MacBook Pro vs PowerBook - Wireless Reception

[gamestriker]

Is the wireless reception on the MacBook Pro better than on the its PowerBook predecessor? I'm getting a MacBook Pro after WWDC and I know they made some design changes in the placement of the antennas (from the sides of the LCD to the hinge) so I'm curious to see if at all what effect it has had on the reception. One of the few gripes about my PowerBook that I hoped they fixed in the MBP was that the wireless reception sucked.

I appreciate the help.

 

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

They did fix it; the reception is undoubtedly better than the Powerbook's.

Unfortunately, the iBook's (and possibly the MacBook's) remains superior due to its plastic case.

 

[Josias]

They did fix it; the reception is undoubtedly better than the Powerbook's.

Unfortunately, the iBook's (and possibly the MacBook's) remains superior due to its plastic case.

Are you saying i can buy a stock MB for 1100 bucks, and a maxed out 17" MBP for 3100 bucks, and get better AP reception on the MB?

 

[Considering]

I just got my MacBook, previously I owned a 15" Powerbook. The best I ever did at my location with the Powerbook was 4 networks avaliable. My Sony laptop could pick up as many as 15. With the MacBook, however, I've seen as many as 20.

It's nice to not have to worry about signal strength in my apartment anymore, I'll tell you that.

dr

 

[emotion]

Are you saying i can buy a stock MB for 1100 bucks, and a maxed out 17" MBP for 3100 bucks, and get better AP reception on the MB?

That's long been the case that the consumer apple models outperform the pro models at wifi reception.

They need to get the pro machines in carbon fibre cases

 

[JimmyB248]

I've noticed that the reception on my MacBook Pro has been quite a bit better than on my old PowerBook G4, it's been able to pick up far more networks than before, however I'm hoping to sell this and buy myself a MacBook for travelling, so if the MB gets even better reception then that's great news for me.

 

[bbrosemer]

I believe they changed the design on the MacBooks and ran the WiFi antenna into the monitor... I'm not sure but can someone check for me or if they know this is true please agree.

 

[rlt54]

MBPro Reception

I was surprised that my relatively new iBook has much better reception than my brand new MacBook Pro! Maybe it is the plastic versus metal, maybe something else.

In a home environment with a good Wi-Fi link, I get all bars and no problems on either machine. When I am away and...uhm...looking for a piggyback, the iBook might show 5 or 6, while I am lucky to see 1 from the MacBook Pro.

That’s my “real-world” experience. I hope it helps.