Stop Waiting for the MBP. Apple is not releasing it.

[HLdan]

I will give credit to many of the MR forum members for having good business sense but the rest of you (especially age 12-18) seem to lack good business sense.

Apple just intro'd the Macbook Air 3 weeks ago and it was just released this week. This whole new design is representing a move forward. There are a lot of things the MBA doesn't have and people have to get used to the fact that technology is going this way.

Apple wants people to understand this is the way technology is going but many people (in the dark ages) refuse to see that.
The MBA has to maintain it's presence and accumulate revenue for Apple before they release yet another revision of their current notebook line. Why doesn't anyone see that??
If Apple were to update the MBP's this week (and there's nothing wrong with the current line in the first place) next week or even this month they are trumping the MBA's spotlight. Sales would go heavily on the MBP and while many people will still buy the AIR potential revenue for it will decline since there are more choices. Apple has put $$$ toward R&D on the AIR and they will not lose money just to satisfy Penryn droolers.
Stop being naive and understand good business.

 

[roland.g]

Agreed, I would say late Feb to 1st week of March just to avoid stealing the thunder. But I wouldn't put it any later than that.

 

[Baba Ganoush]

Couldnt have said it any better!

 

[djellison]

I totally disagree with your argument ( the MBP exists for fundamentally different reasons to the MBA, they do not compete, they are not aimed at the same markets, and at the root of it, all Apple want is profit, which the MBP will generate more of. That, and there is little to no r'n'd required for Penryn anyway ) - but I have given up waiting on principle.

The principle is this - I'm sick and tired of apple intentionally withholding information from its customers so as to dupe them into paying over-the-odds prices for out dated hardware, seconds before releasing updated hardware.

For that reason- instead of giving Apple £1600+, I have purchased the cheapest current gen refurb MBP I could find. Apple lost £500 today because of that decision. Do they care, not one jot. Will it make a difference. No. Do I feel a little bit better about it. Yup.

Doug

 

[erandall38]

I will give credit to many of the MR forum members for having good business sense but the rest of you (especially age 12-18) seem to lack good business sense.

Apple just intro'd the Macbook Air 3 weeks ago and it was just released this week. This whole new design is representing a move forward. There are a lot of things the MBA doesn't have and people have to get used to the fact that technology is going this way.

Apple wants people to understand this is the way technology is going but many people (in the dark ages) refuse to see that.
The MBA has to maintain it's presence and accumulate revenue for Apple before they release yet another revision of their current notebook line. Why doesn't anyone see that??
If Apple were to update the MBP's this week (and there's nothing wrong with the current line in the first place) next week or even this month they are trumping the MBA's spotlight. Sales would go heavily on the MBP and while many people will still buy the AIR potential revenue for it will decline since there are more choices. Apple has put $$$ toward R&D on the AIR and they will not lose money just to satisfy Penryn droolers.
Stop being naive and understand good business.

Glad someone understands....
READ!

 

[roland.g]

I totally disagree with your argument ( the MBP exists for fundamentally different reasons to the MBA, and there is no r'n'd required for Penryn anyway ) - but I have given up waiting on principle.

The principle is this - I'm sick and tired of apple intentionally withholding information from its customers so as to dupe them into paying over-the-odds prices for out dated hardware, seconds before releasing updated hardware.

For that reason- instead of giving Apple £1600+, I have purchased the cheapest current gen refurb MBP I could find.

Doug

I'm not sure I found the principle in there.

 

[Sinsocal]

I totally disagree with your argument ( the MBP exists for fundamentally different reasons to the MBA, they do not compete, they are not aimed at the same markets, and at the root of it, all Apple want is profit, which the MBP will generate more of. That, and there is little to no r'n'd required for Penryn anyway ) - but I have given up waiting on principle.

The principle is this - I'm sick and tired of apple intentionally withholding information from its customers so as to dupe them into paying over-the-odds prices for out dated hardware, seconds before releasing updated hardware.

For that reason- instead of giving Apple £1600+, I have purchased the cheapest current gen refurb MBP I could find. Apple lost £500 today because of that decision. Do they care, not one jot. Will it make a difference. No. Do I feel a little bit better about it. Yup.

Doug

I was just wondering what was the cheapest MBP you found and where? I am also shopping for a current gen MBP to replace my MB.

 

[Skyldig]

I have to disagree with the OP. I think now is the time for launching the new MBP, in order to boost revenue on both machines.

The MBP is a completely different thing than the MBA. It appeals to an intirely different audience. I actually think that releasing new a iPhone and a new iPod Touch could possibly hurt the MBA sales more than the launch of a revisioned MBP would have done.

Releasing the MBP soon after the launch of the MBA will in some cases even increase the profitability. You will be able to promote two pruducts in the same commercials, and the increased webpage visits, that comes from promoting just one of the products, will also boost the sales of both product. Advertising prices however, stays the same.

So there are things that talks for both ways, and wich one is more profitable than the other is imposible to predict without acces to internal economic information.

I personally think that MBP is waiting for the new OSX update (10.5.2), and has also been delayed by Intels delay of the new Penryn processor. No one knows though. My money are still on the 19th.

 

[baypharm]

I would have to disagree with you, too. The Macbook Pro and Macbook Air are two entirely different beasts - targeted to different users. Macbook Pro's will always find their audience.

 

[nzoMD]

MBA and MBP are designed for different markets. A change in either would not effect the other.

 

[heatmiser]

Basically what the last three above me said. Different laptops, different markets.

 

[~~Hello~~]

Its not good business at all. They are aimed at different markets for a start.

 

[KingYaba]

...

 

[roland.g]

Its not good business at all. They are aimed at different markets for a start.

Remember how the iMac revision was almost a year from the 24" in Sept 06 to the aluminums in Aug 07 all b/c Apple waited for the iPhone buzz to settle prior to releasing the new iMac.

Release cycles are planned. Even in different product lines.

 

[Meep]

Although this may be my first post I have been reading these forums for months now and I must say to the OP that you're so totally wrong. It makes idiotic business sense to stop waiting.

I didn't buy a MBP in Oct as I thought the specs were too weak then to warrant the cost so there is no way in hell pay almost £2,000 to buy a machine that came out when Tony Blair was PM.

With the rumours and also common sense stating that Apple will soon update the MBP I think you'd possibly be the biggest mug to buy a current MBP at full price today.

For example the MBP is meant to be a 'Pro' machine. Pro machines are meant to be used by 'Pro' users so need to have higher and the latest specs, not only to warrant their expense when compared to other laptops but also Apple's own MacBook Line.

As it stands the base MBP and High MB are the same (ignoring case design and screen size) except for the graphics card but the base MBP's graphics card can't be considered much of an advantage as it only has 128mb dedicated memory and is an 8600. My £800 two year old Compaq Presario has the same amount of dedicated memory!!!! I understand it's not all about the memory size and has more to do with shader models and pipeline numbers but it goes along way to help!

If anything all the Air does is make the MBP look even worst as not only are it's specs outdated but now also is its design.

The only business its good for is Apple who get to flog an old computer for an even more horribly overpriced rate than before.

If the OP wants to go out and buy a MBP (or already recently has) then good luck to you and I'm sure the MBP will serve you well into the future but my MBP that I’m going to buy a few months/days later than you will serve me much longer.

 

[Wallace86]

The idiocy i have been trying to escape by switching from windows to OSX has been matched by apple.

 

[Keebler]

Although this may be my first post I have been reading these forums for months now and I must say to the OP that you're so totally wrong. It makes idiotic business sense to stop waiting.

I didn't buy a MBP in Oct as I thought the specs were too weak then to warrant the cost so there is no way in hell pay almost £2,000 to buy a machine that came out when Tony Blair was PM.

With the rumours and also common sense stating that Apple will soon update the MBP I think you'd possibly be the biggest mug to buy a current MBP at full price today.

For example the MBP is meant to be a 'Pro' machine. Pro machines are meant to be used by 'Pro' users so need to have higher and the latest specs, not only to warrant their expense when compared to other laptops but also Apple's own MacBook Line.

As it stands the base MBP and High MB are the same (ignoring case design and screen size) except for the graphics card but the base MBP's graphics card can't be considered much of an advantage as it only has 128mb dedicated memory and is an 8600. My £800 two year old Compaq Presario has the same amount of dedicated memory!!!! I understand it's not all about the memory size and has more to do with shader models and pipeline numbers but it goes along way to help!

If anything all the Air does is make the MBP look even worst as not only are it's specs outdated but now also is its design.

If the OP wants to go out and buy a MBP (or already recently has) then good luck to you and I'm sure the MBP will serve you well into the future but my MBP that I’m going to buy a few months/days later than you will serve me much longer.

i agree. the OP says that the 12-18 year olds need to rethink, but I question whether he is in that demographic?

macbook PRO has the label of PRO for a reason. it's meant for a totally different segment of the computing population. i'd like to see editing assistants, for example, using the air process dailies on the fly. ya...ain't gonna happen nicely... therefore, i can't see it cannibalizing the air's market.

cheers,
keebler

 

[roland.g]

If anything all the Air does is make the MBP look even worst as not only are it's specs outdated but now also is its design.

The only business its good for is Apple who get to flog an old computer for an even more horribly overpriced rate than before.

If the OP wants to go out and buy a MBP (or already recently has) then good luck to you and I'm sure the MBP will serve you well into the future but my MBP that I’m going to buy a few months/days later than you will serve me much longer.

These statements are actually part of the huge misconception that runs rampant through these forums thanks to posters such as yourself.

The Air and the MBP are not in the same class. CPU, graphics, available RAM, ports, etc.

Quite a fair amount of people have no idea about tech road maps and latest and greatest. A computer purchase will suit them just fine when they buy and for some time to come and based on their usage they are less likely to notice its decline as soon as some of us because of their needs.

All that said, while many people here are conscious of tech and what is released and when, buying at release a just part of the vicious circle of the update cycle. No machine is more than marginally superior to what it replaces. A new Penryn MBP will only have minor performance gains etc to the current model. Waiting for it means that you have spent less time using it. That is all. The smartest thing you could do would be to buy the current model at update time from a retailer like MacMall who will be selling the 'outdated' specs for about $200-300 less. And that will be a good deal. Sure some people want latest and greatest specs. And I am usually one of them, but in no way will I kid myself that my machine is that much better than the one from last week or whatever.

 

[Fezzasus]

Your argument is daft. The Macbook Pro and Air cannot be compared, and therefore if one were considering an Air, they would not get a Pro instead.

It's like arguing that Apple shouldn't have announced the Air with the Apple TV update for fear of cannibalizing sales. They are simply two different markets.

 

[Wallace86]

I think that apple should not be worried about competing with itself and be more concerned about competing with other companys.....like alienware or ibuypower.com. who cares if customers buy a Mbp or a MBA, they are still making a ridiculous profit. its not like the average person is going to buy both overpriced machines regardless of the realease.

 

[KingYaba]

the base MBP's graphics card can't be considered much of an advantage as it only has 128mb dedicated memory and is an 8600.

Doing what?

 

[Wallace86]

hopefully the longer they put this off the more probable it is that we will see a significant update.

 

[gothamm]

hopefully the longer they put this off the more probable it is that we will see a significant update.

word. I really wouldnt mind if they skipped penryn altogether and went straight to montevina with a case redesign, multi-touch trackpad, significantly updated graphics card.

but we all know that isn't going to happen. Apple is definitely going to do penryn, which sucks because it delays montevina (and an inevitable case redesign).

 

[Meep]

These statements are actually part of the huge misconception that runs rampant through these forums thanks to posters such as yourself.

The Air and the MBP are not in the same class. CPU, graphics, available RAM, ports, etc.

Quite a fair amount of people have no idea about tech road maps and latest and greatest. A computer purchase will suit them just fine when they buy and for some time to come and based on their usage they are less likely to notice its decline as soon as some of us because of their needs.

All that said, while many people here are conscious of tech and what is released and when, buying at release a just part of the vicious circle of the update cycle. No machine is more than marginally superior to what it replaces. A new Penryn MBP will only have minor performance gains etc to the current model. Waiting for it means that you have spent less time using it. That is all. The smartest thing you could do would be to buy the current model at update time from a retailer like MacMall who will be selling the 'outdated' specs for about $200-300 less. And that will be a good deal. Sure some people want latest and greatest specs. And I am usually one of them, but in no way will I kid myself that my machine is that much better than the one from last week or whatever.

I think you have ignored the fact that I said that the current MBP didn't meet my requirments in October so it wouldn't suit me 'just fine' anytime in the future either. I also never said that the Air or Pro were comparable I only mentioned the Air because of it's design which is arguably nicer than that of the MBP's and makes it look outdated. I didn't even mention road maps just that the MBP spec is outdated and it is when you compare it to other high end laptops from other companies. I also said it wasn't worth the money for what it is and it isn't and you making snide remarks wont fix that.

You say it's people like me spread misconception through this forum but it is people like you who seem to think they know it and don't listen and give apple users their elitist reputation.

 

[tomashi]

Gonna chime in here with my 2 cents.

We have people asking on the boards all the time whether or not they should buy a Macbook or MBP right? These are two different products aimed at different markets, but there's still people who can't decide between the two.

In that case why is it so hard to surmise that releasing the MBA and then revising the MBP in the same month would confuse consumers?

Most of those complaining right now KNOW what they want, they are waiting for the MBP. Will Apple lose sales by waiting? Doesn't sound like it, most people have been waiting for a month or so and will continue to wait. Those sales are pretty much garuanteed.