[truthseekertruthteller]

It's really not about making the MacBook a "gaming platform". It's just about Apple making smarter design decisions to allow people who want to play some games every once in a while a good experience. When paying ober $1K for anything, it should at least be able to play the Sims 2 correctly. Apple is always talking about the "exprience". If they can't provide a decent game experience at every price point, they should put an asterisk next to all their claims,"except for games like the Sims."

I am an industry insider and know that there is NO cost difference to Apple in the chipset difference between ATI, Nvidia, and Intel.

[truthseekertruthteller]

With that logic, I guess you could say, "leave the airbag off of the Corolla so people will buy the Camry." Playing basic games well like the Sims should be a requirement on anything $1K and above. Real gamers laugh at the MBP as it doesn't even support multi-GPU technologies like ATI CrossFireX or SLI. But with the MacBook, I am not even talking about gamers, but people who like to play games occassionally, which is a LOT of people. Apple's uncaring, selfish needs keep this capability from Macs.

[VoxLocus]

Goodness. So you want to edit HD video on a disc connected with Firewire 400, or one connected with eSATA?

My "over-generalization" is just to the point that Apple has parsed its product lines for maximum profit, not the benefit of the consumer. A high end iMac with an Express 34 card slot would be a great benefit, and have the effect of reducing "tower" sales. Same effect if MB had card slot. MacWorld's own recent speedtests show very little difference between rendering on MB vs MBPro. But to edit those videos, the MBPro sure is worth the $. And Apple knows it!

[EagerDragon]

You seem to forget that the primary reason Apple and other corporations are in business is to make money. They do not make computers to make the customers happy, they make computers that satisfy the needs of a particular population and sells well.

The MB sells very, very well without forcing Apple to add a discreet video card and without requiring them to do better in the video driver. As long as it sells well, Apple will not go out of its way. Obviously those people buying MB do not care enough about occasional gaming, they care more that is is a Mac and that the price meet their needs. Exactly what Apple is targeting.

If you buy an MB expecting it to run SLI cards etc, then you purchased the wrong system and should have gone with a PC instead.

None of the computers made by Apple are "certified / top of the line" gaming systems. You are barking up the wrong tree.

If you want a decent "occasional gaming" system then a MBP or iMac will do you well, if you want the top gamer system, Apple does not sells it and so far it does not look like they are interested in that market.

Apple is just not interested in that market and no amount of whining is going to make them change.

What will make them change is when you vote with your wallet, and they see their sales drop thru the ground. Be a smart consumer and vote with your wallet, if Apple does not sell what you want, then buy it elsewhere. They will eventually make a change if enough people vote with their wallets. If instead most people keep buying the systems as they are, then that means that you are in the minority and you do not count as sales continue to go strong.

Most people think that their needs are the needs of the majority, that is because either they can not conceive that others would have different needs or because they ask people they associate with "other gamers". Take a poll in the middle of the street and ask everyone, not just your age group.

Apple is after the green and does not care and should not care what the few want, they are interested in what the big masses want.

Vote with your wallet if you want you opinion to count, get your friends to do the same, organize, force them to listen!!!!!

I vote with my wallet, I buy MBP and iMacs and Mac Pro, because I like OSX and those systems fill my needs, the others don't.

[shodson]

This was the main reason I sold my Mini for my MacBook Pro, as well as wanting a Mac laptop. Gaming on Mac Minis and MacBooks are often pretty horrible.

[mrbach]

Seems to me the way to get better gaming out of a MacBook is to get the one that has a "Pro" at the end of it.

I liked the "where do grown people have time for games comment though", that was funny. Jeez Gramps, how'd you figure out how to post?
People who can't play are simply no fun. My Mother-in-law who is 72 loves playing games on the computer, and I can't imagine how cool games will be when I'm 72! Maybe you need a bit of gaming to get rid of that wet blanket you're wearing. Who posts on a gaming thread to say they are too busy to have fun?

[lenn]

I think alot of people are missing the point of this article. The author never said he wanted the MB to be a high-end gaming machine that has 2 GPUs or the fast current mobile GPU. He said he just wanted the MB to have better graphics performance than what Apple is offerering now. Apple could if they wanted install a dedicated GPU in the MB that could double the gaming performance of the current MB while adding VERY little to the MB's price. I think all MB uses would welcome this.

lenn

[EagerDragon]

The author wants the MB to be something it is not and will not be. Apple does not have a single high performance gaming system, so no we were not saying he did.

MB does not have and will not have a video card, it was designed to operate that way and if not sufficient then people should purchase something that meets their needs today like a MBP and for the heavy ones maybe an Alienware.

He might as well asked for GPS build in, WIMAX, foldable screens, 8 cores, 32 Gigs or memory, not getting it either. MB is a different market and is the most inexpensive Mac laptop.

MB is for basic needs, web, email, pages, numbers, and some iLife, anything heavier requires a bigger donation to Apple for an MBP.

MacWorld should know better.

[folklore]

lenn said:

I think alot of people are missing the point of this article. The author never said he wanted the MB to be a high-end gaming machine that has 2 GPUs or the fast current mobile GPU. He said he just wanted the MB to have better graphics performance than what Apple is offerering now. Apple could if they wanted install a dedicated GPU in the MB that could double the gaming performance of the current MB while adding VERY little to the MB's price. I think all MB uses would welcome this.

Actually, Peter was saying that Apple would make some folks very happy if they added a discrete GPU to the Macbook line - but that even with Intel's GMA chip, the Mac implementation has lesser performance than the PC implementation of the exact same chipset.

This suggests that there is something in the Apple software controlling the chip that could be improved to bring Mac game performance up to the level of PC game performance even on the same hardware.

[shadash]

No one is saying the Macbook should be a "high performance gaming system." With all due respect, a discrete video card is nothing like GPS, WIMAX, foldable screens, 8 cores, 32 Gigs of memory, etc. Give me a break. You're right - the Macbook is for "basic needs," but if Apple wants to expand market share, they're going to have to provide a machine that goes beyond "basic needs." You don't have to buy an "Alienware" laptop in the Windows world to get decent (not great, but decent) gaming performance - and far beyond what Apple offers in the Macbook consumer line. If you think most users will spring $2000 for a Macbook Pro just to get decent gaming performance, you're dreaming.

But again, Apple is beholden to their professionals, and the way they distinguish between the consumer line and pro line is by throwing in a $75 video card and charging $500 - $900 more for the machine.

[EagerDragon]

MB sells more than well enough, it is obvious that the vast majority of users find it to be just fine. Your assumption that the only way apple is going to have market share is to make you happy, is not realistic, apple likes the MB just like it is and they will keep it that way while gaining significant market shares as they been doing for a while. The MB is the most successful laptop Apple sells.

You can run a lot of games on the mB, just not the shoot them up and fast action ones. There are a lot of people that play occasional games and do not need the same level of performance you are alluding to.

MB is very successful as it is right now.

Do you think that Apple is being run by a bunch of idiots?

You think they have not thought about their market?

Incredible.

This simply suggest that Apple is not interested in creating video drivers that are optimized for gaming.

Apple will keep it this way until sales drop by significant amount in the order of 15 to 25%. After that they will look for ways to kick sales again by making some change, but that does not mean they will address gaming. There are other changes they can put in for the population they are targeting. that target is not gaming heavies or even occasional players.

Vote with your wallet, get your friends to also vote with their wallets, have your friends inundate the Apple official web site with suggestions that you all need. This is how you change the system, suggesting these changes at non-official Apple sites, gets you next to nothing.

[lenn]

Apple sells alot of MBs to college students who's only computer will be a laptop. Most of those students are between 18 and 30 years old. Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't that age group the most likely to play computer games? Almost every college student I know plays computer games. So why not give the computer aimed at them the "real" ability to play them?

And spending $500 dollar more for a MBP isn't an option for most of them. Either is spending the money for an Alienware laptop that weights 8 pounds.

Btw, what does adding a good video card to a MB have to do with GPS, WIMAX, 8 cores , 32gigs of memory? Absolutely nothing!

Get real and stop being overly dramatic.

lenn

[EagerDragon]

Those 18 to 30 year old students are fairly smart kids, they could have selected a different computer, but instead decided to get an MB, now they need to live with their decision.

As to all the other options like GPS, 32 Gig memory etc, that was meant to tell you that they also were not likely, that wishing for something like a video card in an MB is like wishing for 32 Gig of memory in an MB, not going to happen.

It does not matter what you or I want, it is what Apple wants to do with their line. It is for them to decide and for us to decide to buy them and live with their limitation or buy something else.

Get real, wishing does not accomplish anything, voting with your wallet does.

Why would you buy pants with a waist of 28 if your waist is 32?
Same thing with your computer.

[drjuice]

Apple sells alot of MBs
to college students who's only computer will be a laptop. Most of those
students are between 18 and 30 years old. Correct me if i'm wrong but
isn't that age group the most likely to play computer games? Almost
every college student I know plays computer games. So why not give the
computer aimed at them the "real" ability to play them?

I guess my question for that is: What computers are these students playing games on? Are we defining consoles as computers? If they aren't playing them on a Mac, is that the sole and decisive factor for them to switch? Cause most college students I know own at least one console or stick with the PC for reasons other than gaming.