PlaceofDis
Oct 12, 06:57 PM
im so tired about apple having partnerships with groups i dont like. to each his own but why does U2 have to keep pushing their own ipod, i thought the last one sucked. give me a band i actually like
except this isn't about a band. its about a charity.
except this isn't about a band. its about a charity.
Nomadski
Apr 17, 05:31 PM
Sonos is far from dead, been alive and kicking in my house since and will do so far beyond whenever AppleTV5 gets discontinued I'm sure... The market will always have a space for alternatives to Apple, especially when something as hated (by a large number of people) as iTunes is integral to the system. There is nothing more closed and proprietary than Apples system, and save for a couple of lovely products Ive bought into (macbook and iphone) its something I refuse to invest any further in. Sonos delivers without giving any bellyaches or limitations that require workarounds, and their service has just got more expansive with time without cutting any hardware out of the loop, even that released in 2005 - With Apple you'd be lucky for something release 2 years ago to be fully supported with latest features.
And Magnus, I dont have to muck about with any router settings like channels because it gets plugged in and works, I dont NEED to know much about networking because it just works. It doesnt share ANY bandwidth with my wireless network so I have no idea why your banging on about your router. Never experienced interference / breakup in sound / loss of sync whatever else is happening on my network, because its totally independant, and the system is designed to avoid precisely the crappy problems products like AppleTV can easily suffer from. A quick google tells me its NOT the same on AppleTV, lots of forum posts talking about echoes and out of sync music distribution so you can stick that one where the sun dont shine.
Also my "blind test" with lossless vs lossy very clearly showed a difference in sound quality, hence why I dont touch iTunes catalogue of music with a bargepole. You seem to know that the speaker setup make a massive difference to sound (something I have to explain to people everyday regarding quality of headphones vs choice of mp3 player, in that the latter makes FA difference in comparison to the former) so Im surprised you take such little stock in lossless - a better sound system will only exemplify the difference in quality between FLAC (or ALAC) and the highest bitrate MP3.
BTW you can play FLAC on iPhone...sounds lovely, although I agree capacity is an issue at the moment.
"Apple TV 1 came with 120GB and 320GB drives and can use any 2.5 drive. It can also use any external USB2 drive (including a 3TB drive) once hacked"
Great. We are talking about AppleTV2, the latest and greatest. They took it out. You have no hard drive. To do all the stuff you go on about you need XBMC running, presumably on a PC or Mac? Or are you also using workarounds on the Apple hardware to make it as useful as the popcorn is out of the box? Couldnt be bothered myself with all the hassle, ive been using my PH for 4 years with all the functionality you have had for the last few months after mucking about with it. I would bet the majority of the great unwashed masses who bought AppleTV 2 don't use XBMC on it, so stop even comparing your modified unit with the masses experience with it.
How is that? You kept touting it doesn't need a networked PC and now you're touting that it can work with one It doesnt NEED to use a pc, but it CAN if I WANT it to. It doesnt NEED a NAS but it CAN if I want it to. It doesnt have to use internet streaming services like Napster or spotify or Last.FM but it can if I want it to. It doesnt NEED iTunes but it CAN use it if I wanted to use iTunes. I dont HAVE to use FLAC, I can use ALAC if I want. Its called choice, out of the box, zero configuration.
My experience of itunes purely with my one IOS device (iPhone) tells me you can go ahead with this BS system, but I for one much prefer having something which offers alternatives as well as crappy iTunes.
And for one who calls BS on audiophile equipment, you certainly have invested a lot into that BS. Your BS system is quite impressive, shame you skimped on the delivery system.
Re the video, if you cant tell the difference between 1080P vs 720P even on a 42" (Panasonic plasma here too) then you need your eyes testing. My wife has bad eyesight and even she sees the difference between 1080P vs 720P, whereas she just thinks 720P looks "brighter" than standard def...
But whatever, keep on rolling, im still far happier ive got the best multi room music delivery system money can buy. And a separate video player which streams and stores anything without BS conversion / tweaks.
And Magnus, I dont have to muck about with any router settings like channels because it gets plugged in and works, I dont NEED to know much about networking because it just works. It doesnt share ANY bandwidth with my wireless network so I have no idea why your banging on about your router. Never experienced interference / breakup in sound / loss of sync whatever else is happening on my network, because its totally independant, and the system is designed to avoid precisely the crappy problems products like AppleTV can easily suffer from. A quick google tells me its NOT the same on AppleTV, lots of forum posts talking about echoes and out of sync music distribution so you can stick that one where the sun dont shine.
Also my "blind test" with lossless vs lossy very clearly showed a difference in sound quality, hence why I dont touch iTunes catalogue of music with a bargepole. You seem to know that the speaker setup make a massive difference to sound (something I have to explain to people everyday regarding quality of headphones vs choice of mp3 player, in that the latter makes FA difference in comparison to the former) so Im surprised you take such little stock in lossless - a better sound system will only exemplify the difference in quality between FLAC (or ALAC) and the highest bitrate MP3.
BTW you can play FLAC on iPhone...sounds lovely, although I agree capacity is an issue at the moment.
"Apple TV 1 came with 120GB and 320GB drives and can use any 2.5 drive. It can also use any external USB2 drive (including a 3TB drive) once hacked"
Great. We are talking about AppleTV2, the latest and greatest. They took it out. You have no hard drive. To do all the stuff you go on about you need XBMC running, presumably on a PC or Mac? Or are you also using workarounds on the Apple hardware to make it as useful as the popcorn is out of the box? Couldnt be bothered myself with all the hassle, ive been using my PH for 4 years with all the functionality you have had for the last few months after mucking about with it. I would bet the majority of the great unwashed masses who bought AppleTV 2 don't use XBMC on it, so stop even comparing your modified unit with the masses experience with it.
How is that? You kept touting it doesn't need a networked PC and now you're touting that it can work with one It doesnt NEED to use a pc, but it CAN if I WANT it to. It doesnt NEED a NAS but it CAN if I want it to. It doesnt have to use internet streaming services like Napster or spotify or Last.FM but it can if I want it to. It doesnt NEED iTunes but it CAN use it if I wanted to use iTunes. I dont HAVE to use FLAC, I can use ALAC if I want. Its called choice, out of the box, zero configuration.
My experience of itunes purely with my one IOS device (iPhone) tells me you can go ahead with this BS system, but I for one much prefer having something which offers alternatives as well as crappy iTunes.
And for one who calls BS on audiophile equipment, you certainly have invested a lot into that BS. Your BS system is quite impressive, shame you skimped on the delivery system.
Re the video, if you cant tell the difference between 1080P vs 720P even on a 42" (Panasonic plasma here too) then you need your eyes testing. My wife has bad eyesight and even she sees the difference between 1080P vs 720P, whereas she just thinks 720P looks "brighter" than standard def...
But whatever, keep on rolling, im still far happier ive got the best multi room music delivery system money can buy. And a separate video player which streams and stores anything without BS conversion / tweaks.
mojohojo
Apr 19, 10:10 PM
i'd probably be called an apple-fanboy from friends because having now own a macbook pro, macbook, ipods, iphones and ipads but this kind of **** apple does is probably what will make me hate apple and boycott their products if there were any other good alternatives currently on par with apple.
what i see is Samsung being a major distributor or hardware to apple, apple first finds alternatives companies for their hardware (sony, LG) and once they have find all the hardware replacements they go and sue [backstab] them?
Apple should know their products are far superior and better currently on the market, if other competitors are coming with close products, they should just improve on them rather than trying to shut everyone down and be some monopoly. everyone knows competition is what drives our development.
i can see this thought surely must have come straight from Steve Jobs from his big ego and dickhead personality; he 'would' be the type of guy to have a 2 face - pretending to be nice to Samsung for all their parts and backstabbing once he finds out they're producing similar products thats gaining market behind the iphones.
you know what, **** apple and steve jobs. no more pity for jobs and whatever illness he's suffering from, probably deserves it, karma. samsung is one of the fatest developing tech companies that will soon beat Sony and i do hope they beat Apple and job's ass.
what i see is Samsung being a major distributor or hardware to apple, apple first finds alternatives companies for their hardware (sony, LG) and once they have find all the hardware replacements they go and sue [backstab] them?
Apple should know their products are far superior and better currently on the market, if other competitors are coming with close products, they should just improve on them rather than trying to shut everyone down and be some monopoly. everyone knows competition is what drives our development.
i can see this thought surely must have come straight from Steve Jobs from his big ego and dickhead personality; he 'would' be the type of guy to have a 2 face - pretending to be nice to Samsung for all their parts and backstabbing once he finds out they're producing similar products thats gaining market behind the iphones.
you know what, **** apple and steve jobs. no more pity for jobs and whatever illness he's suffering from, probably deserves it, karma. samsung is one of the fatest developing tech companies that will soon beat Sony and i do hope they beat Apple and job's ass.
p0intblank
Jul 14, 12:08 PM
Wow, 2.93 GHz... I can't wait until what August brings us! :D
aiqw9182
Apr 16, 01:44 PM
I refuse to waste any more time arguing with someone that doesn't understand what he's talking about and thinks a niche format will rule the world in short order and that adaptors are 10 cents on the dollar for complex new high speed connectors. Good luck arguing with this guy. I'm done wasting my time.
Yeah, I said Thunderbolt would take over the world when I said that USB and Thunderbolt were complimentary. :rolleyes: Thunderbolt for high bandwidth, USB for low bandwidth.
Yeah, super complex high speed adapters that we've seen done time and time again in an affordable manner. :rolleyes:
Glad you're done arguing. Clearly you only had two points to try and refute and it would be embarrassing for you to just leave the rest of my previous post with no replies.
Yeah, I said Thunderbolt would take over the world when I said that USB and Thunderbolt were complimentary. :rolleyes: Thunderbolt for high bandwidth, USB for low bandwidth.
Yeah, super complex high speed adapters that we've seen done time and time again in an affordable manner. :rolleyes:
Glad you're done arguing. Clearly you only had two points to try and refute and it would be embarrassing for you to just leave the rest of my previous post with no replies.
sinsin07
Mar 23, 05:04 PM
I live in KC too and whenever theres a checkpoint I get about 3-5 texts that day warning me and telling me to forward it to everyone I know. :rolleyes:
When you live in the boonies so what?
When you live in the boonies so what?
generik
Aug 29, 07:33 AM
C2D MBPs available for ordering now!
ksz
Jul 14, 02:34 PM
I'm wondering how the yonah stacks up against this chip...
As Eidorian's link points out, Core Duo (Yonah) performance falls somewhere between the Athlon X2 3800 and the Athlon X2 4200. The 2.40GHz E6600, 2.66GHz E6700, and 2.93GHz X6800 Core 2 Duos in particular are at least 40% faster, which is exactly what Intel promised at the IDF (although they were comparing it against the Pentium D).
As Eidorian's link points out, Core Duo (Yonah) performance falls somewhere between the Athlon X2 3800 and the Athlon X2 4200. The 2.40GHz E6600, 2.66GHz E6700, and 2.93GHz X6800 Core 2 Duos in particular are at least 40% faster, which is exactly what Intel promised at the IDF (although they were comparing it against the Pentium D).
rdrr
Sep 15, 05:52 PM
I thought 10 Mega Pixels were possible with some tech that is suppose to arrive at the end of this year for phones.
I wonder if the new phone was like the original iPod Shuffle. You wear it around your neck. That would be funny. I would like the Star Trek Next Generation phone were you tap it on your chest to call people and it automatically goes into speaker phone. That was sort of like the shuffle concept with simple controls and no screen. Even works with iTunes.
Hmmm that is an intresting thought. I saw a demo, over a year ago, of a wireles VoIP phone at Dartmouth University that did just that. They wear them around their neck or use a clip, but it was voice activated, and they actually called them their "Star Trek badges".
http://www.vocera.com/
I wonder if the new phone was like the original iPod Shuffle. You wear it around your neck. That would be funny. I would like the Star Trek Next Generation phone were you tap it on your chest to call people and it automatically goes into speaker phone. That was sort of like the shuffle concept with simple controls and no screen. Even works with iTunes.
Hmmm that is an intresting thought. I saw a demo, over a year ago, of a wireles VoIP phone at Dartmouth University that did just that. They wear them around their neck or use a clip, but it was voice activated, and they actually called them their "Star Trek badges".
http://www.vocera.com/
samiwas
Apr 10, 06:27 PM
Government-mandated vacation??? Why, those socialists! The damn government can keep its filthy hands outta my- hey, wait a minute... Did you say 5 weeks? :p
Yep. I used to date a girl from Sweden (mmmm). She would come to visit me all the time while I was out on tour, for several days or even a week at a time. I, as an American, asked how she could get so much time off work with just a day's notice and be able to afford to come see me in other countries. She said she had the right to call out at any time, for however long she wanted (up to her allotted time), AND GET PAID, due to the worker's rules in that country. I think they also have some ridiculous maternity leave like 16 months for BOTH PARENTS, shared somehow. I must say, that is a nice way to do it.
The US doesn't even have required paid maternity leave, and I believe is one of the only countries in the world not to. Most Americans can't even take their time because they need the money or their employer simply won't let them. Yet, we're the awesome capitalists and have it better than everyone else! :rolleyes:
Swindon?
http://lorenzbeyeler.com/images/magic_circle_2.jpg
Where the F is THAT???
Yep. I used to date a girl from Sweden (mmmm). She would come to visit me all the time while I was out on tour, for several days or even a week at a time. I, as an American, asked how she could get so much time off work with just a day's notice and be able to afford to come see me in other countries. She said she had the right to call out at any time, for however long she wanted (up to her allotted time), AND GET PAID, due to the worker's rules in that country. I think they also have some ridiculous maternity leave like 16 months for BOTH PARENTS, shared somehow. I must say, that is a nice way to do it.
The US doesn't even have required paid maternity leave, and I believe is one of the only countries in the world not to. Most Americans can't even take their time because they need the money or their employer simply won't let them. Yet, we're the awesome capitalists and have it better than everyone else! :rolleyes:
Swindon?
http://lorenzbeyeler.com/images/magic_circle_2.jpg
Where the F is THAT???
Dmac77
Apr 25, 02:18 AM
This is the same attitude that people like Bernie Madoff, Kenneth Lay, etc had as they totally scammed thousands of people out of billions of dollars.
Well I will openly admit that I have a low opinion of those who get burned in investment scams. If you're stupid enough to think you're going to get the kind of returns promised to you by the likes of Madoff, then you deserve to lose your money. But that's off topic.
-Don
Well I will openly admit that I have a low opinion of those who get burned in investment scams. If you're stupid enough to think you're going to get the kind of returns promised to you by the likes of Madoff, then you deserve to lose your money. But that's off topic.
-Don
Ach111es
Apr 25, 01:10 PM
Was thinking of springing for a mid 15 for 2000 and the education deal...now I may just buy a base 13 or even MBA refresh and plan on reselling for the awesome update (which I will also buy with education deal).
Manic Mouse
Sep 12, 07:08 AM
BTW, What is with all the Anti Mini Mac Pro hostility??? "I'm sorry, you can't have a Quad 2.67 Ghz CPU and a top of the line graphics card. I'm sure a Mac Mini will more than fulfil your needs, with its Dual 1.86 Ghz Yonah processor and Integrated Graphics. As long as you de-emphasize on productivity, you should find a Mac Mini is plenty fast enough. After all, Apple is perfect, and anything they don't offer should be wanted by you."
Indeed. It's as if there's something wrong with asking for something you want. How dare we suggest the Apple lineup isn't perfect!
Indeed. It's as if there's something wrong with asking for something you want. How dare we suggest the Apple lineup isn't perfect!
technicolor
Sep 12, 03:11 PM
I am so glad that I didnt sell my ipod. I would really be kicking myself if I had of jumped the gun....taking a hit on the price plus having to pony up money to essentially buy back the same ipod.
*whew wipes sweat
*whew wipes sweat
flopticalcube
Apr 16, 01:55 PM
Whats the speed of thunderbolt? and will it be faster then sata 3.0
Capped at 10gb/s on the copper version. SATA 3 is 6gbps.
Capped at 10gb/s on the copper version. SATA 3 is 6gbps.
iColombia
Apr 30, 06:34 PM
They stuck with the previous design for 3-4 years. It has now been 3 years with the current look.
Easter Clipart
happy easter clip art
Easter Eggs clip art
nagromme
Oct 12, 03:00 PM
I'm all for AIDS prevention, but there's not a single aspect of this story that doesn't strike me as crass and exploitative.
Agreed. Apple should stop being so exploitative and give nothing! :o
Apple's not the first in the RED program. Maybe the program HAS done some good and thus is continuing?
Here's a challenge. How about everyone here who has an iPod gives $10 or equivalent to this charity?
Hmmm.... a matching program would be cool--it could all be done electronically, like when Apple has had disaster charity giving built right into iTMS.
So when you buy a Red iPod, you pick the price :) If you pay more than normal, Apple will match your donation, and will pay a minimum of 10% regardless.
Agreed. Apple should stop being so exploitative and give nothing! :o
Apple's not the first in the RED program. Maybe the program HAS done some good and thus is continuing?
Here's a challenge. How about everyone here who has an iPod gives $10 or equivalent to this charity?
Hmmm.... a matching program would be cool--it could all be done electronically, like when Apple has had disaster charity giving built right into iTMS.
So when you buy a Red iPod, you pick the price :) If you pay more than normal, Apple will match your donation, and will pay a minimum of 10% regardless.
sartinsauce
Sep 26, 09:12 AM
You know, I'm thinking people really want an iPhone. And I'm also thinking that they want it so bad they won't even consider the source of this information.
Usually, a rumor like this wouldn't get three pages of comments without somebody mentioning that this story comes from ThinkSecret. In case you're new here, MR readers have a habbit of panning ThinkSecret. It's worse than panning really, it's more like slaughtering any news that comes from ThinkSecret.
It's fun to watch members battle out mobile providers.
Ford! No, Chevy!
I mean...
Sony! No, Sony sucks, buy Panasonic.
I mean...
Verizon! Nooooooo, Verizon drips off donkey b*lls, go with Cingular!
You folk crack me up. Thank you.
Usually, a rumor like this wouldn't get three pages of comments without somebody mentioning that this story comes from ThinkSecret. In case you're new here, MR readers have a habbit of panning ThinkSecret. It's worse than panning really, it's more like slaughtering any news that comes from ThinkSecret.
It's fun to watch members battle out mobile providers.
Ford! No, Chevy!
I mean...
Sony! No, Sony sucks, buy Panasonic.
I mean...
Verizon! Nooooooo, Verizon drips off donkey b*lls, go with Cingular!
You folk crack me up. Thank you.
holycat
Sep 10, 09:45 AM
Erhm..so the new realeased merom iMac will last for how long:confused: :confused:
worth it to buy now???
thinkiNG of getting one...cant bear with my 3 yrs old of centrinO noteBook...:mad:
worth it to buy now???
thinkiNG of getting one...cant bear with my 3 yrs old of centrinO noteBook...:mad:
feddy84
Mar 29, 01:15 PM
i wouldnt be suprised, apple is heading for the same thing they did with mac vs pc battle. they are 1 company, that means they can be VERY succesfull with introducing new products but in the end they cant keep up when the other companys throw in their overdrive. just watch not with duelcore android phones. coming halv a year before "iphone 5" if thats even gonne get released. android or wp7 is going to be the dominant mobile operating system withing a few years cause they arent closed systems.
kryca
Apr 23, 02:31 PM
Yes, built-in 3G is more costly to buy, usually locked into a particular carrier (what do you mean I can't switch my 1500$ laptop to a new carrier ?) and with the Rev D's 2nd USB port being next to a display port, the "extension" cable is moot.
So you are quite missing tons of things. The current scheme of "get a stick from your carrier" is the best as far as costs and carrier non-attachment go. I tether to my iPhone using Bluetooth anyhow, making the USB thing even more moot.
Built-in 3G is overrated.
It's just not up-to-date anymore. At least for a company that claims to be on the bleeding edge.
My iPad is not locked into a specific carrier and it's a officially fully supported configuration. So it's not really alchemy involved. Same could be done for the MBA. I also do not intend to abuse my iphone as a modem - I don't see why I do have to keep two devices going to get *one* of them online. That iPhone workaround sounds like a real bad excuse to me - it's just a way of keeping carriers happy (because phones usually are bought directly from the carriers with a 1+ year lock-in and for computers I assume people would rather turn to the AppleStore).
For my laptop I also want to have a different carrier and price plan.
So you are quite missing tons of things. The current scheme of "get a stick from your carrier" is the best as far as costs and carrier non-attachment go. I tether to my iPhone using Bluetooth anyhow, making the USB thing even more moot.
Built-in 3G is overrated.
It's just not up-to-date anymore. At least for a company that claims to be on the bleeding edge.
My iPad is not locked into a specific carrier and it's a officially fully supported configuration. So it's not really alchemy involved. Same could be done for the MBA. I also do not intend to abuse my iphone as a modem - I don't see why I do have to keep two devices going to get *one* of them online. That iPhone workaround sounds like a real bad excuse to me - it's just a way of keeping carriers happy (because phones usually are bought directly from the carriers with a 1+ year lock-in and for computers I assume people would rather turn to the AppleStore).
For my laptop I also want to have a different carrier and price plan.
bitWrangler
Mar 30, 12:53 PM
Thought it was clear so I'll try again.
Notice the iTunes.exe in the middle? It being the actual program but is denoted as Application.;)
The question was, "yeah, so what". How does this factor into this discussion?
Notice the iTunes.exe in the middle? It being the actual program but is denoted as Application.;)
The question was, "yeah, so what". How does this factor into this discussion?
freebooter
Sep 6, 01:23 AM
Yeah... yeah... Movies for the American audience...
...I don't even get TV shows... :(
Consider yourself twice blessed :rolleyes:
...I don't even get TV shows... :(
Consider yourself twice blessed :rolleyes:
KnightWRX
Apr 23, 12:51 PM
If you read my post more carefully you'll understand I was referring to the people who play games on the 11". As far as I'm concerned, working on a laptop with an external monitor plugged in is an exception (rare) and not something common.
As far as you're concerned maybe, but as far as what's common or not, you're out of it. There's a reason every laptop out there has some kind of external display connector.
But silly me, I must be a moron for using the mini display port right ? :rolleyes:
Perhaps you mean it is capable of everything you need it to do. I used to have a laptop as a single computer at my home. It resembled a Christmas tree pretty much - it had an USB optical mouse, a printer, external speakers, a Yamaha keyboard, card reader and power cord plugged in. I was always plugging and unplugging cables whenever I wanted to move it to another place. Thank goodness I did not come to the idea to attach an external monitor to it.
You're doing it wrong. I plug in 4 cables. Power, Monitor, Speakers, USB. My keyboard/mouse/tablet/Printer/iPhone/iPod all get recognized instantly. That's what the USB hub on my desk is for. 1 cable, all devices.
If Apple had docks, it would be even better. Just drop the laptop in place and voila. But I guess docks just aren't esthetic enough.
There is nothing uncommon about it, so again, thank you for calling me stupid because I dare use a MBA as my only computer and I dare launch games on it, while connected to an external monitor of all things!
Keep your insults for yourself next time.
I was under the understanding that the reason that the current 320M has been so impressive considering the aging Duel Core CPU was the increased speed of data transfer from the SSD meaning a large increase in efficiency in both the CPU and the GPU.
Hum, no. The SSD is still a bottleneck compared to the bus speeds between the CPU and GPU. The 320M is impressive because the Intel GPU is so sub-par. Even a full power Sandy Bridge Intell 3000 HD barely compares to it, and then, only in benchmarks where the CPU is the bottleneck and the C2D is holding back the 320M. In pure GPU bottlenecked benchmarks, the 320M trumps the Intel 3000HD.
That's just the story with Intel. They always sucked at GPUs.
As far as you're concerned maybe, but as far as what's common or not, you're out of it. There's a reason every laptop out there has some kind of external display connector.
But silly me, I must be a moron for using the mini display port right ? :rolleyes:
Perhaps you mean it is capable of everything you need it to do. I used to have a laptop as a single computer at my home. It resembled a Christmas tree pretty much - it had an USB optical mouse, a printer, external speakers, a Yamaha keyboard, card reader and power cord plugged in. I was always plugging and unplugging cables whenever I wanted to move it to another place. Thank goodness I did not come to the idea to attach an external monitor to it.
You're doing it wrong. I plug in 4 cables. Power, Monitor, Speakers, USB. My keyboard/mouse/tablet/Printer/iPhone/iPod all get recognized instantly. That's what the USB hub on my desk is for. 1 cable, all devices.
If Apple had docks, it would be even better. Just drop the laptop in place and voila. But I guess docks just aren't esthetic enough.
There is nothing uncommon about it, so again, thank you for calling me stupid because I dare use a MBA as my only computer and I dare launch games on it, while connected to an external monitor of all things!
Keep your insults for yourself next time.
I was under the understanding that the reason that the current 320M has been so impressive considering the aging Duel Core CPU was the increased speed of data transfer from the SSD meaning a large increase in efficiency in both the CPU and the GPU.
Hum, no. The SSD is still a bottleneck compared to the bus speeds between the CPU and GPU. The 320M is impressive because the Intel GPU is so sub-par. Even a full power Sandy Bridge Intell 3000 HD barely compares to it, and then, only in benchmarks where the CPU is the bottleneck and the C2D is holding back the 320M. In pure GPU bottlenecked benchmarks, the 320M trumps the Intel 3000HD.
That's just the story with Intel. They always sucked at GPUs.