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Inside Apple's New MacBook Pro
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Just wanted to add as a poitn of reference, the P9500 was released on July 14, 2008.
The Dark Knight was number one at the box office. Bush was still President. The summer olympics was getting into swing. Do people really not realize how old the processor technology is?
The Dark Knight was number one at the box office. Bush was still President. The summer olympics was getting into swing. Do people really not realize how old the processor technology is?
The typical argument against these computers (and for the life of me I cant figure out why you'd pick this forum to say: macs suck, I'm buying ______) is they don't have X hardware and they cost to much.
The reason most people buy a mac is not because of hardware alone. It's the overall user experience. It's hard for me to understand why people think apple shouldn't charge more for the (in my opinion) superior user experience. Do you think the people developing this software come free? Im paying for the hardware AND the software. Not simply the hardware.
The reason most people buy a mac is not because of hardware alone. It's the overall user experience. It's hard for me to understand why people think apple shouldn't charge more for the (in my opinion) superior user experience. Do you think the people developing this software come free? Im paying for the hardware AND the software. Not simply the hardware.
Yeah, I'd heard something that there was supposed to be some sort of Core iX ULV CPU coming out sometime in summer or later this year, and there seemed to be speculation that an updated M11x would get it along with formal Optimus functionality.
My main complaints about the M11x right now would probably be that the keyboard isn't quite what I hoped (not terrible by any means, but it didn't feel as good or solid as even the M15x keyboard, or the chiclet keyboards you see on other laptops now), and that the screen was average at best - not bad when looking at it head on, but pretty poor viewing angles.
Pretty sure the Turbo33 thing is just the CPU boost, doesn't have an impact on the GPU.
Honestly I'd love to see a higher quality Asus machine with a better GPU and Optimus - the UL30 (and the other UL laptops) got my attention with their price, battery life and specs, but the build quality struck me as quite flimsy, the keyboards were mushy (tons of flex, which I didn't even expect in a chiclet keyboard - but you can press the whole thing in), and the screens were pretty mediocre.
What exactly is NVidia saying? It's hard for me to believe Apple isn't using the tech to some degree - at the very least I'd think it is something like the Sony Vaio Z, which also is described as not using Optimus, but people have done some digging and found that the underlying technology essentially is Optimus, even if Sony is using their own implementation.
-Zadillo
Pathetic Apple. Pathetic.
Apple needs to get better memory suppliers. Come on, this is just stupid. 256mb of video ram? Most laptops come with 1gig of video ram. And why even have such a distinction?
Sad update. No RGBLED across the line, only in their 17 incher? No IPS screen. No real boost to harddrive space, no real boost to the graphics card.
For the price, this is just sad. 1799 from Dell gets me:
i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache) 6gb memory, Full HD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP, 500gb harddrive, ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 1GB
Oh oops, I mean 1599. Apple, eat your shorts. They could've easily bumped the Geforce 330 to 512, and 1gig but they didn't. They could've easily put in 6 gigs instead of 4 (3x3 instead of 2x2). And quad core? THey couldn't have put in a single quad core in their entire line of computers? Come on, 17 incher doesn't have quad core?
Sad update by Apple at the least. Considering now that the 13 incher really has nothing in it. It's got aging components that are incredibly cheap.
The problem with Apple is that they don't follow the current trends in hardware pricing. Artificially increase their price while the entire market moves down.
OH well, can't really complain when they're making hand over fist.
Apple needs to get better memory suppliers. Come on, this is just stupid. 256mb of video ram? Most laptops come with 1gig of video ram. And why even have such a distinction?
Sad update. No RGBLED across the line, only in their 17 incher? No IPS screen. No real boost to harddrive space, no real boost to the graphics card.
For the price, this is just sad. 1799 from Dell gets me:
i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache) 6gb memory, Full HD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP, 500gb harddrive, ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 1GB
Oh oops, I mean 1599. Apple, eat your shorts. They could've easily bumped the Geforce 330 to 512, and 1gig but they didn't. They could've easily put in 6 gigs instead of 4 (3x3 instead of 2x2). And quad core? THey couldn't have put in a single quad core in their entire line of computers? Come on, 17 incher doesn't have quad core?
Sad update by Apple at the least. Considering now that the 13 incher really has nothing in it. It's got aging components that are incredibly cheap.
The problem with Apple is that they don't follow the current trends in hardware pricing. Artificially increase their price while the entire market moves down.
OH well, can't really complain when they're making hand over fist.
Mini DP has always supported HDMI with an adapter, I got one from monoprice.com a long time ago for my 2late 2008 unibody 13" MacBook. And the monoprice.com adapter is probably going to be cheaper than Apple's adapter by a mile.
I think I'm gonna go for the high-end $2199 15". Do you guys think the extra $100 for the Hi-Res screen is worth it? Thanks.
I do realize it but I'm much more interested in the GeForce 320M. I've been toying around with the Alienware M11x (1.3/1.73 OC GHz SU4100 + GeForce 335M) as a possible solution as well.
I'd rather replace my Macbook and have one notebook instead of too. Apple's trackapds are exceptional as well. If you need the computer power ASUS offers a very affordable G73 line with the Core i7-720QM, RAID 0, and the Mobility HD 5870.
It just depends on what you want. I personally don't see much value in Apple's notebook line above the 13" models though.
I fully agree. Take "Pro" off that sucker. It's back to being just an Aluminum "MacBook". I can't stand that Apple doesn't keep feature parity between the screen sizes of "Pro" model. Some people actually do want every single feature of a "Pro" combined with small physical and screen size.
Eh, I doubt that. The i3 doesn't have any compelling "up sell" over the i5. It's no more power thrifty, and it doesn't cost significantly less. They should have put the i5 in all three, the i7 optional in all three, and preferably even a quad-core i7 available as an option at least in the 15" and 17". (Although the quad-core would probably kill battery life. Not only does the CPU inherently draw more power, it forces discrete graphics to be on all the time. No power saving by using Intel HD graphics when discrete isn't needed.)
Also, it would have been *REALLY* nice to see the 15" get a 1920x1200 option. There are plenty of other 15" 1920 laptops out there, Apple really shouldn't arbitrarily pick a middle-ground resolution. Give us your 'standard', or give us full 1920. People who want higher res will want full 1920, not some middling 1680. And the antiglare is now only available on the 15" with 1680 display! (And as an option on the 17" still, of course.) No antiglare if you're fine with 1440...
Although I do find it interesting that they make a point of mentioning in the Tech Specs:
Yet there is no Apple-branded mDP-to-HDMI adapter... (Or any mDP-to-HDMI adapter, by any company, in the Apple Store.)
You should have it all. i feel like people have lowered expectations. "oh they bumped the graphics so I can live with the old processor"
come on, you should have both.
I'm satisfied with the update, Apple delivered exactly what I was expecting.
I only miss USB3 but it's been introduced so recently that pretending it right now would be ihmo asking too much...
I'm planning to buy the lower end 15" with HD display and add by myself an SSD and, later, more RAM... It will be my first mac, I'll have to create soon my signature!
I'm just a little bit unsettled for the anti-glare option, I still have to figure out if I need it...
And now for the questions:
1) do you expect that in a month or two Apple will drop the prices, possibly adding more models to the line?
2) does the anti-glare display has the same imho ugly gray frame around it as for the previous generation of MBP?
About the 13", I remember I read somewere that graphics (or maybe controller) is embedded inside the core i* processors, so it won't probably easy to switch it off (and Intel won't be willing to do so because of the arguing with NVidia). Moreover, the case of 13" is so damn small and a few Apple fanboy I know swear it won't be able to host another chip... I'm not so sure of that, but it would definitely create some heat troubles...
My 2 cents,
P.
I only miss USB3 but it's been introduced so recently that pretending it right now would be ihmo asking too much...
I'm planning to buy the lower end 15" with HD display and add by myself an SSD and, later, more RAM... It will be my first mac, I'll have to create soon my signature!
I'm just a little bit unsettled for the anti-glare option, I still have to figure out if I need it...
And now for the questions:
1) do you expect that in a month or two Apple will drop the prices, possibly adding more models to the line?
2) does the anti-glare display has the same imho ugly gray frame around it as for the previous generation of MBP?
About the 13", I remember I read somewere that graphics (or maybe controller) is embedded inside the core i* processors, so it won't probably easy to switch it off (and Intel won't be willing to do so because of the arguing with NVidia). Moreover, the case of 13" is so damn small and a few Apple fanboy I know swear it won't be able to host another chip... I'm not so sure of that, but it would definitely create some heat troubles...
My 2 cents,
P.
I understand your feelings and agree with your points but regretfully Apple doesn't appreciate a variety of notebooks like we do.
That depends. Do you want an extra 240 pixels horizontally, 150 pixels vertically? Do you have good eyesight? (The individual pixels are 16% smaller.) If not, then it's absolutely not worth it. If you do have good eyesight, and want the extra pixels, then the value of it is entirely up to you. This is one of those upgrades that is purely "personal preference." It doesn't get you all the way to 1080p-viewing-size, so the only benefit is pure extra pixel real estate.
No to glare!
While not favoring all the 13" choices, the lack of a matte/reduced-glare Option is the killer for me.
Really, I'll pay $50 as a BTO for the matte. The glossy display is too reflective for me. And I don't want a 15"; have an old one from work. I want a 13" for home / personal projects. And I'm stuck.
Until ... June? Next year? Argg.
While not favoring all the 13" choices, the lack of a matte/reduced-glare Option is the killer for me.
Really, I'll pay $50 as a BTO for the matte. The glossy display is too reflective for me. And I don't want a 15"; have an old one from work. I want a 13" for home / personal projects. And I'm stuck.
Until ... June? Next year? Argg.
I do think the M11x is nifty, but I'm still unsure whether I could use it as my sole portable system. Although the price is hard to argue with (especially from Best Buy - for whatever reason, the model they sell for $899 is an even better deal than what dell.com offers - 320GB HD vs 250GB HD, 4GB of RAM instead of 2GB RAM, etc.). I'm more intrigued by the Vaio Z to be honest, as I found the keyboard to be a lot better, I like the higher res screen option, and the Core i5 certainly offers significantly more power than even the overclockable m11x. Plus, although it's a bit more understated than some, the M11x still has that trademark Alienware design.
I'm not really interested in the $2000+ Vaio Z's, but the base model for $1699 (off of $1899) at MicroCenter right now is tempting me. Although it's a harder choice now with the refreshed MBP's.
That for me has been the reason for buying Apple from my Graphite Sawtooth to the present day.
I'm not interested in Windows. I have to use it for work, however I care about having a computer where everything works smoothly. For my home needs, that is OS X. It's worth the premium cost for that alone, as nowadays that is the main feature of an Apple computer over the competition.
1) no. Maybe in 6 months they will bump the processors, but assuming sales go as well as they have been, don't expect any lower price points anytime soon.
2) probably.
How is the 330m faster than the 8800m gts? The 330m has 48 steam process with a 128 bit memory width while the 8800m gts has 64 steam process with a 256 bit memory width
anyone have a clue to what the i5s turbo speed is, or is that for only the i7 im a bit confused on that part!
I'd like to think that you have no idea what you're talking about, and will always find something to complain about. Also, did you even look at the updates? Some of your concerns have already been addressed.
Ewww, what a laptop. If all you care about are the specs, go buy it. Apple has never only been about the performance specs.
Weight: starting at 9.7lbs! vs 6.6lbs for 17"mbp
Battery life: one review "Battery life is short unless you use all the conservation features, 1 1/2 hours without", to be fare, some people did mention about 3hours."
Mbp: 8-9hrs - do you honestly see apple changing their advertisement back down to a pathetic 4hrs battery life?
Thickness: 1.67" mbp: .98"
There is no comparison. The price might be nice, but i think apple is going for an overall experience. I can't believe some of the complaints from people on here. You act like apple just stabbed you in the back and they owe you your life back. I wish there was a thread for realistic posts only, no bashing, no comments, just useful information. Could one ever exist?