Comments on: Apple bumps MacBook Pro specs, adds SD card slot, new battery

Not the biggest news from today's Apple WWDC keynote, but the MacBook laptop line has gotten a few noteworthy spec bumps.

[jjolsen]

So, by adding the 13" to the PRO line, they seem to making room for something new in the entry-level segment of the market. Could it be the *gasp* tablet/netbook??

[george_liquor]

A Netbook would be kinda nice.

[donsms]

Just goes to show that Apple and greed seem to got together!

[josh81]

And how exactly did you come to this revelation? EVERYTHING that was announced today either went DOWN in price or added new features for the same price. How is that greed? Take for instance the new 13" MBP - ADDED a faster processor, better screen, and backlit keyboard - and WENT DOWN in price by $100. Same for the 15", 17" and Air. And now there's a $99 iPhone (new, not refurb). Sorry, but this doesn't sound like GREED to me.

[skwerlhater0]

I agree with josh81, sure apple's been known for expensive equipment, this conference made everything cheaper - a quality macbook can be had at the minimum price point now.

[KOSHPATEL756]

I agree with josh81 how the hell does anythin apple did today show greed? Apple dropped the macbook pro's in pricing 300 dollars for the 17 and 15 and they improved the specs on these machines, they improved the specs of the 13 in macbook pro and they dropped it 100. I fail to see the greed in that. There is even a $99 iphone so thats also lowerin prices. Lowering margins != greed;

I wish some of the outlandish rumors had been true like OLED displays even tho it was quite obvious they were gonna be a strech at the price points they currently are, but after price cuts to hear someone mention greed now thats somethin. I love my macs much more then any of the PC's ive ever owned or built and yea they were priced a lil more then competition but OSX was worth it to me. Now They are in line with competition maybe even less in some cases + they have OSX which is superior in usability and lack of problems (Ive used both windows and mac since i was very young and have helped people deal with problems on both platforms, and windows has been more problamatic). Oh and one more thing Snow Leopard is $29 a copy and $49 for a 5 person license while the last edition of windows vista ultimate (snow leopard is always the full version will all features ....) is selling for a retail price over 300? And somehow to you "donsms" that signifies greed. Please look up the definition of which u speak in the dictionary. "Greed is the excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of money, wealth, power. It is generally considered a vice, and is one of the seven deadly sins in Catholicism." nothing in what apple did today showed that. Anyway congrats apple I will be replacing my 3 year old 17 in macbook pro around christmas with another 17 inch :D. and I am sure many of my friends will be more likely to try to get a macbook pro now that the price is a lil better and they can always add student discounts to them.

Go Apple Job Well Done Time to compete Windows at the same price point. (for the record ive built 4 windows systems and owned 5 others from windows 95 to vista and ive owned macs from tiger - leopard (and used macs back in Elementary school as well as high school))
Now all we need next time is a truely revolutionary iPhone (some features i desire would need the networks to improve first)

[george_liquor]

Anybody know what 'better screen' means? Higher resolution? better black level? The old Al Macbooks already had LED backlighting.

[jdemp5]

it means that the displays can display more colors, and more accurate shades

[Heathie89]

Last week I upgraded my Mid 2007 Macbook Pro memory to 4 GB and to a 500 GB hd all for less than $150.

[polydiatonic]

Hey, how did you do that?? I'd like to do that too!

[joelthegod]

great...right after i just bought a mac book....

[robert45689]

seriously.. so did i. as well as the iphone

[pithenumber]

Couldn't Apple keep the Express card slot and add the SD card reader?
it can't be that hard considering how many notebooks have an SD card reader and an express card slot

thats why Hackintosh exists

[KOSHPATEL756]

Been there with hackintosh they never run as fast and as problem free as real macs. It was what i did to my sony vaio till i could afford buyin my mac. I just hope that apple will also get a mac out there in that netbook market. But with much more quality then the crap that is there right now. That would really establish them as a player in the market down there too and everyone i know that has ever bought a mac does not wanna go back ever.

[seven7dust]

or remove it and stick with express card
SD cards ! seriously for how many years have they denied there existence
wat changed now ?

[sc3000sof2]

ummm, how greedy can Apple get!!! You may have noticed they dropped the prices on the macbooks, but did you guys see the drastic increase in the price of the Apple Care Package??? I believe it used to be 49.95 or something low like that. Now go see the new price. The 15 inch is hovering around 200 dollars. It's actually more expensive to buy a macbook with a warantee now! Fu apple, hello HP.

[KOSHPATEL756]

Since when were apple care packages 50 bucks? I would really like to know when i bought my macbook pro 3 years back it was exactly what it is now. They definitely did not go up today

[Shaun822]

The 50 dollar one was for the iPods, not the macbooks.

$49.95??? what computer are you talking about??? I'm pretty sure this guy doesnt know what he's talking about or is from a different era. Applecare's price has been around $200+ for the past 3 years or so.

[inboxa_dotmac]

sc3000s0f2, Honestly I do not know how greedy they can get but I would I would suspect they can get as greedy as you are able to perceive them to be, and not one bit more. As much as an individual can feel sorry for a company, I truly do feel most sorry for Apple. For so long apple believed that they had forged a connection truly with people who just 'got it' and would use this 'it' to make it all better.. And they packaged it like a modern day lunch box for the mind. Their customer were happy this made apple happy and the world was right. Now as the dim dawn begins to rise and the sympathetic lighting gives way to harsh glare of reality, Apple can finally see, see clearly, that they like so many benevolent rulers before cannot make every crying baby stop and that when the people have nothing to do theyfore have ample time to criticize their former loves. Yes, then they give that Shakespearian phrase "FU apple, hello HP" --- Macbeth was it not? Surely. Honestly I feel your pain . Someone has taken the lollipop you wanted away.

[happygolucky101lol]

All they need are 2-3 things:

MacBook Touch/Tablet
Updated MacBook, maybe with 13 and 14 sizes
New iPod connector, mainly with the shuffle though (I saw one at Fry's Electronics that was simply a USB thing with a headphone jack on the other side, I think by the company that makes iClear or Griffin)

[happygolucky101lol]

Whoops, iClear is by Griffin, sorry :)

[Brian]

Apple dropped the Firewire 400 port -- the very port I currently use on my 13" Macbook -and- my 20" iMac.

I have only one backup drive and it seems that Apple decides that your investment is not good enough for them to be consistent.

[seven7dust]

actually they added fw800 across the board
so you can use both now !
and the white macbook still has that ever loved Fw400 port !

[hkmadmax]

I really don't get it... $1,699 with these specs is ridicilous, only because it is Apple???

Are people really so blinded by Apple's Advertising of "cool" ??

Sorry guys, but I get the same specs at Dell with the by Apple fans so dreaded Windows for below $ 1,000 and have a better service in case anything would ever go wrong... however to be honest I have had Dell laptops for the last 10 years and had not a single problem... maybe that's why I am not as hyped about an overprized Laptop...

Thats a very good price if you use the student discount of $100. plus every other feature makes it well worth it,
7 HOUR BATTERY LIFE that is unheard of dont care if its not removable, send it for a new one in 5 YEARS. track pad! its big, glass and multi touch with gestures, the case is VERY durable. never had a mac before but i plan on buying one for school now that i realized with the price cut, student discount and the upgrades(especially 2gb of DDR2 to 4gb of DDR3) it is WELL worth that price, and i look foward to getting one

[gerty]

I won't be upgrading my mid 2007 MacBook Pro to the latest and greatest (yeah, right, greatest!) MacBook Pro anytime soon. Apple made a huge mistake dropping the express card. I backup my MBP to an external hard drive via an eSata express card. The eSata express card cuts backup time in less than half.

[adrivit007]

Can anybody tell me how much better is the screen of the New Macbook Pro 15 (June) from the older Macbook Pro 15 (before June). Talking practically, would somebody get the new Pro for just the screen? Is it something spectacularly better or not so?

[samsmall]

So by replacing the express card slot with the SD card slot how do I get additional Firewire peripherals connected to my 15" macbookpro? I need a port for a video camera and a port for a hard drive, can't daisy chain them that doesn't work. I need ports, not card readers!