Some notes and thoughts about the notebook event that Apple held today. I like the new MacBook design, and keeping the price low enough was very important (redesigned MacBooks start at $1299, older-style at $999). Steve Jobs also left the door open for netbooks in the future.
The new designs:
- They are moving the MacBooks and MacBook Pros to the same design / construction as the 13.3″ MacBook Air
- MacBook Pros are getting a hybrid graphics system, similar to certain Sony models (although the Sony VAIOs using Intel and NVIDIA side-by-side – Apple’s solution is NVIDIA for both). Uses an NVIDIA 9400M and 9600M GT.
- The new MacBooks are getting an LED-lit display, along with the new NVIDIA graphics, a faster bus speed, and faster memory (DDR3).
- For the time being, you can still buy the older style 13.3″ MacBook
- Firewire was dropped from the redesigned MacBooks
Some comments from Steve Jobs: (via Engadget)
- Steve Jobs on Touchscreen: “so far it hasn’t made a lot of sense to us”.
- Jobs on netbooks: In terms of netbooks, that’s a nascent market that’s just getting started.
- Jobs on glossy vs matte displays: We’re going all glass — we won’t offer another version.
- Jobs on Blu-Ray Drives / BRD: “Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt. It’s great to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we’re waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace.” (Phil Schiller goes on to mention buying / renting HD content through the iTunes store)
- Jobs/Schiller on HDMI / Display Port: HDMI is limited in resolution” “for typical computer use, display port is the connector of the future.”
Steve also made light of his health concerns, showing a slide with his blood pressure listed.
- $769.99
Apple Notebook Event 2008 – Notes
The new designs:
- They are moving the MacBooks and MacBook Pros to the same design / construction as the 13.3″ MacBook Air
- MacBook Pros are getting a hybrid graphics system, similar to certain Sony models (although the Sony VAIOs using Intel and NVIDIA side-by-side – Apple’s solution is NVIDIA for both). Uses an NVIDIA 9400M and 9600M GT.
- The new MacBooks are getting an LED-lit display, along with the new NVIDIA graphics, a faster bus speed, and faster memory (DDR3).
- For the time being, you can still buy the older style 13.3″ MacBook
- Firewire was dropped from the redesigned MacBooks
Some comments from Steve Jobs: (via Engadget)
- Steve Jobs on Touchscreen: “so far it hasn’t made a lot of sense to us”.
- Jobs on netbooks: In terms of netbooks, that’s a nascent market that’s just getting started.
- Jobs on glossy vs matte displays: We’re going all glass — we won’t offer another version.
- Jobs on Blu-Ray Drives / BRD: “Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt. It’s great to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we’re waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace.” (Phil Schiller goes on to mention buying / renting HD content through the iTunes store)
- Jobs/Schiller on HDMI / Display Port: HDMI is limited in resolution” “for typical computer use, display port is the connector of the future.”
Steve also made light of his health concerns, showing a slide with his blood pressure listed.