New MacBook Pros Launched

Art Vanderlay writes "Apple's new MacBook lineup has launched with a refresh to the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models. As expected, the MacBook and MacBook Air both feature Core 2 Duo processors, as does the 13. The 15 and 17 models come with a choice of i5 or i7. Memory is 4GB across the board, with an optional upgrade. Additionally, the new line may include three different types of screen options: Glossy, High Resolution Glossy, and High Resolution Glossy with Anti-Glare. A second person familiar with the matter adds that at least some models will support 512GB of Solid State Drive (Flash) storage."

Comments

Still Overpriced?

[gladish]

I would seriously like a serious opinion from other people. Are apple's machines, in particluar their notebooks overpriced?

Re:Still Overpriced?

[LBArrettAnderson]

Yes.

And what's the deal with the price of the upgrades?

  8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB [Add $400.00]
 
Really? and $900 for a 24" monitor?

Re:Still Overpriced?

[jjohnson]

They're overpriced in the sense that an Audi is overpriced. On paper, the quality of some components is better, the overall design is better, and you're paying a bit more for a level of quality that you can't directly point to and say "that piece there is why it's $300 more." A Ford Escort will get you to and from work just like an Audi will.

That said, I've switched over to MacBooks from Dells and been totally happy with the change. There are ways to avoid that "premium product" price tag--buy a model behind from Apple's refurb store, for example. My Macbook is a bit lighter and thinner than a comparable Toshiba, it has OSX instead of Windows, and the keyboard and screen are superior. The magnetic power cord has saved me a couple times from yanking it off the coffee table. I'm happy to pay a couple hundred dollars more for those things, just like I paid a couple thousand more to buy a Honda Accord instead of a Civic.

Re:Still Overpriced?

[Budenny]

Same old, same old. Always start with an arbitrary point in the Apple line, and demand to have it met at a given price. Wrong, proves nothing. Always start with a need, then find a Dell or HP that meets it, then look at how much you'll have to pay for a Mac that meets it. You'll pay double. Sometimes a bit less.

I can't find the spec you are asking for at under $2k - well, I haven't tried, but doubt that you can. So what? Its not what I need, either at $2k or $1500. So at either price, its too expensive.

Re:Still Overpriced?

[mdarksbane]

This gets so ridiculous.

No, they aren't overpriced *if* you need their specific combination of features and you're willing to pay a (at this point, small) premium for the case and OS.

If however, your needs don't neatly align with Apple's designs (say you only need the minimal processing requirements of a netbook, or you don't care if the battery in your desktop replacement only lasts 2 1/2 hours because you'll just carry a spare or two) then they're overpriced.

Why is it so terribly hard for slashdot groupthink to realize that different computing users have different requirements in their computer?

Personally, given my general need for a desktop-replacement level portable system that *doesn't* weigh a ton and still had good battery life, the low end macbook pro's definitly have a price premium, but it's nowhere close to 2x.

Cognitivie dissonance alone can't account for the fact that despite being so "overpriced" Apple consistently has the highest user satisfaction rating.

Re:Still Overpriced?

[SydShamino]

There are ways to avoid that "premium product" price tag--buy a model behind from Apple's refurb store, for example.

Alternatively, you can replicate the car model and buy new, then resell, providing the product for those who want to buy used at a discount.

I bought my previous Mac Mini new for $850 or so and resold it for $600. Yeah my MacBook Pro cost like $2400 new but I could still get $1500 for it easy. Incrementally the costs aren't so bad, and my anecdotal evidence suggests that Macs have a lot higher resale value than generic PCs.

Where are the news for new HP, Lenovo, Compaq...??

[viraltus]

I mean it...

Low video ram 256m in a $1800 laptop? and a $400 r

[Joe The Dragon]

Low video ram 256m in a $1800 laptop? and a $400 ram upgrade?

NO E-sata NO firewire 1600 / 3200 NO USB 3.0?

NO ExpressCard/34 slot in the 15" system as well?

How many Slashdot article submitters does it take

[richdun]

A second person familiar with the mattered[sic] adds that at least some models will support 512GB of Solid State Drive (Flash) storage.

Er, so it took a second person to go to the Apple Online Store and find that out?

Oh, and for those without a second person around to check for them, the 512GB SSD comes up as a BTO option on all models (at the low low price of $1300 - $1450!).

This doesn't count as an iPad or iPhone article

[Culture20]

so we're still due two more Apple articles today. Unless these new MacBook Pros run iPhone OS, then I suppose it would count, sort of.

Yes

[SmallFurryCreature]

And no.

Apple charges a premium because it can. It is not like they are the only supplier in town. It is trivial to buy another brands laptop. If there are 3 brands of cola in the supermarket and one ask $1.000.000 dollars, then it still ain't overpriced, because the other cans can be bought just as easily.

Something can only be considered overprice if there is no easy alternative.

And Mac's tend to be a decent price when they launch when their hardware tends to push the edge. It is when they are 1-2 year old that Apple really starts cleaning up when they have the same hardware with the same prices but component prices have dropped.

But hey, if you want a cheaper deal, go shop.

Re:EULA?

[God'sDuck]

That's my persistent nightmare -- that Steve Jobs is slowly training people that his evil app store should be the only way to buy software, by moving the iPhone OS up through the equipment. It would not surprise me at all to see the next iteration be on the 13" MacBook, as a new NetBook class, as soon as the pendulum swings away from tablets again. And from there it would jump to all the non "pro" devices...and Steve would laugh all the way to the bank. Which, by then, he would also own.

It doesn't matter

[copponex]

$2400 will get you the top of the line 15" MacBook Pro. A similarly specced Dell Precision Mobile Workstation will only have a superior video card (Quadro FX 1800M), and maybe a higher def screen, and certainly vastly superior docking options and ports. Battery life and portability are the big drawbacks to the PC side of the aisle.

At the high end of things, the computer you buy depends entirely on your main application. For anyone in digital content creation, you have to have OS X in order to have Logic and Final Cut. If you're making movies, music, or web pages, you're probably going to get a Mac. If you're mainly an engineer or business applications user or developer, you're going to get a PC. If all you do is check Facebook or troll slashdot, the Apple logo is a very expensive brand name, but the MacBook or a used MacBook Pro with the extended warranty is probably worth the money compared to trying to maintain a virus-free windows installation. If you don't need any commercial application support, dual monitor support, etc., a netbook or notebook preinstalled with Linux is a great option.

Personally, I usually have the latest gen MacBook Pro* triple booted with Windows 7 and Ubuntu, since I have clients all over the board. The new terabyte 2.5" 12mm drive from Western Digital fits in the unibody models, so I have a 500G data partition, 250 for OS X (Logic/Final Cut are huge), 150 for 7, and 100 for Ubuntu.

OS X is a great operating system, it's just unfortunately in the hands of perhaps the biggest douchebag in the world. I hope after his reign has passed, the company falls apart and OS X is unshackled from Mac hardware and the black hole that is his ego.

*yes, I get it. It's supposed to be funny.

Another depressing "refresh" to the MBP line

[cmattdetzel]

Still no eSATA. No USB 3. No SATA III (6GB/s). No Blu-ray. SSDs are still Samsung models which do not use any of the top 3 controller technologies (SandForce, Intel, Indilinx Barefoot). 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200 resolution still not available on 15" models.

All the things I'd been hoping would make it to the next MBP didn't. Looks like I'll be sticking with my 2006 Core2Duo 15" MBP a while longer.