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Apple Launches MacBook Pros with Thunderbolt, Quad Core CPUs, AMD GPUs
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Damn, I'm really dissapointed about the new integrated graphics chip you are forced to use in the 13" model. The Intel HD 3000 performs worse than the previous Geforce 320m, that and the still sub par resolution and worse battery life are making me think twice about buying a new macbook.
Wrong on every single point.
Apple increased all the UK prices by exactly 2.2 percent when the VAT was increased. The 13" MBP was £999 before and £1020 after the increase. The new MBP 13" has a substantially faster processor, much increased L3 cache which makes it faster again, has a bigger hard drive, now has the ability to support up to six external monitors, and the ability to support external hard drives at enormous speed. The Apple Store is not open yet, so we don't know if the MacBook, which was cheaper, is still for sale or not.
Update: The cheapest MacBook didn't go from £600 to £700, but from £849 to £867 (2.2 percent increase) and is still available for that price. The MacBook Pro is much improved and the price is down again to £999.
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Wow, what a fantastic update! Can't believe they went quad on everything above 13" , brilliant! And an i7 in the 13"
The only negatives here are the screen res on the 13" and no standard SSD's, everything else is pretty much amazing IMO, well done
, brilliant! And an i7 in the 13" The only negatives here are the screen res on the 13" and no standard SSD's, everything else is pretty much amazing IMO, well done
Yeah, my point was that I had such minor needs and they still managed to miss one pretty majorly. I do play some games and not just for fun but for occasional reviews, etc. professionally. I actually need the MBP for the "P" bit
I do a fair bit of digital artwork and design, I don't believe the 3000 GPU supports any acceleration in apps like Adobe PS... I could be wrong there. I also do some music/recording/DJ'ing. I use my optical drive all the time. I know I may be a minority there, but it's a need, and the MBP line is supposed to be for professionals, not just glorified consumer hardware.Another thing I am not 100% sold on is Thunderbolt as-is over copper... everyone keeps tossing about this 10GBps number but I believe that over copper it is actually 2GBps, the initial 10GBps number was over fiber. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be let down once the real numbers are released on this.
Wow still down???
Apple Store in the US is still down (3 hrs now)... Wonder if more is coming; or are they keeping down until Intel makes the announcement on the new Thunderbolt/Copperpeak technology....
There were rumors of new iMac...
I want to get in there and take a look at some BTO options.
Apple Store in the US is still down (3 hrs now)... Wonder if more is coming; or are they keeping down until Intel makes the announcement on the new Thunderbolt/Copperpeak technology....
There were rumors of new iMac...
I want to get in there and take a look at some BTO options.
And look at all the free bloatware that was included.
Really though if you like your machine great. Not everyone wants a Dell.
They have OSX. For people that want / need OSX, it doesn't matter what their competitors do hardware wise.
And given that there sales are continuing to trend up faster than any other vendors, I think it's a safe bet to say they won't be changing how they do things anytime soon.
The "drop" of battery life from 10 to 7 hours is indeed just a result of a new battery testing protocol, and probably far more accurate.
I mean, I have a 2010 model MBP 13" that's *supposed* to have 10 hours of battery life, and I've never even come close to that. The battery life I get under normal use (i.e. Internet usage, screen at about half brightness, etc.) is around...7 hours. Usually. If I hit something that uses a lot of Flash, lop an hour or two off that.
I mean, I have a 2010 model MBP 13" that's *supposed* to have 10 hours of battery life, and I've never even come close to that. The battery life I get under normal use (i.e. Internet usage, screen at about half brightness, etc.) is around...7 hours. Usually. If I hit something that uses a lot of Flash, lop an hour or two off that.
Excellent point regarding battery. Happy with that aspect now.
Regarding the graphics - is my assertion correct? The only reason the Intel GPU offers similar performance is by taking more RAM? It isn't a big deal I suppose, providing performance is no worse. It isn't, is it?
The overall performance of the 13" MacBook Pro on both models is higher, yes? This GPU is taking quite a bashing so would like that clearing up. Had they updated the resolution in line with MacBook Air, I'd be less fussed.
My previous question - is the screen in the 13" MBP superior overall than the MBA, with a lower resolution? Or is the MBA a higher quality display and has a higher resolution?
One way or another, I'll have a new notebook within the next week or so!
That's the whole point of these Macs, they differentiate the models this way. For example, the Airs have a better resolution and ssds, the 15" mbps have discrete graphics, and the 17" has the best spec options. Why buy a 15" mbp (other than the screen real estate), if the 13" has discrete graphics and hi-res screen? That's also why the 13" didn't drop in weight; it would make the 13" mbas less distinctive.
As annoying as it is, from a selling standpoint, it is quite good.
i really dont like the graphics option in the 13 inch model. but they pushed nvidia out so there was no other option. i dont know a 2.7 ghz i7 13 inch model with an ssd might be pretty cool. id have to think long and hard on it. I actually prefer the 2010 mac pro more.
You're mistaken. The original fiber number was 100Mbps. 10Mbps is accurate for copper.
The bigger issue is that if you invest in a copper based solution today, when fiber becomes common in 12-24 months will you be SOL?
Apparently the Intel 3000 GPU actually performs fairly well compared to other entry level gpu's. Of course it is far from perfect but I'm not sure if many of us would really notice any reduction in gpu performance compared to the older gpu in the 13". You may notice a tiny reduction in performance for a some things and a tiny gain for others.
What I do find interesting is that I remember one of the justifications for why MBP's cost more was because of the quality of the gpu. Now on the 13" the gpu isn't going to be any better then any other newer laptop out there. HP, Dell and others will also be using this new integrated gpu so even moreso then in the past MBP's are becoming almost identical to PC laptops in terms of hardware. Soon across the board the cpu, chipset, and gpu are going to be identical.
Thunderbolt is pretty neat but as of right now there are no devices out there to support it. I do expect that to change eventually but expect to wait at least 6 months until we see raid systems designed around this port. Expect to wait even longer for devices such as video capture cards. Thunderbolt does have one hope and that is the fact that it is also a Intel invention. This means it may be adopted a bit faster. The down side to this of course is that again expect every new PC laptop under the sun to also support this new i/o port. So again we have a situation where the hardware is going to be even more similar between platforms then it was before.
What I do find interesting is that I remember one of the justifications for why MBP's cost more was because of the quality of the gpu. Now on the 13" the gpu isn't going to be any better then any other newer laptop out there. HP, Dell and others will also be using this new integrated gpu so even moreso then in the past MBP's are becoming almost identical to PC laptops in terms of hardware. Soon across the board the cpu, chipset, and gpu are going to be identical.
Thunderbolt is pretty neat but as of right now there are no devices out there to support it. I do expect that to change eventually but expect to wait at least 6 months until we see raid systems designed around this port. Expect to wait even longer for devices such as video capture cards. Thunderbolt does have one hope and that is the fact that it is also a Intel invention. This means it may be adopted a bit faster. The down side to this of course is that again expect every new PC laptop under the sun to also support this new i/o port. So again we have a situation where the hardware is going to be even more similar between platforms then it was before.
SSDs... optical drive
Guys, there is still some home for SSDs! Remember, some of the rumors were saying that there could be an option to replace the optical drive with an SSD. If that is true, we will only notice it in the Store (as an option), which we can't access for now.
Keep hope !
gabo
Guys, there is still some home for SSDs! Remember, some of the rumors were saying that there could be an option to replace the optical drive with an SSD. If that is true, we will only notice it in the Store (as an option), which we can't access for now.
Keep hope !
gabo
I guess the dedicated SSD to store the OS wasn't true.
Yeah that was a disappointment. Would been great.
I think it's just being deemphasized. It's still in Lion, so I'm sure it's still there. But I think they want to promote facetime. So iChat loses front placing in the dock.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3871/the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row/7
I think that one is also faster (850mhz). Up the resolution to the MBP's and move it off "fair" settings
An SSD just big enough for the operating system would be super cheap
I know someone who has an HP Envy 14 and is one of the pickiest people I know, and loves it.
My 6 year old HP is going strong. The HDD failed a few months ago but it was only 70gb so I got a new one. Apple uses the same parts as any PC maker (that failed drive's maker made your HDD too), they just have a superior frame. Is that worth a $1000 (Dell XPS 15 vs MBP 15 at same specs)???
Default screen on the MBP13 was pretty sad anno 2010 - and it's pitiful now (I'm used to the MBP15 hi-res). The graphics card is irrelevant to me so I won't comment-
The Thunderbolt port? I wish they would have added USB3 ports to replace the USB2 - at least there are USB3 devices that can be bought, screw the theoretical datarate numbers. The additional profit in Thunderbolt/Displayport adapters adapters will make Apple a tidy little profit (probably around 30-40 USD per adapter).
No improvement in battery life (actually a regression - but this might be due to more realistic measurement methods), no matte screen option, no reduction in weight / dimensions.
I'm more or less a Mac fan, but come on - the Emperor has no clothes! This is a lackluster update, and whereas the unibody was fairly revolutionary (weight / battery life-wise), it's now facing some stiff competition from the other PC makers, which are actually offering 2011 technology today (USB3, hi-res screens). And Im not just talking about specmanship. Screen resolution is actually useful for doing work (as is a matte screen)