New Apple Laptops Any Day Now
About a month ago, I posted on some impending Apple product refreshes. Since then, we’ve seen some nifty new iPods, but the other rumored updates, to the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini, haven’t transpired yet. However, today I came across a very good indicator that Apple’s new laptops will be here very soon, perhaps within days.
I’ve been a grad student at UCLA for four years now, and I’ve noticed a strong trend: when new Apple products are about to be announced, the UCLA Computer Store makes significant cuts in their prices for whatever hardware is about to be refreshed. I’m not the only one who’s noticed this; it’s almost common knowledge around here that when prices drop, something dramatic is about to happen. I’ve fallen victim to this twice: I bought a suddenly-discounted fourth-gen iPod right before video iPods were announced, and a few months later I picked up an oddly cheap G4 iBook mere days before Apple announced the MacBook.
Today, I noticed that the UCLA Computer Store’s Apple laptop prices have fallen precipitously. (Apologies for not providing a link; the actual prices are only revealed to those with UCLA logins.) The new prices are good “while supplies last,” another indication that this is an inventory-clearing move. Note that the prices below take into account the standard academic discount:
2.4 ghz white MacBook: originally $1199, now $999
2.4 ghz black MacBook: originally $1399, now $1249
2.4 ghz MacBook Pro: originally $1799, now $1599
2.5 ghz MacBook Pro: originally $2299, now $1799
These are pretty substantial price cuts, especially the 2.5 ghz MacBook Pro, which dropped $500. If memory serves, the UCLA Computer Store usually drops prices by $50-$150, so these are significantly larger than usual. This is nothing more than a hunch, but based on these discounts, I’m guessing the laptop revamp will be pretty dramatic, especially at the high end, and that the prices of the new ones will be similar to the current pricing scheme.
I really don’t know what to expect, or when exactly to expect it, but my guess is the new laptops will be impressive, and we’ll see them announced sometime in the next couple of weeks.
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I’m so due a new laptop. My TiBook is still chugging along, but only barely.
I’m also on a budget, living in my kick-ass new Santa Cruz apartment, so we’ll just have to wait and see …
Rumors have been swirling for a while now, actually. In fact, one analyst at Barron’s claimed that new MacBooks are already shipping to retail outlets. A similar and more recent report from Citigroup also indicates new MacBooks are on the boat from China. Current thinking seems to be that they’ll be unveiled in mid-October.
I’m actually pondering heading a different route, though. Right now I have my eye on the $500 MSI Wind “netbook” that sports a 10″ screen, SD card reader, and is fairly easy to configure to dual-boot OS X and Windows. Since Apple is dedicated to MacBooks and the iPhone/iPod Touch, I don’t see them releasing a netbook like this anytime soon.
800 dollar Apple laptops? Okay. I’m listening.
Seriously! I’ve been looking forward to next Tuesday for sooooo long. I just hope there’s some diversity of screen size in the MacBooks this time. 13″ is just too small, and I don’t wanna spend $3100 (according to one source) just to get a decent-size screen.
And, while I’m whining, when are they gonna bring out the new Mac Mini?