Placeholders for new Macs showing up in retail systems?

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  • Reply 21 of 52
    Does Best Buy sell Mac Pros? Really need a bump in the Mac Pro line. GPU is ancient (the 2600 was released in June 2007), really could use Blu-ray option (even if the discs are still expensive). When you buy a tower, you're really looking for something that will be on the high end of a product cycle with tech that will last a couple years. Hope Apple refreshes it soon so that we can buy, buy, buy.
  • Reply 22 of 52
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jdavy View Post


    I am still dreaming about a Blu-Ray drive for a MBP. A faster processor, more ram, or a bigger hard drive is only incremental. We want a real upgrade before we spend money on a newer laptop. BLU-RAY please. Any idea of when the next Apple presentation will be? Last rumor was sometime in October.



    I wonder if Apple will ever bother, as they're trying to push their HD download service. Not that I think both formats serve the same market beyond a bit of an overlap. I don't watch what's available yet either, last I saw, slot loading blu-ray drives only existed in 12mm high drives, and Apple needs the 9mm high drives to fit their form factor.
  • Reply 23 of 52
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dunks View Post


    I'm guessing that the power brick for the macbooks will turn into something more like an airport express. Moving ports for printers, internet, speakers etc. onto the power brick with built in wifi would make Apple computing more about portability than ever before.



    The term 'brick' can only refer to very things in computing and not have a negative meaning, so I think an evolved power brick would be one of them The VooDoo Envy 133, like the MBA, has no Ethernet port, but it does have one built into its powerbrick, with an 802.11b WiFI access point built in so you can get WiFi at hotels that only cabled internet. That is certainly something that I seems very Apple-ish. What I wonder is if Apple would use a thicker cable to connect the powerbrick and computer so high-speed Ethernet data (and possibly other wired data) can traverse the DC end of the powercord.



    Quote:

    I remember last year sometime that Steve was very interested in the concept of shareable wireless connections - even having a private interview with the maker of "fon". Maybe by including similar technology (enabling users to piggy back off each others wifi) in the power brick that sells with every mac laptop would allow for fast market penetration (compared to selling it as a new airport express separately) making the technology more useful and would introduce another point of difference between macs and PC's.



    Could you elaborate on that. I'm not really getting the gist of what you are saying.
  • Reply 24 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pixelcruncher View Post


    Does Best Buy sell Mac Pros? Really need a bump in the Mac Pro line. GPU is ancient (the 2600 was released in June 2007), really could use Blu-ray option (even if the discs are still expensive). When you buy a tower, you're really looking for something that will be on the high end of a product cycle with tech that will last a couple years. Hope Apple refreshes it soon so that we can buy, buy, buy.



    There is nothing preventing you from buying a MacPro and installing a Blu-Ray drive in the second DVD drive location.
  • Reply 25 of 52
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jdavy View Post


    I am still dreaming about a Blu-Ray drive for a MBP. A faster processor, more ram, or a bigger hard drive is only incremental. We want a real upgrade before we spend money on a newer laptop. BLU-RAY please. Any idea of when the next Apple presentation will be? Last rumor was sometime in October.



    Blu-ray is only 8% of physical media sales. Which means nearly 90% of the market isn't using Blu-ray. There isn't much reason to include it right now today.



    Blu-ray stutters in face of tough economy, HD downloads
  • Reply 26 of 52
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rangerdon View Post


    I'd guess a new version of the MacMini, which will somehow be connectible to a dock....



    Why would a desktop computer need a dock?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by somethinbaloo View Post


    The Macbook Pro will most likely have an update to the locking system like the Macbooks and most likely blu-ray/superdrive.



    I'm still waiting for someone to point out how Apple is going to add a BrD, that doesn't seem to exist and whose 12.7mm variety would cost at least $700, to a machine that has used 9.5mm slot-loading drives for years.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Blu-ray is only 8% of physical media sales. Which means nearly 90% of the market isn't using Blu-ray. There isn't much reason to include it right now today.



    Blu-ray stutters in face of tough economy, HD downloads



    This Holiday season will be interesting for Blu-ray. The shelf life for this format for media is much more limited than DVD was as digital downloads and streaming are already competing in this segment. Not with the same quality, but convenience is more important to most. I imagine that the ad supported TV shows that show up the day after an airing will hurt the DVD rental for TV Shows.



    PS: I just noticed that IMDb is now hosting full episodes of TV Shows, and even some movies, on their site from the major sites.
  • Reply 27 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zinfella View Post


    There is nothing preventing you from buying a MacPro and installing a Blu-Ray drive in the second DVD drive location.



    Yes indeed. You can find BD-ROM drives under $100 now, and burners under $250. Internal SATA drives, should fit perfectly in a Mac Pro.
  • Reply 28 of 52
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FuturePastNow View Post


    Yes indeed. You can find BD-ROM drives under $100 now, and burners under $250. Internal SATA drives, should fit perfectly in a Mac Pro.



    But don't they prevent from you from playing BrD video in HD because of the lack of end-to-end HDCP?
  • Reply 29 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zinfella View Post


    There is nothing preventing you from buying a MacPro and installing a Blu-Ray drive in the second DVD drive location.



    No, but what if you want to use it?



    The Blu-Ray DRM specs are pretty brutal. Not only do you need the drive, but you need a video card with the decryption in hardware, HDMI connector (DVI w/HDCP might be allowed), and an HDCP-compatible display. I could be wrong, but I don't believe any Mac cards have that yet.



    Next, the OS and drivers do need special features to pass the encrypted data stream "securely" from the drive to the video card.



    I'm under the impression that Windows Vista is the only OS that supports Blu-Ray playback on a computer. XP is a no-go. You could probably Boot Camp into Vista, maybe even do it on a VM? Anyone have Blu-Ray working under OS X or Linux?
  • Reply 30 of 52
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Removed for making a speculative remark without a shred of evidence to support it.
  • Reply 31 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Leonard View Post


    It's very unlikely the Mac Pro is going to be updated anytime soon[?]



    Gainestown (Nehalem DP) will be available in Q4. It's not a stretch imagining the Mac Pro being updated before Macworld.



    /Adrian
  • Reply 32 of 52
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mbmcavoy View Post


    No, but what if you want to use it?



    The Blu-Ray DRM specs are pretty brutal. Not only do you need the drive, but you need a video card with the decryption in hardware, HDMI connector (DVI w/HDCP might be allowed), and an HDCP-compatible display. I could be wrong, but I don't believe any Mac cards have that yet.



    Next, the OS and drivers do need special features to pass the encrypted data stream "securely" from the drive to the video card.



    I'm under the impression that Windows Vista is the only OS that supports Blu-Ray playback on a computer. XP is a no-go. You could probably Boot Camp into Vista, maybe even do it on a VM? Anyone have Blu-Ray working under OS X or Linux?



    WinDVD 9 Plus supposedly supports Blu-Ray on XP:



    http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satelli...0&tabview=tab5



    It does require HDCP for digital panels.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I find it ironic how people complain so much about Apple's the iTunes Store DRM even though they are not the reason for the DRMed audio, but then also complain about Apple not yet supporting the most DRMed and overly protected media we've seen with Blu-Ray AACS and HDCP.



    Sounds like a ripe chance for false generalization. Do you know anyone that is holding both positions? Are you certain they aren't different groups of people?
  • Reply 33 of 52
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    Sounds like a ripe chance for false generalization. Do you know anyone that is holding both positions? Are you certain they aren't different groups of people?



    You make an excellent point. I could swear their are at least a couple on this forum that hold both positions, but since I have no direct links or the desire to look for them I withdraw my previous comment, as stated, for being without merit.
  • Reply 34 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mbmcavoy View Post


    No, but what if you want to use it?



    The Blu-Ray DRM specs are pretty brutal. Not only do you need the drive, but you need a video card with the decryption in hardware, HDMI connector (DVI w/HDCP might be allowed), and an HDCP-compatible display. I could be wrong, but I don't believe any Mac cards have that yet.



    Next, the OS and drivers do need special features to pass the encrypted data stream "securely" from the drive to the video card.



    I'm under the impression that Windows Vista is the only OS that supports Blu-Ray playback on a computer. XP is a no-go. You could probably Boot Camp into Vista, maybe even do it on a VM? Anyone have Blu-Ray working under OS X or Linux?



    Oh, I bet the cards in the Mac Pro have HDCP. The cards are just commodity hardware, after all. With special firmware, but the HDCP keys aren't stored in the card's firmware. Apple's Cinema Displays don't support HDCP, but every other new monitor with a DVI port does.



    And Blu-Ray playback does not require Vista. It works fine on XP. There is no operating system DRM, it's just a matter of having a software player that supports the encryption.
  • Reply 35 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    WinDVD 9 Plus supposedly supports Blu-Ray on XP:



    http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satelli...0&tabview=tab5



    It does require HDCP for digital panels.



    As does Cyberlink PowerDVD.
  • Reply 36 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shanmugam View Post


    13" - $899 - $1099 - Good and best one

    15"- $1299 - $1599 - Good and best one

    17" - $1599 - $1999 - Good and best one



    Macbooks, macbooks, macbooks



    Can anyone explain to me why their 13 inch laptops cost less than the 15 inchers and why the 15 inchers are overpriced? Every other company pretty much lists a 13 inch laptop at a higher price than a 15 inch due to the materials needed to make the laptop light and strong. Don't get me wrong, I welcome a decently specced 13 inch laptop at these prices--especially if it is powerful, but bigger screen doesn't necessarily mean bigger price. I'm really hoping they release a 15 inch at a competitive price.
  • Reply 37 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cummje View Post


    Can anyone explain to me why their 13 inch laptops cost less than the 15 inchers and why the 15 inchers are overpriced? Every other company pretty much lists a 13 inch laptop at a higher price than a 15 inch due to the materials needed to make the laptop light and strong. Don't get me wrong, I welcome a decently specced 13 inch laptop at these prices--especially if it is powerful, but bigger screen doesn't necessarily mean bigger price. I'm really hoping they release a 15 inch at a competitive price.



    1) Check the specs of the MB and MBPs and you'll see why the MB cost less. There are also things not listed like the quality of the display used for each of notebook classes.



    2) The 15" is not only competitive, but often cheaper than other OEMs for the same specs.
  • Reply 38 of 52
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    You make an excellent point. I could swear their are at least a couple on this forum that hold both positions, but since I have no direct links or the desire to look for them I withdraw my previous comment, as stated, for being without merit.



    Maybe, maybe not. I do know that I tend to confuse certain people with certain other people, some have similar antics, others have slight similarities in their user names.
  • Reply 39 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cummje View Post


    Can anyone explain to me why their 13 inch laptops cost less than the 15 inchers and why the 15 inchers are overpriced? Every other company pretty much lists a 13 inch laptop at a higher price than a 15 inch due to the materials needed to make the laptop light and strong. Don't get me wrong, I welcome a decently specced 13 inch laptop at these prices--especially if it is powerful, but bigger screen doesn't necessarily mean bigger price. I'm really hoping they release a 15 inch at a competitive price.



    I think Apple prices smaller laptops lower because it has always done so. The 12" Powerbook was always cheaper than the 15", even when other companies that had an ultra-portable model always charged a premium for it. Apple's philosophy is simple- you get less, you pay less. If you want more you pay more.
  • Reply 40 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FuturePastNow View Post


    I think Apple prices smaller laptops lower because it has always done so. The 12" Powerbook was always cheaper than the 15", even when other companies that had an ultra-portable model always charged a premium for it. Apple's philosophy is simple- you get less, you pay less. If you want more you pay more.



    Honestly, I wish the made a small pro model. (air doesnt count, i find it impractical) I think the best notebook they've realeased was the 12" g4 powerbook. My notebook is for when i leave the house. I still want the same high end performance i have at home. Smaller is more practical and i don't care to say "mine is bigger than your's". I was about to buy a white macbook, 2.4ghz, 4gbs RAM, 250gb hard drive, but decided to wait bc i want the pro look and feel of the pros, not to mention performance. so, im actually willing to "pay more, to get less"?
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