MacBook Pro is incredible

[codycartoon]

I rarely post here when it comes to these sorts of things, I am more of a lurker, but I can not believe the negative response the MacBook Pro is getting. Frankly, I think it is pathetic.

Apple creates something for you that is up to 4 times as fast as the previous line, and you are whining? What the hell? When has there ever been such a jump in processing power without changing the price? In all of Apple history? This is incredible, and as far as I'm concerned a revolutionary day for Apple.

I am glad they did not change the case. I am sure they tried extensively until they realized that what they already had was timeless, elegant, and beautiful. Instead they change small things that are really issues like the powercord. Who cares about SD? honestly, I am a hardcore video editor and I find it unnecessary. FW 800, USB 2 is plenty fast, not to mention they have internal SAT hard drives now.

Some people have compared it to Acer's specs which I think makes sense considering apple is using the same chip now. But seriously, has anyone ever used an Acer laptop? Have you been to their website? ( http://us.acer.com/ ) Have you seen what their computers look like? Would you like to use that for the next four years? Seriously. If you are complaining about specs on the mac, why the hell should you start on the day they make a huge leap in power? That does not make any sense.

The MacBook Pro is incredible, elegant, and powerful.

As a student, I will start saving for one ASAP.

-cody

[doucy2]

lol all this crap about this damn book and no one even owns one yet
people should post once that have expierenced it and then post thier view

the 4x fast is only for a macbook pro BTW and it is just another selling point
at $2500 its frankly not worth it

[kretzy]

I didn't rate it negatively, but I can understand why people would. If people find one or two things that they don't like, they'll rate it in that way rather than looking at the overall picture.

[macOSX-tastic]

people at apple have worked really hard on this to achieve in 6 months what was previously projected for a year. they have done incredibly well. this macbook Pro is going to be faster than the current line.....that will justify the price point for some people. for others, it will be frontrow, or other numerous features...we are all different.

it's not healthy to complain about something that people have worked so hard on. focus on the good points.....they are after all still offering the PPC line.

i for one, will not be upgrading for a while.....software was the main thing dfor me this time round. cheer up people, it was a good update, and we were very lucky to get what we did. things can only get better:D

S

[MacTruck]

people at apple have worked really hard on this to achieve in 6 months what was previously projected for a year. they have done incredibly well. this macbook Pro is going to be faster than the current line.....that will justify the price point for some people. for others, it will be frontrow, or other numerous features...we are all different.

it's not healthy to complain about something that people have worked so hard on. focus on the good points.....they are after all still offering the PPC line.

i for one, will not be upgrading for a while.....software was the main thing dfor me this time round. cheer up people, it was a good update, and we were very lucky to get what we did. things can only get better:D

S


Lets not shed a tear because they worked hard on it, they are charging money for it. Now if they gave it to me for free, a tear I would shed. Besides every company that produces anything works hard on it. Thats business.

[macOSX-tastic]

Lets not shed a tear because they worked hard on it, they are charging money for it. Now if they gave it to me for free, a tear I would shed. Besides every company that produces anything works hard on it. Thats business.

im not asking people to "shed a tear", i know people will always be unhappy, no matter what apple or any other company brings out, but they are still offering the original PPC counterparts.....so why complain? apple is also offering a step forward....we were lucky to get 2 intel macs today. Businesses are out to make profit....that's number 1. whether or not the company pours money into its manufacturing processes is a completely different matter. we are lucky to have a company (apple) that sees things differently. and that is, apparently, their point.

S

[Phat_Pat]

the fact of the matter is that this thing is EXTREMELY fast


once you realize this you won't care about what it looks like cause you'll only be looking at the screen

[Seasought]

I'm happy for those who will be out there picking up these new Macbooks. I am SLIGHTLY regretful for buying my current PPC Powerbook, I know it will pass...I hope. :D

Regardless, more power is always a good thing. Here's to the future. *cheers*

[2nyRiggz]

yea the MBP is real great i got a spare in my car trunk....:rolleyes:


Bless

[LGRW3919]

Lets not shed a tear because they worked hard on it, they are charging money for it. Now if they gave it to me for free, a tear I would shed. Besides every company that produces anything works hard on it. Thats business.

paying money for anything you buy is purely inevitable. thats also business. giving away things for free, especially when they normally cost $2000+ is anti-business.

[MacTruck]

paying money for anything you buy is purely inevitable. thats also business. giving away things for free, especially when they normally cost $2000+ is anti-business.


Anti-business?

I am going to make a new mac. It will have the following:


- dual 2ghz Yohahs
- Removable hard drive and superdrive
- dual dvi ports
- carbon fiber case in many colors.
- removable graphics card
- removable cpu for upgrading
- 4 ram slots
- 1 inch thick
- Dock connnector
- external power button that can't be accidently turned on.
- fingerprint reader
- dual button trackpad
- battery on back like thinkpad so I can use extended battery
- lighted keyboard in different colors
- external sata port
- 3 yr standard warranty


NOBODY will bad mouth it because thats what everyone wants. Why can't they make this notebook. Cost too much? I would pay way more for this system so no problem.

[BENJMNS]

Lets not shed a tear because they worked hard on it, they are charging money for it. Now if they gave it to me for free, a tear I would shed. Besides every company that produces anything works hard on it. Thats business.

true dat

it's amazing to me that they think apple is some sort of "for the greater good" company. like we need to cheer them on.

people, it's a corporation. it's FOR profit. they're not doing us any favors. they don't deserve anything more than our $$s and we get their product and solutions in return.

i'm underwhelmed with the "new" macbook. it's merely an evolution to the G4. 4x faster? doing what? 100M dash? Will it help me run faster? make me smarter? the basic technology is still the same. it's not a leap. it's kinda... ok cool. we expected it and apple delivered, but certainly not a jaw dropping surprise.

it's new and new is attractive in the technology industry. it's the latest and greatest, but that's all relative.

my guess is this is an interim book with a major refresh, total redesign due sometime this summer. it's a place holder the current macbook pro. the chassis design has been around for a long time.

it's a good indicator of the sign of things to come. PC world as well. it's a rat race. enjoy. i'm enjoying my G4. to the new macbook pro people. all the more power to ya!

[MacTruck]

true dat

it's amazing to me that they think apple is some sort of "for the greater good" company. like we need to cheer them on.

people, it's a corporation. it's FOR profit. they're not doing us any favors. they don't deserve anything more than our $$s and we get their product and solutions in return.

i'm underwhelmed with the "new" macbook. it's merely an evolution to the G4. 4x faster? doing what? 100M dash? Will it help me run faster? make me smarter? the basic technology is still the same. it's not a leap. it's kinda... ok cool. we expected it and apple delivered, but certainly not a jaw dropping surprise.

it's new and new is attractive in the technology industry. it's the latest and greatest, but that's all relative.

my guess is this is an interim book with a major refresh, total redesign due sometime this summer. it's a place holder the current macbook pro. the chassis design has been around for a long time.

it's a good indicator of the sign of things to come. PC world as well. it's a rat race. enjoy. i'm enjoying my G4. to the new macbook pro people. all the more power to ya!


Here is a poster with some sense.

[puckhead193]

Anti-business?

I am going to make a new mac. It will have the following:

Can you add FW 800 :D ;)

[FadeToBlack]

Anti-business?

I am going to make a new mac. It will have the following:


- dual 2ghz Yohahs
- Removable hard drive and superdrive
- dual dvi ports
- carbon fiber case in many colors.
- removable graphics card
- removable cpu for upgrading
- 4 ram slots
- 1 inch thick
- Dock connnector
- external power button that can't be accidently turned on.
- fingerprint reader
- dual button trackpad
- battery on back like thinkpad so I can use extended battery
- lighted keyboard in different colors
- external sata port
- 3 yr standard warranty


NOBODY will bad mouth it because thats what everyone wants. Why can't they make this notebook. Cost too much? I would pay way more for this system so no problem.

The thing is, not everyone wants that. Who wants to pay extra for features that you're not gonna use?

I, for one, am REALLY impressed with the MacBook Pro and I don't see why everyone has to bad mouth everything that Apple does. I can understand that everyone has their own opinion about things, but jeez. I'd hate to see what would have happened had they not have released the MacBook Pro today. I am very excited about this transition and I think it's off to an amazing start.

[3dit3r]

true dat

it's amazing to me that they think apple is some sort of "for the greater good" company. like we need to cheer them on.

people, it's a corporation. it's FOR profit. they're not doing us any favors. they don't deserve anything more than our $$s and we get their product and solutions in return.

i'm underwhelmed with the "new" macbook. it's merely an evolution to the G4. 4x faster? doing what? 100M dash? Will it help me run faster? make me smarter? the basic technology is still the same. it's not a leap. it's kinda... ok cool. we expected it and apple delivered, but certainly not a jaw dropping surprise.

it's new and new is attractive in the technology industry. it's the latest and greatest, but that's all relative.

my guess is this is an interim book with a major refresh, total redesign due sometime this summer. it's a place holder the current macbook pro. the chassis design has been around for a long time.

it's a good indicator of the sign of things to come. PC world as well. it's a rat race. enjoy. i'm enjoying my G4. to the new macbook pro people. all the more power to ya!

It's all marketing. Jobs is a master of marketing.

The technology may be the same, but the machine is definitely a leap. Native apps fly on the machine, and from what I could tell, apps running under Rosetta were just as fast. The main criticism I have is the loss of a firewire port. It makes it impossible to edit unless I get a hub...

[Morn]

- dual dvi ports
- carbon fiber case in many colors.
- removable graphics card
- removable cpu for upgrading
- 4 ram slots
- 1 inch thick

All that in 1 inch? :p Ever think the lack of these features is why it's 1 inch?
Why are people complaining, clearly this is the fastest and best apple laptop ever so far. And I hope the x86, industrial standard that it is, will resolve some of apple's quality control problems, as the engineers should have an easier time, going to an architecture where there is so many examples, experts, help and documention around for their engineers to use. The scanline issue and g3 ibook logic board issue are not excusable.

[dswoodley]

I can see why people are dissappointed because in some ways the MBP is a degrade, not an upgrade. Why was the superdrive downgraded? No modem (yes some people actually need it)? Firewire 400 (kind of cripples the FW 800 devices many of us use)? 5400 RPM drive (please)?

It was a victory for speed and displays and camera, but not much else.

[MacTruck]

All that in 1 inch? :p Ever think the lack of these features is why it's 1 inch?
Why are people complaining, clearly this is the fastest and best apple laptop ever so far. And I hope the x86, industrial standard that it is, will resolve some of apple's quality control problems, as the engineers should have an easier time, going to an architecture where there is so many examples, experts, help and documention around for their engineers to use. The scanline issue and g3 ibook logic board issue are not excusable.


Aren't all new apple products faster than their predecessors? Yep. Doesn't mean they are the fastest computers available.

And yes, I would make all those options into a 1" thick laptop. :D

[codycartoon]

Aren't all new apple products faster than their predecessors? Yep. Doesn't mean they are the fastest computers available.


can you please find me an example of when apple released a computer that is quadruple the speed of its predecessor and available for the same price?

hell, even twice the speed?

-cody

[codycartoon]

true dat

it's amazing to me that they think apple is some sort of "for the greater good" company. like we need to cheer them on.

people, it's a corporation. it's FOR profit. they're not doing us any favors. they don't deserve anything more than our $$s and we get their product and solutions in return.

i'm underwhelmed with the "new" macbook. it's merely an evolution to the G4. 4x faster? doing what? 100M dash? Will it help me run faster? make me smarter? the basic technology is still the same. it's not a leap. it's kinda... ok cool. we expected it and apple delivered, but certainly not a jaw dropping surprise.


As an Apple Stock holder I am clearly aware that apple is a "for profit" company. With that in mind people still feel the need to cheer them on as Apple is still, in many ways, seen as the smarter but less dominating underdog. Can you explain to me how this website is not a testament to that? How many windows sites/communities can you find that have a similar sort of passion? Especially when taking in to account that apple's market share is still in the single digits.

your prediction is unlikely. There is no way that they would market a new line of any product only to have it's form factor change a few months from now.

-cody

[wasimyaqoob]

Look right the are comparing the top end model with the basic Powerbook, thats how it comes upto 4x faster - And if Intel are so good, why are they stilll selling PowerBook G4's and why havent they created a PowerMac with an Intel Chip, I know why because Intel is awful.

Ok... on the plus side the built in iSight Camera is awesome and the Apple IR Remote Sensor is a good feature as well, but I dont know why everyone is getting so hyped up about Intel.

[PeterKG]

I frankly give zero credit to Apple. I bought the latest revision PB, and received a crap display, that they refuse to agknowledge or repair. Then just three months later they intro this new version, leaving us screwed. Apple has turned into nothing more than an iPod store now. Go into any Apple store, and that is what you see. It's pathetic. They have no regard for their customers any longer.

[wasimyaqoob]

PeterKG i TOTALLY level with you 100%, i only just purchased my PowerBook 2 weeks ago but anyway if i were to still make a decision i would rather have the PowerBook over the MacBook - And yes, i also agree with you saying that all Apple care about now are profits. Its the board of directors, they are only considered about making profit, but who knows what Steve will do... maybe his past actions could be used again.

[faintember]

They have no regard for their customers any longer.I have to disagree. If Apple didnt care about their customers, Steve's "One more thing" would have been a discussion concerning why Apple is going to wait another 2 years for a G5 Powerbook, oh, and it will still run hot and have no battery life.

I know people do not like change, but either a) get over it or b) continue to use your current PPC based Mac until it dies. I think the intel transition is a step in the right direction, but i am not buying until we get the dual core 64bit processor in the Macbook Pro rev b. Honestly the only thing that slightly irritates me about the Macbook is that the physical design is more or less the same as the current line and that Steve forgot to send me one for free.;)

[G4scott]

I do think this MacBook is an improvement over the current PowerBook, even without FireWire 800 and all... The current PowerBooks use a 167mhz system bus. The only reason they have DDR2 memory is to help with power consumption. To put a dual-core processor in a notebook only 1" thin is a great achievement. Sure it's lacking in some areas, but the main guts of the system have been updated about 3 years ahead of where they were before.

I'll do all I can to return my new PowerBook, or heck, I'll sell it for what I can, because this new MacBook, however new or buggy it may be, is probably better than the current 15" PowerBook in every way.

To all who don't like the idea of the MacBook, go buy a PowerBook, Apple's still selling them. Heck, if you want one from me, I might be willing to sell mine.

[ortuno2k]

You will always find negative people with negative thoughts.
They will NEVER be happy or satisfied with anything.

Welcome, MacBook :D

[PDE]

I feel very mixed about this notebook. I mean, sure, the faster CPU and GPU are definitely welcome. Isight is nice, but not essential. To be honest, the only real innovation in this 'book is the great power connection! Can't believe nobody thought of putting this in a laptop earlier. Simply great .

But, it's absolutely crazy to exclude a modem on a portable at this point! The wonderful thing with powerbooks is that they are incredibly versatile without any extras. Modems are still useful when travelling, visiting friends without broadband. stupid move.

While obviously I'd prefer the display (if it doesn't have lines) over my previous generation low-res powerbook and the hopefully much improved battery life, I would never want this product given the track record of the previous powerbook and of first generation powerbooks in general. This is obviously a major revision internally and one that was RUSHED. Because of that, it will suffer from multiple glitches. We'll know soon enough the reality about this laptop - for now all Steve's claims are hype to me.

[FireArse]

At least there isn't an Intel Inside sticker anywhere near the thing. Very very good to see they kept the same case. It was a bloody brilliant case - when I first saw the pics online I thought it was a bit Darker - thought it looked sweeet!

I'll get one. But I'm still soo happy with my dual 2GHz PM - plenty of life kicking about in the PPC chips people! Cannot wait for Mac Mini to go Intel - what happened to that anyways? the rumors were all wrong!

F

[GroundLoop]

All that in 1 inch? :p Ever think the lack of these features is why it's 1 inch?

It most definitely could be done in a package that is 1" thick. It may be 25" wide and 30" deep, but it would be 1" thick :p

Hickman

[WinterMute]

I have some thoughts on the MacBook, and reading this thread has crystalised them to a degree.

This is an interim offering from Apple, it's a way of live beta testing a new product without having to force an entirely new design into production.

It will allow Apple to run it's transition to x86 in the public domain on a small user base.

It gives Steve something "wow" to show off and stops the bleating about the lack of new PowerBooks, plus it's 6 months earlier than the company were forecasting.

It is, as someone has already pointed out, a placeholder and I'm sure that a new line of laptops with a redesigned form factor will be forthcoming this year.

I won't invest in 1st gen hardware after a particularly crappy experience with the 17" PowerBook, but I will replace my existing 'Book when a 17" Intel machine is available and the software I need to run is in UB format.

This is a good move on Apple's part, but I think the iMac is the more impressive machine.

[steelfist]

the graphics card improvement is one of the best things that happened in this upgrade. x1600 mobility and still less than 1 inch thin! that is very very difficult! imagine dell trying to make their xps gaming notebooks as thin as the powerbook CD.

at the same time, there were major tradeoffs, like the lack of modems and no firewire. these don't bug me for now but it will really do when i need them.

[generik]

It is tempting, but I will wait till the end of the year for a Merom book. Now some of you will go "Boo! You won't have a Mac for such and such a period of time!"

Well I guess it is fine, having a PC that just works is fine for me. Perhaps in the time to come when Darwine works better x86 Mac might be worth a more serious look.

[Diatribe]

The thing is that the only thing that is better (aside from the sweet new AC adapter), the CPU won't be of much use until mid year, end of year when all the apps are there. A lot of things that were useful to people (like 8x burner, DL burner, FW800, PCMCIA slot) have been removed and it seems like the battery life is crappy too.
So where exactly is the benefit of buying one? Raw speed for less features? I'm not sure that is a good trade...

[Diatribe]

I have some thoughts on the MacBook, and reading this thread has crystalised them to a degree.

This is an interim offering from Apple, it's a way of live beta testing a new product without having to force an entirely new design into production.

It will allow Apple to run it's transition to x86 in the public domain on a small user base.

It gives Steve something "wow" to show off and stops the bleating about the lack of new PowerBooks, plus it's 6 months earlier than the company were forecasting.

It is, as someone has already pointed out, a placeholder and I'm sure that a new line of laptops with a redesigned form factor will be forthcoming this year.

I won't invest in 1st gen hardware after a particularly crappy experience with the 17" PowerBook, but I will replace my existing 'Book when a 17" Intel machine is available and the software I need to run is in UB format.

This is a good move on Apple's part, but I think the iMac is the more impressive machine.

I couldn't agree with you more. The MacBook Pro is to the next gen what Aperature 1.0 is to 2.0 - a beta test.
That's the reason we only see a 15" and not a complete line. Buying one now is participating in a beta test.

[HiRez]

my guess is this is an interim book with a major refresh, total redesign due sometime this summer. it's a place holder the current macbook pro. the chassis design has been around for a long time.That's my thinking as well. Remember the original G3 (Kanga?) PowerBook? The one with a G3 shoved into an existing PPC case? Or the "beige" G3 PowerMac? Well this reminds me of that.

There's a lot to like about the MacBook Pro (faster, brighter screens, better GPU), but yeah, it's not quite the whole package. Loss of FW 800 and s/composite video outs is not a good thing, and there appear to have been no advances in battery technology (in fact, we may have taken a step backwards there with the faster CPU and GPU, we'll have to see). Meanwhile, my nearly 5-year-old 800 MHz G4 PowerBook is doing pretty well, so I can wait.

[HiRez]

can you please find me an example of when apple released a computer that is quadruple the speed of its predecessor and available for the same price?

hell, even twice the speed?Well I'd cite the dual G5 PowerMac but that case is similar to this one in that while the newer machines are much faster, that's partially only by comparison, because the old ones were soooo slow by the time they got to the new ones because they had languished for years with very little advancement in speed. If the PowerBook G4 line had kept advancing at industry rates all along, the new models would not look nearly so amazing by comparison. I'm not knocking these machines, more speed is good and they seem pretty zippy, just trying to point out a little context...

[Boelman]

This is unbelievable. All of the new things that just came out are great.

[MacTruck]

I woke up this morning with excitement over yesterdays announcements. The thought of having a dual core notebook that can run xp also excites me. I will wait to see if it can actually run xp though. If it can I am buying one.

[WinterMute]

This is unbelievable. All of the new things that just came out are great.

Some of us obviously don't agree...;)

I think the vibe is that these will be great at some point in the not-too-distant future, but right now...?

The MacBook has too many compromises but the iMac is a little beaut still.

[dmw007]

I agree, the MacBook Pro is incredible.

Up to 4x faster....SWEET! :)

[zudo]

I think it looks great. I'm still a little surprised we've got intel macs so soon.

When I first saw it I was a bit gutted for my PowerBook. But the more I think about it the fact that they're still selling the old ones at the same price makes the bad feelings go away. It seems a bit weird that the old powerbooks haven't been reduced really, but because they haven't my book hasn't dropped it's value overnight as dramatically as it would have.

I'm going to keep my book, I still love it and can't really afford to upgrade, but the sting of the macbook being so much quicker is taken out by the fact that my little baby is still worth plenty.

Hope that makes sense...

[MacTruck]

I think it looks great. I'm still a little surprised we've got intel macs so soon.

When I first saw it I was a bit gutted for my PowerBook. But the more I think about it the fact that they're still selling the old ones at the same price makes the bad feelings go away. It seems a bit weird that the old powerbooks haven't been reduced really, but because they haven't my book hasn't dropped it's value overnight as dramatically as it would have.

I'm going to keep my book, I still love it and can't really afford to upgrade, but the sting of the macbook being so much quicker is taken out by the fact that my little baby is still worth plenty.

Hope that makes sense...



I agree. I find that my Powerbook (in sig) is plenty fast despite its specs and I know what speed is. I have a maxed out G5 and a puny mac mini and even though the mac mini is close in specs my powerbooks spanks the living hell out of the mini. I don't know why but it is WAY faster. Now my G5 is really really fast but the powerbook has just enough speed to not feel like its slow at all. Coupled with the great screen (I don't have the rev E) which is very bright and clear and its a great notebook. I just crave dual boot capability as I need a PC to do many things. One of which is manage all my PST folders in outlook. Something that the mac can't do. I know about PST import tool, thats not the same.

It is quit sad apple yanked so many needed features out of the MacBook though. PCMCIA, S-Video out, FW800, Modem, DL Burning support. Wish it had these as that would make an upgrade seem more logical but for now I think I will wait for rev b. I already have an aluminum powerbook. If they had redesigned it to be even nicer then that might have been a selling point as I love new stuff but getting a macbook that looks the same and has less features, or more depending how you look at it, the camera is cool, might not make sense. One thing that sucks is the camera though and I will tell you why. Working in a highly sensative area at work cameras are not allowed. You can't have a phone with a camera at work so now the powerbook is off limits. If I brought that to work I could get in big trouble and a piece of tape won't satisfy security. Apple just banned their own product from many companies believe me.

[FireArse]

Honestly the only thing that slightly irritates me about the Macbook is that the physical design is more or less the same as the current line

There'll be a lot of people out there who'd say that was a very good thing.

F

[ortuno2k]

Two things I'm dissapointed about:

No DL SD drive?
No information on battery life

I don't care for the dial-up modem, haven't used one in 6 years.
Don't care much for the FW 800; never used it.

I just returned my 3 week old PB to Amazon, and will probably let the hype pass and might wait until they release a Rev B.

[florencevassy]

I definitely will be curious to read opinions from people in the coming weeks after they receive the Macbook.

I am wondering why would a person buy a PowerBook at this point unless they think it is too expensive, want the 17’’ and/or hate intel??

I am not going to buy anything right now since my PowerBook is 1 year and 3 months old (and I am very happy with it) and I am a late adaptor. I finally bought an iPod shuffle last month LOL :)

[Supa_Fly]

I'm just happy that Intel Inside or some OTHER INtel branding is NOT on the MacBook Pro!

That is something to thank for!:cool:

[Diatribe]

So where is the HD protection of the Powerbooks? The one where it automatically parks the HD heads? Is that gone too?

[MacTruck]

So where is the HD protection of the Powerbooks? The one where it automatically parks the HD heads? Is that gone too?

Yep. Chalk up another feature.

[cal6n]

So where is the HD protection of the Powerbooks? The one where it automatically parks the HD heads? Is that gone too?

Here

[Diatribe]

Yep. Chalk up another feature.

Suzerain just pointed me to it in the other thread. http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/design.html

Sudden Motion Sensor
MacBook Pro protects your data if it detects a fall, by parking the hard drive head during fast changes in orientation.

So it isn't gone. At least some relief.

[Diatribe]

Here

Thanks to you too. :)

[cal6n]

Thanks to you too. :)

No worries. I'll actually be turning SMS off. It gets in the way of real time video, especially in a bass-heavy club.

I think it's an awesome piece of kit and I can't wait to get my hands on it, on or before 15th Feb!

:cool:

It's a VJ's wet dream: fast processor, fast RAM, fast GFX. The Ali case has proven itself to be REALLY durable over the past 2 years for me and I'm damn glad Apple haven't changed the form factor for the sake of it. Pity about firewire 800 but meh. There'll be an express 34 FW 800 card if you need it. Pity about s-video but there's an adaptor.

To anyone who really maxes their book(s) capabilities, this is FANTASTIC, for the rest who are moaning about the finish, modem etc I say this: "whatever"

Some people could fall into a sack full of nipples and come out sucking their thumb!

[madmax_2069]

give it time and apple will ditch support for the new G4's and G5's that you paid about 2 grand for with OS X to try to force you into buying a intelMac. they did it to there older systems capable of running tiger just fine, i know cause i tryed tiger on this beige AIO in my sig and ran way faster than jag did but i uninstalled it cause it was having mounting problems with the optical drive so i went back to jag and everything works great. I wont buy a intelMac till it proves its self

[Diatribe]

No worries. I'll actually be turning SMS off. It gets in the way of real time video, especially in a bass-heavy club.

I think it's an awesome piece of kit and I can't wait to get my hands on it, on or before 15th Feb!

:cool:

It's a VJ's wet dream: fast processor, fast RAM, fast GFX. The Ali case has proven itself to be REALLY durable over the past 2 years for me and I'm damn glad Apple haven't changed the form factor for the sake of it. Pity about firewire 800 but meh. There'll be an express 34 FW 800 card if you need it. Pity about s-video but there's an adaptor.

To anyone who really maxes their book(s) capabilities, this is FANTASTIC, for the rest who are moaning about the finish, modem etc I say this: "whatever"

Some people could fall into a sack full of nipples and come out sucking their thumb!

Yeah, you're right it is not too shabby of an update. There are however four things that worry me:

1. battery life
2. slower super drive
3. no express 34 cards as of yet
4. I have a lot of plug-ins that might not work with Rosetta... think iTunes visualizer, mail plug-ins... some of them have to be re-written and plug-in writers are usually not as fast as app writers.

Anyway, to all the people beta testing Intel systems for the rest of us... thanks. :D

[cal6n]

Yeah, you're right it is not too shabby of an update. There are however four things that worry me:

1. battery life


I'm cool with the current G4 life and, according to Ars technica, this one's about the same.


2. slower super drive


Good point. I hadn't noticed. (That's how important it is to me!) I can see that as a backward step, though.


3. no express 34 cards as of yet


I doubt they'll be long.


4. I have a lot of plug-ins that might not work with Rosetta... think iTunes visualizer, mail plug-ins... some of them have to be re-written and plug-in writers are usually not as fast as app writers.


It'll take a while but it'll sort itself out. For example, I doubt G-Force will hang about as they've been cross-platform for a while now.



Anyway, to all the people beta testing Intel systems for the rest of us... thanks. :D

You're welcome!

[-Escher-]

I'm happy for those who will be out there picking up these new Macbooks. I am SLIGHTLY regretful for buying my current PPC Powerbook, I know it will pass...I hope. :D

Regardless, more power is always a good thing. Here's to the future. *cheers*

THIS IS A MATURE AND REALISTIC POINT OF VIEW!!

You guys shouldn't be afraid of feeling regret or slightly unhappy by having an "old" PB...

AGAIN: The complainers should feel proud for being an apple lover! Steve Jobs had guts and wisdom to do what he is doing and frankly: He's been flawless!!! You should be happy and proud!!! He's just release an awesome and competitive machine with several new features!! C'ammon guys: PB is gone!!!! They released a "new" machine with the same processor last year and people happily bought it!!! Now you have a powerful machine fully loaded with new features and people complains!!!!

THE MACTEL SYNDROME:

Basic diagnosis: People under 40 yo owning an apple machine that has just been obsolete and can't cope with that. They start having neurotic and illusion thoughts and feelings against the new machines. They try to destroy them to bring comfort and the false feeling that their old PB is better. In addition, some patient starts comparing the new apples with PCs using the same processor by feeling challenged and threatened.
Treatment: Time...Lets give them some time and listen their thoughts and feelings...

[CanadaRAM]

can you please find me an example of when apple released a computer that is quadruple the speed of its predecessor and available for the same price?

hell, even twice the speed?

-cody
Can you find me an example of when Apple's speed claims made at product launch were ever verified by independent, real world application testing... and were not selectively chosen so that they are true only in very narrow and artificial comparisons?

Will it be faster. Possibly. Will it be 4 x or even 2 x faster on existing OSX programs under Rosetta? Not a chance.

Will it be 2 x faster on programs rewritten to take full advantage of the new architecture? Possibly. In come cases. Doing some functions.

Keep in mind that real world performance is not about raw CPU horsepower, clock speeds, memory bandwidth, etc. It has to be the sum of ALL of the functions of the machine that the program is using, and the speed is generally limited by the slowest function.

Foe example: The SATA hard drive may be a small improvement in bandwidth over the previous PATA hard drive, but it's still a 5400 RPM drive. So every program that heavily uses temp files or scratch files, or does disk i/o on large data sets, is going to be bound by the performance of the drive, and the dual Intel cores are going to be sitting around for a few thousand clock cycles doing nothing while a disk operation takes place. So in those types of operations, I would be surprised to see any more than a 10% improvement.

[adk]

A lot of people are complaining about how they look the same as the Powerbooks. Am I the only one who thinks that apple did this on purpose? I think they left the designs the same intentionally to try to reinforce the fact that it's still a mac, just a different brain.

[pyrex]

it does have the option for a 100gb 7200 rpm drive, so that should make some difference.

[freeny]

The main criticism I have is the loss of a firewire port. It makes it impossible to edit unless I get a hub...

It still has a firewire port. just no firewire 800.

[faintember]

It still has a firewire port. just no firewire 800.
But the recent PPC PB had two firewire ports (400 and 800) Why couldnt they give us two FW 400 ports? Beats me...

[Bubbasteve]

You will always find negative people with negative thoughts.
They will NEVER be happy or satisfied with anything.

Welcome, MacBook :D

Very true... personally I think the Macbook Pro is a great initial step into it's relationship with intel... I read a number of previous posts and I couldn't help but laugh... then I came across ortuno2k's comment and I think he summed it all up quite well.

[simplyguitarded]

Guys, am I the only one who noticed a new port in the macbook other than the power and the expresscard? Did anyone else notice that they put in an optical audio (S/PDIF) port on it? This is huge news to us music recorders out there. Firewire 800 would be nice, but this is way cooler.

[faintember]

Guys, am I the only one who noticed a new port in the macbook other than the power and the expresscard? Did anyone else notice that they put in an optical audio (S/PDIF) port on it? This is huge news to us music recorders out there. Firewire 800 would be nice, but this is way cooler.That has been on the more recent PB for a while, IIRC. Besides, most everyone i know (including me*) uses FW rather than SPDIF.

*But i do not record often, mainly i work with computer playback/electroacoustic music.

[-Escher-]

Can you add FW 800 :D ;)

Oh yeah!!! You do!!

http://www.xterasys.com/e94b.htm

[-Escher-]

But the recent PPC PB had two firewire ports (400 and 800) Why couldnt they give us two FW 400 ports? Beats me...


well..the same answer...here it is!

http://www.xterasys.com/e94b.htm

[kalisphoenix]

I just read an interesting article. It was written in 1999 by the owner of a Power Mac 9600, who served as a financial guinea pig as he tried to upgrade his PPC to compete with the (then-new) Power Mac G3. The complaints weren't new -- I'd heard them aimed at the "colorful" G3 machines before... fewer PCI slots, "useless" Firewire, fewer ADB ports, expensive RAM, et cetera... but in this context, they were particularly interesting to me.

[bousozoku]

I have some thoughts on the MacBook, and reading this thread has crystalised them to a degree.

This is an interim offering from Apple, it's a way of live beta testing a new product without having to force an entirely new design into production.

It will allow Apple to run it's transition to x86 in the public domain on a small user base.

It gives Steve something "wow" to show off and stops the bleating about the lack of new PowerBooks, plus it's 6 months earlier than the company were forecasting.

It is, as someone has already pointed out, a placeholder and I'm sure that a new line of laptops with a redesigned form factor will be forthcoming this year.

I won't invest in 1st gen hardware after a particularly crappy experience with the 17" PowerBook, but I will replace my existing 'Book when a 17" Intel machine is available and the software I need to run is in UB format.

This is a good move on Apple's part, but I think the iMac is the more impressive machine.

I already have mentioned elsewhere about the original PowerBook G3 being an example of why the MacBook Pro should be there. It's a proving ground, as you say, that happens in the public domain.

I still don't see a drawback to the MBP, other than the name. It's about the same size and weight and the performance is much better for native software.

It's even as thin as the Titanium PowerBook was, which brings it down just that .1 inch.

I guess it's just that the cup is half empty instead of half full. How often do we hear of people complaining about things they'll never buy? Too often. Let them complain. This was a great first effort by Apple.

[ariechel]

Look right the are comparing the top end model with the basic Powerbook, thats how it comes upto 4x faster - And if Intel are so good, why are they stilll selling PowerBook G4's and why havent they created a PowerMac with an Intel Chip, I know why because Intel is awful.

Though I cannot comfirm which configurations of MacBook Pro and Powerbook were being compared, I think there are two things to keep in mind:

1. Always take benchmark data with a grain of salt. The degree to which the benchmark test is optimized to the system plays a huge role. What is being tested is also important. Apple certainly chose the most favorable benchmark test for their purposes.

2. The MacBook Pro will only run 4-5 (or whatever) times faster than the Powerbook with applications that do not require Rosetta translation. Since many applications are not universal yet, the performance gains will not be (fully) realized.

That having been said, the MacBook Pro will undoubtedly be significantly faster with universal binary applications.

[petej]

well..the same answer...here it is!

http://www.xterasys.com/e94b.htm

Looks remarkably like an expresscard/54 and not an expresscard/34

http://www.expresscard.org/images/dimensions.jpg

A 54 won't fit into a 34 slot

Yet another confusing new standard

[MacTruck]

Looks remarkably like an expresscard/54 and not an expresscard/34

A 54 won't fit into a 34 slot

Yet another confusing new standard

Yep, its damn confusing and stupid thing to move away from pcmcia.

Expresscard slot is the lamest stupidest idea ever. What the heck were they thinking? PCMCIA has been around for over 10 yrs. There are millions of cards available. What the heck would I do with the 10 different cards I already own? Stupid stupid stupid.


MacBook... not so incredible.

[-Escher-]

Looks remarkably like an expresscard/54 and not an expresscard/34

http://www.expresscard.org/images/dimensions.jpg

A 54 won't fit into a 34 slot

Yet another confusing new standard

You're right!!
I still believe they'll be releasing a bunch of apps...
I still thinking that the remote control can be sticked into this slot like PCs remote controls!!

[jadekitty24]

I think the Macbook looks incredible. What's with all the complaints about how it looks like a Powerbook? Is something wrong with that? In my opinion, the Powerbook is the sexiest laptop I've ever seen-I'll never forget the first time I saw one. I also think for what it is, the price is ok. A little high for me, but not ungodly outrageous. This is something big that Apple has done and more is yet to come I'm sure.

[Sunrunner]

Two things I'm dissapointed about:

No DL SD drive?
No information on battery life

I don't care for the dial-up modem, haven't used one in 6 years.
Don't care much for the FW 800; never used it.

I just returned my 3 week old PB to Amazon, and will probably let the hype pass and might wait until they release a Rev B.


Well now that youve returned your old one, how about you go back to Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=intelopscom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=external-search%3Fsearch-type=ss%26index=blended%26keyword=Macbook)and buy the new one. People who endlessly wait on the fence wor an update are just doing themselves a disfavor.

[faintember]

well..the same answer...here it is!

http://www.xterasys.com/e94b.htmThats not an answer; it is a solution to a problem that should have never been. But thanks for the link anyways.

[mandis]

Who cares about SD? honestly, I am a hardcore video editor and I find it unnecessary. FW 800, USB 2 is plenty fast, not to mention they have internal SAT hard drives now.

Dual layer DVD's are very usefull to many professionals, usually for backing up or exchanging files.

The MacBook "PRO", unlike it's predecessor, DOES NOT HAVE FW800 nor external SATA.

The MacBook Pro is incredible, elegant, and powerful.

From a design perspective it is not as elegant as the original Aluminium Powerbook G4. The isight on top of the screen looks out of context and has put the display frame out of proportion. The same stands for the black IR receiver situated at the front of the unit.

As a student, I will start saving for one ASAP.

-cody

As a graduate i think i'll pass and spend my money on something better.

[kwajo.com]

I think I'll still with my lime iBook as my main portable for a while :cool:





oh and I'm extremely disappointed in the lack of FW800

[exeterbohemian]

there's always going to be a tradeoff. you'll never find a machine that has EVERYTHING you want in one place. because frankly, everybody wants something different. i can understand the complaints regarding the lack of fw800 and the downgraded superdrive, but at the same time everyone is so quick to praise the new chip and video and built in isight. my guess would be that some of these downgrades/omissions have something to do with battery life. seeing as how the apple site doesn't post any stats on the macbook pro's longevity. either way. on paper i think this machine looks pretty impressive. would i buy one? no. nevertheless. this is just the first step in what is to be a (hopefully) most impressive evolution.

[Spectrum]

From a design perspective it is not as elegant as the original Aluminium Powerbook G4. The isight on top of the screen looks out of context and has put the display frame out of proportion. The same stands for the black IR receiver situated at the front of the unit.

Agreed. These look like features to put on the revised iBook, not the Powerbook. PB should be about expansion ports, speed, and expandability, not gimmicks like remote and iSight. They belong on the consumer designs - particularly the iMac and the MacMini.

As others have said, I think this is an interim, water-testing, design.

I'd bet on the revised models having FW800, ExpressCard54 (although CardBus was fine), DL-SD (or BluRay soon?), and S-video back. Plus maybe something new (perhaps a new DVI adapter or external SATA interface). Not sure about the modem though. It ought to be there, but it probably won't ever be there again.

[matperk]

Well, as a soon to be college student, I have been waiting for the best time to buy a laptop for school, and after Tuesday's announcement, I decided that it was time. I don't know why all of you keep complaining, sure it's not perfect, and the "perfect" machine that was mentioned earlier just isn't possible.

They had to make a lot of modifications inside the case that we will never see in order to accomodate the features they packed into this thing. If any of you can design a PC to have all your features, by all means, do so. But until then, I'm going to enjoy my MBP.

[kwajo.com]

From a design perspective it is not as elegant as the original Aluminium Powerbook G4. The isight on top of the screen looks out of context and has put the display frame out of proportion. The same stands for the black IR receiver

to be fair, they have cleaned up other parts of the design. the wireless antennas have been taken off the display and moved to the hinges, and the vents on the sides are gone too, so the appearance of the display/lid and sides are more elegant than before

[cplusd]

After reading a good portion of post from this thread, all I can say it WOW! The funniest part is Apple could of done just about anything and you'd still see people pissing and moaning. Apple could of kept the PowerBook name added 2 more firewire 800 ports, 16x DL DVD burner, more lcd options, larger battery option (like IBM, which is U-G-L-Y Imho), dual sata drives, dual dual-core intels, and a P**** enlargement kit and guess what? People would still find a reason to complain.

Apple has been known for their elegance in design. Name one notebook out there that has similar/comparable features, and still maintains a very sexy shell; a hair shy of an inch. IBM's have sleeks black shells but that huge battery sticking out the back looks like a buffoons a$$. You folks want the ability to upgrade video cards and such. Be prepared to care around a thick notebook.

Me personally I own a Rev. D 15 PowerBook and would absolutely love to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro. A few of us (all use PowerBooks) at work had talked about the new MacBook and we all agreed that these features; s-video, firewire 800, DL option, PCMCIA and modem are useless to us. Actually a friend of mind did make fuss about the firewire 800 but said with all the new features his fuss was over in a second.

Final note:

Let's be happy that Apple is at least taking the step to produce a great machine. The design of this machine stands the test of time and I'm absolutely thrilled they've kept the same look.

[aristobrat]

Modems are still useful when travelling, visiting friends without broadband. stupid move.
How many people pay for broadband and also pay to maintain a dial-up account for when they visit non-broadband friends?

[cplusd]

How many people pay for broadband and also pay to maintain a dial-up account for when they visit non-broadband friends?
Why I connect via bluetooth from my cellphone. Just as fast as a modem and tie up my line not my friends.

[matperk]

How many people pay for broadband and also pay to maintain a dial-up account for when they visit non-broadband friends?

1 here. None of the relatives have high-speed, and neither does our condo.

[Meyvn]

My vote for Rev. B: remove Frontrow. Media Centers are bogus for laptops and especially for PRO laptops. Keep iSight. It will popularize the product and improve business communication between Mac users. It was designed as a conferencing tool and as such, can be used for pro application. S-Video and FW800 come back. Modem stays gone, but the USB modem is included free, not as an option; this cost is offset by the lack of a remote. To make up for the loss of modem (I'm basing the number of ports on the Rev. D & E G4 PowerBooks), include a third USB 2.0 port, FINALLY. This will both provide a place for the added USB space requirement that a USB modem entails, but for those who don't need it, provide a big functionality boost. Obviously, go back to the DL Superdrive. And another SMALL feature that would be nice to incorporate would be the "two fingers=right click" option that currently is only available through iScroll. It just makes sense. It's like the trackpad equivalent of the Mighty Mouse.

[matperk]

My vote for Rev. B: remove Frontrow. Media Centers are bogus for laptops and especially for PRO laptops.

It's not like FrontRow is a hardware device that's taking up space. It's a software feature that you are not required to use in any way, shape, or form.

And I don't think they're really aiming the MacBook Pro at purely consumers. It's a Prosumer device. I'm guessing the 17" will be the true Pro product.

[.Andy]

How many people pay for broadband and also pay to maintain a dial-up account for when they visit non-broadband friends?
If you're one of those people how about you just get this (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/7200502/wo/fP4jPkiGVVeO2ExVeeH1IYTP83B/1.0.19.1.0.8.25.7.11.0.3)? It's not spec'd for the MacBook but I'm sure it'll work or softwared to work by the time the MacBooks ship.

I've never used dial-up since switching to broadband a couple of years ago. I've got BB access at work, at my folks, at my wifes folks, at my local pub, and at my favorite coffee shop/restaurant. It'd be convenient to have built in for the very rare occassion I *may* need it. But it's exclusion is certainly not a dealbreaker for me. Something I probably wouldn't have even noticed was missing.

[JRM PowerPod]

Wake up!!!!

You have been complaining about the speed of the PowerBook for near on 5 years..... Each week the enivitable "PowerBook next Tuesday" was always a dream.....

Then this....

Steve releases the ultimate machine and you all whinge....... wawawa it doesn't have a useless DL drive, wawawa it doesn't have FW800(so many uses), wawawa Steve isn't telling me the battery life.... wawawa it doesn't have a circa 1942 dial up modem......

Alright.... Pull yourself together and get over the fact it is no longer called the 'PowerBook'..... It's the 'MacBook Pro'..... Get over it... It's a bloody name..... If ur concerned about the name, u r clearly not that interested in the product.

It has a Dual Core 1.83Ghz vs Single 1.67Ghz
It has 667mhz bus vs 167mhz
it has an iSight
it has X1600 vs 9700
it has DDR2 vs a machine that didnt even fully support DDR1

OMG quit ur crying

This is a mad product and shows what is to come for the rest of the line

[jadekitty24]

How many people pay for broadband and also pay to maintain a dial-up account for when they visit non-broadband friends?
Well, I don't, and I, for one, will applaud Apple for not including a feature that the AVERAGE computer user won't use. I know everyone wants the PERFECT computer, but it isn't possible to make EVERYONE happy. I believe it is Apple's goal to secure the average user as an audience. For them it would be the most profitable progression as far as their company goes. I think Apple has pretty much conquered the Pro user but has yet to conquer the "average user" region. Maybe it's not perfect for everyone, what Apple is doing. But I dare someone to say they aren't making a progression of some sort. No matter what they always make a progression, no matter how opinions may differ.

[Meyvn]

can you please find me an example of when apple released a computer that is quadruple the speed of its predecessor and available for the same price?

hell, even twice the speed?

-cody

I flat out do not buy the 4x faster thing. Period. End of story. I imagine in real life tests in DP aware programs and in DP aware programs only, we can expect somewhere form 75% to 110% increases in performance over the PBG4s. 300% increase? Bull. shiz. Oh, and it's not available for the same price. It's available for 500 dollars more.
Who cares about SD? honestly, I am a hardcore video editor and I find it unnecessary.
That's great, but some people like to squeeze as much as they can out of any given disk. With DL, I can back up my entire hard drive with half the DVDs that it would take without it.

USB 2 is plenty fast For an iPod, maybe. It's unstable. FW400 is theoretically slower, but still a much better solution. FW800 is overkill for most applications, I'll admit, but USB 2.0 is a joke.

It's not like FrontRow is a hardware device that's taking up space. It's a software feature that you are not required to use in any way, shape, or form.

And I don't think they're really aiming the MacBook Pro at purely consumers. It's a Prosumer device. I'm guessing the 17" will be the true Pro product.

Actually, it is. That infrared receiver is a piece of hardware that does take up real space. Additionally, the software is going to take up space on the hard drive.

Wake up!!!!

You have been complaining about the speed of the PowerBook for near on 5 years..... Each week the enivitable "PowerBook next Tuesday" was always a dream.....

Then this....

Steve releases the ultimate machine and you all whinge....... wawawa it doesn't have a useless DL drive, wawawa it doesn't have FW800(so many uses), wawawa Steve isn't telling me the battery life.... wawawa it doesn't have a circa 1942 dial up modem......

Alright.... Pull yourself together and get over the fact it is no longer called the 'PowerBook'..... It's the 'MacBook Pro'..... Get over it... It's a bloody name..... If ur concerned about the name, u r clearly not that interested in the product.

It has a Dual Core 1.83Ghz vs Single 1.67Ghz
It has 667mhz bus vs 167mhz
it has an iSight
it has X1600 vs 9700
it has DDR2 vs a machine that didnt even fully support DDR1

OMG quit ur crying

This is a mad product and shows what is to come for the rest of the line

People are never satisfied. Calm down. These forums are for discussion. We all recognize that this is a comparably earth-shattering update when you look at the rest of Apple's PB updates um, ever. That does not make the product perfect. People are here to analyze and discuss the virtues and faults of this upgrade, not to complain or cry.

[matperk]

Actually, it is. That infrared receiver is a piece of hardware that does take up real space. Additionally, the software is going to take up space on the hard drive.

Alright, remove the IR reciever and you could throw in what? I think we could fit a tic-tac or two in place of it's hardware.

As for hard drive space, you are obviously correct. But how much HD space are we really talking? An extra 10 seconds of video?

[Meyvn]

Yep, its damn confusing and stupid thing to move away from pcmcia.

Expresscard slot is the lamest stupidest idea ever. What the heck were they thinking? PCMCIA has been around for over 10 yrs. There are millions of cards available. What the heck would I do with the 10 different cards I already own? Stupid stupid stupid.


MacBook... not so incredible. They were probably thinking the same thing they were thinking when they became the first computer manufacturer to use USB over ADB or PS/2: "This is better. Let's try it."

Alright, remove the IR reciever and you could throw in what? I think we could fit a tic-tac or two in place of it's hardware.

As for hard drive space, you are obviously correct. But how much HD space are we really talking? An extra 10 seconds of video?

It's a laptop. Space is the number one commodity. I guarantee something more useful could be done with that space than an infrared port. And 10 seconds is worth more to me than a Media Center. Even the 10 seconds of my life it would take to disable it would be worth more. Apple's preinstalled software already takes up a ton of space. Mostly, though, I just think a media center pro computer, particularly a laptop, is silly. Logically speaking, you're really probably right; it doesn't technically hurt me, except for having to look at that port, but still. On a sidenote, I like Tic Tac Silvers. Thems are good. Anybody ever had one?

[cplusd]

I meant, whose post was pretty that I was beating down?
Just give it up while you're ahead, we should try to stay on topic so this doesn't turn into a flame war.

I think it's great that Apple ditched the 15.2 for the 15.4. They have a plethora of displays to chose from now. And from engadgets review, the new display is stunning. (Remember he ACTUALLY seen one in person).

[bodeh6]

I really think that this laptop can finally compete spec wise to a lot of PC laptops.

[Meyvn]

Just give it up while you're ahead, we should try to stay on topic so this doesn't turn into a flame war.

I think it's great that Apple ditched the 15.2 for the 15.4. They have a plethora of displays to chose from now. And from engadgets review, the new display is stunning. (Remember he ACTUALLY seen one in person).

Not to mention that it's 67% brighter or something, and it probably doesn't have any horizontal lines.

[cplusd]

It's a laptop. Space is the number one commodity. I guarantee something more useful could be done with that space than an infrared port. And 10 seconds is worth more to me than a Media Center. Even the 10 seconds of my life it would take to disable it would be worth more. Apple's preinstalled software already takes up a ton of space. Mostly, though, I just think a media center pro computer, particularly a laptop, is silly. Logically speaking, you're really probably right; it doesn't technically hurt me, except for having to look at that port, but still. On a sidenote, I like Tic Tac Silvers. Thems are good. Anybody ever had one?
OK, call me a hypocrite (I apologize to others that read this), but your useless inane statments expose that you must have an intellectual fortitude of a telephone pole. If you're "THAT" worried about 100k, then boy you really need to find a new hobby.

Again I apologize!

[mandis]

to be fair, they have cleaned up other parts of the design. the wireless antennas have been taken off the display and moved to the hinges, and the vents on the sides are gone too, so the appearance of the display/lid and sides are more elegant than before

I have to dissagree. The new design is less ballanced and far more cluttered. The antennas you are reffering to were sittuated inside the top lid and therefore were never visible. As for the vents, you must be thinking of the Powerbook G4 TITANIUM, as i happen to own a 15" Aluminium powerbook G4, and i have no idea what you are talking about.

[cplusd]

I have to dissagree. The new design is less ballanced and far more cluttered. The antennas you are reffering to were sittuated inside the top lid and therefore were never visible. As for the vents, you must be thinking of the Powerbook G4 TITANIUM, as i happen to own a 15" Aluminium powerbook G4, and i have no idea what you are talking about.
Look at this picture:

http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/01/MacBook6.jpg

Then take a look at the sides inline with the scrollpad.

[mandis]

Look at this picture:

http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/01/MacBook6.jpg

Then take a look at the sides inline with the scrollpad.


I stand corrected.:o I had never noticed those before and i'm using my powerbook for more than 1.5 years now.

Oh well, I think it's time for me to shut up and go to bed.

Goodnight everybody!

[Meyvn]

I honestly kind of like the look of the vents. Having them on the back and the sides as well wouldn't bother me. But if they're no longer needed, that's cool, too.

[MacTruck]

Look at this picture:

http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/01/MacBook6.jpg

Then take a look at the sides inline with the scrollpad.


I thought the old vents looked cool.

[wiredfish]

I just made up this page comparing the PPI (pixel per inch) of all the latest apple displays (mostly laptops) to get a sense for how dense the screen is comparatively.

http://wayblur.com/apple.php

[msharp]

the fact of the matter is that this thing is EXTREMELY fast


once you realize this you won't care about what it looks like cause you'll only be looking at the screen


yeah, damn right.

It is EXTREMELY fast, with an ugly face.

I think I wouldn't choose such things ---- I can't even concentrate when facing such ugly but powerful beast ---- I knew this the day I got my first mac.

[jadekitty24]

Well guys, all I can say is opinions are like butts. Everyone has them, and they all stink. 'Nuff said.

[mandis]

Well guys, all I can say is opinions are like butts. Everyone has them, and they all stink. 'Nuff said.


Hmm, i would say that opinions are like a$$holes, everybody's got one.

...hey even the new MacBook "Pro" 's got one... just look at the IR port... :p

[dernhelm]

can you please find me an example of when apple released a computer that is quadruple the speed of its predecessor and available for the same price?

hell, even twice the speed?

-cody

I believe the original 6100/7100/8100 series was touted as that. That was the original jump from 68x00 series processors to PowerPC. And it was the last time that Apple had performance you could boast about.

[dernhelm]

How many people pay for broadband and also pay to maintain a dial-up account for when they visit non-broadband friends?

Yeah, I agree. Anyone owning a laptop that costs as much as this one does is most likely to have access to broadband of some sort. And if not, you always have the option of a USB modem - not as pretty, but let's be real, I'd have that MB space for something real, say FW800... :eek:

[ortuno2k]

Originally Posted by aristobrat
How many people pay for broadband and also pay to maintain a dial-up account for when they visit non-broadband friends?

I know many people who pay for DSL and also pay for AOL for their content and to check their mail.

[aristobrat]

I know many people who pay for DSL and also pay for AOL for their content and to check their mail.
So do I, but the pay AOL a much reduced monthly rate because they're not using AOL's dial-up modems anymore.

[generik]

Alright, remove the IR reciever and you could throw in what? I think we could fit a tic-tac or two in place of it's hardware.

As for hard drive space, you are obviously correct. But how much HD space are we really talking? An extra 10 seconds of video?

I don't need to show you where you can shove your tic-tacs, but I can certainly see a firewire 800 port in place of the IRDA receiver

[faintember]

I don't need to show you where you can shove your tic-tacs, but I can certainly see a firewire 800 port in place of the IRDA receiverTotally agreed (well, without the tic-tac shoving). I dont want a remote or IRDA port, i want another FW 400 port or an FW 800 port. The last thing my laptop needs is an remote which would ultimately end up "remotely" located in the bottom of a desk drawer.:p

[Bern]

Yeah, I agree. Anyone owning a laptop that costs as much as this one does is most likely to have access to broadband of some sort. And if not, you always have the option of a USB modem - not as pretty, but let's be real, I'd have that MB space for something real, say FW800... :eek:

I regret the drop of the internal modem. I travel quite often and sometimes I end up in remote areas where wifi or broadband is not available and a dial up connection is required. Amongst the plethora of stuff I have to carry with me (ie: Powerbook, spare battery, digital camera, power supply, mobile phone, etc, etc) I would now have to add a bulky external modem. FW800 is a technology that most other companies have not quiet taken too and I have never had any need for, but the modem is. Well maybe in a future revision we might see the return of the internal modem. Good thing I'm waiting.

[SnarkMan]

I regret the drop of the internal modem. I travel quite often and sometimes I end up in remote areas where wifi or broadband is not available and a dial up connection is required. Amongst the plethora of stuff I have to carry with me (ie: Powerbook, spare battery, digital camera, power supply, mobile phone, etc, etc) I would now have to add a bulky external modem.

I hear ya, I'm going to have to carry one, too. But it's not really bulky. It's the size of a Shuffle.

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/2041/938/store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/ma034za_125.jpg

[mdavey]

I am 99% certain that I heard somewhere that the lid uses a magnetic latch rather than the physical latch used in the current iBook and Powerbook series.

I don't think it was in the keynote - I think it was in one of the first writeups I read. Looking at the 15minute hands-on video on digg and the photos on the Apple site, it looks similar to the Powerbook and iBook except possibly it doesn't retract fully and is a double latch.

Som maybe it isn't a magnetic latch afterall. Anyone know any more about this?

[matperk]

I don't need to show you where you can shove your tic-tacs, but I can certainly see a firewire 800 port in place of the IRDA receiver

Well, some people have a use for front row and the remote. I know I will. It will be nice in the dorm.

[amin]

I bought my 15" PB on the second most recent revision. No regrets here. I have enjoyed my PB to the fullest and will continue to do so. This new book looks incredible to me, and I am impressed that it was released ahead of schedule. I don't think Apple would do something dumb like introduce a test product as the most long-awaited model in years. Surely this machine is going to spank the current books. Only thing I don't like about it is the name, but I suppose I'll get used to it :). I'll probably buy a Rev B or C 12" MB Pro. I miss my 12" PB!