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Join Date: Mar 2005
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So it looks like the Mackbook is replacing the 12inch ibook the 14inch ibook and the 12inch powerbook.
The white one is great for the money, but the black one adds $200 dollars to the price for the color and a tiny HD upgrade. IT seems that the all the MACBOOKS use intel graphics, but what about Pros that want a small laptop to replace their 12inch powerbook? or Gamers that want a affordable dual boot laptop? For the $200 increase I thought for sure it would have a ATI or Nvidia GPU but no, it does not? (as far as I can see). Do you think Apple will put a REAL gpu in the high end Black macbook in the next speed bump? Some people want a small laptop to do their pro work on, and some mere mortals do play videogames on their computer so whats the deal? Last edited by chaos123x : 2006-05-16 at 10:05. |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
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I can't believe you're already talking about revisions. The thing's only been out a couple of hours.
And no, I don't think that Apple will put 'real' GPUs in - after all, that's what the Pro is for. |
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¡Damned!
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
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Jesus. In four tries your didn't get it right even once.
Macbook Mackbook MACBOOK macbook MacBook |
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
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but really some pros want a small laptop, and gamers need to be able to afford one. A iMacBook with ATI or Nvidia graphics would be beyond awesome. |
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: The Rocky Mountains
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i just read the whole site, and I'm somewhat appalled at the Black MacBook... Apple is charging a $150 premium just to have black over white... this seems 100% crazy to me.... and I guarantee you they're not going to be passing on this higher margin to us, the dealers.
My Computer: 15.4" MacBook Pro 2.0ghz / 2gb RAM My TV: 20" iMac G5 2.1 / 1.5gb RAM I am an Apple Specialist-- I design and install Apple Networks and Pro Solutions. |
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
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$150 for "zomg BLACK!!!!"
The white one is an incredible deal though, 1.83 dual core? I was expecting the low end to be 1.67 single or something like that. I would have been happy if any of the configurations were dual at all. the 1099 price tag is a bit ugly though, I wish they could have done something to bring it to 999, but that probably would have involved cutting some corners in important areas, knowing Apple. How bad is the integrated graphics really? Say you have enough RAM that the fact that the memory is shared isn't an issue. Does the sharing part slow it down? Also, how does the intel graphics processor compare to real cards? Assuming you put a lot of RAM on it, is this processor a step down or up from the previous one? If it's on par with it, it will be able to run games decently. Also, I want to know the battery life > |
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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The MacBook is not a gaming machine. It is not intended to be. Apple doesn't seriously compete in the gaming market because it isn't a market they can truly compete in. The MacBook is not designed to play WoW or whatever, it's designed to be a nice light machine for doing basic tasks like organizing photos, emailing, writing papers, and the things that most people who aren't gamers do. PC gamers represent a small minority of overall computer users, and developing a machine to placate them isn't going to generate the sales necessary to recoup the costs in development - if you want to game, buy a MacBook Pro, which is more suited to that end. Apple is a business, and makes decisions based on what sells, not on what a small group of people might want. The MacBook is a student/teacher/road warrior machine, not a gaming platform and not a professional workstation. You can maybe use it for other purposes, but that's simply not the market that Apple is targeting. |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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hustlin
Join Date: May 2004
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: Dec 2005
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And all the uses you say the MacBook is intended for can be done on an original clamshell iBook. Get with the times. It's also not unreasonable to expect kids/teens and even adults to have the desire to play computer games on their computer. It's the way the world is. Ignoring that is simply being an apologist for a company that doesn't listen to you or care about you ($150 premium for a black case is pathetic) |
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New Member
Join Date: May 2006
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I couldn't agree more. It's a great update but I want a computer I can use for more than checking email and surfing the web. At least offer an option to upgrade the GPU....
What about Aperture and FCP ? Come on Apple, hook a brother up! |
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Fairfax, VA
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What is Apple's excuse for not offering a Radeon Mobility x1300 upgrade possibility?
Sorry, but Dell is offering such an upgrade and it has 64 MB of built in VRAM and accesses another 64 MB of systme memory when needed. Such an option would not overlap with the MacBook Pro line. |
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Fairfax, VA
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I do not care so much about processor speed-
a 1.66 Core Duo would be indistinguishable from a 1.83. But having the 64 MB of dedicated VRAM would get rid of a bottleneck. |
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Join Date: Nov 2005
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Please don't compare to Dells, unless you want the MacBook to be 2" thick. |
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ಠ_ರೃ
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
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Also, and someone made this point at another forum I visit occasionally... $150 should buy you dedicated graphics on the supposed 12" PowerBook "replacement," not a black paint job.
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New Member
Join Date: May 2006
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I don't see any reason to offer anything beyond the low end model if the GPU is crippled. Who needs a more powerful computer if you can only run applications on it that don't need the added CPU speed. Honestly, what can you do beyond iLife ?
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Hoonigan
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
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Wow. |
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Join Date: May 2006
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Not to beat the issue into the ground BUT now that the MacBook supports spanning it would be an awsome small, portable computer for people who travel, but wish to connect it to a larger monitor when at home....
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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Why are we complaining, again? Most 13" notebooks may be in the 4 lb. range, but most are more than $1,099, too. The weight is fine. and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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That's very true, Luca.
I'm not sweating the other two much, for better or worse. However, at $1,499 (and obviously meant to serve as a successor to the beloved 12" PowerBook) that model should've gone the following route: - Dedicated graphics (64MB, BTO to 128MB) - Available in white or black (OR BTO to silver, even if it's plastic...no one will know or care; it'll LOOK the part, and,honestly, isn't that all that matters? ) - A single (removable) 512MB DIMM, with an open slot available for the user to upgrade If just those three things were put into place, I don't think you'd hear many people squawk. Oh, and maybe a BTO option for the illuminated keyboard? In the recent past, hasn't Apple announced something and then, merely DAYS later, go and bump a certain spec or feature up quietly? I'm really thinking this silly 2x256MB RAM situation isn't long for this world... Apple's probably getting an earful on that, as we speak. The graphics thing, the black paint, etc. are all up for debate, I suppose. But when the thing you're REPLACING had a 512MB DIMM built in...there's really no excuse or wiggle room on this one, I'm afraid. I'll bet by July Apple will quietly address that particular goofy aspect of the new MacBook. It would certainly make it a much more attractive, easier to purchase product. Knowing that I only have to buy myself a 512MB DIMM and I've got a healthy, suitable 1GB. But the current configuration requires work and waste (buying TWO 512MBs to get to 1GB, and then flinging - or trying to sell - the two unneeded, useless 256MB DIMMs). |
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ಠ_ರೃ
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
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Yeah, I'm not as concerned with the lower end models having shared graphics. I mean, they are cheap and they do have pretty powerful CPUs for the price. But the $1499 one really should be a better compromise between the MacBooks and the MacBook Pros, not just another MacBook. Hell, make it $1599, just give it something to differentiate it other than the color and the miniscule increase in HD capacity.
EDIT: To all the people who say the MacBooks have two SODIMMs in order to increase performance by supposedly going dual-channel, answer me this... why, then, do the much more expensive and performance-oriented MacBook Pros ship with a single SODIMM with an open slot? Wouldn't that be kind of like putting a faster hard drive in the MacBooks than in the MacBook Pros, or something along those lines? |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
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Most HP laptops of simliar size/weight and cost, also come with Integrated graphics.
GMA 965 will be better. The neat thing about Intel is that product updates can and will come a lot sooner. 965 will be available in H2 this year, and should be an improvement in 3D, and much improved memory bandwidth -- so that the CPu and GPU are not competing for access under most circumstances... So while this is still an integrated solution, I would expect an upgrade before Christmas. ......................................... |
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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Having used a 12" PowerBook for video editing, it's just not a good experience. Running Motion or other high-end software on an ultraportable just doesn't seem to make a great deal of sense to me - and I suspect that Apple's sales figures showed the same. I am in agreement that the 2x256 thing has GOT to go. My guess is that Apple got a VERY good deal on 256MB SODIMMs, and when that supply is exhausted they'll go back to a more sensible memory layout. |
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: Dec 2005
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: eastmidlandshire
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Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
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After seeing the innards of the new MacBook at that Japanese site. I really can't see how Apple should be able to cram another hot chip like the x1600 (or other actively cooled GPU) into that machine. The size probably also had a lot to say. And CPU-wise the MB and the MBP are basically equals, so Apple most likely want's to keep some sort of major performance difference between them.
However, a passively cooled GPU with dedicated memory would of course have been better. |
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Stallion
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Milwaukee
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Join Date: May 2004
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We still have little or no talk about the effect on battery life, and I have not seen any mention on Apple's site just yet, but seeing as the GMA is one part of Intel's "Centrino" mobile platform -- with the CPU and I/O control making up the rest -- it might be reasonable to asume that its primary concern is keeping costs AND power drain to a minimum. Something other GPU's may be less good at. Certainly Apple's Macbook Pro advertised battery life numbers are not the greatest out there.
In the PC aisle, a lot of the laptops with the same config as the macbook are branded "Centrino Duo" and sport 6-7.5 hour battery life (advertised). Speaking of, WHAT IS THE BATTERY LIFE, APPLE? If if is a major consideration, Intel will be shipping a new better GMA 965 in just a couple of months. Updates may come rather soon, I think it's the most we can hope for. I would say that I/O and standard equipment options are far more important. An Expresscard slot -- something which everyone else manages to incorporate, for example... Another way to make an immediate impact with the premium machine might be to actually offer more competitive installed base RAM and HDD. A GB of RAM and a 120GB HDD don't actually cost anywhere near what Apple charges to upgrade to that level, and I suspect that Apple will do better in this regard when when they begin to update the machine. ......................................... |
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