It's official: Apple to talk laptops on October 14

The official invite just popped up in our mailboxes for Apple's long-rumored October 14 press event in Cupertino, Calif. The big picture of a laptop and the headline, "The spotlight turns to notebooks," leaves us with a pretty clear idea of what Steve Jobs and company will be talking about. Not mentioned here is the most persistent rumor--that at least one of the new systems will hit a meltdown-friendly price of $800.

Here's the invite itself, for the curiosity seekers out there.

Apple's most cryptic invite ever...

[daedbird]

Looks like a 13-inch aluminum MacBook to me.....

[yellol]

Oh yeah!
I've been waiting so long for the 13" Macbook
Can't wait to write my blog (www.yellol.net) with the new Macbook!

[Mr. Dee]

An $800 MacBook would definitely go a long for me towards finally owning a Mac. Looks like I need start believing AppleInsider and MacRumors, they have been beating this Oct. 14th date endlessly. I hope they make 2 GBs of RAM standard across all their notebooks and finally match up with Dell and HP by introducing a notebook that supports 8 GBs of RAM. I still need to run Windows if I plan on buying one of these.

[inter_loper]

Windows doesn't support more than 4GB of RAM, and even then you really can't use more than about 3GB. So if you buy a Dell or HP with 8 GB RAM you just got ripped off!

[KeeganHill]

inter_loper obviously does not understand the capability of a 64-bit version of Vista.

The only laptop I could see them adding that functionality to is their Pro series.

[bigmc6000]

For $800 they aren't going to put in 2GB however they'll probably give you 1 GB chip and you can get another from crucial for about $30. Personally I'm shooting for 4GB but I'll be buying that from crucial as well - here's hoping they keep the same ease of HD and RAM upgrades as they have with the current MB.

And yes, Keegan, 64 bit windows does handle 8GB but 64-bit windows isn't nearly as stable as 32-bit windows and if he's going to be running it on a notebook on the rare occasion the app isn't available on the Mac side (read: games) he probably doesn't need 8GB of RAM - he'd just need a good video card (read: MBP).

[Penguinisto]

@inter-loper: Linux with a 64-bit kernel (x86_64) can use as much practical RAM as you can throw at it, so I wouldn't call an 8GB Dell useless quite...

(I routinely play with Dell R900 servers that carry 128GB of RAM, and yes we can use it all, thanks much :) ).

[iertry]

Noooo! lol I'm still paying off my £800 ($1600) macbook! If they bring out new ones I'm going to be paying off an older more expensive model. :(

An alluminum macbook would be great though though and at that price I think Apple could see a big gain in market share.

At least I can say I got the last ever plastic model (white penryn).

[Republic512]

This would be great for me as a student.

[the Otter]

Is it just me, or does 1 Infinite Loop (on that map) look like the underside of a Mighty Mouse??

[myles taylor]

It's not just you. :P

[halsue2]

Its just you. I thought it looked like a race track. But now that you mention it...

[solitare_pax]

Hmmm - yep, it does. Of course, lore has it that Jobs hauled one of the early graphic program designers to show him roundangles (rectangles with rounded corners) were everywhere, so they should be included in the first tool bar...

[undoIT]

There better be more than one mouse-button on the new laptops. Does the weather forecast predict subzero temperatures in hell?

;)

[rnaoncfixd]

Why would it need another mouse button when you can activate the multi-touch function to provide for the right click? Once you've used it's multi-touch capabilities, you'll wonder how you can go back to a normal touch pad on a laptop.

[Thomas, David]

lol

ahhhh, how can I put this.

The trackpad can handle it, and you can use either a wireless, or connected mouse. I use a secondary button all day on my trackpad. A very close friend of mine plays World of Warcraft on an seven (7) year old iBook. She reached level 70, and does arenas with me ... without a mouse, just using the trackpad.

[bigmc6000]

I gotta go with rnaonc on this one. I've found that double tapping is far more efficient than having a second mouse button and combined with Exposè and Spaces you'll wonder how you multi tasked before!

[usarioclave]

UndoIT: Apple's been selling multi-button mice for years! Get with the program! And it's wireless! Hell froze over a long time ago.

An $800 macbook would be consistent with the "product transition" comment from the last conference call. Why buy a $3000 Macbook Pro if you can get 90% of that in an $800 MacBook?

[rapier1]

I believe he meant multi-button input directly on the notebook - not as a seperate accessory.

[Thomas, David]

@rapier1 ... the trackpad supports multi-button input.

[rapier1]

Which model has multiple buttons? I don't mean software taps on the pad or chording. I'm talking about two or more distinct buttons. I'm not saying they're not out there. Its just not on mine (2 year old 17" MBP). I don't keep as up to date on these things as I might like to.

[myles taylor]

Looks good. It might be time for me to look into a new Macbook Pro. Lighter, faster, thinner.....or I could just stick to the one I have. :P

[bonesbautista]

@usarioclave - undoIT meant that there's one mouse button on the Mac laptops. @undoIT - the Mac OS uses multi-touch built into the OS; the feature works well in WinXP and Mac OS environments.

I'm looking forward to a new 17" MB Pro with an updated trackpad - I'll hand over my current one to one of my employees! We'll both be happy - it's good to be the boss!

[MaggieRed]

Well although I have both a black and white plastic MacBook, for the price they are both excellent machines and both my daughter and I love them.

You can't look at it any other way. It will always happen this way and we expect them to do this, we want newer and better. But for now our two MacBook's along with the iMac 24 is just perfect.

I'll still be anxious to see what Apple comes up with.

[p_brain]

$800 MacBook Mini...?
Atom or PowerPc...?

[rapier1]

Atom - they're not going back to the PowerPC - they could but 10.6 has dropped support for all PowerPC platforms.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Mac=twice the price for half of a notebook. Who cares. It`s funny seeing the Mac area gathering dust at Fry`s , while real computer people are building their own rigs ...as well as snatching up all manner of non-Apple notebooks.

[Galaxy5]

Ah, yes, the resident Apple troll. Wondering when you were going to show up to waste your time complaining about something has no bearing on you.

[tundraboy]

It's called Apple envy. The feeling that you're less of a computer geek because you're not using a Mac. A lot of people are afflicted with it. But don't worry, it's treatable and apparently the cost of treatment is about to go down dramatically. The hard part really is swallowing your pride when you are seen by your friends with a Macbook tucked under your arm after you've been mouthing off so much against it.

[anilsudh]

Hey,

I just saw a bulletin on the TV, from the local mental asylum. They are looking for you. Please return to your mental unit ASAP.

[mohanman]

People who are building their own rigs are the reason we have an obesity epidemic in the US. Are you obese?

[AppleSuxLeo]

AAPL $40 ??? Bwahahahaha !

[AppleSuxLeo]

Oh yea...******** can`t build their own...Stevie knows what`s best for them. Keep drinking the Kupertino-Kool-aid.

[IowaNinersFan]

Apple crap........yawn!

[Wingates]

AppleSuxLeo, I have seen your posts around, it is quite obvious that you are either a pimple-faced adolescent or low IQ moron who still believes that the Earth is flat. Maybe you haven't seen MFST at $21.19, HPQ at $37.88, or DELL at $13.29 (that's Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell Computer since you are obviously a novice at the stock market). Your childish rants only make you seem like more of an idiot than you probably really are. If you are going to bash something, at least get educated in it so you can make some sense or have some degree of accuracy. Oh, by the way, AAPL is at $91.16 which is plus $2.42. Someday, when you get a real job that pays a decent wage, maybe you'll be able to afford a Mac and find out for yourself why it's the best personal computer out there. Maybe it will even come before you get to know what it's like to be with another human being!

[random truth]

twice the price huh,
ok im ready to pay you, build me a laptop at 4.8 ghz laptop for $1000 with 512 mb of graphic memory. That would be twice the computer for half the price.
Oh wait maybe you only build desktops. Lets exclude the imac because its an all in one. So tell me when can you build a 16 core at 2.8 ghz each, with 4 gbs of ram for 1,300 and 1 gb of dedicated graphic memory. So, you're not the only one thats been at frys. Ok wait lets look at the minimum configuration of the mac pro.
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon ?Harpertown? processors
2GB memory (800MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics with 256MB memory
320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive1
16x double-layer SuperDrive
$2799
no pc can even handle that proccessing power. Now lets see what it maxs out at.
Two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon proccesors
32GB (8x4GB) of ram
Mac Pro RAID Card
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 1.5GB
Two 16x SuperDrives
Face it, you cant even build a computer of that raw power. for any amount of money right now.
also windows cant support that much power.

[KRz9292]

Are the Dell and HP notebooks mentioned by MR Dee running Vista 64 bit? Isn't there a Max accessible memory of about 3.5 GB in Vista 32 bit?

[DrtyDogg]

some of them are.

[alenas]

Hopefully those new Macs will be a bit cooler, cause Apple is using aliuminium frame as a heatsink - so that is very annoying if you want to have your notebook on the lap...Macs are one of the hottest (temperature wise, not looks) notebooks :)

[random truth]

Na, Hps are the hottest in both. My old HP with intel went to 180 degrees normally. My other one by hp internally goes to about 200 degrees(amd). while my macbook on full blown use only stays at a reasonable 130 degrees internally. it just feels hotter because their is more heat being transfered. Also the new laptops look so nice but horrible support. When this comes out tho i might change my mind.

[ferretboy88]

My white macbook was so hot in my office I didn't need to turn the heat on in the winter time. It was good that it saved money for heat but not good because it burned my balls.

[random truth]

ferret boy, may i suggest this app.
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/23049
Just because its a mac does not mean theres not overclocking tools. (Tho who would want to overclock a macbook is beyond me, this one only controls fan speed.)
It does not bug me. I guess I am just used to my hp...

[El_Mikee]

My Macbook (black) works flawlessly; there`s no way i´m buying a new one ´till i render this one useless (believe me, i can do that) and for that it´ll take me at least 3 years, considering my pc´s 4 years old and is still going strong... Plus, there´s a lot of sentimental value going on between me and my Mac.

[bigmc6000]

I've had my 12" PowerBook for over 3.5 years now and I have refused to buy a plastic laptop so I'm thinking it might finally be time to upgrade! Combine that with the possibility of use an nVidia chipset and it could really put all the intel integrated laptops to shame.

[meowser007]

Hopefully apple will introduce blu-ray in the macbook Pros. Sony passed apple with the newest Vaio running at 2.8 Ghz core 2 duo. Apple needs to update their processors. Even thought no matter what apple computer are the best in the world anyway. This events sounds exciting though.

[bigmc6000]

I'm 100% there will be a processor bump to, at least, the highest end chip out there. Also, considering how much Intel has been trying to impress Apple they may very well get their own super top of the line guy before anybody else does.

And it won't have blu-ray, they are still battery hogs and I don't think Apple is willing to kill the battery life just for BD.

[ferretboy88]

I sold my white macbook right before the Stupid Air came out. Now I can have my real macbook without the sharp edges.

[Perry_Clease]

"It was good that it saved money for heat but not good because it burned my balls."

Sorry to hear that, you could get a pair of these installed http://www.neuticles.com

[Miouzikal]

Would be great if it has BD support, better graphics and gestures on 13". All that at a better price "AWESOME"
Maybe im too demanding.
Bought my macbook a couple months ago and im really willing to see if the new lines will be worth buying.
Mac definitely are excellent products.
still love mine but will pass it over to my sister if im getting one of these.

[meowser007]

Then again when apple introduced the imac G4, they included the three most loudest request. (If you had seen it on youtube). If enough people ask apple for the blu-ray drive then its only a matter of time. Blu-ray has been popular for like 2 1/2 years now. It'll be foolish for apple to postpone it longer.

Since Sony invented blu-ray, that may mean they won't let apple manufacture blue ray players. Apple does the same thing with the click wheel.