Will Apple's new Core i5 and i7 MacBook Pros have 3G?

ComputerWorld
Seth Weintraub
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February 08, 2010
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Ever since the MacBook Air, a machine made for 3G wireless access, was released without built-in ability to connect to mobile wireless, I've been waiting for Apple to put 3G access in their laptops.

Will my wait be over soon?

A couple of things have happened in the last month that give me a bit of hope.

Job posting suggests future iPad may soon get camera

Seth Weintraub
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February 08, 2010
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MacRumors found a job posting on Apple's website announcing that they are looking for a "Performance QA Engineer, iPad Media".  In the Job description, they say:

Build on your QA experience and knowledge of digital camera technology (still and video) to develop and maintain testing frameworks for both capture and playback pipelines.

…and...

Good solid knowledge of photography, various video and audio media formats. Knowledgeable with lighting, whether artificial or ambient and how it affects image quality.

...Which seems to indicate that future iPads (or current iPads with features not yet unveiled) will have cameras and the ability to capture video and still images.

The first rule of iPad is: you do not talk about iPad

Seth Weintraub
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February 08, 2010
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According to Valleywag, Steve Jobs laid into The Wall St. Journal's online executive editor Alan Murray who sent out a simple tweet from his loaner iPad.  The reporter, tail between legs, deleted the tweet and gave the following statement:

I will say that Apple's general paranoia about news coverage is truly extraordinary— but that's not telling you anything you didn't already know.

True.

First iPad teardown is a nasty one.

Seth Weintraub
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February 08, 2010
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Relax, it is a joke.

Best Buy shows MacBook Pro inventory as "deleted"

Seth Weintraub
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February 08, 2010
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Our MacBook Pro update sensors are on high alert and, with that in mind, we're posting this screenshot which may mean that updates are indeed coming soon.

A Best Buy spy has forwarded us a screenshot of their inventory system that shows all current MacBook Pros in the system as "deleted".  Perhaps an update is coming sooner rather than later?  The real question: Will they have 3G?

 

9to5mac at Macworld

Seth Weintraub
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February 08, 2010
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Macworld starts tomorrow and we'll be on the floor looking at all of the new/upgraded products on display.  The event has decidedly less attention this year due to Apple's bypassing, but there is still no other gathering outside of Apple's own events with a bigger Apple audience.

Although Apple won't officially be here, we've been invited to check out Apple's subsidiaries who have rented hotel space near Moscone to show their wares as well.  

If you are coming to the event, you might want to check out the free iMacworld app for iPhone and iPod touch to help navigate the show floor space.  If you want to get in contact with us, shoot an email to macworld2010@9to5mac.com.

Macworld Expo Rumor: New MacBook Pros to be revealed tomorrow?

Jonny Evans
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February 08, 2010
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Apple may introduce new model MacBook Pro models tomorrow, just in time for the opening of Macworld Expo, we’ve learned this evening.

This is yet another leak coming at us out of France, and while we’re not utterly convinced at the source we do note revelation last weekend of an all-new MacBook Pro configuration making an appearance on GeekBench.

RealPlayer SP beta for Mac exports media to iPod, iPhone, Apple TV

Jonny Evans
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February 08, 2010
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RealNetworks climbs back onto the agenda today, announcing the release of a beta of RealPlayer SP for the Mac, the latest version of the company’s multimedia playback solution.

RealPlayer SP clearly wants to live at the side of the dominant iTunes ecosystem. While RealPlayer 11 let users download videos, including those from YouTube, to the computer; this version lets you convert those clips into a format that’s suitable for playback on the iPod, iPhone, Apple TV and many other smartphones and media playback devices.

The software will encode assets into a range of formats, including H.264, 3GP, MP3, and AAC.

The RealPlayer Converter includes presets for a slew of devices. When converting for Apple hardware, it pops the conversions inside your iTunes library once conversion is complete.

A range of social networking features are also in the mix - dedicated buttons let you share video links to the likes of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Credit Suisse: Apple can lower prices on iPads if initial demand isn't strong

Seth Weintraub
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February 08, 2010
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"Nimble" pricing on the iPad is baked into Apple's initial $499-$829 iPad cost matrix according to Credit Suisse analyst, Bill Shope (via the WSJ), who met with Apple executives  last week.  

Apple seemed to indicate it would respond with price cuts if demand for the device wasn’t revving up the way it liked. “While it remains to be seen how much traction the iPad gets initially, management noted that it will remain nimble (pricing could change if the company is not attracting as many customers as anticipated),”

Some carriers to offer subsidised iPads with 2-year 3G contracts?

Jonny Evans
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February 08, 2010
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This little report has got us pondering this morning, as it indicates 3G carriers may well offer iPads at generous subsidies.

We’ve heard some chatter claiming Apple’s been exploring the notion of selling MacBooks equipped with 3G access to consumers at discount rates via mobile carriers. Now we think those discussions (reported last year) may simply have been Apple management testing the waters.

The reason for this?

Judging from one German-sourced report, it looks as if Hutchinson Austria (you may know them as 3) intend selling iPads equipped with 3G connections at a subsidy, so long as consumers agree to a two-year contract term. The subsidy is described as being €333

This could be an interesting development. We’re curious to see if more such deals are revealed as the product’s international launch plans are slowly announced.

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