Apple posts "Spotlight on Notebooks" event stream

[AppleInsider]

On cue, Apple has posted a streaming version of its MacBook-oriented special event for those unable to attend themselves.

The QuickTime feed recaps the roughly hour-long presentation, which was held at Apple's Town Hall at its Cupertino, California headquarters.

At the event, Apple introduced total redesigns of the 13-inch MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro that use a new, one-piece construction technique to make the notebooks stronger. They also add glass-surfaced, multi-touch trackpads and a new NVIDIA-based platform that delivers both much faster integrated graphics as well as a more efficient design.

Also introduced is a new LED-lit Cinema Display that marks the first major revision to Apple's LCDs since 2004 and uses the new DisplayPort industry standard to bring not just video but also an iSight webcam and stereo speakers to a stand-alone display.

Lastly, the gathering saw Apple revise the MacBook Air to feature the same NVIDIA architecture and issue a minor revision for the 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Readers are also invited to investigate other stories from Apple's important day:

Bottom of MacBook Pro revealed; more last minute specs, pricing

Microsoft already on defense, cites "Apple Tax" in new emails

Apple unveils new 13" MacBook

Apple debuts new 15" MacBook Pro

Apple unveils 24-inch LED Cinema Display

Apple details new MacBook manufacturing process

Apple snags nearly 10% of US PC market in third quarter

[hmurchison]

The Apple filibuster ....they spent so much time in this keynote waffling. I guess when you have only 3 evolutionary products to cover you have to create some filler.

Apple's losing that keynote luster. They haven't knocked one our the park in a while. Bring on 09 dammit!

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

The Apple filibuster ....they spent so much time in this keynote waffling. I guess when you have only 3 evolutionary products to cover you have to create some filler.

Apple's losing that keynote luster. They haven't knocked one our the park in a while. Bring on 09 dammit!

From my point of view this was one of the only ones worth watching in a while. Once you know the products and have seen the static shots, the rest is just filler. With this keynote however, there is some video of the production methods that's totally worth seeing.

Also, the scene where they pass the "unibodies" around the audience and Steve goes all "school-marm" on the audience a bit for taking too long is comedy gold!

(well comedy gold compared to the other keynotes anyway)

[hmurchison]

Yeah ..honestly it wasn't all that bad. Sometimes I forget that by moving to X86 hardware alot of the mysticism and that feeling of "anything can come" is gone.

I find myself more excited about software enhancements and I'm looking forward to seeing

Final Cut Studio 3
Logic Pro Studio 8.5 (guessing)
iWork 09
iLife 09
Aperture 2.5 (guessing)
Snow Leopard.

2009 should be a software bonanza. Though with Nehalem and other hardware tech coming along (SSD) I think it won't be a bad hardware year but in Macdom I expect software to rule the roost.

[Ireland]

Very end Ive says:

I don't know how we could have made it any more essential.

I do; firewire 800, and a backlit-keyboard in the 2.0Ghz MacBook. WTF... the 2.4GHz MacBook has a backlit-keyboard, but the (also aluminum) 2.0Ghz MacBook doesn't?

So I'm going to get the 2.4GHz 13" MacBook. You win this time Steve, but never again. Piss poor of you.

[irnchriz]

Jony Ive looks like he is getting gesticulation lessons from Steve.

[Hattig]

The CNC milling was interesting, and the new trackpad is a nice invention.

I'm sure they'll sell loads, but whether it was the best move for apple is another issue altogether. Maybe if the existing MacBooks had been dropped for $899 (base, but with superdrive) and $1099 (previous best specification MacBook) there would have been a nicer range of options for purchasers.

[Ireland]

Originally Posted by irnchriz

Jony Ive looks like he is getting gesticulation lessons from Steve.

Johnny is his own man.

[Ireland]

Originally Posted by Hattig

The CNC milling was interesting, and the new trackpad is a nice invention.

I'm sure they'll sell loads, but whether it was the best move for apple is another issue altogether. Maybe if the existing MacBooks had been dropped for $899 (base, but with superdrive) and $1099 (previous best specification MacBook) there would have been a nicer range of options for purchasers.

They'll come down. People will fall for this luxury gift crap, I am. I still cannot believe they could sell them for that price doing this process. With the amount of work required to make these things I'm amazed they aren't $3,000. Seriously.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

The Apple filibuster ....they spent so much time in this keynote waffling. I guess when you have only 3 evolutionary products to cover you have to create some filler.

Apple's losing that keynote luster. They haven't knocked one our the park in a while. Bring on 09 dammit!

I can't help but wonder if this sort of impression is is because of a romantisization of the past, like when people reminisce about how times were supposedly better but they weren't because memory plays tricks.

When was the last time you felt they have "knocked one out of the park"?

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by irnchriz

Jony Ive looks like he is getting gesticulation lessons from Steve.

Originally Posted by Ireland

Johnny is his own man.

Watching the presentation, it looks like a mimicry to me. I wonder if anyone at Apple that presents can talk without also having to move their hands at the same time. I get that it's supposed to be more expressive, but they all seem to do it to the point of distraction.

[sandau]

i could only watch 36 minutes of it. i tried to fast forward the HD version and QT crashed to the point of only audio (the UI completely whacked out). It wouldn't restart either, just gave me 'disconnected' messages. Very lame.

[TBaggins]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

I can't help but wonder if this sort of impression is is because of a romantisization of the past, like when people reminisce about how times were supposedly better but they weren't because memory plays tricks.

When was the last time you felt they have "knocked one out of the park"?

Personally, I think it's the 'MacWorld '07 Effect'. The debut of the iPhone, where Steve totally punked CES and rocked/shocked the world.

It's a tough act to follow.

That said, there have been some events between then and now (not necessarily this one, I haven't seen any vid of it yet) where Steve just didn't seem to be that 'into it'. You have to wonder if his health was a factor, or if he deep-down thought the announcements just weren't all that interesting.

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