“Apple Inc. unveiled new additions to its line of laptop computers Tuesday, including a model targeted to the lower-priced, sub-$1,000 market that could be a popular draw for consumers in a slowing economy,” Dan Gallagher and John Letzing report for MarketWatch.
“At an event at the company’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, Apple said it will cut the price of its cheapest MacBook model to $999 from $1,099, while introducing two new MacBook models that will sell for $1,299 and $1,599,” Gallagher and Letzing report. “New MacBook Pro models will sell for $1,999 and $2,499, according to Apple.”
Gallagher and Letzing report, “The new models feature ‘unibody’ designs, crafted from a single block of aluminum, which the company is touting as thinner and more durable.”
“Gene Munster, an analyst who covers Apple for Piper Jaffray, [said that] the latest releases could prove to be a catalyst for Apple’s stock, which along with the rest of the tech sector has taken a beating over the past few weeks due to the ongoing credit crisis,” Gallagher and Letzing report.
Full article here.
I should add that IT thrives on connectivity. The more useful connectors a box has, the cooler a toy it has the potential to be.
Losing connectors is the equivalent of going to buy an new car and discovering they’ve put a governor on the engine to conserve gas, and you can now go no faster than 60 MPH.
It sucks. Disgruntled and unhappy with this decision.
I’m not sure why people hate glossy screens so much. I use my glossy screen MBP outside in my backyard in sunny california and can still see the screen well. The brightness of the new screens far outweigh the apparent glare factor.
Agree with all the naysayers – we have several hundred MacBooks now in our school, two dozen newer iMacs, MacPro, and dozens of firewire-based miniDV cameras – we have standardized on Firewire in the absence of any reason to believe otherwise. We’ve invested in Firewire drives, and we’re moving toward a one-to-one laptop program in 2-3 years– that’s another 1,300 laptops. This really throws me for a loop. The new iMacs come with just Firewire 800 ports, and that’s just fine, because 9-pin to 6-pin cables work fine connecting to Firewire 400. But **NO** Firewire!??! Firewire Target-Disk mode is something that no PC can touch– It makes troubleshooting quick and easy (having trouble with a MacBook? Boot it in TDM, hook up to another MacBook with Firewire, boot the 2nd Mac with option key, choose first Mac’s HD, test for same problem. Shutdown and reverse the order if necessary. 99% of problems isolated to hardware or software in 3 minutes.)
And let’s nevermind that the price of the new MacBooks actually went UP for very little performance improvement. I think I am going to be sick.
I’m feeling sick.
AAPL was punished appropriately for the lack of FireWire on the MacBook, glossy-only displays, and no Blu-Ray, even as an BTO option.
Hogged-out aluminum blocks was the big announcement! You have to be a real fanboy to get excited about the case…
The $999 old-style MacBook is just a clearance sale.
Nvidia across the whole product line was the real news. This has to mean that the next release of OS X will go “whole hog” with general-purpose computing on the GPU. This will give Apple a huge advantage over Windows 7.
Intel has to be in the dumps – losing the chipset business to Nvidia for the hottest notebooks on the market.
I am the one who started the firewire talk and I assure you I am a big Apple fan. I’ve run OSx for six years with not one virus, not one trojan, not one bit of data lost and not one moment lost to problems with the operating system.
My firm operates ten Macs – everything from the first “half moon” flatscreen iMac to a first gen G5 iMac all in one. We’ve been waiting for the new laptops because our newest is a 12 inch PowerBook G4.
This “no firewire” issue means that we have to spend close to $3k on a laptop that will edit video. We’re committed to Macs, but it Apple was looking to attract people who are now editing video on Windows-based systems they blew it big time.
@Old Guy With A Beard:
Why $3k? The new MacBook Pros start at $2k, and have a Firewire 800… add some RAM and a bigger HD from NewEgg, and you’re still way lower than $3k…
@Old Guy with a beard…
Here’s a link http://www.nextag.com/Tripp-Lite-USB-2-68519599/prices-html
Any of these would work. The lowest price is $3 and change.
I’ve used these cables and others like them to go from DV to a G4 Sawtooth computer whose firewire ports are dead, but the usb still works. This solution works in Final Cut and iMovie HD.
Good solution, but doesn’t help with Target Disk Mode.
agreed fw is just a better solution. I thought TDM was a software configuration, won’t it work with Jim TIV’s solution above??
I have followed apple sessions year in year out and this one seems the most off the mark. they should have managed expectations a bit once the < 1000 got into the wild, especially given the economy we are looking at over the next 12 – 18 mths. whoever said it is just a clearance sale on the old macbooks is right.
I think I saw a device called the MBP, which has FW. It’s $2000, and cheaper when the refurbs are available. If you’re a student, you can get a discount. You could also buy any of the models that are being phased out. I’m sure there’s stock around.
Removing Firewire and target disk mode is a very IT-unfriendly move. —oh no my shorts
Totally agree. No firewire is unforgiveable and unbelievably stupid—maybe the stupidest thing Apple has ever done now that I really start thinking about it. Portable firewire hard drives: out the window. Video camcorders: ditto. Target disk mode: forget about it. I would love to replace my 12″ aluminum powerbook with a new MacBook, but the loss of target disk mode is a deal breaker, even if I didn’t mind replacing my trusty 250 GB portable firewire drive.
So I took a quick poll of 6 people I know who have the current MacBook and asked if they would miss the Firewire port, all said no, they never use it, 3 said “What is Firewire?” That’s why Apple dropped it.
“… all said no, they never use it, 3 said “What is Firewire?” That’s why Apple dropped it”
You’d get similar results if you asked about the microphone jack and the lock slot. With a plethora of USB-microphones available, they should have sacrificed the mic port if anything. There is no substitute for a firewire port and TDM.
OK, $999 is under &1;,000.
But, when you buy the APPLE Care, which is a MUST, because little APPLE products break down like champagne flutes next to an elephant, you get to a total way more expensive than $1,000…
MDN… YOU GUYS are starting to become FANethic (FAN + Pathetic)
@Jim – TIV:
So there’s a USB 2.0 to firewire cable. The question is: how well does it replace the firewire port? Can you use this cable to boot the new MacBook in target disk mode? No. Can you reliably power bus-powered firewire drives? Probably not, since the adapter cable does not increase the amount of power supplied by the USB port.
So now I’ve lost target disk mode andprobably must carry around a power adapter for my new portable USB drive. Oh, and I’ve also given up all possibility of connecting my video camera unless a USB 2.0 to mini-firewire cable is available.
I read that on Intel Macs target disk mode is available via USB; is that correct?
This was a joke. $999 is retarded. This will not help. Nice new Macbooks but $999 is hardly a deal maker…..Week attempt IMHO….
I can’t understand why someone running a business requiring a firewire port for video editing is not considering a MBP or a MP. You can afford to buy three HD video cameras but you edit your movies on a 12″ PowerMac G4? Spend a little extra and buy a MBP or even an iMac.
No, that is not correct. It is still FireWire only. And since Target Disk Mode is a function of Apple hardware that bridges the FireWire port to the internal hard drive, I highly doubt if any sort of USB to FW adapter will work with TDM.
TDM is very useful for system troubleshooting, since it will work even on a computer that has had its system corrupted.
Bad bad move, Apple. Unless they’ve come up with a comparable replacement that they haven’t made apparent yet.
I think I saw a device called the MBP, which has FW. —KenC
You’re missing the point. Many professional users have been waiting years for an Intel-powered replacement for their aging 12-inch aluminum powerbooks. For many, the small form factor is the most desired feature.The new MacBook would have filled the bill except for the missing firewire port. Close, but definitely no cigar.
Maybe I’m dense, but what advantage does Target Disk Mode has over booting from an external HD (which all Intel Macs can do from USB)? Instead of running around with a MacBook, all you need is a small HD. Or maybe even a bootable USB stick.
Also, take a look at the new MacBooks: The hard drive is easily accessible, so the only thing you need to get the data off is a SATA to USB adapter, or an external enclosure.
FireWire Target Disk Mode is useful for machines where the HD is not easily removeable.
For the current line-up, it has outlived its usefulness.
read that on Intel Macs target disk mode is available via USB; is that correct? —currentinterest
Definitely not.
Maybe I’m dense, but what advantage does Target Disk Mode has over booting from an external HD —elgarak
Well, first of all, you cannot boot from an external USB hard drive. So Apple’s omission of a firewire port is actually a double whammy for many pro users. That’s just for starters. There are many advantages to being able to transfer files directly from one Mac to another rather than using an external hard drive as an intermediary.
Well, first of all, you cannot boot from an external USB hard drive.
Really, I tried a search and there are articles saying that Intel Macs can boot from external USB hard drives.
I agree with your other point though.
I was also terribly desapointed when the Beige G3 300mhz came out with no Serial and the next G4 Dual without integrated SCSI… Times are changin’ !