Intel Core Duo MacBook Pro

[naum]

Powerbook no more, for Apple. New Apple Intel machines announced at MacWorld…
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/01/10/livekeynote/index.php

Apple Store updated, and MacBook Pro shipping in February…
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

Befuddled about the Firewire 400 (instead of 800), but other than that, looks sweet — 256MB video card, brighter screen, much improved processor, iLife & all the other OSX goodness… …tis where my tax return money will go, to replace my 3+ year old Powerbook (which was the greatest computing machine I've ever owned…)

[schild]

Looking at the specs, I should be able to put Windows on it. Awesome.

[Sky]

I want one. I'm going to make a bid to get one for my next computer at work, though I'll probably fail.

I'm a little bummed out by the announcements, I wish there had been a wider selection of intel machines. Most notably, the intel eMac and the intel Mini. Especially the Mini. I want intel Minis jammed in every crevice of my body. The G4 Minis are like space heaters when running Virtual PC.

We were holding off until today to see where our purchasing money goes, and it's probably unchanged. I'm submitting for the macbook and an intel iMac to replace the aforementioned space heater, but otherwise not really interested.

[naum]

I want one. I'm going to make a bid to get one for my next computer at work, though I'll probably fail.

I'm a little bummed out by the announcements, I wish there had been a wider selection of intel machines. Most notably, the intel eMac and the intel Mini. Especially the Mini. I want intel Minis jammed in every crevice of my body. The G4 Minis are like space heaters when running Virtual PC.

Well, the PowerBook was probably the one line in the most dire need of updating. Agreed that other than the MacBook, the iMac announcement was meh… …though iLife06 looks sweet, with a new iWeb deal that'll enable easy photo show, podcasting and web publishing for the non-digerati…

[Sky]

Yeah, some of that's great...if you have .Mac. Bring back free .mac, bitches!

I forgot to mention we were also going to buy 6-8 new ibooks for our tech training lab...well, we still are but I was hoping to do better than G4s, those will be showing their age the way the G3 clunkers are now in a few years. I just dislike buying old technology for premium prices.

[Signe]

I hope to buy one for Righ's birthday because we need more Appley items in the living room. 

Could you please explain your avatar, Naum?  I don't know exactly what I'm looking at but, for some reason, it's making me upset and nervous.

[squirrel]

I'll be getting one to replace my G4 powerbook. Not sure i'll get version 1 though, i'll likely wait until they revise the whole laptop line. Actually since i've been travelling more i'd love a 12" version with the DVI output.

[Jeff Kelly]

I'll get one as soon as Blizzard ships a World of Warcraft universal binary. Which, if their recent release cycles are any indication, probably happens around 2007 so I'm in no hurry to replace my Powerbook G4

[Kitsune]

Yeah, some of that's great...if you have .Mac. Bring back free .mac, bitches!

I've heard it said by people with their hands on the new toys that the web features in iLife 06 will save to a folder which can then be uploaded to a normal web server, there's no actual need for a .Mac account.  However, they also say that there's no integrated FTP functionality in the program, so you have to dig up your own FTP client to upload the files to the server.  No one-click deal for anything but .Mac.  Which is a shame, because I consider .Mac to cost at least twice what it's worth.  I pay Yahoo $20 a year for my e-mail and nothing for my little website, and see no reason to pay Apple $100 a year for the same things.  For $50, I'd consider it.  For $30 I'd buy it.  For $100 I point and laugh.

[Jeff Kelly]

I'll get one as soon as Blizzard ships a World of Warcraft universal binary. Which, if their recent release cycles are any indication, probably happens around 2007 so I'm in no hurry to replace my Powerbook G4

Seems like I have to eat my words. According to the Mac tech support forum Blizzard will release a universal binary for WoW with the 1.9.3 Patch that is currently scheduled for the end of January.

[Sky]

However, they also say that there's no integrated FTP functionality in the program, so you have to dig up your own FTP client to upload the files to the server.

My mom loves stuff like that.

[Shockeye]

I'm a little bummed out by the announcements, I wish there had been a wider selection of intel machines. Most notably, the intel eMac and the intel Mini. Especially the Mini. I want intel Minis jammed in every crevice of my body. The G4 Minis are like space heaters when running Virtual PC.

That is so wrong. Bad Sky.

[schild]

I'm a little bummed out by the announcements, I wish there had been a wider selection of intel machines. Most notably, the intel eMac and the intel Mini. Especially the Mini. I want intel Minis jammed in every crevice of my body. The G4 Minis are like space heaters when running Virtual PC.

That is so wrong. Bad Sky.

I agree with him. I'd buy an Intel Mini to use as an HTPC.

[Righ]

It's a decent computer, a shite name, and a big step up from the G4s. The processor is good, the graphics card is decent, you need to spend an extra $100 to get a 7200 RPM drive, the screen is awesome. Lack of PCMCIA is problematic for some folks until more stuff is available for ExpressCard, lack of Firewire 800 is fucking retarded.

I'm hoping for a 17" MacBook Pro (bleh) powered by an Intel T2600 Core Duo (2.16 GHz) and employing nVidia Go 7800 GTX graphics and a 100GB 7200 RPM drive. It had better have Firewire 800 too. I can probably live without Cardbus if the shell isn't titanium, since radio passes through the later shells somewhat better.

Lack of an Intel Mac Mini at launch suggests a heap of inventory. They need to put out a cheap T2300 Core Solo, and a slightly more expensive T2300 Core Duo Mini.

What I would ultimately like to see from Apple is a long term commitment to Universal binaries and a move away from the Mach microkernel to a more traditional "monolithic" kernel with proper kernel threads and memory management unimpeded by an abstraction layer. There seems little point getting too excited by the possibilities of Presler or even Montecito in the desktops and servers until something is done about kernel latency.

Now go replace the Mach/BSD mess please Apple - solution provided:

http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/jonathan?anchor=an_invitation

[Righ]

Looking at the specs, I should be able to put Windows on it. Awesome.

In time, sure. You probably cannot boot a current version of Windows natively, unless there is a version of Windows that uses EFI Framework rather than BIOS or the MacBook Pro incorpoates the EFI BIOS compatibility mode for some reason.

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/universal_binary/universal_binary_diffs/chapter_3_section_10.html

Apple shares closed at $80.86 yesterday which is not just a nice increase, but a wildly appropriate number.

[Murgos]

Apple shares closed at $80.86 yesterday which is not just a nice increase, but a wildly appropriate number.

Heh.  Coincidence or a clever trick by the Illuminati?

[Righ]

Fnord.

[Fabricated]

Wow, cute, but still grossly overpriced. It's an Apple alright. I can breathe a sigh of relief that they'll stay comfortably in their niche.

[Lanei]

lack of Firewire 800 is fucking retarded.

Chicken and egg problem..  Nobody makes FW800 peripherals because nobody makes FW800 controllers,  but it's not getting put on controllers because its Yet Another Connector (8 pins instead of 6).  Unlike USB2.0/USB1.1 FW800 is NOT backwards compatible to FW400. 

[Righ]

The last round of Macs (including the PowerBook this replaces) have both Firewire 800 and 400. My G5 has two Firewire 400 and one Firewire 800 port. Many Firewire 800 peripherals are available.

[Soukyan]

FireWire is going the way of the Dodo. Most peripherals use USB. While Macs may have Firewire ports available, most other computer makers don't bother including firewire ports on their PCs. Since Apple has such a small market share and a lot of peripheral makers haven't adopted Firewire as a standard, it's pretty much a niche thing. Hell, even Apple didn't bother with Firewire on the iPods because they wanted it to work easily with all PCs. Since USB 2.0 essentially is the same speed (slightly faster I think even) as Firewire 400, then FW won't be missed.

[squirrel]

Hell, even Apple didn't bother with Firewire on the iPods because they wanted it to work easily with all PCs.

Nope. The ipod connector has both firewire and USB cables. I believe some ipods shipped with only the USB cable but i've had 3 ipods and all 3 came with both cables.

[schild]

2nd gen ipods - mine - only has firewire. Of course, my PC has firewire, so it doesn't matter.

[raydeen]

Apple shares closed at $80.86 yesterday which is not just a nice increase, but a wildly appropriate number.

Heh.  Coincidence or a clever trick by the Illuminati?

Illuminati. Saw this today on the New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/381996p-324351c.html

Apple Computer's bet on founder and two-time CEO Steve Jobs has paid off for investors. Now it's about to pay off for him.
Jobs exchanged worthless options on a split-adjusted 55 million shares for 10 million shares of restricted stock three years ago. The shares, the 50-year-old's entire stake in Apple, vest in March. Right now, they are valued at $808.6 million.

[schild]

"I know your UNATCO killphrase: Laputan machine."

[fnddf2]

2nd gen ipods - mine - only has firewire. Of course, my PC has firewire, so it doesn't matter.

My iPod, the recent video one, came with a USB cable but no Firewire cable.

"I know your UNATCO killphrase: Laputan machine."

Win.

[raydeen]

"I know your UNATCO killphrase: Laputan machine."

:)

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if these numbers aren't part of a subtle viral ad campaign. Throw them out there and get people talking about the new product line. Everybody loves a good X-Files conspiracy theory. And only 1337 633k5 would pick up the 8086 reference and they're the ones Apple has to convince the hardest to make the switch.

As a side note that hopefully won't derail, finally saw Laputa, along with Nausicaa  the other night on TCM. Goddamn but Miyazaki is genius.

[Hanzii]

I hope to buy one for Righ's birthday because we need more Appley items in the living room. 

Could you please explain your avatar, Naum?  I don't know exactly what I'm looking at but, for some reason, it's making me upset and nervous.

Funny, but your avatar has the same effect on me...

[Righ]

New Intel iMac just arrived? Take it apart!

[naum]

Could you please explain your avatar, Naum?  I don't know exactly what I'm looking at but, for some reason, it's making me upset and nervous.

From a feature news program I saw on PBS recently…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/20/AR2005092001841.html