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HelloNateR · Jul 13, 2007, 03:19 PM

What's the deal with the new MBP's being backordered all over the place? 15" at 7-10 days? 2-4 weeks for a high def 17"?

Was there some kind of production problem with the new Santa Rosa chipsets that's causing the backorder? Any ideas??

I *have* found one store that looks like they have 15" 2.4 GHz in stock at a great price, but I'm not sure about ordering from them. Anyone have any experience with eCost.com? My main concern is what happens if the computer is "slightly defective" with a minor problem that Apple would probably take care of, but they might not?

mduell · Jul 13, 2007, 04:17 PM

Dell is showing an 11 day ship time too for some models... but I haven't seen anything in the news about Crestline (remember, the MBP is not Santa Rosa, just Crestline) production issues.

Person Man · Jul 13, 2007, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by HelloNateR

What's the deal with the new MBP's being backordered all over the place? 15" at 7-10 days? 2-4 weeks for a high def 17"?

Was there some kind of production problem with the new Santa Rosa chipsets that's causing the backorder? Any ideas??

I *have* found one store that looks like they have 15" 2.4 GHz in stock at a great price, but I'm not sure about ordering from them. Anyone have any experience with eCost.com? My main concern is what happens if the computer is "slightly defective" with a minor problem that Apple would probably take care of, but they might not?

More than likely delays are caused by strong demand and constrained parts than problems with the Santa Rosa chipsets.

For example, the 7200 RPM drives are constrained, as are the high resolution panels for the 17" computers.

The stock 15" MBP shipped quickly at first, and it seems to be quite a popular machine... Apple likes to keep inventory low so they don't end up with a huge surplus of machines, and they probably underestimated the demand for these new laptops. It appears that many people (myself included) were waiting for this update to buy a new laptop.

HelloNateR · Jul 13, 2007, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Dell is showing an 11 day ship time too for some models... but I haven't seen anything in the news about Crestline (remember, the MBP is not Santa Rosa, just Crestline) production issues.

I thought Crestline was part of the Santa Rosa platform, referring to the chipset used in the machines, and perhaps most notibly differentiated by the 800 Mhz FSB??

mduell · Jul 13, 2007, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by HelloNateR

I thought Crestline was part of the Santa Rosa platform, referring to the chipset used in the machines, and perhaps most notibly differentiated by the 800 Mhz FSB??

The Crestline chipset is part of the Santa Rosa platform; Santa Rosa also includes an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and Intel 4965AGN wifi chipset. The MBP doesn't have the Intel wifi, so it's not using the Santa Rosa platform.

PhotoBug · Jul 13, 2007, 08:51 PM

i thought it was santa rosa?

Simon · Jul 14, 2007, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by PhotoBug

i thought it was santa rosa?

Don't worry about it. It's just semantics and marketing. Technically SR consists of a C2D CPU, Crestline chipset, and a certain Intel 802.11 draft N card - it's a entire platform and not just a chipset. The MBP has all of those except for the Intel Wifi. It uses another card, but it does 802.11n just like the Intel circuitry. So technically, you're talking about a Crestline chipset not a SR "chipset".

However, since we're in a Mac world here we don't have to worry about Centrino marketing (Apple never cared about Centrino marketing - the sticker wasn't going on their notebooks anyway). The SR platform only comes in one flavor on a Mac and that is, to put it in correct technical terms, a Crestline chipset.

To make it sshort: everybody knows what you mean when you say SR on a Mac. The whole SR vs. Crestline discussion on Macs is semantic masturbation. Don't worry about it.

Kadarin · Jul 14, 2007, 03:52 AM

I just picked up this 17" hi-res matte finish 160gb/7200 rpm MBP today from the Apple Store at Valley Fair mall in San Jose. It was in stock.

Don't hate me...

PhotoBug · Jul 14, 2007, 01:03 PM

*drool*

VValdo · Jul 14, 2007, 02:52 PM

My 7200 hd mac 15" ordered jul 6. Ships by jul 17- jul 20 arrives by jul 19-26.. go figure.

W

mduell · Jul 14, 2007, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

Don't worry about it. It's just semantics and marketing. Technically SR consists of a C2D CPU, Crestline chipset, and a certain Intel 802.11 draft N card - it's a entire platform and not just a chipset. The MBP has all of those except for the Intel Wifi. It uses another card, but it does 802.11n just like the Intel circuitry. So technically, you're talking about a Crestline chipset not a SR "chipset".

However, since we're in a Mac world here we don't have to worry about Centrino marketing (Apple never cared about Centrino marketing - the sticker wasn't going on their notebooks anyway). The SR platform only comes in one flavor on a Mac and that is, to put it in correct technical terms, a Crestline chipset.

To make it sshort: everybody knows what you mean when you say SR on a Mac. The whole SR vs. Crestline discussion on Macs is semantic masturbation. Don't worry about it.

I don't think it is just semantic masturbation. Apple doesn't call them Centrino laptops, so why would people call them Santa Rosa laptops? A couple tech sites got the name wrong during the rumor phase and it stuck.
I don't think the name Santa Rosa is any cooler/better than Crestline, and it's deceptive to call it something it's not. For people who run nothing but OS X it doesn't really matter, but for people who are going to run Linux or another free OS it does; the Intel wifi chipsets generally have much better FOSS support than the others.

Simon · Jul 15, 2007, 02:22 AM

Touching.

Back on topic, even though the HD panels and the 7200 rpm disks are supposed to be the constrained items, the stock 15" configurations are taking most time to ship. Right now it's 7-10 days. Add in a 7200 rpm disk and your delivery date doesn't change (except on the 17" you go from 24h -> 2-4 days). Either there are some problems with a supplier or demand for these MBPs is sky high.

mduell · Jul 15, 2007, 12:27 PM

I'm surprised the 7200RPM disks are causing shipping delays... the even the newer (200GB) 7200RPM drives are in stock at a number of places, so you would think Apple would have no trouble getting the older (160GB) 7200RPM drives.

Simon · Jul 15, 2007, 12:55 PM

The 7200 rpm disk are actually not causing delays. 2-4 days is normal for a CTO change on a new product. The actual question is why the 15" MBP needs 7-10 days to ship when you configure nothing at all.

rjt1000 · Jul 15, 2007, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by HelloNateR

Anyone have any experience with eCost.com?

I was wondering the same thing. For a while they had the best price on the MBP, with no need to deal with a rebate. Anyone have comments about them?

Person Man · Jul 15, 2007, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

The actual question is why the 15" MBP needs 7-10 days to ship when you configure nothing at all.

Probably (as I said earlier) because of high demand for the machines.

Originally Posted by Person Man

More than likely delays are caused by strong demand and constrained parts than problems with the Santa Rosa (Crestline, for those who like to nitpick) chipsets.

The stock 15" MBP shipped quickly at first, and it seems to be quite a popular machine... Apple likes to keep inventory low so they don't end up with a huge surplus of machines, and they probably underestimated the demand for these new laptops. It appears that many people (myself included) were waiting for this update to buy a new laptop.

When I initially bought mine (which is a stock machine, BTW), the ship time was 1-3 business days. But then I called my local Apple Store and found they had one in stock, so I bought it then. I bought mine within 5 days of them being announced.

EndlessMac · Jul 15, 2007, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Person Man

and they probably underestimated the demand for these new laptops. It appears that many people (myself included) were waiting for this update to buy a new laptop.

You are probably right. I know a lot of people who were waiting for the this upgrade mainly for the LED monitor and new processor. I'm also in the same situation but then again I don't have the money right now to get one so I'm forced to wait anyway.

I would have waited for the LED monitor even if I did have the money. This MBP is definitely more than just a simple CPU and graphics card upgrade so I'm not surprised at the popularity. I forgot there is also the option for the 7200 RPM hard drive...

Simon · Jul 16, 2007, 01:52 AM

Originally Posted by Person Man

Probably (as I said earlier) because of high demand for the machines.

Possibly. I guess we'll know more on July 25 when Apple publishes the Q3 results.

mduell · Jul 16, 2007, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

Possibly. I guess we'll know more on July 25 when Apple publishes the Q3 results.

Except they'll be lumped in with the MacBooks.

rjt1000 · Jul 16, 2007, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by HelloNateR

Anyone have any experience with eCost.com?

Since they are one of the few on-line retailers with 15 inch MBPs in stock, and also advertise a very good price (with no rebate) I was wondering the same thing.

Unfortunately, the reviews I found about ecost.com were not so impressive:
eCOST.com Reviews and Store Ratings at BizRate
PriceGrabber User Rating for eCOST.com - PriceGrabber.com
eCost.com Customer Ratings, Reviews and Prices at ResellerRatings

I think I'll wait until one of the better retailers gets stock.

MacHeadChef · Jul 17, 2007, 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by HelloNateR

What's the deal with the new MBP's being backordered all over the place? 15" at 7-10 days? 2-4 weeks for a high def 17"?

Was there some kind of production problem with the new Santa Rosa chipsets that's causing the backorder? Any ideas??

I *have* found one store that looks like they have 15" 2.4 GHz in stock at a great price, but I'm not sure about ordering from them. Anyone have any experience with eCost.com? My main concern is what happens if the computer is "slightly defective" with a minor problem that Apple would probably take care of, but they might not?

If you want the Macbook Pro 17" High Def and 160GB 7200rpm, most Apple Store got them in stock. I just bought one yesterday.

Simon · Jul 17, 2007, 02:48 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Except they'll be lumped in with the MacBooks.

That's indeed a problem. This time it's actually even worse because the Q3 figures will take into account one and a half months of new MB sales, but only half a month of new MBP sales.

Still, if the MBPs are actually selling like crazy there should be some indication. Otherwise, especially if it's a component supplier issue, I expect to hear about it during the Q3 conference call.

MrForgetable · Jul 17, 2007, 03:06 AM

Ahh. I just ordered a stock 2.2 from my school bookstore thinking that if I didn't get BTO, the wait would be less. damn... 7-10 days to ship. A week to get to the bookstore. Another week to get to my house! i hope i get it in time.

Simon · Jul 19, 2007, 03:10 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

...Otherwise, especially if it's a component supplier issue, I expect to hear about it during the Q3 conference call.

It seems like it is indeed a supply issue with the new 15" LED backlit panels. Here's a recent AI article about it.

mduell · 12:48 PM

Yea, the industry jumped on the 15" LED-backlit displays pretty quickly once they were released. Looks like the suppliers didn't plan for that.

Simon · Jul 19, 2007, 03:12 PM

Apple's funneling the limited stock to the brick & mortar Apple stores and store.apple.com. It's gonna be a while till there are ample supplies at independent resellers.