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POLL: 17" MBP - To Open or Not To Open

MBP 17" - To Open or Wait - Christmas Gift Poll

  • Open it! It's a great machine.

    Votes: 29 67.4%

  • Wait for CES.

    Votes: 2 4.7%

  • Wait for the Apple Event in late January.

    Votes: 4 9.3%

  • Wait as long as it takes. Arrandale will be worth it.

    Votes: 8 18.6%
  • Total voters
    43
netdog

netdog

macrumors 603
Original poster
Feb 6, 2006
5,760
38
London
A new 17" MacBook Pro waits under the tree but I need your advice as to what to advise her once she unwraps it.

She uses Final Cut Pro and needed a portable platform for it (we have a Mac Pro Early 2008 Octo at home). She'd like 3G built in but it looks like that isn't happening when the next iteration comes around.

Waiting for months makes little sense. Does waiting for Arrandale hoping that it comes in 2 weeks make sense? Anything else to consider?

A gift is a gift, but it also makes sense to get the best bang for our buck as these are not cheap. At the same time, if it's going to be 3-4 months, waiting makes little sense either as it is a great machine and that's 3-4 months that she'd be using the one waiting beneath the boughs.

Your thoughts?
 
Son, you're displaying incredible amounts of restraint to not rip that box up and enjoy the shiny new Mac inside there.

But wait, this is for someone else? And you expect them to not open it? Are you nuts bro? XD The next MacBook Pros will probably be available in i5 and i7 flavors, but I wouldn't expect them to be out for at least 2 months. Apple's new product event is in late January, and if they introduce new MBPs they will very likely be available "in February" (on the 27th), with the i5s available "sometime in March".

Then in March, you'll be telling "her" to wait until July at the earliest for the Rev B, because the new MBP's got a screen that randomly shoots out of the frame and attacks the user.

Merry Christmas dude :D Have fun! STOP WORRYING!
 
3G built in is a waste. Just get a 3g usb modem then you can use it with other machines too! Unless you want to pay a monthly fee for each machine :D
 
The OP is just thinking like a typical GEEK. Let the lady open her new Mac, it's a gift, it's not for you. It's just silly to tell someone that the new model MAY be coming soon and to make them wait weeks before opening it. Here's reality for you, OP, the first version 17" MBP in 2006 will run Final Cut Pro beautifully, in fact you may not be able to tell much difference to the naked eye in performance vs. the latest 17"MBP. For the love of Pete, stop thinking like the typical GEEK and let someone enjoy their gift.

Not everybody cares if they got the latest and greatest as long is what they have does what they need for it to do. And to be honest, you didn't need a poll for this.
 
The thing is that she does like the latest and greatest. LOL

As nobody is screaming wait, it's getting near opening time!

Thanks all.
 
If it is the 17" MBP, you have an expresscard slot, which gives you many options for things like built in 3G, or anything else down the line.

I recommend against the new MBPs without expresscard slot since you're paying over $2k for a machine with little expandability.
 
Spandexman said:
How would you argue that? Do professionals use the express card slot a lot?
Click to expand...

You can do so many things with an expresscard slot that you can't without it.

One example. In recording, you are stuck to firewire interfaces, most of which are "prosumer" in quality, if not all.

With expresscard, you can get an RME MADI card, and connect converters of any quality you want to the machine, and use it just as you would a desktop.

I am sure people in other industries will have their own examples. I know I'd never by a machine for professional use without it.

3 and a half years down the line you may want the thing to have 3G, or USB 3, or to record via MADI, who knows. A lot of people do not replace the $2k laptop like they do their $400 PC every 18 months, so in 3 years people may want to expand. But you can't. No slot. :/
 
l.a.rossmann said:
You can do so many things with an expresscard slot that you can't without it.

One example. In recording, you are stuck to firewire interfaces, most of which are "prosumer" in quality, if not all.

With expresscard, you can get an RME MADI card, and connect converters of any quality you want to the machine, and use it just as you would a desktop.

I am sure people in other industries will have their own examples. I know I'd never by a machine for professional use without it.

3 and a half years down the line you may want the thing to have 3G, or USB 3, or to record via MADI, who knows. A lot of people do not replace the $2k laptop like they do their $400 PC every 18 months, so in 3 years people may want to expand. But you can't. No slot. :/
Click to expand...

OK, thanks a lot :)
 
l.a.rossmann said:
One might argue a machine with no PCMCIA or expresscard isn't a "Pro" machine too.
Click to expand...

Except hardly anyone uses the expresscard slot.
I have no use for an SD slot myself but it is likely far more people will use that than an expresscard slot. I would prefer the option though.
 
DarwinOSX said:
Except hardly anyone uses the expresscard slot.
I have no use for an SD slot myself but it is likely far more people will use that than an expresscard slot. I would prefer the option though.
Click to expand...

That's why you have a 15" MBP.

You are not the typical 'professional.'

I've used the Expresscard slot in my Dell plenty of times.
 
We need to use the express card slot to connect certain haptic devices and prefer to use it to connect to hard drives via esata. which is faster than firewire 800.
 
unless something is coming from Apple within the 14 day window I would rip that damn box open. If something does come down the pipe line later, then maybe upgrade. Apple most likely won't be at CES, if they are it will most certainly not be for the MBP. The Apple event is at the end of next month, and most likely will be about this tablet. I think the 17" is going to be a good performer for some time.
 
I don't know about anybody else, but if I bought a MBP as a gift, and the recipient didn't want to open it up so they can return it. I'd be very insulted, especially given the high cost of the laptop.

Open it up, and enjoy it.
 
maflynn said:
I don't know about anybody else, but if I bought a MBP as a gift, and the recipient didn't want to open it up so they can return it. I'd be very insulted, especially given the high cost of the laptop.

Open it up, and enjoy it.
Click to expand...

+1 vote
 
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