Macbook Here!!

[kaidomac]

My local Apple store said they should probably have the MacBooks tomorrow; I want to play with one on display before picking one up. Here's my buy list if I like it:

MacBook: $1,599 with AppleCare, Student Discount, and DVI adapter
http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html

2gb ram: $226 (2 sticks of 1gb @ $113 each)
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/5300DDR2S1GB/

100gb 7200rpm Seagate hard drive: $220
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Seagate/ST910021AS/

Windows XP Pro (OEM): $142
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102062

Total: $2187

It's either the MacBook or an Opteron gaming system ($1440). Been saving up all year for this, whoo-hoo!

 

[kaidomac]

Anyone care to speculate on battery life?

 

[iBrad]

Anyone care to speculate on battery life?

My guess is very similar to the iBook...maybe not quite as goodwith the dual core....but a fair trade-off....probably lose 15 minutes, but gain a fair amount of processing power. I guess it depends on what they did with the battery. Is it the same capacity as the iBook? As for the video....am I off in thinking that you're going to lose some of your processor gain to the undedicated video...not a lot I'm sure, but some?

 

[wicker_man]

I quite like the look of the MacBook, and I'm pleasantly suprised they have higher end Core Duos (along with iSight and firewire 400)

The main dissapointment for me is the graphics card, even a low end ATi x1300 would have been nice.

Minor dissapointments is no option for the ram in single sticks, no faster hdd option and no superdrive on the base model is a little annoying too (even £400 Windows laptops have DVDRW).

But apart from that I quite like it, probably gonna get one for Uni next year.

 

[iBrad]

Hey ibrad if you bought a macbook pro within 14 days and they upgrade it all you have to do is call apple and let them know they will give you a return authorization number and send you the new updated one. Trust me it happened to me when i bought a powerbook in november and a week later they upgraded them so i just returned it and got a new one. Easy peasy

I bought the MBP at my University which is an authorized education retailer. I called Apple and they said they wouldn't do it where it wasn't directly bought through them. This seems a bit off doesn't it? Should I call back on that? I don't want to go back to the University store and haggle with them becaues they're only a small store and have been really good to me so I don't want to give them a hard time over it. You'd think that Apple would do the switch for me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[kaidomac]

My guess is very similar to the iBook...maybe not quite as goodwith the dual core....but a fair trade-off....probably lose 15 minutes, but gain a fair amount of processing power. I guess it depends on what they did with the battery. Is it the same capacity as the iBook? As for the video....am I off in thinking that you're going to lose some of your processor gain to the undedicated video...not a lot I'm sure, but some?

Apple's site says it's a "55-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery". Here's a review on a similar PC laptop:

http://www.notebookreview.com/defau...AIO+SZ120P/B+-+Core+Duo+T2400+1.83+GHz+-+13.3

Says battery life is about 3 hours on average. I'm having trouble finding the watt-hours on the Sony, so I don't know exactly how they compare. I'd say three hours is a good estimate; Apple's not saying anything so it's obviously not a selling point.

 

[kaidomac]

I also wonder why there's no 7200rpm hard drive option. Maybe too much heat? For those who are interested, Bare Feats has a comparison between 5400rpm and 7200rpm drives here:

http://www.barefeats.com/5472.html

 

[Mattlike]

Now I just need the new Power PC's to be released.

 

[kaidomac]

Now I just need the new Power PC's to be released.

Yeah, those should definately be interesting! I'm going to check out the new MacBooks/MacBook Pros tomorrow and see what I like. If I decide to get a MacBook, I'm going to wait a few weeks and see how it fares on battery life, heat, noise, and whether or not it has the initial problems that the MacBook Pro had. I'm very, very excited about this notebook

 

[playm0de]

This is crazy, all of the computers in apples line basically have the same processors. I want to sell my iMac and buy the $2000 macbook pro.

 

[iBrad]

Well I contacted the store where I got my MBP and they gave me the option to bring it back for the 2.0GHz but it would be a 4 week wait. But they said Apple gives them a discount on all remaining models that have been replaced and so they said they would give me a discount the moment they found out how much it is, so I took that!! So that = MBP even cheaper which works for me.

Thanks for putting the idea of the Upgrade Protection in my head though!!

 

[Mattlike]

Well I contacted the store where I got my MBP and they gave me the option to bring it back for the 2.0GHz but it would be a 4 week wait. But they said Apple gives them a discount on all remaining models that have been replaced and so they said they would give me a discount the moment they found out how much it is, so I took that!! So that = MBP even cheaper which works for me.

Thanks for putting the idea of the Upgrade Protection in my head though!!

If only I hadn't purchased mine so long ago. neye:

 

[technologist]

Apple apparently considers this the replacement for the 12" PowerBook; It's been dropped from the store. Apparently, there will be no "Pro-level" (dedicated graphics) Intel replacement, nor will there be an under-5-pound notebook at this time.

This new model is 13% heavier than the 12" PowerBook was.

"Glossyness" is also unavoidable on the MacBook, but optional on the Pro. So you have to move up if you want to avoid glare.

All in all, I'm impressed with the performance Intel has brought to the portable line. I'm less impressed with the size and feature changes that have come with the move from iBook and PowerBook to MacBook.

 

[Redbull]

RIP Powerbooks. At least I own the original MAC powerPC. Not windows's based Intel.

 

[D3v1L80Y]

MacBook White

$1,299.00
13.3-inch widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
2.0GHz Intel Core Duo
512MB memory (2x256MB SODIMMs)
60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW, CD-RW)


MacBook Black

$1,499.00
13.3-inch widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
2.0GHz Intel Core Duo
512MB memory (2x256MB SODIMMs)
80GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW, CD-RW)

Since when is 20GB of space worth $200?!?!?!?

If you want the black one, you pay that much more and the only difference is the color and 20GB of HD space.... seems really dumb if you ask me.

 

[RingoFan]

The whole point of the black color is to trick buyers into thinking it's some sort of bridge between the macbook and macbook pro lines. I guess they would like you believe it is a replacement for the 12 inch powerbook that they axed. But, here are pictures:
http://looprumors.com/macbookphotos.php

Does the huge border around the screen bother anyone else?

 

[DCraver]

Since when is 20GB of space worth $200?!?!?!?

If you want the black one, you pay that much more and the only difference is the color and 20GB of HD space.... seems really dumb if you ask me.

I think black looks really stupid anyway. It's not very Apple. I don't know why they have switched to making black stuff, but I don't like it. Black is not worth the $200. It will just get more scratched and stuff.

I, myself, am buying the white 1.83GHz.... When I get the money.

 

[lil]

Well as I have alluded to in my other post, I like these MacBooks. Apple has done well. And they were always going to be criticised for intel shared graphics regardless.

This said however, I am glad that for my main notebook I have my PowerBook 12", especially as it is 1/2lb lighter too.

Colours come around in cycles, the world is silver-ed out and more and more electrical goods are going back to either products with black accents on a mainly silver chassis or entirely black again. Then it will go back to white, then silver and so forth. Or something like that anyway.

For work, as I am hoping the boss will agree to one of these (he hasn't said no when I asked since I don't have dedicated workstation at work yet, just my own PowerBook), I too would probably go for the bottom end model, best bang for buck.

Compared to the £50 cheaper iBook 12"—these are a bargain. 20gb more hard disk space, iSight, FrontRow, slimmer if a tad heaver (3oz or so), faster hard drive, better graphics, gigabit ethernet, DVI output (hurrah!!!!), 2GB RAM capacity, higher resolution display and much firmer keyboard (the only reason I could never use an iBook...)—you get a shed load for your money with that model.

Yes Apple's prices have risen slightly with the Intel chip, but we are getting so much more for our money now, for this I do applaud Apple.

Euphoria aside, I am contemplating that if these machines prove solid and dependable, they may rank as Apple's most important notebook in many years.

For this, I ask fellow PowerBook lovers for a minute's silence for the passing of a dear friend, for the PowerBook is dead.

PowerBook, 1991-2006. Rest in peace dear dependable friend... Obituary



Vicky

 

[Kyomii]

RIP Powerbooks. At least I own the original MAC powerPC. Not windows's based Intel.

Windows and intel are entirely seperate! Intel processors use x86 architecture which means that an operating system that supports the architechture can run with the processor, such as Windows and now Mac OSX.


FWIW I like the new lineup, but I think they are overcharging for the black one which could leave them wide-open open to critisism.

 

[kaidomac]

The whole point of the black color is to trick buyers into thinking it's some sort of bridge between the macbook and macbook pro lines. I guess they would like you believe it is a replacement for the 12 inch powerbook that they axed. But, here are pictures:
http://looprumors.com/macbookphotos.php

Does the huge border around the screen bother anyone else?

Haha it's a Pismo! I thought it would be a glossy black on the outside, hrm...