MacWorld Keynote Announces x86 iMac & Laptop 1607
Steve Jobs began giving his keynote at 9am local time, PST. The action was posted live at MacRumorsLive, and Engadget. From the Engadget liveblog: "How many [iPods] did we sell last quarter? Some of the estimates were getting astronomical - 8 million, 9 million. I'm really pleased to announce that last quarter we sold 14 million iPods .. that is over a hundred every minute, 24/7 throughout the quarter. And it still wasnt enough. We've now sold over 42 million iPods -- as you can see the curve is going up again" MacWorld and Ars Technica has coverage as well. The shiniest news: MacBook Pro. iSight, Front Row; $1999 1.67 Core Duo; 667 DDR bus, Radeon x1600; $2499 1.83GHz. Intel chip.
Stupid name (Score:4, Interesting)
What do you guys think?
-Sj53
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Funny)
Hot potatoes, Oxford shores, Puck to make amends! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Funny)
I smell a new Apple slogan!
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Funny)
"Out out, damned spot!"
Unimportant... (Score:5, Insightful)
What do you guys think?
The art of choosing strategically well thought out product names is a declining art these days, I need only point to "Windows Defender". While most of us nerds know that Windows is on the defensive in the malware department there is no reason to let the uninitiated masses of Windows users know about it, they think the current situation is normal.
Not that I really care about the 'stupidity' of the MacBook name and I do agree with you that it is kinda clumsy. What I care about is what this MacBook can do and how soon I can get my filthy paws on one. Now if you will excuse me I have to go and empty my piggybank....
PowerBook ... MacBook ? PowerMac ... MacMac ? (Score:5, Funny)
Sheesh ...
Huh? (Score:5, Informative)
It looks just like my G4 Powerbook. What's so different?
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Funny)
Learn to overlock, n00b.
Re:Stupid name (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Indeed (Score:5, Funny)
Just how long will it be before someone 'hacks' a way in to view through it at any time?
These days, a lot of people leave their machines on 24/6...I pretty much do all of mine. You've just put up a ready built survellience (sp?) system on yourself, and you might not even know it. Bad for personal usage, but, what if this was in a company somwhere...makes it easy to spy on you.
Will there be a neat little iPatch that you can slip over the camera to prevent is seeing anything?
Re:Indeed (Score:5, Funny)
With the switch to Intel, I can see why you're a little confused... these will be running Mac OS X, not Windows.
Re:Indeed (Score:5, Funny)
And on the seventh day Jobs rested and saw what he had made, and saw that it was good.
Re:Indeed (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, because as everyone knows the Mac has so saturated the market to be near ubiquitous.
European Price? (Score:3, Funny)
Man, dunno how i'm gonna feel on my lowly powerbook though
Re:European Price? (Score:5, Funny)
Slashdot readers don't have to worry about that.
Re:European Price? (Score:4, Funny)
Simple, the part of the Slashdot readers who aren't total geek stereotypes don't mind this situation. And for the rest, the situation would never occur in the first place.
macbook pro page http://www.apple.com/macbookpro (Score:5, Informative)
Dropped FW 800 and cardbus.
Re:macbook pro page http://www.apple.com/macbookpr (Score:5, Informative)
Re:macbook pro page http://www.apple.com/macbookpr (Score:4, Interesting)
I think we may be looking at a return to 2hr. battery life. When you configure a new Powerbook, err, MacBook Pro, at the Apple online store, the first recommended product is the "Rechargeable Battery - 15-inch MacBook Pro - Buy an extra battery to double your battery life when traveling." Hmmm.
Re:macbook pro page http://www.apple.com/macbookpr (Score:4, Informative)
Not really. Firewire 800 never went anywhere, and there's an ExpressCard slot for expansion.
What could have the MacBook been if they had stayed with Power
Um, a lot slower?
So this launched has killed the Mac for me.
That makes no sense whatsoever, but ok.
Re:No modem. (Score:5, Insightful)
Most hotels and buisnesses use WiFi 802.11b/g. If you really want the modem you get a USB one. But for most systems now it is becoming one of those unused ports. on my powerbook I used my Modem like 4 times in 4 years. Once to see if it worked, 3 Times after I moved waiting for my Cable to be hooked up. Modems are no longer as nessary as they use to be.
Re:No modem. (Score:4, Informative)
So the big question is... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So the big question is... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:So the big question is... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:So the big question is... (Score:4, Informative)
(For comparison it's only in the last week or so that Linux has been made to boot on the Dual Core G5s, since they use a bridge chip that differs significantly from those used in earlier versions)
Re:So the big question is... (Score:5, Informative)
Imagine different. They use EFI [apple.com].
Re:So the big question is... (Score:4, Interesting)
split down the middle (Score:3, Insightful)
i wonder how long till ibooks and mini's
Photocasting? Ugh (Score:4, Interesting)
Thanks Steve, but the Associated Press has been standardized on pheed for well over a year now.
MacBook Pro (Score:5, Insightful)
Really, all the top Mac news sites and blogs need to get on board with this. It is NOT a "MacBook Pro". It is and always will be a Powerbook.
A little history (Score:5, Interesting)
Windows? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Windows? (Score:4, Funny)
Running MS Windows on a MacBook Pro is like letting a retarded kid drive a Ferrari.
Re:Windows? (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, but at least the retarded kid gets to play F.E.A.R. and Warhammer 40,000:Dawn of War.
While driving the Ferrari.
Or does the metaphor break down at that point?
Re:Windows? (Score:4, Informative)
1.4. Does Xen support Microsoft Windows?
Unfortunately we do not currently support Windows; the paravirtualized approach we use to get such high performance has not been usable directly for Windows to date. However recently announced hardware support from Intel and AMD will allow us to transparently support Windows XP & 2003 Server in the near future. We are working on this and intend to have support available by the time the new processors are available.
Duo is that new processor.
VT and Xen 3.0 will [xensource.com]
virtualize Windows XP...
From PR:
The demonstration features a pre-release version of Xen 3.0 virtualizing both Linux and Microsoft Windows XP SP2. Support for unmodified guests, such as Windows, is made possible by Intel's VT technology, which provides a privileged mode of execution that allows Xen to share platform resources between both modified and unmodified guest operating systems, providing CPU, memory and I/O resource guarantees.
New 3.0Ghz Pen4 has VT [intel.com] and Yonah [intel.com] being part of the 65nm tech... also has virtualization.
Re:Windows? (Score:5, Informative)
Big Money (Score:4, Informative)
Something I really like... (Score:5, Interesting)
Power Up With MagSafe
The new power adapter with MagSafe connector is designed to magnetically guide your cord into place and disconnect smoothly if someone (else) trips over it.
---
I think that's awesome. I can't tell you how many times I've grabbed my PowerBook thinking it wasn't plugged in, only to have the chord yanked out, or worse, have the laptop almost pulled out of my hands.
MacBookPro anagram (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MacBookPro anagram (Score:4, Insightful)
Rico... enough with the dynamite already.
Re:MacBookPro anagram (Score:4, Funny)
MacBook Pro (or kaboom!, PC)
Gaps (and lack of) in the product line (Score:5, Insightful)
iMac that's as powerful as a PowerMac? Who's gonna wanna buy PowerMacs for the next couple months? Does Apple expect to make so much profit from the iMac intel over the coming months than the forgone profit from lost PowerMac G5 sales? I would think that the PowerMac G5 made a much higher profit than the iMac.
And a MacBook Pro that's 10x more powerful than a iBook?!? There goes the iBook market...
Anybody else see the logic of transitioning the consumer desktop and pro laptop first, rather than starting with the consumer desktop and laptop, or the pro desktop and laptop, or the pro desktop and consumer laptop, or some other combination?
Re:Gaps (and lack of) in the product line (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Gaps (and lack of) in the product line (Score:5, Insightful)
The iBook is 1/2 the price of the MacBook Pro, which is enough of a differentiation, really. But yeah, that MacBook Pro is one juicy piece of hardware. You're right, though, it's certainly an awkward product lineup.
I believe the current "funk" in the product line is entirely a product of the fact that the transition to Intel is going to be uneven as the engineering teams work on each individual model to bring them in to the Intel future. The iMac is equivalent in power to a PowerMac, it looks like, which only bodes well for the next PowerMac ("MacDesktop Pro"? "Mac Pro"?) - that puppy will be one seriously powerful monster.
But like Steve said, they'll be transitioning them throughout the year. I imagine that once all the machines are moved over, the pricing will settle a bit and we'll get back our 12" and 17" laptop models.
My 12" PowerBook used to seem so powerful... Cripes.
Re:Gaps (and lack of) in the product line (Score:5, Insightful)
What machines does Apple make the largest markup on ?
Profit is the only motive that makes sense to me. Consider that Apple knows it's going to be seeing a somewhat limited supply of chips and chipsets from Intel. With that as a given, where do they want to put those chips- in low-margin designs like the Mac mini and iBook, or in higher-margin designs like the desktop and pro laptop ?
Also, what chipset would Apple put in a lower-end machine ? I'm going to guess that due to Apple using Trusted Computing crap to keep you from building your own MacIntel and pirating OS X, they're not going to use any chipsets ( and thus chips ) that are pre-Yonah, so the low end of what they have right now is the slower 1.3-1.6Ghz Duo Core chip... too powerful and expensive for real low-margin machines, so... no low-end Mac Intels for now, and we won't see any until Intel introduces newer chips that can move in on the high end, maybe. Of course, I'm just speculating, but nothing else makes sense to me... I don't think there's a pure market-based reason for Apple to abandon the low end, I think it's just what they're able to do right now.
Too bad, too, I think that if Apple weren't so paranoid about OS X ending up on a Dell, they'd be able to make a seriously cheap Mac mini based on a Pentium M or something...
Re:Gaps (and lack of) in the product line (Score:4, Insightful)
The new chips will be out in more machines than just Apple. Why does Apple not release the mini on lower spec processors? Well first off, just because they didn't announce it the *day* they revealed their first Intel machines, doesn't mean it isn't going to happen. Second off, they aren't in the bottom-end business in general. The mini is a transition machine for geeks. It's meant to make OS X appeal to the homebrew crowd, who don't account for many sales, but do generate a lot of buzz. It's an important product, but it's not their top priority. Secondly, the mini is a little engineering feat. There is a very much non-zero cost in assembling a new one and testing it. Their first two machines seem to address the biggest hole in their product line (badly lagging top-end laptop) and the most friendly product for the early adopter crowd (medium cost & big cool factor iMac)
Apple also wants to avoid getting mired in the jargon and infinitely fractured product lines of the PC world. I imagine their negotiations with Intel are a big reason that Yonah isn't being called Pentium-Y etc. I doubt they will ever have more than two processor families going in their active line of computers (2 laptops, 2 desktops + eMac, mini, server)
Thinking that Apple is overly concerned about piracy ignores the company's history of not using any kind of restriction or guard against software copying. Most apple applications STILL can be copied from one computer on a network to another, simply by dragging the application icon. No apple product has ever had a CD Key or anything similar. They're aware of their market and demographics. They sell to professionals and high-end users who don't mind buying software. It's the same reason they can drop support for old OS X releases the moment the new one comes out. Their market doesn't mind paying, and it enables them to push new technologies with a much greater ease than if they had to maintain the roughly 5-year backwards compatibility that Microsoft does. The first time Apple ever had ANY copy control on anything they've done is when they started getting in bed with the media industry. That just goes with that territory, but their power over Apple isn't so great as to affect the design of their computing systems, otherwise you'd have seen much more significant changes to the way things like Appletalk and Safari handle files by now.
Likewise, try to imagine the type of person that would be downloading a torrent of OS X, burning it to a CD, and installing on unsupported and undocumented hardware. That person is not a potential apple customer. They're clearly not willing to fork over the Apple premium (yes it does exist, Apple has nothing in competition with $300 and $400 desktop with monitor and $600 laptops, even though those give performance roughly equivalent -- where it matters to that market anyway -- to the lowest end ibook and the emac and mini) so why should Apple care? Their tech support will hang up as soon as the "customer" says they are on non-apple hardware, it's only a small core of nerds looking to brag about accomplishing something illicit that will be doing this. Mom, Joe Dormroom, Suzy Designer, and Vic Corporate would never bother.
Apple's entire market strategy is about maintaining a large niche with heavy profit margins. I really doubt they want to dominate the PC world. If Apple had Microsoft's market share, they'd have to do things very differently (not for the least of reasons that many of their practices such as hardware exclusivity and software bundling would make Microsoft look angelic in comparason if OS X were the "default" operating system of the masses.
If they *are* making significant product design decisions based on the fear of OS X getting onto some Dell somewhere, then they're fools.
Re:Gaps (and lack of) in the product line (Score:4, Insightful)
not that slow. rosetta instantly recompiles PPC code to x86, not emulate, so the only true overhead is the compilation, which is the same overhead you get with any runtime such as Java. Also, Apple can simply improve rosetta to include compiler optimizations (well, very very low-level), the same way Transmeta can optimize their internal core to improve x86 execution, with the key distinction that while Transmeta banks its entire corporate strategy on that translation, Apple is simply adopting it as a stop-gap bridge.
Assume Yonah is 2x-4x that of G4 on either Int or FP (let's take Steve's word for it). Take out 20% for the lack of software compiler high-level optimization, and you still beat a native G4 app by a huge margin.
also, if i recall correctly, 68K code was *emulated* on PowerPC-based Macs, not real-time translated.
Re:Gaps (and lack of) in the product line (Score:5, Informative)
I want one... NOW (Score:4, Interesting)
Low Resolution (Score:5, Interesting)
My 10" laptop has 1280x768 for goodness sakes.
Re:Low Resolution (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Low Resolution (Score:4, Insightful)
A twelve point font should be twelve point, not necessarily twelve pixels. The way it is currently handled, fonts are too small on a 100dpi screen because points are 72dpi, yet operating systems simply render them as 12 pixels high. That makes text techically too small on pretty much any current LCD screen save maybe the 19" SXGA screens.
I want higher resolution not necessarily to show more detail or show more text or have more objects on the screen, but have smoother fonts and UI elements rather than blocky edges.
Re:Low Resolution (Score:5, Funny)
I think you're already there.
MacBook ===== Acer Travelmate 8200 (Score:4, Funny)
Apple's doom is sealed if they are going to start charging more for the same thing you can get in the PC WORLD!
Only difference, Apple is running OSX, so Apple should charge less then the Acer Travelmate, Acer has to pay Microsoft for Windows, Apple doesn't have to pay anybody for OSX.
Apple doesn't get it. They have become PC OEM retailers and with the exception of the OS, every component is made by PC OEM manufacturers, but Apple thinks they can charge more for it. Brand recognition might drive big sales in the first few months, but eventually people are going to realize you can get the same performance in a PC product for cheaper without paying more for the branding, as has been the case for the last few years.
Apple DIDN'T EVEN REDESIGN THE CASE!
MacBook Pro = the biggest joke yet. Apple claims it is more then a PC, it IS a PC, just costs more.
We can finally compare Apple's to Apple's now, I can't wait for the benchmarks that prove Apple isn't anything more then a PC with a different logo. Considering OSX has had lousy comparisons to similar Linux and Windows concepts (like threading performance, etc) which have been provem kernel related, I am sure that we will find that performance on the Mactels are probably not as good as with the same system running Linux or Windows.
Good luck Apple! After a year of hype you have come out with a product that has already been on the market for months.
Re:MacBook ===== Acer Travelmate 8200 (Score:4, Insightful)
Um, doesn't it normally cost money to develop software? Silly question I know but I'm fairly sure that and OS doesn't just fall from the sky followed on a regular basis by updates. I'm forever having to clean those annoying binaries from the gutters on my roof.
Re:MacBook ===== Acer Travelmate 8200 (Score:4, Insightful)
Not to mention you don't pay entirely for the components, you pay a lot for the fact the bloody thing just works in harmony with most other things.
MagSafe connector (Score:5, Interesting)
especially when you have kids (Score:5, Funny)
Thinkpad A32: power connection killed by my son about 6 months later
Dell 5160: power connection killed by my daughter as she's learning to crawl and pull herself up things.
Thinkpad R52: power connection seems OK so far. Crossing my fingers.
(Those of you who are thinking, "Well, duh, just keep your laptop away from your kids" either don't have kids or don't have a serious computer addiction. And since you're on
Re:especially when you have kids (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MagSafe connector (Score:4, Informative)
Very nice design. We'll see how it holds up in a year or so though.
Battery Life? (Score:4, Insightful)
I feel abused (Score:4, Insightful)
We've been lied to horribly for the last 3-4 years. Clock for clock intels are as powerful as PowerPC. So when I bought my 1.8GHz iMac G5 it was already slower than equivalent PCs. Now thats all very well and good, except that Apple were screaming that it was faster, better, stronger. That you would be mad to even think about buying Intel, and I sucked it up. Its not even like they didn't know the truth. They've been developing Mac OS X on intel for the last 5 years, so they new they were onto a looser with PowerPC and they still over sold.
Now I'm very happy with my Mac, but the smug sense of superiority that I bought with the Mac has been wiped out. I miss being inside the RDF.
Clock for Clock, both statements are true. (Score:5, Informative)
B: Clock for clock the Pentium M based Core Duo chip is faster than the G5. So again the truth.
Mix in some marketing (aka exagerations) and you have your situation.
Statement A: was meaningless because the P4 architecture always ran at a much faster clock speed which made it faster in actual use. So Intel in practical terms has pretty much always been faster.
It helps to ignore marketing and think for yourself what you want.
I never bought a Mac before but I might get one this year becasue I like the new architecture. I am waiting on a new Mini. I hope it uses the new Core Duo and runs cool and quiet. I hope they aren't putting the core solo in the mini as I would have to keep waiting...
Re:I feel abused (Score:4, Interesting)
Not that long.
Clock for clock intels are as powerful as PowerPC.
Only now.
So when I bought my 1.8GHz iMac G5 it was already slower than equivalent PCs.
No, because it was faster than a 2.6 GHz P4. The Pentium 4 was a mistake (sacrificing power for clock speed on Intel's part) they've come to their senses now.
Now thats all very well and good, except that Apple were screaming that it was faster, better, stronger.
Because it was during the time that Apple was hyping it. Especially in the later days of the G4, and the early days of the G5. Apple mysteriously stopped updating any of their benchmarks before the announced switch to Intel, and even if they did update their benchmarks, it was only ever against older model Pentium 4's.
That you would be mad to even think about buying Intel, and I sucked it up. Its not even like they didn't know the truth. They've been developing Mac OS X on intel for the last 5 years, so they new they were onto a looser with PowerPC and they still over sold.
It's a hard thing to truely measure. As far as "scientific" and advanced math go, the G5 is still a better CPU, you can push much more high pressure data through it, but for the consumer the better choice is the new cores from Intel.
In all cases, every G5 beats out any Pentium 4, those things were just stupid.
FM Tuner (Score:5, Funny)
No low end machines ?!? Mac mini, iBook ?!? (Score:5, Interesting)
Why not package the new iMac guts in a case without a monitor? I understand the desire to use their allotment of Yonah processors in the machines that will give them the highest markup, but all the PC fanboys are going to complain now that they don't want to pay for a monitor just to upgrade their machines... and even Mac fanboys aren't going to buy PowerMacs, iBooks, or Mac minis when iMacs and this ( IMHO poorly named ) "Mac Book Pro" are so far ahead of them and clearly on the way out, if not already gone.
Anyone have thoughts on why there were no Mac mini, iBook, or eMac updates ( or Intel conversions ) today ? What is going to happen there ?
Re:No low end machines ?!? Mac mini, iBook ?!? (Score:5, Informative)
Classic has left the building (Score:4, Informative)
What's with the hardware downgrades? (Score:4, Informative)
I can't fathom why they'd introduce a new generation of hardware like this and drop back on features that are almost a no-op to keep.
Lithium-polymer battery (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple is using Intel (Score:3, Funny)
Named for advertising (Score:4, Funny)
For instance, the MacBook was named such because of the possible tie ins with other proven products.
Apple will soon be announcing the Big MacBook Pro. It will feature a larger screen, two all-beef patties, a sesame seed bun, and be cross advertised with McDonalds.
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:4, Informative)
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:5, Informative)
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:5, Informative)
All of that to get it *almost* equal to the MacBook is $1814.98. Plus, that does not come with a firewire camera, nor a remote control, not to mention all the software Apple bundles in for free.
So the premium is $185.02, and that's only if the additional hardware and software standard on the MacBook are worthless to you.
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:4, Informative)
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:4, Informative)
No, it comes with iWork '06 preview. If you want iWork preinstalled, it is a BTO option for $79 which is the same as retail price.
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:4, Insightful)
By the way loading of a free *nix is not the same thing as a OS that is supported by a company. So if you have a problem with your install who are you going to call for free support? Go ahead and load iTunes and MS Office on your version of *nix and make sure that you have that special MS support number for Office versions running on *nix.
Why are you bothering with using a Gateway computer you can buy barebones laptops and build your own. Hey you can save even more buying an LCD panel and duct taping a small computer to the back of it.
Why don't you compare similar items. An OS with telephone support, an Office package with phone support, built in features that actually work rather then bolt on items that may or may not work, and when you buy your bolt on crap don't go for the lowest price bargain bin trash go with a name brand item.
I am all for OSS but you might as well say the Gateway is a rip off since includes software. You and I might enjoy playing with computers but 99% of computer users are just that users. Any version of *nix is not as good for the average user because of the lack of a support structure.
If I asked my wife to compile something so she can install a program she needs to run she would tell me to kiss her ass as would 99% of the computer users out there. Talk to someone at Best Buy and ask them how many people come in looking to buy a new computer because their old one is full of spyware and they would rather buy a new one then redo the old one. The Gateway and the MacBook are both directed at those users and the MacBook just happens to do the job better. The right tool for the right job I always say.
Re:The MacBook Pro (Score:5, Informative)
Size and weight(which translates to engineering and design), since the Gateway is 1.3" thick and 6lb and the MacBook is 1" thick and 5.6lb
Dual link DVI; the Gateway only has VGA and s-video, while the MacBook can power the new Dell or the old Apple 30" LCD.
Software: The MacBook comes with iLife, OS X, iChat, etc
Hardware: The MacBook comes with a 640x480 30fps build in video camera
QA: I think Apple notebooks are slightly more reliable than Gateway... but feel free to buy the Gateway if that extra $100 savings means that much to you
All five things together work to roughly $110 per point, don't you think?
Yawn... (Score:4, Insightful)
Yet again somebody makes the case for buying a Kia instead of a Benz. And before anybody is tempted to start bitching about the analogy being invalid since both the Dell and the MacBook have more or less the same 'engine' please note that if the outgoing PowerBook line is anything to judge by you get a bit more than just $550 worth of Software with the MacBook. That would include both consumer software like iMovie, iDVD, (plus a whole slew of other consumer software) and a pretty sophisticated development package. Does the Dell ship with a decent Movie editor, DVD authoring software and a full featured copy of MS Visulal Studio (according to MS that will set you back $799, upgrade: $549) as well as Windows XP? Another point is that the MacBook is likely to remain the only computer on the market able to stably triple boot OS.X Windows, and Linux which for me is a major reason to buy one although personally I probably will settle for running Windows 2003 and LINUX on some Virtual PC type setup.
Re:Never Microsoft Windows again. (Score:5, Interesting)
In fact, while I was always die-hard Apple supporter (I'm typing this on my fourth Apple-branded laptop) I appreciate the fact that now I will be able to dual boot in Windows and play the games not-yet or not-at-all released for MacOS. I actually do have a copy of "Deus Ex 2" waiting for the release of Intel-based Macs. Now I'll be able to dust it off... and play on a soon-to-be-mine iMac.
Re:Never Microsoft Windows again. (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, this is the most important remaining question about this entire announcement. Is it really the case that one can install Windows on Apple's new hardware? Can any geeks out there truly verify this? Has anyone actually gotten the shipping hardware and tried to install Windows on it and successfully gotten it up and running with a dual-boot configuration?
It wouldn't surprise me if Apple has implemented some kind of unique encrypted handshaking between the OS X installer and the hardware so that only Apple's OS can be installed on it, so that they can avoid receiving support calls from people who put Windows on Apple hardware. Keep in mind that even if they refuse to provide support for such a configuration, the bulk of a support call's cost is in the customer placing the call in the first place. If someone calls only to be told "we don't support that", that has already cost Apple a good bit of money.
Re:Never Microsoft Windows again. (Score:4, Interesting)
A neater solution would probably be a native version of VirtualPC or an equivalent, as you can then copy and paste between Windows and OS X.
Re:Never Microsoft Windows again. (Score:5, Informative)
They won't support that, but they declared already that they will do nothing to prevent it. After Apple Intel FAQ [appleintelfaq.com]:
After Jobs' presentation, Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller addressed the issue of running Windows on Macs, saying there are no plans to sell or support Windows on an Intel-based Mac. "That doesn't preclude someone from running it on a Mac. They probably will," he said. "We won't do anything to preclude that.
Re:Never Microsoft Windows again. (Score:4, Insightful)
I switched FROM Linux (which I was fairly happy with as a longtime user) to OS X about 6 months ago. Comming from Linux - I actually GAINED games that I can play. That being said - around 1995 I switched from Windows to Linux. I just learned to live without Windows specific software. It really does not take much. What gaming I could not do with Linux I substituted with a console. I can see why some people would want to dual boot Linux (I still feel that open source has great merit and the urge to tinker is hard to overcome), but Windows?
To put it another way - WHY would you go out and buy yourself a Mercedes, drive it home happily, then promptly put a nice set of square wheels on it?!?
There is just SOO much crap in the way of viruses and MBR issues that you'd be creating for yourself that would ruin the reason you own a Mac. Why do that to yourself?
obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
(first read somewhere here on Slashdot, I'm sure)
Re:FIrewire 800 (Score:4, Interesting)
I think that's exactly what they're doing -- the most recent iPod rev doesn't have a Firewire interface for example. It seems that USB 2.0 may have eaten Firewire's lunch -- speeds are comparable, and -- as of pretty recently -- USB comes in a wireless flavor. Even when Firewire was going gangbusters, not every machine (I'm speaking now in the broader universe of all consumer computers, desktop and laptp, not just Apple Powerbooks) had Firewire, but they all had USB. I suspect that firewire will stick around for certain applications, but that if you really want to use it with new Mac laptops, you'll need a Firewire-USB dongle adapter.
Re:Firewire 800 (Score:4, Insightful)
It's worth noting that FireWire 400 is present and accounted for on the MacBook Pro, so no need for USB->FireWire dongle adapters. Yet.
In the case of the iPod, it makes sense to focus on a single interface that is a "least common denominator" among users -- and while many PCs lack IEEE 1394 ports, all modern PCs have USB 2.0, and all modern Macs have USB 2.0 as well. So eliminating FireWire support from the iPod is a great cost-saving measure that increases Apple's profit margin and streamlines the product design moving forward.
Re:FIrewire 800 (Score:5, Interesting)
Another likelihood to the lack of FW 800 includes Intel (who developed the USB spec and may have asked Apple to push USB2 instead), as well as problems in heat or design that prohibited use of FW 800. I'm betting for simplicity + Intel pressure. We've already seen Apple choose USB2 as its dominate sync interface for iPods, and this is a reflection of that change.
Overall, not a bad introduction for a new 'book, but betware the Rev1 Effect. Remember the first PowerPC systems? Not bad, BUT...
Re:FIrewire 800 (Score:5, Interesting)
USB 2.0 comes practically free with any modern chipset. Firewire does not. A good firewire interface will take 2-3 sq inches of PCB realestate, and add $1-2 to the total cost. The only area where firewire gained some market hold was with digital video cameras, and those now include USB 2.0. Lastly, very few pieces of equipment can even use firewire 800 to it's fullest. USB 2.0 is cheap enough and fast enough to do 99% of what needs to get done. Further you don't have as much customer confusion between ports and cable types and powered vs unpowered ports.
So all that means is that there's a very small slice of people who need firewire for which USB cannot work. They can get a card in the laptop, and Apple can save a few dollars per Mac.
Those who complain about it most are usually doing so for emotional reasons more than logical reasons. Much like those complaining that the new notebook should be referred to as a "Powerbook." They like Apple; Apple came out with firewire; ergo they like firewire. Nevermind that few new peripherals support firewire, and even fewer support only firwire and not USB. Nevermind that similar USB only peripherals are generally cheaper and perform as well as if not better than the equivilant firewire peripheral. Firewire lost in the market. Apple has acknowledged that. Let's move on.
-Adam
Re:Chip Speed (Score:5, Insightful)
This is a dual-core 2Ghz Yonah which I daresay will blow the doors off of a 3Ghz P4 Prescott, and run much cooler, which is necessary in a case that thin (the iMac case) when coolers are space-limited.
Did you post anonymously because you knew that was just a stupid question, or are you just now figuring this out?
Keep it up, genius.
Re:Too expensive... (Score:4, Insightful)
Decent support.
I will never, never, never buy Gateway again.
Dell has better support, though not by much.
Re:Heh (Score:5, Insightful)
The Rumors sites, such as ThinkSecret and MacOSRumors.com, were almost universally wrong this time around.
No new iBook. No Intel mini. No plasma TV's. No "media center" mini. No movie streaming on demand (that was Cringely's guess). None of it.
As of this keynote, Intel chips are going into the iMac and the replacement for the Powerbook... just about the only systems which NOBODY predicted upgrades for.
Looks like Apple managed to plug up the leaks from last year.