Will Apple be updating the unibody MacBooks as well?

The MacBook Pro right now is SEVERELY outdated and overpriced. At $1000, I would tend to think the unibody MacBook is the same. You can get computers with i3s for cheaper.

Apple is ignoring it's computer line right now because of the Ipad.

Does Apple plan on refreshing both the MBP and Macbook or just the MBP?

 

flip a coin, your guess is as good as anyones

 

it would make sense to update the macbooks as well. but it might not be during the next refresh period, which should come any day now...

 

tuesday, specifically.

 

One day, they just might

 

Why would Apple forego updating its Macbook Pro line in lieu of iPad marketing and release? What company in their right fiscal and financial mind loses out on sales from a whole line of products just so they can focus on sales from ONE product?

?!?! No other computer company on the face of this planet would do such a thing. Steve Jobs has really got some serious issues that just may need to professional attention.

 

One that makes billions of dollars doing what it does how it wants to. Not how you think they should do it.

 

Macs aren't sold because of their specs, even with the current macbooks 8-9 months outdated, they still will sell very well, no need to detract sales from the ipad. Although I do believe they will up date them before the iPhone 4.

 

I see the updates being around mid-April or even late April...unfortunately it is late yes but I don't see Apple doing anything until the iPad comes out, due to marketing (they want to keep media attention focused on the iPad). Also, with a mid-late-April update, they can keep it throughout the summer back-to-school season.

 

Yes Apple will be making a refresh shortly. From what I heard it should be in the next 2 to 3 months and i3,5,7 processors should be included from what I'm hearing.

 

GM?

Bronsky

 

Apple's capitalizing on iPad marketing because its Macs sell regardless of update or not. The majority of customers have no idea what Intel Core i3, i5, i7 is; frankly, a lot of the times, they don't care, "as long as its fast enough for me"...and usually they'll buy when they want to/can because they don't follow tech news and know when the next processor chips arrive.

So I think Apple's doing fine, financially, and that focusing on iPad marketing won't really hurt them. They'll lose a few sales, from the people following tech news that are still waiting on updated chips, but otherwise the majority of their sales are to people that don't really care. In turn, focusing on iPad marketing lets them get more iPad sales out the door!

 

it's funny seeing posts like this pop up, mostly because on the macrumors forums they're on the fifth incarnation of "waiting for arrandale" threads. Every Mon. night there's a huge cry of "IT MUST BE TOMORROW" followed by the typical "oh well, Apple must know what they're doing" aplogies.

The current speculation is turning to June, when the mac pros are expected to be refreshed. Everyone still kinda hopes it'll be any day now, but at this point people waiting have either abandoned ship or purchased current tech.

There are some good arguments to be made on both sides of the release coin: iPad focus could be holding them back, hardware shortages. . . .but on the other side you have steam hitting early April [Is it just me or is the though of steam on a 9400m equipped macbook a nightmare waiting to happen?]

Ultimately, we'll know when they do it. At this point tho, I'm not expecting anything resembling sense from Apple. It seems they're ramping up for some major changes, but they play the game so differently that it's hard to even get excited about it anymore. In with the new boss same as the old boss, as it were.

Just my $0.2, thanks for reading ^^

 

This isnt an absolute. I would be more accurate to think about the relationship as a rubber band. If Apple stretches it too far them the thing breaks. They dont have to chase specs, but neither can they get too far outside the range either, otherwise then they have little credibility as a market leader and a lot of their key opinon makers (who do care about the details more than the followers) will go lukewarm on them.

 

What do you consider too far behind? I'm in the market for a portable computer, but was also looking at computer prices in general today to get a feel for what cost what today. Here's the specs on a $1,679 HP 8540w compared to a $1,699 macbook pro:

Elite Book:
i7-620M (2.66GHz duel i7)
4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
320 GB 7200rpm HD
DVD drive (optional BD)
1600x900 LED backlit screen
dedicated 1GB Quadro FX 880M gpu
3 - year on-site warranty

Macbook:
2.53GHz core 2
4 GB 1066MHz DDR3
250GB 5400rpm HD
DVD drive
1440x900 LED backlit screen
integrated 9400m gpu
1 - year warranty

The Elite book also has USB 3.0, eSATA, an express card, and is still EPEAT Gold rated (like macbook). The macbook probably has better battery life, but at the cost of it being non-removable, in all practically the HP is just as portable with an extra battery.

This isn't a mac vs pc post, I want my next portable notebook to be a macbook, I love the design and OS X. Apple has always had great design and aesthetics at the cost of slightly outdated hardware, but I can't remember a time when macs have been so far outdated as now. Your getting almost a year outdated macbook for more than the cost of a enterprise class mobile workstation with cutting edge technology. Its simply ridiculous for apple to let the macbook line fall so far behind. It obvious that the specs isn't whats still selling them. I can only wait so long, but if Apple waits to long, the new macbooks will be outdated before they even come out. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on an Asus UL, but I want to wait a little longer.

 

If you want the best machine for the money... you only buy a new Mac shortly after a whole new model is out... cuz they will keep it that same price for a year, and a year later its not a good price anymore.

 

Never Fear that Apple Refresh is near lol. Actually I don't know what exact day but I was speaking with one of the Apple Engineers and he hinted at me that a refresh is soon. But a lot of focus is on the iPad right now too and Apple isn't going to push too much at the public at once.

 

Yeah exactly, I'm pretty sure they're already ready to get out the door, Apple's holding them back for iPad focus purposes (annoying for us who want to buy a new Mac now , but in the general scheme of things beneficial to Apple's push for the iPad).

 

This classic Apple attitude of patronising the public as pea brains. In fact, these products are two entirely different things. The only people who would buy the ipad as their only computing device, would never buy a 15" or 17" Macbook Pro.

Some would be the Macbook Pro 13 inch pro buyers, but really very few. If there is conflict in the first place then Apple shouldnt be selling both machines in the first place.

The truth is that the Ipad is better seen as a sofa device for minor web browsing:
- you're not going to put off your purchase of a computer that you type word documents with just because the ipad is around.
- you're not going to use it to even replace heavy duty web browsing where you may actually download and edit documents either

So little conflict here. I'd say the real issue here is Apple's internal bandwith, not anything about "the public cant handle it".

 

I disagree with everything you said but this. I especially disagree with the comment that Apple patronizing the public as pea brains is classic. (I just find that statement rude and obnoxious).

The actual non-trolling idea sounds about as plausible as my idea, which is that they didn't want to cannibalize their own sales. I accept this idea as just as likely.

Of course, it is a bit presumptuous to say that you know the particular internal workings of a very tight-lipped multi-billion dollar company.

 

You're absolutely right, the person considering the iPad wouldn't suddenly switch to thinking about a 15.4-inch MacBook Pro; those are two completely different market segments. Rather, the point I think the user was making was that Apple likes to keep the media, and with that the public focus on the iPad. Release of new Macs would generate press towards those, but then take away from iPad press.

I don't think Apple has any internal issues regarding the Macs, I'm pretty sure they're all done and finalized already, if not already in production, just Apple likes to capitalize on media exposure .

 

sorry, masterchef.

I have a hard time accepting the notion that the MBP crowd and the iPad crowd are one in the same, such that one will "cannibalize" the other.

I feel like that's like saying the netbook and high-end laptop crowds are the same and if Sony released both a Vaio Z and netbook simultaneously, the crowd looking to buy a $500 computing device would suddenly be given pause by the $2,000 computing device, of visa versa.

I just...help me understand. Because from where I sit, the notion is untenable. People want a $500 simplified computing experience will look at an iPad or similar device. those people are not the same who are looking for a full-fledged computer.

 

What he is saying is that Apple wants to leave its new release right now just as the iPad, and then later just the Macbook/MBP lines. This means that customers will be caught up in the iPad focus now, and buy an iPad. If you walk into any apple store, there will be a single product every one is gushing over, and then everyone will come back in a month or so for their next new product. People are much more willing to spend $500 one month and $1000 a little later, rather than a single larger chunk.

Its like that little trick at an ice cream place that I always used to use--if instead of asking for just a single flavor scoop, you ask for part of it to be one flavor and the other part to be another flavor, and invariably you'll end up getting more ice cream than if you had settled just for one flavor.

Its all about the money, and this way, apple gets money from people wanting the latest mac twice and still get it from the people that need to have a new computer

 

I just wanna buy an i5 Macbook I could care less about ipad, and I think a lot of Mac fans agree, I wish apple would focus on their core audience rather than fishing quick bucks selling gimmicks like the ipad to uneducated consumers.

 

^^^
Unfortunately, the 'core' mac heads don't buy enough.. look at the sales figures and revenue last year.. its all iphones & ipods !
MacPro's and mbp are way down the list.
No company is gonna put the cash cow in the corner.
a

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. Apple is a device company. I think their computer line is suffering because of it.

Bronsky

 

I happen to have both of these with those exact specs.
my MBP gets 5.5 hours and the HP gets 4.5 hours. Not bad, BUT the MBP is also thinner than the HP without the screen. so figure that one out. (on and online you can get the both cheaper. I paid i think $1499 for the MBP, and $1600 for the HP.)

I also find that OS X is much more optimized than Windows 7 and I do not see any difference in the speed from either.
I run VMware on both and a variety of similar apps including Photoshop CS4. Photoshop is a litle slower but i chalk that up to the hard drive and the slightly slower processor.


NOW the GPU in the HP, the 7200 RPM drive etc could account for the battery life, but i am not sure.
Either way i am not displease with either. At the end of the day when I travel, I find it hard to pick which one to take.

The only thing i wish is that Apple would include a port or a docking port/ port replicator.

 

Well I don't own either I was just giving a comparison to show how far behind the current macbooks are in tech. I don't think they've been updated since summer. A couple years ago apple was know for using cutting edge tech in their computers, but now their shipping with outdated cpus, gpus, sub-par screens, and external connections. No wonder Mac sales have been slowing all year, even though Apple is making huge profit margins they need to update these things fast, if they wait till june then I guess it proves their real priorities are iphone and ipad.

 

Xhibit, Can't disagree with that. At the time they were on par with the rest of the world. Their screen was better than most, and still may be. (16:9 is not necessarily an improvement) but the components are now outdated. and in need of a refresh to stay competitive.

 

You did not mention with/without switchable graphics.

 

Actually their sales have been steady or increasing surprisingly.

http://www.dailytech.com/Despite+Somewhat+Dated+Lineup+Mac+Sales+Continue+to+Rise/article17901.htm

It's unusual that Apple hasn't updated their line yet, but they will eventually.

 

thats the truth.... 3rd party ones are insanely expensive