Apple Announces New MacBook Pros, Updates MacBook Air

[artypaul]

So environmentally concerned...

Even more than the glossy screen and lack of Blu Ray support, the thing that p!sses me off most about the presentation of the new Apple laptops is the concentration on their environmental concern.

I recently had to buy a new battery for my old G4 PowerBook, and whilst buying it from an Apple Store I asked the sales assistant whether it was possible to give them my old battery for recycling. All they could say was that it was not a service that Apple offer. How much space do a few old batteries take up? They'd only need to be collected every six months or so. The people who've actually made the batteries are going to have a far better idea how to dispose of them than my local dump.

Frankly it seems that Apple are only barely as environmental as they need to be to stay scant inches ahead of the competition. I was very disappointed, and I think it's bordering on two-faced when they won't do something as simple as taking an old product back when a new one is being bought. It's not like the batteries are exactly cheap - here in the UK they cost £89 ($155).

 

[kolax]

Now we know what that hole was for - the battery indicator button.

Now, where is the IR receiver? Round the right-hand side beside the optical drive?

What is that slit on the front right?

 

[Detlev]

For those in the know I have a couple questions.

1. Is it important to have the advanced graphics chip for things like using business applications? IOW, what benefits will I see in the office? And, does it improve usage of the new 24" monitor—or does that have its own graphics chip?

2. I see that the MBP features an Express Card slot. Do I assume this is for those internet cards i.e. AT&T service, etc. Is there no way to get a MB online when there is no Wi-Fi? Again, I am thinking business usage whilst traveling.

Thanks for any clarification.

BTW, I am pretty excited about these new units. Can't wait to go buy one.

 

[xbjllb]

no. i don't get it. please, explain.

1. You buy shiny new screen which looks cool in store.

2. Several months after moving the thing to avoid the constant nonstop reflections becomes an ingrained habit, you realize it, and it becomes torture and a constant irritant.

3. You bitch and complain until Apple FINALLY releases "new" matte screens with etched glass that still allows them to make money when the GD screens break.

4. Apple wins. Wins. Wins. Wins.

Not from being truly innovative, but from being calculating to the point of evil.

While YOU lose. Lose. Lose. Lose.

 

[Diatribe]

You have got to be kidding me... no matte???

No tactile feedback on the trackpad, no matte, incompatible display port... what a joke. I guess I'll keep my MBP until the next generation in like 4 years.

 

[chedda]

17" last hope for pro ?

Wasn't FW800 dropped on the original MBP ? But due to users reactions reinstated ? I am hoping the 17" has 2 FW800 ports although daisy chaining is not out of the question. It just means the external HD comes first followed by the camera rather than vice versa.If they had upgraded the 17" GPU i would have been a lot happier i can live without multitouch.

Introducing the new Macbook Mirror

 

[Ant.honey]

Bless, what a funny little world you must live in.
Do you find reality a bit overwhelming?

I'm also a Pro photographer and find that many clients use PCs as well as Macs and that some digital software is PC only, so certainly not designed for Macs primarily. Besides if Apple weren't so up their own fundaments, you wouldnt have the situation where if you want to run PS CS4 64bit you have to use Windows.

Oh, are you? Looked at your "Pro" site and your "Pro" work there little one. Do you have any idea who Brad Trent is and what sort of pro he is? Pretty evident that you don't. Your clients are consumer/retail types like Sears happy portraits. Of course they use PCs! That digital software for PCs only, well, more schmalz to you. Enjoy playing with your HDR and stand alone consumer plug-ins. And perhaps if you actually knew what you were talking about in regards to 64 bit and why Windows at present then I would comment on that but you're a waste of time. Asshat.

 

[twoodcc]

the updates seem nice. i'll have to see it in person though.

 

[Craiger77]

i REALLY don't understand how they expect to sell any of these without a firewire 400 port. Many external audio devices are 400 only, including the one i use. Guess i won't be upgrading!

You don't need an adapter as many have stated. You just need a cable with firewire 400 on one end and firewire 800 on the other for $19

 

[kungpoo]

I suggest that everyone that isn't too pleased about being forced to put up with these kind of reflections

heads over here and at least lets them know about it

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

 

[dAlen]

Just watched the keynote...they made it clear that the macbook is their number 1 selling computer. The movie at the end was about the macbook...

Point is, Apple isnt about the 'pro' market anymore.
Again, the firewire was ripped out of the macbook to get the consumer video hobbyist to upgrade to the pros. - so as I mentioned, pro is now advanced enthusiast. If you want a true pro machine...well, let me know if you find it.

...and no, a "new" 17 inch with the old faulty Nvidia card doesnt count.

Peace

dAlen

 

[NEiMac]

I can just here all the pc fanboys now, why should I buy a macbook there to expensive, only now I kinda agree with them. I am going to have to see these in person before I get a good feeling about these I'm afraid. The macbook to me seems overkill and expensive now for a basic laptop.

 

[xbjllb]

There IS non-glare glass, Greenies

Go into any Wal-mart, and go to the photo frame dept. and look at the glass.

All Apple has to do is make models with non-glare glass, which they will do once they sucker enough clueless newbies into making their lives a constant irritation with the reflective glass. Highly breakable in a portable product, too... but hey, we're "green". Plastic, bad. Breakable glass, good. On SO many levels.

When you stop truly innovating, you have to use cheap marketing tricks to keep business going.

 

[DYER]

well im sure your all gona call me mad but I am a professional photographer and part time student ^^ and i just bought a new macbook pro
2.8ghz
4gb ram
320gig 7200rpm drive
allthough this isnt the update i wanted i didnt want to buy an old one but did need a new laptop as my current toshiba m70 is quite dead... i hear everyones concerns about glossy screens (thanks god i have a solution to that) i still think its a nice change... i like the way it looks and i hope its fast fast fast...
someone pray for me please
i paid £1752 after a studnet discount incase anyone is interested...

 

[nilk]

The Mac Pro is now officially the only Apple computer worth getting (and maybe the 17" MBP). Lets go through the line:

Mac Mini - Slow 2.5" drive. Not very upgradable. No dual-link DVI.
iMac - Glossy monitor! And the combined monitor with computer thing should've ended in the 80's. Not very upgradable, only one internal hard drive.
MacBook - Glossy display! No Firewire.
MacBook Air - Glossy display! No Firewire.
MacBook Pro - Glossy display!
MacBook Pro 17" - Difficult to replace hard drive

The 17" MBP still has a non-glossy option, but I'd imagine its just a matter of time before they make it like the rest of the MBP line.

I don't like glossy displays because I actually used one for a year. They are completely awful, even in an environment where there is no glare. Increasing brightness isn't going to make them less awful.

 

[herbsandspices]

Good grief, I can't believe they abandoned the Matte screen.

I wonder how hard a screen swap would be...

 

[dAlen]

I suggest that everyone that isn't too pleased about being forced to put up with these kind of reflections

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v356/243/58/1349222175/n1349222175_116268_2240.jpg

heads over here and at least lets them know about it

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

Consumers love it...thats the point.
Whats the saying, its like beating a dead horse over the head? It aint changing...Steve I believe said that.

Apple has gone consumer, and the keynote makes this clear after you watch it. So if you want options, and a quad core machine, you will have to look elsewhere.

Peace

dAlen

 

[TheAmoryWars]

I'm interested in opinions as to which of the following new models offers the best deal for the price?

New high-end MB
Either of the new MBP's.

Not being a professional user, personally, I'm tempted to say the MacBook.
But with Snow Leopard using GPU's to boost overall performance, is the low-end MBP a more "future-proof" choice for a few hundred more than the high-end MB?

Also, what about the high end MBP double the cache from 3MB to 6MB along with a 2.53 processor and a 512 Dedicated GPU.

 

[MacPil0T]

I disagree!

I'm not sure if anyone has discussed it yet - but seriously, what's with the two graphics sets in these new MBP's? Seriously? What a waste of time. You're either going to use one or the other the entire time - and I'm guessing it's going to be the "turbo" discrete graphics. Having the 9400M in there is just a waste.

I for one, love the option! For one, it didn't take up anymore space for them to put two graphic chips in there. Secondly, most of the time my new MBP will sit on my desk in discrete mode and be used as a desktop but for trips, or while traveling I will switch it to integrated mode and get that extra hour of battery out of it! If you don't want to use it, don't. I don't see the problem.

 

[xbjllb]

I suggest that everyone that isn't too pleased about being forced to put up with these kind of reflections

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v356/243/58/1349222175/n1349222175_116268_2240.jpg

heads over here and at least lets them know about it

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

That would be a great idea IF they paid any attention whatsoever, which they don't. INSTANT delete.

Over HERE though, in the court of public opinion, where you have a real chance to influence people? They will never answer (other than a bunch of fake fanboi posts) BUT BELIEVE ME, THEY LISTEN.

 

[dAlen]

The 17" MBP still has a non-glossy option, but I'd imagine its just a matter of time before they make it like the rest of the MBP line.

Dont forget the "new" 17 inch laptop (i know some say it will be updated, but the store has it labeled new the last I checked.)...anyway it apparently has the old FAULTY Nvidia chips that Apple just admitted to. (Also slower processor than the 15inch)

How they can call it new, I dont know.

Peace

dAlen

 

[bigmc6000]

Anybody have any idea when Amazon generally starts getting these? The amount of tax I'd have to pay buying from Apple trumps the Edu discount... And maybe Amazon will give me a discount as well (the current ones had $80 off on top of no tax and free shipping)

 

[rogerram]

The new laptops look nice. Huge styling improvement over the previous MacBook Pros, which were embarrassingly old and lacking in style for Apple. I'd even say the old MacBook Pros were ugly.

But like many others, I feel let down. No new 17" laptops. And the glossy screen is probably a deal killer for me.

No FW 400 port means having to buy yet another adapter.

And still no Blu-Ray. My old PowerBook is wheezing horribly, but the new ones are lacking options that I feel are essential if I'm going to part with that much cash.

On the "gotta have it" meter, the new laptops are resounding "gotta wait."

I was really disappointed that there's nothing significantly different about the 17" MBP's. I like the iMac style screens of the 15"'s & the possible 2.8 cpu's BUT here in UK that puts the price up to about 1900 pounds & roughly the same for 17" 2.6 cpu. They are just not worth it. I'll have to live with my 17" Sony (with Blu-ray!) running Vista for a while longer & that's a nightmare with crashes, dodgy wireless switch & dodgy wireless!!! (cost me 1200 pounds BNIB on eBay a year ago)

Do you think there'll be a new 17" MBP next January?

 

[ajpl]

2) FW port: Where is the firewire port? Macbook pros have only one, macbooks have no fw port. Why? Firewire is far faster than usb 2. Firewire was the sole serious way for backing up files into an external hard disc. Firewire was the sole port that you couldnt find among comparable to the macbook pc laptops.

Complete nonsense. I'm typing on my 3yr old 13" Sony and it has Firewire, just like the other laptops I looked at at same time, though there was no small Mac laptop I could buy with as good a screen and as smal with firewire.

3) Weight and dimensions. The new laptops aren't significantly lighter. The new macbook's display has still a lot of useless plastic around it, covered with glass. They could keep the same absolutely footprint and give us a 14" display laptop. My powerbook is only 1cm bigger (less that 1/2 inch) and it does have a 15" display, whick is for me crucial working space.

Frustrating for me too, as I want a small/powerful laptop with a high res screen for location work. And it seems Apple's pathetic lack of options is limiting once again. Why assume pros want a tea tray sized behemoth.

 

[Shanpdx]

what it really takes to produce a affordable 15" Notebook?

1) removed firewire - did not include USB port
2) removed mini DVI - no hdmi - no DVI
3) no update on 17"
4) why white macbook still there (why not black one?) and why now update with super drive and why $100 discount only for a to be discontinued model?
5) what happened to 20", 30" cinema display
6) what happened to blu-ray
7) no matte screen

hmmmmm..... shaddy job apple shaddy job

it is time we look how it performs than how it looks (how great the manufacturing process)

to me the ONE big thing is LED backlight screens everything else pass ...