Quote:
Originally Posted by
FuturePastNow 
No, it is not a Windows limitation, just a 32-bit limitation. Intel's PM/GM965 nothbridge (which Apple currently uses) is limited to 4GB of RAM (even though it has a 36-bit memory controller). But M965 is two generations old now, and Apple needs to catch up.
Actually, M965 should work with 8GB (the desktop version of the chip does), but I don't think any laptop manufacturers properly supported it in the BIOS (or EFI, in Apple's case).
I guess the point is, an Apple laptop with a modern MCH (be it from Intel or Nvidia) and no EFI limitations will be able to use 8GB of RAM. Maybe even 16GB of RAM.
Interesting points. I wasn't paying too much attention to PC laptops, but a quick look at Dell "gaming laptops" and I can't see any 8GB Vista Ultimate 64-bit options.
As I said previously, a MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM, and that will go like hotcakes. During economic hardship is when people that really use their laptops can't afford to waste time or lose out on projects because they didn't have a few extra hundred bucks to get a powerhouse mobile platform. Might turn a few people away from getting Mac Pros to just equipping their staff with MacBook Pros with 8GB RAM.
The MacBook Pro heat problem has really improved, for the Penryn models you could run the two internal fans at say 5000 rpm at say 60% CPU load, and at room temperature the keyboard actually feels a little cool to the touch.
It's the MacBook Pro build quality that has been somewhat atrocious, and the aluminium styling, while making it as light as a MacBook, is prone to some painful bumps and dents... (If you had that happen to your MacBook Pro, you know what I'm talking about...)