Mac Rumors: Apple Releases New MacBooks

Then there is the iPod battery issue, where it's a known problem, and they just don't care about it apparently.

Not to hijack this thread -- but that's simply untrue.

First: I've never had a single issue with any iPod I've ever bought, related to the battery. (In fact, I've never had an issue other than one car charger which caused major smoking issues with an iPod -- I blame the charger. Either way, Apple replaced the iPod no questions asked.)

I've owned a 1st Generation Shuffle - excellent battery life. My wife owns the infamous iPod Mini (black) - excellent battery life (still) and no scratches. I own a green iPod Nano - excellent battery life.

I never noticed a decrease in battery life.

Apple eventually initiated a replacement program for a very reasonable price. For an even more reasonable price, you can use any number of third party services.

How exactly are they squeezing more money out of you?

If you are in the market for a Mac Book, you are now getting MORE VALUE for exactly the same money.

If you've purchased a Mac Book recently, you still have an excellent machine and have NO REASON you need to feel compelled to upgrade. Technology is always moving forward. If you purchased your Mac Book within the past 30 days, there's an EXCELLENT chance they will upgrade you for free. If purchased withing the past 2 weeks, there's 100% chance they will upgrade you.

I will never understand the logic behind the "argument" that continual minor upgrades are a bad thing, or somehow are meant to bleed money out of you. It's bunk.

Adam brings up a good point up there

Actually my point was to not wait for Leopard and just buy one now when your value for hardware is greatest ;-)

Though I am still waiting on opinions as to whether the Black one is really worth all that extra money...

I bought a white MacBook and haven't regretted the choice. I'm not willing to pay extra for black.

Does black vs. white matter to you? If not -- it's not worth it.

White macbook + can of black spray paint = black macbook! The black macbook is a total status symbol and I agree it looks way cooler. The price has nothing to do with the hard disk being 40GB larger since a 160GB hard drive costs about $10 more than a 120GB hard drive these days.

Adam, I don't think it is... for your extra money you get a black enclosure and a slightly larger hard drive. Get the middle one, max out the RAM and you'll have way more machine for your money. For the price differential, you could max the middle one on memory AND buy a 40-80 gig external drive.

Get the middle one, max out the RAM and you'll have way more machine for your money. For the price differential, you could max the middle one on memory AND buy a 40-80 gig external drive.

You can upgrade the middle one to a 200GB internal HDD and still be $26 less than the black one (with 160GB HD.) If you "just" upgraded the middle one to 160GB to match the default config of the black, you'd be $126 less. (Both those examples keeping the RAM at 1GB...)

Personally, I'd go middle one with 2GB RAM and 160GB HDD...prices out at $1540 retail (I would pay less since I can get the educational pricing.) I would add the AppleCare, though. 3 years for $249 is worth every penny if something happens...You can always add an external HD later, when you actually need it.

I have a terrabyte RAID in my current tower, so the HD is not much of an issue. I was wondering more about wear and tear. I don't want a white Mac Book to look like dirt within a year.

Brian, how does the white Mac Book age condition-wise?

And don't buy the RAM from Apple. They gouge. Check dealram, ramseeker, or some other ram-pricing guide. I picked up two gigs for just over 100 bucks. So, following tcervo's figures, you take the middle and upgrade to the 160-gig drive, drop in two gigs of ram and still have enough left over for a couple cups of Starbucks. More if you sell off the gig of RAM you took out.

Apple RAM upgrades have come way down recently, but are still higher than 3rd party. Upgrading the Mac Book to 2GB directly from Apple will be $75 more than going 3rd party, so it's a little better than it used to be. But, like Tim said, you can sell off the 1GB that it ships with. I'm sure there are a few 512MB Mac Book owners who wouldn't mind getting a good deal on eBay.

What computer manufacturer announces major upgrades more than a month in advance? None that I've seen.

Some examples:

Sony just announced (today) the Vaio N30. It will be available later this month. Where's all the hand wringing over this announcement? Why isn't this pissing people off, also? If anyone bought a Sony lately, are they now "screwed"?

BenQ announced a Santa Rosa based notebook, the Joybook S41. It will be available later this month. What? They didn't announce it 3-4 months in advance? How dare them!

On May 9, Dell announced 3 new Santa Rosa based machines. They were avaiable...May 9, same day as the announcement. Holy Crap! Take them to court! How dare they announce a product and have it available the same day!

And 4 weeks is anything but a "small window" of a return policy. Apple has been very good about upgrading during product changes. If anyone ordered a Mac Book in the past few days that hasn't shipped yet, they'll be receiving the upgraded units. Anyone who purchased one recently should contact Apple. No big deal.

tcervo, but most of those other companies don't have Apple's strict tier based system. Yeah, they make announcements later, but there are a million and one options already, and those options are always changing. The only thing that changes is the price for the most part (and that changes week to week anyway, while Apple's prices stay for 6 or more months at a time).

Adam: not so much in laptops...For example, the Sony Vaio N30 is a very specific model without a ton of options. Still, the point is, they're regularly making minor updates (as you pointed out) and nobody cries foul. When Apple does it, people pull out their hair.

For example, the Sony Vaio N30 is a very specific model without a ton of options.

Yeah, but Sony has like 25 other models. While Apple has 3 for consumers and 3 for pro. That's it. That's the tight tier structure that I am talking about.

they're regularly making minor updates (as you pointed out) and nobody cries foul. When Apple does it, people pull out their hair.

That's the point. They are always making minor updates, so there is no point in waiting for one and no need for an advanced notice. Let's say you buy a Dell a day before they make a minor tweak. If you had waited another day you would have gotten that tweak, but then in two weeks there'd be another tweak and another. There is no point in waiting for any particular update because they are always updating.

Apple updates their specs on laptops an average of less than twice per year. If you miss by a few days it really does make a difference. This is why Apple doesn't announce future updates, because everyone would stop buying the current model and wait for the next. It's smart business. I'm not going to criticize them for it because it makes sense. But it still is very very different from the PC market.

That's the point. They are always making minor updates, so there is no point in waiting for one and no need for an advanced notice. Let's say you buy a Dell a day before they make a minor tweak. If you had waited another day you would have gotten that tweak, but then in two weeks there'd be another tweak and another. There is no point in waiting for any particular update because they are always updating.

Ok...but...

The main complaint I'm hearing is that if someone buys an Apple, and 30+ days later they release an update, people get pissed. Hell, people are complaining that they just bought a Mac Book 2 weeks ago and now it's updated. So, my question is, why aren't Dell or Sony users pissing and moaning when they buy a laptop and an upgrade comes out shortly thereafter. Just because they're "expected" shouldn't make any difference.

Apple updates their specs on laptops an average of less than twice per year. If you miss by a few days it really does make a difference. This is why Apple doesn't announce future updates, because everyone would stop buying the current model and wait for the next. It's smart business. I'm not going to criticize them for it because it makes sense. But it still is very very different from the PC market.

Ok...but...

How is missing by a few days making any difference at all? If you buy a laptop, and at the time it's the one you want, how does it matter if a month later they release an update? How is that any different from Dell releasing an update in 2 weeks...then another 2 weeks later...then another...

At some point you need to draw a line in the sand and say, NOW is when I NEED a laptop. I'm going to get the best one I can afford right now, and who cares what happens a month from now. I don't see ANY difference between what happens after that purchase if it's an Apple, Dell, HP, etc. No difference at all.

Too bad you can't run OS X...But, at least you can load Linux.

Yeah, if I wanted a big monitor then I'd plug my laptop into my 24 inch wide screen. A laptop with a 17" is pointless for me. I already own a desktop. I want the small size.

I bought my HP Pavilion four months ago. It has a Core 2 Duo 1.66 Ghz processor, 17" screen, glossy black cover, 200 GB, 2GB RAM, and a real video card -- an nVidia Go 7600!

Hmm, for my 1400 I got a macbook with a faster processor, the same ram, and a much more manageable form factor. I'd also wager that the 13-inch macbook screen is better looking (and probably the same resolution). You got me on the HD size and the video card, but I've got you on the processor, toteability, and tons of other stuff no one's mentioned (like videoconferencing through the built-in camera, or the nify mag-safe power connector, or having firewire, etc).

But hey, if you're HP is the right machine for you, more power to ya, but the macbook is more than competitive price-wise (unless you're looking at the black one, which really is a bit of a rip-off)

the vid card in yours is probably nicer

Probably? Hahaha.

See, I use my laptop AS my desktop. Which I do.

Too bad you can't run OS X

Yeah, I'm missing out on so much.

Yeah, if I wanted a big monitor then I'd plug my laptop into my 24 inch wide screen. A laptop with a 17" is pointless for me. I already own a desktop. I want the small size.

And to each his own, but my point was you poor folks are overpaying for your hardware.

Yeah, I'm missing out on so much.

Yes, you are. Glad to see you can admit it...

I really want to point people to this thread the next time someone says it's Mac users who are arrogant about their purchases.

What I see here is a PC user crashing a party with questionable (some might say inaccurate) information and leaving smug replies to factual rebuttals.

I guess. But, all my friends are lucky as well, then.

For what it's worth, I consider myself to be a "heavy" user.

I have to agree with Brian—I've never had any of my iPod batteries burn out. I do notice they don't hold as much of a charge after about a year and a half, but even my old 3G is still alive and kicking. Sounds like a case of bad luck.

With iPods and especially laptops the Apple extended warranty is definitely worth the money. I had the logic board replaced on my iBook about a year and a half in and was glad I ponied up the cash for the warranty. On my MacBook I've also had the logic board and the battery replaced—both at no cost besides a few weeks without my computer.

Brian, you're lucky because about half of my friends have had their batteries burn out after two years. I still have a broken iPod lying somewhere in my house.

You do know that a new, higher-capacity iPod battery can be had for about $20, right?

Sounds like a case of bad luck.

This is a very good point.

I should have said that Alex's friends have been unlucky. I've never seen anything at all to make me believe that most of, a lot of, or even a large number of people are having iPod issues.

So, I don't think it's "lucky" for someone like me to have the experience I've had. I think it's "unlucky" for those who don't have a good experience.

My iPod 3G battery didn't "burn out" or explode or anything, but after 4 (?) years of heavy usage, I get maybe an hour of charge, so unless I keep the thing tethered to a power supply it's a lot less useful than I want it to be. However, the battery life started falling off within a couple of months after I bought it, despite their initial claims that the battery was designed to last for the lifetime of the iPod. By the time I'd had it for a year, I was getting maybe 4 hours of charge.

They might sound reasonable about the whole issue now, but until they were hit with a class-action suit and settlement, Apple was not acknowledging that there even was an issue. They wanted to charge you over $150 for the new battery, which they dropped to $99 after the suit, after telling you that if you opened the case yourself for any reason, they would no longer service it at all. Having to spend $100-150 on a device which you paid $350 for a year earlier does not make for happy customers.

Still, besides the battery, it's a great little machine, and I just followed the link in Chris's comment above (thanks!) and ordered a replacement battery. If I can get 8 hours of charge, I'm going to be a happy camper and singing Apple's praises again!

So, I'm guessing it was generic RAM of one flavor or another?

I'm curious -- because MicroCenter sticks with their story that "generic RAM" is bad for your laptop and is "likely to fail." So, they sell the same high-priced stuff you get from Apple.

But, Gruber posted a link to 1GB sticks for $27 bucks (!) after a mail in rebate of 20 dollars. Even $47 is ridiculously low: So, is there a risk involved? Because -- I could really use another 1GB stick. (I'm at 1.25GB now.)

I've only had a problem with RAM once, but I bought from a good vendor and they put it right. I usually end up buying from 1-800-4-memory, as they usually have the best price, but check dealram or ramseeker.

You'll see additional benefits, as macbooks like matched pairs or RAM.

I'm assuming it doesn't really matter whether or not the RAM is the same "brand" -- so long as its the same type of RAM?

I jumped up from the default 512 MB by adding a gigabyte stick -- and I've already noticed a huge difference. Hopefully adding that second GB will be another noticeable increase.

I highly recommend going with matched pairs (meaning both sticks are the same brand...) Another good resource for memory is Other World Computing (www.macsales.com).

I bought Crucial sticks because they're a very reputable brand. They've even gone way down in price since I bought them. I got mine from Newegg.

You upgraded your own harddrive to the 7200RPM? Because there is no 100GB 7200RPM option from Apple.

Also, why would you buy it from CompUSA in the first place?