Found on Engadgethttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/03/nvidia-ion-platform-review-roundup/ interesting articles on the 9400m graphics card that will be in the netbooks this year. I find this interesting since the macbook with this card has such a premium but the article states that the card ranges from 50-100 dollars. cant wait for the netbooks to come out
The low-end white Macbooks also have the Nvidia 9400 cards installed already. if you find the unibody macbooks pricey this one would be a reasonable alternative to that, i think apple did this to somewhat address the netbook market. Some people actually prefer this because of the firewire 400 port.
not really surprised by this. the 9400m was never a "good" card to begin with. it was simply nvidia's answer to intel's mobile integrated graphics. it may give better performance compared to the intel chips, but its still just an integrated graphics chip. expect to see it on more low-end PC's this year.
Take note the 9400m was not designed for performance like a dedicated discreet card. It was made with power savings and efficiency in mind so it is unfair to compared it to discreet GPU - for what it is, the 9400 is an impressive GPU. I'm not surprised however that this will filter down to netbooks later this year - todays high end is tomorrows low end - thats technology. Take note the value of a Macbook is the sum of its parts. You are not buying the expensive Macbooks just for the GPU, you also get a Core2Duo processor, the ability to upgrade to 6 Gigs of ram, relatively bigger screen, the full support of Apple and the Mac community, a full size none flexing keyboard, the overall superior build quality of a Macintosh, Mac OS X and most importantly it is available NOW. I'm willing to bet that later when these Ion based netbook comes out, the Macbook has already refreshed to much more powerful specs. Also note that the Alu Macbooks were introduced October last year. That is like half a life time for a technology product.
I buy macs but i have always maintained the belief that macs really do charge a premium. Although many may argue different, Same specs in PC's are cheaper but macs carry longer resale value and demand. I really think the advantage of mac right now is there os and that they are making there money through hardware sales since they control the hardware they use. I also believe the proprietary accessories carry high profit margins. I wish that apple would build a netbook because as it states on various sites and forums, they are more than capable of running osx flawlessly. Also after owning how many macs i have never encountered any of their hardware to be free of defects. every apple i have owned had to be repaired or something had to be replaced somehow. so quality wise i am just glad that they have the hassle free and available service centers. Hopefully the lower cost of computer chips can create a lower priced mac. I have been waiting endlessly for the powerbook 12 inch replacement. The MBA just doesnt cut it for me. powerwise its a glorified netbook with triple the price and non justifiable performance gain.
I absolutely agree with you on this one. The Macbook Air's price is ridiculous. But lets give the Air some credit as it's Core2Duo processor will run circles around any Atom netbook and is quite faster then any G4 Powerbook.
that is true.. i saw some benchmarks showing that the atom performs at around a g4 rate while the mba c2d is is significantly faster in heavy cpu aps and converting files.
Apples and oranges. The MacBook Air is no netbook. That much we all know so why compare it to netbooks? Netbooks are smaller versions of laptops that were designed with simpler tasks such as word processing, internet browsing and media playback. For those purposes the Atom is more than capable. The Atom is a low power processor that is suitable for smaller footprint devices and handhelds. It compromises speed for energy consumption NVIDIA has been touting the new "Ion Platform" which marries the Intel Atom processor with the NVIDIA 9400M GPU in a very small package that is suitable for future netbooks, MIDs, and HTPCs. Here are more details about the NVIDIA Ion Platform.
that's the link posted in the first post of the thread homie. as for apples and oranges i would agree but i still don't believe the MBA is touted as a high performance notebook. I'm not sure what exactly the target user is for the MBA but for its specs its also seems like "laptops that were designed with simpler tasks such as word processing, internet browsing and media playback" with more processing power of course but nothing for video or gaming.
I disagree, both Macbook Air and netbooks are basically identical for what it is meant to do - a light, easy to tote around computer for web browsing, office productivity apps and email. I don't see people buying MBAs for applications for heavy lifting like video editing, games and Photoshop. The cheaper Macbook is beefier then the Air in specs across the board. (Even the Air's 9400 GPU is clocked lower then the Macbook for thermal reasons.)
john h, you have made me change my mind. i believe that MBA and netbooks target the same user except one is seen as premium product. so this isnt apples and oranges its more like oranges and tangerines.
Take note, the older generation white and black Macbooks had several reiterations of the Intel integrated GPUs - the exact integrated graphics cards you also find in the majority of netbooks available then and now. I don't see why future netbooks switching to the 9400 integrated would be any different from before.
