

Thunderbolt connector
Apple shows off its '11 MacBook Pro notebooks






Apple further describes ThunderBolt:





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RE: It's 2011...
By Shadowself on 2/24/2011 9:50:09 AM , Rating: -1
There's no nuclear reactor either.

But seriously, Apple has never given anything but lip service to Blu-ray. Apple does not actively support any media that is greater than 720p. Think of the iTunes store and the Apple TV. IIRC both are limited to 720p.

Sure, their playback software can support 1080p and higher resolutions, but Apple does not directly, actively support any means of getting that into your Mac (laptop or otherwise).

It's absolutely brain dead stupid at this point to be so backward. However, complaining about no Blu-ray in a Mac is as useless as complaining that there is no zero point energy source either. Apple just does not give a damn about those complaints.

RE: It's 2011...
By BrandtTheMan on 2/24/2011 9:55:41 AM , Rating: 5
Apple just does not give a damn about customers.


RE: It's 2011...
By Tony Swash on 2/24/11, Rating: -1
RE: It's 2011...
By MeesterNid on 2/24/11, Rating: -1
RE: It's 2011...
By NellyFromMA on 2/24/2011 10:10:30 AM , Rating: 2
Fact: You don't have to care about your customers to sell product with mass-appeal. Also, Jersey Shore somehow manages to have mass-appeal, I doubt that makes it any more credible. Not hating, just saying...

RE: It's 2011...
By Denigrate on 2/24/2011 10:24:17 AM , Rating: 1
So that's why they have a whopping 5-6% of the market on the "PC" side of things?

RE: It's 2011...
By BSMonitor on 2/24/2011 11:57:33 AM , Rating: 2
Maybe a couple years ago, I think they are over 12% now.. Maybe more in the U.S... I think they were #3 PC maker in U.S. or close to it.

RE: It's 2011...
By Denigrate on 2/24/2011 12:06:54 PM , Rating: 4
Google is your friend. Looking at 5% share for Macs.

RE: It's 2011...
By omnicronx on 2/24/2011 1:18:52 PM , Rating: 2
Not to mention that study is based on web usage. Considering Apple does not make any servers anymore (and were few and far between before that), that number is most likely smaller in the grand scheme of things. (i.e servers and workstations)

RE: It's 2011...
By BSMonitor on 2/24/2011 1:22:36 PM , Rating: 2
What does web usage have to do with PC sales?

RE: It's 2011...
By omnicronx on 2/24/2011 1:36:37 PM , Rating: 2
I don't know you tell me, what does install base have to do with sales? Clearly no link there..


RE: It's 2011...
By BSMonitor on 2/24/2011 1:47:51 PM , Rating: 2
Install base using the internet.... Good catch.

RE: It's 2011...
By BSMonitor on 2/24/2011 2:00:56 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, < 6% global.. Their large gains were a particular quarter and mostly US. My bad.

RE: It's 2011...
By Tony Swash on 2/24/2011 5:25:58 PM , Rating: 2
While you guys have been staring fondly in the rear view mirror at a landscape rapidly fading into history the rest of the world has been moving forwards.

And we just passed an interesting new landmark.

Apple has just retaken the crown as the world's biggest computer maker.

See here

I know there will be squeals from the terminally nostalgic, 'iPads are not computers', 'iPhones are not computers', 'the only real computers are big and sit on a desk', blah blah.

Meanwhile things move forward and times change. At some point in the next couple of years, probably sooner rather than later, total smart phones, tablets and pocket devices will pass 'old PC' sales, the number of people accessing the net not using traditional PCs will soar pass the numbers still using old style PCs and then keep on accelerating. The curmudgeonly out of date techies will moan about things changing too fast, and how nobody treats PCS with the respect they deserve, and how it was all so much better back in the days.

RE: It's 2011...
By Alexstarfire on 2/24/2011 9:07:27 PM , Rating: 2
I think the difference between tablets/phones and PCs is functionality. Even something like a laptop provides far more functionality than a device like the iPad/Xoom does. Will that change in the future? Probably, but I'm not psychic so IDK how it's going to change. I would imagine they will become more like PCs, but I don't think they'll ever officially qualify as a PC. The software might come up to PC quality, but the hardware will simply never reach it. The form factor simply won't allow it.

I wouldn't doubt that these devices will surpass traditional PCs. A PC would be something like a deluxe Swiss Army knife. Does anything and everything you could possibly imagine. Problem is, people don't need to do anything and everything you can imagine every day. These tablets/phones/consumer electronic devices try to include the things that people do the most and put it in a mobile platform.

RE: It's 2011...
By Tony Swash on 2/25/11, Rating: 0
RE: It's 2011...
By Alexstarfire on 2/25/2011 11:37:50 AM , Rating: 3
Pretty sure it's almost never going to be a small niche. Businesses will be using them for decades to come simply because people are far more productive on them.

RE: It's 2011...
By leuNam on 3/2/2011 1:12:17 PM , Rating: 2

RE: It's 2011...
By TypeS on 2/25/2011 7:08:06 AM , Rating: 2
The day that tablets/mobile phones actually take the place of a latpop/mainstream computer, is the day people realize Apple's iPad is awesome in UI experience but completely useless connectivity wise unless you go out buy an expensive docking station for it or overpriced adapters.

RE: It's 2011...
By omnicronx on 2/24/2011 1:31:03 PM , Rating: 2
So what exactly are you trying to imply? That popularity and adhering consumer demands must be tied to one another?

You have much to learn young Padawan...

RE: It's 2011...
By leuNam on 3/2/2011 12:35:22 PM , Rating: 1
Tony again and Apple.. what's new?!

RE: It's 2011...
By MeesterNid on 2/24/2011 10:12:34 AM , Rating: 4
Blu-ray and other optical media are moving closer to obsolescence as more and more high-bandwidth internet access options become available. I'd rather they take out even the existing DVD drive and replace it with a second HDD, while giving you an option to have an external USB DVD drive...that's what I did on my own in my MacBook Pro.

I'm sure there are folks that use and like blu-ray on their laptop, but I would assume that most people would want to watch a 1080p movie on their TV instead of a 17" screen.

RE: It's 2011...
By TheRequiem on 2/24/2011 10:16:59 AM , Rating: 2
What about the 200 blu-ray movies I already own? Does this makes sense for me? Yes, for the future, when we actually have 1080p quality downlaods, I'll be there, but we don't so this is severely lacking because of blu-ray.

RE: It's 2011...
By Taft12 on 2/24/2011 11:52:47 AM , Rating: 2

And even you are, thank God for these:

Your needs are niche enough for Apple be safe foregoing the Bluray drive.

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RE: It's 2011...
By Pirks on 2/24/11, Rating: 0
RE: It's 2011...
By TheRequiem on 2/24/2011 2:31:20 PM , Rating: 2
Ran out of space, 200 blu-rays needs a lot of memory. ;-)

RE: It's 2011...
By Smilin on 2/24/2011 2:40:51 PM , Rating: 2
1080p downloads are available now on Zune.

...which again Mac doesn't have. I *think* Amazon offers 1080i which is almost as good depending on the type of movie.

RE: It's 2011...
By tamalero on 3/1/2011 2:14:44 PM , Rating: 2
I think that question is answered if you look back at the whole HD-DVD fiasco.
there were tons of vids.. all useless now.
I bet blu-ray will have a similar fate, and massadopt internet streaming or downloads.

RE: It's 2011...
By theapparition on 2/24/2011 10:47:43 AM , Rating: 5
Apple doesn't get a piece out of each Blu-ray sold, but they would get a piece out of each HD movies sold on iTunes.

Follow the money, that's all you ever have to do.

RE: It's 2011...
By BernardP on 2/24/2011 10:54:26 AM , Rating: 2
You nailed it.

RE: It's 2011...
By BSMonitor on 2/24/2011 11:59:34 AM , Rating: 2
On top of that, they do not control the ever changing blu-ray encryption mechanism.. Apple wait on updates from Sony or whomever runs that show.. Come on!

RE: It's 2011...
By TheRequiem on 2/24/2011 2:57:23 PM , Rating: 2
This is not true, half of the blu-ray's I own have a digital copy (but less quality) of the movie for iTunes, so I know they are making money on those... I still think they are missing the point of the consumer. Just release blu-ray, is it really going to hurt them? I would think that it would help them due to the fact that the computer has blu-ray and 10's of thousands of people have been waiting for it to come to Mac.

RE: It's 2011...
By omnicronx on 2/24/2011 4:25:28 PM , Rating: 2
Of course its going to hurt them, it will hurt their margins and bottom line because the technology costs more to implement.

A PC maker can just increase the price, with Apple pricing already higher than most PC's, do you really think they can justify another price increase to recoup the costs?

As another poster noted, just follow the money. They could care less what consumers want if it means more cash in the bank.


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