littleman23408
Dec 3, 02:26 PM
I am usually playing this alot. I am not that far into it. I am like a level 13 license, and I haven't started Bspec yet. I have all golds on the first license test and two gold on the second one, with still the rest of that license test to do.
I have mainly been doing the special challeneges. My reasons are two fold. You win a lot of money. Also it seems like in this game, that you have to buy a car to get into the races for the aspec. I think I have only bought one or two cars, and then got stuck to where I had nothing in my garage to race any of the open races. So I just started raking in money in the special challeneges.
I have mainly been doing the special challeneges. My reasons are two fold. You win a lot of money. Also it seems like in this game, that you have to buy a car to get into the races for the aspec. I think I have only bought one or two cars, and then got stuck to where I had nothing in my garage to race any of the open races. So I just started raking in money in the special challeneges.
chrono1081
Apr 8, 03:46 AM
This is a victory for all the elitist fanboys who think that Apple products should only be sold in Apple Stores in upscale shopping areas.
You know that no one thinks that way right? I never understood all of these "fanboy" posts saying things that these mysterious "fanyboys" that I've never seen supposedly say.
You know that no one thinks that way right? I never understood all of these "fanboy" posts saying things that these mysterious "fanyboys" that I've never seen supposedly say.
Grokgod
Jul 28, 06:52 PM
Well we all know how Apple works with when things are due.
Look at the G5 laptop.
Tweak or no tweak, the return will cost money and getting a refurbished is not getting a new one.
CounterPoint: If he is just going to take it back to buy a refurbished one, why take it back.
He allready has it! Thats a roundabout way to work, isnt it?
If you take it back, you wait for the new one, why spend the money for restocking and not get the new one?
The question remains, what are you going to get with a new iMac that you dont have now?
If you were going to get a MacPro, then I would say, my god, return that iMac and get a new MacPro, if not then keep what you got and use it for the next 2 months and enjoy it,, cheers!
Look at the G5 laptop.
Tweak or no tweak, the return will cost money and getting a refurbished is not getting a new one.
CounterPoint: If he is just going to take it back to buy a refurbished one, why take it back.
He allready has it! Thats a roundabout way to work, isnt it?
If you take it back, you wait for the new one, why spend the money for restocking and not get the new one?
The question remains, what are you going to get with a new iMac that you dont have now?
If you were going to get a MacPro, then I would say, my god, return that iMac and get a new MacPro, if not then keep what you got and use it for the next 2 months and enjoy it,, cheers!
mkjellman
Sep 18, 11:06 PM
APPLE I NEED A NEW MACBOOK PRO. I NEED FIREWIRE 800, I NEED A DL SuperDrive, i'd like MEMROM. If you had to release a half-assed Prosumer laptop in the first place to start your transition for the love of god PLEASE update it now. Its been a LONG time since we've seen any updates. Apple is now competing in INTEL land, were they need to keep their laptops current. Release the laptops (notebooks in your case as you like to call them) i'll place the order and wait for them to ship. PLEASE.!
mike
mike
Bill McEnaney
Mar 3, 03:21 AM
But you ARE trying to control others Bill. It's quite obvious. There are no negative consequences inherent to being gay. I'm a 43 year old man, and quite happy. The only negative consequences I've suffered have been at the hands of people like you, who think you know how everyone should live and try to force your beliefs on us with laws. You absolutely want to control others, or at the very least, impose your punishments on us.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sodomy
Hmm...but did they make any laws against you doing any of those things?
No, but standing on your porch and walking to a restaurant are usually morally indifferent actions.
There are risks inherent in any sexual activity Bill, heterosexual or homosexual. I'm well aware of the risks of both. Apparently, you seem to feel that all gay men engage in sodomy, which is far from the truth. Also, many of these statistics are based on the results of promiscuous behavior. Gay people marrying would discourage promiscuity, which would most likely reduce those statistics. One would think you should be pro gay marriage rights in that case. But hey, we all know that's not what your real concern is. Your concern is to get everyone to conform to your rules.
Lee, first, do me a favor when we correspond with each other, would you? Please don't say "feel" when you mean "believe" or "think." This conversation isn't about emotion. It's about truths and falsehoods.
Second, by the definition of sodomy at the dictionary at Dictionary.Reference.com), same-sex couples do engage in sodomy (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sodomy).
Third, if the Catholic Church is right, I didn't make the rules. God did.
Fourth, again, I say what I believe. Others need to chose what they'll do. I'm not their dictator. I'm not their lawgiver. But if they're doing something they shouldn't do, they may get negative consequences here or hereafter. But I won't give them them those consequences. I won't punish anyone for what he does in his bedroom. I don't have the authority to do that. And I don't want Big Brother to spy on same-sex attracted people when they're in bed together. I'm not going to ask my policeman friend Kurt to batter down your bedroom door if I think you're having sex. Moral rightness or wrongness is one thing. Whether it's prudent to outlaw some potentially immoral action is something else.
Fifth, sure some opposite-sex sex is dangerous, too. Whether a man or a woman is the recipient, anal sex an cause colon leakage. Anal sex kills epithelial cells and semen suppresses the recipient's immune system. It needs to do that during vaginal sex, too, because if it didn't do it, white blood cells would attack the sperm. Vaginas are well-suited for sex partly because they contain a natural lubricant that rectums don't contain. Does anyone notice a hint of natural teleology there, hmm?
Sixth, for people who think I'm trying to control them or punish them, I'll put the shoe one the other foot. How many liberals attack Beck personally when they don't even listen to him? How many try to shout down conservatives or to silence them when they say something that the shouters and the would-be silencers hate to hear? How many generalize hastily about people "like me" when they assume that anyone who thinks "gay" sex is immoral is obviously a hateful homophobe? How many would try to limit my free speech by outlawing my so-called hate speech? How many don't distinguish between condemning a person and condemning an action?
My handicap puts me in a minority full of people who think like Marxists. They'll tell you that they're the innocent, persecuted ones and that everyone else is the evil oppressor. Newsflash: Good and evil are on both sides. The "victims" aren't all good and the "persecutors" aren't all bad.
As I told you guys, I think that moral liberty consists of the ability to adopt the means to do the good. Moral liberty is not license. License causes chaos.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sodomy
Hmm...but did they make any laws against you doing any of those things?
No, but standing on your porch and walking to a restaurant are usually morally indifferent actions.
There are risks inherent in any sexual activity Bill, heterosexual or homosexual. I'm well aware of the risks of both. Apparently, you seem to feel that all gay men engage in sodomy, which is far from the truth. Also, many of these statistics are based on the results of promiscuous behavior. Gay people marrying would discourage promiscuity, which would most likely reduce those statistics. One would think you should be pro gay marriage rights in that case. But hey, we all know that's not what your real concern is. Your concern is to get everyone to conform to your rules.
Lee, first, do me a favor when we correspond with each other, would you? Please don't say "feel" when you mean "believe" or "think." This conversation isn't about emotion. It's about truths and falsehoods.
Second, by the definition of sodomy at the dictionary at Dictionary.Reference.com), same-sex couples do engage in sodomy (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sodomy).
Third, if the Catholic Church is right, I didn't make the rules. God did.
Fourth, again, I say what I believe. Others need to chose what they'll do. I'm not their dictator. I'm not their lawgiver. But if they're doing something they shouldn't do, they may get negative consequences here or hereafter. But I won't give them them those consequences. I won't punish anyone for what he does in his bedroom. I don't have the authority to do that. And I don't want Big Brother to spy on same-sex attracted people when they're in bed together. I'm not going to ask my policeman friend Kurt to batter down your bedroom door if I think you're having sex. Moral rightness or wrongness is one thing. Whether it's prudent to outlaw some potentially immoral action is something else.
Fifth, sure some opposite-sex sex is dangerous, too. Whether a man or a woman is the recipient, anal sex an cause colon leakage. Anal sex kills epithelial cells and semen suppresses the recipient's immune system. It needs to do that during vaginal sex, too, because if it didn't do it, white blood cells would attack the sperm. Vaginas are well-suited for sex partly because they contain a natural lubricant that rectums don't contain. Does anyone notice a hint of natural teleology there, hmm?
Sixth, for people who think I'm trying to control them or punish them, I'll put the shoe one the other foot. How many liberals attack Beck personally when they don't even listen to him? How many try to shout down conservatives or to silence them when they say something that the shouters and the would-be silencers hate to hear? How many generalize hastily about people "like me" when they assume that anyone who thinks "gay" sex is immoral is obviously a hateful homophobe? How many would try to limit my free speech by outlawing my so-called hate speech? How many don't distinguish between condemning a person and condemning an action?
My handicap puts me in a minority full of people who think like Marxists. They'll tell you that they're the innocent, persecuted ones and that everyone else is the evil oppressor. Newsflash: Good and evil are on both sides. The "victims" aren't all good and the "persecutors" aren't all bad.
As I told you guys, I think that moral liberty consists of the ability to adopt the means to do the good. Moral liberty is not license. License causes chaos.
skunk
Mar 24, 01:43 PM
Bringing race into this discussion is going nowhere except downhill. All dogs are four-legged animals, but not all four-legged animals are dogs.
Gelfin
Mar 3, 02:59 PM
Bill, it's OK to react emotionally. We're people, not robots. :)
Speak for yourself, squishy meat-beast.
Speak for yourself, squishy meat-beast.
freeny
Jul 20, 08:18 AM
I wonder what they're going to call them, Quad sounds cool but "Octa or Octo" just sounds a bit silly.
MacPro8?
The Mactopus??
Ive already trademarked "OctoCore" and "CoreOcto";)
Just keep saying it to yourself. After about the 12th time it just starts rolling off your tongue...
MacPro8?
The Mactopus??
Ive already trademarked "OctoCore" and "CoreOcto";)
Just keep saying it to yourself. After about the 12th time it just starts rolling off your tongue...
Willis
Jul 27, 01:45 PM
I havent checked yet to see if someone mentioned it, but in regard to what people expect to see at WWDC, dont worry if it isnt annouced then... Paris Expo is in September.
Mac Pro's might come out then i think.
Mac Pro's might come out then i think.
relimw
Sep 12, 11:36 AM
I could do with multiple cores. I render HDV in the background, render projects in After Effects, compress videos in Compressor for DVDs, burn Toast images, download with BitTorrent, while surfing the web and watching 1080i H.264 material. Those extra cores would come in real handy. :)
It would be nice if 10.5 would allow a more 'blind' method to utilize these cores, versus having programmers specificly program for multi-core. Now that would be extremely helpful and allow a more simultanous workflow.
It would be nice if 10.5 would allow a more 'blind' method to utilize these cores, versus having programmers specificly program for multi-core. Now that would be extremely helpful and allow a more simultanous workflow.
Multimedia
Aug 18, 10:31 AM
If one were to buy a mac pro now, is the processor upgradeable to Clovertown in the future, or is that not really worth it even if it is, because you would need a faster FSB, meaning a new logic board, to take advantage of its power?I'm sure you know this. But just a reminder that you would be dealing with an extremely fragile and tricky upgrade process that could destroy your motherboard or fry the processor without the latest cooling system from Apple. Just my own caution against attempting this. Not worth the risk I think. There will be a better video card with the Dual Clovertown Mac Pro as well as other changes to the system fixing bugs discovered between now and then. Too many changes in the works for me to want to fool with such a complex system.
bedifferent
Apr 27, 09:57 AM
Then why are you telling me to worry about Japan and the jobless americans instead of the iPhone location database that Apple needed to address and did to my satisfaction ? :rolleyes:
Newsflash, I can do both and did!
What does this have to do with priorities ? Like you said : I can do both.
No, you didn't.
What was your point really ?
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; fr-fr) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8F190 Safari/6533.18.5)
Why do people care? I have nothing to hide, and I'm surely not enough "important" for Apple to track me step by step!
This was my point (and I think I was pretty clear when I mentioned priorities and reality). If you don't agree, move on, no need to get your panties in a bunch, just don't comment (I'm sure there are a lot of comments you disagree with so why are you gunning for me?). Moving on here, better things to do and this is a pointless matter you're making into an argument...
You gots some demons in you chil'...
Newsflash, I can do both and did!
What does this have to do with priorities ? Like you said : I can do both.
No, you didn't.
What was your point really ?
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; fr-fr) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8F190 Safari/6533.18.5)
Why do people care? I have nothing to hide, and I'm surely not enough "important" for Apple to track me step by step!
This was my point (and I think I was pretty clear when I mentioned priorities and reality). If you don't agree, move on, no need to get your panties in a bunch, just don't comment (I'm sure there are a lot of comments you disagree with so why are you gunning for me?). Moving on here, better things to do and this is a pointless matter you're making into an argument...
You gots some demons in you chil'...
DrGruv1
Jul 15, 01:43 AM
Maybe along the line of the g4 quicksilver (without the handles)
a nice short compact apple tower with more expansion than the mini and with a conroe for....
$1099
Now you'd be talkin' :)
let people switch out their monitors, etc and give them a nice tower - not the stupid mini :) - i say (stupid mini) only because i wish it was a smallish tower with expansion capabilities :)
a nice short compact apple tower with more expansion than the mini and with a conroe for....
$1099
Now you'd be talkin' :)
let people switch out their monitors, etc and give them a nice tower - not the stupid mini :) - i say (stupid mini) only because i wish it was a smallish tower with expansion capabilities :)
freakonguitar
Aug 26, 03:55 PM
well...then maybe we will see a new macbook pro and possibly some other things in the next few weeks to come. :) but from some of the rumors, mermon has worse battery life and more heat than yonah :( ....which is too bad, cause we could use a cpu that gives at least just as good performance but less heat!
Enigmac
Aug 7, 03:24 PM
Remember guys, these are only a few of the MANY features that Leopard will have to offer... including the top secret one. Steve made that clear.
six flags new england map.
six flags over texas.
Six+flags+man+dance
six flags rides superman.
Mr_Ed
Mar 31, 04:33 PM
Gruber is rarely accurate in his conclusions, and this time is no exception.
None of what is happening smacks of being a "bait-and-switch" as he claims. That would've required extremely clever pre-planning years ago on the part of Google.
Instead, it's got all the hallmarks of too little pre-planning.
Anyone with experience dealing with large projects can see that Rubin has belatedly come to realize that things were getting out of control. Now he is goofing up trying to take full control himself instead of doing the smart thing and first getting a consensus from the OHA members.
I don't think it's about planning. After all, how much "planning" do you need to do if your philosophy behind the product is basically " open it up so everyone can contribute and see where it goes"? The point most here are making is that the age-old "open" vs. "closed" ecosystem argument, which has repeatedly been used to criticize Apple over many years, is now looking more and more as if Apple was right all along. In this case what you call "lack of planning," I call lack of much thought at all. I for one don't have much faith in most things accomplished by committee, and that is the basic flaw in most "open" systems.
The "bait and switch" reference applies in that many of those who jumped on the Android bandwagon now find they don't have nearly as much control as they thought they would, as evidenced by the complaints from that community.
None of what is happening smacks of being a "bait-and-switch" as he claims. That would've required extremely clever pre-planning years ago on the part of Google.
Instead, it's got all the hallmarks of too little pre-planning.
Anyone with experience dealing with large projects can see that Rubin has belatedly come to realize that things were getting out of control. Now he is goofing up trying to take full control himself instead of doing the smart thing and first getting a consensus from the OHA members.
I don't think it's about planning. After all, how much "planning" do you need to do if your philosophy behind the product is basically " open it up so everyone can contribute and see where it goes"? The point most here are making is that the age-old "open" vs. "closed" ecosystem argument, which has repeatedly been used to criticize Apple over many years, is now looking more and more as if Apple was right all along. In this case what you call "lack of planning," I call lack of much thought at all. I for one don't have much faith in most things accomplished by committee, and that is the basic flaw in most "open" systems.
The "bait and switch" reference applies in that many of those who jumped on the Android bandwagon now find they don't have nearly as much control as they thought they would, as evidenced by the complaints from that community.
Vercingetorix
Mar 31, 10:33 PM
I completely disagree.
Going open sounded like a great idea in the beginning. Fast forward to today, and manufacturers have used the openness against the platform by creating custom versions of android that aren't readily upgradable.
This has hurt the platform more than 'being open' helped it and google is right to start regulating what can and cannot be done.
I think we're all pretty lucky to have experienced both sides of the spectrum to be honest :)
Whether they're right to start regulating or not, they're still shamless hypocrites. What happened to all the principles that they waved around in the air? Andy Rubin himself said that the "definition of open" was that anyone could download the Android source and do whatever they wanted to it. Now people have to kiss his ring?
Google are the ones who waved the bloody shirt and shrieked about how Android-vs-the-iPhone was about freedom. Just because they're forced to backtrack now doesn't mean it's not blatant hypocrisy.
Going open sounded like a great idea in the beginning. Fast forward to today, and manufacturers have used the openness against the platform by creating custom versions of android that aren't readily upgradable.
This has hurt the platform more than 'being open' helped it and google is right to start regulating what can and cannot be done.
I think we're all pretty lucky to have experienced both sides of the spectrum to be honest :)
Whether they're right to start regulating or not, they're still shamless hypocrites. What happened to all the principles that they waved around in the air? Andy Rubin himself said that the "definition of open" was that anyone could download the Android source and do whatever they wanted to it. Now people have to kiss his ring?
Google are the ones who waved the bloody shirt and shrieked about how Android-vs-the-iPhone was about freedom. Just because they're forced to backtrack now doesn't mean it's not blatant hypocrisy.
bibbz
Jun 14, 06:02 PM
I will try to hang close to my computer for any questions.
bedifferent
Apr 27, 08:56 AM
For the paranoid people who don't understand the issue and believe everything our media tells us to fear (coughFoxNewscough), here's something amusing for the mindless:
"Meat with eyes" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNGWn-aWn5g)
"Meat with eyes" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNGWn-aWn5g)
ergle2
Sep 13, 01:30 PM
No software such as Toast 7.1, Handbrake UB. More to the point is not how many cores an application can use but rather how many things can you get done at once. :rolleyes:I think in the next few months the full FCS and Logic will get an update to address this.
One thing to note is that IO may become a more limiting factor than number of cores under heavy multitasking, or even just particularly data-heavy apps (multiple streams of raw hires video, for example).
One thing to note is that IO may become a more limiting factor than number of cores under heavy multitasking, or even just particularly data-heavy apps (multiple streams of raw hires video, for example).
thevofl
Aug 7, 05:32 PM
1) When I did a system restore at work, it restored everything back on the date. I lost all my work since the date.
2) Something tells me that the Super Duper top secret stuff has more to do with multimedia integration: a skype-type feature for calling a phone number using iChat, expansion of bonjour, a multimedia hub similar to tivo.
3) For those at the conference, what was under the black sheet covered banners?
2) Something tells me that the Super Duper top secret stuff has more to do with multimedia integration: a skype-type feature for calling a phone number using iChat, expansion of bonjour, a multimedia hub similar to tivo.
3) For those at the conference, what was under the black sheet covered banners?
deconai
Aug 11, 03:37 PM
Well now you ignorant yankie ;) Firstly the mobile phone penetration in Europe is about 99% or maybe slighly more. You should really travel a bit to get some perspective.
And secondly, GSM has user base of over 1 billion while CDMA as you said has some 60m users. Which one you think would be more interesting market to cover for a new mobile phone manufacturer? And there is really no question of "we'll see which one wins" because GSM won a long long time ago, hands down.
Are you saying 99% of Europeans use cell phones or that 99% of Europe is cell-ready? If the former, then there must be a ton of kids yapping it up on the wireless. ;)
And secondly, GSM has user base of over 1 billion while CDMA as you said has some 60m users. Which one you think would be more interesting market to cover for a new mobile phone manufacturer? And there is really no question of "we'll see which one wins" because GSM won a long long time ago, hands down.
Are you saying 99% of Europeans use cell phones or that 99% of Europe is cell-ready? If the former, then there must be a ton of kids yapping it up on the wireless. ;)
georgee2face
Mar 22, 03:25 PM
They're not what they're not.
Their purpose is anywhere/anytime/always-on, not "best tool for job X".
I drag my tablet everywhere because it's easy to carry and easy to use (ease on the scale of "quick email check in elevator", "get restaurant.com coupon while walking between car and cafe" easy).
Your complaint is akin to whining a Swiss Army knife is unsuitable for culinary or carpentry use. You have a serious application for which a serious tool is warranted, you get the serious tool - not whine that a lightweight general-purpose device doesn't fulfill the role. ...and sometimes the right tool for a particular enterprise application IS a Swiss Army knife, because for a particular job the "every tool is available in a tiny lightweight package" may be best.
Thanks for your spiffy explanation. But I realy don't see how it has anything to do with my statement. The rim is aimed at business users. No it's not. Business users want a quick way to get files to and fro, PRINT, and be capable of note taking. Now, my Ipad, and my ipad2 weren't advertised as"for business users", and i wished they had what I wanted, but i didn't throw them out because they don't. If you take offense at my lumping them with the other two, I am sorry. But NONE of them can really be used for enterprise users in a meaning ful way. that was my statement, an it was and is true.
G
Their purpose is anywhere/anytime/always-on, not "best tool for job X".
I drag my tablet everywhere because it's easy to carry and easy to use (ease on the scale of "quick email check in elevator", "get restaurant.com coupon while walking between car and cafe" easy).
Your complaint is akin to whining a Swiss Army knife is unsuitable for culinary or carpentry use. You have a serious application for which a serious tool is warranted, you get the serious tool - not whine that a lightweight general-purpose device doesn't fulfill the role. ...and sometimes the right tool for a particular enterprise application IS a Swiss Army knife, because for a particular job the "every tool is available in a tiny lightweight package" may be best.
Thanks for your spiffy explanation. But I realy don't see how it has anything to do with my statement. The rim is aimed at business users. No it's not. Business users want a quick way to get files to and fro, PRINT, and be capable of note taking. Now, my Ipad, and my ipad2 weren't advertised as"for business users", and i wished they had what I wanted, but i didn't throw them out because they don't. If you take offense at my lumping them with the other two, I am sorry. But NONE of them can really be used for enterprise users in a meaning ful way. that was my statement, an it was and is true.
G
W. Ademczyk
Aug 27, 09:41 PM
IMO, I believe the new enclosure will basically add easier access to swappable HDD's like the MB. It doesn't seem appropriate for a lower end model computer to have a feature the professional level model should have. That's why you pay the big $. I think the enclosure will remain the same, but we'll see an update that will allow users to change out their hard drives if they choose.
Exactly, allowing the user to swap out components is definately a direction that Apple is taking, which is something that helps them stay competitive in the pc world. The Macbook, as we all know, utilizes a design that makes it easy to swap out ram and HDDs; and the Mac Pro is configured with snazzy slide-out trays so that virtually every piece of hardware can be swapped out easily. This is a feature that the new MBP case design had better incorporate.
In regard to the Ipod incentive, if Intel shipped Merom to manufacturers at the end of July, will announce it's release to the public on the 28th, and Apple's own shipment of Merom toting computers comes in on the 5th, I have a hard time understanding why they would wait 2-3 weeks to put these computers in the hands of the public when Dell, HP, and Lenovo will be updating their websites the second that the announcement is made. As far as I can tell, there were two reasons Apple started giving away free Nanos to college kids. First, they needed to clean out the inventory for the next Ipod line; and second, the back to school rush is the best time to increase the market share since college students probably make up the highest percentage of win to mac switchers. Since Merom reportedly costs Apple the same amount as Yonah, and MBP sales have been a little lackluster, it would make next to no sense for Apple to drop the Ipod rebate. We have to remember that the only reason Macintels were released with Yonah in the first place is that Apple wasn't able to pressure Intel into giving them Merom early(thus explaining the drop from 64bit processing to 32bit and then back up again 7 months later). If Apple wouldn't have released the Intel line when it did, they would have been stuck with a stale product line and, missing out on the back to school rush, wouldn't be enjoying their doubled market share.
I think it's fair to conclude that the 16th was chosen as the date for the Nano rebate not because the Merom will appear after that time, but because most back to school shopping will be done by then. It is in Apple's best interest to try to catch the tail end of the college shopping season with the MBP.
Exactly, allowing the user to swap out components is definately a direction that Apple is taking, which is something that helps them stay competitive in the pc world. The Macbook, as we all know, utilizes a design that makes it easy to swap out ram and HDDs; and the Mac Pro is configured with snazzy slide-out trays so that virtually every piece of hardware can be swapped out easily. This is a feature that the new MBP case design had better incorporate.
In regard to the Ipod incentive, if Intel shipped Merom to manufacturers at the end of July, will announce it's release to the public on the 28th, and Apple's own shipment of Merom toting computers comes in on the 5th, I have a hard time understanding why they would wait 2-3 weeks to put these computers in the hands of the public when Dell, HP, and Lenovo will be updating their websites the second that the announcement is made. As far as I can tell, there were two reasons Apple started giving away free Nanos to college kids. First, they needed to clean out the inventory for the next Ipod line; and second, the back to school rush is the best time to increase the market share since college students probably make up the highest percentage of win to mac switchers. Since Merom reportedly costs Apple the same amount as Yonah, and MBP sales have been a little lackluster, it would make next to no sense for Apple to drop the Ipod rebate. We have to remember that the only reason Macintels were released with Yonah in the first place is that Apple wasn't able to pressure Intel into giving them Merom early(thus explaining the drop from 64bit processing to 32bit and then back up again 7 months later). If Apple wouldn't have released the Intel line when it did, they would have been stuck with a stale product line and, missing out on the back to school rush, wouldn't be enjoying their doubled market share.
I think it's fair to conclude that the 16th was chosen as the date for the Nano rebate not because the Merom will appear after that time, but because most back to school shopping will be done by then. It is in Apple's best interest to try to catch the tail end of the college shopping season with the MBP.