new macbooks

[pieseller]

the macbook air is an awesome piece of kit, but its not a conclusive replacement for a macbook. its designed for road warriors, not everyday computer users or students (pricey!).

so are apple likely to revamp thier existing macbook lines any time soon? i know the MBPs are expected/ruomred to have updates soon, but for the casual mac user they have to go for the macbook (which is starting to look old?!?).

what does everybody think? when (or if) will apple release new macbooks?

 

[Eidorian]

They were updated back in November. I don't expect to see an update until May at least for the back to school season.

 

[Anderson3133]

They were updated back in November. I don't expect to see an update until May at least for the back to school season.

I personally wouldn't really consider it an "update"
All they did was updated how much RAM it can hold, and only the 2.2 Ghz Models really got an increase in speed.

 

[CalBoy]

I personally wouldn't really consider it an "update"
All they did was updated how much RAM it can hold, and only the 2.2 Ghz Models really got an increase in speed.

The macbooks got the same processor as the mbps in the November update. I really don't see what else one could want in a consumer-end notebook.

The mbp by virtue of the fact that it is "superior" to the macbook will get an update first, and then the macbooks will see an update sometime in May (as has happened for the past 2 years) for the back-to-school season in the US.

 

[Eidorian]

I personally wouldn't really consider it an "update"
All they did was updated how much RAM it can hold, and only the 2.2 Ghz Models really got an increase in speed.

I don't think you really understand the overall benefits of the Santa Rosa platform or that there was even a difference over the older Napa one.

I suggest that you read this article first and then get back to me.

 

[MacSamurai]

They were updated back in November. I don't expect to see an update until May at least for the back to school season.

that was never an update lol

 

[aiongiant]

thats is an upgrade.. better specs for the same price

im thinking they will prob do upgrades to the macbooks around wwdc
if they plan to put the new cpu upgrades on the mbp and multitouch

 

[CalBoy]

that was never an update lol

The macbooks were most certainly updated in November. They got new chips and even lost .1 lb of weight.

The macbook pro hasn't seen a true update since last June; the November update merely introduced the 2.6GHz option.

 

[Anderson3133]

I don't think you really understand the overall benefits of the Santa Rosa platform or that there was even a difference over the older Napa one.

I suggest that you read this article first and then get back to me.

I understand, but I am just saying it was a very small, and very "quiet" upgrade. By quiet i mean tat there was no publicity, nothing even so much as on the Apple.com website when it happened. And now since penryn chips are here, it almost seems necessary to give it a shot.

 

[MacSamurai]

if you look in the buyers guide, macbook updates are pretty consistant with mbp updates usually being within a month of the mbp updates

 

[MacSamurai]

The macbooks were most certainly updated in November. They got new chips and even lost .1 lb of weight.

The macbook pro hasn't seen a true update since last June; the November update merely introduced the 2.6GHz option.

sorry for the lack of ability to portray sarcasm electronically haha

 

[Anderson3133]

sorry for the lack of ability to portray sarcasm electronically haha

I was hoping it was sarcasm lol

 

[neiltc13]

The last update to the MacBook was very significant indeed - the most significant since the switch to Core 2 Duo, if not more so.

Firstly, they gained a graphics chip which is around 10x faster than the old one. That in itself is a significant move. Then there's the brand new keyboard layout with the media control keys (a godsend and something which the MacBook Pro still doesn't have!). There was also an addition of new speakers which are much more powerful and clear.

 

[Eidorian]

I understand, but I am just saying it was a very small, and very "quiet" upgrade. By quiet i mean tat there was no publicity, nothing even so much as on the Apple.com website when it happened. And now since penryn chips are here, it almost seems necessary to give it a shot.

Updates can be significant without being trotted out at an Apple media event.

 

[CalBoy]

I understand, but I am just saying it was a very small, and very "quiet" upgrade. By quiet i mean tat there was no publicity, nothing even so much as on the Apple.com website when it happened. And now since penryn chips are here, it almost seems necessary to give it a shot.

Apple's site did show the macbooks on the front page for about two weeks, and in the store there was a green circle that said "new speeds" or something to that effect next to the macbooks. The macbooks have never actually been upgraded with any kind of fanfare (even when they were first introduced). There simply isn't anything "revolutionary" about them when we compare them to iPhones or the MBA, so why have them brought on stage?

sorry for the lack of ability to portray sarcasm electronically haha

Emoticons are your friends (and so on).

 

[pieseller]

thanks for the feedback.

the conversation about the updates, although valid, dont answer the original question. when will new updates occur. i mean strong updates, such as a case redesign.

popular guess in the forums seem to point towards may of WWDC? thoughts

 

[heatmiser]

thanks for the feedback.

the conversation about the updates, although valid, dont answer the original question. when will new updates occur. i mean strong updates, such as a case redesign.

popular guess in the forums seem to point towards may of WWDC? thoughts

The last time a case redesign occurred was when Apple switched from PPC to Intel. It wasn't just a case design; the laptops took on new names. That's how frequently Apple does case redesigns.

 

[CalBoy]

The last time a case redesign occurred was when Apple switched from PPC to Intel. It wasn't just a case design; the laptops took on new names. That's how frequently Apple does case redesigns.

Even so, the jump from iBook to macbook really involved similar aspects of a similar design (clean white plastic with ports on the sides). The only major case design change the macbook brought was a new keyboard and the black option.

That certainly isn't as great a change as the recent iMac redesign (which is what I guess many users are hoping for).

 

[heatmiser]

Even so, the jump from iBook to macbook really involved similar aspects of a similar design (clean white plastic with ports on the sides). The only major case design change the macbook brought was a new keyboard and the black option.

That certainly isn't as great a change as the recent iMac redesign (which is what I guess many users are hoping for).

Agreed. People are basically trying to will the Macbook into an aluminum shell.

 

[Coatsy]

Agreed. People are basically trying to will the Macbook into an aluminum shell.

I loved the people who, pre-MWSF, convinced themselves that an Alu Macbook was coming.

'I want a Macbook in an aluminium shell, maybe with a bigger screen, Penryn processors and dedicated graphics. But I want to pay a Macbook price!'

 

[heatmiser]

I loved the people who, pre-MWSF, convinced themselves that an Alu Macbook was coming.

'I want a Macbook in an aluminium shell, maybe with a bigger screen, Penryn processors and dedicated graphics. But I want to pay a Macbook price!'

Seriously! Now here we are with the MBA, and people are back to talking about souped-up Macbooks again.

 

[Daveoc64]

My theory is this:

Back in the days when they introduced the iBook, they had that little grid thing didn't they - consumer Desktop + Notebook as well as Pro Desktop + Notebook.

The iBook was billed as "macs to go" (more specifically the iMac). As such it took on the design of the consumer targeted iMac G3 out at the time.

When the iMac G4 came out (in white), the iBook also followed suit becoming white.

Logically, now that the iMac G5/Early Intel design has gone and has been replaced with the aluminium and black model, the MacBook will change too.

Although I'm with the above posters, I think that the November release was too recent for them to be discontinuing it any time soon.

 

[CalBoy]

Agreed. People are basically trying to will the Macbook into an aluminum shell.

Indeed they are. I personally don't think that's going to happen anytime soon because it would compete too closely with the pro series, and because the weight loss incurred with such an upgrade would make the MBA a very tough sell.