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prism

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 6, 2006
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You would effectively need to be insane to buy it now that the MBP has been upgraded and for a difference of $500 what you get is much more powerful! I really wonder what Apple was thinking here!
 
You would effectively need to be insane to buy it now that the MBP has been upgraded and for a difference of $500 what you get is much more powerful! I really wonder what Apple was thinking here!

Ummm.... maybe they were thinking that for $500 difference people would still choose the cheaper one??

Or maybe... the MacBooks will be repriced or upgraded in the near future??

Or that a price spread of 33% from $1500 to $2000 is not all that insane after all?

Or all of the above? I dunno...
 
Ummm.... maybe they were thinking that for $500 difference people would still choose the cheaper one??

Or maybe... the MacBooks will be repriced or upgraded in the near future??

Or that a price spread of 33% from $1500 to $2000 is not all that insane after all?

Or all of the above? I dunno...

Ummm... maybe that was the case before yesterday when the difference was not between a prius and a porsche?
Lets see what you get for $500 more...LED, SR, additional 1gig ram, 2.2ghzC2D, 8600mGT with 128mb...all those combined with backlit kb, expresscard expansion etc makes it a fantastic value for just $500 more!!!
 
Yet some people wouldn't need all that to surf the web, check emails etc. Plus the $500 saving would be nice...
 
Ummm... maybe that was the case before yesterday when the difference was not between a prius and a porsche?
Lets see what you get for $500 more...LED, SR, additional 1gig ram, 2.2ghzC2D, 8600mGT with 128mb...all those combined with backlit kb, expresscard expansion etc makes it a fantastic value for just $500 more!!!

Your opinion. Others will differ. Others will agree. Others just won't have the 33% more cash to spend for the extra features.
 
sometimes the difference of $500 means having a macbook or having a macbook and a recording interface.

granted, if I had the money and no laptop, I'd get the new MBP, but I really like my blackbook :) so I'm set.
 
I think the blackbook and the low end mbp are different enough in price as well as in specs, so they're two different machines. I don't think blackbook sales will suffer at all. They ought to make the white/blackbook the same price, though.

But the 500$ is still 500$, but for the money I think apple is including a lot of good features. just my $0.02
 
200$ was enough for me to get the middle macbook over the blackbook... and there's a lot more out there like me i'm sure
 
You would effectively need to be insane to buy it now that the MBP has been upgraded and for a difference of $500 what you get is much more powerful! I really wonder what Apple was thinking here!

Some people like the MacBook for the 13.3" form factor and find the 15.4" MBP too big for what they require. There are a huge number of differences between the MacBook and MBP ranges and it's up to the individual to decide what's best for them.

Personally I would purchase the 17" MBP with all the bells and whistles, but that's just me.
 
I swear everyone totally forgets about the physical size of a notebook when arguing specs. It's like, "hay guyz my 20" HP outperforms ur macbook lolz har har mac sux".

13.3" vs. 15.4" is quite the difference when it comes down to it, and US$500 is quite a big difference as well.
 
You would effectively need to be insane to buy it now that the MBP has been upgraded and for a difference of $500 what you get is much more powerful! I really wonder what Apple was thinking here!

I don't think they killed. There's people who like portability.
 
the 12 inch powerbook proved that. the blackbook will still sell well for students and people who dont want to cross the $2000 line
 
500 dollars is EXACTLY the reason I'm not getting the MBP. I'm getting the 2.16 white macbook.

Why? Well, after student discount, but then added on Applecare prices, and RAM upgrade price tacked on just for the regular macbook, it's exactly a 500 difference between that and the pro for me.

Why is 500 so much? I don't want to get a better job first of all, I want to be able to buy a new guitar, 500 for what is essentially a laptop with just a better videocard is silly... I don't really want a huge 15" laptop. I want 13". The list goes on. And on. I may just wait until the next macbook update in October+, though.. A new GPU would be nice.

500 is just too much extra. I don't make that much money. I live on a tight budget, which is worth it for me. 500 is a damned lot of money to me.

Now, if they released a 13" MBP at 1799.00 then I'd be all over it. But the chance of that happening is slim to none. ;) That WOULD kill the blackbook.
 
Maybe some people also just want a smaller laptop, and they want it in black, and they don't need dedicated graphics. That actually covers a big sector of the market me thinks.
 
Maybe some people also just want a smaller laptop, and they want it in black, and they don't need dedicated graphics. That actually covers a big sector of the market me thinks.

I prefer the white/black macbook design in general over the pro's design. The metal-type-construction isn't as attractive IMO. I do kinna need better graphics than the GMA950, but I don't need dedicated graphics ~either~. I just need to wait it out (still.) :(
 
I have a PB 15''.

I'm buying a macbook soon, or an ultraport if Apple finally release it. The portability and wireless range is a big thing for me.

And I'm sorry, but there is no bloody difference between 2GHZ and 2.2GHZ chip. That 10% extra is unnoticeable.

Ditto, for work purposes, there is no difference between a 128MB or 256MB RAM graphics memory.

System RAM is amazingly cheap at the moment. You can pick up a decent 1GB DDR2 laptop ram stick for £27 from Crucial. That's same price as going out for a drink or having a cheap meal out with your partner.
 
You would effectively need to be insane to buy it now that the MBP has been upgraded and for a difference of $500 what you get is much more powerful! I really wonder what Apple was thinking here!

No aluminum. Enough said.

/me eyes her signature
 
Hmm, i have to agree with the topic creator.

The portability is usually defined by weight, not so much by the actual dimensions. The Pro is an inch longer and half an inch wider, a bit thinner and just a little bit heavier (0.3 lb). I'd say that isnt a big enough difference (the Macbook, because of its weight, isnt really a pure ultraportable). The LED screen and Santa Rosa also give you a huge boost to battery life, which is also nice for portable use.
 
Hmm, i have to agree with the topic creator.

The portability is usually defined by weight, not so much by the actual dimensions. The Pro is an inch longer and half an inch wider, a bit thinner and just a little bit heavier (0.3 lb). I'd say that isnt a big enough difference (the Macbook, because of its weight, isnt really a pure ultraportable). The LED screen and Santa Rosa also give you a huge boost to battery life, which is also nice for portable use.
I don't know what the exact definition of ultraportability is, but as plenty of MacBook users manage to carry their machine everywhere without complaining about the weight or the inconvenience, it strikes me as rather portable.

As for the battery life, I'm looking forward to some real-world tests as they could be some neat improvements. As it stands for now though, both the MB and MBP are listed as having up to 6 hours of battery life.
 
(the Macbook, because of its weight, isnt really a pure ultraportable)
I agree. I loved my 12" iBook for the portability...when I sold it and bought the MacBook, I couldn't believe how huge and heavy it seemed!

Stationary on a desk, with an external mouse, my MacBook was my favorite portable to date. But when I had to carry it around, and use it in less-than-optimal situations (i.e. using the trackpad), I hated it.

Bought a 12" ThinkPad x60s and couldn't be happier with my portable computing now. (well, OS X would certainly be nice, but linux works just fine for my portable needs)

Now I just need a shiny new MacPro for my desk. :)
 
when i bought my macbook, the pro was just out of my reach...so i settled for the white macbook...the only thing i regret is not having a backlit keyboard

EDIT...although fair point...if i had waited...i WOULD have bought the base mbp



now stop this thread, it's depressing me
 
Regarding the size, remember that a 13.3" widescreen is rougly the same dimensions as an older-format 15". I can place my Blackbook on top of my Dell, and they're REAL close.

Plus, that's 500 bones I can spend on accessorizing. My wife shouldn't have all the fun... :p
 
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