Merom MacBook Pro in August

[xtraktion]

College starts soon (Aug 27) and I'd like to get a macbook pro...but damn it if they're going to be getting merom anytime soon (end of august, beginning of september), then I don' want to be stuck buying something that's going to be upgraded in a months time.

 

Then again, if I wait till then and turns out they don't come out till later, then I'm in the same predicament with buying something that'll be coming out soon.

 

I just need a memo or something from Apple....

[bretteghan]

xtraktion, thats the same boat i was in. the feeling of regret that i have right now is immense. school starts for me on the 22nd and I am a graphic design major, so there is no time to spare.

 

if someone could give me some direction on mac's return policy however, it would be greatly appreciated! i just bought it two days ago. its too hot for my lap.

[appleguru]

Same for me.. I need a new laptop for school, but I'm absolutely positively waiting for meroms before I do. The decreased heat and the 64bitness (along with increased speed) will be much appreciated

 

I've waited too long now to not wait; even if it means missing out on the free ipod nano and not having a computer for the start of school, i need to do what I need to do.

 

On the other hand, if apple gets these out before the end of the month, I'll be a very happy guy

[Swad]

Can't remember where I read this (I end up reading a lot of Apple sites), but Apple is expecting a huge shipment of Merom chips in September. I'm sure they'll be going to the MacBook Pros.

[Conroe Mac]

Keep the Macbook Pro and upgrade the processor =)

 

Apple tech support will guide you right through the procedure.

 

(theoretically it should fit fine, if it weren't like soldered on...)

[bretteghan]

yeah, i thought about that. i've got 7 more days to return it to the store, if i so choose. i think thats what i'm going to do. on top of wanting to wait til the merom, my mb pro also has a warped body and doesn't close all the way and the wifi goes dead every 30 seconds or so. basically, i got a lemon.

[teehee]

eekk...i just ordered my macbook pro 15" from my school store (i got a scholarship so i only had to pay 38$)...even if i bought this at the school store (they dont do returns at all, i tried) do you think apple will let me return it to them? its the standard 15.4" 2.16 core duo?

[drcreek]

In reply to teehee.

 

I hope so. I'm buying a 20" iMac from the school i work at in the first week of September then i leave 2 weeks later for uni. I'm going to try and get a copy of all the receipts and order forms.

 

 

Anyone know of what my chances of getting it swapped strait away or if my iMac develops a "fault" (i.e I open the ram slot and poke a 9V battery on its innards) will they change it for a new Core Duo 2 iMac when i say "it just stopped working?"

 

I'm just not happy with spending £1500 and it becoming obsolete a week later?

[ZX81]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3001

 

 

NVidia !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

macvidia and _np are already poking at the kexts

 

 

 

 

Yeeeehhhaaaaaaaa

[xtraktion]

xtraktion, thats the same boat i was in. the feeling of regret that i have right now is immense. school starts for me on the 22nd and I am a graphic design major, so there is no time to spare.

 

if someone could give me some direction on mac's return policy however, it would be greatly appreciated! i just bought it two days ago. its too hot for my lap.

 

It's not so much graphic arts for me as much as it is bioinformatics and lots of scientific apps that are optimized for 64-bit. Either way, with Leopard being completely 64-bit enabled I'd hate to think I'm not going to get the additional boost unless I drop more money on another laptop (which isn't happening on my college budget).

 

Any chance you think the updated books will appear before the apple expo, september 12?

[willgonz]

I think they will announce it at the expo too. I wish is was sooner. Because I think I am going to get a Macbook Pro.

[sev7en]

I think they will announce it at the expo too. I wish is was sooner. Because I think I am going to get a Macbook Pro.

I' dreaming a MacBook Pro powered by Merom and with a black style

[kris2000]

I' dreaming a MacBook Pro powered by Merom and with a black style

+1 !!!!!

A black style would be awesome... I saw a picture on a website, I hope it wasn't a photoshopjob...

[unstatusthequo]

I' dreaming a MacBook Pro powered by Merom and with a black style

 

Yeah I second that

 

Either that or a brushed metal, even though I put that at about 90% unlikely to occur. That would PWN though.

 

I hope everyone is right about an Expo announcement. I'm having trouble balancing the reality of that happening with the sheer hope that it does.

[ManyStyles]

I think that they will anounce all this at the Paris expo.

 

Macbook & MBP with Memrom. Mini will keep the core duo. New Ipod Nano replacement.

 

Nano

-----

The "burn the inventory" give away for students happened wit hthe Mini before the nano came out and back to school is the key time for Ipods and other sub$500 personal electronics. A good move. Ready to ship by November or early December for the holiday season. The nano was SUPER hot last X-mas season and I'm sure that they will try to capitalise as much as they can and time the release to make it the hot product again this season.

 

MB & MBP

-----

 

Apple can no longer sit back, it's now in the same market as a PC notebook and they can't afford to not follow the technology and keep the brand strong.

 

Speaking in economic terms, if Apple doesn't stick the memrom in the macbook that competes with dell's/Sony's/Acer's/Lenovo's midrange offerings that are certain to have memrom, then Apple would begin to lose market share as Dell and the others would be producing a clearly superior product at the same price point. Right now, an Acer or similarly priced PC can get you a core duo, with dual layer dvd and a built in graphics card for about what a macbook costs. Even factoring apple care cost as equivalent to the cost of an onboard graphics solution, PC makers are getting you more bang for your buck already.

 

Apple wants to be the elite PC maker and now they need to not only jump on board, but lead the market.

 

Apple needs to be one of the first to use Intel's latest offerings, to keep the brand strong. No more sitting back and waiting on PowerPC chips for a full year to get a new chipset, no more out of date Ati cards before the notebook even comes out. That doesn't fly in a market with competition. Frankly, Apple hasn't really been competing with PC makers since they differentiate their product so much with a different os, different chip's and chipset, etc. Now, they aren't able to differntiate like that and it's a huge blow if they can't be out in front on the bleeding edge. Apple is seen as the high end pc maker now. The high end brings with it certain expectations and that's to be out on the edge.

 

I'm betting the 17" MBP gets the 2.33 memrom, the 2.16 memrom stays in the 15". If there is to be any case redesign at this point it's only to include the dual layer super drive in the 15" mbp, which is a place where PC laptops have a superior value to Apple laptops. If the MB gets integrated graphics, then the MBP will get a better integrated graphics solution.

 

Macbooks will keep the 1.83 and 2.0 speeds but move to the memrom chip. I don't think it will get integrated graphics, since they really want to keep the MPB professional and the MB a consumer product, and this, along with the case and the screen real estate, keyboard, light sensor etc. is how they will differentiate the lines. The costs of Memrom vs. Yonah are enough to make apple burn off the inventory of old macbooks and upgrade now. Unless I am mistaken, Yonah costs are dropping off significantly, so if Apple elects to keep the macbook Yonah, I bet they drop the price for the 2.0 ghz version to a $999 price point. At that price, the Macbook is a steal over the competing PC notebooks and Apple would be able to move more units of the Macbook, while keeping the MBP like competing with the high end PC maker offerings.

 

Frankly, I think the more likely is a move to Memrom for the MB and the price point staying the same (Apple's gotta pay for those design costs somewhere....)

 

The mini doesn't really compete with any major pc manufacturer, and it's got it's own niche now as a wintel/mac media center with a small, stylish form factor for a living room or a car for those who don't want to assemble a mini PC. I don't see them dumping Yonah for this line and I bet the redesign here will lag without a direct competitor from a major pc maker. I'd expect the Mini and imac to get upgrades to Memrom or then next gen 64 bit processor when they ship Leopard, and use that as the event to bring the entire line 64 bit, Leopard and a the new, non-pro desktops.

 

Simply put, the problem with the mobile core duo line for Apple was that heat was too much of an issue with the size limits Apple imposes to keep their stuff stylish, as was power comsumption during hard tasks. Memrom could solve this and my gut tells me all the random shutdowns, mooing, fan noise, battery trouble, whines of the MBP and MB relate to heat issues. No matter how you cut it, them things are HOT. Too hot for an enclosure that small. Frankly, I think it comes down to the size of the notebook vs. the heat the chip generates and the power it consumes.

[netzen7]

I agree that the merom will not be introduced with much fanfare, if it is introduced early. There may be significant technical gains with the chip, but I'm not so sure that it will be anything the average mac owner will notice in its first releases. I'm using my 17" MBP on my lap right now, as I do every evening - it doesn't get hot doing what I do most. Push the processor, yes, I do reach for a lap tray, or put it on a table. Its fast now, what will a modest initial speed increase of what, 15%?, offer? Only after there is a major bump - cores and significant mhz increase - which I assume won't be showing up in the very first production runs of merom by Intel, will Apple draw attention to the change. Sept intro, maybe, but I don't think it will be across all machines, or a big deal.

 

Apple is already ahead with the CoreDuo, from what I understand. They introduced and shipped ahead of the other majors to my recollection. As I watch the enterprise orders in my shop, there still aren't many duos being ordered in wintel, as they just came available in quantity in the last few weeks from the other majors. Advertised a while ago, yes, shipped, no. Maybe my experience is unique, but I'd say merom won't show up in macs for a couple of months yet, and when it does, it will be phased in quietly. I'd look for a small price break first, with an option to special order. Come December, I expect Merom in a configuration that is significantly better, in time for the holiday rush, or the January MacWorld.

 

Personally, I'm quite happy with my machine. Is it worth waiting until December? Not for me.

[macman]

IMO, Apple is going to do a quiet upgrade of the MBP and MB processors (a small note on the website - "Now 64-bit support, etc") just before Paris. There isn't a big keynote at Paris this year, as far as I know. If they want to make a big announcement they're going to at least need to some design changes to the MBP like a magnetic latch or more RAM capability.

 

I'm hoping they thicken up the case a bit so they can put DL burners back into the 15" and cool the case down a bit. No one's going to complain about a 1.2-1.4" case versus a 1" case if it saves them from burning legs

[sev7en]

Very interesting quote, thanks!

 

Paris expo? When?

 

 

I think that they will anounce all this at the Paris expo.

 

Macbook & MBP with Memrom. Mini will keep the core duo. New Ipod Nano replacement.

 

Nano

-----

The "burn the inventory" give away for students happened wit hthe Mini before the nano came out and back to school is the key time for Ipods and other sub$500 personal electronics. A good move. Ready to ship by November or early December for the holiday season. The nano was SUPER hot last X-mas season and I'm sure that they will try to capitalise as much as they can and time the release to make it the hot product again this season.

 

MB & MBP

-----

 

Apple can no longer sit back, it's now in the same market as a PC notebook and they can't afford to not follow the technology and keep the brand strong.

 

Speaking in economic terms, if Apple doesn't stick the memrom in the macbook that competes with dell's/Sony's/Acer's/Lenovo's midrange offerings that are certain to have memrom, then Apple would begin to lose market share as Dell and the others would be producing a clearly superior product at the same price point. Right now, an Acer or similarly priced PC can get you a core duo, with dual layer dvd and a built in graphics card for about what a macbook costs. Even factoring apple care cost as equivalent to the cost of an onboard graphics solution, PC makers are getting you more bang for your buck already.

 

Apple wants to be the elite PC maker and now they need to not only jump on board, but lead the market.

 

Apple needs to be one of the first to use Intel's latest offerings, to keep the brand strong. No more sitting back and waiting on PowerPC chips for a full year to get a new chipset, no more out of date Ati cards before the notebook even comes out. That doesn't fly in a market with competition. Frankly, Apple hasn't really been competing with PC makers since they differentiate their product so much with a different os, different chip's and chipset, etc. Now, they aren't able to differntiate like that and it's a huge blow if they can't be out in front on the bleeding edge. Apple is seen as the high end pc maker now. The high end brings with it certain expectations and that's to be out on the edge.

 

I'm betting the 17" MBP gets the 2.33 memrom, the 2.16 memrom stays in the 15". If there is to be any case redesign at this point it's only to include the dual layer super drive in the 15" mbp, which is a place where PC laptops have a superior value to Apple laptops. If the MB gets integrated graphics, then the MBP will get a better integrated graphics solution.

 

Macbooks will keep the 1.83 and 2.0 speeds but move to the memrom chip. I don't think it will get integrated graphics, since they really want to keep the MPB professional and the MB a consumer product, and this, along with the case and the screen real estate, keyboard, light sensor etc. is how they will differentiate the lines. The costs of Memrom vs. Yonah are enough to make apple burn off the inventory of old macbooks and upgrade now. Unless I am mistaken, Yonah costs are dropping off significantly, so if Apple elects to keep the macbook Yonah, I bet they drop the price for the 2.0 ghz version to a $999 price point. At that price, the Macbook is a steal over the competing PC notebooks and Apple would be able to move more units of the Macbook, while keeping the MBP like competing with the high end PC maker offerings.

 

Frankly, I think the more likely is a move to Memrom for the MB and the price point staying the same (Apple's gotta pay for those design costs somewhere....)

 

The mini doesn't really compete with any major pc manufacturer, and it's got it's own niche now as a wintel/mac media center with a small, stylish form factor for a living room or a car for those who don't want to assemble a mini PC. I don't see them dumping Yonah for this line and I bet the redesign here will lag without a direct competitor from a major pc maker. I'd expect the Mini and imac to get upgrades to Memrom or then next gen 64 bit processor when they ship Leopard, and use that as the event to bring the entire line 64 bit, Leopard and a the new, non-pro desktops.

 

Simply put, the problem with the mobile core duo line for Apple was that heat was too much of an issue with the size limits Apple imposes to keep their stuff stylish, as was power comsumption during hard tasks. Memrom could solve this and my gut tells me all the random shutdowns, mooing, fan noise, battery trouble, whines of the MBP and MB relate to heat issues. No matter how you cut it, them things are HOT. Too hot for an enclosure that small. Frankly, I think it comes down to the size of the notebook vs. the heat the chip generates and the power it consumes.

[retroz]

Very interesting quote, thanks!

 

Paris expo? When?

 

 

Was reading that they don't run that much cooler though....stange, must be the GPU as well.

[unstatusthequo]

Running cooler would be nice... but 64 bit is why I'm waiting, albeit impatiently.

 

ANYTHING will be cooler than the Hypersonic Aviator EX7 laptop that I sold... that thing was ridiculously hot... as in would not take it ice fishing with me hot.

[netzen7]

I have to ask, has everyone who is complaining about heat applied the SMC update? It helps, for me, by 1) running fans at low RPM constantly, and 2) slowing the CPU when idle. I'm 20c cooler on average use. Push the processors to 100% and keep them there, it still gets to hot for the lap, but that isn't the way I use my MBP most of the time.

 

Interesting that the merom isn't supposed to be any cooler.

[unstatusthequo]

Yeah I just read that post. Still gonna wait. Performance and 64 bit are my selling points, even if it's 2C hotter.

[plebmac]

oooooo 23inch