MacDailyNews’ live coverage of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ presentation at Apple’s ‘spotlight turns to notebooks’ event at 10am PDT/1pm EDT today.>
Live coverage of Apple’s “Spotlight Turns to Notebooks” event in reverse chronological order:
• End of event.
• Do touchscreen laptops make sense? Jobs: So far they don’t to us.
• What about matte screen options? (told you, it’s already started) Jobs: “We’re going straight glass. VAST majority of our customer prefer glossy.” Increased brightness of LED-backlit displays will make up for reflections (outoodr, in transit, etc.)
• MB and MBP = 0.95″thin, weigh 5.5lbs and 4.5lbs respectively.
• 17″ MacBook Pro being “refreshed” as well. NOT updated as the 15″ has been updated according to Jobs.
• Why no Blu-ray, HDMI? HDMI is limited res, can;t drive our 30″ display, display port is better. “Blu-ray is a bag of hurt.” Not for the consumer, its great for movie watching, but the licensing is so complex. Waiting for it to settle down.
• Apple on of first to have 9400M on market – we’re going to use a lot of their chips.
• Q&A: Jobs, Cook, Schiller
• Jobs puts up slide: “110/70 Steve’s blood pressure” – That’s all Steve will talk about his health today.
• Jobs: We will post the quicktime movie of the event later today
• AAPL down $3.44, or -3.12%m to $106.82 in current NASDAQ trading.
• MBP: glossy only, not matte. We predict uproar from some pros.
• Showing a movie about the production processes of the aluminum cases…
• MB: Upgrades and Accessories: 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, 320 GB 5400 rpm hard drive, 128 GB SSD, DVI, Dual-DVI and VGA adapters
• MB: US$1599: 13.3″ LED-backlit display, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 3 MB L2, 2 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 250 GB hard drive, Slot-loading SuperDrive, Backlit keyboard.
• MB: US$1299: 13.3″ LED-backlit display, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 3 MB L2, 2 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 160 GB hard drive, Slot-loading SuperDrive.
• MB: 5 hours battery life.
• MacBook: precision aluminum unibody enclosure, LED-backlit display, Next-gen graphics (9400M), Multi-Touch(tm) glass trackpad, Mini Display Port connector, Environmentally responsible.
• Next-gen MacBook!
• New 24″ LED Cinema Display, MagSafe, 3-port USB 20 hub, Display port, built-in iSight camera and mic. 1920×1200, stereo speakers: US$899 (available next month).
• Air: US$2499 – 13.3″ LED-backlit display, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 1.86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 6MB L2, 2 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, 128 GB solid state drive
• Air: US$1799 – 13.3″ LED-backlit display, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 6MB L2, 2 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, 120 GB SATA hard drive
• Jobs: We’re putting the 9400M in the Air, adding a 120GB hard drive, and we’ve got a 128GB Solid State Drive as an option, plus we’re putting in a mini display port.
• MacBook Air!
• MBP: US$2499 – 15.4″ LED_backlit display, 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 6 MB L2, 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT / 512 MB, 320 GBhard drive, Slot-loading SuperDrive
• MBP: US$1999 – 15.4″ LED_backlit display, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 3 MB L2, 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT / 256 MB, 250 GBhard drive, Slot-loading SuperDrive
• Slot-load SuperDrive on right side (facing screen), On left: MagSafe, gigabit ethernet, FireWire 800 (no 400), two USB 2, Mini Display Port, audio in / out, ExpressCard 34 slot, Battery Indicator.
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M in the MacBook Pro AND a 9600M GT (“state of the art mobile graphics”) with 32 parallel graphics cores, 120 Gigaflops and 512MB video memory. Apple is including both of these in the MacBook Pro. User chooses can switch between them. 9400 = 5hrs battery, 9600 GT= 4 hours.
• Display looks like iMac – black around edge
• Unibody alum. piece passed around audience – very rigid
• Display looks like iMac – black around edge
• Precision aluminum unibody enclosure, LED-backlit display, next-gen graphics, Multi-Touch(tm) glass trackpad, mini display port connector (going on all Macs), environmentally responsible
• Jobs introduces new MacBook Pro!
• 39% larger tracking area, Multi-Touch(tm) for gestures, Glass for silky-smooth travel, Entire trackpad is the button, Multi0button via software, New four-fonger gestures.
• Jobs: We have a new trackpad: Large Multi-Touch(tm) glass trackpad
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
• Chipset + GPU on one die, 70% of area is GPU, 16 parallel graphics cores, 54 Gflops of performance which is up to 5X faster than Intel integrated graphics.
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
• Jobs returns to stage…
• Instead of building upon sheets of aluminum, Apple’s going to start from one piece of aluminum and remove pieces – makes the structure more rigid.
• “For years, we’ve been looking for a better way in building a notebook…”
• Ive: talks about how to make notebook thin and light, but also strong
• Ive: we’ve had a real, significant breakthrough about how we design and build our notebooks
• Ive: talks about how to make notebook thin and light, but also strong
• Jony Ive, Apple SVP Design, talking about new ways to build Apple notebooks
• Jobs back onstage: “Let’s talk about notebooks… First, I’d like to talk about some new ways to build notebooks.”
• Mac has 17.6% retail market share in U.S.; 31.3% revenue share
• 50 percent of Macs sold in retails stores are still to those new to Mac
• 247 Apple Retail Stores in 8 countries (400K visitors per day)
• The Mac vs. PC ads have really struck a chord with so many switchers. Playing ad…
• Talking about Boot Camp, virtualization: “Windows on Mac frankly sends a shiver up my spine.”
• Cook: “Leopard is far ahead of Vista.” (duh)
• Steve Jobs onstage – introduces Tim Cook, COO, to talk about “The State of the Mac”
• Audience being seated…
• 15 minutes from start of event
• 8:00am PDT – Apple Store currently offline.
@Macdoc,
Thanks for your insightful analysis….
As a print professional, I’m against glossy screens.
OK chaps, calm down.
I use an iMac until our studio can swing a MacPro. In order to see the screen without appalling reflections I have to work in a darkened room.
A MBP with a glossy screen is a sure sign that Apple has stopped listening to its pro customers. This may be the worst decision Apple has made in a long time.
Note to Apple:
NEITHER I NOR ANY OTHER PRO I KNOW OF WILL BUY A GLOSSY SCREEN LAPTOP, NOR A GLOSSY CINEMA DISPLAY.
To recap the disappointment so far:
No price improvements, no entry level MB, no weight loss, no battery improvements, all glossy screens, no significant performance improvements, no extra FW or USB ports (in fact one less), no touch screen (HP just ate your lunch) let alone multi-touch…
I deliberately avoided listening to the predictions and I’m still very disappointed.
My next computer will be a used MBP WITHOUT a glossy screen.
The store is getting pummeled right now. I keep getting a “Error Serving Request” error.
OK, I’d better order 15″ MacBookPro immediately, that’s exactly what I need.
BUT here is something, I was on Skype call with bunch of PC factory guys, damn, high fives were flying. Those guys were extremely happy because Apple is selling twice the computer what people need, for twice the price they are willing to pay. Their prediction was that Apple will gain in $1000+ laptops, but the used (traded in ) laptops that will appear in the market place are not enough to fill the demand of what 80% of the people will by in this soft economy.
glossy is better….
The $1299 & $1599 MacBooks are actually the modern version of 12″ PowerBook subnotebook. You could reasonably consider the new MacBooks to be a transition product that is effectively an entry level MacBook Pro without the ultraportability of the Air.
At a glance, the new Cinema Display looks identical to my iMac 24″ from the front. Not surprisingly, it has the same 1920×1200 resolution suitable for 1080 HD. I love the iMac 24″ display and I have not found the glossy glass to be a problem at all. It certainly makes the color and contrast pop relative to the matte 20″ Cinema Display that I use at work, and the glass cover provides better protection for the LCD.
It would have been great if the entry level Macbook had dropped to $899. It would also be nice if they used the black case – it looks better than the white IMO. This product is another ‘orphan’ product in Apple’s history in which a previous generation design was retained at a lower price point to temporarily fill a niche. Apple will either keep reducing its price (possibly with some performance enhancements), or eliminate it at the next MacBook refresh.
At first glance I am pretty disappointed, they look like somekind of VAIO that my collegue had on his desk like 2 years ago. I really don’t like the screen at all. It just doesn’t look like a MacBook Pro.
I was going to replace my MacBook Pro 15″ CoreDuo,but maybe I’ll buy yesterdays model at reduced price or seond hand.
DISAPPPOINTED!! I’ll have to see them in real life in the AppleShop downtown, hope they will look a little better in real life
I think its funny even on the Macbook video, when they are showing the screen there is a huge glare streak going down the right side. Annoying.
No Firewire on the Macbook
Me no likey.
Other than that,
very nice.
TowerTone: “Blue-ray is a bag of hurt” has an odd ring to it….
Jobs apparently refuses to screw up MacOS X completely just to appease the movie studios’ insane DRM demands for Blue Ray. Good!
It is practically certain that Blue Ray will be cracked as thoroughly as the CSS (DVD) format sooner or later, and at that time it would become pointless to require draconian DRM enforcement from an OS running a Blue Ray player application. Jobs lets them stew in their own fear while Mac market share keeps growing — and iTunes online distribution slowly gains momentum at the same time…
Aside from that, I stand by my criticism as based on the earlier predictions:
– No FireWire on the new MacBook 13″ any more: Pitiful.
– All glossy displays: Horrible. No sale to me! Yes, it is portable. No, I can’t turn around to avoid reflections when sitting in a train! Stupid!
– No update to the 17″: Let’s just hope they don’t drop the form factor entirely. 15″ is too small for me.
– Display Port: Good choice. It’s the future, with substantial flexibility for further growth.
All that new construction hype, and it it looks like an HP.
Pfft.
@Pro Photographer…
You may not like glossy screens as a personal preference, but it is short-sighted and ignorant of you to speculate that all pros share your view.
Personally, frequently associate with more than 2 dozen professionals from the fields of video, animation, and photography, and only a couple of them don’t like the glossy screen.
@Pro Photographer
I agree Apple has stopped listening to pros.
I now fear with Pro Cinema Displays dropped, that the Mac Pro will be next…. and then the Pro software.
Apple seems to only be interested in iphones, ipods, and glossy consumer laptops.
If they can’t use glossy glass in it, they don’t want to make it. (except for Apple TV. Now there’s someone’s pet product.)
Why isn’t the 17″ MBP getting the updated features?
I fear we are witnessing the last days of Apple.
@Pro Photographer,
oh yeah, and “no touch screen (HP just ate your lunch)” is about the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.
Do you really want to work all day with your arms outstretched?
Do you really want to get fingerprints and smudges all over this supposed ‘professional photography’ work you take part in?
A touch screen on anything other than a hand-held is nothing more than a gimmick. The real future is in the more ergonomic multi-touch track pad implementation. And your insistence to the contrary labels you a fraud.
Perhaps they have something special planned for the 17″. I highly, HIGHLY doubt that it’ll be dropped. It’s a huge seller, and will most likely be replaced by something even better.
And I doubt Apple will be going away any time soon. People like you have been spewing that crap for.. oh… 30 years or so…
I can’t believe all this bitchin’ about glass screens. I’m a professional photographer and I know many other professional photographers and graphic artists. All of them have at least one glossy Mac they work on (some of them have several) and never once — NOT ONCE — have I heard any of them complain about the glossy screen. In fact, they like it!
My only concern about today’s announcement is that there is no updated 30-inch ACD with a glossy screen and LED lighting.
Does the new Cinema Display only work with the laptops?
Would be nice if the Mac Mini could drive it.
Maybe after it gets a refresh in 2012…..
Regarding Steve’s comments”
HDMI – makes no sense since its very large and tops out at 1920, whereas monitors go well into the 2000’s (pixels)
Blu-Ray – No economy of scale to justify the price offset, anybody who really wants it can buy a $400 external drive, or shut their trap. $25 for crappy HD movies on disc isn’t everybody’s dream come true. especially when there’s cheaper ways to get it. Apple jumped the gun before with DVD-Ram drives, and disastrous results. Blu-ray needs higher penetration numbers.
Question:
So, the new 24″ Cinema display, does it support HDCP now? Did anyone catch that?
Comment:
I like the fact that the 15″ MBP I bought earlier this year (March ’08) has not been rendered useless by Apple. For those of you that cannot appreciate/empathise with this, try getting a Nikon D300 only to find out in less than a year, there’s D700 and D90.
MDN MW: ‘children’ no, I won’t explain any further.
No Firewire on the MacBook!! WTF. Pathetic. $1300 and no way to connect a video camera! Not to mention Firewire drives.
LAME
Damn, damn, damn…
STEVE – I’ve been a loyal Mac user since 1984…
I’ve been one of those who have supported you and Apple thru thick and mainly thin..
And now you paid me back by ignoring me – you took away my choice for a matte screen.
I presently own two MacBook Pros. I was going to refresh one of them this coming February..
Now I won’t..
You just made my life a lot harder…
Thanks Steve – it’s been a (sometimes) great 24 years.In those years I’ve converted a great many to Macs by telling them how you care and listen to your loyal users – guess you’re getting a little too big these days too care about your base users…
Guess the era of Mac is over.
CR
I don’t get the people who make excuses for glossy. I haven’t seen a real world picture of the new MacBooks yet that didn’t show glare and reflections all over the screen. How can it not be a problem? Unless you work in darkness, maybe.
I don’t work in darkness. I use my notebook in well lit areas with overhead lights and outside. Glossy is a big damn headache that I don’t need.
Looks like Jobs’ fascist ways are finally putting a crimp in a lot of Mac users’ style. He could easily offer a matte version but he just tells us to go fsck ourselves. Just like with the iPhone universal landscape keyboard.
TowerTone: Does the new Cinema Display only work with the laptops?
With a DVI-to-Display-Port adapter it should work on the older models as well. As far as I remember, Display Port is partially backwards compatible to DVI, and the new 24″ will only require a single-link output anyway.
maclover: HDMI – makes no sense since its very large and tops out at 1920, whereas monitors go well into the 2000’s (pixels)
HDMI 1.3 actually supports 30″ displays, but it uses a single link at higher speed while DVI uses dual links at the original DVI speed, which is why an HDMI port would not have been able to drive Apple’s 30″ display — ony HDMI 1.3 compatible ones….