X

With iPad out, MacBook faithful getting peevish

Those waiting for new MacBooks are weary of the weekly rumor mill.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
See full bio
Brooke Crothers
2 min read

In the wake of the iPad rollout frenzy, new MacBook rumors are touching a raw nerve among the Apple laptop faithful.

Apple MacBook Pro

Instead of triggering the usual discussions of hoped-for features, weekly MacBook rumors (the latest rumor says Tuesday) are now drawing scorn and skepticism. Comments below an AppleInsider post discussing the latest MacBook rumor are rife with cynicism. "I'm so sick (of the rumor)...I could puke," said one commenter.

And at Mac Rumors, the tenor of many comments is similar: enough already. Of course, nanotech: the circuits blog (this blog) has not been immune to wry commentary about the conspicuous absence of new MacBooks.

All of the negativity isn't just centered on the dime-a-dozen rumors. Contempt is also focused on the staleness of the MacBook Pro lineup--not updated since last June.

You can almost hear people drumming their fingers on the table, waiting for Apple to catch up with a long list of PC makers like Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Sony, Toshiba, and Lenovo who now have fresh new lineups with fresh new Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 silicon. And some of these new systems have been available since January.

As cool as the iPad may be, even with the keyboard dock, a MacBook it isn't.

Update: Best Buy is showing no stock for certain MacBook Pro 13.3-inch and 15.4-inch models, both online and in-store at many locations. Whether this is indicative of an imminent MacBook update is problematic--and anybody's guess.

Updated on April 9 at 11:30 a.m. PDT: adding Best Buy discussion.