Why do you think apple changed the gpu so much between base 15" and high end 15"?

[henrikrox]

I was set for a base 15" before this launch, now i orderd the high 15" with a high res screen.

But im thinking back to the 2010 15" model.

There you had a gt 330m 256mb version, and a optional gt 330m 512 mb version. Not a huge difference in terms of peformance

Why do you think apple released so different gpus for the 2011 15". The difference between the two gpus is kinda huge. It just seems like a weird choice to me.

 

[jamesryanbell]

A lot of people won't truly NEED the 1GB card...but they still want the 15" screen and i7 processor.

To reach a good price point, Apple dictated that the graphics card was the best thing to cut.

If you need more, upgrade. That's the price to get good graphics.

 

[alphaod]

They want people to buy the higher end configuration (like you did) and to justify it by having both a better CPU and GPU.

Just having a faster CPU is a hard sell to a lot of people and a lot of folks are doing RAM and HDD upgrades themselves.

I think it's less about about Apple cutting costs and more about getting people to pay for the more expensive model (with a higher margin).

 

[DarwinOSX]

It is too wide a gap between those gpu's, thats for sure.

 

[henrikrox]

I know all this, but i just wonderd why the gap was so big this time, never been like that before.

But the marketing behind i have no trouble understanding.

 

[Davichi]

Are you being naive or just weird?

They want more money. What else could be?

This is a company who asks for 1 dollars for facetime app that has been free in beta. It does samething as ichat, but this company wants you to pay for it.

 

[iBookG4user]

This is a company who asks for 1 dollars for facetime app that has been free in beta. It does samething as ichat, but this company wants you to pay for it.

Lightroom went through a free beta period, as did Photoshop CS3. Both of those now cost hundreds.

 

[rwingscup19]

Are you being naive or just weird?

They want more money. What else could be?

This is a company who asks for 1 dollars for facetime app that has been free in beta. It does samething as ichat, but this company wants you to pay for it.

Actually I think that was explained as an accounting thing, it makes pretty good sense.

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/24/apples-0-99-facetime-charge-due-to-accounting-requirements/

 

[vipergts2207]

I think they did it to make anyone who wanted a decent GPU, pay a $400 upgrade. I would've at least considered going with the lower end 15" if it had included a 65xx or 66xx. The 6490M just isn't enough for me. I'll be very happy with the 6750M though.

 

[mark28]

A lot of people won't truly NEED the 1GB card...but they still want the 15" screen and i7 processor.

To reach a good price point, Apple dictated that the graphics card was the best thing to cut.

If you need more, upgrade. That's the price to get good graphics.

Costs?

For $1440 you can buy a PC laptop that smokes the $2200 high end 15" MBP and the $2500 17" MBP ( yes, the PC laptop also has a bigger battery ).

I think it's lame, because they could easily put in a ATI 6750 and still make a good profit on it.

My guess is that the 2010 base 15" MBP was selling too well. In 2011, the high end 15" MBP seems to be the one to get.

 

[vipergts2207]

Costs?

For $1440 you can buy a PC laptop that smokes the $2200 high end 15" MBP and the $2500 17" MBP ( yes, the PC laptop also has a bigger battery ).

Link? I want to see this.

 

[mark28]

Link? I want to see this.

If you go to Dell.com and choice the XPS 17 and start customizing. For $1440 you can get a

2.2 ghz i7-2720 QM
8 Gb DDR3 ( better than Apple )
3 Gb Gt 555m + Optimus ( better than the ATI 6750 )
Blu Ray ( better than optical drive )
92 Wh Battery ( more battery capacity, but Windows 7 will drain it faster though )
640 Gb 7200 rpm drive ( not a 5400 rpm drive that Apple is offering )

And Dell is ofcourse charging more than those components actually cost, the real costs are lower than $1440.

So I'm pretty sure Apple could have added a 256 mb or 512 mb ATI 6750 on the base 15" model and make good profit.

I think it's just for marketing reasons. I had my eyes set on the base model, but if I had to buy a 15" MBP, I would go for the high end version.

 

[mmulin]

It is too wide a gap between those gpu's, thats for sure.

It is better than the old gap. 512MB as high end option on the old generation wasn't really a difference enough for people who really need GPU memory. So, let it be base and higher margins with 256MB on the base model but give high rollers something they can actually work with. Why not. Most of you, don't need the 1GB anyway.

 

[dwsolberg]

Are you being naive or just weird?

They want more money. What else could be?

This is a company who asks for 1 dollars for facetime app that has been free in beta. It does samething as ichat, but this company wants you to pay for it.

So use iChat if it does the same thing. (Of course, it doesn't.) The accounting rule has been explained many times.

And, it's 99¢ — the cheapest cost Apple allows on the store.

And, every other piece of Apple software on the App Store went DOWN in price.

And, almost all software is free in beta, regardless of final price.

And, what does the cost of software have to do with a the price of a video card?

Geez. People need to get a grip.