Apple just killed the blackbook!

[prism]

Let's see again what an extra $500 gets you:

1 gb of additional ram
20% increase in FSB (imho a big deal)
A gfx chip that is light years more advanced and powerful than the intel crap in the MB
LED displays that (according to recent user commentaries) are far brighter, provide more even lighting and consume less energy
ambient sensor enabled screen lighting and backlit keyboard (a very cool adition in my opinion)

All in all, for 500 dollars you are getting a laptop that is way more future proof compared to what has effectively become yesterday's technology for the MB!
I agree, $500 is a lot of dough, but then again, for someone who cannot afford the extra amount, I dont see how you can justify forking out $200 to get the blackbook instead of the white one just below it! I mean $200 for 40gigs and black paint!

 

[andiwm2003]

Let's see again what an extra $500 gets you:

1 gb of additional ram
20% increase in FSB (imho a big deal)
A gfx chip that is light years more advanced and powerful than the intel crap in the MB
LED displays that (according to recent user commentaries) are far brighter, provide more even lighting and consume less energy
ambient sensor enabled screen lighting and backlit keyboard (a very cool adition in my opinion)

All in all, for 500 dollars you are getting a laptop that is way more future proof compared to what has effectively become yesterday's technology for the MB!
I agree, $500 is a lot of dough, but then again, for someone who cannot afford the extra amount, I dont see how you can justify forking out $200 to get the blackbook instead of the white one just below it! I mean $200 for 40gigs and black paint!

let's agree this is a matter of opinion.

1GB of Ram is $50.

20% increase in FSB means nothing. I base this on old comparisons of G4 vs. G5 macs. the FSB increased from 167 MHz to 800MHz IIRC. But the performance was linear proportional to the clockspeed of the CPU. FSB had only in a few applications real impact. Maybe it's different with dual cores.

GFX is a good point. $200 if you game, $50 if you dont.

LED displays mean nothing to me aside of enviromental impact. I'm as happy with the MB display as with the MBPs. so $50.

backlit keyboard in my Powerbook is always off. Don't need it. $0

battery life in MBP equals MB (give or take) $0

Future proof: now we're talking. maybe in 3 years the first apps will say "santa rosa only". so $200.

in my view the Blackbook is still competitive, the white one for sure.

if you game and need the screen then of course the Blackbook is out.

 

[munckee]

Let's see again what an extra $500 gets you:

1 gb of additional ram
20% increase in FSB (imho a big deal)
A gfx chip that is light years more advanced and powerful than the intel crap in the MB
LED displays that (according to recent user commentaries) are far brighter, provide more even lighting and consume less energy
ambient sensor enabled screen lighting and backlit keyboard (a very cool adition in my opinion)

All in all, for 500 dollars you are getting a laptop that is way more future proof compared to what has effectively become yesterday's technology for the MB!
I agree, $500 is a lot of dough, but then again, for someone who cannot afford the extra amount, I dont see how you can justify forking out $200 to get the blackbook instead of the white one just below it! I mean $200 for 40gigs and black paint!

All you're doing is repeating yourself. Can we kill this thread already?

 

[jayeskreezy]

mmmm $500 in accessories

which is why i'm leaning towards a new white mb as well...if i find it absolutely cant fit my needs then i'll just upgrade to a mbp, but I think it will easily outshine my athlon processor and g4 mac mini

 

[leprechaun8942]

Let's see again what an extra $500 gets you:

1 gb of additional ram
20% increase in FSB (imho a big deal)
A gfx chip that is light years more advanced and powerful than the intel crap in the MB
LED displays that (according to recent user commentaries) are far brighter, provide more even lighting and consume less energy
ambient sensor enabled screen lighting and backlit keyboard (a very cool adition in my opinion)

All in all, for 500 dollars you are getting a laptop that is way more future proof compared to what has effectively become yesterday's technology for the MB!
I agree, $500 is a lot of dough, but then again, for someone who cannot afford the extra amount, I dont see how you can justify forking out $200 to get the blackbook instead of the white one just below it! I mean $200 for 40gigs and black paint!

Everyone has different tastes and different needs. Apple is keeping a price point available for everyone, and it is damn good business to keep the blackbook. They did not "kill it" in any way, shape, or form.

 

[thenick512]

I'm so torn its rediculous. I have always used powerbooks (867mhz,1ghz,1.5ghz,1.67ghz) I just sold my 1.67 powerbook and consider myself a pro user. Photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, flash, a fair amount of fce for fun. I'm basically tired of the aluminum facade and wanted something smaller so although I was a little worried about the blackbook and its lack of gpu but figured it would serve my needs with 2gb of ram and I would be all set. I have a 20 inch LCD at home that I always dual screened with my powerbook. Now these new santa rosa machines come out and am afraid of being hosed with a 500 dollar difference. Now I am also even considering the last version of the 2.16 mbp hoping the price comes down in the refurb section. Someone help me please. I don't want to spend the extra 500 if I don't need to when I can spend that money otherways. ie. rent, car payment, food, insurance, new exhaust for my motorbike. I'm lost....someone please help me and talk some sense into me.

 

[chex]

If you dont need the GPU there is little reason to buy the pro over the macbook.

 

[munckee]

I'm so torn its rediculous. I have always used powerbooks (867mhz,1ghz,1.5ghz,1.67ghz) I just sold my 1.67 powerbook and consider myself a pro user. Photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, flash, a fair amount of fce for fun. I'm basically tired of the aluminum facade and wanted something smaller so although I was a little worried about the blackbook and its lack of gpu but figured it would serve my needs with 2gb of ram and I would be all set. I have a 20 inch LCD at home that I always dual screened with my powerbook. Now these new santa rosa machines come out and am afraid of being hosed with a 500 dollar difference. Now I am also even considering the last version of the 2.16 mbp hoping the price comes down in the refurb section. Someone help me please. I don't want to spend the extra 500 if I don't need to when I can spend that money otherways. ie. rent, car payment, food, insurance, new exhaust for my motorbike. I'm lost....someone please help me and talk some sense into me.

I was in the EXACT same position recently, pro-level user coming from a fully loaded 15" Powerbook 1.5. I opted for a refurb macbook 2Ghz C2d at $1049 and 3GB of ram (yes, this can be done in a C2D macbook). I couldn't justify the extra $950 for a new MBP or frankly even the extra $550 for a refurb C2D MBP.

I did a lot of research, and from my understanding, none of the CS programs will make much use of the graphics card, and FCE (which I don't use at the moment) runs well on the MB according to other users. I expect that I'll miss the extra screen real estate (the difference is small though since my PB wasn't a hi-res version), but I use an external monitor at home anyway. Beyond that, I never used the backlit keyboard, FW800, or the card slot on my powerbook, so I can't envision missing them much.

 

[andiwm2003]

I'm so torn its rediculous. I have always used powerbooks (867mhz,1ghz,1.5ghz,1.67ghz) I just sold my 1.67 powerbook and consider myself a pro user. Photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, flash, a fair amount of fce for fun. I'm basically tired of the aluminum facade and wanted something smaller so although I was a little worried about the blackbook and its lack of gpu but figured it would serve my needs with 2gb of ram and I would be all set. I have a 20 inch LCD at home that I always dual screened with my powerbook. Now these new santa rosa machines come out and am afraid of being hosed with a 500 dollar difference. Now I am also even considering the last version of the 2.16 mbp hoping the price comes down in the refurb section. Someone help me please. I don't want to spend the extra 500 if I don't need to when I can spend that money otherways. ie. rent, car payment, food, insurance, new exhaust for my motorbike. I'm lost....someone please help me and talk some sense into me.

buy a refurb whit macbook for 999 +$200 for 2GB and a 160GB HD. then the price difference to the MBP is $800. that should help. i would do it myself but i'm not short on cash and i'll get the new whit Macbook edu + the free ipod. so i'll buy new.

 

[RedTomato]

I'm looking at the cheapest refurb C2D macbook. £575. Mighty cheap.

For a DVD burner and double memory, refurb is £680.

(The cheapest new macbook is also £700 and that's for a combo drive.)

I already have DVI/VGA adaptors from my PB and various external drives (HDD / DVD).

You could look at a refurb CD MBP - prices have come down a LOT on these, but they are getting rarer in the store. There used to be a VERY nice refurb CD 15'' for about £979. (current new price is £1300 for base model SR MBP)

CD is still about 3x the speed of a 1ghz PB.

 

[thenick512]

I was in the EXACT same position recently, pro-level user coming from a fully loaded 15" Powerbook 1.5. I opted for a refurb macbook 2Ghz C2d at $1049 and 3GB of ram (yes, this can be done in a C2D macbook). I couldn't justify the extra $950 for a new MBP or frankly even the extra $550 for a refurb C2D MBP.

I did a lot of research, and from my understanding, none of the CS programs will make much use of the graphics card, and FCE (which I don't use at the moment) runs well on the MB according to other users. I expect that I'll miss the extra screen real estate (the difference is small though since my PB wasn't a hi-res version), but I use an external monitor at home anyway. Beyond that, I never used the backlit keyboard, FW800, or the card slot on my powerbook, so I can't envision missing them much.

I have been without a mac for over a month now, using a pc at home and I have a c2d imac at work. So i'm dying not having it. I am certain that fce runs well on a macbook and I don't see myself using motion ever. I generally keep my computers for about a year to a year and a half before I sell on ebay and upgrade to a newer one. The price comes down for me on a blackbook due to educational discount and I will also be traveling to the great state of delaware so I can skip sales tax. I think my mind is made up with the macbook. The size, the newer case, the keyboard are all pros for me in this area. I know this sounds stupid but I have always been using the "pro" series macs and now going to something consumer level is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Its good to hear from people that are using the macbooks and having a good time of it with all the programs that I'll be using.

 

[Porsche1209]

The decision is business

When you look at the price difference between the mb's and the mbp's, that is clearly Apple advertising separately to what I consider its two main consumer groups. One main group is one of apple's long time allies, the business professionals, especially those in visual arts, like photo and video editors. Those people need the best of the best, and don't care about price. That's what the expensive macbook pros are trying to appeal to, and that's why you can get a 17in macbook pro equipped better than most desktops on the market, even if it costs thousands of dollars. Then, you have the students, like those in high school and college. They don't need to do graphic rendering and edit HD movies, but do need something affordable. The Macbooks are for those people, and the $500 price difference allows the Blackbook to be the best of the "consumer-level" macbooks, because it is essentially the best notebook designed for the consumers.

 

[munckee]

I have been without a mac for over a month now, using a pc at home and I have a c2d imac at work. So i'm dying not having it. I am certain that fce runs well on a macbook and I don't see myself using motion ever. I generally keep my computers for about a year to a year and a half before I sell on ebay and upgrade to a newer one. The price comes down for me on a blackbook due to educational discount and I will also be traveling to the great state of delaware so I can skip sales tax. I think my mind is made up with the macbook. The size, the newer case, the keyboard are all pros for me in this area. I know this sounds stupid but I have always been using the "pro" series macs and now going to something consumer level is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Its good to hear from people that are using the macbooks and having a good time of it with all the programs that I'll be using.

I had the same "bad taste". I'm a pro dammit, I want the PRO machine

But in the end I just couldn't justify the $$. I socked away the difference in my savings acct and figure I'm half way to a new computer in a year or two when I'm ready to upgrade again.

My macbook is supposedly waiting at home for me and I need to pick up the ram from UPS on the way. If you can wait a few days (or even just a couple), I'll be happy to offer some thoughts once it's all running. I don't have CS3 yet either though.

 

[andiwm2003]

really, the only thing that would make me regret the MB is if apple releases a 13.3" MBP santa rosa in the near future. but i don't expect that. i rather expect a 12" subnotebook with clocked down CPU for temp reasons. i want a full speed 13.3 inch book and aside of the GPU the MB is full speed. and i absolutely like the white design. that is honestly 50% of the reason to buy it.

 

[thenick512]

I had the same "bad taste". I'm a pro dammit, I want the PRO machine

But in the end I just couldn't justify the $$. I socked away the difference in my savings acct and figure I'm half way to a new computer in a year or two when I'm ready to upgrade again.

My macbook is supposedly waiting at home for me and I need to pick up the ram from UPS on the way. If you can wait a few days (or even just a couple), I'll be happy to offer some thoughts once it's all running. I don't have CS3 yet either though.

yeah I have no problem waiting for you to check stuff out and that would be great. We are still running photoshop cs in the office right now but will be getting cs3 in the near future. (they buy me a license for my personal machine as well) My bday is at the end of july so I will be getting upgraded ram at that point as well. I can live with a gig till then. eitherway I know the blackbook will fly compared to my powerbook. Perhaps this weekend I will be getting one.

 

[munckee]

yeah I have no problem waiting for you to check stuff out and that would be great. We are still running photoshop cs in the office right now but will be getting cs3 in the near future. (they buy me a license for my personal machine as well) My bday is at the end of july so I will be getting upgraded ram at that point as well. I can live with a gig till then. eitherway I know the blackbook will fly compared to my powerbook. Perhaps this weekend I will be getting one.

My understanding is that CS/CS2 is a dog on intel machines. I guess I should clarify, I'm planning on putting CS3 on the new machine (I wish someone would buy me a license!); I just need to get to the store to pick it up. Luckily I qualify for student pricing or I wouldn't be able to afford it.

 

[Igantius]

The Macbooks are for those people, and the $500 price difference allows the Blackbook to be the best of the "consumer-level" macbooks, because it is essentially the best notebook designed for the consumers.

So how is a black MB better than the mid-range white MB with an upgraded hard drive?

Quite a few reviews of the MBs in publications aimed principally at creative profesionals (e.g. Macuser in the UK) concluded that although MBs may be viewed as consumer laptops, their performance means they are a surprisingly viable choice for some people who need more than a consumer machine.

Your remark about business professionals (and I would include myself in that grouping) don't care about the cost of new tools is based on what exactly? If a tool isn't going to be cost-effective in the long-run, buying it isn't exactly going to be a smart business decision, even when it may be the best.

 

[thenick512]

My understanding is that CS/CS2 is a dog on intel machines. I guess I should clarify, I'm planning on putting CS3 on the new machine (I wish someone would buy me a license!); I just need to get to the store to pick it up. Luckily I qualify for student pricing or I wouldn't be able to afford it.

we have some new imacs here running it with stock 1 gig of ram and it runs pretty well. i was actually really suprised. your extra ram will help that out quite a bit.

 

[andiwm2003]

this thread made me think about my money spending habits.

the original poster said that a $500 difference in light of the extra features makes it irrational to but the black macbook. that suggests he would spend $500 on features that are useful but not critical (correct me if I'm wrong).

anyway, i thought about where my limit for spending on nice but not necessary gadgets is. thinking back it is somewhere between $150 - 200. That means i would spend $150 more on a notebook even if i don't need the features. i buy a $150 lens for my camera although i could do without. i'd always buy a 40GB ipod for $100 more although my library is only 15GB because the difference is below threshold. i book the more convenient flight if its only $150 more. i do things like this quite often. and that of course influences my view if a MBP is worth it or not.


where is your threshold? that may in part explain how we value the Blackbook relative to the MBP.

 

[yetanotherdave]

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!

If I ever hear of you buying a MacBook, I shall hunt you down and poke you with a stick repeatedly until it hurts.

 

[RedTomato]

Same here. Us insane people will gang up on you!

There's more of us than yar!

 

[netdog]

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!

By any chance do you work in Redmond?

 

[prism]

I noticed that there are a few hicks on this thread with silly comments like do I work in redmond or one sicko who threatens to hunt me down and poke me with a stick until it hurts!
For those enlightened fools amongst you who think that $500 is insane for the difference, explain to me how you justify coughing up $200 extra for an extra 40gigs and black paint? I really want to hear this one but hold on just a minute so that I get the popcorn ready!

 

[yetanotherdave]

I noticed that there are a few hicks on this thread with silly comments like do I work in redmond or one sicko who threatens to hunt me down and poke me with a stick until it hurts!
For those enlightened fools amongst you who think that $500 is insane for the difference, explain to me how you justify coughing up $200 extra for an extra 40gigs and black paint? I really want to hear this one but hold on just a minute so that I get the popcorn ready!

Hey, I said only IF you buy a MacBook

 

[RedTomato]

Well you were the one who started giving out the insults - you called everyone who brought a macbook after yesterday 'insane'.

If you can't take it, don't dish it out. And what's with the 'hick' reference?