[ghporter]

Apparently MBP fans weren't invited to the show. I wonder if there's an "after show party" scheduled for us later...

[saveranger]

Has anyone bought a MBP 17" recently? Any uneven brightness on the screens?

I recently went to Fry's to check out the MBP's and wow, the 17" one they had there had really bad uneven brightness (only the center was the correct color, the edges were darker). It made me think twice about getting a MBP anytime soon.

I'm thinking that that MBP was old and that the newer ones have gotten this problem fixed.

I'm gonna be going to the apple store to take a look at the ones they have there, hopefully they have newer ones on display.

I won't need a laptop till early October, so hopefully by then the new merom mbp's will be out.

[Elektrix]

Originally Posted by saveranger

Has anyone bought a MBP 17" recently? Any uneven brightness on the screens?

I recently went to Fry's to check out the MBP's and wow, the 17" one they had there had really bad uneven brightness (only the center was the correct color, the edges were darker). It made me think twice about getting a MBP anytime soon.

I'm thinking that that MBP was old and that the newer ones have gotten this problem fixed.

I'm gonna be going to the apple store to take a look at the ones they have there, hopefully they have newer ones on display.

I won't need a laptop till early October, so hopefully by then the new merom mbp's will be out.

You know, I've noticed this with a couple of the 15.4" MBP's on display at my local Apple Store (Tysons Corner, VA). I had chalked it up just to quirks of the models they had out there, or maybe something with the lighting.

I might ask them about it though next time I go.

I assume it isn't that common an issue (of all the MBP complaints I've heard, lack of uniform screen brightness isn't one of the ones I've heard mentioned).

-Zadillo

[Simon]

The closer the event came the less I was expecting an updated MBP. Especially after last week was all about new iMacs and Mac minis.

Apple does still have quite some time to make it for the holiday buying season.

[houstonmacbro]

Originally Posted by brokenjago

I am so sick of this "rev A" bullshit. There are hundreds of thousands of perfectly happy MBP owners out there, and for all ones who had problems with the whine or anything else highly publicized, Apple has taken care of them. What's the problem here?

I'm sorry, but seriously, it's getting ridiculous.

is it just me or do mac users have just tons of money to get new machines whenever new ones come out.

i haven't updated in almost 2 years, and the only reason i am doing it now is because my machine is failing and i wasn't smart enough to get apple care the first time around. this time i will make sure of it.

but, no one ever seems to be happy. the powerbook g4s were great machines, but then everyone wanted and bought macbook pros. now that they are out, the next and greatest (according to some) is merom, and (according to others) santa rosa (although it has not even been officially announced to my knowledge, just on a roadmap dealie...

anyhow, is anyone just ever satisfied with the machine they have?

[houstonmacbro]

Originally Posted by salaryman

I don't think Merom MBPs are going to happen just yet (certainly not tomorrow anyway - that's all about TV and video).

I think Apple would have released them last week when they announced the iMac and Mac Mini updates. Why wouldn't they include MBP updates at the same time if they were imminent?

Looking at the Dell site, I've noticed that if you want a 2.33GHz merom in a laptop, it will cost you an extra $430. There's no way Apple will bump up the price of their MBP just to fit this chip in - it's already expensive and this upgrade would make it prohibitively so.

It's a shame but I can't see them updating it until the price is reduced, which means when quantities are sufficient, which means the end of the year or early next year.

This is mere speculation of course and I'd love to be wrong!

agree, but doesn'ty apple also have to now keep up with other intel computer makers to stay relevant and competitive? there are loads of fanatics (mac and pc alike) on all these computer sites that will say "dayum, i can get a merom in my dell, but not in a mac..."

[Elektrix]

Originally Posted by houstonmacbro

is it just me or do mac users have just tons of money to get new machines whenever new ones come out.

i haven't updated in almost 2 years, and the only reason i am doing it now is because my machine is failing and i wasn't smart enough to get apple care the first time around. this time i will make sure of it.

but, no one ever seems to be happy. the powerbook g4s were great machines, but then everyone wanted and bought macbook pros. now that they are out, the next and greatest (according to some) is merom, and (according to others) santa rosa (although it has not even been officially announced to my knowledge, just on a roadmap dealie...

anyhow, is anyone just ever satisfied with the machine they have?

This really isn't unique to Mac users. Take a look at the PC side sometime; you'll find people who had to sell their Pentium M-based laptops immediately to get Core Duo laptops, and then turned around to sell their Core Duo laptops just to get Core 2 Duo instead. And of course these people will probably be the first in line to buy Santa Rosa-based laptops.

And keep in mind that they take a huge hit investing so much and selling so quickly. I've seen people selling laptops saying they paid $3000 for it 5 months ago, and are now selling for $1500 (or more extreme examples even).

You'll see this on the desktop side too; plenty of people who constantly have to upgrade their machine, etc. to make sure they're using the latest technology ("Socket 939 came out?!?! Got to get rid of my Socket 754 motherboard. Socket AM2 come out? Goodbye Socket 939! Intel's Core 2 Duo chips are beating AMD AM2 chips? Got to upgrade again!").

But no, a lot of people are really obsessed with knowing they have the latest and greatest technology, and once something new comes out, they feel that their perfectly usable computer is somehow obsolete and worthless.

But these are the extreme examples; most people get a lot more life out of their computers, and when they do upgrade, usually just get something a generation behind so they aren't paying out the ear for it.

-Elektrix

[phazedowt]

Originally Posted by houstonmacbro

is it just me or do mac users have just tons of money to get new machines whenever new ones come out.

i haven't updated in almost 2 years, and the only reason i am doing it now is because my machine is failing and i wasn't smart enough to get apple care the first time around. this time i will make sure of it.

but, no one ever seems to be happy. the powerbook g4s were great machines, but then everyone wanted and bought macbook pros. now that they are out, the next and greatest (according to some) is merom, and (according to others) santa rosa (although it has not even been officially announced to my knowledge, just on a roadmap dealie...

anyhow, is anyone just ever satisfied with the machine they have?

I certainly can't speak for everyone, but I can relate what my situation is. I have a rev A. alu PBG4 which has had no real problems to speak of. However, its approaching 3 years old and as thus, is starting to show its age. My new employer has offered to buy me a new laptop and while I'd love to pull the trigger on a MBP right now, the fact that C2duos are looming gives me pause. Now, here's where the frustration for many mac users comes in: as soon as C2duos were put on the market back in July, many PC manufacturers either immediately inserted them into their lineup or announced when they would. As a mac user, the frustration (and especially in the Intel era) is in seeing the current offerings from Apple become obsolete compared to the rest of the market and all the meanwhile not knowing when they will get replaced. Is it next week? next month? next year when Santa Rosa comes out as some have suggested?

Its impossible to feel like one is making an informed buying decision in this circumstance. If I knew that the new machines were being launched in a few weeks, I'd probably wait. On the other hand, if its in 3-6 months, then I might be better off buying now.

[Elektrix]

Wait, which PC manufacuters announced exactly when they would have Core 2 Duo or even inserted them into their product lineups back in July? Last I checked, the actual announcements of specific models with Core 2 Duo from most laptop manufacturers did not start coming until late August/early September, and have only recently actually become available.

I don't think Apple is really that far behind, as long as they do basically get Core 2 Duo in the MBP relatively soon.

[zaghahzag]

Originally Posted by Elektrix

Wait, which PC manufacuters announced exactly when they would have Core 2 Duo or even inserted them into their product lineups back in July? Last I checked, the actual announcements of specific models with Core 2 Duo from most laptop manufacturers did not start coming until late August/early September, and have only recently actually become available.

I don't think Apple is really that far behind, as long as they do basically get Core 2 Duo in the MBP relatively soon.

dell has a date of 9/21 shipping on its core2duo laptops (at least the ones i tried)

i wonder if they've shipped any yet.

[phazedowt]

Originally Posted by Elektrix

Wait, which PC manufacuters announced exactly when they would have Core 2 Duo or even inserted them into their product lineups back in July? Last I checked, the actual announcements of specific models with Core 2 Duo from most laptop manufacturers did not start coming until late August/early September, and have only recently actually become available.

I don't think Apple is really that far behind, as long as they do basically get Core 2 Duo in the MBP relatively soon.

I guess I wasn't careful with the wording there. By inserted into lineup, I was meaning to say, giving the customer the ability to order them (even if they weren't immediately shipping). See here for a list of laptops with Core 2 Duos:

http://www.notebookreview.com/defaul...+Duo+Notebooks

[Elektrix]

Originally Posted by phazedowt

I guess I wasn't careful with the wording there. By inserted into lineup, I was meaning to say, giving the customer the ability to order them (even if they weren't immediately shipping). See here for a list of laptops with Core 2 Duos:

Intel Core 2 Duo Merom Laptops and Information (constantly being updated!)

Right.... and that list started on August 30th (and was filled in over the next week or so after that). You had said that the notebook manufacuters started announcing which models would have Core 2 Duo, etc. in July, and no-one knew the specifics until August 30th.

I was mainly saying that Apple isn't really all that far behind anyone else in that regard (some notebook manufacturers are still waiting to announce Core 2 Duo availability in certain models).

-Elektrix

[zaghahzag]

well, i suppose that the chips are available, they're in the imacs. i wonder if apple isn't triple checking that there won't be any big problems when they do this.

[silver]

Hi all, I read this a while back but the first few paragraphs a pretty interesting even though its old news. Taken from zdnet: Santa Rosa is the code name for the next iteration of Centrino, which is a combination of a mobile processor, chipset and wireless chip, said Sean Maloney, executive vice president and head of Intel's Mobility Group.
Santa Rosa will arrive in the first half of 2007, according to Maloney, though sources have put the expected launch around March of that year. Santa Rosa will accommodate the Merom processor that's expected to launch later this year but will feature a new chipset called Crestline that's designed to improve graphics performance.
Kedron, the new wireless chip in Santa Rosa, will support the 802.11n standard expected to be ratified early next year. But Wi-Fi networks such as 802.11n are only one part of Intel's wireless vision. The company continues to push WiMax technology as a future wide-area-network standard that could deliver data signals at broadband speeds over areas the size of cities.

The whole article here Intel lines up Santa Rosa, WiMax for notebooks | Tech News on ZDNet.

Food for thought.


silver

[macboy]

Originally Posted by silver

Hi all, I read this a while back but the first few paragraphs a pretty interesting even though its old news. Taken from zdnet: Santa Rosa is the code name for the next iteration of Centrino, which is a combination of a mobile processor, chipset and wireless chip, said Sean Maloney, executive vice president and head of Intel's Mobility Group.
Santa Rosa will arrive in the first half of 2007, according to Maloney, though sources have put the expected launch around March of that year. Santa Rosa will accommodate the Merom processor that's expected to launch later this year but will feature a new chipset called Crestline that's designed to improve graphics performance.
Kedron, the new wireless chip in Santa Rosa, will support the 802.11n standard expected to be ratified early next year. But Wi-Fi networks such as 802.11n are only one part of Intel's wireless vision. The company continues to push WiMax technology as a future wide-area-network standard that could deliver data signals at broadband speeds over areas the size of cities.

The whole article here Intel lines up Santa Rosa, WiMax for notebooks | Tech News on ZDNet.

That would be in sync with the direction Apple is moving into with the iTV's rumored wireless 802.11n, but I've been hearing WiMax for the last 2 years, and still haven't seen or even heard of someone who's implemented it. I keep reading on blogs and newspapers that Intel is pushing WiMax and is ready to roll out in the next couple months. That was 2 years ago, then 12 months and couple months ago in July.

Seems like Jan, 07 Macworld is going to make some major Apple headlines - iTV, Secret Leopard details, MBP's new case design (probably) and what not

[SierraDragon]

Originally Posted by houstonmacbro

is it just me or do mac users have just tons of money to get new machines whenever new ones come out.

i haven't updated in almost 2 years, and the only reason i am doing it now is because my machine is failing and i wasn't smart enough to get apple care the first time around. this time i will make sure of it.

but, no one ever seems to be happy. the powerbook g4s were great machines, but then everyone wanted and bought macbook pros. now that they are out, the next and greatest (according to some) is merom, and (according to others) santa rosa (although it has not even been officially announced to my knowledge, just on a roadmap dealie... anyhow, is anyone just ever satisfied with the machine they have?

The current MacIntel scenario is atypical. G3/4/5s are rapidly becoming obsolete due to the dramatically different new MacIntel platform and expectation of new Leopard OS. Apple quickly released the first Macbook Pros out with some featureset limitations (e.g. Superdrives and FW 800 limitations) to stay at the forefront of the profitable laptop sales market.

Intel's roadmap clearly shows 20-25% better Merom laptop chips shipping now and Apple can be expected to want to stay at the forefront of the profitable laptop sales market. Coupled with the fact that Apple has had another 9 months to improve the MBP feature set it makes a world of sense for G4 laptop users to be anxious to see/buy the Merom MBPs.

Aperture is a good example, running barely adequately on a highest end G4 Powerbook yet running very well on any MBP, even on MBs. For a pro DSLR photographer Aperture is an enterprise critical app, easily justifying - in fact demanding - an upgrade to MBP. The FW 800 and Superdrive limitations are the only reason pro photogs like me have waited at all.

Note too that the possibility (I am really hoping) of more RAM and more hard drive capacity is another allure.

Note that these are pro machines, and yes [pro users do "...have just tons of money to get new machines..." when workflow performance will show a major improvement. Aperture, for instance, will easily save 4-8 hours time on a typical shoot's processing, so $2000 to upgrade one's laptop is easily cost effective. However also note that like I said originally today's situation is atypical; it will be a more typical 3-4 years before a top end Merom MBP will again need upgrading.

-Allen Wicks

[maae]

JFYI:

Here in Denmark, a company called ClearWire has launched a WiMax service in all major cities - all that is needed is a "modem" connected to mains and the desired computer(s). It's quite cool

And stable too!

Cheers.

[salaryman]

Originally Posted by phazedowt

As a mac user, the frustration (and especially in the Intel era) is in seeing the current offerings from Apple become obsolete compared to the rest of the market and all the meanwhile not knowing when they will get replaced. Is it next week? next month? next year when Santa Rosa comes out as some have suggested?

Its impossible to feel like one is making an informed buying decision in this circumstance. If I knew that the new machines were being launched in a few weeks, I'd probably wait. On the other hand, if its in 3-6 months, then I might be better off buying now.

Excellent post - this says it all.

Prior to Intel, Apple users had no direct comparison for their products. They were announced when they were available and that was that. With Intel, everyone knows when new hardware is released, and they know Apple will at some point start using it. This is why it's frustrating. Apple is still keeping things under wraps when we know that they're coming. I think my point is that for minor changes like an upgrade from a Core Duo to Core 2 Duo (it's just a chip change after all), they should announce in advance. For bigger changes (brand new MBP enclosure etc) then by all means keep it secret.

I need a new laptop (MBP) by October so I have a deadline of around 25th September so I'm very keen for them to update before then. If I knew they were going to start shipping them by 10th October then I would probably wait. As it is, there is a chance I will order one only for a new, faster, cheaper model to appear a week later. Therein lies the frustration.

Sort it out Apple!

[mikochu]

^^^ and that's one of the reasons I'm not too happy for the switch to Intel...

[Elektrix]

Originally Posted by mikochu

^^^ and that's one of the reasons I'm not too happy for the switch to Intel...

I really hope you're not serious - why is this a reason to not be happy with the switch to Intel? You preferred the slower update cycle of PowerPC (not to mention that without the switch, we'd probably STILL be waiting for the mythical "PowerBook G5")?

-Elektrix

[mikochu]

Originally Posted by Elektrix

I really hope you're not serious - why is this a reason to not be happy with the switch to Intel? You preferred the slower update cycle of PowerPC (not to mention that without the switch, we'd probably STILL be waiting for the mythical "PowerBook G5")?

-Elektrix

The reason I had in mind was the fact that Intel (and AMD) spit out new chips every month or so. Yeah, it's cool, but the resell value diminishes quicker. There's going to be always something better...but with Intel, it's going to be pounding on your door every day like the tax collector.

I bought my MBP a few weeks ago. I'm just glad the Core 2 Duo MBPs weren't in the mix at the latest Keynote.

[ghporter]

I've never bought a computer with resale value in mind. And while Intel may "spit out chips every month or so," that doesn't mean that Apple will change what's in their computers each time that happens. The current "Core" series of processors is pretty new, and Intel is still really developing them. Once the product stabilizes, their upgrade cycle will slow down a lot, and then it won't seem like there's something coming out so frequently.

[SierraDragon]

Originally Posted by salaryman

With Intel, everyone knows when new hardware is released, and they know Apple will at some point start using it. This is why it's frustrating. Apple is still keeping things under wraps when we know that they're coming...

I need a new laptop (MBP) by October so I have a deadline of around 25th September so I'm very keen for them to update before then. If I knew they were going to start shipping them by 10th October then I would probably wait. As it is, there is a chance I will order one only for a new, faster, cheaper model to appear a week later. Therein lies the frustration.

Sort it out Apple!

I too know the frustration, but do not fault Apple for sound marketing practices. Just take Intel's road map and plan accordingly, expecting Apple's hardware to be near the front end of the delivery cycle. Specifically as yours/mine Merom MBP needs, I will be amazed if we do not have Merom MBPs announced this month. My expectation is that you should be able to get a standard, non-CTO Merom MBP by October 10. We will see.

If Oct 10 is critical, see if an Apple store will allow you to put money down to get to the head of the line IF MBPs are announced in time. You could make it a non-refundable deposit, putting the money toward a current MBP if for some reason Merom MBPs do not show in time.

As to folks who whine about their computer hardware quickly becoming obsolete I say: Get over it! Having a constant stream of better/cheaper products is a good thing. With a little homework and by buying strongly configured pro (MBP rather than MB, MP rather than iMac) gear any new purchase should serve well for 3-5 years.

-Allen Wicks

[mduell]

Originally Posted by ghporter

The current "Core" series of processors is pretty new, and Intel is still really developing them. Once the product stabilizes, their upgrade cycle will slow down a lot, and then it won't seem like there's something coming out so frequently.

Intel has announced they plan on alternating core upgrades (2006, 2008, 2010, etc) with process shrinks (65nm last year, 45nm next year, 32nm in 09). I don't think we're going to see stability like the NetBurst era.

[hookem2oo7]

Originally Posted by maae

JFYI:

Here in Denmark, a company called ClearWire has launched a WiMax service in all major cities - all that is needed is a "modem" connected to mains and the desired computer(s). It's quite cool

And stable too!

Cheers.

There's several cities in TX (mostly rural, smaller cities/towns) that have clearwire and xanadoo (same thing) too...