It's all about margins. The updated macbookpros may not sound expensive at 1999 when half the power and storage was the same price the day before but remember apple does not update its prices for a few months, sometimes years (look at the mini, same price, 3 year old technology) and the margins come in. For instance, it costs 2000 to make a 15" macbook pro in october 2007. The technology increases and the price decreases (as with all technology) and what do we have? a new macbook pro in 2008 with better stuff at the same price. If they make it where it comes out even at launch of the product (meaning no profit) that means that as time passes, the margin gets bigger and bigger until they're making 20-30% off margins of pure profit - I would like to know how much it costs apple to manufacture their laptops the day before launching a new line. I would bet that maccbookpro costs 1500 to make - still selling at 2000 and average joe doesn't know there's another one coming. The lack of remotes is ridiculous but it didn't start with apple - it's called nickel and dime because it's a tried and true way of doing stuff. 19 is nothing but if you need adapters and software and all that good stuff (or bad if you're buying Office) then yea it can add up and it gets annoying.

I say boo all the companies for nickel and diming us and boo apple for doing it too - that's no way to think different(ly)

I recently purchased a MacBook Pro (prior version, not the new unibody model) and was both shocked and slightly irritated that the Apple Remote was not included.

I managed to sell my previous MacBook along with its included remote, foolishly thinking a new remote would be included with the MacBook Pro. Unfortunately for me, it was not!

In the end, spending $20 on a new remote is not much, but it is still a little annoying nonetheless.