Apple Unveils New Macbook 986
Several readers have written in to mention that Apple has released the new Macbook on their site. Yahoo! has details from the press release: "With prices starting at just $1,099, the MacBook lineup includes three models: a 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz MacBook in a newly designed, sleek white enclosure and a 2.0 GHz MacBook in a stunning new black enclosure. The new MacBook offers performance up to five times faster than the iBook and up to four times faster than the 12-inch PowerBook with a completely new system architecture including a 667 MHz front-side bus and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2GB."
Once again... (Score:5, Insightful)
Note also that the MacBook features the Core Duo, not Core Solo, and the screen resolution has increased from 1024x768 on the old 12" iBook and PowerBook to 1280x800.
With the array of connectivity [apple.com] (mini DVI also supports VGA, S-Video, and composite), built-in Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g (yes, a is included and supported by the OS), the ability to boot Windows natively or use Windows (or other x86 OSes) in virtualization, for just over $1000, this looks to be a great deal.
It appears that some of the traditional differences between the "iBook" and "PowerBook" line are shrinking even more; I wouldn't be surprised if there was no 12" MacBook Pro based on the new MacBook's specifications.
One hopes that Apple is applying a reasonable amount of thermal paste on the new MacBooks.
MacBook Vs Dell (Score:2, Insightful)
This way, they can look at the specs and compare them. Because 1 GHz on an Intel Core Duo is the same as 1 GHz on an Intel Core Duo. No more, "This is a RISC PowerPC architecture, the numbers on P4 and G5 aren't comparable."
Of course, I'll now have to delve into the finer details about how well OSX versus Windows utilizes the hardware and also the support of the applications/peripherals for these machines.
When you consider suggesting a machine to a friend or relative, you have to be careful. The wrong choice could put you on tech support for the next 3 years of your life. I can't decide which I'd recommend for them but in the end, I'm trying to minimize how many times they're going to call me. If I go Mac, they'll call me about programs they used to use but can't find for Mac. If they use Windows, they'll call me about their blue screens of death. What to do?
Seems like a lot for black... (Score:3, Insightful)
And for the love of God why don't they just give them all 1GB of RAM?
Still it's pretty and I want one.
Re:Family complete? (Score:5, Insightful)
video -- ugh! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Family complete? (Score:3, Insightful)
At least the other hardware is nice. A laptop with a camera for only $1100? Sweet.
Even worse... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Stunning new black enclosure? (Score:4, Insightful)
Way to heavy (Score:1, Insightful)
Only 512 MB of RAM (Score:1, Insightful)
Otherwise me thinks Apple is just lying to itself about MacOS X's performance...
Re:MacBook Vs Dell (Score:5, Insightful)
I wonder what does Dell charge for a built in hi-res webcam, slot loading optical, 1.08 inch wide "my 5 year old just stepped on it" resistant case, scrollpad, iLife and OS X.
Now it looks even worse for Dell.
Apple is going to clean up with this one (Score:5, Insightful)
Not too big, not so small that you can't see the screen, with a LOT of horsepower under the hood and the incredible iLife package to boot. The only comparable performance/form factor laptops I can find after a cursory search are $1700+ VAIOs, so the price point is pretty great too. If I were a betting man, I'd be putting a buy order on some Apple stock today.
(All this said, the only one I would ever think about getting is the lowest-end model and dropping in some extra RAM.)
Re:Specs and Prices (US and UK) (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple isn't screwing you. Your government is taxing the shit out of you. Deal with it, or change it.
Re:Family complete? (Score:3, Insightful)
for their kit. I'll take that over ATI-blob supported hardware.
Re:Stunning new black enclosure? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure what you value your time at, but I don't have the time nor CPU cycles to run spyware detectors, malware detectors, virus & trojan detectors, etcetera. I also don't have the time to f*ck with a corrupted registry nor to format/reinstall the OS along with all the software/drivers every 6 months just because I decide to use the comuter. I'll probably settle for a simple firewall though.
I bought 2 macs for my parents after I was tired of doing the above and more everytime I came to their house. I run Linux, Mac, and Windows myself and if I ever move off a Ubuntu, I'll consider a Mac before any Windows.
Because being cheap is going to cost me more in the end.
No Microphone?! (Score:2, Insightful)
Looking at the technical specifications [apple.com] there does not seem to be a microphone in the MacBook, compare with the MacBook Pro [apple.com] specifications for example. The wording on the iSight pages for the two machines seem carefully phrased to avoid the indicating that the MacBook has a microphone. For example they mention videoconferencing but not podcasting as they do for the Pro. What are you supposed to do, videoconference in sign language? It seems like a pretty major oversight, I need to get to a store to confirm if this is the case. Does anyone have conclusive information that the MacBook does have a microphone?
its a random generator, isn't it? (Score:2, Insightful)
Any minute now it'll be QuadMac, QuadBook, MacCore, . . .
Where is the Mac Tablet (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not good enough. (Score:3, Insightful)
Integrated graphics?
It's the low-end consumer machine. Having integrated graphics is common, just look at other machines in the same price range.
Shipping with 2xSODIMMS? (meaning your tossing out both)
The intel chipset used needs paired RAM chips for reasonable performance.
Black is essentially a premium color? It cost more that the system below it with a $50 upgrade to the HDD.
You were expecting it to cost less than the model below it? Yup it's a $50 hard drive upgrade and tax on the fashion conscious. If you don't like it, don't pay it.
Not good enough.
...then don't buy it. What is the point of complaining here that a machine doesn't have the specs you want?
Re:Stunning new black enclosure? (Score:5, Insightful)
I buy one of these, I buy it BECAUSE it has a small display. The same reason I bought my 12-inch iBook. If you offered me a choice, one of these or the 17-inch Pro model, for free, I would take the 13-inch (barring selling the 17 and using the money to buy the 13 of course). I want my notebook to be portable; I already have a desktop machine that is a pain to lug around, I don't need another.
Re:Stunning new black enclosure? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:marketing tactics (Score:2, Insightful)
Oh... Sorry... Was someone trying to be clever? Because it just came across as pretentious and stupid.
Re:MacBook Vs Dell (Score:2, Insightful)
Warning label (Score:3, Insightful)
Good thing they put this warning on the website, although they make it sound like a glossy display is actually a good thing...
(Perhaps it is a good thing for people wanting to spend $1099 on an Apple designed make-up mirror?)
Wow. Afterburners on. (Score:2, Insightful)
If the benchmarks on the product site are correct, this is a major leap forward.
Audio in/out, camera, all Core Duos... hard to imagine they could have done this better.
They've answered most if not all of the iBook critics' points - better res, MagSafe, audio in/out+optical, DVI, camera, the battery doesn't have times yet, but looks like it might be on the iBook curve.
Personally I can't stand glossy displays, but what the heck.
Of course I bought my iBook G4 three months ago... so I'll be drooling for two years and nine months...
Ah! If anyone complains about the 0.3 lb weight gain, buy the low-end white one and I'll trade you so you can go back to the 4.9 lb...
Re:Way to heavy (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't know why Apple always makes only heavy notebooks, but they should stop.
You make it sounds like they purposefully put lead in the product to weigh it down.
The lighter the materials, the more the cost -- at which point you would probably complain that
"I don't know why Apple always makes only expensive notebooks, but they should stop."
In other words, it seems clear that you will never be happy with Apple's notebook -- so don't buy one. End of story.
Re:Black is the new black (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:MacBook Vs Dell (Score:1, Insightful)
Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
You can get a similarly equipped Dell E1405 for about $800. The only thing missing is a webcam, but an USB webcam would cost you $25.
But then, when I was in college... I bought Levi Jeans. Some students can afford to spend twice as much for designer labels.
Re:Way to heavy (Score:3, Insightful)
I bet it gets a full hour less battery life too.
The heaviest component in these things is the battery. Generally, the lighter the laptop the more often you have to find a plug. (Enormous "Portable Workstations" and "Desktop Replacements" excepted).
12" is a slight loss (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Family complete? (Score:3, Insightful)
Still, while the purest in me regrets seeing Apple moving to integrated graphics on their iBook line, the realist in me says that video performance will still probably be better than the modest ATI cards they used to use.
These video chipsets are, like it or not, part of the reason why Apple moved to Intel. By having a complete motherboard solution which includes the GPU, Apple saves exactly one (1) assload of money on the production of their low-end consumer systems. This allows them to make MacBooks and minis with smokin' dual-core processors for around the same price as the ones that once sported ultra-cheap G4 chips.
I'm also digging the widescreen concept of their laptops. My 12" iBook is nice on a long plane ride, but the new 13" MacBook looks like it would be even better suited to a seat-back tray.
I'm going to pass on this round, not out of "version 1.0 fear", but simply because I think I can squeeze a couple more years of utility out of my G4 iBook before I'm ready for a new computer. It's no speed-demon, but it does everything I really need it to at the moment.
Re:Family complete? (Score:3, Insightful)
If I'm working, I have many windows open at the same time, usually as the max resolution I can run...and I need all the real estate I can get.
If I'm on a plane watching a movie on it....I want a screen that is a decent size...12"-13" just are too small for me...
Re:marketing tactics (Score:3, Insightful)
That's unusual. All of the rich people I've known would have answered: "used".
Re:Stunning new black enclosure? (Score:3, Insightful)
On that note
Re:Family complete? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, because as chips get faster in the future, we realize that we were total chumps for buying such slow, expensive chips in the past. You had an Apple II? What a chump you were for paying so much money for a slow old 6502 processor. You had a 80486 PC? You should have just waited for the Core Duo!
Glossy Bullshit (Score:3, Insightful)
Yes, because I remember all the countless times I've seen my window reflected on my TV and thought "Gee, the picture sure looks so much better with all kinds of shit reflected on it."
I wanted a MacBook... but now I'm gonna have to wait till they de-gloss the screen.
Re:Family complete? (Score:3, Insightful)
Another OpenBSD user, I'd bet. In this case it means that it restricts the hardware to North American frequencies (which are assigned by the FCC). The frequencies are an international standard, so it isn't a "USA rules" thing so much as it disallows tinkering with them.
Re:Dell vs Apple Price Comparison (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Glossy screen? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Glossy screen? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Dell vs Apple Price Comparison (Score:3, Insightful)
If you're going to trot out the "PC models with equivalent functionality out there selling for less", at least try and do an apples-to-apples comparison. Don't completely ignore the software advantages of the Mac (ease of use, lack of spyware/viruses, eye-candy, etc), and the features of the Macbook. I'm seeing some really ridiculous statements on this thread. Like "Compensate for the built-in iSight with a $25 USB camera". The quality of the built-in iSight is *very* good. It definitely beats the $100+ Quickcam Orbit MP I've got lying around here. You should add $100 to the price of all the competing notebooks to compensate for the iSight. The rigidity of the Macbook case is a big deal. As someone who has carried around a flimsy Dell laptop for years, I can tell you that a good solid case is worth a lot more to me than $100. The weight and slimness do matter. 1.5" versus 1.08" (for the Acer you pointed to) is a difference you'll notice when trying to cram our laptop bag full of all the documents you carry with you. That convenience is worth something.
So if you want to be able to criticize the Macbook's value, do it legitimately. Compare the Macbook to a laptop from a top-tier company, with a similar screen size, similar thickness and weight, and similar features. An equivalent Vaio SZ 13.3" runs $1660. It's almost identical feature-for feature, but a pound lighter (due to the use of magnesium versus polycarbonate). An equivalent Dell E1405 has a bigger screen at a similar weight (5.3lb), and costs $1040 similarly specced (no video camera, though). That's Dell --- a manufacturer widely regarded as selling very affordable machines! An equivalentlly specced (complete with webcam), and sized (14.1" LCD, 5.37 lb) HP DV1000t costs $1150 after $50 MIR. A ThinkPad T60 has a slower processor, dedicated X1300 graphics, but starts at $1500.
Look at the vendors Apple is competing with. Relative to them, Apple is selling a product that has the reputation of Thinkpads and VAIOs, in a price range right around that of Dell and HP...
Re:Dell vs Apple Price Comparison (Score:3, Insightful)
No. I consider it a differentiater.
A differentiator is a significant difference. Thanks for conceding the point.
Obviously it depends on the individual needs, but they aren't critical.
It depends upon the individual needs. Thanks for conceding another point.
Well that was a choice Apple made.
Yes, just as Dell decided to include a modem. Each is something that cost money and was included by one vendor and not the other. Whether we care which we have or whether we ever expect to use either the optical drive or the modem is irrelevant for purposes of comparing the relative costs of the machines and their hardware.
You're shitting me. You think Apple invented this?
I'll take that to mean you don't know if you can use it this way under Windows with the available drivers and this hardware, otherwise point me to a link bright boy.
I know who consumer reports is. If you did, you wouldn't put so much faith in them.
This is the logical fallacy of, "ad hominem attack," thanks for playing. Gee who has more credibility Consumer Reports or "sheldon"... gee tough one here. I take it you still haven't found a credible report to the contrary, nor a logical argument to refute their study.
Ok fan boi. Whatever.
Either go back to believing whatever you heard somewhere in marketing materials, or sit down and read a book on logic and critical thinking. Then do a little research and base your opinion on that research, not on what facts you can find to support the opinion you already made. All you've presented is unsupported opinion, with a healthy dose of spotty reasoning. I like Apple hardware and much of their software. I also like Lenovo hardware and even some Sony models. The reason for this is the features and quality of the hardware. In addition to my own personal experience, I have some pretty good statistical evidence to back up my purchasing decisions. What exactly do you have again?
Re:Glossy screen on MacBook Pro (Score:3, Insightful)
"Wait, isn't that a step backward?"
I mean, it took forever for low-glare CRT screens to become commonplace and LCDs luckily had them right off the bat. Now we're going back to a glare-ful displays? Okay, you MIGHT argue that the increased brightness of the display means that you can get away with a non-non-glare screen in most situations. BUT, the backlights in LCDs tend to lose brightness over time, and those that burn brightest get darker quicker. I'm betting that in 2 years, you'll see a flood of these on eBay because the owners couldn't read their damn screens unless they turn out all the lights.