re differentiation
I follow your point. The thing is, Apple can only vary so much as it goes to a single basis for its whole notebook lineup. Until Merom (64-bit portable multicore) gives it real differentiation between consumer and pro notebooks, Apple can only vary things like the screen and the drives, LCD, and the RAM. Apple can't really cripple MB RAM now that this RAM is shared with the graphics subsystem, so we see variation in drives and screens. Which variation is "fair" and which is "cheating" is basically a judgment call.
I hate getting upsold, but I understand why Apple wants lots of price points: it's trying to capture more consumer surplus. I don't happen to have ever burned a DVD, so I don't see the DVD burning as a big deal. I'm sure other folks will get bent out of shape over limits on graphics or graphics RAM or the screen ... but the scrolling trackpad, magsafe cord, and so on are all nice to see.
I think we'll see a better differentiator later in the year, but at present this is what we have. When Merom comes out, Apple can boost the MBs without colliding with the pro sales. In the meantime, we see more transparently strained differentiation attempts.
Take care,
--Tex.
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