New Macbook line-up

Sad Professor

Well what do ya think?

- €1149. 13" MacBook Pro. 2.26GHz. 2GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400. 160GB HD. Firewire
- €1449. 13" MacBook Pro. 2.53GHz. 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400. 250GB HD. Firewire

- €1649. 15" Macbook Pro. 2.53 GHz, 4 GB RAM. NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 250GB HD. Firewire.
- €1849. 15" Macbook Pro. 2.66 GHz, 4 GB RAM. NVIDIA GeForce GT. 320GB HD. Firewire.
- €2149. 15" Macbook Pro. 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM. NVIDIA GeForce GT . 500 GB HD. Firewire.

- 7 hour battery life
- SD slot
- Firewire 800 as standard
- Backlit keyboard as standard (previously lacking the in low end 13 inch)

I've been pissing and moaning about every Macbook refresh since they renamed them but damn this was a great update.

I'm most impressed by the price reductions. The Air is 250 euro cheaper than it was. The 13" Macbook was reduced by €50 and the 15" by €150. Looks like the plastic is here to stay for another while yet (it's a great seller) and I reckon Apple are grooming the Air to replace it eventually.

I'm a bit concerned about the non-replaceable battery, especially whether the HDD will still be user-replaceable.

pleasant Co.

Not all that impressed myself to be honest (slight price drops and brandname reshuffle), I think i'll be holding off for a couple of years until I upgrade, hell I might not even be buying a mac - shudder at the thought

bluemachaveli

I'm heading to the states next month!

Around €863 for the 13" MPB aint bad

Breezer

Mr.S wrote: »

Why in gods name did they bring back Firewire?

Does anything even use that anymore?

Yes. Many, many people, including sound and video professionals, people with DV camcorders, and just about anyone with Firewire peripherals that never expected Apple, of all companies, to drop it. I'd imagine Apple received huge complaints when this was dropped, which is why it wasn't removed from the Mini.

Sad Professor wrote:

I'm a bit concerned about the non-replaceable battery, especially whether the HDD will still be user-replaceable.

+1

Sad Professor

I was incensed that they removed Firewire the last time. Very glad to see it back. Apple aren't in the habit of backtracking which says a lot about the uproar over the removal.

Re: the built-in battery: upon further investigation I reckon the HDD will still be user-replaceable without voiding the warranty. The 17 inch has had a built-in battery since the start of the year and the HDD is still replaceable with a little more work. You just screw off the bottom. Apple detail how to do it here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3419

So - unless Apple decide to screw 13/15-inch buyers - it should be fine.

fjon

I've a question about the graphics card.
The 9400 seems to be the same one that's included in the white macbook, as well as the two 13" MBPs and the entry level 15".
Am I right in thinking before the upgrade, the entry level MBP (equivelent to the 1649e one) had a better graphics card?
I don't remember the white MB and the lowest MBP having the same Graphics card, or am I wrong?

J-blk

Sad Professor wrote: »

the HDD is still replaceable with a little more work. You just screw off the bottom.

That's not bad at all - you had to remove the bottom cover to upgrade the RAM anyway on the previous unibody MacBook anyway so it's simply now the same step for both HDD and RAM upgrades.

I appreciate the price drop but still don't feel too excited about the updates of both the MacBook line and the iPhone... I've been considering an Air just for the portability and the price is a whole lot more attractive now but I think I'll hold out one more refresh at least...

J-blk

fjon wrote: »

Am I right in thinking before the upgrade, the entry level MBP (equivelent to the 1649e one) had a better graphics card?

Yes, it did. All previous unibody MacBook Pros had the 9400M and 9600M GT combo of on board + discrete graphics cards. The current entry level MBP is closer to the now non-existent unibody MacBook model, only having the 9400M.

fjon wrote: »

I don't remember the white MB and the lowest MBP having the same Graphics card, or am I wrong?

Before the recent refresh, the white MacBook was still using a crappy built-in Intel GMA graphics chip but now uses the Nvidia 9400M like the unibody models...

Sad Professor

J-blk wrote: »

That's not bad at all - you had to remove the bottom cover to upgrade the RAM anyway on the previous unibody MacBook anyway so it's simply now the same step for both HDD and RAM upgrades.

Ah I didn't realise this. There was never anything to worry about so.

Anyone planning to get one of the new Macbook? I'm hoping to place my order tomorrow. I'm gonna avail of the iPod and printer rebate offer as well. My old iBook is badly in need of replacement.

su_dios

Mr.S wrote: »

Why in gods name did they bring back Firewire?

Does anything even use that anymore?

Besides the obvious a posted by others above..... theres firewire target disk mode which is a priceless feature when you're laptop decides to act up. Without firewire there is no way you can access the laptops harddrive without taking it out of your laptop which for most isn't something you can do at hoe without voiding warranty.

whiterebel

Breezer wrote: »

Yes. Many, many people, including sound and video professionals, people with DV camcorders, and just about anyone with Firewire peripherals that never expected Apple, of all companies, to drop it. I'd imagine Apple received huge complaints when this was dropped, which is why it wasn't removed from the Mini.

+1

I couldn't believe they had dropped it either. Firewire a necessity for me anyway.

K.O.Kiki

I could almost see myself replacing my current 15" Pro with a 13" baby.

Almost cos I need some money for the difference

su_dios

One more question was why didn't they update the macbook air screen to look like the rest of the line and also the trackpad??

Sad Professor

su_dios wrote: »

One more question was why didn't they update the macbook air screen to look like the rest of the line and also the trackpad??

I reckon even the smallest change to the trackpad or screen would add to the size/weight or require a redesign. The Air's components are so precisely squeezed together as it is and Apple probably didn't want to go screwing around with the design, not when they were trying to lower the price. The Air is a bit of an experiment anyway, I'm not sure Apple are really committed to it yet.

Personally I prefer the Air's aluminium bezel to the glass bezel on the MBPs. The glass is too vulnerable.

J-blk

su_dios wrote: »

One more question was why didn't they update the macbook air screen to look like the rest of the line and also the trackpad??

I have to agree with SP on this one. The Air was barely "refreshed" spec wise - the big changes are the price drops, especially on the SSD model. I wouldn't expect a complete re-design to bring it more inline with the family of unibody MacBook Pros until at least 1 or 2 more refreshes.

There's also a chance that the Air is targeted to become the white MacBook's replacement when that finally gets axed, but I'd guess that's several months away still, if not closer to a year.

Sad Professor

New screens look great. Huge improvement over the old ones.





http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=715418&page=3

I should have mine by Friday. Can't wait!

pleasant Co.

Excellent, that was my single biggest complaint about the first rev uni-macbook

grumpypaddy

the macbook air with 1.86 processor and a 128 solid state drive is down from 1904 euros to 1354 euros on the refurb store, some price drop! am tempted to think about it! used have a 2gig black macbook and got a 2.4 new unibody macbook, dont really need the extra processor power or the disc drive, - was thinking that the refurb macbook air might be enough! would it be possible back up the macbook air with the contents of the unibody macbook using time machine? weight would be a consideration, lack of optical drive and only 1 usb not so much..opinions anyone?

J-blk

grumpypaddy wrote: »

would it be possible back up the macbook air with the contents of the unibody macbook using time machine?

Yes it is - you have the option to restore files and applications from a Time Machine backup taken from another machine. It's even possible when re-installing a fresh copy of Mac OS X on a different machine...

grumpypaddy wrote: »

weight would be a consideration, lack of optical drive and only 1 usb not so much..opinions anyone?

I'm starting to like the Air - the first generation was woefully underpowered but the refresh to the Nvidia 9400M graphics improved things significantly and now the price of an SSD equipped one (the HDD one uses a 4200RPM drive so I'd still avoid it) is much more affordable but I still think I might wait for yet another refresh cycle...

As for the lack of optical drive, I could live with it. I don't watch any DVDs and haven't installed anything off a disc or even burnt a disc in absolute ages. Even if the Air was your only system and you absolutely need the optical drive, the add on is €89 - expensive, but not crazy expensive. If you have another PC or Mac around the house, I wouldn't bother getting one at all.

The one thing that still annoys me is the max 2GB limit, you can't upgrade that so I think I'll hold out hoping for the next refresh to get to 4GB at least.

Still, the Air is starting to become an attractive option and my wife is really set to poach my MacBook once I upgrade to something else, so it might happen sooner than I think .

Sad Professor

iFixit have opened up the new 13-inch MBP. The battery is in fact easily replaceable but removing it will void the warranty.

J-blk

Sad Professor wrote: »

The battery is in fact easily replaceable but removing it will void the warranty.

Interesting... I wonder if Apple will sell the batteries separately then down the line, for OOW customers - it does seem easy to replace yourself (no more harder than replacing the HDD or RAM) so if they allow it, it'd be pretty sweet.

Fajitas!

I really don't like the gloss screens...

ant043

i just received my base line macbook pro 13 inch. I'm currently installing a 128gb samsung ssd. I'll report back later. Machine is beautiful.

ant043

you sure can with bootcamp.

dubmick

ant043 wrote: »

i just received my base line macbook pro 13 inch. I'm currently installing a 128gb samsung ssd. I'll report back later. Machine is beautiful.

jaysus that was quick. Enjoy!

ant043

Thanks i might post a few pictures tonight. This thing is screaming fast with ssd. Everything opens with a click. It feels nearly twice as fast as a mac pro.

Sad Professor

I should have mine in the morning. Can't wait!

How do you find the screen, ant043?

ant043

Screen is way better than old unibody macbook. Viewing angles are excellent. Colours on the screen really pop out. Hope you enjoy the unboxing tomorrow. There's nothing like the smell of a new mac !!!!

Sad Professor

You can boot OSX from an SD card. Cool.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/06/11/apples_new_macbook_pros_can_boot_from_media_in_sd_card_slot.html

Would be pretty slow I'd imagine. But would it be faster/slower than booting from an optical disc?

Simon201

Mr.S wrote: »

Why in gods name did they bring back Firewire?

Does anything even use that anymore?

yup it sure does!..... and its twice as fast as USB2! (FW800)

Passenger

Aye, good to see Firewire as standard now. It was a major missing component of the previous MacBook line.

Sad Professor

Well my new Macbook arrived safe and sound on Friday afternoon. Typing this post on it now. Gorgeous machine, very pleased with it. Bit worried about the aluminum though - is it really easy to dent? Do I need to baby it?

Macrumors forums are going crazy. The new Macbooks are limited to only 1.5Gb SATA connection speeds. This is versus 3.0Gb in the previous models and white Macbooks. This has no effect on HDD users but could have a significant effect on SSD users. The hope is that it's just a bug and will be fixed via a firmware update - or it was a cost saving measure. :eek: Wait until this hits the news sites...

J-blk

Sad Professor wrote: »

Bit worried about the aluminum though - is it really easy to dent? Do I need to baby it?

I've had my original unibody since they launched the form factor last year and even though I haven't dropped it or otherwise abused it, it seems very solid and I've taken it with me everywhere pretty much - no dents or scratches, still looks new (except for the smudges on the screen, I got fed up of wiping off fingerprints every 30 seconds ).

ant043

yep have already noticed that the ssd i installed isn't as fast as advertised. If this issue isn't resolved by firmware it's going straight back next week.

Sad Professor

ant043 wrote: »

yepi have already noticed that the ssd i installed isn't as fast as advertised. If this issue isn't resolved by firmware it's going straight back next week.

Given that it appears to be a issue with the 15 inch as well, I reckon Apple capped it at 1.5Gb to save on battery life. They probably didn't think anyone would notice or care - how wrong they were.

I'm sure a firmware update will arrive eventually. I'm still in spinning disk land so it doesn't affect me for now.

ant043

Apple are unbelievable. They give us things like firewire and a sd card slot but then they take away Sata 3.0, a feature which 300 euro netbooks have. This better be sorted out sooner rather than later. It would be sad if the only Apple notebooks to allow ssds to run at their full potential would be the bottom of the range white macbook and the 17 inch macbook pro. So much for the pro name attached to the 13 inch and 15 inch macbooks.

insinkerator

i bought the 13"macbook unibody a week before this was announced

ant043

macbook unibody is ok it's only the models with sd card readers affected.

insinkerator

no i meant like before the update and price drop on all the macbooks was announced

Breezer

insinkerator wrote: »

no i meant like before the update and price drop on all the macbooks was announced

Does Apple still do its 16 day cooling off period thing?

Breezer

Mr.S wrote: »

Is there much point in buying a normal 13" macbook, should i just shell out the few extra and get the 13" macbook pro? It just seems like Apple are trying to ditch the normal macbook, but i much prefer the look compared to the glossy MP pro's.

Price would be the main factor. Or if you particularly need separate audio in and audio out ports. The 13" Pro beats it in pretty much every way otherwise.

The white MacBook has also been plagued with issues related to its construction since the outset. Discolouration, cracks in the case, etc. Some of these may have been sorted by now (and I've never experienced any of them myself), but even still the Pro has far sturdier construction. It also has a glossy screen, which to my knowledge is of inferior quality to the glossy screen on the Pro.

So in short, if I were you, I'd fork out the few quid extra.

EDIT: If you're planning on getting a solid state drive, rather than a traditional hard drive, I'd have a look at this.

Sad Professor

Mr.S wrote: »

Whats the story with the Apple student store, i'll be starting college (hopefully) in September, so do i have to wait untill then to buy it via the site, or can i buy it now?

You can order now but if they ask you for proof that you are student you'll have a problem. Afaik they only check randomly so I suppose you could risk it. However it might be worth waiting as - depending on the college - you might be able to get a bigger discount. For example, I was able to get a full 10 percent discount via my UCD account.

I'll need some windows only software/games so i take it i can easily dual booth with Windows Vista and have everything working?

Yep, should do.

And lastly;) with the student store, i can get up to €185 rebate on iPod's, is that just the iPod touch, or can i get a classic? the apple website isn't that clear!

You can get any iPod you want (I got a Nano) but the rebate will vary depending on the model:

iPod Touch (all models) €185
iPod Classic 120GB €185
iPod Nano 16GB €165
iPod Nano 8GB €125
iPod Shuffle 4GB €65

Full terms and conditions here:

https://input.media.euro.apple.com/ie/programmes/backtoschool/terms.html

You can also get a 80 euro rebate on certain HP/Epson All-in-one printers. Valid until the end of July I think. I got a HP C4580.

insinkerator

Breezer wrote: »

Does Apple still do its 16 day cooling off period thing?

??

Sad Professor

Mr.S wrote: »

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-Macbook-13-2GHz-Laptop-AppleCare-Pro-Warranty-NEW_W0QQitemZ280358933467QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_Apple_Laptops_ET?hash=item4146b1d3db&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1690|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

thoughts??

I wouldn't recommend it. The 3 year warranty is nice but by the time shipping is added on you'll be talking at least €1000 for a previous generation model.

However, if you buy from Apple with the standard student discount you can get the newer model for €1080 with free shipping - with the choice to take advantage of the ipod/printer rebates if you wish and getting Snow Leopard for only 8.95 when it arrives in September. You can't avail of any of this if you go the Ebay route.

If you want to save some money buy from the Apple refurb store. There's nothing much up there now but keep an eye on it — there'll be loads of previous gen Macbook models at far better prices than that Ebay seller is offering.

whiterebel

Mr.S wrote: »

Hmm yeah, the 3 year warranty is what drew me in.

I guess ill just bit the bullet and by via the Student store, and pray that i don't get any faults after a year:D

Cheers.

You could buy the APP from a trusted eller on eBay, saving yourself a fortune.

Sad Professor

Yeah and you can also get Applecare anytime within the first year.

Plus - you could always sell the iPod (if you avail of the rebate) and put it towards the Applecare. Either way it's better value than that Ebay item.

Breezer

insinkerator wrote: »

??

Apple used to have a policy where if you weren't happy with a product for any reason at all, you could return it, used or otherwise, and get a full refund. It would then be sold on the refurb store. It was either a 16 or a 14 day limit. Could be worth checking out.

miralize

Got the 13" MBP on Monday. Really amazing machine. Fast, light , and the battery is actually lasting 7+ hours

whiterebel

Breezer wrote: »

Apple used to have a policy where if you weren't happy with a product for any reason at all, you could return it, used or otherwise, and get a full refund. It would then be sold on the refurb store. It was either a 16 or a 14 day limit. Could be worth checking out.

" 7.1 If you are not satisfied with any Product or the terms of any entitlement to Services you have purchased from us, you may return the Product to us or cancel the entitlement to Services and obtain a refund of the price of the Product returned or Service entitlement if you contact us within 10 Working Days of delivery of the Product to you or within 10 Working Days of your purchase of the entitlement to Services. However, you may not return a Product to us and claim a refund if the Product concerned is Software which we supplied to you sealed and unused and you have broken the seal. You may not obtain a refund of the purchase price of a Service entitlement if you have commenced use of the Service."

Sad Professor

I haven't been able to find a source for this but according to Engadget replacing the built-in battery (which is easy to do) won't void the warranty unless you break something. Of course Apple want 139 euro to do it for you - which isn't totally reasonable, mind you. But nevertheless this is very good news if true as it means you could get the battery off Ebay for substantially cheaper without your Applecare getting screwed up.

DHFrame

Gutted. I went and bought one a month too early. Thanks to the Mac rumours site said no update this year. Shows u how crap they know! Well at least I can still update this pre June 2009 Macbook Pro 15'' to 8GIG. Still love it though. Cant complain at a 5 hr battery life after using PC Laptops. New ones are getting 8 right?