I just saw on CNBC that Apple will release new products tomorrow. New MacBook for $999, and a new MacBook Pro for $700 less than what is currently on the market.

Sure would like to get one....

Laurie

Just saw it on www.apple.com ! WhoohooO!

Sadly, you're incorrect.

They are keeping the old macbooks on and dropping the price to $999. If you want a new one, it will be $1299. The new MacBook Pros are $1999, just like before.

I am so disappointed in today's announcements - the pricing, the glossy displays, the absolute disregard for creative professionals. Apple is going to piss off a lot of people today, and I, for the first time, am one of those people.

Is anyone else as seriously disappointed as I am about the "new" mac direction? I absolutely HATE the glossy screens...and I really dislike the chicklet keyboards as well. The guts of the upgrade of the MBP and MacBooks is all well and good but I think the new models are ugly and with no options of any glossless screens on any model macs in the near future, I think Apple is shooting themselves in the foot.

I've been waiting for them to upgrade the Cinema displays as well...so we now have an ugly, all-glare capturing 24". Again, nice insides...LED, built in i-sight, speakers...but they screwed themselves by not offering this in matte for professionals.

I for one will not be buying any new Mac computers in the near future (going to have to baby all the ones I have and start ebay shopping for older ones) and will be looking for the last of the MBP's. Still glad I got my 24"imac before they switched to glossy as well.

I'm frankly stunned that there is no option for glossless..or a professional glossless monitor. Stunned.

Apple should go back to the drawing board on these.

Who are you and what have you done with our sofaboy??

We'll forming a search party soon... Trevor, if you're out there reading this, we love you, we're looking for you, and we won't give up!

I'm off to get on the horn with Homeland!!

100% agreed. They're forgetting about the real driving force behind apple - the creative pros who utilize their amazingly thought-out products (that is, until today) and own stock in their company.... I am so deeply saddened by today's announcements.... I may be buying up quite an inventory from the refurbished store while supplies of non-glossy products last.

Have you guys actually worked on the glossy screens or just not liking them on principal? I was very anti glossy till I got 17" glossy macbook pro and a glossy 24" iMac, and well the glossy isn't that hard to work with at all.

Hope I don't get flamed, but +1

I'm currently on a 13" MacBook with a glossy screen. It's not a bother to me.

I have tried working on the 17"MBP with glossy and it just kills me...I'm constantly having to run around the room dousing lights, moving my head around trying to get little ticks of light off the spot I"m editing. Glossy is all well and good for those who like it-I personally think it gives a false sense of color depth and contrast...but not even having an OPTION for a matte is a REALLY bad business decision by Apple.

I've worked on both the iMac and glossy macbooks/macbook pros and I cannot stand them - not to mention that they give a false impression of color and are inherently more difficult to calibrate.

F*ck you apple.

Whoops... did I say that? Yep, and I'm not the only one today.

Same here, I was waiting to replace my old Powerbook with a new one..but will have to settle for the last gen. I was REALLY waiting for new Cinema's esp a 30" but now...I don't know what to do. Can't afford an Eizo right now.

I'm sure some people are really excited about this change but I personally think they don't have that mac-like clean design anymore. And again...they're just UGLY!!

I like the new macbooks so I ordered one.

I didnt know Apple released new MBPs but I did get me a nice MBP 15.4" 2.5 dual core on a refurbished condition last week. I think I got a great deal and what great timing.

Yeah, I think I'll pick up a 2.6ghz 15.4" MBP with the 200gb 7200rpm hard drive.... $1799 refurbished, and it will last me quite a while, considering that I've got my 2.16ghz MBP as well.

So does this mean I should buy a (matte) Cinema Display now, even if I am planning on buying a Mac Pro sometime next year? Wasn't expecting that!

we are very disappointed as well. We were waiting for the new 17" mbp to come out and this is what we get... its all just crap... I feel jaded. I just don't like those over contrasty ultra saturated screens. and all of my peripheral monitors are matte. How will that look together.
what is everyone doing who needed this new generation of MBP. will you buy the 17" or get a refurb, or wait

Well, I agree with you there! Ugh, so friggin ugly!

and is the 17" mbp in fact "new" it says it is

hehe, I was going to say that :-D



I had a glossy laptop and while it was okay to work on I prefer the matte screen a lot more.



Calibration is my biggest beef with glossy screens - I did not have good luck with my glossy screen and calibration while the matte works just fine.



I think I will hit the Apple Refurb store and get a 24" Cinema display... I am hoping that they drop the price even further with their new display coming out.... one can only hope!

I must have missed something since I think these new books are dynamite. What were you guys expecting???

They had a great thing going with the last gen..just needed a speed/graphics burst..

This redesign is just horrible. And with no OPTION for a matte screen and the stupid flat keys, there's just no way I will buy one.

It may be a personal thing but I just think they are BUTT UGLY as well. If I wanted a crappy looking windoze machine, I'd go out and spend the $300 for one that looked just like this.

I was not expecting a step backwards for their pro displays. I figured that the intro of the glossy iMacs were a way to push pro photographers towards Mac Pros and Cinema Displays. I think they missed the mark by a mile for creatives.

Glare example:


I have already sent a letter to Apple. I would encourage everyone to do the same.

Another example. Dreadful. Just dreadful.

I think they take away features so they can bring them back later as a new feature.

Steves 2009 speech:
"We've done the studies and found out that people really don't need a monitor on the laptop, so we're going to do the revolutionary thing by taking it away to make an even smaller laptop. We're very excited about this new feature and we know you will too!" [loud clapping and cheering]

Steve's 2010 speech:
"We're so excited to introduce the new laptops this year that has an exciting new feature that all of us at Apple are so excited about. We're going to actually put a monitor on the MBP to give it usability like never before" [loud clapping and cheering]

I was pretty disappointed when they took the glossy away from the iMac's but I thought it was because they wanted to push the professionals to the Mac Pro. But this move is so strange. I can hear the conversation now -- "How much did you say we would save if we only offered only one type of display and quit manufacturing two!? Let's do it!"

I agree. I am hoping my macbook pro with matte screen will last me until they figure out that they made a mistake and switch back. Fingers crossed.

And from a design standpoint, I really do not like the black. Ewww.

Well, I'm no pro, but I have used the glossy screens, and I can't stand em. But then, it can all depend on where you use it.

Its not like they just changed the screen to screw creative professionals- the switch is all about going green- the new screens are thinner and more energy efficient- They wouldn't be able to promote their products as a green product with the old screens- i like the matte better too- but its not a deal breaker for me

Speaking as a designer that uses really CPU intensive programs- the new graphics chips are what really make the new computers appealing- they really complement the changes by adobe to create CS4 with a bigger push to open GL graphics processing- that is going to be far more useful to me

I like the black- but thats just me

The apple discussions are on fire about this...99% hate the glossy only screens. Apple is going to see a lot of jumpers on this I think...I don't really know where to go as there's no way I'd go back to Windoze...but then again, these new screens are unusable for me.

Not true. It's the piece of glass they put over the screen that is creating the glare. That has nothing to do with being energy efficient. The screens are LED, which is the same as the previous generation of Macbook Pros. LED screens are more energy efficient than LCD screens, but that transition happened two generations back, not today.

Exactly. Oh, in case I didn't make my point clear, this is quite possibly the most horrific product announcement/refresh I have ever witnessed from apple. Sure doesn't make me very comfortable with the amount of stock I hold in their company... which is sad because everything until now I've been really happy with.

Sad, sad times.

Trevor...
I think you may need to update your avi...
I planned on buying one tonight I still may it just might be a refurb.

I was just thinking that!

Aside from the direct feedback link I posted above, I'd recommend that everyone post a message on their official forum.

This is what I meant:

"The new MacBook LED-backlit display is another environmental breakthrough. LED technology uses 30 percent less power than conventional LCD displays. The LED-backlit display is mercury-free, highly recyclable, and encased in arsenic-free glass."

I sent an email to steve@mac.com and CC'd sjobs@apple.com, both of which are read by internal customer relations people according to numerous accounts all over the internet. I also sent an email to the "macbook team" using their feedback page, and I just purchased another macbook pro (i have one already) to hold me over for another couple of years while they get their shit together.

Haha, no windows avatars for me guys. I love apple, I just am infuriated by this ridiculous decision.

Exactly. And there's no reason that it HAS to be encased in glass.... It just is. As was said before, the previous generation, like the one I just purchased, had the option of matte displays. No reason for that to have gone away!

yeah it's dumb, but i don't totally understand all the rancor. who updates their computers every year anyway?

they'd have to try real, real, real hard to get me to want anything beyond my 8-core MP, and I like the "old" ACD's, too. I have the glossy display on my macbook, and it's fine for what I use it for (not editing). I can't imagine editing on a laptop at any rate.

I've got one in a saved cart...just waiting for another retainer check to come in.

Just got notification that mine will come in on Thursday! Wow -- they are quick!

What are you doing with the old one? LOL

I'm really surprised at the response, and the move by apple. Usually they have a really good feel for what people are wanting.

Just a thought (and seriously not to instigate anything!) but is this a move to appeal to a broader, less picky base, even though the pros that use them and really work their color management are just furious? I'm just wondering if they are looking at pushing their desktop line (especially the $$$ MP) for working pros. I haven't looked, but do they offer just their monitors in matte?

(this, however, is to instigate)

Here's a new logo that you SHOULD be considering....


(all in good fun! LOL)

Hopefully apple isn't getting so big that they are starting to get blinded by bottom lines, rather than their nimble, cutting edge reputation they have been earning lately.

Apparently the 20", 23" and 30" displays will remain - as of now anyway. They are all matte and I think apple would be absolutely insane to cut them out of the line-up... although by their apparent lack of regard for pros when refreshing their laptops, I wouldn't put it past them now to start trying to phase out the ACDs. However, they are still the only apple displays that work on the mac pros (they have DVI) at least until desktop graphics cards adopt the video port or whatever it's called - which I see to be somewhat unlikely in the near future.

Their new focus is on the consumer. Even if they lost the pro market, they still have huge upside potential on the consumer side. I was thinking about it today... they want to make everything look like the iPhone so all of new phone owners will feel familiar with the computers.

Not that I agree with the move to all glossy displays, but I think the glass adds structure and strength to the super thin screen casing. So I wouldn't expect a matte option without a resign to the case, making it thicker. Maybe the 17" MBP will have the option, and thats why that refresh will take a few more months. Wishful thinking, I know.

But for a laptop, honestly, I like them. I won't be buying the 24" LED Cinema display anytime soon (or ever), so as long as they keep the original 23" and 30" monitors, most creative pros should be happy.

Is there an anti glare coating you can get for the screen? I've seen similar for the iPhone.

Oh, and how long until firewire is limited only to the Mac Pro, with a 3rd party card at that?

I doubt any kind of anti-glare filter would work well. You can always hang a towel over your head and the laptop screen (joke). I went to Best Buy last night just to check out the Windows PC's. Guess what? There was not a single matte screen in the store. I guess Apple is caving to current trends.

I'll actually be very interested to see what happens with the glass screens. They do seem like a perfect candidate for some sort of matte screen protector/anti-glare shield. Power Support makes great films for the iPhone screens - I personally prefer their crystal (clear and glossy, not matte) film for my iPhone but if they made their matte display protector for the new macbooks and macbook pros I can see a lot of people going for them - the glare reduction is quite impressive and the film doesn't reduce screen detail or backlight conductivity.

Do you think this would work? I'm debating a refurb MBP, but man I want the new goods. If the screen could be helped with anti glare film I'm all over it.

Maybe I'm wrong here , but I just went to the apple store to see the ugliness, and they are actually worse in person. However the 17" MBP looks pretty good. you can get the anti glare screen and its got a 320 gb drive. what if you order it with the 2.6 and 7200 drive also. would it rock or suck. why get the little 15" when the 17" is still available

There you go! They are making them.

BUT!

As per the post below, I would go seriously look at them first. I honestly just bought a "refurbished" (which is basically new stock - may not even be refurbished) 2.6ghz 15" macbook pro with the 200gb 7200rpm drive etc. and the graphics performance on those is equal to if not better than the new macbooks and macbook pros. I personally would not recommend dealing with those new crappy screens - get something that's been proven to work and not annoy the f@ck out of you.

On that note - a couple of the 15" refurbished models have already sold out - I think we'll be seeing the rest selling out very soon as an indication that people a really not happy with the new direction apple has taken with the recent releases.



Because the 17" is clunky and WAY too big (and expensive) for most users' needs. It's not a great "portable" computer - it's meant more as a primary semi-portable workstation.

I just ordered a refurbished 15" MBP for $1,350. It'll be here on Monday. Here's the link.

That gives Apple about 2-3 years to figure out how much they screwed up. Check out the statistics below. The new MBP's are not really faster than the previous generation.