Apple to Roll Out Entry-Level MacBook in September

Megalith

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Citing industry sources, DigiTimes reports that Apple will be unveiling a $1200 entry-level MacBook with Intel's 14nm Kaby Lake processor in September. Also announced will be three new iPhones, a wireless charger (“AirPower”), and two new iPad Pros.

The 13-inch inexpensive MacBook was originally set to be released in the fourth quarter of 2017, but has been delayed due to Intel's issues with its 10nm manufacturing process. With Intel deciding to wait until the second half of 2019 to begin manufacturing 10nm CPUs, Apple has switched the MacBook design to adopt processors based on improved 14nm Kaby Lake architecture.
 
13" $1200 inexpensive entry level, no thanks

Inexpensive for a Mac. $1200 for a GOOD laptop isn't that bad. But Macs recently have been so lackluster who knows what that $1200 will get you these days.
 
13" $1200 inexpensive entry level, no thanks
If you want a decent notebook expect to pay more than $400 for one. I'm going to be in the market to get a new notebook soon and anything that's even close to being worth it are more than $600, some are as expensive as $900. And we're not even talking about a gaming notebook, we're just talking about a notebook that has more than just a weak-sauce Core i3 or Pentium chip. For me it's got to have at least a Core i5 or a Core i7 if the price isn't too much higher.
 
This is why Apple's stock valuation is worth over 1 trillion dollars now. They consider $1200.00 for a lackluster Laptop, Entry Level. Yet they still have diehard customers that keep them in business. I will let others keep buying their products, I may buy stock from them in the future though.
 
Entry-level into what, "The Elite Dickheads Club" or something? $1200? Entry level? I want to laugh but that's some Apple level shit going on right there, definitely. :D

I paid $200 for a Kaby Lake powered Lenovo Yoga 710 recently at a pawn shop that does more than this "entry level" MacBook could ever dream of.
 
I paid $200 for a Kaby Lake powered Lenovo Yoga 710 recently at a pawn shop that does more than this "entry level" MacBook could ever dream of.
But does that system have an SSD? At least a quad core processor? 8 GBs of RAM? If not, it's not worth it to me.
 
Probably fitted with 32GB of storage in some manipulative attempt to promote Apple's iCloud product....
 
But does that system have an SSD? At least a quad core processor? 8 GBs of RAM? If not, it's not worth it to me.

It has 8GB, a dual core Kaby Lake i5 (really, it doesn't need anything more), it has a 15.5" extremely bright IPS 10-point touch screen, it's a 2n1 convertible, and a Samsung 250GB SSD that is upgradable (so is the RAM actually). It worked just fine for me till I sold it for $350. :)
 
Entry-level into what, "The Elite Dickheads Club" or something? $1200? Entry level? I want to laugh but that's some Apple level shit going on right there, definitely. :D

I paid $200 for a Kaby Lake powered Lenovo Yoga 710 recently at a pawn shop that does more than this "entry level" MacBook could ever dream of.

Did it still have bloodstains on the keyboard? someone got cut when that ended up at a pawnshop...
 
don't worry. we're not Apple's target customer.

We're Haterade's target customer.
 
$1,200 is entry level? Only in Apple land.

I don't pay much more than that for a business class Dell with a 15" screen, 16GB ram and a high end i5 CPU.
 
Isn't the Air $999? I would think that is the entry level for a Mac. Unless you want the Mac Mini. That hasn't been updated in so long it is still running a 86k chip.
 
I'm in no way defending Apple here but if you want more than just basic hardware be prepared to pay for it. Yes, you can get a notebook for less than $1K but is it going to have a good high resolution screen with a high refresh rate? Probably not. A good GPU? Again, probably not. Dual channel memory? Again, probably not. You're going to have to pay for that hardware.

I can't tell you how many damn times I've looked at a Dell notebook only to shake my head when I read that it only has one DIMM. You just castrated that processor with half the memory bandwidth due to not having two DIMMs for the dual-channel memory controller. It makes me shake my head and scream "Why!"
 
I'm in no way defending Apple here but if you want more than just basic hardware be prepared to pay for it. Yes, you can get a notebook for less than $1K but is it going to have a good high resolution screen with a high refresh rate? Probably not. A good GPU? Again, probably not. Dual channel memory? Again, probably not. You're going to have to pay for that hardware.

I can't tell you how many damn times I've looked at a Dell notebook only to shake my head when I read that it only has one DIMM. You just castrated that processor with half the memory bandwidth due to not having two DIMMs for the dual-channel memory controller. It makes me shake my head and scream "Why!"


I can't remember the last time I opened up a Dell laptop to only find one DIMM slot.

In most cases I bet hardly anyone could tell the performance difference between single and dual channel ram anyway in day to day use.
 
The current 12" Macbook starts at $999 now if I'm not mistaken. Make no mistake, this was not a powerhouse system but it did work ok for my job at the time. Weight and size was very good - I could actually use it on a plane. Keyboard? Majorly sucked! Hooked up to an external monitor and keyboard, I could still compiled stuff with Xcode although it was slow.
If we had maxed out the Macbook when purchased, seems like the price would have been about 1600? At that point, it made little sense to buy a Macbook - Macbook Pro was a better choice. Apple is clever with their models and pricing structure.
Mac Mini - form factor is nice, you might be interested, then you realize you can't upgrade to how you want it to run.
Macbook - cheaper than a MBPro. You can buy it upgraded (haha, of course you can't upgrade after you buy it) - but then it doesn't make sense to do so.
I don't understand the Macbook Air anymore. Seems redundant.
MBPro - there is always a more powerful model that you really want, but don't have budget for.
 
In most cases I bet hardly anyone could tell the performance difference between single and dual channel ram anyway in day to day use.
A enthusiast would be able to tell the difference.
I can't remember the last time I opened up a Dell laptop to only find one DIMM slot.
I look at the specs on the web page, more often than not you see the phrase "1 DIMM" to which I would have to assume that that means only one memory module.
 
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$1200 is not cheap for "ancient" technology Kaby Lake. At that price, the Huawei Matebook X Pro will be a Macbook killer.

A friend gifted me her Alienware 17 R3 about two months back; that fits the definition of inexpensive.
 
$1200 is not cheap for "ancient" technology Kaby Lake.
OK, I'll give you that. That is definitely true. However, I stand by my statement that if you want good hardware be prepared to pay for it. I consider any notebook that costs less than $400 to $500 junk that's not even worth my time to look at.
 
OK, I'll give you that. That is definitely true. However, I stand by my statement that if you want good hardware be prepared to pay for it. I consider any notebook that costs less than $400 to $500 junk that's not even worth my time to look at.

Right, I linked you a computer with the same specs for half the price. Same m-series processor, same aluminum case and passive cooling.

Even their grown-up 4-core mdel is ony $750, and uses that same passive cooling at idle.

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Slim-i...417XeSwtw%2BL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
 
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At first, I thought "$1200 for an entry-level? C'mon, man!" Then I went to Dell's site to see if I could find something comparable. I figure the XPS line should be fairly analogous--nice aluminum construction, great screen, etc. On that product, if you want 16GB, be prepared to shell out $2k. If you're willing to settle for 8GB, you'll be out at least $1200, similar to Apple's expected price point. And that's with soldered-in RAM.

So maybe Apple aren't as crazy as I thought.

As for me, I'm actually in the market for a new-to-us notebook for DW. And I'm looking at laptops that are 1-2 generations old. I don't need (nor want) a super-thin laptop, which opens up my options tremendously. Right now, I'm looking at a freakin' Inspiron 7368 as our best option--thin and light, two DIMM slots, M.2 or SATA drive option, all aluminum construction, HD screen, and easily serviceable.
 
OK, I'll give you that. That is definitely true. However, I stand by my statement that if you want good hardware be prepared to pay for it. I consider any notebook that costs less than $400 to $500 junk that's not even worth my time to look at.

I agree with your "pay for good hardware" statement.

But is this good hardware? Or are you paying for a $500 laptop and $700 for branding/logo/experience/status symbol?

They know how to capitalize on brand loyalty, I'll give you that.
 
True, no enthusiast would buy a Mac. That's why I build my own systems, because I'm an enthusiast. However, some of the pre-built and notebook systems I've seen have only one DIMM. It seriously makes me want to scream "Why!?" when I see these systems. An enthusiast would definitely see the performance bottleneck.
 
A enthusiast would be able to tell the difference.

I look at the specs on the web page, more often than not you see the phrase "1 DIMM" to which I would have to assume that that means only one memory module.


Yeah yeah (rubs chin) I forgot 'enthusiasts' are a total breed apart when it comes to tech. :rolleyes:
 
A enthusiast would be able to tell the difference.

I look at the specs on the web page, more often than not you see the phrase "1 DIMM" to which I would have to assume that that means only one memory module.
Give me a fucking break. I'd be absolutely fucking amazed if, in a proper double-blind experiment, an "enthusiast" could tell the difference between single and dual channel RAM.

Dual channel is faster, in some workloads, but overall it's not so significantl that it's as blindingly obvious as you claim.
 
Give me a fucking break. I'd be absolutely fucking amazed if, in a proper double-blind experiment, an "enthusiast" could tell the difference between single and dual channel RAM.

Dual channel is faster, in some workloads, but overall it's not so significantl that it's as blindingly obvious as you claim.

Dude he's an enthusiast. He even builds his own computers which is practically unheard of.

I guess I'm not an enthusiast because I own a Macbook Pro even though I've built a dozen more computers in the last decade for friends and myself.

But alas... I knocked myself down to one of the casuals and apple sheep all because of that danged macbook. ‍♀️
 
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