12" macbook pro !??

[cwa107]

I wonder how many really need a lighted keyboard. Learning proper typing / keyboard / hand position is worth the effort for anyone, and means being able to work without ever looking at your keyboard, IMHO.

Sure, but if you're working in low-light conditions, it can be helpful if you become disoriented. It is a nice feature.

Express slot? Maybe if you have a need for wireless broadband.

Or an ESATA, SCSI adapter, Memory card adapter, etc. There's plenty of uses for it.

But I think the regular 13" macbook is a very versatile tool, and a pro version at this size will not sell well because of the huge price difference. Remember, though a lot of people on here are power users, most buyers are not. That is where the money is, the majority.

Different strokes for different folks. There are plenty of power users that need to travel frequently.

It is funny hearing about someone loving a dell computer so much. I have deal with so many dell pc desktops, laptops, and other hardware. Overall, I would say dell is low quality mass-produced garbage. I have seen several of their laptops die very early deaths, and they are sooo overpriced for the quality you get. Then there are the hassles. Oh no! A new virus is out this morning, everyone scramble to make sure you are protected! LOL. I am forced to use a top notch Dell desktop at work and it is really slow for the big money that was sunk into it. Quirky too. Same for all the other Dells in the office. Most of it isn't their fault though, windows is a very flawed platform. I think I am close to 100 patches now to keep it secure.

Dell makes very good machines, they also make crappy ones. It all depends on what you buy. Working as a network admin, administering over a thousand machines, I've seen laptops take a lot abuse. The Latitudes take it better than many other brands. Again, it's all in what you buy and how you maintain it. I love my Mac, I've also had very good experience with Dells both at work and at home.

The deciding factor in leaving windows behind, for me, was that I could finally get a mac with dvd burning, firewire, and a fast processor, for only a few hundred more than a similar spec windows notebook. That was the tipping point for me, and probably will be for other "typical" users. I don't need high powered graphics capability, and just need a decent computer, without all the windows hassles. I test drove three windows vista laptops, and returned each one for being a quirky, slow, bloated piece of garbage. Vista was the last straw, but the price had to be right to get me to move. I feel many will soon make the same move, for similar reasons, and price WILL matter. The pro version is just that, a tool for professionals who will spend whatever they need to for the right tools, in their line of work.

Kudos to Apple for making the entry level Macbook! With a quick hard drive switch out to 7200 RPM, and a full load of ram, this computer amazes me with blazing startups, and great function.

Home run, out of the ballpark.

Agreed, mostly.

The pro models should stay as they are, expensive, well made tools for the professional. The two sections of the product line serve different segments.

The entry level Macbook I own should be the first part of a wave, that will signal (God willing), a tipping point, away from microsoft. Every empire must come to an end. That time is now.

All of this in spite of the fact that I cannot use one for work, because AutoCad, which I need daily, will NEVER be available for the Mac OS. The head of autodesk has made this clear. Sad. Engineering people will still need the dreaded PC for now, but only for work, not home anymore.

Again, different strokes for different folks. I'm glad the 13" standard MacBook suits you well, but there are plenty of people that would like a smaller version of the MacBook Pro. There's been a number of rumors about the 12" MBP and many more people who seem excited about it. So, if there's a market, why not take advantage of it?

 

[technologist]

There was an article on NYTimes.com about smaller notebooks Thursday.

LONG among the hottest items in Europe and Asia, ultraportable notebook computers — supercompact, lightweight laptops that slip into briefcases as easily as a legal pad — appear to be finding favor with American tastes. In cafes and corporate boardrooms and on college campuses, the sleek machines are in growing evidence.

Their increasing appeal to Americans, some ultraportable computer makers say, reflects the same attraction as ever-smaller music players and credit-card-size digital cameras, in both styling and mobility.

“The mind-set of the American consumer is changing,” said Mike Abary, vice president for Vaio product marketing at Sony Electronics in the United States. “It has come to place more value on mobile products. These ultraportable notebooks are mobile products, like cellphones and MP3 players.”

 

[dtravis7]

I do not know (either does anyone else besides Jobs) if a 12" MacBook Pro will ever surface, but I feel there is a market for it. Small size with all the features on the larger MBP's. I am sure they would sell a lot of them.

How about a 13.3" MBP?

One of the reasons I love my ibook is the small size though but sometimes wish it had a few more features like the PowerBooks did.

I guess all we can do is wait. Time will tell if Apple will or will not. I personally hope they do.