Unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro reportedly in works
It appears Apple is getting ready to expand its MacBook Pro lineup.
The Mac maker plans to unveil a 17-inch MacBook Pro, possibly as early as this week at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, according to reports on 9to5Mac and AppleInsider. Like the 13- and 15-inch models, the 17-incher is expected to sport a unibody construction. But unlike those smaller models, the new MacBook Pro will have a fixed internal battery, much like the MacBook Air's battery setup, according to the report.
The site also reported that we can expect a Mac Mini makeover that will include the same Nvidia chipsets that Apple introduced in October in new MacBooks, the MCP79 chipset. That chipset uses the Nvidia 9400M graphics processor, and would give the Mini a boost in graphics processing power over the Intel integrated chipsets it currently uses.
New Mac Minis are high on the list of systems expected to arrive at Macworld 2009. The Mac Mini has been the subject of much speculation about its future this year after it appeared the systems were headed out to pasture, but it appears Apple will bring it around for another go.
Another unconfirmed rumor has Apple phasing out the 13-inch plastic MacBook.
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven. 
I mean seriou-
Oh? You did?
Oh my.
That would cause people to only buy the 15
what's with "thin" and "desktop replacement" they don't go together, I don't need a travel notebook if its going to sit on my desk 90%of the time.
A fixed battery will not work for many pros. I hope this rumor is incorrect. We'll see soon.
Here's hoping the entry level Mac Mini is $499 with an Nvidia GPU.
[Edited to remove prohibited spam.]
How about if you need to use the laptop, you drain the battery and you need the laptop again(on the go pros, for example)?
Or if you're like me and you use your laptop as a desktop replacement with occasinal battery usage and the battery dies on you and you don't want to pay Apple outrageous prices to get the battery replaced?
etc...
The funny thing is, a typical laptop user never buys a new or second battery - in fact the majority never do. I'll even go further and say that for most users, once the typical cheap PC/laptop battery goes to crap (where you only get 20 minutes' power), it rarely if ever gets replaced.
Even on my end, I find myself driving 15-hour road trips to Southern California once in awhile... but it's cheaper to buy a small inverter that converts power from the cigarette lighter (about $25 for one), than it is to buy a 2nd laptop battery.
Now, all this said, the whole thing is rumor anyway. But if it's fixed, BFD - the percentage of folks who require swappable batteries --no matter what, and in spite of 4-hour-plus battery life-- likely bought the wrong form factor in the first place.
What this article forgets to mention is this 'rumor/report' also reports that this fixed internal battery will be of a new Silver Zinc technology that will last almost twice as long as the current models to make up for all you "I need the ability of a backup battery"
How very wrong you are, my friend. My lightweight 17" (Dell studio 1735) is a true desktop replacement system, sporting a beautiful screen, full keyboard, and space for two internal hard drives. Mmmmm, how sweet it is!
Too big for one the go.
Nor to I understand this desktop replacement business - so you brought a LAPtop to use only on your DESKtop. What's was wrong a freaking iMac, it uses up virtually the same surface area on the desk as a 17" laptop while still giving you better performance and an even bigger screen - oh and not mention costs far less, use the money saved to buy a MacBook as a backup on the go, kitchen, garden (do Americans have gardens?) computer.
I bought a new iMac a few months ago. I seriously thought about getting a new MacBook Pro and use that as a desktop Mac replacement. However, even though I still travel several times a year it is not as much and for as long as I used to. Furthermore, my "old" MacBook is still fills the bill. Now all of that being said my iMac, and the one it replaced, are luggable around the house/home office; I frequently take them out back and work on the patio. Eventually I will need to replace my MacBook and the new models will almost certainly be lighter, more powerful, yet a bigger screen.
As to cooking and gardening, I do both which is one of the benefits of working at home. I am still harvesting tomatoes and chilies, but we had a frost last night so I will probably pull the plants today or tomorrow and get the plot ready for spring.
For work reasons, yeah - too big unless you do graphics for a living. OTOH, when I travel, I like to have a nice fat screen size to keep entertained with on the plane, mess with graphics/CG artwork to while away spare time at the hotel room/lobby/coffee-shop, etc. Kinda fun to fire up a movie without having to flip through the (usually crap) hotel cable channel lineup, etc.
Come to think of it, it's way past your bed time.
About as valid as your stupid rumors.
But here's a fact - what ever crApple does release, it will be Buggy, Flawed and will die one month after the warranty ends, and when ever you buy it for the usual "Mac Premium", crApple will release a newer model a month later.
Bring on more Premium crap Apple. If I have to eat crap, rather eat crap that looks good I say.
I hope they redesign the Mini casing completely. Make it look flatter or something, kind of like a larger version of the Apple TV or the Time Capsule. They have the technology and the Mini is just outdated as it is right now.
I think this will be an update Macworld and I'm actually looking forward to that. Instead of trying a new product, I'm glad to see all the current products updated.
Yes there's a price premium for buying a Macintosh, but you also pay a price in terms of features.
I can live with that, but if it has a glossy screen and no matte option, no market here :-(
I'm going to buy up an old model and upgrade the crap out of it.. that should tide me over until Apple gets inundated with glossy screen complaints and sees the light rather than the reflection...
- by botscop January 5, 2009 10:55 AM PST
- this lowlife fixed battery gimmick is starting to show apples greed. the design is either with or without. so they either intend for you to be enslaved by the dang battery or not.
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