15'' MacBook Pros Shipping

[artifex]

Wow, that's thin. I hope the backside of the screen is adequately armored.

Oh, and I hereby christen the brick, "the sandwich warmer."

 

[syklee26]

This is another one of those "The guy at the apple store tells me" but I thought I'd share anyway. So the guy I was speaking to told me that they never get told anything in advance, and that they know about new apple products as soon as we the consumers do, but when things do get changed and released, they know why (i.e, they know why they upped the processor speed on the macbook, but he wouldn't tell me). So he told me that they used this new technology (Li-poly, as said somewhere else) that holds a better charge than Li-Ion. He said that they could have left the screen the same and gotten about 7 hours of battery life, but instead they upped the display brightness and the battery life will be similar to the old powerbooks (4-5.5 hrs depending on use)

I am not bagging you for what the store guy said but to me it doesn't make much sense...old powerbook gets 4-5 hours by having about medium brightness of the screen. if macbook pro was getting 7 hrs of battery life by reducing the brightness down to powerbook level, Apple would be aggressively advertising that.

I think the main reason Apple is not saying anything about battery life is because of potential that it might fluctuate greatly depending on how it is used. if it is just about word processing and some minor stuff that requires activation of just one core, then battery life will be very good. if it goes through some extensive usage which requires both cores working at maximum level, i would be surprised if battery lasts any more than 2-3 hours at best.

 

[ariechel]

I think the main reason Apple is not saying anything about battery life is because of potential that it might fluctuate greatly depending on how it is used.

I don't think that has never stopped them from providing (exceedingly optimistic) battery information before...

 

[Brad Raple]

I'm locked into getting one from CompUSA. (FOR FREE!) Any word on when retailers such as them will get shipments?

 

[LaMerVipere]

That powerbrick is huge.

 

[Photorun]

Order one today and you won't get it for a month:

work order btw.

However many other order like this went from February 15, to March, to now shipping. Point being, don't believe that 3-4 weeks.

 

[excalibur313]

This is another one of those "The guy at the apple store tells me" but I thought I'd share anyway. So the guy I was speaking to told me that they never get told anything in advance, and that they know about new apple products as soon as we the consumers do, but when things do get changed and released, they know why (i.e, they know why they upped the processor speed on the macbook, but he wouldn't tell me). So he told me that they used this new technology (Li-poly, as said somewhere else) that holds a better charge than Li-Ion. He said that they could have left the screen the same and gotten about 7 hours of battery life, but instead they upped the display brightness and the battery life will be similar to the old powerbooks (4-5.5 hrs depending on use)

Does this mean then that it would get 7 hours on the lowest setting? (Because the lowest setting is lower than the old one probably) Does anyone else know why the upgraded to the faster processor? Was it to be competitive or did intel have an overstock on those and cut apple a break?

 

[snoboardguy21]

I am not bagging you for what the store guy said but to me it doesn't make much sense...old powerbook gets 4-5 hours by having about medium brightness of the screen. if macbook pro was getting 7 hrs of battery life by reducing the brightness down to powerbook level, Apple would be aggressively advertising that.

I think the main reason Apple is not saying anything about battery life is because of potential that it might fluctuate greatly depending on how it is used. if it is just about word processing and some minor stuff that requires activation of just one core, then battery life will be very good. if it goes through some extensive usage which requires both cores working at maximum level, i would be surprised if battery lasts any more than 2-3 hours at best.

Do you think it's possible they left that information out of official documentation because of the responses they've gotten before? I know I read a lot of complaints about the "Hi-Res" Powerbooks because Apple claimed 5.5 hours and most people were getting between 3.5 and 4. Maybe if Apple neglects to tell us, we can't say, "Hey, you told me I would get 10 hours and I only get 7!!!"

 

[barstard]

Wow

Firstly, that is one HUGE powersupply.

Secondly, Everything except that looks good. I hope all those who pre-ordered will get their's soon. There is nothing more frustrating than waiting, even though you know Apple is not usually the best at meeting ship dates.

For all who are waiting, this story might help a bit:
My iMac 20" was due to ship Jan 23. Then on the evening of that date I got a message saying there was problems and it would ship on Feb 7! The next day I got another mail saying it had shipped. It arrived on the 25th.

So what this means is that it is quite likely to arrive earllier than expected.

Can't wait for some performance and battery life information.

barstard.

 

[syklee26]

only ignorant idiots would complain that their notebook only gets 7 hours battery time.

heck, if I can get 5 hours with brightest screen setting, I will be ecstatic.

those who complain about 7 hours of battery time should wait until Apple comes out with fuel-cell battery and have that explode on their face.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

but when things do get changed and released, they know why (i.e, they know why they upped the processor speed on the macbook, but he wouldn't tell me). So he told me that they used this new technology (Li-poly, as said somewhere else) that holds a better charge than Li-Ion. He said that they could have left the screen the same and gotten about 7 hours of battery life, but instead they upped the display brightness and the battery life will be similar to the old powerbooks (4-5.5 hrs depending on use)

1) Wouldn't tell you because he doesn't know except for the rumors he reads on the Internet like the rest of us

2) Apple used a LiPo battery probably because it can be formed to be ultra thin. That is why Apple uses them in iPods. Given that they really had to squeeze the MacBooks guts in tight I say that was the chief reason.

3) I think most people would have taken the old hi-rez PB screen rather than the lower rez, but brighter screen if it meant an extra 3 hours of battery life. The guy is blowing smoke. The more likely reason Apple swtiched screen was because they are having issues with them in the PBs.

 

[iMeowbot]

I think those kind of batteries get a longer lasting charge after a few recharges. So the first reports of battery life might be lower than what they will be.

It's the same battery technology that the iPod uses, so you can make some broad guesses about what to expect from there.

 

[Felldownthewell]

I am not bagging you for what the store guy said but to me it doesn't make much sense...old powerbook gets 4-5 hours by having about medium brightness of the screen. if macbook pro was getting 7 hrs of battery life by reducing the brightness down to powerbook level, Apple would be aggressively advertising that.

I think the main reason Apple is not saying anything about battery life is because of potential that it might fluctuate greatly depending on how it is used. if it is just about word processing and some minor stuff that requires activation of just one core, then battery life will be very good. if it goes through some extensive usage which requires both cores working at maximum level, i would be surprised if battery lasts any more than 2-3 hours at best.

Yah I know it dosent make a whole lot of sense... If i can get 5 hrs out mine I would be very happy. I've never owned a laptop before, does anyone know if playing a dvd is a drain on the battery? The time I would need the battery the most would be for long plane rides, where I would mostly be watching downloaded movied or dvds. Anyone with a PB know?

 

[jacobj]

Order one today and you won't get it for a month:

work order btw.

It quite clearly says that on Apple's website... too mcuh demand.

 

[nhkader]

I wonder why Apple decided to up the processor speeds.

Maybe Intel gave them a better deal on the faster processors (after all, if everyone uses a faster intel processor it makes intel look good).

Or...

Apple's previous benchmarks were wrong so they needed to make up for it?

Or...

Apple had planed it all along.

Simple really - I would hazard that the mobo for the Macbook and the iMac is the same. Hence much simpler to just standardize on 1.83 and 2.0 GHz.

I still feel that the Macbooks should have had the Low Voltage chips to improve battery life. But hey that's only my wishful thinking. Either way I am very happy that the Apple notebooks are getting into the real world to take on the Windows competiton on an equal speed footing.

 

[themacman]

only ignorant idiots would complain that their notebook only gets 7 hours battery time.

heck, if I can get 5 hours with brightest screen setting, I will be ecstatic.

those who complain about 7 hours of battery time should wait until Apple comes out with fuel-cell battery and have that explode on their face.

i probably get four out of mine wiht the brightness at the first setting. 5 hours would be absolutley amazing.

 

[jacobj]

Simple really - I would hazard that the mobo for the Macbook and the iMac is the same. Hence much simpler to just standardize on 1.83 and 2.0 GHz.

I still feel that the Macbooks should have had the Low Voltage chips to improve battery life. But hey that's only my wishful thinking. Either way I am very happy that the Apple notebooks are getting into the real world to take on the Windows competiton on an equal speed footing.

Lower power = lower performance in this case and Apple's biggest aim was to show the biggestpossible increase over the PBs to ensure that their main justification for chaning was a good one.

 

[Apple-Alt-Ctr]

Yah I know it dosent make a whole lot of sense... If i can get 5 hrs out mine I would be very happy. I've never owned a laptop before, does anyone know if playing a dvd is a drain on the battery? The time I would need the battery the most would be for long plane rides, where I would mostly be watching downloaded movied or dvds. Anyone with a PB know?

Yes, the DVD drive uses up more power than watching the same movie off the HD.

 

[kretzy]

Yah I know it dosent make a whole lot of sense... If i can get 5 hrs out mine I would be very happy. I've never owned a laptop before, does anyone know if playing a dvd is a drain on the battery? The time I would need the battery the most would be for long plane rides, where I would mostly be watching downloaded movied or dvds. Anyone with a PB know?

My PB will get about 2-3 hours when playing DVDs on medium screen brigtness. They're not the best thing for long plane journeys.

I can't wait to start reading people's eperiences with their MBPs.

 

[jacobj]

My PB will get about 2-3 hours when playing DVDs on medium screen brigtness. They're not the best thing for long plane journeys.

I can't wait to start reading people's eperiences with their MBPs.

My 17" PB 1GHz gets 2hours playing DVD on the lowest brightness level available bar being turned off.. the battery is 6 months old

 

[gdevitry]

Calibrating Your Battery

From PDF "MacBook Pro User's Guide.pdf" http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBook_Pro_Users_Guide.pdf

"To get the longest running time from your battery, calibrate it sometime during the first week you have your MacBook Pro and repeat these steps occasionally to keep your battery functioning at its fullest capacity.
To calibrate your battery:
1 Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your MacBook Pro battery until the light on the power adapter plug changes to green and the Battery icon in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged.
2 Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for two hours or longer. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in.
3 Disconnect the power adapter with the MacBook Pro on and start running it from the battery. You may use your computer during this time. When your battery gets low, you will see the low battery warning dialog on the screen.
4 Continue to keep your computer turned on until it goes to sleep. Save your work and close all applications when the battery gets low and before the system goes to sleep.
5 Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or longer.
6 Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged again.
Important: Repeat the calibration process occasionally to keep your battery fully functioning. If you use your MacBook Pro infrequently, it’s best to recalibrate the battery at least once a month."

Sounds like 'memory' is a less of an issue.

 

[joebells]

Simple really - I would hazard that the mobo for the Macbook and the iMac is the same. Hence much simpler to just standardize on 1.83 and 2.0 GHz.

I still feel that the Macbooks should have had the Low Voltage chips to improve battery life. But hey that's only my wishful thinking. Either way I am very happy that the Apple notebooks are getting into the real world to take on the Windows competiton on an equal speed footing.

I imagine that they don't use the same motherboard for one but thats just my feelings on it. But second of all changing the processor speed doesn't necessitate a new motherboard for the macbook. They could have shipped it 1.66 and 1.83 using the same motherboard they are using now for 1.83 and 2.0.

 

[itsbetteronamac]

According to my apple guy, the inital reason for not releasing the battery stats was because frankly it was just so new that they hadn't even had the time to test it. I can easily see how this is possible being that they announced them almost two monthes before any actually materialized. The reason they havn't released any information now is probably because apple has gotten a lot of critisism from people in the battery department. And Apple just figures, "they can't say we lied,if we don't tell them in the first place."

Also, did anyone else notice the difference in color on both sides of the hinge. It almost looks like a different metal, or maybe there are two small hinges, I can't tell.

 

[kwajo.com]

Also, did anyone else notice the difference in color on both sides of the hinge. It almost looks like a different metal, or maybe there are two small hinges, I can't tell.

I did notice that too, I was wondering if it had anything to do with the reported move of the cooling vents from the sides to the back

 

[guffman]

I did notice that too, I was wondering if it had anything to do with the reported move of the cooling vents from the sides to the back

I think it is a covering that allows the Air port to get a better signal.