Wow, I must say I didn’t expect to hear this – DigiTimes is reporting that Apple will begin shipping larger 15.4-inch MacBooks to bridge the gap between the 13.3-inch MacBook and the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. The new laptops won’t be manufactured by Asustek, which has maintained production of the current 13.3-inch MacBooks.
Instead, Quanta Computer will lead production of the larger MacBook; Quanta also produces the 15.4 and 17-inch MacBook Pros for Apple. As these 15.4-inch MacBooks won’t be heard about until May 2007, it is very likely that they would be the first Macs to ship with Leopard installed… assuming there’s no Mac Pro update in the near future. Personally, I don’t really think this was a wise decision by Apple. They will lose potential MacBook Pro consumers that require the larger screen but want to get it as cheap as possible. Also, this news likely signals the death of the everlasting rumor about a solid-state 12-inch ultra-portable MacBook.
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Damnit! Apple stop releasing new hardware, you are making my black Core Duo Macbook even more obsolete.. I agree though, this would be terrible for business, current product line gives you two choices, high grade and low grade. Don’t confuse the apple-zots by adding a third grade.
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I think all of this talk is just that: talk. Apple definitely knows that if they release a 15-inch MacBook that it will likely kill 15-inch MacBook Pro sales. They definitely won’t do that. And even if there new machines released in May in whatever size or configuration, they won’t have Leopard installed. WWDC is in June and that is more likely when Steve Jobs will announce any new updates or features as well as a ship date for Leopard. Releasing machines that have it natively installed BEFORE it’s officially shipped just introduces the chance that it will get pirated. And we know how Apple feels about Piracy……
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Who says Leopard is scheduled for WWDC? I think/hope it will be released in April.
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argh! Yes, I hope Leopard comes out earlier than later. I was an idiot who skipped Tiger…
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From all I’ve heard, Apple could decide to drop Leopard anytime within the next four months. The best bets are the last week in March, soon after NAB (mid-April), or WWDC (June). I pray it’s not the latter.
As far as a new portable, sounds good to me. I have to get one before heading off to college, and I’m right on the border between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. There are only two things I don’t like about the MacBook: integrated graphics, and it still only comes with the glossy display. I’m gradually getting used to the screen, but I’m not all for it yet. Here’s hoping Apple might actually give customers the choice on this new one.
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Hey Paul,
since from this news we might see a new macbook line real soon, when do you think the new Macbook Pro (Quad core possibly?) will come out? Am planning to replace my dated iBook G4 12″ by the end of this year.
I can’t believe some of you are such Apple fanboys that you are complaining that they might actually release a product that so many people have been wishing for.
I would be thrilled to pay significantly less than a MBP if I can still get the large screen, and I’ll laugh at Apple if their MBP sales decline! Maybe it will drive prices down across the board.
And I’m sure some of you will be mad about this, wishing Apple was raping customers for every penny in their smug pockets.
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Question for everyone out there. I’m getting ready to replace my old aging Dell Insipron 1100 Notebook and I need help as to whether or not I should go with the MacBook or MacBook Pro. Cost is a consideration, but I will give everyone the list of things that I do on a regular basis, so you have an idea of what I will be using it for. First, so everyone knows, I have an entry level Mac Mini G4 with Combo Drive that I use on a day to day basis, but I need to be portable and with that comes the need to replace that clunky old Windows Notebook.
The main things that I do are WebDesign (Mainly Wordpress and CMS updates).
Photography (Canon Digital Rebel). Yes, I do use Photoshop quite a bit.
And some video. I have an entry level MiniDV camcorder and it will mainly be used to just make home movies, and the like, that will be put up on YouTube or on my personal website.
I would like to have a DVD Burner so that I can burn DVD’s as I am currently planning on moving to Africa and will need a way to send videos home of my kids to all my relatives here.
That’s about it. I’m leaning toward the MacBook, but I didn’t know if it would handle the small video and photoshop things ok. Also, I will need to boot into Windows every once in a blue moon to access a donor database that is written in Access. That’s about it.
Thanks for any suggestion or help.
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