macbook has no vram for price or differentiation?

[swingerofbirch]

This is just a speculative thread about whether the MacBook excludes dedicated VRAM because:

A) It keeps the MacBook price lower

B) It differentiates it from MacBook Pro's which have the exact same chip.

Although I understand that the MacBook is a consumer product, I wish there were a BTO video card option simply because I like smaller laptops but that doesn't necessarily translate to me being someone who is less willing to spend extra money where I want to on a laptop. The MacBook straddles the line between the previous iBook and PB 12". I wish they would have made a high end option with VRAM instead of the premium black option. I don't have enough money saved up for a MacBook yet, but when I am not just saving up for the least expensive options, I will save my money longer to get it tricked out how I want, and wish one of those tricks was dedicated VRAM.

Anyone think they will add it as a BTO if the community clamors? The one time in history that was like that was when Apple pre-announced the specs for the original iMac which at the time included a 33.6 K modem. Clamoring caused them to up it to a 56k before its release.

Thoughts?

 

[robbieduncan]

To add it as a BTO option would require a whole new motherboard which would need to be designed from scratch simply to support a few people wanting BTO. Worse than that it would introduce an added stage to the assembly line ramping up costs there.

So all in all, no chance.

 

[celebrian23]

Like they said, it would be so freaking expensive. Apple is taking a somewhat different road- instead of being able to pick your size, you're picking the features you want and with that option comes a sacrifice in size options.

 

[zach]

Anyone think they will add it as a BTO if the community clamors? The one time in history that was like that was when Apple pre-announced the specs for the original iMac which at the time included a 33.6 K modem. Clamoring caused them to up it to a 56k before its release.

just to clarify a little further.. like robbieduncan said, it would require a complete motherboard redesign, and the reason this ::did:: take place on the iMac was because even if the modem was on the motherboard (from what i remeber it was not, it was a daughtercard, but feel free to correct me), it's still just a one chip replacement, whereas adding a video card instead of integrated graphics is multiple chips/pipelines.

i think some enterprising folks will release an expresscard based graphics system for the MacBook, however.. from what i remeber of the expresscard specs it's fast enough to handle it.

 

[faintember]

i think some enterprising folks will release an expresscard based graphics system for the MacBook, however.. from what i remeber of the expresscard specs it's fast enough to handle it.

too bad the MB does not have and expresscard slot...

 

[zach]

too bad the MB does not have and expresscard slot...

whoops, my bad there

 

[ncook06]

1) B/c it keeps costs down for us poor people.
2) Most of us who really want to play some games will opt for a bigger screen.
3) Unless 3d gaming, it's still really frickin fast.
4) and cheap.

 

[faintember]

whoops, my bad there

tis all good. You actually had me thinking there for a second!

 

[swingerofbirch]

just to clarify a little further.. like robbieduncan said, it would require a complete motherboard redesign, and the reason this ::did:: take place on the iMac was because even if the modem was on the motherboard (from what i remeber it was not, it was a daughtercard, but feel free to correct me), it's still just a one chip replacement, whereas adding a video card instead of integrated graphics is multiple chips/pipelines.

i think some enterprising folks will release an expresscard based graphics system for the MacBook, however.. from what i remeber of the expresscard specs it's fast enough to handle it.

I don't think the MacBook has an express card slot, unless it's internal?

 

[sikkinixx]

bto video would have been cool but i think it would eat up mbp sales even more.

The pro model now has an even more limitied audience. I bought a 12"pb simply because I hate having low end stuff. I wanted a small laptop but i paid 2000 bucks for it when i could have bought an ibook for like 1200! Apple made a lot of money off of me simply because the pb looked nicer and had slightly better stats. Now they have no expensive mb (maybe the black one) so people who want a small laptop will get a mb and pay less much less than the pro models for almost the same stats (cept for gaming/video editing)