Taking Stock of the MacBook Updates
As I was taking my early morning stroll around the narrow lanes of the Internet, I couldn’t help but notice a lot of misinformation floating around about the MacBook and MacBook Pro updates that we saw this last Tuesday. It seems that people are unclear about what the specifications are now and which notebooks have been graced with the vaunted Multi-Touch trackpad and what’s the deal with the Apple Remote. I’m hoping this little article clears out any of the lingering confusion you might have.
To start with, Apple updated the MacBooks to equip them with faster processors and a 3MB shared L2 cache, more RAM and a larger hard drive. The best configured black MacBook now ships with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and an 8x SuperDrive. The second configuration is exactly the same except that it comes in white and has a 160GB hard drive.
The base configuration of the MacBook (also in white) now comes with a 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive and a combo drive. Yes, it is 2008, dear friends, and the base model of Apple’s bestselling notebook (which retails at $1,099) still ships with a combo drive. Can we have a round of applause, please? Apple is trying hard to keep thinking different here – the least they deserve is some appreciation.
The aluminum treatment is also long due for the MacBook now. There are several known problems with the current casing, such as discoloration, scratches and fragility. I know several people who’re on the verge of switching to Macs but have been waiting for the MacBook refresh. It sticks like a sore thumb in the entire Mac lineup and we’ll be glad the day we see the back of that plasticky white shell.
It gets more interesting on the MacBook Pro side of things, where Apple has loaded the second and third models with the best-of-breed 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card with 512MB of onboard memory and a 250GB hard drive. The base configuration now ships with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, the same graphics card but with 256MB of onboard memory and a 200GB hard drive. All MacBook Pros now ship with an LED-backlit display and the rest of the configuration is the same as the previous version of each model.
The big difference, however, lies a little south of the keyboard. What looks like the same trackpad as on the previous generation MacBook Pros is now capable of Multi-Touch gestures à la the MacBook Air. Not only can you tap with two fingers to right click and drag them to scroll around, you can now also pinch and zoom with two fingers and move forward and backward through webpages with a simple swipe of three fingers in either direction.
Multi-Touch is gradually seeping its way through Apple’s product lineup, going from the iPhone and iPod touch to the MacBook Air and now the MacBook Pro. It hasn’t made it to the MacBook yet but that is quite understandable. It’s an attempt to distance the two product lines and that’s a wise decision.
My only beef with the trackpad of the MacBook Pro is that it is exactly the same size as of the previous version, unlike the MacBook Air trackpad which has been made significantly larger to facilitate the use of Multi-Touch gestures. Why wasn’t the MacBook Pro trackpad given the same treatment? Isn’t it awfully cramped for someone to be swiping three fingers on?
Hoping to see it being used, I paid a visit to the MacBook Pro features page on Apple’s website. Guess what – Apple does have short movies demonstrating the use of Multi-Touch but they’re the same ones we saw when the MacBook Air was released and they all use the latter’ trackpad for the demonstration. I think Apple realizes that the MacBook Pro trackpad isn’t very well-suited for Multi-Touch gestures. I guess we’ll just have to wait for some reviews to know whether it works as well as advertised.
And now comes the most major upgrade we witnessed yesterday. In a remarkable and revolutionary turn of events, Apple decided to strike the Apple Remote off the list of included accessories and make it an optional add-on for $19. It’s not like anyone would want to watch movies with their family on their Front Row and iTunes equipped, infrared capable $2,799 notebook with a very bright 17-inch LED backlit screen anyway.
Given that Apple had started shipping the Apple Remote with almost every computer in their lineup (where it made sense), most people had started taking it for granted and, of course, we can’t have that now, can we? So Apple decided to pull it from the box, just to let us know that they can. Maybe the next version of the MacBooks will ship with the battery bays empty in the standard configuration and batteries available as an optional $199 accessory. I hope I haven’t given them any ideas.
All in all, these were good upgrades but, as is fast becoming a ritual for Apple, ended up leaving a sour aftertaste. Had they bid the combo drive, which can best be described as a 19th century artifact, goodbye and not pulled their odious trick with the Apple Remote, I would’ve been signing off on a happy note, praising the wonderfulness of the Multi-Touch trackpad, brilliant screens and fast processors. Now, however, I’m only left wondering whether Apple’s sole emphasis these days lies on withholding functionality from its users on all its products to try and rake in as much moolah as possible, with utter disregard for the criticism heaped upon them.
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A minor correction regarding the screens on the MBP’s. Not all models have the LED screen. The 17” model only has the LED screen on the optional hi-res (1920 x 1200) screen.
Regarding the remote, I’d be interested to learn how many MB and MBP users actually use their remote. If it’s not a widely used item, that may be the reason it was pulled from the packaging.
Oh yeah, sorry about that! Thanks for pointing it out!
I, for one, use my Apple Remote on an almost daily basis.
I’ve not used the superdrive or the remote since I got my 2.2GHz MB 8 moths ago (it’s a mobile supplement to my primary iMac).... so, no sour taste here.
Come to think of it .... I’ve not even plugged anything in any of the ports! I guess the MB Air was tailor-made for people like me.
Should probably point out that the MacBook’s 3MB L3 cache is actually a downgrade; the previous model had 4MB across the board. And LED backlighting, while standard in the 15-inch MacBook Pros, is a build-to-order option on the 17-inch model.
And come on, “19th century artifact”? Combo drives may not be top of the line, but they’re hardly a hundred years antiquated.
I’m sure consumers appreciate being able to skimp on a feature they might not ever use in order to save a little money. Same goes for the exclusion of the Apple Remote; perhaps it offsets costs on Apple’s end for the new processor architecture and larger hard drives, with a feature that people might not make much use of out of the box. My Apple Remote sits on the foot of my iMac (20-inch Mid 2007), and I almost never make use of it.
The problem with the combo drive is that it isn’t even upgradeable and the next MacBook’s cost is significantly higher. At $1,100, Apple doesn’t really have any good excuse for not shipping the SuperDrive as standard. And a little exaggeration never hurt anyone. :p
As for the Apple Remote, well, it’s a thing that most people would not opt for but when given anyway, realize that it is a pleasure to use. Granted, not everybody uses them, but removing them suddenly after having shipped them as part of the standard package for three years does not make any sense. It’s just to squeeze out $19 more.
Show me one other company that is removing features from its products as they upgrade them. The iPods, for example, are the only music players in the industry that ship without a charger.
I was praying to hard for Apple to refresh the MacBooks with something non-white-plasticky.
First, the $19 upgrade charges on the iPod Touch. Then, the sad truth that Apple rentals only play on the new gen iPods. Then the recent realization that Apple’s HD Rentals need a HDTV to played on if you’re renting via Apple TV and now the Combo Drive and Apple Remote wonder.
I can see where Apple is going with this.
“My only beef with the trackpad of the MacBook Pro is that it is exactly the same size as of the previous version, unlike the MacBook Air trackpad which has been made significantly larger to facilitate the use of Multi-Touch gestures. Why wasn’t the MacBook Pro trackpad given the same treatment?”
Perhaps because there isn’t room in the current form factor for a larger trackpad while retaining both a built-in DVD drive and standard 2.5” notebook hard drive—neither of which the Air has).
Regarding the omitted remote control: “Maybe the next version of the MacBooks will ship with the battery bays empty in the standard configuration and batteries available as an optional $199 accessory.”
Oh, come on. The remote can hardly be equated with a battery. Although you may use it frequently, the remote is not an essential device for most computer users. Even less so on a small-screened notebook computer that is likely to be used within arm’s reach. Why should everyone have to pay for a device that most of us will never use?
Now, however, I’m only left wondering whether Apple’s sole emphasis these days lies on withholding functionality from its users on all its products to try and rake in as much moolah as possible, with utter disregard for the criticism heaped upon them.
Uh oh. You’ve cracked the code. Expect a visit any minute now from the men in black suits and a shiny apple sticker on their lapels.
Apple knows that for every criticism heaped upon them, there will be a chorus of religious defenders telling you why you don’t really need that thing they left out. So why should they care what the non-cultists think?
I’m sure consumers appreciate being able to skimp on a feature they might not ever use in order to save a little money.
If the words “save a little money” ever occur to you when considering a computer purchase, then you’re not Apple’s target demo.
Same goes for the exclusion of the Apple Remote; perhaps it offsets costs on Apple’s end for the new processor architecture and larger hard drives
I seriously doubt that the $2 Apple spends on a remote offsets the cost of anything, let alone a new processor and larger HDD. They’ve offered those upgrades before without omitting the remote. And it’s not the like the price of a Mac ever comes down based on the excising of this or that feature. Apple’s (along with every company in America) pricing is ALWAYS based on the most they can get for whatever it is they’re selling.
As I read this while my broadband internet is currently out (and has been for the entirety of the evening and night), and thus am forced to rely on dial-up, I laugh mordantly. Two years ago, they started taking out dial-up modems on Mac models (turning it into a $50 add-on accessory). Honestly, those have more utility on a mobile computer than a remote control. But of course… there’s no need for dialup modems now… we’re in the future, where cyberspace is in the air. Well, not quite here in my neck of the woods.
Your comment “Now, however, I’m only left wondering whether Apple’s sole emphasis these days lies on withholding functionality from its users on all its products to try and rake in as much moolah as possible, with utter disregard for the criticism heaped upon them” is 100% correct.
Apple is loosing the innovation edge with their current product. This may be the end of the beginning for Apple in the Mac world. In my view, they need to step back and look at their customer’s percpetions especially in this economy. Without it, the desktop business will fade, leaving Apple with the Mac Mini and Mac Pro. The same may happen leaving only the MacBook Pro. Most of their engineering seems to have gone elsewhere. Not all great ideas come from Steve Jobs.