Sure, you've had the space of a few minutes without
Apple rumors, but be honest with us: it felt lonely, didn't it? Well don't worry, because the rumors are back... with a vengeance. According to 9to5mac (who recently nailed news on the
iPod nano), Apple is readying a new line of black and silver aluminum laptops, which might be the slimmer MacBook Pros mentioned
previously. Details are, of course, totally speculative and entirely unconfirmed, but it sounds like the systems will be considerably thinner and lighter than current models, will have screens that reach further to the edges (which apparently suggests a smaller footprint), have keyboards in the vein of the new
Apple Bluetooth models, and are set to be priced "extremely aggressively." In addition, the report says that there is "something strange about the touchpad," which could mean we'll be seeing some sort of multi-touch functionality, or it could mean nothing at all. We'll keep you posted on what the mill has to say.
posted Sep 21st 2007 10:52AM
woot! now if they would just give it a REAL video card instead of "intel integrated graphics"....
Amen brother! First work on performance, then work on the footprint. I'd much rather have double the FPS then 0.2" reduced height, width or length.
Sorry to kill your dream but I highly doubt that this baby will have a real video card.
This will most likely be an ultra slim 11 or 12 inch ultra portable with long battery time. More or less a computer which is as easy to carry with you as a high school math book. Perfect for bloggers, journalists and university students who need their laptop at home and on the move.
If it is priced good it might be my first mac. The thought of an aluminum 750-1200gram laptop is mouth watering.
Sorry guys, but you're barking up the wrong tree. Macbooks are not meant for gaming. Heck, even the Macbook Pros aren't decent for gaming. FPS out of a Macbook? these are computers not consoles, they are not all made for gaming. Getting a Macbook for gaming is like getting a Prius to tow your fifth wheel. It's just not made for that. At the same time I do empathize with you. It would be nice to have a decently priced Mac that can handle better gaming (or at least better graphics card). At the time it seems like the Mac Pros are the only ones you can ditch your PC for, unless you don't mind getting PWND. I guess I'll keep my PC (which I only use for gaming) awhile longer.
i wouldn't mind an integrated graphics card, as long as they boost up the hard disk(at least 120GB?) and change the hard drive to DVD±RW for entry level macbooks. these are the stuff holding me back from getting one at the moment.
as for gaming, there's always my PC =p
I disagree with the above poster who said that MacBook Pros are not even decent gaming machines. I've recently been playing BioShock, which is an incredibly demanding machine, on my first generation 2.0GHz Core Duo MacBook Pro w/ Radeon X1600 (booted in Boot Camp w/ Win XP Pro). I had to scale down the resolution to 800x600, but all graphical details are otherwise set to high, and the game looks great and runs at a smooth framerate. And, keep in mind that I'm using last year's tech; nowadays the MacBook Pro has a Core 2 Duo at higher speeds, with an NVidia 8600 GT card installed. Is it equivalent to an Alienware gaming notebook? Absolutely not. But it can still play the latest games with decent performance. I personally qualify that as "decent".
Couldn't care less. I don't play games on my laptop, and let's face it that's all a 'proper' video card is there for. Not that a mac has games to start with. A dedicated card would increase cost and reduce battery life. For your average user, that's a total bummer.
Most people begging for a dedicated graphics card are barking up the tree of on the go video editing. You have heard of Final Cut, right? It's kind of a big deal ;).
All kidding aside, it's unlikely to see a dedicated graphics chip in something like this. The form factor and the selling point of "long battery life" kind of prevent Apple from putting in, say, an 8600GT which would suck quite a bit more power than Intel Xtreme. Maybe Intel's new graphics happy chip could be going into this in the future if the realease date is that far off...
"but be honest with us: it felt lonely, didn't it?"
No.
I wish there is one more level for comment voting, Highest-est !
Multi-touch touchpads are coming sooner or later. They make sense especially while using big monitors. Instead of having you fingers on the screen you slide them along a very wide touch pad.
Minority Report style=) So I guess that multi touch will be incorporated into Leaopard. Hopefully they'll launch multi touch touchpads as accessories.
My MPB is already multi-touch, isn't it? I use two fingers to scroll, and one on the pad and the other tap to right-click. Any more functionality would just be in firmware/OS, right?
Aluminum? Meh, my VAIO TZ is made from carbon fibre.. eat that Mac Fanboys.
But....you are still running Windoze. You can polish a turd, but it's still a turd.
Why would you want to polish a turd?
"Why would you want to polish a turd?"
It's a Mac thing.
Carbon fiber. Nice finish for a virus magnet.
It is said that people living in glass houses should not throw stones at others. I could come up with a dozen areas where the MBP trumps the Vaio but I don't care much for Mac antis.
well I hope there are no problems with regards to quality of manufacturing!
Adam.mercier:
These are Macbook Pros.. which already have a video card. The regular Macbooks have the integrated video.
The first rumor i read said they were Macbooks...not Pros.
So if it has "something strange about the touchpad", can we expect it to be a tablet?
I am so happy held out getting a MacBookPro, been following the predictions from MacRumors buyers guide... I hope its in 15 inches and and offer a Higher Resolution, the brightness is perfect, and throw in blu-ray and a hard-disk/flash combo hard drive and ipod-touch like touch pad... Just saying
If it happens, i called it. :)
Great. making them even smaller is really going to help the heat problems.
Yes but being made of aluminium, it'll be one huge heatsync
If these are going to be Penryn based, the 45nm architecture should go a long way to cooling things off.
extremely agressive? most likely this will still means 2K+ to apple.
Last I checked... macbooks start at $1099. I'm no math phd, but that seems closer to $1k than $2k...
point taken. i thought this was the pro.
cDub... no malice intended...
They should ship a 10" convertible tablet with multi-touch.
Anything less is yawn-worthy.
Of course, they're perfectly poised to dominate the nascent Personal Portable Computer market with the touch iPod, but they seem unwilling to make it a decent platform. (put a HDD in it, put the camera, bluetooth and apps back in)
So who knows what the hell they're thinking.
MacBooks and MacBook Pros already have multi-touch touch pads. Where have you been? They support two-finger scrolling (move two fingers around to scroll) as well as two-finger right clicks (hold two fingers on pad and click button.)
I need a new MacPro and an Apple UMPC/Tablet. I don't need another notebook from Apple but if it's very light, has an express card slot that might be interesting. Still after breaking down and buying an iPhone after a disastrous experience with Helio's Ocean I cannot fault Apple. The iPhone is much better than I ever thought it would be and is easily good enough for my needs till it goes 3G or maybe my contract ends. Perhaps this ultra slim notebook with the strange track pad will be another Apple winner. And I'll hate it and then buy it, while waiting for a MacPro Tower!
@peshue
it depends on the processor you put in them. I heard that the new smaller Intel processors develop much less heat. The form factor and design of that image seem to "match" the new Apple trend. Such a computer would be great.
Still open is the question about graphics. MacBook Pros have had graphic cards a long time now (ok, maybe not the best cards for games) while MacBooks have an integrated one (albeit, since last revision, it is slightly better than previous models).
All in all I am looking forward, particularly because of the "aggressive pricing" mentioned in the article. Hope it is true.. I bought my MacBook white less than a year ago (december 2007, you know.. Santa and all that :-) ). But such a model would force me to start putting away my cash for it.
I'm just waiting for apple to come out with a 10" or smaller notebook, that can drive a 24" LCD. I'd even buy a first gen product, which I know is the worst thing to do with Apple.
so that would be the product result of this patent http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/09/revenge-of-apple-patent-attack-giant-laptop-touchpad/ maybe, please? If so, i may have found my G4 replacement.
The description makes the new laptops sound a lot like the old TiBooks. And if the aggressive pricing thing is true, I'll be the 2nd person in line for a new laptop.
Ok lets think about this...a slimmer mac ..if it be MB or MBP who knows but I am pretty sure that they will roll out with these in October or by the latest November..Why? Well, Apple as we all know is rolling out an operating system called Leopard..which is a very considerable improvement from Mac OS X...so what else would Apple like to capitalize on for the Holiday Season...Not only kind of over priced ipods...i bought a touch..but also Apple's new OS Leopard...with new and improved and apparently slimmer Mac's ..again who knows if its a MB or MBP my educated guess is that its a MB because intel is releasing new set of chips in November and january mac has there conference and thats when MBP will be released cuz MB are always before MBP..so..just watch this come true!!
later guys
Did you just say MB are always before MBP? Just checking......
ohhhhh Santa....
i know what i want for christmas!
Think iphone screen in place of touchpad...
then you get DS-Pro
I've sold my 1-yr-old MacBook last month. I don't want to look back any more. MacBook is nothing but a nicely decorated piece of sh*t. Hey, Mad Dog Jobs. You'd better learn more about how to make something really good. Don't try to make people annoyed by your commercial messages any more! I think he is one of the worst nightmare of all the cheap skates on the earth. Stop pick-pocketting, you old man!
Wow man, who pissed in your coffee cup?
ohhh and does anyone else notice that the picture above is actually a MBP in a black scheme?
how weird.
"something strange about the touchpad"... How about a right-click button??? Get with the times!
Put two fingers on the touchpad and click.
Was that really that hard?
To right click just switch on the option to use two fingers and you have right click - it also does scroll. Personally I don't use the button at all.
The touchpads on Mac laptops negate the need for a left button, let alone a right one. Two-finger right click. Get with the times.
Hint: if you really want to hit a sore spot with Mac owners, rip on the Finder. Nobody gives a shit about the right mouse button.
Not that I have anything against multi-touch touchpads but where would you find the room to multi-touch on those things? Why not do touch screens? I don't see why a laptop haw to be a tablet to have a touch screen - just have a regular laptop with a touch screen. It's still not as good as a mouse but it's better than a touch pad.
"where would you find the room to multi-touch on those things"
Well make them bigger. You probably haven't used a MBP coz then you'd notice that the touchpad is a lot bigger than most. I don't know if there's bigger, but it's the biggest I've used on a laptop.
"regular laptop with a touch screen"
If there's one thing I hate, it's finger prints all over my screen. Bleah.
Oh you bitches! Playing off my biggest fantasies and compulsions in gadgetry for years. make it reallllllllllll pulease!
Prediction--->macworld announcement rocking penryn processors smaller in size and heat consumption
sure hope it isnt coming out too soon, i just bought a MBP for school about a month ago :*(
Good for you. I'm going to Uni in a few weeks, I need something small, light and that won't break on me. If this is cheap and has flash, perfect for me. Not so good for you, but I'm holding out for as long as I can to make sure I don't miss anything.
i like what im hearing.
The keyboard will probably remind me of Sony VAIO...
priced "extremely aggressively
explain this ...like will they be priced as they are now about..or even more??!?
plz be the same..for every college students sake!!
"Aggressive" in this case means "Competitive." So, they should if anything be lower priced, or in the same bracket.
some nice renderings - i think
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32533097@N00/1063217218/
12 inch Macbook Pro? Pretty please?
I wholeheartedly agree, a 12" MBP would be very nice. Up until then, I see no reason to get rid of my 12" Powerbook. It's a gem, and still fast enough for anything I would want to do on a 12" screen. Probably the nicest portable Apple ever made.
This "thin book" will be announced on January 14, 2008 (SF MacWorld). That is all I am going to "speculate" on. (Since I heard this 2nd hand from an NDA user...who frankly, never actually signed it...his company did.)
Slimmer In October!!!!!!!!!!!
i'd say you are wrong....
Ok lets think about this...a slimmer mac ..if it be MB or MBP who knows but I am pretty sure that they will roll out with these in October or by the latest November..Why? Well, Apple as we all know is rolling out an operating system called Leopard..which is a very considerable improvement from Mac OS X...so what else would Apple like to capitalize on for the Holiday Season...Not only kind of over priced ipods...i bought a touch..but also Apple's new OS Leopard...with new and improved and apparently slimmer Mac's ..again who knows if its a MB or MBP my educated guess is that its a MB because intel is releasing new set of chips in November and january mac has there conference and thats when MBP will be released cuz MB are always before MBP also this ultra portable will prob only have 60gb HD..so..just watch this come true!!
later guys
AUGH this is the computer I want so badly.
ya i have been waiting for this as well..but this time..i'm going to wait a month or so to buy..i've learned from the ipod touch..to wait..
I don't really "get" all these snide comments about heat. I have a C2D 120GB Macbook (the latest revision), and the thing has sat on my bare legs for hours without even a hint of discomfort. Only when I fire up Google Earth do the fans kick in and it gets warm, but Earth has kicked the ass of anything I've ever run it on (including two very recent Dell notebooks). Day to day, it's much cooler than my old Dell Inspiron, and it's deathly silent (unlike many others).
So, is this just a bunch of hoo-ha from non-Mac owners who read too much Slashdot, or do I have the only cool-running Macbook in the known universe?
They are not just snide comments.
I got the MacBook when it first came out (5.16.06) and it had major heat issues, so I returned it.
That should kind of be expected for a first gen Apple product, so give it time and it will be corrected right? My friend got one in February and it's had the top casing chip off due to heat and stress cracks along the front, where the battery is, and more cracks along where the heat vent is (I took pics). Now that we've gotten it back from warranty, it just shuts off, when the fans would normally start up.
Pain in the ass...
I love my macbook, but it runs extremely hot. Even just using Safari and itunes, the bottom near the power cord gets searing hot.
I have a 15" Core Duo Macbook Pro, ordered on the day they were announced. It's a goddamned volcano. You will literally get a first-degree burn if you touch the bottom of the case for too long. Releated: Two defective batteries (I blame the heat for cooking them), defective power supply, defective fan, defective power inverter.
My friend has a 17" Macbook Pro which runs much cooler, and I believe the Core 2 Duos are running even cooler than that.
Yes, early adopters, aka paid beta testers, do get the shaft from Apple. No lube. Be patient, grasshopper, and if you're lucky you'll get a reacharound.
Just waiting to upgrade from my PBG4; I would soooo all over this.
hmm,
Macbook touch anyone?
Thin makes no sense unless it is a truly driveless laptop. No hard drive - solid state only. No Superdrive. Who uses these drives anymore on a laptop? If true, expect the price to be closer to 2K. A nine or even eleven inch screen would be awesome. But, if Steve Jobes doesn't use it, it never gets built.
Regards,
Roger Born
"These are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others."
Awesome, I think my ThinkPad is about to fail me, would love to make the switch if these rumors are true. Not sure what to get though, I'd gun for a MacBook Pro but having to wait until January seems daunting.
just my luck, I just got my new black macbook today!
all these descriptions, desires, and wants and talk about inches and stuff is making me feel uncomfortable.
sweeet mother....
I've waited since april...and may as well just wait till this babe releases...
can't wait to switch to mac ...
thing is are they talking about MB or MBP or the new sub-book?
either way I'll still get it no matter what...
...13" would be nice
I'd really like them to release a convertible tablet notebook like the Thinkpad X61t =/
Current Macbook pros are too expensive, there is a big gap in features and price, £350 in the UK, from the top Macbook to the cheapest Macbook pro, so the most important phrase here is "aggressively priced" Apple could do with improving its laptop line up in the £900-1300 range, As for graphics, needs to have very good colour fidelity and capability for multiple large displays, The "pro" bit gives it away really, this is range of laptops for professionals so 3D graphics rendering will not be top of the marketing requirements, but it will be there.
As for one more thing, how about a truly low power, 12in Apple take on the subnote?
I think some of you are thinking that this is the MacBook, when, then article says "Apple is readying a new line of black and sliver aluminum laptops, which might be the slimmer MacBook Pros mentioned previously." MacBook Pro...which...already have "real" video cards...
10 inch
10 inch
10 inch
pleaaaaaase!
if this turns out to be true, when do you think it can be announced
Sorry for the grammar.
12 inch notebooks have too limited appeal since it's close to the MacBook in size.
I think a slim notebook with no optical drive, an 8.9" screen, and flash-based storage would fulfill people's needs. No company has successfully sold UMPCs before (Asus may be the 1st). Apple could jump in with a practically priced solution.
But first:
- Apple's laptop line is stale and needs a refresh.
- Thinner, lighter, and preloaded with Leopard.
- One overall design, different sizes and parts.
- Hopefully, anodized aluminum for all models.
Hope this rumor is true. I've been waiting for a lightweight smaller apple laptop to replace my 5-year old 12-inch Powerbook g4 which is now lagging in speed compared to the intel macs.Macbooks are still big and heavy for my back or shoulders to carry around in my travels.
i had ordered a black macbook w/ 2gb ram almost a week ago. still hasn't shipped.
then i read this and instantly go to the apple store and cancelled my order, i can wait a few months for a nice product refresh
i really want a 10 inch multi touch convertable mac.
[IMG]http://web.mac.com/davemeier/MacBookProTouch.jpg[/IMG]
macbook pro touch ???
That's nice and all, but with all the time wasted making that, why didn't he at least keep the touchpad screen correct? - it's all skewed.
my how far we've come. a 10 inch screen on a laptop? what is this 1995? plz 12-13inch is a bare minimum nowadays people, even my ten year old dell xpi had a 12 in screen. i would think if anything specs should be kept close to the current macbook with a few exceptions:
-name change to macbook nano=sweet
-santa rosa chipset
-similar processors to current macbooks except for the santa rosa 800mhz bus
-13 inch led backlit screen
-expect that a superdrive will never be standard, otherwise it wouldn't be super would it?
-keyboard similar to new imacs
-unfortunately the integrated graphics will continue, though an 8400gs would be sweet
that is the end of my speculation
All of you sub-note people, ave you even tried typing on one of those things? the keys are too small to be ergonomic and Apple wouldn't let that happen if its main purpose is computing. A 13" screen is now the gold standard, but they can reduce overall size by shaving a half-inch or so from every side. That alone would be an improvement and it would look ten times smaller. Also, be on the lookout for yet another integrated chipset as its drivers are already included in Leopard (Intel GMA X3100). Shave an inch from the width, half inch in length, and bring depth to .9 inches and all will be gold. Er, aluminum. Even if they don't go SSD, they could reduce power consumption, heat, and size by shoving the 160GB iPod hard drive in there. A DVD drive would still be necessary tough IMO.
what does " priced extremely aggressively " means!?
I have wanted a mac for over 1 year now and could really use one...so I am going to be seriously enraged if I wait until January and no announcement comes! Specs I hope for:
-Macbook Pro with at least NVIDIA 8600 GT and 256mb
-12-13" screen(nontouch)
-multi-tasking touchpad/stylus pad abilities
-2.2GHz or more
-2GB ram and at least 80GB hard drive
-Finally...I think these things will be extremely thin and sturdy, under 3/4 the size of current pros. However, how could you get rid of an optical drive?! How do you watch DVD's or rip CD's?!