AppleInsider has the word on the updates to
Apple's portable range, which have been missing out on all the
Santa Rosa action that seemingly
every other notebook range has been enjoying lately (
this is getting to be a habit). If
AI's sources are correct, then we're to expect some rather uninteresting updates to the MacBook range. The next refresh of the MacBooks will supposedly be particularly unimpressive, as
AI says they'll be missing out on the Santa Rosa architecture and
those LED backlights that SJ promised. For those updates you'll have to cash in for the MacBook Pros, which will be getting Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa CPUs up to 2.4GHz, and the LED backlights if the rumor proves right. In
a resurrection of a rumor that seems to have been circulating since the PowerBook 2400 was discontinued in 1998,
AI is also saying that an ultra-portable Apple laptop will come with on-board NAND flash for boosting application performance, a 13-inch LCD, and will be thinner and lighter than existing Apple laptops thanks to the absence of an optical drive. Like most cases of Apple rumors,
it'll only exist when it's out. Until it does / doesn't, we'll continue to see this kind of speculation.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
wako @ May 13th 2007 6:19PM
13'' still? GIVE ME THE 12'' back!
Not including it doesnt include a optical drive? How the hell am i suppose to play DOTA then?!
Jonathan Keim @ May 13th 2007 6:47PM
I know Apple is bold and mostly a leader when it comes to new concepts, but no cd drive?
Design is great and cutting off extra weight, but only if the functuality can't measure up to the convenience of being lighter.
For instance, in this situation the question would be, "Is it worth cutting off .02" and 0.5 lb if the consequence is no optical drive?"
In what situation would you need an optical drive? - Many
In what situation would you need to have a slightly lighter and smaller laptop? - I'll let you answer this for yourself
Eric Chiu @ May 13th 2007 8:28PM
I haven't been using CD/DVD roms for about 43812 years.
When I needed it (once several century), i will just plug in a $50 usb drive. Perfect.
tiuk @ May 14th 2007 10:45AM
I've had my current laptop for nearly two years, and I could count the number of times I've used the optical drive on one hand. And in those cases I simply used it because it was there, if it hadn't been I could have easily found another way. I'd gladly buy a laptop with no optical drive.
LukeA @ May 13th 2007 6:57PM
What if the optical drive came in a separate (bus-powered) enclosure? Then you could have it when you needed it and not when you didn't.
Either way, I want one.
Eric Chiu @ May 13th 2007 7:00PM
If the 13" MBP has individual graphic card, like the Sony SZ's Geforce8400M, i way pay anything to buy one.
Pedro @ May 13th 2007 7:03PM
Yes, I agree it certainly seems that we need optical drives all the time... but then I realized that I haven't used mine on my desktop for many months! Pretty much the only thing I use it for is to download new CDs to rip the music. 99% of what I'm doing is using the web. If my laptop (a secondary computer) didn't have this, I don't think I would miss it at all. Yes, gaming could be affected but now hard drives are so big you can download the entire game to the drive and play from there.
This is very similar to when Apple got rid of floppy drives. At first it was anathema, but then it became reasonable, and finally it was obvious. The web continues to mature and continues to be our main portal to the world and new content. Soon floppies will not be necessary for most folks.
Stymie @ May 13th 2007 7:06PM
Are they making it run any cooler? The heat is really annoying, but the loud fan makes it a non-starter for most business settings. How come Lenovo can make Thinkpads that are similar in size and weight run 30 degrees cooler? C'mon.
LukeA @ May 13th 2007 7:20PM
"How come Lenovo can make Thinkpads that are similar in size and weight run 30 degrees cooler?"
By putting in core solo processors and integrated graphics and running 1280*800 on a 17in display. That's how.
Larger case + lower-power components = fewer fans needed = cooler.
StevO @ May 13th 2007 7:27PM
Also, MBP cases are entirely aluminum which conducts heat better than the plastic on Thinkpads. The result of that is less heat in the laptop and more on your lap.
Matt @ May 13th 2007 11:22PM
Or, it could be because unlike Apple, Lenovo has engineers actually capable of putting aside the form over function mentality and coming up with effective cooling solutions...
I own a T60p that has a C2D @ 2.13 + FireGL V5200 and the only time it ever gets beyond luke warm on the bottom is after a good hour of rendering in 3DSM. The fan is really quiet too.
craig @ May 14th 2007 12:10AM
Which Lenovo has a 17" display?
If you're going to make up crap about competitors to your favorite computer company, Luke, try to make your lies somewhat believable.
LukeA @ May 13th 2007 7:21PM
Not that the display has anything to do with heat. It's more of an example of the low-power, cheap components in the computers.
Stymie @ May 13th 2007 7:44PM
Well, no that's not true. I was talking about the Thinkpads that are relatively similar in size and weight (I don't know of any 17" Thinkpads). The new T61 has a 2.4GHz T7700 processor on the Santa Rosa platform with FSB800, discrete Nvidia graphics, 2GB and a 7200 rpm hard drive as reviewed by PC Magazine. It's one of the fastest notebooks that they have reviewed, and by all reports it runs really cool. These are not low power cheap components, they are the fastest currently on the market, faster than anything used in any Macbooks as I understand it.
From a size standpoint, it has a 1440x900 14.1" screen, 1.1" thick and weighs about 5 pounds. It's not identical to the Macbook with 13.3" screen, but it's pretty close - with much higher performance (at least until the new Macbooks come out).
I don't believe it is a difference in the conductivity of the materials - the temperature differences are measured on the surface as well as in the core. I believe the reason why Macbooks have such loud fans, and must run them so long, is in fact because they do not conduct the heat out of the core effectively.
So, I don't believe it is any of the things mentioned. The case is not much larger (the 12.1" Lenovos run really cool as well), the components are the highest performance currently on the market and it's not a conductivity issue because the Macbooks are 30+ degrees hotter both inside and out. I don't believe any of the explanations thus far make sense.
Ignacio @ May 13th 2007 9:33PM
"From a size standpoint, it has a 1440x900 14.1" screen, 1.1" thick and weighs about 5 pounds. It's not identical to the Macbook with 13.3" screen, but it's pretty close - with much higher performance (at least until the new Macbooks come out)."
Except for the price - The fastest (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo) Macbook configured with 2GB of RAM is less than $1500. The 5.4 pound T61 widescreen with the 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo is $2,510 direct.
me @ May 13th 2007 7:49PM
if it's so uninteresting then why report on it?
lizard.boy @ May 13th 2007 7:51PM
Ditching the cd-rom isn't all that big a deal for alot of people nowadays, but it is still extremely useful when the OEM uses a bus connection for an external reader, (USB is still kinda slow). The thing I think apple really needs to integrate into the MBPs is a docking port for a dock or port replicator that PCs have had for a long time now. It is so much more convenient to just leave your keyboard, mouse , network connection, power connection, external drive, etc connected at your desk while you pop out the laptop and walk off with it.
christ @ May 13th 2007 7:55PM
no optical drive can work, but it needs to be justified by giving us the smallest computer on the face of the earth. the computer needs to be unusually thin, less than half inch thick. it needs to be so thin that people don't think of it as a laptop, but as something completely different.
theres also the appeal of removing the optical drive with the harddrive making the first (as far as i know) 100% solid state computer.
with all that, and the LED backlights on the screen, this thing is going to be insane with battery time.
Pedro @ May 13th 2007 8:02PM
Now *that* is a cool idea! Get rid of the CD-ROM and the harddrive! Holy cow. It could be done... but it would be pricey, eh?
Phil Perman @ May 13th 2007 8:18PM
Well to make it fully solid state they would have to remove the cooling fan too, and given all the stories to super hot Macbooks at the moment, that really doesn't sound like a good idea.
Also, there are plenty of CD drive-less ultra portables around at the moment. I'm sure someone has had the smart idea of putting an SSD in at least one of them, so if Apple do do it, chances are they won't be the first (and hopefully not the last either)
Vissich @ May 13th 2007 8:01PM
No Optical Drive then how will I install my games. Oh wait its a mac.
Vanillacide @ May 14th 2007 5:00AM
Yeah, use STEAM like everyone else. :)
Optical drives are so... 20th century. Only useful for one-off OS installs, software that still insists on optical discs, or ripping CD/DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray media.
Windows world would have to rethink this though, what with CD-check prevalent on so many games.
Nick @ May 13th 2007 8:10PM
I just want a 13inch Macbook Pro. The 2nd that comes out i am buying one no matter what.
www.uniquexp.com @ May 13th 2007 8:17PM
I want it !!!
christ @ May 13th 2007 8:39PM
ok. i concede that the cooling fan would mean its not solid state. but it would still be F ing cool.
akijikan @ May 13th 2007 11:28PM
Your experience is not typical
Jeremy @ May 13th 2007 9:00PM
Ultra-Poratble Mac = iPhone Suicide.
Chris Gregg @ May 13th 2007 9:55PM
If more software companies allow downloading of their apps (or allow purchase on a flash drive), the lack of a CD/DVD drive wouldn't be a big deal. I rarely use the optical drive in my MacBook, although I do occasionally play a DVD from it.
Carlitos @ May 13th 2007 10:27PM
wow apple decide to do a notebook without optical and people think is "innovating" and great, but I have an old vaio 12 inch without optical. let me tell you, most of us beieve that we really do not use cd very much, but it is rather frustrating not having one when needed. Besides who wants a laptop that can't be used to watch DVD !!
adrian @ May 13th 2007 10:30PM
c'mon apple. Bring out the Mac UMPC!!!
BatteryAcid @ May 13th 2007 10:40PM
Sounds like a great idea, I can really amazing apple doing this.
I only use my optical drive for creating DVDs and backing up stuff.
I would be great if they created a dock that featured and optical drive.
But I have one question, How will you upgrade the os? The only way I can see doing it online and bringing it t the store if it crashes (I know that VERY unlikely)
All in all I think this is a great idea that should be perused. I would buy this as a primary laptop, secondary computer. I I could only have one computer I would probably chose a laptop with a optical drive or this with a dock that had and integrated optical drive.
nikster @ May 13th 2007 10:46PM
Pedro - good point. Apple once said it would never ditch the CD-R on any notebook so as to not cripple them. However, times are different, and CD/DVD drives while nice to have are by no means crucial these days. I hardly ever use mine. Maybe they'll tell people to put stuff on USB sticks instead. USB sticks have made CDs obsolete for anything except ripping audio CDs and installing new programs. And the latter is increasingly moving to internet delivery.
Doing the math here - Powerbook 12" is tiny yet has a CD-R drive, 13" wide-screen is about the same area as 12" 4:3 - this means the new ultra portable will be super thin/light. The only question is, what took them so long?
I sure hope the MacBook Pros will get a facelift as well. The silver is getting increasingly tired. I 'll buy one anyway, but I will always envy MacBooks and probably also the new ultra portable for their looks... I just need the MBP features. A little *choice* here and there would really be a good thing.
RyanTV @ May 13th 2007 10:55PM
as much as I'd love to have an apple ulraportable, I'm still not sold on the whole no internal optical drive thing. I'd rather it be slightly lessultraportable - lets say superportable - and have an optical drive on board. I think that the concept is a mistake.
Paul @ May 14th 2007 5:24PM
Yeah, I think a "pretty dang portable" would be the better machine.
daiSho @ May 13th 2007 11:23PM
i for one would be all over this, *especially* if it really doesn't have an internal optical drive... to this day i still carry around my old and battered Sony PictureBook (C1XF) w/ a measly 400MHz P2 in it. no optical drive but i have the external DVDr that is made for the machine (PCMCIA interface) and in terms of size and weight it is still in a class of its own, i would kill for an OSX machine like this..
Michael Long @ May 13th 2007 11:27PM
Thin is good and all, but if it comes down to subtracting a couple of milimeters.. or putting in a battery so you can actually USE the silly thing for more than an hour or two at a time, then I'll take the battery hands down.
Note to Apple: I'm STILL waiting for a notebook (a 17" MBP will do nicely) that will run a full eight hours on a single charge.
Elais @ May 14th 2007 12:20AM
You know, if this turns out to be a 13.3 tablet pc (asus makes the macbooks, I might get lucky) I would nut myself. Before you ask "why would you say that?", I just wanted you to know a little bit about me, and learn more about me as a person...and the fact that I really want that damned apple tablet, with multi-touch...and a unicorn.
supermeerkat @ May 14th 2007 4:26AM
I don't care about any of this. I want a touch screen iPod.
Fritz @ May 14th 2007 6:25AM
If you need a Mac with an optical drive, get one that has one. If you rarely use the drive and you'd rather not have to lug the extra size/weight, go for the 13" MBP. No-brainer.
ch02ce @ May 14th 2007 10:18AM
Get an external drive!!!!
tofu @ May 14th 2007 2:38PM
Did anyone see this new laptop on the Sapranos last night?
I was like is that the old G4 or the new one that hasn't been released yet. heh