MacBook Pro 2008 "What is next?"

[iW00t]

#Brrrt!#

The correct answer was all of them. Why? Because they all sport exceptional industrial design. Nothing, nothing else comes even close to being as beautiful and aesthetically pleasing or as well thought through when it comes to every single aspect, from the box it comes in down to the design of the power cord.

When you buy a Mac you don't just pay for the hardware, you pay for the whole package, and what a beautiful package it is.

The reason I switched to a MacBook from a Dell was the design, the reason I stayed was OSX.

Yes, the design is all that matters. Like, you know, the guys who can program a OS that deletes my files when the destination I am moving the files to becomes unavailable ARE SO MUCH MORE CAPABLE OF WRITING SECURE SOFTWARE.

Make no mistake, the design is part of the whole package, it is not the entire package. Quality wise Macs are really somewhat lacking there.

 

[iW00t]

Does everyone expect the keyboard to change in January to the macbook keyboard or is everyone pretty much set that the macbook pro will just get internal updates and the case redesign will come in May-June-July timeframe?

I do not understand what is this fixation with Macbook styled keyboards.

If Apple switches to that keyboard on the Pro line of laptops I am switching back to Thinkpads. Do you see those kiddish keyboards on *serious* laptops? Guess not.

 

[kamiboy]

Yes, the design is all that matters. Like, you know, the guys who can program a OS that deletes my files when the destination I am moving the files to becomes unavailable ARE SO MUCH MORE CAPABLE OF WRITING SECURE SOFTWARE.

Make no mistake, the design is part of the whole package, it is not the entire package. Quality wise Macs are really somewhat lacking there.

Consider the alternative, #shudder# Windows #shudder#.
Every OS has its flaws and shortcomings. Considering the "competition" I am glad I chose to put up with the ones in OSX.

 

[dAlen]

What I'd like to see is a display hinge that's not designed for midgets. My G4 Powerbook tilts back to around 135 degrees, which is just enough for me to be able to use it on the lap (I'm 1.93 / 6ft4in). The first MBPs only opened to around 120 degrees, and the LED backlit ones just about 110. That is unacceptable for a laptop in that price range. Huge design flaw. I cannot believe that this would be impossible to fix.

My powerbook G3, pismo - the screen could go all the way back until it hit the table.

My powerbook G4 667 mhz...my young son pushed the screen back (not far at all) and the hinge snapped (using it to this day...well, I broke the monitor the other week, so its all but black...using another monitor.)

So, point is, apple if your listening...let the display go back like you did with Pismo. You did it then, whats the point of not doing it now? Your afraid it will get loosey goosey? The pismo monitor stayed nice an firm and didnt start falling bakcwards - anyway.

Flexibility for the screen, thats the point.

Peace

dAlen

 

[Squonk]

My powerbook G3, pismo - the screen could go all the way back until it hit the table.

My powerbook G4 667 mhz...my young son pushed the screen back (not far at all) and the hinge snapped (using it to this day...well, I broke the monitor the other week, so its all but black...using another monitor.)

So, point is, apple if your listening...let the display go back like you did with Pismo. You did it then, whats the point of not doing it now? Your afraid it will get loosey goosey? The pismo monitor stayed nice an firm and didnt start falling bakcwards - anyway.

Flexibility for the screen, thats the point.

Peace

dAlen

Could the reason be that since the PB/MBP's are too light that they will fall backwards? Hmph - lighter has its costs...

 

[iW00t]

Consider the alternative, #shudder# Windows #shudder#.
Every OS has its flaws and shortcomings. Considering the "competition" I am glad I chose to put up with the ones in OSX.

Is Windows the only OS on the planet? Last I checked I was quite happy when Ubuntu for majority of tasks.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I do not understand what is this fixation with Macbook styled keyboards.

If Apple switches to that keyboard on the Pro line of laptops I am switching back to Thinkpads. Do you see those kiddish keyboards on *serious* laptops? Guess not.

Tell me about it. The MacBook keyboard is nice but not the greatest thing to come out of industrial design. If Apple switches to that keyboard for the MBP and MacPro then I will have to stock up on the previous model boards. I think it's more of a consumer thing, fixation on a keyboard is ridiculous especially one on a consumer machine.

I may have to get that Alienware with SLI and hack into it to get OS X to run as the main OS.

Consider the alternative, #shudder# Windows #shudder#.
Every OS has its flaws and shortcomings. Considering the "competition" I am glad I chose to put up with the ones in OSX.

That keyboard is a hardware shortcoming of Apple... if they put it in every system.

Is Windows the only OS on the planet? Last I checked I was quite happy when Ubuntu for majority of tasks.

I would use Ubuntu and the other Linux versions only if I could continue doing my job. Alas... I am stuck with Apple software.

 

[Flaki]

For the last time, Apple is not going to put a 8700M or 8800M.

The 8800M uses too much power and generates twice as much heat as the 8600M.

The 8700M is just a slightly overclocked version of the 8600. HOWEVER, Apple clocks down the 8600M. They would just offer a higher clocked 8600 before switching to a 8700.

Rumors that Alienware 15.4" may have 8800m GTX.

Source http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4089

 

[Squonk]

Rumors that Alienware 15.4" may have 8800m GTX.

Source http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4089

Yeah but the Alienware isn't exactly 1" thick either...and it's going to belch out enough heat to be a risk to global warming...

 

[chrmjenkins]

Rumors that Alienware 15.4" may have 8800m GTX.

Source http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4089

Hey, good catch. This is interesting news because a mobile graphics card with more than 22W TDP has NEVER appeared in a 15.4" format before. This either means that Alienware is going for broke and cares little about battery life and heat, or the part isn't exactly 35W TDP as the inquirer reports. No offense to the inquirer, I love the site and read it every day, but they risk accuracy to provide bleeding edge news. The rumors before their report was that the 8800m was a 25w part. There are going to be three versions (GS, GT, GTX), so it will be interesting to see the specs finally roll out (Nov 19).

If anything is to be gathered from this, it's only to be cautiously optimistic regarding this slip-up.

 

[zioxide]

Rumors that Alienware 15.4" may have 8800m GTX.

Source http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4089

Apple != Alienware

Alienware's laptops are these huge monstrous power hungry portable desktop replacements.

That thing will be like 2 inches thick and have like a half hour of battery life.

I guarantee you Apple does not use that card in a Macbook Pro.

 

[chrmjenkins]

Apple != Alienware

Alienware's laptops are these huge monstrous power hungry portable desktop replacements.

That thing will be like 2 inches thick and have like a half hour of battery life.

I guarantee you Apple does not use that card in a Macbook Pro.

I whole-heartedly agree, but if those 35W TDP figures aren't accurate (there's been no official confirmation), then an underclocked 8800 GT or GS isn't out of the question.

 

[djellison]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/stora...nDisk-Vaulter-Disk-An-SSD-For-Laptop-OS-es/p1

Interesting...someone mentioned tat very idea - Solid State for OS, HDD for everything else.

Doug

 

[Smurfed]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/stora...nDisk-Vaulter-Disk-An-SSD-For-Laptop-OS-es/p1

Interesting...someone mentioned tat very idea - Solid State for OS, HDD for everything else.

Doug

I mentioned that in my Samsung SSD thread

 

[kamiboy]

Is Windows the only OS on the planet? Last I checked I was quite happy when Ubuntu for majority of tasks.

I had Linux once. I consider it a step down from even windows, and that is saying a lot. To each their own but I find OSX to be best OS in the world and I put a lot of weight on industrial design so I will likely never switch from Mac and OSX.

OSX has finally given me an OS where I spend more time doing what I want and less time holding the OS's hand and maintaining it so it does not break down. With Mac I have finally found the one company in the world that makes computer hardware that looks the way I would like everything I own to look. In other words I am a happy camper, even more so now that Apple has entered the mobile phone business and I now also finally have a phone and looks and works the way all mobile phones are supposed to by now.

 

[Josheua]

I had Linux once. I consider it a step down from even windows, and that is saying a lot. To each their own but I find OSX to be best OS in the world and I put a lot of weight on industrial design so I will likely never switch from Mac and OSX.

OSX has finally given me an OS where I spend more time doing what I want and less time holding the OS's hand and maintaining it so it does not break down. With Mac I have finally found the one company in the world that makes computer hardware that looks the way I would like everything I own to look. In other words I am a happy camper, even more so now that Apple has entered the mobile phone business and I now also finally have a phone and looks and works the way all mobile phones are supposed to by now.

I think with Apple, we see what Linux COULD have become would it have had the support and corporate poweress behind it in the early days. However, the choice of Unix as the base-line for OSX (more specifically the NEXT platform, but that was unix based as well) meant that Apple took a different derection.

However, should Linux ever get mainstream support and major company's begin writing programs for it, developing hardware to specifically run it (which recently we have seen with various entry level Linux Desktops and Notebooks, which have sold very well) we could see Linux take off thanks to a very robust developer community, strong graphical peformance (in the form of Beryl, though it could use much stream-lining), and overall stability in the face of Windows (but then again...who isn't stable in the face of windows )

- Josh

 

[CmdrLaForge]

As previously stated, Apple is ALREADY in the blu-ray camp. It'll
show up soon imo.

Funny that DVD Studio Pro only supports HD DVD

 

[BKKloppenborg]

Apple != Alienware

Alienware's laptops are these huge monstrous power hungry portable desktop replacements.

That thing will be like 2 inches thick and have like a half hour of battery life.

I guarantee you Apple does not use that card in a Macbook Pro.

maybe but then i saw this

http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/06/03/nvidia-prepares-8800-for-notebooks

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3155&p=1

Its still possible since they made a "Mobile" 8800 that is less hot, and a lot less power i heard they are coming out in about Jan

 

[cmaier]

maybe but then i saw this

http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/06/03/nvidia-prepares-8800-for-notebooks

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3155&p=1

Its still possible since they made a "Mobile" 8800 that is less hot, and a lot less power i heard they are coming out in about Jan

The machines these things are going into have pretty massive cooling solutions, it appears.

 

[Josheua]

I personally think that if there is a GPU update that it will be the 8600M with a 256mb Lower-end MBP and 512mb Upper end MBP. That is personal opinion though. I doubt we will see the 8800M option for some time. Probably WWDC 2008 at the earliest.

-Josh

 

[paul.b.davis]

I do not understand what is this fixation with Macbook styled keyboards.

If Apple switches to that keyboard on the Pro line of laptops I am switching back to Thinkpads. Do you see those kiddish keyboards on *serious* laptops? Guess not.

Good call, keep those things off my MBP's

 

[aiterum]

Good call, keep those things off my MBP's

Absolutely. I've seen the macbook keyboards and tried one of my friends, and it was one of the worst typing experiences I've ever had. I guess it doesn't really matter to me though, as I plan on getting an external keyboard and mouse when I buy the new one anyway.

 

[linshiwen]

Just to counter all this macbook style keyboard hate,

I love the Macbook style keyboard, and it is consistently the BEST typing experiences Ive had, and furthermore I very dearly hope they put it on newly designed macbook pros.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Just to counter all this macbook style keyboard hate,

I love the Macbook style keyboard, and it is consistently the BEST typing experiences Ive had, and furthermore I very dearly hope they put it on newly designed macbook pros.

Just to counter all this MacBook style keyboard conversations,

I have used many a keyboard as many people in the 21st century have, and there isn't anything inherently wrong with this one or that one. Just as long as it's not some big fat clunky PC laptop keyboard I am fine.

Seriously though, keep that Mac Book keyboard away from my Pro machine.

 

[paulbaker]

Macbook keyboards / new iMac keyboards

I cannot even type on my wife's PB now that I am used to my MB board.

I will wait for the MBP to have the same keyboard design because it really is easier to type on....