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Next MacBook to Include Glass Trackpad, Due in September?

apple is very smart about their releasing date. i'm pretty sure they'll release the new macbooks sometime in september. people are saying how they're so stupid to not release it before the b2s ends. but how many people(students mostly) know the new macbooks are coming? why do you think they still advertise "new macbook pros!" when its been out since feb?

The only reason i'm waiting is for some leak that the price of macbooks drop, and that it won't be such a difference when i don't get the b2s promotion.
 
FuuFuu said:
people are saying how they're so stupid to not release it before the b2s ends. but how many people(students mostly) know the new macbooks are coming?
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yea, i was wondering that myself... but i guess you can do a rough estimate... MacRumors forum has just under 200,000 members, assume only half of them are active, and under a quarter of those are attending a school... maybe~15,000-20,000? Plus AppleInsider and Google News is picking up some of this. but that's all wishful thinking.

As for people trying to argue that Windows notebooks are cheaper, they have to keep in mind that specs aren't everything. A similarly speced Macbook will almost always outperform a comparable notebook cause Windows, especially Vista, will slow it down.
 
philamac said:
Fine, so I just spec'd an XPS M1530, as close as I could to the $1999 macbook pro, and it's costing $1,439.

spec'd a HP dvt5 series to as close as possible specs, actually better graphics and HDD capacity, comes out $1,053.99. (this price leads me to question its build quality.)

spec'd a Lenevo Thinkpad T61 15.4", similar or better specs except graphics card is nvidia quadro 128mb, but processor, hdd, and battery is better. $1481.70

I told you I didn't wanna argue and my estimates were based off a macbook pro, but since you gave some of your time to spec the dell, I owed it to you. As you can see, it's not hard to prove my point. I'm all for mac, but macs ARE generally more expensive (especially the macbook pros).

[edit] forgot you said upgrade to vista ultimate, add $100 to each. (not that ultimate really adds much in terms of features...)
Click to expand...

You are both missing one point about the "pricing" comparison. In the end you still only have a Dell/Lenovo/HP for your $500 +/- savings. I can say that not as a fanboy, but as a mere four month convert to Mac AFTER 22 years on every Microsoft platform from a 1986 Toshiba 1100+ with DOS 2.xx to a Sony Vaio SZ series Vista Business/HP dv series Vista Ultimate 64bit.

I finally gave up completely on Vista with over a year of struggling with drivers, random shutdowns, and the mere fact that two weeks after initial setup every Windows system is walking in wet cement. Four months in a total MS Exchange network/email shop, and the MacBook is still as fast as day one; no driver conflicts; close the lid and move effortlessly between office (ethernet, 22" monitor, Time Machine firewire, Lasejet 4000, external keyboard/mouse) to home (wireless N, no peripherals) and back without stumbling, shutting down, misplacing open program windows (eg - those on edge of large monitor in Vista are "off screen" when you open the smaller notebook screen), AND - using sleep mode only - no shut down/reboot cycle.

Duplicate that for your "cheaper prices" and then we can talk. You can't and since Microsoft cannot control the end-to-end experience you never will. Sure, Mac is a semi-closed system strictly controlled by the world's biggest control freaks, and as a reformed Microsoft OS user I love it.

My apologies for hijacking the thread...:D
 
MacRumors said:


Seth Weintraub, the author of 9to5Mac, publishes more information at ComputerWorld about what he has heard about the upcoming MacBook updates.

According to Weintraub's sources, the new MacBooks will be thinner than the current MacBook and MacBook Pro designs while slightly more rounded. The case is said to be made of one piece of aluminum and bears some similarities to the MacBook Air. The trackpad on the new notebook is to be made of glass and support multi-touch and the use of gestures, but the notebook will not incorporate a multi-touch screen.

Finally, Weintraub expects the new MacBook to be released at the end of September.

Based on the description, it appears these new MacBooks will be an evolution on existing laptop designs and not a radical departure into tablet designs. Of course, no one expected Apple to abandon the traditional notebook design, but the use of the term "MacBook Touch" may have confused some. Of course, these rumors don't preclude the possibility of some sort of tablet based device as well.

Article Link
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IF a new MB comes out and IF it has enough features and looks and IF it has a good price I will upgrade.
 
dstrauss said:
You are both missing one point about the "pricing" comparison. In the end you still only have a Dell/Lenovo/HP for your $500 +/- savings. I can say that not as a fanboy, but as a mere four month convert to Mac AFTER 22 years on every Microsoft platform from a 1986 Toshiba 1100+ with DOS 2.xx to a Sony Vaio SZ series Vista Business/HP dv series Vista Ultimate 64bit.

I finally gave up completely on Vista with over a year of struggling with drivers, random shutdowns, and the mere fact that two weeks after initial setup every Windows system is walking in wet cement. Four months in a total MS Exchange network/email shop, and the MacBook is still as fast as day one; no driver conflicts; close the lid and move effortlessly between office (ethernet, 22" monitor, Time Machine firewire, Lasejet 4000, external keyboard/mouse) to home (wireless N, no peripherals) and back without stumbling, shutting down, misplacing open program windows (eg - those on edge of large monitor in Vista are "off screen" when you open the smaller notebook screen), AND - using sleep mode only - no shut down/reboot cycle.

Duplicate that for your "cheaper prices" and then we can talk. You can't and since Microsoft cannot control the end-to-end experience you never will. Sure, Mac is a semi-closed system strictly controlled by the world's biggest control freaks, and as a reformed Microsoft OS user I love it.

My apologies for hijacking the thread...:D
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I bought a white vaio laptop and have no issues at all as I am waiting for the release, it has 3Gram and a 200 GHD and with my sons discount 600 bucks.....and never a vista problem
 
philamac said:
Fine, so I just spec'd an XPS M1530, as close as I could to the $1999 macbook pro, and it's costing $1,439.

spec'd a HP dvt5 series to as close as possible specs, actually better graphics and HDD capacity, comes out $1,053.99. (this price leads me to question its build quality.)

spec'd a Lenevo Thinkpad T61 15.4", similar or better specs except graphics card is nvidia quadro 128mb, but processor, hdd, and battery is better. $1481.70

I told you I didn't wanna argue and my estimates were based off a macbook pro, but since you gave some of your time to spec the dell, I owed it to you. As you can see, it's not hard to prove my point. I'm all for mac, but macs ARE generally more expensive (especially the macbook pros).

[edit] forgot you said upgrade to vista ultimate, add $100 to each. (not that ultimate really adds much in terms of features...)
Click to expand...

if you're comparing apple to hp/dell/sony/IBM, its not just the specs.
its a persons choice, software or hardware? plain and simple.

Apple: average specs with great softwares
Microsoft(dell/hp/sony,IBM): horrible softwares, great specs
 
Any guesses on pricing, I am kinda interested in this design. If it make it easier for me to use and the wow factor would be nice.
 
Glass trackpad? Strange what would be this, does anybody have any clue as to why?
 
FuuFuu said:
apple is very smart about their releasing date. i'm pretty sure they'll release the new macbooks sometime in september. people are saying how they're so stupid to not release it before the b2s ends. but how many people(students mostly) know the new macbooks are coming? why do you think they still advertise "new macbook pros!" when its been out since feb?

The only reason i'm waiting is for some leak that the price of macbooks drop, and that it won't be such a difference when i don't get the b2s promotion.
Click to expand...

i would expect them to release MBP's first and then three weeks later the MB. I think that's how they did it before.

I also think they plan to clear out old stock and then start selling the new ones regardless of the discount program. If they run out of old stock end of september then they release new ones in end of september. if they run out of old stock in august they can hardly say we won't sell anything for the next 6 weeks (although that had happened before with imacs). they will release the MB's in august.

i also think they will definately release the MBP first. so whatever old stock runs out first (the MB or the MBP) will trigger the release of the MBP and shortly after that the MB.

if this rumor turns out to be true then there will be no 13.3" MBP unless they got it wrong and the rumor refers to a 13.3" MBP and the MB's remain unchanged till end of the year. This would also better explain the glass touchpad rumor because new features usually come out in the MBP's first.

unless a 13.3" MBP is ridiculously expensive i don't care too much if such a notebook is released in the MB line with integrated gpu or as MBP with dedicated GPU, FW800 and expresscard slot. I probably would even prefer to pay a bit more for a MBP with more features.
 
FuuFuu said:
if you're comparing apple to hp/dell/sony/IBM, its not just the specs.
its a persons choice, software or hardware? plain and simple.

Apple: average specs with great softwares
Microsoft(dell/hp/sony,IBM): horrible softwares, great specs
Click to expand...

Last time I checked when major reviewers compared the two os;es, OSX barely beat vista, and that was before SP1.

But sure, I myself prefer the OSX, not because its better, just because I think it fits my preferences better.

But its funny how many retards have problems with windows, I have built several computers for family members, and none of them has ever crashed or had any problem, but I guess generally most people are too stupid to know how to get the right drivers and the right diagnostics tools for the pc to run problem free.

My last PC I built for myself has been running for about two years without a single crash or problem.

The last one I built for my brother has been running for two months now without a single error.

But like any degenerate who cant find a solution or just doesn't wanna put time to know the system, they call it crap etc.

But I couldn't expect less from a forum with a majority of mac fanboys.
 
iCries said:
Last time I checked when major reviewers compared the two os;es, OSX barely beat vista, and that was before SP1.

But sure, I myself prefer the OSX, not because its better, just because I think it fits my preferences better.

But its funny how many retards have problems with windows, I have built several computers for family members, and none of them has ever crashed or had any problem, but I guess generally most people are too stupid to know how to get the right drivers and the right diagnostics tools for the pc to run problem free.

My last PC I built for myself has been running for about two years without a single crash or problem.

The last one I built for my brother has been running for two months now without a single error.

But like any degenerate who cant find a solution or just doesn't wanna put time to know the system, they call it crap etc.

But I couldn't expect less from a forum with a majority of mac fanboys.
Click to expand...

I'm an intern in an IT department and as far as my experience goes, i have to deal with craploads of microsoft errors. As far as using microsoft for private use, i've not had a single problem. but when it comes to business, which is what makes microsoft so bad, its close to chaotic. 64 bit barelys works with any programs here and neither 32 onor 64 doesn't work right on printers/fax.

like i said, mac has a better software based OS, which why i would choose Mac. sure i haven't used OS X for business but i'm sure its not as hectic as microsoft. if anyone would vouch for me please do.
 
philamac said:
Doesn't the article say
"The trackpad on the new notebook is to be made of glass and support multi-touch and the use of gestures, but the notebook will not incorporate a multi-touch screen."

Why's everyone getting all excited over the prospect of an ipod-touch like screen as the trackpad? He specifically says it's not a screen. I mean, if we're going to converse about an article, the least everyone could do is to actually read it. I normally wouldn't pick at this sort of thing, but it seems like one person speculated that it might be a screen, and then it just snowballed and everyone started talking about it like the article says 100% guarantee we'll see a screen. It just isn't true yet, and I just wanted to reel everyone back to reality.

Here's My Speculation on why the switch to Glass:
Maybe the glass, being inflexible and solid, will make the whole trackpad depress-able, and the whole thing can act as a button (maybe 2 depending on which side of the trackpad you push in?). Then they could do away with the space consuming button.

That kind of 'gloss' will give consumers more reason to pay the $500 premium that macbooks generally command over similarly spec'd machines.
Click to expand...

i just got why they will use glass! gestures! touch screen! i don't think it will be depress-able, though. the button will dissappear like you said replaced by a "multi-touch" glass surface. you'd be using the trackpad the same way except instead of clicking a button, you'd now be doing a tapping gesture! this would be, indeed, innovative.
 
sounds awesome especially if it does have mutitouch like the iphone, one question though, i have only just bought a macbook (beginning of the month) i am a bit annoyed that a new better version will be out, do apple offer an upgrade deal for people who recently bought a older model?
 
hundleton1 said:
sounds awesome especially if it does have mutitouch like the iphone, one question though, i have only just bought a macbook (beginning of the month) i am a bit annoyed that a new better version will be out, do apple offer an upgrade deal for people who recently bought a older model?
Click to expand...

If you are within 14 days? Yes. Otherwise, no.
 
namethisfile said:
i just got why they will use glass! gestures! touch screen! i don't think it will be depress-able, though. the button will dissappear like you said replaced by a "multi-touch" glass surface. you'd be using the trackpad the same way except instead of clicking a button, you'd now be doing a tapping gesture! this would be, indeed, innovative.
Click to expand...

....you mean exactly the same thing as I am using on my MacBook Pro right now?
 
SongEmu said:
As for people trying to argue that Windows notebooks are cheaper, they have to keep in mind that specs aren't everything. A similarly speced Macbook will almost always outperform a comparable notebook cause Windows, especially Vista, will slow it down.
Click to expand...
And Snow Leopard will optimize performance on Macs, widening the gap.

namethisfile said:
i don't think it will be depress-able, though. the button will dissappear like you said replaced by a "multi-touch" glass surface. you'd be using the trackpad the same way except instead of clicking a button, you'd now be doing a tapping gesture!
Click to expand...
I want a physical button (or depression as philamac said). I've tried tapping on the trackpad and it "clicks" when I don't want it to.
 
iCries said:
But its funny how many retards have problems with windows, I have built several computers for family members, and none of them has ever crashed or had any problem, but I guess generally most people are too stupid to know how to get the right drivers and the right diagnostics tools for the pc to run problem free.
Click to expand...

You can't tell me with a straight face that you honestly believe an unmodified copy of XP (I'll even let you have that over Vista, if you want) with no tweaks or 3rd party software to be a suitable operating system for a user with little computer knowledge. And while I know how to reformat the drive, reinstall my Windows OS of choice, or remove bloatware, or guard against spyware, the point is you shouldn't do these things for an operating system you paid for. I've spent days helping friends and family members repairing Windows. I've done it for myself. It used to be kind of fun when I was a kid, jumping through hoops and figuring out what was wrong. I outgrew it, and now realize that if there's a better alternative and you can afford to use it, sticking with Windows for the Super Mario-generation's obsession of dodging obstacles and navigating problems makes no sense.
 
i know this may sound ludicrus , but i think Apple may be planning to merge both macbook and macbook pro lines.

I mean with all these rumors, they never seem to differentiate between MB and MBP. As in sense of they never say "MB will have this and MBP will have that....".

One strong rumour is that the new MB is going to be made from aluminium. It kinda makes sense to make both laptops from same materials as wouldnt this save on costs.

Also metal casing is better in terms of recycling. Havent Apple said that they need to do more in terms of recycling?

They could be planning to just rename whole laptop range as macbook. These would just basically be MBP but there would be a range of say 5-6 or something. maybe the lower specced ones would come with integrated graphics, no backlit keyboard etc

Anyone think this could happen or think I need to be admitted to hospital?:)
 
iOrlando said:
Apple wants students to buy the current macbook now (using the ipod touch as the carrot).. Enjoy their year at college...and then next summer...buy the new laptop... Chances are some will do exactly that. Just get the cheapest macbook...its about 1100...then you can buy a new one sooner.
Click to expand...

My first post after stalking these boards for the past 6 months and getting my first mac for college. There's no way in hell that broke college students like myself would be able to afford to buy a macbook, then buy another by the next summer! I wish. :(

Okay here's a question for all you college grads out there: Is it possible to go without your own laptop for the first month or two of school? My campus has a computer lab in the library I think? I just don't want to buy the computer I could have bought months ago for the same price. Then all my waiting would have been in vain.
 

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iMacmatician said:
And Snow Leopard will optimize performance on Macs, widening the gap.

I want a physical button (or depression as philamac said). I've tried tapping on the trackpad and it "clicks" when I don't want it to.
Click to expand...

good point. then, apple will have to make it depressable, then.
 
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