I still want a MBP update...
I know everything that ?came out? yesterday was predicted, but I was still hoping for a few surprises; particularly an updated MBP. I had given up my pipe-dream of a complete and miraculous dream machine and had settled for the lower voltage CPU. It was not to be. I need a computer for fall semester. Do you think it?s worth waiting the month in hopes of the new processor, or should I just bite the bullet?
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The Merom chips seem to be adding 10-12 minutes to the battery life (not an hour) so you don't have to worry too much about that. And the supposed 20% increase in speed isn't as noticable as Intel would have you think. The real question is what changes other than Merom are Apple going to make? I'm betting 1Gb RAM will be minimum in the MBP as well as a bump in screen resolution. Perhaps a case redesign will come too, but I'm happy with what's available now.
In another thread, someone mentioned that Apple tends to burn off their supply with Back-To-School specials (free iPod this time around) in an effort to make room for a new release in September. This makes sense because Apple isn't really the type to just throw in free stuff (you can't even use a coupon on iPods at BestBuy) unless they have an ace up their sleeve. Thus, I'm waiting until Apple Expo Paris. If nothing comes out then, I'm digging into a Yonah MBP.
That was a longwinded way of saying, "Wait a month."
I'm in the same boat (except I don't have to go to school until January) as you. I was really hoping WWDC would come out with something new in the MBP line. Sadly, I think we have to wait for Apple Expo Paris in September before we hear any thing new. Honestly, the wait is killing me, especially since there is an Apple store near my house where I can play with the MBPs. But I know that I will kick my own ass if I buy one now and then find out that Apple drops a new MBP on us in September.
The Merom chips seem to be adding 10-12 minutes to the battery life (not an hour) so you don't have to worry too much about that. And the supposed 20% increase in speed isn't as noticable as Intel would have you think. The real question is what changes other than Merom are Apple going to make? I'm betting 1Gb RAM will be minimum in the MBP as well as a bump in screen resolution. Perhaps a case redesign will come too, but I'm happy with what's available now.
In another thread, someone mentioned that Apple tends to burn off their supply with Back-To-School specials (free iPod this time around) in an effort to make room for a new release in September. This makes sense because Apple isn't really the type to just throw in free stuff (you can't even use a coupon on iPods at BestBuy) unless they have an ace up their sleeve. Thus, I'm waiting until Apple Expo Paris. If nothing comes out then, I'm digging into a Yonah MBP.
That was a longwinded way of saying, "Wait a month."
I don't think we will see any design changes until Q1 '07 when Santa Rosa hits the streets...BUT I'm just a little worried that if I buy a Yonah MBP I'll regret not having a 64bit Merom for Leopard...
I don't think we will see any design changes until Q1 '07 when Santa Rosa hits the streets...BUT I'm just a little worried that if I buy a Yonah MBP I'll regret not having a 64bit Merom for Leopard...
I honestly wouldn't worry about it. The 64-bit precision isn't necessary yet. I have an Athlon64 in my gaming PC at home and I gave Windows XP x64 a run-around... not a damn bit of difference. I went back to Windows MCE2005 because the drivers sucked so much for x64. I can't imagine too much will be different for Leopard. My rationale is that, by the time 64-bit software is universal (2-3 years?), I'll want to buy a new MBP anyway.
Besides, there will be something newer and better (Core 3 Duo?) by then.
In 2-3 years, it will be more like Core 3 Quattro for the laptop and Core 3 Octo for the desktop.
Yea this is hell for entering college students. I want to wait to see if they are upgraded before leaving, but I only got about 3 weeks. Hurry Apple!!!8)
I hear ya....
Exactly. I'm buying a laptop before leaving, and although I'd like a Macbook Pro, i'll get the next-best thing (Dell, Vaio) if it's got a Core 2 Duo (Merom) in it. I can't afford to have my laptop superceded two weeks after I buy it. I will too be angry if I have to wait weeks for shipping. Come on Apple (+ Intel)!
You really have no reason to be angry if you have to get a Yonah MBP... they aren't at all worre than the Merom MBP's. The only real benefits that Merom has over Yonah are 10 minutes more battery life (estimated) and 20% (on paper) performance boost. Honestly, if I didn't think they would make 1Gb the lowest RAM spec and HD screens the norm, I'd get a Yonah now. Seriously, if you need it for school, you're better off buying it now. If you can survive until late September, then wait. They aren't even guaranteed to come out in September. If they don't, I'm buying a Yonah MBP. I can't wait for MWSF, but I can wait until Apple Expo Paris.
EDIT: I was just reading that HHD's (Hybrid Hard Drives) would be releasing later this year that would boost battery life as much as 30% in laptops. I wonder if Apple is holding off on the MBP updates to make use off the powersaving features of these awesome new drives...?
You really have no reason to be angry if you have to get a Yonah MBP... they aren't at all worre than the Merom MBP's. The only real benefits that Merom has over Yonah are 10 minutes more battery life (estimated) and 20% (on paper) performance boost. Honestly, if I didn't think they would make 1Gb the lowest RAM spec and HD screens the norm, I'd get a Yonah now. Seriously, if you need it for school, you're better off buying it now. If you can survive until late September, then wait. They aren't even guaranteed to come out in September. If they don't, I'm buying a Yonah MBP. I can't wait for MWSF, but I can wait until Apple Expo Paris.
EDIT: I was just reading that HHD's (Hybrid Hard Drives) would be releasing later this year that would boost battery life as much as 30% in laptops. I wonder if Apple is holding off on the MBP updates to make use off the powersaving features of these awesome new drives...?
First off, could someone please share with me what the official dates are for Apple Expo Paris?
I am in the same boat as the rest of you. I am long overdue for a computer upgrade. My laptop is an iBook G3, and my desktop is a heavily upgraded G4 Tower. Both computers have served me well, but they are well past their prime. I just finished my under graduate education last Spring. As a gift to myself I want to buy a new computer. I love the portability of a laptop, but I hate how little of it can be upgraded. I also don't want to purchase a Yonah MBP when I know the Merom version is right around the corner.
Honestly now that I've seen what the Mac Pros look like, I am very tempted to purcahse one. I would miss the portability of a laptop, but who am I kidding, a 17" MBP isn't that portable to begin with... The MP would let me upgrade the processor, hard drive, ram, optical drives, video card, and just about anything else I could dream of. The Mac Pros are expensive, but I think the usable lifetime of a tower long outlasts a laptop.
Heck, at this point I am thinking I'll buy a Mac Pro, and if I really need a laptop for grad school, I'll pick up a cheap MacBook for my portable word processing needs...
-Kerrum
First off, could someone please share with me what the official dates are for Apple Expo Paris?
Apple Expo 2006 is to be held from 12 to 16 September at Paris expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 5.
Apple Expo 2006 is to be held from 12 to 16 September at Paris expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 5.
Perfect, thank you!
Apple Expo 2006 is to be held from 12 to 16 September at Paris expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 5.
So the keynote will be over before the free Nano promotion is over. That's awesome. If there's new iMac or MB's that week, Apple's gonna get swamped by orders from all us students and there'll probably be months of wait time.... But I guess if they hold off until then, they'll have plenty of time to pile up inventory of those Conroe's that are going to be in my new iMac