New Santa Rosa MacBooks in Apple Stores?

[mrxyz2006]

Bought the new macbook today!

I am a mac newbie, and just switched over from the dark side today! Indeed, the new upgraded macs with the X3100 card and the 800 FSB are at the apple stores. I purchased mine from the Lenox mall store in Atlanta this afternoon, and they were more than happy to give me the new one....

I have been following this forum for a while, and seriously, some of the opinions were vital in convincing me about the shift - thanks all of ya!

 

[iGuess]

A lot of questions. Let talk about it...

If this is the rumored update why wasn't there a press release for it. During the last update and even the Mini's speed bump we at least had little "faster speed" icons on the Apple Store. The MacBook product page doesn't make a single mention of how it's "now" faster. How come there isn't a single mention of the speed bump at all? What I mean is why isn't Apple obviously pointing it out?

It might not be a significant update which is why there wasn't a press event but to not even mention it at all just seems so un-Apple like. At the end of the day Apple is the kind of company that loves to brag (even if just a little) about everything it does. Just seems strange with all the rumors of an update (including so called analyst predictions) that there'd be no mention of it at all. Just a quiet change on the website with nothing to point it out.

Why wouldn't Apple jump at the opportunity for free advertising of the MacBoook? It couldn't possibly hurt sales could it? Actually wouldn't it encourage sales from the "waiting for the next update" crowd?

Am I alone on this one? Is there something more? Is it possible Apple has something up it's sleeve? Would they bring out a new model so quickly after an update, even a silent one actually especially after a silent one? Could that be why they're being quiet about it?

How hard would it have been for apple to update the chipset? Does it require reworking the motherboard? I don't see how it would. In other words is there any investment required of Apple (R&D, engineering, capital, production equipment, etc.) other than to simply use the new chipset (and maybe test it for stability)?

With the increase in MacBook shipments over the last quarter and the expected growth during the holiday season do you suppose Apple had to update the chipset so they'd have enough chips to keep up with demand while still supplying the Mac Mini? Could Intel have forced the update by giving Apple better pricing on the new chips thereby increasing Apple's profit margin slightly and putting more focus on Intel's current technology? Could Apple just have bought a huge quantity of the new chips to be used in the next revision of the MacBook, guaranteeing better pricing, increasing current margins and building up inventory for the MacBook that hasn't surfaced yet? What if there really is a new case design, but the motherboard, production equipment and testing isn't complete...could that be why this "silent" update happened?

I know, I've asked a lot of questions. Hopefully I got a few brain cells working on this forum. It'd be interesting to discuss it further.

 

[aprilfools]

Bought one today great deal

I bought the new macbook today from the Pasadena, CA Apple Store. I got the low end model. I did get a great deal as far as I am concerned.

$1000 - Macbook
$69 - .Mac
$189 - Applecare for Macbook

1258 + CA Sales Tax

Not a bad deal. Not sure why they gave me such a good deal but the sales guy really pushed Applecare, so he disounted the macbook from $1099 to $1000 and than dropped the price of Applecare too!

 

[Matteh117]

I bought the new macbook today from the Pasadena, CA Apple Store. I got the low end model. I did get a great deal as far as I am concerned.

$1000 - Macbook
$69 - .Mac
$189 - Applecare for Macbook

1258 + CA Sales Tax

Not a bad deal. Not sure why they gave me such a good deal but the sales guy really pushed Applecare, so he disounted the macbook from $1099 to $1000 and than dropped the price of Applecare too!

Probably because AppleCare isn't an item so doesn't really cost them much at all - big margin and big commission.

 

[Selenolycus]

I wish my MacBook C2D 2.0ghz were upgradeable to 4gb RAM.

Aside to that - shame one Apple for maintaining a combo drive in the lower-end MacBook. I can't imagine the cost-to-Apple on a superdrive is anymore than $40.

The BlackBook has the exact same configuration as the 2.2ghz white MacBook, except a larger HDD - a 40GB difference that Apple would charge someone $75 to upgrade their white MacBook to. They essentially charge customers $125 to paint their MacBook black. Imagine if iPods were priced by their colors.

Lastly, their RAM prices are exorbitant. For 2x1GB RAM, Crucial charges $60, Apple charges $150. For 2x2GB modules, Crucial charges $200 - Apple charges $850. Not to mention, there are 320gb HDDs on the market for $200 as we speak, but Apple charges $300 for a 250GB model.

Now, I can understand a 10-20% premium as being reasonable, but realistically, parts bought from a computer manufacturer should be discounted as the computer dealers buy in bulk and get pricers on hardware than what a consumer can typically get. I'm not even going to mention the Canadian price discrepancies, though, to be fair, I don't know if cost of business is higher there than in the US.

I like Apple's products, but the cost of their upgrades are far too high. It just rips-off consumers inexperienced enough to upgrade their hardware themselves, and gives those of us capable of upgrading our components just another chore added to our lists.

 

[slackpacker]

Just make a Mid Tower Quad Core with expandable Graphics already!!!!