New Apple Laptops More Student Friendly?
October 14th, 2008 in TechnologyRelated Posts
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Apple has released a new line up of their laptops, and it has many students wondering if Apple’s new laptops are what they should be purchasing? I know more than a few of my friends have been working for two months now on their old computers hoping that the MacBook and MacBook Pro refresh would be worthwhile, but will they be disappointed?
Environmental
If you are taking classes related to green technology, or working to become an environmentalist, then the new Apple laptops are probably a nice change in your opinion.
The new MacBook Pro received a Gold rating from EPEAT based on the fact that the new model is Arsenic-free, BFR-free, Mercury-free, PVC-free, highly recyclable, and includes thirty-seven percent less packaging.
Durable
Built from their new brick process, the external cases of the new MacBook Pro and the higher end MacBook models will include less parts, thus increasing the overall durability. When you are throwing a laptop into your backpack, durability is very important. I have had my current MacBook Pro for a year and a half and the wear and tear is absolutely horrible. It has made what was once beautiful look more like an old jalopy car.
They have also removed the old touchpad and mouse buttons, replacing it with a piece of glass that has the ability to understand gestures, and pressure differences, solving the problem that many people had with the included wear and tear on the wide single click mouse button.
Cheaper
While most of the models aren’t really going to get much cheaper, the bottom of the line MacBook has dropped one hundred dollars, bringing it one dollar below the thousand dollar mark, which will make it seemingly more affordable for many.
Apple continues to have a laptop for every price point from $1000 to $3000, with various options and configurations allowing you to take the what you want from each style of machine to get the biggest bang for your hard earned bucks.
Faster
While not significantly faster than their predecessors, the new Macs are slightly faster and include more base RAM in some configurations as well as better integrated video card solutions from NVIDIA. The MacBook Pro actually includes two video processors, and allows you to switch from one to the other depending on what you are going to use the machine for, so those working on graphics and video rendering or video games can switch to a more powerful card to complete those functions, and sacrifice some battery life, or turn off the 9600M GT graphics card, and use the lower powered 9400M graphics processor and have longer battery life for writing reports and browsing the web.
Conclusion
The new designs are nice, but many people aren’t entirely impressed with them. I, for one, find them beautiful to look at, and with increased durability, I am tempted to replace my older beast with the new glass and silicon product that Apple has released.
I am disappointed though that they decided against dropping the base MacBook to $899 rather than their chosen $999, but Apple hasn’t been good at meeting the rumors over the past few releases.
If you are interested in the new laptops, you will find them for sale starting in around a week on Apple.com.
1
rick States
October 14th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Macbooks are a mainstay of colleges. It is amazing how durable and versatile they are. I really wish Apple would release a 12″ or 10″ version to get at the netbook category. In the forum part of the interview Jobs was asked if they would get into the netbook category and Jobs said it was still very early in the netbook market.
I disagree. The 12″ Powerbooks that haven’t been sold in over 2 years are still fetching $750-900 for configurations with 867Mhz Processors! It’s got to be something in that small form factor that people are crazy about.
2
David Peralty States
October 14th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Too True Rick. Not only that, but I know many people that bought iPod Touches or iPhones to use as an “almost netbook” or a “super PDA”. Apple could dominate that niche with an 8″ iPod Touch or a 10″ MacBook, but they don’t. Very strange. But at least the upper end MacBooks are almost MacBook Pro good!
3
MD States
October 18th, 2008 at 10:36 am
“Apple hasn’t been good at meeting the rumors over the past few releases” Huh????!
Rumors are just that…RUMORS. No one–not consumers, the press or Wall Street–should expect them to be fact. Why should Apple reduce the price on any product when they clearly are the sales leader in their respective categories? The MacBook is the best selling Apple product ever, and the number one laptop on college campuses. Even better, Apple’s unit and revenue numbers are growing at 3-4 times the rest of the PC industry. That’s pretty incredible!
While, of course, it would be nice to pay less for every product we purchase, no one should expect a company to lower prices when they clearly cannot manufacture enough to meet the outstanding demand.
Great site, by the way!
4
David Peralty States
October 18th, 2008 at 10:40 am
MD States – I understand where you are coming from, but to me, it seems like Apple has huge opportunities here, and could easily have met some of the rumors. Dropping the price a further $100 would have totally shifted the market that could afford their machines, especially in the current economy.
Not only that, but it was also the same with the iPod Touch and other devices they have released. Their community, and strongest supporters are even starting to get a little turned off when Apple, the company that used to blow people away, and do things far beyond what was rumored, now can’t even meet the rumors that are set.
As a student myself, it is KEY that devices be as accessible as possible in price and usability. There is still too much of a price premium for Macs which is stopping them from becoming the most widely purchased machines and it doesn’t HAVE to be that way.
Thanks for the comment, and again, I do understand where you and other people are coming from with regards to rumors.