Comments on: Live blog: Apple notebook event

CNET's Erica Ogg reports from Apple headquarters, where the company touts redesigned MacBooks using Nvidia chips and environment-friendlier components.

[blake4048]

The new macbook pro has got to be the ugliest thing I have ever seen .... sorry.

[Anyone69]

[Vegaman_Dan]

10:55 a.m.: Steve says Apple will be the only computer company using Nvidia's new chips for a while. Apple didn't go with HDMI because it can't drive the 30-inch hi-resolution display, he says, which is why Apple went with DisplayPort.

That doesn't seem to be an issue with other manufacturers. The technology is there and in active use.

nVidia? Really? That's sort of like going with the Yugo of video card chipsets these days. Given all the trouble they have had with both Apple and PC products, I'm not sure I'd want to take on that lemon of a name. But most of these deals are done years in advance and that may have happened prior to all the graphic design failures came to the public's attention for nVidia. A lot of that is still in court today.

"What about touch screens on laptops, someone wants to know. "Hasn't made a lot of sense to us," Steve says."

That should pretty much end any and all debate about there ever being a Mac Tablet. While I have multiple tablet systems myself, they really don't offer that much other than novelty.


"11:03 a.m.: Netbooks are a nascent market, Jobs says: "We'll see how it goes." "

Translation: We didn't expect the subnotebook/netbook craze to take off like it has and if we produce one too, it may cheapen the image, and/or damage sales of the rest of the product line. It would be hard to defend a cheap model that can do what the expensive other models in the lineup could do. Would people buy a $800 Mac or a $2500 Mac laptop? For the average laptop user, the cheaper one would do what they need and that would cost Apple the potential higher sales of more expensive units. It's a very tricky situation. Do you produce a product that can cheapen the image and/or demonstrate that you actually are overpricing your own systems? Will people see past that?

Overall, the news was... Meh. Hoped for more, got less than expected. Pretty typical of most industry events like these.

[Rev. Doug]

No matte screens? Is that right?

That's going to irritate a lot of graphic artists who aren't looking for the brightest colors, but the most accurate colors.

[paoconnell]

Why is it that all laptops these days have such lousy keyboards with flat keytops? This seems to be across the board for Macs, my current Toshiba, and all the HP laptops at Costco. My old (now defunct) Toshiba A25 has cupped key tops, Tough times for touch typists. My wife is so annoye with her Mac's keyboard that she bought a Logitech external keyboard just because the keys were set up like regular keyboards.

Somewhat biased opinion about Macs: with the exception of the keyboard, the computer hardware is decent and probably will make a good Windows PC after a two or more button mouse is added to it. I have a really hard time with MacOS on my wife's Mac compared to WinXP or Vista which is really the best OS out there right now, despite what Mac and Linux fanatics think--very stable, no blue screens.

I keep wanting to get the D**n bottom toolbar on the Mac out of the way. The Windows Start menu on XP or Vista takes up much less screen space.

[goodspeed8701]

Thats it... i am getting new hp pavilion.

[chris_d]

No firewire on low-end model? Only glossy displays on Pro model? LAME!

[sting7k]

How can HDMI not drive their 30" display? And those graphics chips for the laptops are weak.

[METAUSTIN]

I saw a few of those "mystery shots" of the new laptop last week on some of those websites that supposed have access to the new products before Jobs' gives his blessing, but I didn't like any of them. Now that I have seen the genuine article, I like it very much. Too bad there is not a light array on the edge that shows Wi-Fi signal strength (in addition to battery power remaining).

I have not read the entire specs on this laptop but what I have seen so far looks promising. :-)

[andrew.mager]

Very solid reporting Ms. Ogg. I loved following your coverage throughout the day.

[eyepoker]

why does apple spend so much time talking about tehnology that anyone can have? Its not as if they made the graphics or the processor or the other stuff. Precious few of Apple supporters truly understand what is being said, as with anyone who uses a computer, so spending time talking about stuff that you didn't invent with impressive-sounding jargon must be part of selling the product.

[compudoc318]

love the aluminum look, is that the old recycled dell cases for the inspiron...lol... and i love where they discuss boot camp and how they hate having windows on a mac. why have windows on a mac....oh yeah, to do all the stuff osx cant.....lol

[schuelerd]

Well, I finally popped for a mc...it wasn't the mac that drew mw in..it was Vistathat drove me away....constant hangs....two reinstalls of the full OS...lost email......just a ton of things that shouldn't happen with an OS that has been around as ling as Windows has. The mac does the same basic things that Windows does...it just doesn't crash every 5 mins. I really HATE the high price that Apple FORCES by controlling the market...but MS finally drove me to it reluctantly.

[Ed-duh-win]

Your Safari does not have a spell checker?