Apple has updated their MacBook line without so much as a press release:
Apple’s MacBooks yesterday featured:
• 2.0GHz or 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 667MHz frontside bus
• 1GB (two 512MB SO-DIMMs) of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2GB
• Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
• 80GB, 120GB, or 160GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive; optional 120GB or 160GB 5400-rpm drive or 200GB 4200-rpm drive
• Weight: 5.1 pounds
Apple’s MacBooks today feature:
• 2.0GHz or 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 800MHz frontside bus
• 1GB (two 512MB SO-DIMMs) of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB
• Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
• 80GB, 120GB, or 160GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive; optional 120GB, 160GB, or 250GB 5400-rpm drive
• Weight: 5.0 pounds
Apple MacBooks are available in three basic configurations that users can customize:
13-inch White
• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 1GB memory
• 80GB hard drive
• Combo drive
– $1,099
13-inch White
• 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 1GB memory
• 120GB hard drive
• Double-layer SuperDrive
– $1,299
13-inch Black
• 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 1GB memory
• 160GB hard drive
• Double-layer SuperDrive
– $1,499
See the updated MacBooks here.
MacDailyNews Note: Also of note are Apple’s stealth additions of customization options to their MacBook Pro line which now include a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo for US$250 and the 250GB 5400-rpm drive for $150.
Wooo Hooo
No aluminum casing though… 🙁
And there’s yer update.
Uh, I think I can tell from the spec comparison why there’s been no big press release. Why bother?
Still same yucky glossy screens.
No sale. Neither will my friends or our switchers. Sorry Apple.
An overwhelming 86 percent of respondents preferred the old-school anti-glare matte finish for their laptops, with only 8 percent voting for the glossy reflective finish. Only 5 percent were indifferent. Clearly, non-glossy won by a landslide.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061018-8022.html
“Clearly, non-glossy won by a landslide.”
Clearly it was the same 12 people voting over and over.
Heh. It’s not tuesday.
I thought it was weird that the lines regarding supported resolutions were spaced differently. It seems yesterday’s MacBook supported 640 by 480 at 16:10 but today’s supports 640 by 480 *pixels* at 16:10.
Must be because of the new GPU…
One 800 Mhz frontside bus for two cores?
My Dual 2 Ghz G5 has one 1000 Mhz frontside bus PER processor.
Supposely these Intel Duos are so much faster, but they are hobbled by the slow bus which feeds data in and out of the processors.
After all the processors are only as fast as the data they can get to work on.
Still it’s a achievement to get somewhat the power of a Dual G5 in a tiny laptop, hobbled or not. I guess.
“No sale. Neither will my friends or our switchers. Sorry Apple.”
Gee, 15 people didn’t buy the last MacBooks and aren’t going to buy these, YET Apple’s marketshare is SURGING!!!
Way to stick it to Apple! They’ll have to be sure to state in their next stock report that the 5.3 percent sales increase less due to 0.0000001% not liking matte screens.
Cost of Macbooks on US store:
$1099, $1299, $1499
On Canadian online store:
$1249, $1499, $1649
Hello Apple, the Canadian dollar is worth almost $1.05 US! At the very least the prices should be at par! It was nice to buy Leopard at par, and I could (barely) accept that prices on old hardware won’t change, but why the massive disparity in pricing for new hardware!!??
I have last year’s Macbook but was wanting to upgrade to the new generation for the much-improved graphics chip. Not with these prices I won’t.
I saw a person getting a Macbook last night at the Apple Store. She is going to be really pissed off this morning when she wakes up.
Oh Mossman, just drive down to Buffalo and buy one there. No GST. And get a beef of wick while you’re at it.
You people need to get over the glossy screen thingy!
Maybe you can close the curtains or something…I love my glossy screen Macbook and don’t see any major difference in it from my other 5 Macs other than the screen is brighter and has more contrast. If you are making your living on Photoshop, then buy yourself a Cinema Display, write it off before April, and shaddup!
Whoo hoo!
We’ve brought in 400 more, and we wouldn’t have touched them if they’d have been matte.
@MatteBoy
I hear you brother, glossy sucks on a laptop. At least they have the option on the MacBook Pro’s. I’m assuming because the performance on the MacBooks and iMacs is so close to the Pro lines of the MacBook Pro and MacPro that Apple was losing sales, so went glossy on the low end to discourage pro sales.
Which is stupid because of the damage caused to people’s eyesight with highly reflective screens.
@Wrong Again
Your a idiot. Read the polls. 86% prefer matte.
@ mossman
Just cross the border into the US, you Canadians do it quite regularly anyway.
Gil,
you’re right! It’s not tuesday.
It’s Tuesday
I don’t get the anti-glossy screen people out there. How did you function back in the days of tube monitors that were all glossy? Did you choose not to compute?
I have a 24″ glossy imac that is absolutely stunning and in no way affects anything I do…no glare when on, nothing.
My two cents.
“Clearly, non-glossy won by a landslide.”
Hellooo… The article is one year old… A lot of things had changed…
Not in the UK Store yet!
EOL for Europe?
MW: “help” ……… please
You mean all this time you’ve been whining about glossy screens you still haven’t figured out how to solve your problem? Are you that bitter AND that dumb? Does it make you feel good to not fix your own problems? Shut up. Just please shut up.
A little thing called Value Added Tax and other taxes put upon business by your socialist government.
If there’s NO CHOICE, then clearly, glossy will win.
What would it take for Apple to offer matte screens as an option? It certainly works with the MacBook Pro.
I guess having a matte screen only available on professional level machines is just one more way to nudge people toward spending the extra scratch for one.
I’ve been waiting and waiting for a significant macbook update – kinda like ibook –> macbook. Where’s that ultra thin aluminum macbook / subnotebook ?!?!?!
Shared memory graphics? OMFG, that’s awful! The MacBook Pro looks better and better. FireWire 800 and ExpressCard/34 look better and better, too!
I LOVE the $850 price to upgrade to 4GB RAM at the Apple Store!
People will never be satisfied, but good job Apple. You have everyone posting and bitching..although still a website dedicated to your products. Must be doing something right.
“I don’t get the anti-glossy screen people out there. How did you function back in the days of tube monitors that were all glossy?”
I had monitors with anti-glare coating.
Go ahead, then, and get your MacBook Pro. But you’re going to pay a lot more than you would for the MacBook.
@Money Talks, BS Walks
“Your a idiot. Read the polls. 86% prefer matte.”
Are you using the contraction for “you are”… you’re? Funny that you are calling someone an idiot when you cannot even spell properly.
Maybe “you’re” the idiot.
Typing this on a MBP w/ glossy screen. No problems, ever!
But since I’m pro-choice, Apple should offer the black MacBook with an option of matte screen. I would so enjoy the whining: “What? 200 $ extra for a matte screen?”
@BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots: for once, I agree.
“Your a idiot.”
I just love the smell of irony in the morning.
I don’t get the anti-glossy screen people out there. How did you function back in the days of tube monitors that were all glossy? Did you choose not to compute?
Glossy screens were unfortunately what we had to work with for many years. Overtime with a lot of use we realized it caused intensive eyestrain, headaches and vision problems. It’s caused Computer Vision Syndrome, you can research it yourself.
We tried anti-glare screens, computer glasses, you name it. When LCD screens with matte finish came out, we computer users got relief.
Now things are going back ass-wards.
I have a 24″ glossy imac that is absolutely stunning and in no way affects anything I do…no glare when on, nothing.
Sure you can tailor the environment to eliminate reflections in your computer screen. But this is always possible, like at work, schools, outside with laptops etc.
I have nothing against the minority of people who prefer glossy, but the option for matte should be available for the majority who do need it, those who work with computers days on end.
I have to wear glasses now because of the failed muscles in my eyes due to the constant eye focusing between the actual image and the reflections all these years.
I would sue a company or two, but they are all out of business now.
Ed Stephan:
In the days of CRT monitors with glossy glass screens, the difference, I think, is that the monitors were not perfectly FLAT as they are with LCDs. The round-ish CRTs diffused the reflections somewhat. You could get anti-glare screens, but those were pretty awful.
Careful monitor placement was the only real solution.
With a laptop, it’s pretty much impossible to control reflections adequately, unless it never leaves your desk… kind of beside the point of having a portable computer, i’d say.
I STILL use a 20″ Mitsubishi CRT as my second monitor, so I’m LOOKING at a big shiny CRT this instant! I’m WAITING for Apple to release new goddam monitors,with decent refresh rates. C’mon Apple… we’re waaaaaaaaaaaiting!
Correction:
“Sure you can tailor the environment to eliminate reflections in your computer screen. But this isn’t always possible, like at work, schools, outside with laptops etc.”
I’m only trying to inform people of the danger. Apple can make mistakes like any other company.
I wish they would uncouple the GPU memory from the CPU memory. I would write the check for a MacBook today.
Just my $0.02
At the time of writing, while the USA Apple Store is showing the updated models, the UK Apple Store is still showing the old models for sale.
“You mean all this time you’ve been whining about glossy screens you still haven’t figured out how to solve your problem?”
—————————
@BustingTheSkulls,
At least you are admitting that glossy displays ARE a problem..
Does anyone know/expect how well editing HD movies in iMovie will work on these newly spec’d MacBooks? I need a Mac to edit my soon-to-be born baby videos. Obviously I like the portability and price of a MacBook, but I’m not sure I can get away with anything less than an iMac.
Hey Mossman
You lucky bastard
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />, look at the European prices….
Cost of Macbooks on US store:
$1099, $1299, $1499
On European (Sweden) online store:
$1539, $1845, $2153
Great, but when is the Tablet coming?
prices quoted for macbooks do not include taxes.
<wiseass>
@ Grammar Police
It is funny that you refer to an idiot as being one who cannot spell when in actual fact is was a grammar mistake and NOT a spelling mistake.
Contrary to popular belief, “your” is an actual word. Sure it was the wrong word but the spelling was correct.
Next time you’re to check with our 9,000 page handbook before inserting your foot into any orifice.
NB. Note the comparative use of both words in the foregoing.
MW: line, as in toe the line
Apple really should do something about the European prices. With the almighty buck tanking, we are now paying almost $ 1600 for the basic MacBook.
(It’s a little ironic that the dollar sign comes from Option+€ on my Scandinavian keyboard.)
Oh, and I love glossy.
WOW, increased specs at the same price, Neat.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
The lady buying a MacBook last night may already have the uprated specs. You never know. Also, she has 14 days to swap it.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Glossy is the way to go. PERIOD. Here is why.
There are inexpensive filters that fit over the screen to make it Matte, or help hide it from prying eyes. HOWEVER, nothing will take a matte screen and make it glossy. So you have two mac screens in one. Glossy or (add filter ) and Matte.
HEY, what a great company. Making products better with out raising the price, making systems that can be two things vs one with out raising the price, it just keeps on getting better.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
en
Grammar Police = Self Righteous Fool
You don’t add any value to the conversation.
For that matter, neither do I. Let’s both STFU.
hmm, i just got “yesterday’s” $1299 macbook. looks like i’ll have to trade up soon, if only for the x3100 graphics. i don’t play too many new games, but the ones i do want to play (UT2004, WoW) already run pretty well on GMA950… man.
as for the glossy/matte debate, i’ll throw in my two cents. i absolutely adore the macbook’s screen. it’s bright, it has very vivid colors, and the gloss, while sometimes present, has never bothered me because i usually have items on my screen (programs, icons, things like that) that, to my eyes, obscure the glare. for me, it’s not very distracting. i can see where in some environments, people might have difficulty with it, but it’s never been an issue for me. it seems to be a lot easier to use in daylight/outdoor conditions, too.
and to the person who said to read the polls (that show in favor of matte) – that’s pretty select evidence there. people who don’t care either way aren’t going to voice their opinion in the poll… or even know that the poll exists – and THAT is the vast majority of people.
i love my macbook… but now i have to consider upgrading. i knew this day would come!
The Canada – US delta in pricing for new Apple product is very annoying.
I just spent some time configuring an APC power back up system for a client from the apcc.com Canadian web site and it show both US and Canadian prices – and the prices in Canadian dollars are lower than the US prices.
As Apple has recently priced iLife 08, iWork 08 and the new keyboards at parity prices, I would have thought that Apple would adjust the prices for the new MacBooks and MacBook Pro computers to parity as well.
As for those who suggest we simply travel across the border to the US, there are some of us who would rather not have our shadows fall upon US soil. For very many many reasons.. not the least of which are political.
PS: I don’t hate Americans.. I just don’t like the leadership.
“One 800 Mhz frontside bus for two cores?
My Dual 2 Ghz G5 has one 1000 Mhz frontside bus PER processor.”
And the Macbook will run circles around the G5 on applications like “handbrake” and 64 bit apps. These are awesome notebooks for the price.
I dunno. This upgrade is kind of underwhelming. I’m looking for a lightweight, 12″ Macbook Pro, w/ firewire 800. Why did they get rid of the 12″ pro model? Mastards.
I hope all Canadians stop buying Apple products unless they are offered at a fair price. I cancelled my iPod touch when I noticed the extra $50 Apple added on, I cancelled my .Mac subsciption until they lowered the price, I checked the price of Leopard before ordering and now I want to order a new laptop but I refuse to pay extra dollars in Canada when I dollar is trading above the U.S. dollar. Canadians are being hosed and this will continue until we stop buying. Shame on Apple!
But what about the miniPro?
“Why did they get rid of the 12″ pro model?”
Because it wasn’t selling well.
Glossy screens were unfortunately what we had to work with for many years. Overtime with a lot of use we realized it caused intensive eyestrain, headaches and vision problems. It’s caused Computer Vision Syndrome, you can research it yourself.
That had nothing to do with the glossiness! It had to do with the fact that it was a CRT!
As a Mac user since 1984 and a consultant to a number of firms the new pricing in Canada is a slap in the face. We will be putting ALL Apple purchases on hold as well as encouraging all of our clients to do the same. This may only cost apple a few thousand computer sales but we need to start somewhere.
And the Macbook will run circles around the G5 on applications like “handbrake” and 64 bit apps.
Oh jesus that was funny
The G5 is a 64 bit computer and no the Macbooks can’t beat the Dual 2 G5’s in most anything, especially 3D gaming.
Swish!
LED backlight?
That had nothing to do with the glossiness! It had to do with the fact that it was a CRT!
How do you figure?
CRT’s or Glossy LCD’s doesn’t matter, the reflections are the problem.
The eye is constantly refocusing between the real image and the slightly out of focus reflections. This causes eye muscle fatigue, which causes headaches and eyestrain, which causes blurry vision as the eys get lazy, requiring glasses prematurely.
It’s well documented. Research it for yourself.
Glossy screens on computers are a fad, but they will go the way glossy screens on HDTV’s gone. bye bye.
They are just too difficult to use to avoid the reflections.
@Tre,
Please leave BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots alone. There is a rule against feeding the animals, plus she has extreme emotional issues that she’s dealing with.
I’m with Frank, the gap created by the ending of a pro 12″ needs to be filled soon.
I just did a poll with myself on the glossy screens.
100% of me likes them.
There’s a new statistic for ya.
This is great news. If the Axiotron ModBook ever becomes a reality, we’ll be able to get it with 4 gigs of RAM instead of 3.
With sites like this out there, do they really need a press release?
Looks like I will go to Hong Kong next week where the MacBook cost 768€. And I need to set up a scheme how to get the new MacPro too. Even I live close to the Chinese factories producing Apple stuff (iPhone, iMac, MacPro), it’s not possible to buy them cheaply (they need to be imported from the export zone).
Why the hell do they still insist on offering only 5400 rpm hard drives? It’s idiotic.
Relatively minor bumps in specs. That’s why no press release.
And I agree with the Canadians that, with the dollars almost equal, prices should be almost equal, too. On the other hand, I wouldn’t go so far as to switch to Windows over it!
Canadians should stop buy anything but the essentials from Canadian stores. Prices have been unjustly inflated by manufacturers for along time now. I for one am holding off from buying anything that I can get by without, unless a trip to the States is planned.
From what I’ve seen, Apple has been quick to adjust some of their items, but even they have some work to do.
Well….
Most Canadians live close to the border with the USA… One could just take a day-trip over to buy your new Mac at a lower price…
As a former Torontonian tho when I bought my Powerbook I just supped up the price difference, bought locally, and didn’t whine about it.
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Wow, it seems that there are some in Canada that seem to live on another planet!
It is not Canada that is being gouged, and it is not specifically Apple. US dollar has been sinking against the entire world. US retailers, as well as foreign manufacturers, in their effort to preserve their presence and market share in the US, have been reducing their margins in order to keep price levels in US$ relatively stable. The result of that is US becoming an isolated economic island akin to a banana republic, where everything is cheap to the outside world.
Apple never changed retail pricing to their products in Canada (or any other country, for that matter), with the exception of few minor and less expensive items here and there. In fact, very few manufacturers ever do this; it is extremely detrimental to your product line to have price constantly moving around according to the exchange rate gyrations. The point is, the world is paying normal prices for their goods. The US, meanwhile, is getting it all much cheaper, without even knowing it.
The question is, how much longer are all these manufacturers (and US retailers) going to be able to sustain these US prices without losing money. If Dollar slide continues (it hit $1.44 against Euro yesterday!), very soon we will begin to see prices creep in the US. Until them, if Canadians (or Mexicans, or anyone else for that matter) want cheap MacBooks, fly to the US; buy one for yourself and another one to sell. Your trip to US will be free, and you’ll get a new Mac at 25% discount.
Yeah, processor wars, I have the same get up, but macbones is probably right. I do remember reading a while back that the original core duo notebooks were roughly on par with the dp g5’s as long as rosetta wasn’t involved. Geez, the consumer notebook keeping up with the pro desktop was kind of a letdown.
Still keeping the g5, though. It’s more than fast enough to do my consumer applications, and I really don’t need any faster. With the constantly new lineups from intel, apple’s keeping up with the constant newer, faster, better 6 month upgrade cycle that the windows world has been on.
Sigh. I remember when they’d come out with the ‘new and improved’ powerbook, only to find out that they bumped the g4 processor from 1.33 to 1.5 ghz. It made it significantly less tempting to upgrade every time a newer model came out. Sigh…
Just noticed that the Education price has dropped from $1049 to $999 on the base MB.
Nearest US Apple retail store is at least a couple hours away for me, and why should I have to bother crossing the border for this? Apple gets money either way, so shopping in the US doesn’t “send them a message” or anything.
To everyone advocating Canadians buy in the US, don’t forget you get slapped with duties and I think GST coming back in. Sure, you *could* try not declaring it, but have fun if they catch you.
@ Hg Wells, I at the very least never said I’d switch to Windows over a parity difference, but I’ll definitely be contacting Apple and letting them know I’m holding off buying because of it.
OK ..
here is my predicament..
I bought a Black Macbook last Friday in addition to my Leopard at our local Apple store..
I told them I want to return it but it may costs me a few hundred dollars to return it and get the new Black Macbook… what is the policy here in Alberta Canada for returning such merchandise???
Looks good to me. I will buy one of 13 inchers. I have one of the new iMacs and it is great. I have three macs networked and need to replace the old PB1400 which is not very usable in todays computing environment.
“Supposely these Intel Duos are so much faster, but they are hobbled by the slow bus which feeds data in and out of the processors.
After all the processors are only as fast as the data they can get to work on.”
Large L2 caches reduce the need for a fast FSB. The PowerMac G5 only had a 512kb L2 cache compared to the 4MB L2 cache on the MacBook (8x as much). That makes a big difference. One of the reasons the Dual-core 2Ghz G5 PowerMac was faster than the Dual-processor 2Ghz G5 PowerMac despite only having one 1Ghz FSB for both cores instead of one per processor is that it had a 1MB L2 cache instead of a 512kb L2 cache.
“The G5 is a 64 bit computer and no the Macbooks can’t beat the Dual 2 G5’s in most anything, especially 3D gaming..”
The MacBooks and the G5’s are both 64-bit, and I believe there are benchmarks proving that the MacBooks are faster at certain tasks, particularly one’s not needing a graphics card. I suspect these new ones might even be better at that, depending on the card in the G5.
Apple’s policy is 14 days and includes a 10% restocking fee if you open it. It doesn’t cover items that have been customized in anyway – only “stock” ones.
If you can, it’s actually a little better to buy your Mac’s at generic retailers. For example, at BestBuy you have 15 days and no restocking fee. Plus, the BestBuy extended warrantee is better than AppleCare as BestBuy has the infamous “drop kick” warantee where AppleCare covers only unintentional damage or manufacturing defects.
I’m fine with my glossy screen, but yours is the most reasonable complaint about the glossys I’ve read here.
” Also of note are Apple’s stealth additions of customization options to their MacBook Pro line which now include a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo for US$250 and the 250GB 5400-rpm drive for $150.”
Another MacBook Pro option is a 200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm. I think that’s new.
1000 grit sandpaper, a sanding block, a little elbow grease and you’re good to go.
RE: Buying American goods
There are a number of proxy (package forwarding) companies who will handle this. Access USA (http://www.myus.com/) is one, and it’s about $45 Canadian to have a MacBook shipped up here. If you consider that our exchange rate is $1.058 (last I checked anyway), you’re total would be $1461.98 – about $37 less than the US MSRP and about $187 less than the Canadian MSRP.
RE: DIY Matte
LOL – tough to get even though.
@nonarKitten
Thanks for the link, I checked it out but found this in their FAQ:
“The published Access USA shipping rates are for door-to-door delivery. There may be additional import fees or duty for merchandise shipments coming into your country. These fees vary by country and they are not covered by Access USA. Please contact your local customs office for more information on duties or import fees.”
Free trade my ass…
wff is up with apple and their 5400-rpm hard disks? Isn’t it about time they joined the rest of the computer world in offering 7200-rpm as standard? Why does Apple have fast hardware everywhere else, but then choose to bottleneck it with a slow spinning hard disk?
That gripe aside, this is a descent update. It’s not the 12″ aluminum notebook everyone and their mother is begging for, but at least they are keeping their specs up.
7200-rpm drives are hotter, use more power, and for most people buying a MacBook, wouldn’t make a huge difference. More RAM also mitigates the effect of a slower hard drive, since more can be cached thus requiring less frequent hard drive access. I’m surprised the high-end black MacBook doesn’t have 2GB standard, but Apple is notoriously stingy on RAM.
I suspect it will be a moot point in a few years once notebooks start using flash drives.
Relax everyone not in the USofA. At least for a while. As of this writing, the new MacBooks are not on the Canadian site. Still the old product. I assume this is the case elsewhere, too.
I’m sure the delay is that they don’t quite know what price to put on them right now. I read one analyst (I know, I know) pegging the Canadian $ at 1.25 to 1.26 US.
It is really hard to tell the difference between the old and new product. Check the tech specs and see if they are fitted with GMA 950 graphics (old) or X3100 (new).
Wrong. The http://www.apple.com/ca/macbook page hasn’t been updated yet, but the one for the online store has, and the prices are still the same.
Why do I have the feeling that the passionate anti-glare people might just be one person posting over and over again?
Joe
info@steamteam.co
WHERE ITS THE NEW MACPRO!!!!!!!! IAM START TO BE IMPATIENT APPLE SUCKERS! I NEED ONE!!!! NOW!
All I can say is
GMA X3100 integrated graphics and up to 4 GB of memory!
WOOHOO!
Apple keeps RAM prices artificially high to keep resellers happy and to make extra money on those foolish enough not to know the difference.
The slow standard HD keeps their prices lower and helps with power and heat management issues. Anybody who really wants a faster drive can get one. It would be nice if Apple offered it as a BTO option.
Damnit now my 17″ 2.4GHz isn’t the top anymore 🙁
My local Apple Store in Corte Madera, CA has unequivocally stated that most MacBook Pro customers choose the matte screen. Period.
Large L2 caches reduce the need for a fast FSB. The PowerMac G5 only had a 512kb L2 cache compared to the 4MB L2 cache on the MacBook (8x as much). That makes a big difference. One of the reasons the Dual-core 2Ghz G5 PowerMac was faster than the Dual-processor 2Ghz G5 PowerMac despite only having one 1Ghz FSB for both cores instead of one per processor is that it had a 1MB L2 cache instead of a 512kb L2 cache.
The WHOLE computer has to be fast in order achieve all around performance, not just doing one thing, like something CPU intensive which a cache will help a lot I admit.
Because CPU output has to go somewhere, either to a graphics card or a hard drive. Which the MacBook fails miserably in both aspects. Even worse with a slow bus.
A computer, like a chain, is only as fast as it’s weakest link.
My Dual 2 Ghz G5 can run 2 3D games AT ONCE!!!
Why is this? Because a Dual 2 is two seperate processors, each with a wide bus, almost like two computers in a box, with their output joining at the graphics card to display or a RAID 0 set of hard drives to eliminate bottleneck.
So there is no way in hell a MacBook is going to beat a Dual 2 overall, except in some certain CPU operations. Because as soon as that data tries to leave the processors, it’s hobbled.
I have a Intel Duo MacBook Pro 2 meg, it’s slow as hell with its laptop drive at 7200 RPM, beachballs when loading apps. My Dual 2 with 4.5 meg, RAID 0 2x 10,000 RPM loads apps in a blink of a eye, it just jumps at any thing I want to do. But this wouldn’t occur if I didn’t have a fast bus into the processors.
Most people don’t do a lot of full on CPU intensive operations, they do a lot of little different things, multi-tasking. SO a fast bus and hard drive make a big difference.
The Canadians are getting hosed. Heh, oser!?
Joe V,
it’s even worse here in Europe.
Apple products here are about the same price in Euros as they are in the US in dollars.
That means you pay 40% more!
€1,- is about $1,45
Yup. It is now officially OK for Canadians (and probably others) to be upset at Apple’s brain dead pricing policy for MacBooks.
They are up to 20ish % too expensive for the current exchange rate.
Any ideas on how to complain effectively?
No surprise there was no press release. They don’t want all the fanboys who waited for the leopard release to get a new machine then had the last of the old stock dumped on them to be bringing their back.
Apple Customer Relations:
1 800 275 2273
Be polite. I was.
You don’t seem to understand what an L2 cache does or how it mitigates the need for a fast FSB.
If your MacBook is that much slower, something is wrong with it.
Take off hoser!
@Joe V – “I hope all Canadians stop buying Apple products unless they are offered at a fair price. I cancelled my iPod touch when I noticed the extra $50 Apple added on, I cancelled my .Mac subsciption until they lowered the price, I checked the price of Leopard before ordering and now I want to order a new laptop but I refuse to pay extra dollars in Canada when I dollar is trading above the U.S. dollar. Canadians are being hosed and this will continue until we stop buying. Shame on Apple!”
I’m also a Canadian.
Apple never changed retail pricing to their products in Canada (or any other country, for that matter). In fact, very few manufacturers ever do this; it is extremely detrimental to your product line to have price constantly moving around according to the exchange rate gyrations.
The question is, how much longer are all these manufacturers (and US retailers) going to be able to sustain these US prices without losing money.
My first gen Intel iMac has a matte screen, but I view it with glossy eyes.
Mossman, someone has to pay for that free medical care….
“I’m with Frank, the gap created by the ending of a pro 12” needs to be filled soon.”……..I gonna just let that one hang there!
On a serious note, I know a young man who just left Kuwait for Iraq, and he is looking for a dependable laptop. I suggested the Macbook to his mother, but I’m not sure what type of support he could get over there. Anybody got experience on this? Thanks.
I was sitting in my college Computer lab where they have 12 iMacs.
6 — 17 inch G5 iMacs and 6 New 20 inch Aluminum iMacs.
The Display on the new iMacs STUNNING. The Brightness and the Colors. BUT!!!! There is lots of Glare. All the florescent lights in the room glare to the screen.
Then going back to the Matte G5 iMacs, they are so much more easier on the eyes.
APPLE should offer the iMacs Matte or without the Glass. Wasn’t there a condensation issue because of the glass?
See apple, TAKE OFF THE GLASS. if it’s a matte screen already, how does the glass make this a more recyclable product.
Does anyone here even understand the concept of Purchasing Power Parity? And, doesn’t Canada have VAT included in the price?
i bought a macbook two days ago and now they come out with a new one??? and i have to pay $120 to switch it out? BS!!!!
It took me two days to reload all my files and crap!!!
Is the new macbook worth spending another $120 and two days to reload my files again? Are they that much better? Graphics card? I don’t play too many games. just tiger woods.
Forgive my ignorance but I thought the 2.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo processors were Santa Rosa. If the Santa Rosa processors are new, are they much faster than the 2.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo that was in the Macbooks before?
“And, doesn’t Canada have VAT included in the price?”
The ignorance of the rest of the world about Canada sometimes astounds me.
Canada does not have VAT. Canadian sales tax is not included in the price. There is a federally-based sales tax which applies to all provinces which is 6%, and a provincially-based sales tax which obviously varies depending on province. In my province (BC) they total to 13% (6% PST, 7&#xGS;T).
So the $200 markup on the MacBooks is purely artificial. Purchasing Power Parity does not in itself account for the Canadian dollar increasing substantially in value compared to the US dollar, yet the prices of imported US Goods remaining the same in Canada.
“i bought a macbook two days ago and now they come out with a new one??? and i have to pay $120 to switch it out? BS!!!!”
It’s nice how they did this sneakily two days after the launch of Leopard, presumably when they had used the bump in hardware sales from the Leopard release to flush through stock of the old ones.
The knew this was coming. They should have just made the announcement concurrent with Leopard and sold the old ones in Canada instead.
“Is the new MacBook worth spending another $120 and two days to reload my files again? Are they that much better? Graphics card?…”
Yes! Santa Rosa could add another two years or so of life to your laptop, because of the extra RAM capacity and better graphics.
Is the extra $120 dollars just the difference in price? Or is it the restocking fee? I’ve read in some online forums that Apple will often take a computer back within 14 days of purchase WITHOUT charging a restocking fee if your purpose is to upgrade to a newer and/or more expensive model. If you purchased directly from Apple and you have more than one Apple Store in your area, call several until you get a firm commitment from one of them to do an exchange WITHOUT restocking fee. Write down the name of the associate who agrees to the exchange and find out when he/she is working so that you can deal directly with him/her. WARNING: Be sure to reinstall OS X on your original MacBook before returning it — using the Disk Utility on the installation DVD to “write zeros” to your hard drive. Otherwise, your data will still remain on the computer.
Let me finish by saying that I have been disappointed in Apple’s “dirty” business tactics lately — iPhone pricing, 802.11N activation fee, etc. Too much like Microsoft for my taste…
“Too much like Microsoft for my taste…”
Don’t forget, Microsoft copies everything from Apple. One of Steve’s first acts in business was to cheat is friend and business partner Woz out of half of a $5000 (1975 dollars) bonus.
If that’s what Steve will do to a friend, be under no misapprehension what he will do to you as a customer.
@ Steve Jobs All Round Good Guy,
Woz seems like a nice guy, at it is a shame that Jobs continually treats him like $j!#. Woz is reported to have given a lot of his Apple stock to Apple employees as a show of gratitude. Jobs kept his shares to himself. Woz asked Jobs to write the forward to his autobiography, but Jobs refused for reasons still unknown. At least Woz is still making money from Apple thanks to his remaining shares in the company.
I do not think that it is fair to say that Apple (Jobs) taught Microsoft (Gates and Ballmer) how to act badly. Microsoft knows how to do that quite well without any lessons from Apple.
“Is the extra $120 dollars just the difference in price? Or is it the restocking fee?”
It’s what’s becoming standard for Apple now, an early adopter fee. At least with the iPhone they waited months to geld the early users. Here its days.
@ Ben Tover,
I don’t understand your answer. I just checked pricing at the USA Apple Store moments ago, and the November 2007 MacBooks are still being sold for 1099USD, 1299USD, and 1499USD. The previous revision to the MacBook line was in May 2007. Were the May 2007 MacBooks being sold for less money than the November 2007 MacBooks are being sold?
Listen if your going to Add Features. You might as well get the wording right!
As another Canadian, I too am disgusted with the lack of pricing parity by Apple and other US companies, here in Canada. $200 markup on a $1000 product is not insignificant. I, personally, will not be purchasing a new Macbook Pro until this issue is rectified.
And, to reiterate an earlier poster’s comments: There is no VAT in Canada. So, to those who keep parroting this excuse in blind ignorance, stop. You are incorrect and have mistaken Canada for a country halfway across the world. I’ll save the bandwidth here and tell you to Google it.
–mAc
“Were the May 2007 MacBooks being sold for less money than the November 2007 MacBooks are being sold?”
The price difference is the restocking fee. It’s what you’ll pay to take the shiny new MacBook you brought on the day Leopard launched back and get it swapped for the new model which started shipping 2 days later.
yea, it was the restocking fee. No luck exchanging it for an upgraded model. I had the 1299 one and i wasn’t spending 1499 to get the black one with basically the same specs.
everything is cool with it except I STILL CAN’T PLAY TIGER WOODS!!!!! bigger graphics card, more ram capability… what i actually need is a patch from EA for the GMA X3100 so i can play that bad boy.