Apple intros hotly-awaited small-screen Intel-powered Mac laptops

[dangel]

Re-read my comments again, and you'll see that the main reason I stated was cost, because it doesn't need much if any 3d capability.

...and re-read mine - that doesn't translate into a cheaper laptop to the end user from Apple, it just bolsters their profit margins (and as i've said, they probably got a great deal from intel to keep it 'intel all the way').

If you look at who the macbook is aimed at, the equivilent Dells mostly use Intel GMA integrated graphics..

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/pr...n=specs#tabtop
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/pr...hs1&l=en&s=dhs

...which are a lot cheaper? Sorry, but as a user of several lappies I can't see the appeal of integrated (shared memory) graphics it always sucks. I wonder what it's like for DVD playback etc too... For the money i'd want more in the graphics department - and as I originally stated I think it's a shame they've stuffed an otherwise appealing package.

What apple tinted glasses? They're transitions lenses!

Lol

[Stoo]

...which are a lot cheaper? Sorry, but as a user of several lappies I can't see the appeal of integrated (shared memory) graphics it always sucks. I wonder what it's like for DVD playback etc too... For the money i'd want more in the graphics department - and as I originally stated I think it's a shame they've stuffed an otherwise appealing package.

That one model was cheaper, but the 410 was £949, and that's got slightly worse integrated graphics (900 rather than the 950), in fact, if you spec it the same as the black macbook it ends up being nearly £200 more expensive.

Even the cheaper model ends up about the same price when you spec it the same as the middle white model, or about £50 more expensive than the low end white macbook when configured with the 1.8ghz processor..

DVD playback will be fine, certainly no worse than the hamstrung 9200 in my G4 iBook, which doesn't drop any frames either, hell, even an old 800mhz P3 doesn't drop frames when doing software dvd decode.. Non-issue completely.

It's all about the right tools for the job - my G4 iBook is used for a bit of email, a bit of surfing, msn, and a bit of photo stuff if I'm out and about with my camera and I won't be home for a while, I'm not under any illusion of being able to play something like Half-Life2 on it. If I want to do any proper gaming, or 3D work, or even working on large photoshop projects I use my desktop PC at home. (see link to the left)

If I wanted to do any of that on a portable machine, I'd spend the £1400-1700 on a macbook pro.

[dangel]

Anyone tried vista on integrated graphics yet out of interest?

[nichomach]

That one model was cheaper, but the 410 was £949, and that's got slightly worse integrated graphics (900 rather than the 950), in fact, if you spec it the same as the black macbook it ends up being nearly £200 more expensive.

The 410 is sure as hell NOT the equivalent model, though; the Macbook weighs in at 2.36kg, the 410 at 1.72kg - it's much lighter. That said, the 410 is an older series machine which will be being replaced by the 420, using a LV Core Duo. If you want a closer match, look at the D620. That's actually probably slightly more expensive, but comes with a 3yr next-day on-site warranty, a 14" screen (and they're mostly shipping with 1440x900 resolution, so a bit better than the Macbook), the same 950 integrated graphics (though upgradable to a Quadro) and ships at 2kg rather than 2.36. Way better machines, and quite nice looking too. In fact, for about the same weight, you can have the 620 with a 9cell extended battery which'll give you a good 6 hours plus away from mains power in normal use.

No-one in their right mind would buy a 410 at the moment; you get so much more with the 620s, and if you really need an ultralight you'll probably wait for the 420. The Lats are probably more expensive to purchase, but the warranty cover (and, because they're a business machine, the actual support you receive) is great.

£1,128 all in gets you:
D620 with Intel® Core™ Duo T2500 (2.0GHz) with Integrated Intel GMA 950
Genuine Windows® XP Professional (Service Pack 2) WITH Media using NTFS
512MB, 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM Memory (1 x 512MB)
UK/Irish - Dual Pointing Internal Keyboard
80GB serial ATA HDD 5400RPM
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
8 X DVD+/-RW Drive with Decoder Software
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) Dual Core
UK/Irish - D620 Ship Accessories with Power Cord
3Y NBD International (Next Business Day) On-site (incl. e-Learning Pack)
Power Supply 65W standard D/Family AC Adapter
Palmrest with touchpad
Bluetooth Card
6 Cell Primary Battery (56 WHr) for extended battery life
Standard Nylon Carrying Case
LCD 14.1" WXGA+ LCD Screen (1440 X 900 resolution)

Now that's £100 more than the black Macbook, sure, but it's got a better screen, it's lighter, they don't charge you extra for having a modem (and if you DO need to use it on the move that can be an important issue), and it's got a 3 year onsite warranty. Oh, I specced that with the memory in one module rather than two, since you might want to bump it to a gig, say, later. Of course, to do that with the Macbook, you'd have to throw out at least half the RAM in the system.

Oh - do you get any sort of case with the Macbook?