Apple Releases the MacBook Pro

[Stewie]

I love to read these forums right before a new announcement and right after. It is just so funny. A perfect example is that before the announcement when a new ibook was being predicted most people were complaining that having a new ibook more powerful then the powerbooks would kill powerbook sales. After the announcement of the new Macbook Pro folks are people happy. Nope! They are complaining that there was no new ibook. I get such a kick out of reading how hard to please everyone here *seems* to be. And what is up with the comparison to an Acer? How is that even a comparison???? Has anyone ever seen a good review of an Acer???

Oh and everyone please remember that the name of the new laptop is MacBook Pro, not just MacBook. My money is on the new ibooks being called MacBook. So lets try to get that straight, ok?

 

[Randall]

There are several things I don't like about the MacBook...

Before I even get to that, can anyone explain why the equivalent 15" PB is the identical price? What incentive is there for me to buy any of the PPC PBs if I can get 4x the performance (even if it's only 2x real-world) by going x86? That's just plain bad planning. Now they're gonna be stuck with a boatload of PPC PBs (especially the 15" one).

Yeah you already mention the incentive... 4x computing power over G4!

I see no reason for them to effectively withdraw FireWire 800 from the market. And, as others have mentioned, why aren't there MORE USB ports? What, does Steve still hold a grudge over USB winning out over FireWire?

THe reason is that Intel doesn't have a chipset for it. I think that we will see the return of FW800 eventually.

Since Apple is now producing (so to speak) an "x86 notebook", they'd better start being feature-competitive with other notebooks. Yes, arguably they've got a much better graphics card than most notebooks do, but unless you're a gamer who uses a notebook, I'd think more ports, not less, would be the way to go.

I agree that they need more data ports, but I am impressed that they were able to fit that graphics card in that small a form factor. Impressive engineering (talk about a lap-burner too). I think it's about time we saw Macs get some top knotch graphics acceleration. Maybe now some of the more popular gaming titles will find their way over to Mac. If not I will just dual boot... God I love it.

I also think Apple should have further cosmetically changed the new PB to differentiate it from the PPC PBs. But, that's just me, I suppose.

Why mess with perfection?


If I could have 3 wishes for the MacBook Pro, I would want:
1) Give me back my 1440 x 960 resolution and find a way to keep iSight.
2) DL DVD Burner. Come on!!
3) Change the name back to PowerBook. (after all it's FINALLY powerful)

 

[darwin022]

Yes. And I think that the 3 hours charge life is based off of not having any of the power saving features enabled.

honestly, I consider 3 hours of USE (not sitting there idle) on a charge acceptable.

 

[Val-kyrie]

My Mistake

No they have to use the WIFI radio to get the Centrino label. Core Duo is purly the CPU.

I was thinking of the Centrino Duo label. From AnandTech:

The new Centrino brand being announced today is Intel’s Centrino Duo brand. As has been the case since the introduction of Centrino, in order for a manufacturer to call their notebook a Centrino it has to meet three very specific requirements. The CPU, chipset and wireless adapter must all be provided by Intel. . . .

 

[digitalbiker]

Yes. And I think that the 3 hours charge life is based off of not having any of the power saving features enabled.

I doubt that the MacBook uses this new technolgy because if it did someone would have mentioned it! This would be big news in the tech industry and I can't imagine not even mentioning it on a new machine.

The 85 W power adapter is probably necessary because the chip, HD, display, fan, etc uses a lot of juice. The 65 nm process makes the system more power efficient for the processing speed but it still pulls a lot of watts, and I'll bet the CPU isn't as power hungry as the display or the DVD.

 

[~Shard~]

Oh and everyone please remember that the name of the new laptop is MacBook Pro, not just MacBook. My money is on the new ibooks being called MacBook. So lets try to get that straight, ok?

This is very likely, although not a sure thing - keep in mind that Apple didn't change the name of the iMac even though it went Intel, so there is not a definite need to change the name of the iBook. Regardless, yes, the MacBook Pro will be the Core Duo and the iBook will be the Core Solo.

 

[Randall]

I doubt that the MacBook uses this new technolgy because if it did someone would have mentioned it! This would be big news in the tech industry and I can't imagine not even mentioning it on a new machine.

The 85 W power adapter is probably necessary because the chip, HD, display, fan, etc uses a lot of juice. The 65 nm process makes the system more power efficient for the processing speed but it still pulls a lot of watts, and I'll bet the CPU isn't as power hungry as the display or the DVD.

From AppleStore web site...

In the Box

* • MacBook Pro
* • Power Adapter with MagSafe Connector, AC wall plug and power cord
* • Lithium-polymer battery
* • Apple Remote
* • DVI to VGA adapter
* • Install/restore DVDs
* • Printed and electronic documentation


You're right, they should have covered this topic. They could have spent much longer then they did on the new stuff anyway.

 

[dontmatter]

Nice catch. Makes you wonder...




If it had been the same Apple would've at least written it down somewhere. Not mentioning it AT ALL makes you really wonder how bad it might be...
Even if it isn't, you'll still lose the PCMCIA slot, the DL burner and the 8x DVD burner. Comparing that to the new Acer I think it was at the same price with A LOT better specs kinda turns me off. I'll wait another year I guess.
Funny thing is though I was ready to buy a new one but this is definitely not it...

What will happen in a year? Apple will have better specs for the dollar, Acer will have better specs for the dollar, and apple will still be more expensive. If you want a new computer, buy one. If not, don't. This is the perfect time to buy, though, because you know the next rev is probably a ways off.

 

[Randall]

And by the way... I guess we can put the intel sticker debate to bed. Not a sticker in sight. You gotta love it.

 

[Val-kyrie]

You are Welcome

Thanks Professor! You pulled out all of your big words for that one!

BTW, by writing "Vulgarity..." I was referring to the entire phrase -- not the particular word (but of course, you already knew that). And, that phrase, which everyone has heard 100 times by the time they're 10 years old, clearly fits the definition of "cliche".

You are welcome.

 

[dontmatter]

This is very likely, although not a sure thing - keep in mind that Apple didn't change the name of the iMac even though it went Intel, so there is not a definite need to change the name of the iBook. Regardless, yes, the MacBook Pro will be the Core Duo and the iBook will be the Core Solo.

Yeah, perhaps the macbook will be the replacment for the 12 inch PB, and it'll be something like macbook extreme for the 17 incher.

Hate the name macbook, though. Still would be glad to take one, if I had the money or need.

 

[SiliconAddict]

I don’t know about you guys but IMHO this laptop is about as close to perfect as you can get. You guys are so bogged down into the minutia of does it come with a dual layer drive or why did it drop FW800 you are missing the big picture. This is the first step for Apple into the x86 world. The first REAL step. Sure it doesn’t have every feature known to man but its, IMHO, enough. Personally I think the main reason they didn’t go with DL DVD burners is the interface. Its now SATA. How many SATA DVD drives are out there? Now how many laptop sized SATA DL DVD burners are out there? Prob not many.
Battery life wise. I not overly concerned. Why? Look at the GPU they went with. Look at the CPU they went with. It’s a step down from the top of the line. I’m certain we can expect 5+ hours on this laptop. That is 5+ hours of performance that is going to totally thrash the G4 PowerBook.
For me? My current "normal" laptop (My ThinkPad isn’t my workhorse.) is a Toshiba Satellite
If I was jumping from a PowerBook I might look at this system differently but from where I’m sitting all the specs are perfect.

800Mhz -> 1.86Ghz x2
4x CD-RW -> 4x DVD-RW
32MB Geforce2Go -> 256MB OMG GPU
15” 4:3 -> 15.4 Widescreen
No Wireless -> 802.11G
USB 1.1/FW400miniport -> USB2/FW400
384MB -> 2GB
40GB HD -> 100GB HD
9lbs -> 5.6lbs

There literally is no aspect, well maybe the speakers, that isn’t one or more generational leaps over my computer. So you guys can complain all you want. You may even have a legit grip. Me? When it arrives next month I’m going to love my laptop. I’m going to hug it and squeeze it and call it George!

 

[itsa]

I'll wait 2.5 to 3 months for the rev B and get the 17" with the lightscribe DL drive. Oh yeah.. and the speed bump.

 

[tjmcardl]

no firewire 800 support means my backups take a century instead of a week....i regularly back up my music collection which is over 300 gb..

Good gracious man, you don't need to copy ALL of the files every time!

Try this program for doing incremental backups:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/system_disk_utilities/rsyncx.html

 

[boombashi]

to make my position clear.
"pro" means i earn money with my computer....

all work no play makes for a dull life

 

[syclone]

Any guesses why they removed the S-Video/TV Out port??

They removed it, because they sell a DVI-to-S-Video/Composite-Video adapter for $20 for small percentage of owners that currently use it here:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9267G/A

As for FW800, again, for small amount of people that use it (myself included for an external HD with my PBG4), there should soon be FW800 adapters for ExpressCard/34. Abocom already makes one for ExpressCard/54, and Belkin has crammed FW400 into ExpressCard/34, so it probably won't be long.

Finally, who actually uses a DVD burner on the road? My guess is that there are very very few people who need an internal DL burner. Now that the apps support external burners (which probably cost less than an internal DL burner would add to the cost), there seems no reason for it.

To me, it really seems like these "omissions" really aren't big deals to the vast majority of users. Personally, I see the new features like iSight, the magnetic power adapter, and less heat/lower power consumption to be more useful than the things left out. Should be a sales success, but that evolutionary case could hurt it a bit.

 

[MacMosher]

What will happen in a year? Apple will have better specs for the dollar, Acer will have better specs for the dollar, and apple will still be more expensive. If you want a new computer, buy one. If not, don't. This is the perfect time to buy, though, because you know the next rev is probably a ways off.

I completly agree, although I did expect somthing to wow me a bit more then it did it still is very impressive peice of machinary. Some people wait a life time for somthing they may never need.

Personally I dont need that kindof power on my lap I would rather have a nice workspace with my desktop and have a 1ghz ibook/ power book to lug around with me for on the go computing.

 

[digitalbiker]

From AppleStore web site...

In the Box

* • MacBook Pro
* • Power Adapter with MagSafe Connector, AC wall plug and power cord
* • Lithium-polymer battery
* • Apple Remote
* • DVI to VGA adapter
* • Install/restore DVDs
* • Printed and electronic documentation


You're right, they should have covered this topic. They could have spent much longer then they did on the new stuff anyway.

My PB uses a lithium-polymer battery too.

I meant the fast charge technology.

The last PB update included the high-density lithium-polymer battery but it doesn't charge to 80% in 10 minutes and I am willing to bet that this battery doesn't either. Although I have found the battery life to be outstanding on this new PB. My old TI book was a lithium-ion battery and it didn't have much life at all.

I am wondering if this battery life will fall off significantly after about a year of re-charging. I really noticed a hit with my Ti and my wifes iBook after about a year of charges.

 

[itsa]

I completly agree, although I did expect somthing to wow me a bit more then it did it still is very impressive peice of machinary. Some people wait a life time for somthing they may never need.
.

You mean ilife o6 did not "wow" you?

 

[boombashi]

My PB uses a lithium-polymer battery too.

No it doesn't it's lithium ion

http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html

[Edit] specs at bottom - Hardware accessories : Modem cable, power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, lithium-ion battery

 

[Haberdasher]

I don’t know about you guys but IMHO this laptop is about as close to perfect as you can get. You guys are so bogged down into the minutia of does it come with a dual layer drive or why did it drop FW800 you are missing the big picture. This is the first step for Apple into the x86 world. The first REAL step. Sure it doesn’t have every feature known to man but its, IMHO, enough. Personally I think the main reason they didn’t go with DL DVD burners is the interface. Its now SATA. How many SATA DVD drives are out there? Now how many laptop sized SATA DL DVD burners are out there? Prob not many.
Battery life wise. I not overly concerned. Why? Look at the GPU they went with. Look at the CPU they went with. It’s a step down from the top of the line. I’m certain we can expect 5+ hours on this laptop. That is 5+ hours of performance that is going to totally thrash the G4 PowerBook.
For me? My current "normal" laptop (My ThinkPad isn’t my workhorse.) is a Toshiba Satellite
If I was jumping from a PowerBook I might look at this system differently but from where I’m sitting all the specs are perfect.

800Mhz -> 1.86Ghz x2
4x CD-RW -> 4x DVD-RW
32MB Geforce2Go -> 256MB OMG GPU
15” 4:3 -> 15.4 Widescreen
No Wireless -> 802.11G
384MB -> 2GB
40GB HD -> 100GB HD
9lbs -> 5.6lbs

There literally is no aspect, well maybe the speakers, that isn’t one or more generational leaps over my computer. So you guys can complain all you want. You may even have a legit grip. Me? When it arrives next month I’m going to love my laptop. I’m going to hug it and squeeze it and call it George!

Finally, some sanity.

You guys bitch so freaking much. A comparable coreduo PC costs about as much as the Mac...you are paying for a PREMIUM computer! This thing is going to blow the PBG4 out of the water.

 

[sw1tcher]

This is very likely, although not a sure thing - keep in mind that Apple didn't change the name of the iMac even though it went Intel, so there is not a definite need to change the name of the iBook. Regardless, yes, the MacBook Pro will be the Core Duo and the iBook will be the Core Solo.

I think Apple will change the iBook name to MacBook or MacBook something when they switch to Intel processors. Just finished watching the Keynote and the reason why they changed the name to MacBook Pro is because they want to get away from Power and start using Mac in their product names now.

The already have Mac in iMac and Mac in PowerMac, so those will probably stay the same... for now.

 

[dontmatter]

Interesting observation. Thes new MacBooks can be configured with 100Gig, 7200rpm drives which should make an external FW drive unneccessary. ProTools might still be a problem, though because they typically insist you have a dedicated audio drive.

For everything else, I'd have to beleive the new processing core, much faster FSB and faster drives would give enough bandwidth to record direct to the internal drive and leave your FW400 port free for your audio interface.

And for that matter, what are you doing running ProTools on a laptop?

I feel like if you can't deal with just the 100 gigs in the book, and you can't deal with the incredibly slow speeds of firewire 400 <sarcasm>, perhaps you need, um, a desktop? or a desktop replacement system weighing in at 10 lbs from dell?

sure, lack of 800 sucks, but now it's apples to apples when comparing to windows machines, spec wise, and throwing in 800 means losing that battle more than they already are.

 

[digitalbiker]

There literally is no aspect, well maybe the speakers, that isn’t one or more generational leaps over my computer. So you guys can complain all you want. You may even have a legit grip. Me? When it arrives next month I’m going to love my laptop. I’m going to hug it and squeeze it and call it George!

Hey SA,

I am counting on you to get those dual boot XP procedures worked out and posted. Or I will accept a good WINE find on the web that supports running XP software in an Aqua window. I am also expecting some good benchmarking numbers from that blazing CPU.

You can't keep all the good stuff for yourself. You will need to share some of that with your forum buddies.

Then when I get my Merom based MacBook Pro next year I can kick your a**.

 

[itsa]

I think Apple will change the iBook name to MacBook or MacBook something when they switch to Intel processors. Just finished watching the Keynote and the reason why they changed the name to MacBook Pro is because they want to get away from Power and start using Mac in their product names now.

powerbook sounds so much more pro like. ... but they can call it whatever they want...