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Apple Releases Penryn-Based MacBook Pros with Multitouch
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Re-design needed? Well, it's about the details.
Indeed it is. However, while the existing MBP is still light-years ahead of the competition, it is a bit "outdated" by Apple's internal standards. The MBP is the "oldest" existing Mac design, and this is becoming evident in the details. Apple has recently begun to adopt certain stylistic standards which are consistent across the newer hardware: flat keyboard keys, magnetic latch, black elements, etc. I think some of us were hoping for a subtle design upgrade to the MBP that would bring it in line and make it truly feel like a part of the "current fleet" of Apple products. (It's a desire that may be more emotional than rational.)
Indeed it is. However, while the existing MBP is still light-years ahead of the competition, it is a bit "outdated" by Apple's internal standards. The MBP is the "oldest" existing Mac design, and this is becoming evident in the details. Apple has recently begun to adopt certain stylistic standards which are consistent across the newer hardware: flat keyboard keys, magnetic latch, black elements, etc. I think some of us were hoping for a subtle design upgrade to the MBP that would bring it in line and make it truly feel like a part of the "current fleet" of Apple products. (It's a desire that may be more emotional than rational.)
What kind of fantasyworld are people living in on this forum? Even the (usually easily-led by Apple) press are aware this is anything but a rival to similarly placed machines.
Lack of Display Resolution Update Spoils New MacBook
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006552.html
Given that they trade on being cutting-edge and innovative, it is clear their real skill is in marketing tired technology to the easily impressed. Low-res screens, no Blu-Ray, same trackpad, same keyboard, same aluminium casing for many years etc.
Why are people always complaining? Don't like it? Dont buy it! Sorry to be rude, but...
The display issue has been beaten to death. Leopard still doesn't incorporate Resolution Independence, which was apparently usually scheduled for Tiger. Guess why you haven't seen new displays from Apple lately.
If Apple rises the dpi on screens, they have to find a way to keep their OS usable. Do the math: You currently have 900 vertical lines. If you go to 1050 vertical lines, this means, that appr. 14% of your menu bar size will be lost (i.e. smaller, less readable, smaller icons). Same applies to any Application button, icons and so on. Have you seen XP on an old screen lately? I can tell you, it's looking rather funny with those big buttons in 1024x768 (the res I use for Parallels).
Another given is, that suddenly a 14pt font will look embarassingly small on your screen. I currently use a 16pt font on Safari, to have a rather easy browsing appearance for reading. So given a higher res, I may need to switch that to 20.
The MBP-display is still offering a resolution, that allows for 720p, isn't it? Why do you need more physical pixels?
Just to put it in other words: What do you need a higher res for, other than bragging rights in games performance?
Just curious...
Because we're stuck here. If I don't like the HP high end laptop range, I can try Lenovo, or Acer, or Sony, or Dell etc etc.
But if there's something I don't like about the MBP, then I'm shafted. Well and truly shafted.
They offer two resolutions for the 17" - they should have offered two for the 15". You can argue about dpi and all that crap all day - more pixels is useful for some people. I had a 15" PC laptop that was 1600 x 1200. It was AWESOME for 3ds Max, Photoshop, Powerpoint, Premiere. 1440 x 900 isn't dreadful, but it simply isn't the best it could be. High resolution could, and should be offered. Along with Maglatch, User replaceable HDD, etc. etc. etc. They missed an opportunity to really make the MBP shine as the content creativity platform it should be. Fortunately, I think this is the last round for this particular form factor. The summer Intel update will offer significant reduction in motherboard size and the opportunity for a redesign doesn't just offer itself, it demands itself. Hopefully they will use that opportunity to solve some of the shortcomings of the MBP that make it a good laptop, instead of the truly great laptop the £1600 pricetag dictates it should be.
Doug
Made my purchase about an hour ago.
I also purchased this RAM (Apple's prices are a true ripoff):
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211187
According to the reviews, it works with macbooks.
I already have 1 stick in a windows PC and will transfer that along with 2nd stick just ordered onto the new MBP.
I also purchased this RAM (Apple's prices are a true ripoff):
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211187
According to the reviews, it works with macbooks.
I already have 1 stick in a windows PC and will transfer that along with 2nd stick just ordered onto the new MBP.
thanks
after buying a macbook pro around january 15th, i was extatic at the quality of the computer, i loved everything about it and it blew the doors off of my macbook that i upgraded from.
this site sucked me in at somepoint around the 20th and i certainly caught the mb pro refresh fever. as such i returned my macbook pro on the 12th day of owning it, and paid the hefty restocking fee in anticipation of imminent updates.
i woke up at approximately 630 every tuesday morning that has taken place in the interm, and i have to say that it has been one of the most endeering experience i have ever had as a mac user. i knew the scope at which macrumors forums operated but i had never felt part of it. I am not jewish, in fact im an athiest, however i would akin these past few tuesdays to something like the holiday of Hannukah(excuse the poor spelling) each tuesday just a little gift from apple to whet our appetites, and finally, almost exactly a month later we get the greatest present of them all. certainly people are frustrated that there are certain bells and whistles missing that had been fortold by mac oracles, but i for one have never felt more rewarded for my patient efforts that i have had the privelage to share with you guys.
I placed my order for my bto base model on my iphone this morning in the middle of my finance class of all places, and i just thought i would share the conclusion to my story.
thanks to all for the support and feverish rumormongering
-ted
after buying a macbook pro around january 15th, i was extatic at the quality of the computer, i loved everything about it and it blew the doors off of my macbook that i upgraded from.
this site sucked me in at somepoint around the 20th and i certainly caught the mb pro refresh fever. as such i returned my macbook pro on the 12th day of owning it, and paid the hefty restocking fee in anticipation of imminent updates.
i woke up at approximately 630 every tuesday morning that has taken place in the interm, and i have to say that it has been one of the most endeering experience i have ever had as a mac user. i knew the scope at which macrumors forums operated but i had never felt part of it. I am not jewish, in fact im an athiest, however i would akin these past few tuesdays to something like the holiday of Hannukah(excuse the poor spelling) each tuesday just a little gift from apple to whet our appetites, and finally, almost exactly a month later we get the greatest present of them all. certainly people are frustrated that there are certain bells and whistles missing that had been fortold by mac oracles, but i for one have never felt more rewarded for my patient efforts that i have had the privelage to share with you guys.
I placed my order for my bto base model on my iphone this morning in the middle of my finance class of all places, and i just thought i would share the conclusion to my story.
thanks to all for the support and feverish rumormongering
-ted
Which Macbook pro should I buy??
Hello,
I'm new to all this world but I'm excited about buying my first Mac laptop.
I primarily work with MatLab or C to program various image processing applications, so I need a good computer that can work with images and videos very fast.
As for other applications the usual Word/Powerpoint, translation software and recording software. Sometimes I create one or two movies of the images I'm processing.
I can buy a computer with a university discount so I'm not considering refurb. My idea is to buy the $1999 macbook pro and then buy 4GB of RAM for $100. Is that a good idea or do I need a more powerful laptop? I currently don't have any other computer so I would only work with this.
I'm just considering the pro because I need a screen of at least 15''.
Any help would be great Thanks!
Hello,
I'm new to all this world but I'm excited about buying my first Mac laptop.
I primarily work with MatLab or C to program various image processing applications, so I need a good computer that can work with images and videos very fast.
As for other applications the usual Word/Powerpoint, translation software and recording software. Sometimes I create one or two movies of the images I'm processing.
I can buy a computer with a university discount so I'm not considering refurb. My idea is to buy the $1999 macbook pro and then buy 4GB of RAM for $100. Is that a good idea or do I need a more powerful laptop? I currently don't have any other computer so I would only work with this.
I'm just considering the pro because I need a screen of at least 15''.
Any help would be great
Thanks!
This is not to complicated. Just go to www.crucial.com and there you will see all of your questions answered.
For $109 you can get the 4GB kit, which will max out your system.
This is more than enough for Vista, since only the 64 Bit version of Vista can use more than 4GB of memory.
I wouldn't even mess with dual boot, I would use either VMWare or Parallels.
Damn good updates - most people will be very pleased compared to what you could get just yesterday.
For me, I am still waiting for the redesigned latch, keyboard etc., and even for a 12 inch MBP that I know will never come.
Taking out the remote is cheap and totally uncalled for. That smacks of stupidity and greed. Rather like Apple's astonishingly offensive RAM prices that feed on those who don't know better. Shameful.
For me, I am still waiting for the redesigned latch, keyboard etc., and even for a 12 inch MBP that I know will never come.
Taking out the remote is cheap and totally uncalled for. That smacks of stupidity and greed. Rather like Apple's astonishingly offensive RAM prices that feed on those who don't know better. Shameful.
Called my local Apple Retail Store at 10:00am sharp, the time they open, and was pleasantly surprised that they had the NEW 15" MBP/glossy in stock. Went there with my 9-day old MBP in tow, and exchanged it (with the restocking fee), for the new model. I tried to haggle with the manager about the restocking fee, but got nowhere ("Why do you need a restocking fee when you're not going to restock it?"). Lame, I know, but I had to try. I got the last laugh, however, because I never repacked the remote, so I got a remote for free
Got the new unit home, powered it up and - you guessed it - dead pixels. 4 really big ones, which indicates to me that they weren't single pixels, but rather "clumps" of a few pixels each. Returned 15 minutes later, and they took the bad unit back and immediately exchanged it for a good one...no questions asked. Not even a genius bar appt. needed. They didn't even open the box to check serials. (Does Apple have this kind of unknown, unwritten, same-day no questions asked policy?) I opened the new box in the store, and the screen along with everything else was pristine. Pure Perfection. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't make me jump through hoops re: the pixels.
(One interesting note: The unit with the bad pixels was kind of shabby looking - lots of scuffs and scrapes. There were also 2 tape-stickers sealing the box. I knew that it couldn't have been used (since it was just announced 2 hrs. before!), but found the box's condition odd. The second box on the good unit was absolutely flawless though. Odd.)
So that's my tale for the day...this post brought to you courtesy of a new revision MBP!
Got the new unit home, powered it up and - you guessed it - dead pixels. 4 really big ones, which indicates to me that they weren't single pixels, but rather "clumps" of a few pixels each. Returned 15 minutes later, and they took the bad unit back and immediately exchanged it for a good one...no questions asked. Not even a genius bar appt. needed. They didn't even open the box to check serials. (Does Apple have this kind of unknown, unwritten, same-day no questions asked policy?) I opened the new box in the store, and the screen along with everything else was pristine. Pure Perfection. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't make me jump through hoops re: the pixels.
(One interesting note: The unit with the bad pixels was kind of shabby looking - lots of scuffs and scrapes. There were also 2 tape-stickers sealing the box. I knew that it couldn't have been used (since it was just announced 2 hrs. before!), but found the box's condition odd. The second box on the good unit was absolutely flawless though. Odd.)
So that's my tale for the day...this post brought to you courtesy of a new revision MBP!
Two questions...
1) Does anyone have any experience ordering refurbs when a new release happens? Are they usually refurbs or just sealed leftover inventory from the old model?
2) Did anyone happen to see if amazon dropped the price today on the Black macbook before it went out of stock?
Thanks
1) Does anyone have any experience ordering refurbs when a new release happens? Are they usually refurbs or just sealed leftover inventory from the old model?
2) Did anyone happen to see if amazon dropped the price today on the Black macbook before it went out of stock?
Thanks
No.
According to Apple (something you could have saw for yourself):
Majority of circuit board laminates are free of brominated flame retardants
Majority of internal cables are PVC-free
Meets ENERGY STAR requirements
MacBook Pro received a Silver rating from EPEAT
So unless you can redo the circuit boards and rewire your laptop....no you can't do this yourself.
Ask for Rebate
If you can't cancel, call and ask Apple for a rebate under their price protection policy. Mine was $600.
I noticed my status page says I can't cancelled because it's being prepped for shipment!
If you can't cancel, call and ask Apple for a rebate under their price protection policy. Mine was $600.
Hi Doug,
totally agree with you, that we will see some design changes with the next iteration. As I posted in another forum, I will wait for Nehalem alone due to Tick Tock. But...
Given your usage of Premiere or 3ds Max, I think you'd rather like to have a two display setup, which btw. gives you the best of both worlds. You now, Palettes and stuff on 1 screen, content on the other.
Anyway, we all know, there is more to come in the next two years. So basically, the MBP is quite okayish currently. And currently I haven't found anything about the backlighting on those 1680x1050 screens (5 minutes Google wouldn't help
). Are they LED backlit?But maybe you are right. Maybe there should've been an option. I mean those new MBPs are still 1000 bucks cheaper, than my Powerbook G4 was, I'm still using
!Best regards,
swagi
Called my local Apple Retail Store at 10:00am sharp, the time they open, and was pleasantly surprised that they had the NEW 15" MBP/glossy in stock. Went there with my 9-day old MBP in tow, and exchanged it (with the restocking fee), for the new model. I tried to haggle with the manager about the restocking fee, but got nowhere ("Why do you need a restocking fee when you're not going to restock it?"). Lame, I know, but I had to try. I got the last laugh, however, because I never repacked the remote, so I got a remote for free
Got the new unit home, powered it up and - you guessed it - dead pixels. 4 really big ones, which indicates to me that they weren't single pixels, but rather "clumps" of a few pixels each. Returned 15 minutes later, and they took the bad unit back and immediately exchanged it for a good one...no questions asked. Not even a genius bar appt. needed. They didn't even open the box to check serials. (Does Apple have this kind of unknown, unwritten, same-day no questions asked policy?) I opened the new box in the store, and the screen along with everything else was pristine. Pure Perfection. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't make me jump through hoops re: the pixels.
(One interesting note: The unit with the bad pixels was kind of shabby looking - lots of scuffs and scrapes. There were also 2 tape-stickers sealing the box. I knew that it couldn't have been used (since it was just announced 2 hrs. before!), but found the box's condition odd. The second box on the good unit was absolutely flawless though. Odd.)
So that's my tale for the day...this post brought to you courtesy of a new revision MBP!
last laugh until they check the box see its not there, run the serial number, find you, and either charge you or charge you with theft.
I keep hearing about design change expectations. But don't hear what exactly people are looking for? (other than here and there cosmetic changes) What you can do (design wise) with the product which indeed is light year ahead of the pack?
I'm sure they're gonna crap their pants because the remote wasn't included.
Apple deserves it for charging people for that remote.