was loose half of its girth for the reasons of the other poster, and I highly doubt that Apple would make their consumer laptop thinner than their pro models, it just doesnt send the right kind of vibe. If apple was producing any laptop that thin, it would have to be the Pro ultraportable, but as mentioned at that thickness thats no CD/DVD and flash memory (hella $$$) so I doubt that will happen for a while.
Click to expand...

Maybe it will have a flash drive as it's main HDD. ;)

Now that would be a BIG thing.
 
What about the same hard drives they use in iPods? I've never seen one, but I assume they're much smaller than a typical laptop hard drive.

Or are they already the same? I'm afraid to open computers. :)
 
Heavy Doody said:
What about the same hard drives they use in iPods? I've never seen one, but I assume they're much smaller than a typical laptop hard drive.

Or are they already the same? I'm afraid to open computers. :)
Click to expand...

The iPods' drives are much smaller than regular laptop drives, but they're much slower, too. So they're unpractical for desktop/laptop use.
 
ravenvii said:
The iPods' drives are much smaller than regular laptop drives, but they're much slower, too. So they're unpractical for desktop/laptop use.
Click to expand...
It depends on how you use your laptop. IBM had a very successful Thinkpad line (the X40/X41 series) that used 1.8" drives (basically the same as the iPod drives but a different connector). I had an X40 and while it was slower than many other laptops, it was also very small and light (2.7 pounds!). A very good tradeoff for some.
 
Rather than thinner, I'd like to see the width or depth decreased. They could get rid of some of the screen bevel if they could squeeze the rest of the components a bit. If that were possible, that'd be great!
 
they won't slim down a lot unless they make a ultraportable with less features and a slower cpu. but that would be then a new model line and most likely a macbook pro type notebook.

they may however move the MB to santa rosa and LED displays AFTER the back to school ipod promotion ends. i think in the past apple updated after school begins.

as always, if you can wait then wait. if you need the future features then wait.
 
@mikehokie: thats what I meant.

About iPod harddrives AFAIK, they are not only much slower (but their perpendicular write tech might help this), they are also rates for a substantially fewer number of write cycles, Maybe as much as a factor of 10 compared to the reg drives, because an ipod is made to access the drive as little as possible to preserve batt life, whereas reg. comp. drives get accessed all of the time

I agree with the coment about the bezel on the macbook, its fatty ugly and unneccassary, its not like the keyboard goes all the way to the edge and they can make the lappy any narrower (like the 12'' Powerbook of old). But to do this they might have problems keeping it as thin as it is.
 
If they were going to release a new MacBook the ideal time would have been a few weeks ago because schools would want to buy them in bulk. October is to late and is definitely a few months late for "back to school".
 
Texas04 said:
If they were going to release a new MacBook the ideal time would have been a few weeks ago because schools would want to buy them in bulk. October is to late and is definitely a few months late for "back to school".
Click to expand...

This is a very good point. The consumer back to school season kicks off the last week of July, runs heavy through August, and then dies down quickly right in the beginning of September. An October update would be a pre-holiday update, which isn't a stellar period for B2B products. The compromises necessary for the size reductions in the rumor would be consistent with an ultra-portable B2B product...

...which can only mean that they're going to bring back the PB Duo! Is now not the perfect time to for the Duo to come back? The MacBook Duo with Duo processors. The MB2Duo. :rolleyes:

jp

P.S. I didn't realize that it cost $125 to spray rubber onto plastic. Must be some sweet rubber. I wonder if it protects the computer against plastic eating viruses. As was mentioned before, It used to only be $50 extra to get an Apple ThinkPadBook. Lenovo's success must be driving up the cost of that sweet sweet rubber.
 
Texas04 said:
If they were going to release a new MacBook the ideal time would have been a few weeks ago because schools would want to buy them in bulk. October is to late and is definitely a few months late for "back to school".
Click to expand...

This is a very good point. The consumer back to school season kicks off the last week of July, runs heavy through August, and then dies down quickly right in the beginning of September. An October update would be a pre-holiday update, which isn't a stellar period for B2B products. The compromises necessary for the size reductions in the rumor would be consistent with an ultra-portable B2B product...

...which can only mean that they're going to bring back the PB Duo! Is now not the perfect time to for the Duo to come back? The MacBook Duo with Duo processors. The MB2Duo. :rolleyes:

jp

P.S. I didn't realize that it cost $125 to spray rubber onto plastic. Must be some sweet rubber. I wonder if it protects the computer against plastic eating viruses. Probably the same viruses that cause discoloration on the WhiteBooks. As was mentioned before, It used to only be $50 extra to get an Apple ThinkPadBook. Lenovo's success must be driving up the cost of that sweet sweet rubber.
 
Texas04 said:
If they were going to release a new MacBook the ideal time would have been a few weeks ago because schools would want to buy them in bulk. October is to late and is definitely a few months late for "back to school".
Click to expand...

wont matter. if a school needs macs, it needs macs. it's not like they're going to be like "oh! they didn't add Santa Rosa yet.. Guess we're buying dells this year!"

And as for 1.8 inch hard drives being slow, they're actually not a heck of a lot slower than the average notebook hard disk. They spin at 4,200 RPM rather than the avg. 5,400 RPM, and come up to 100 GB in size now, which is plenty for an ultra portable.. not that this rumor is at all true. A 1 inch thick notebook is plenty thin in my books.
 
no way

for 3 reasons, this isn't happening:

1- the macbook formfactor is still relatively new and is considered stylish in it's current form.
2- as mentioned, it'd be near impossible to fit all the components in.
3- if apple has invented the 0.5" thick laptop, the pro line would 100% get it before the macbooks.

but... could this rumor have mistaken macbooks for a new ultraportable?
 
that's what i'm thinking. it's only a matter of time before apple replaces the 12" PB. i'm betting on a SSD, no optical drive, ultra thin like that intel demo a few weeks ago.
 
Half as thick? bogus.

I don't think we'll see any macbook/macbook pro updates for a while. They were "just" updated. I think in the fall we may see some iMac updates, and possibly a new iPod. But if you think about it, before MWSF, the "30 years and now it's just the beginning" statement by Apple has sort of come true: this year we have the iPhone and we have Leopard - two huge things.
 
amc382 said:
for 3 reasons, this isn't happening:

1- the macbook formfactor is still relatively new and is considered stylish in it's current form.
Click to expand...

The other points are good ones, but this one, I feel, is off the mark. Apple discontinued the iPod mini, colors and all, at the height of its popularity, and replaced it with the nano which came in just two colors.

Apple has shown that they will "flip" a product, no matter how popular it is, if they can improve it in some way.
 
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