Finally, a MacBook Pro that responds to your caresses
Apple today rolled out a refresh of its notebooks, giving both the MacBook and MacBook Pro the benefits of Intel’s latest Penryn Core 2 Duo chipset and equipping the Pro with the multitouch trackpad that MacBook Air owners have been fondling since January (see “Jobs delivers hot Air and more“). The standard MacBook didn’t get the fancy trackpad, but it did get more storage to go along with the performance improvements. And if you’re feeling flush, you can trick out the Pro with up to a 2.6 GHz processor with 6MB of shared L2 cache, up to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory, up to a 300GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with up to 512MB of video memory, and an LED-backlit screen. Remember, the sooner you buy, the more time you’ll have to gloat before the next upgrade.
I like the features in the new MacBook Pro but for a fraction of the price at only $1299 I have an HP dv9700t that comes with 1.7 GHz Centrino Dual Core processor with 4MB of shared L2 cache, 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory, 320GB dual hard drives, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M graphics with 512MB of dedicated video memory, and a dual lamp WXGA+ widescreen HD display, internal Altec Lansing Stereo HD audio system, fingerprint reader (for system login and easy access to password protected websites), built-in megapixel webcam with backlight and dual microphones, and a digital/analog TV tuner for Windows Media Center turns your PC into a TiVo. With all that for such a small price, I just can’t rationalize buying a MacBook Pro.
David, does your HP run a legitimate copy of Mac OS X? Because that’s the reason that many of buy Macs.
I also appreciate carrying a laptop with a 17″ display that doesn’t weigh eight pounds or prevent me from opening it up on a reclined coach tray table. And I like the MacBook Pro’s higher screen resolution; 1440×900 on your HP just won’t cut it anymore for me - nor will the roundly panned 32-bit operating system it comes with.
I took a minute to look at your laptop online, and HP doesn’t allow speccing the machine with two 320GB disks. How do those disks affect your battery life?
And now that I look at it some more, on HP’s site, your laptop as specced would cost over $1700.00 - and that’s after a $150.00 “instant rebate”. I think you’re probably leaving something out - especially when you figure you’re going to have to buy a lot of software to equal iLife on the Mac.
I’m not trying to pick a fight, and it’s great that you got the laptop you want, but it’s not just about the hardware; the software and other touches on a Mac make it well worth any small premium (if you really compare your HP and a 17″ MacBook Pro, you’ll find it’s not such a great deal).
Aaargh! I just bought a MacBook, assuming any updates would be at least six months hence.