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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."
Oh pretty! fwap fwap fwap fwap.
(What? That's the response this "article" was looking for, wasn't it? Just doing my part)
Sent from your iPad.
I mean it...
Dear
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?
I don't know about the batteries, but wallets will still be susceptible to the infamous shrinkage.
Well, Jobs recently said that all Mac developers must now communicate only in Klingon. He said that people may see this as a risky move, but it'll be a better choice in the long haul.
buy' ngop!
When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
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!).
No, they implemented the "Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display [Add $150.00]", which brought back what creatives bemoaned the loss of, in the prior rev. of the product line, at a premium price point as you surmised.
Some days it's just not worth
chewing through my restraints.
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.
Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
Actually, for once the RAM isn't that much overpriced. Buying two 4GB DDR2 SO-DIMMs from crucial.com costs $380 more than buying two 2GB ones. That's a pretty small difference. It's a far cry from when I bought my last MBP and it was cheaper to buy it with the minimal RAM configuration, buy new RAM, and throw the RAM it came with in the bin.
Charging $30 each for adaptors to plug in a VGA or DVI monitor is just cheap though - they should be included as standard, and were on older Mac laptops. Same with charging $20 for the remote. Part of the Just Works(tm) thing you get with a Mac is that it comes with everything you need in the box - making half of the things you need into 'optional' extras detracts from this. They've done the same with the iPod, removing things like the dock, mains charger, belt clip, and so on that used to come in the box.
Charging $150 extra for the non-rubbish display option is also a bit irritating.
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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.
Also, I'm in the market for a new toaster. Can a nerd get some info, eh?
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
I've had a MacBook Pro for a couple of years now and overall I'm not impressed. The aluminum case dents super easily, there are only two USB ports, I am on my second power adaptor and second battery, and my DVD drive no longer burns DVD's. Furthermore, it gets so hot you cannot have it on your lap without a layer of asbestos between it and your legs.
-Xoltri
I would seriously like a serious opinion from other people. Are apple's machines, in particluar their notebooks overpriced?
I have owned 3 Apple computers and my experience has been that the resale value more than makes up for any initial price differential. I have never had a problem finding people willing to pay hundreds (in one case $1500) for a 4 to 5 year old Apple computer. Sometimes I have trouble getting people to follow through when I put an old PC on craigslist for FREE.
My other experience has been that build quality is generally very good and that commands a bit of a premium, much like a good Thinkpad will generally cost a bit more than an equivalent Dell.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170000%201309139890%201309239101&ShowDeactivatedMark=False
That's the total cost of 2x4GB at their specified speed. It's still cheaper to get third party RAM and tossing out the old stuff.
1. Yeah, it's silly to only have 512mb on the high-end models. But most non-gamers won't care.
2. 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMMs are still expensive. Other PC manufacturers charge about the same.
3. eSATA isn't "sleek" enough for Apple; it needs a second power cable, has a relatively flimsy plug, has hot-plugging/compatibility issues, etc, etc. They'd much rather people use Firewire.
4. Firewire 1600/3200 won't exist on consumer gear until at least late 2010.
5. Intel is dragging their feet on USB 3.0, which means most computers and peripherals won't see it for at least another year.
6. Most people don't use ExpressCards; they'd rather have a slightly larger battery or other features taking up the space.
If it's not what you're looking for in a notebook, last time I checked you're still allowed to not buy one. And if your primary considerations are how well it plays games and how many different things you can have plugged into it, might I suggest you look at desktops instead?
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
...if you have a Klingon Programmer.
12) "Specifications are for the weak and timid!"
11) "This machine is a piece of GAGH! I need quad i7 processors if I am to do battle with this code!"
10) "You cannot really appreciate Dilbert unless you've read it in the original Klingon."
9) "Indentation? I will show you how to indent when I indent your skull!"
8) "What is this talk of 'release'? Klingons do not make software 'releases'. Our software 'escapes', leaving a bloody trail of designers and quality assurance people in it's wake."
7) "Klingon function calls do not have 'parameters', they have 'arguments' - and they ALWAYS WIN THEM."
6) "Debugging? Klingons do not debug. Our software does not coddle the weak."
5) "I have challenged the entire SQA team to a Bat-Leth contest. They will not concern us again."
4) "A TRUE Klingon Warrior does not comment his code!"
3) "By filing this bug report you have challenged the honor of my family. Prepare to die!"
2) "You question the worthiness of my code? I should kill you where you stand!"
1) "Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"
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Apple's new MacBook lineup has launched with a refresh to the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models.
I'm pretty sure that only the MacBook Pro models have been updated. The MacBook and MacBook Air seem the same.
But still, WHY would I pay $1,450 more for the MacBook Pro?
Screen resolution, quality and reliability of parts, decent touch pad, decent speakers, mag connect power, Firewire for video work, no driver issues with the video card and OS, faster hard drive, multiple non-mirrored video displays, 2 pounds lighter to carry around, DVI, backlit keyboard, more than twice the battery length, automatic graphic card switching, slightly better bluetooth... that's most of it. Well and it can run and comes with OS X, which means more to most of us than the rest of it.
You can make the same comparison though with a higher end Dell laptop. It has a lot more features than the Acer and it costs more. If you don't need a high end laptop, don't buy one. If you live you life in front of laptop, well you might want to spring for one that is higher quality, more reliable, and more featureful. A grand is what, a week or two of consulting for a professional. Hell adding the new Adobe CS Suite will bump up the price $2600 but if it's the best tool for the job, it pays for itself in short order.
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.
Because we all know that chips that deserialize a 5Gbps DisplayPort data stream and convert it to a totally different format (DVI-D) or analog RGB signals (VGA) are in fucking cereal boxes as prizes these days, right?
Nope, those chips come in MacBook Pros. The adaptor is trivial; the graphics hardware in the machine is capable of producing DP, DVI-D and VGA signals, the adaptor just alters the physical form factor of the plug. The graphics hardware detects the kind of monitor that is connected and automatically switches to the correct format.
The Dual-Link DVI adaptor is much more complex. Dual-Link DVI contains more pins than are available, and so the MBPs can't produce the correct signal. This adaptor contains a frame buffer, decodes the frame in one format, and then reencodes it in the other. It also costs significantly more ($99, versus $29 for the other two).
You'll note that you can buy third-party adaptors for VGA and DVI that cost half as much as the Apple ones, which just reinforces the fact that they should be bundled with the machine. It would add about $10 to the total materials cost (if that) and reduce the feeling of being ripped off significantly.
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