Lower priced Apple laptop on the way?

Apple has long felt the need to not compete with the low end Windows PC market. I've always been frustrated by this. Not competing in the low end market has caused Apple to delay market share gains. Now, if you're not a shareholder or Apple evangelist that may not matter much to you. The fact is, many consumers can't look beyond price. They look at a $500 PC laptop and compare it to a $999 Mac and it all looks the same. So the customer goes with the lower priced machine. Computer store employees recommending PCs, know nothing about Macs and slam Apple for offering overpriced computers without understanding the value of OS X, iLife, etc... Apple needs to move beyond, or actually below, their minimum standard. They need to compete, or at least be competitive, with the low end PC market in some way. True, the profit margins are slim on the low end, but a low end Mac is like a gateway drug to even greater and more powerful Macs. The trick is just getting people in the door and exposing them to some Apple goodness. The research firm Wedge Partners is predicting that Apple may get into the low end space. No one knows if that's true or what the endeavor would look like, but it's one I would welcome! What do you think?

Apple Improves MacBook Laptop Line

With the current trend of new Apple customers purchasing laptops it’s no surprise that Apple has invested so much effort in reinvigorating their laptop family. The new 15” MacBook Pro is the continuation of the build out taking on some of the features found in the 17” MacBook Pro like a built in battery. The new battery provides an impressive seven hours of battery life. The new batteries have 3x longer recharge length compared to the previous version. Most users will go five years before the need to replace the battery. An SD card slot was finally added. Sometimes Apple is just late to the game and the lack of SD card was one of those areas. The MacBook Pro will sell for $300 less than the prior 15” at $1699. Some of the more expensive models include the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and the GT. Users will have the ability to choose between faster graphics or longer battery life. The 13” MacBook was rebranded officially as a MacBook Pro. It now features improved battery life, up to eight GB of memory. The LED backlit keyboard is now standard and Firewire 800 is included. Only $1199 after the $199 price drop. The MacBook Air also received updates and significant price drops.

Apple clearly felt sales pressure from a weak economy as well as recent Microsoft attack ads to reduce pricing. Hardware is an evolutionary process and the current lineup of Apple laptops looks great. The new line is incredibly friendly in the environmental space. Businesses who “care about the environment” need to consider if running Windows on Apple hardware might make sense (without ever getting in to Mac OX).