“Apparently the day nVIDIA was slated to introduce the integrated graphics chip the new MacBook will use has been moved… from September 30th to October 15th,” Mac Soda reports.
“Recall the fact that the MacBook event was originally scheduled for September 29th, and was postponed to October 14th,” Mac Soda reports.
“I find it hard to believe that the announcement wasn’t moved because the MacBook event was moved, so look at this as further confirmation to our report: the MCP7A-U chipset will be in the next MacBook,” Mac Soda reports.
Full article here.
[Attribution: Gizmodo. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “CYxodus” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s current generation MacBook features the Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory.
Yippee, here comes another ultra-hyped, underspecified, overpriced machine to grace the Apple product line-up. Can’t wait!
And yet we’ll buy it Orgasmatron
Haven’t Apple learned not to use nVidia chips. Their whole line of 8600s are flawed, Macbook Pro GPUs are failing in large numbers. I don’t believe Apple are coming back for more
i love apple, but yes they do over price their products a bit. Apple knows its their software that is superior, not their hardware. so at this time and to help them pull the market shares, cut us consumers a break, we are loyal to your products. you’ve already got a huge bank account, you’ll be fine get more people on board to buy your stuff at greater rates and you’ll definetly be taken care of in the future, now is the time while MS is down and crawling in their own $hit.
@mike honcho
read another article by this guy, as far as rumors, sounds like what Apple needs
http://macsoda.com/2008/09/30/mac-sodas-official-brick-event-predictions/
Whew. The populists are out in force today. Gimme, gimme, gimme.
it’s not so much, gimme gimme, Apple has the full advantage of taking a huge stance here to offer their high quality products at a rate that would make consumers feel like they are getting the best(which they are) but at a substantial price that they dont feel like they are breaking the bank for what has been made as luxury or upper class. Good article, but lets just wait to see what they actually have than get our hopes up for a startrek tricorder, (gee that would be an awesome iphone app)
Interesting tidbit of news. This is the first many of us are hearing about nVIDIA chipsets.
I was anticipating a September release as per:
MacBook and MacBook Pro release cycle analysis – September 2008 updates likely
The way I see this now is that detailed analysis may have hit the nail on the head except if it wasn’t for the nVIDIA impact.
The TechPopulist Manifesto: I want the best, and I want it cheap.
Seen on a chick program last night (“Lipstick”?): All business transactions evolve within a causal triangle. On one side there is “Good.” On another is “Fast.” On the third is “Cheap.” Pick any two: The third just ain’t gonna happen.
Something similar applies here, I believe.
“I find it hard to believe that the announcement wasn’t moved because the MacBook event was moved”
Ummmm, probably the other way around – Apple postponed their event because NVidia said they couldn’t talk about the chip until then.
Also, who ever said that Apple was having an event on September 29th? So, this is a rumor about a rumor?
@Randian,
With women I choose “good” and “cheap”. I don’t like ’em “fast” – I want to get my money’s worth.
You guys need to figure out what “overpriced” means. It means high relative to another company providing the same product. Software aside, upon first release MacBooks usually compare extremely well to offerings by other manufacturers. Typically, they offer a far better processor than similarly priced PC laptops, but with less hard drive space and RAM. But the latter two are upgradeable cheaply and easily. For most people, the processor is the most important thing long term. In this way MacBooks are often very good value.
If what you mean is that they start at $1100 whereas you can get PC laptops for $500 or less, then I agree that this is the case, but I would never advise anyone who was buying a PC laptop to buy one under $1000 anyways.
Another reason for the postponement could have been to keep Back to School buyers from being pissed off that new models were released so soon after they just bought the old ones.
@ Jacob: “Software aside, upon first release MacBooks usually compare extremely well to offerings by other manufacturers. Typically, they offer a far better processor than similarly priced PC laptops, but with less hard drive space and RAM. But the latter two are upgradeable cheaply and easily.” Yes, and no… The Intel processors used in Apple laptops compare well to those used in Windows-based laptops. But overall, I disagree with you in that Apple laptops compare well to Windows-based laptops in the same class — at release or otherwise.
As you say, Apple apparently frowns upon spacious hard drives and large amounts of RAM in its laptops. But one area where I disagree with you is that upgrading HDD and RAM via the Apple website at time of purchase is prohibitively expensive.
Apple also lags behind in graphics hardware. Shared graphics in the MacBook and dedicated graphics in the MacBook Pro are usually a minimum of 3-6 months behind their Windows-based counterparts. For example, the upcoming refresh will probably replace the NVIDIA 8xxx with NVIDIA 9xxx in MacBook Pro — 9xxx has been available in professional Windows-based laptops for months now. Similarly, Intel’s X3100 will likely be replaced by X4500 and/or X4500HD in MacBook — X3100 is two already two generations out-of-date in mid-range Windows-based laptops. How can artistic-minded people take Macs seriously when the graphics are so pathetic?
In addition to the above problems, Apple laptops don’t have a built-in: memory card reader, dialup modem (you’d be surprised how many people can’t afford broadband), normal two-button mouse, etc. This is why so many people are clamoring for Apple to license OS X so that it can be installed on non-Apple hardware!
OS X & iLife are the main reasons why so many people are willing to pay the huge premium that Apple demands for its disappointing hardware. If MacBook and MacBook Pro were Windows-based laptops, no educated consumer would ever buy them!
Good/Fast/Cheap?
Engineers have worked with that dilemma since time immemorial.
So Hollywodd finally learned it? I thought there mantra was Bad & Expensive. Although, they do understand schedules.
Oops! I should have typed “in that Apple laptops DO NOT compare well to Windows-based laptops in the same class — at release or otherwise.”
1) Neither 9/29 or 10/14 was announced by Apple
2) The new Macs will not have an Nvidia chipset
3) The new Macs will have an Intel chipset
4) Sounds like Macsoda is drinking macRipple to me!
@Thinker,
“If MacBook and MacBook Pro were Windows-based laptops, no educated consumer would ever buy them!”
The truth came out of your own mouth. Err, your keyboard. And you don’t even see it yourself! It’s the software, stupid. It’s the Mac OS! It’s the whole package. It’s not only the hardware.
It’s also the design, the elegance.
Comparing hardware specs between Macs and Winblows crap is not why smart customers buy Macs. Do you get it now?
Funny, recently here on a OS related discussion the PC brigade were going on about how this Apple quality hardware was being bought to run Windows, the main protagonist even claiming he bought his MacBook pro simply because the graphics chip was superior to any pc laptop he could buy, and now here we are hearing how no PC bods would never consider buying the same machines if it wasn’t for the hardware. Funny old World innit. What’s that saying about opinions are like assholes again…. Like the smell it apparently all changes with the wind.
Has Apple ever released a redesign of any computer without announcing, in advance, the event at which that occurs?
@ Mac84: Either you misunderstood my original post, or decided to deliberately quote me out of context. The point I was trying to make was that Apple hardware is inferior to Windows-based hardware in the same class. Therefore, I argued, Apple needs to either improve its hardware and/or license OS X to other manufactures.
Please tell me how the hardware of a 17″ MacBook Pro is superior to that of laptops like the HP dv7t or HP HDX 18t? If it is possible for you to be objective, you’ll realize that the MacBook Pro loses handedly to both of these laptops in nearly every category.
MDN Magic Word is look, as in use your eyes to look objectively at Apple laptops versus the competition.
I’m really impressed with your article, I’m looking forward to see your future posts, Thank you. Laser Eye Surgery
Apple’s line of Pro laptops used to have dial up modems built in, that was in the day of the PowerPC chips inside.
Now if you have a Macbook Pro, or pretty much any Mac, and you’re on dialup, you are expected to then buy the Apple USB modem.
I had to in the end as I still have the need for sending/receiving fax’s.
What I do miss is the S-Video out socket in my Macbook Pro, but have now made the adjustment.
You might be surprised with what you can get with dropping by your local store such as Radioshack. Even a HDMI to DVI lead & various media card readers and USB2.0 hubs, the list goes on…