Steve Jobs on 13-Inch MacBook Pro's Use of Intel Core 2 Duo Processors

[HHarm]

It's a 13" laptop. How many 13" laptops with 1900x1200 resolution do you know of? It will support higher resolution if you attach it to an external monitor, but it's just not practical on a smaller screen - with current technology.

There are quite a few resolutions between 1280x800 and 1920x1200 and most of them are practical on a 13" screen. 1280x800 is really cramped and almost everything you can do on a computer benefits from a better resolution.

There really isn't much "pro" about the 13" MacBook Pro. It's robust and has a great battery but aims for games performance..... Doom 3

 

[Yaboze]

Apple needs new benchmarks. I know Mac's don't get all the latest and greatest releases, but some of these games (Doom 3, UT 4) are 6 years old!

Saying your GPU runs a 6 year old game well is not impressive.

 

[LoganT]

When the supply of Core 2 Duo processors runs out and they have to switch to the Core IX processor processor, are they going to put in a dedicated graphics chip or are they just going to use the integrated Intel graphics? If it's the latter, it may actually be best to buy the current Macbook Pro 13" right now.

 

[Eric S.]

I cancel my plan to buy the high end 13" mbp n wait for the next gen. If the above statement is true, I'm sure the next gen will be the arrandale or other new Intel cpu. For now, I'll only upgrade the RAM on my current laptop, although it is way outdated but still, it can get the job done.

Let the waiting continue!

 

[saschke]

There really isn't much "pro" about the 13" Mac Pro. It's robust and has a great battery but aims for games performance..... Doom 3

You mean the Macbook Pro.
From what I've read over the last day, it will be able to render MW2 quite nicely, which is everything I currently need.

 

[JamesKay32]

So let me get this straight. In the past batteries were lucky to get 5 hours out of them on a MacBook, and less on a MacBook Pro. You would rather carry an extra battery and have to swap (which meant shutting down) swap, just to equal the life of today's 10 hour battery?

And if you didn't carry one around and instead bought one when you needed it, you'd still have to find somewhere to charge it. Why not just charge up the MacBook instead?

Sorry, but I don't understand the advantage here. Maybe if the older swappable batteries gave you 10 hours, I might understand, but they didn't. Not even close.

So what's stopping them from making a replaceable battery with the new technology?

 

[Eidorian]

Cause like many other people, I don't want my computer to break down. I'm not familiar with the core i3.

I would not be concerned about the reliability of the processor.

 

[halogoggles]

Maybe Heat Related?

Does anyone know why there is no option to configure a 7200 rpm hard drive for the 13" MBP? The option is available only for the 15" and 17" models.

I have no idea but I was wondering if the reason might be heat/power related. I'd be interested in replacing the default 5400rpm with a 7200rpm from Newegg.

 

[DrumApple]

Those games are all older than dirt.

 

[iBug2]

Bingo - Dalaran has low frame rates due to CPU consumption - it has nothing to do with the graphics requirements.

I laugh at people who say they are "lagged" in Dalaran. They're not lagged and it's not their internet connection, their computer is underpowered.

It actually does a lot to do with GPU. Dalaran is indeed laggy even for people with the best GPU available, GTX285, but as much as Dalaran actually speeds up slightly with better CPU, with a better GPU it still speeds up as well. I have 4870 and GTX285, and I have better fps in Dalaran with GTX285 on the same machine.

And on top of that, the new GLL backend Blizzard wrote for wow3.3 the fps in Dalaran did increase more than 50% for most people, simply due to new opengl engine, which has nothing to do with CPU.

 

[Mac Mizzy]

Whats the real question

Okay so the real question, for most new buyers (like myself), is this new 13" macbook pro worth buying or should someone just buy the 15" for the new processors etc..

Personally I've waited a couple a months to see what Apple had in store, and I had my mind set to buy the 13" MBP because its just more convenient for college and whatnot.. But im not sure any more.. any suggestions??

I am for sure going to buy A Macbook Pro, and almost surely during this summer, where they usually through in an ipod

 

[bf2008]

some of u where discussing about 1080p...

am i right if i assume that a 2010 13" macbook pro base model can play back a 1080p video file on a 24" 1920x1080 external monitor without any problems?

anyone knows sth about that?

Hi. I've got the mid 2009 Macbook Pro 13 and a 24 inch monitor. I just played the transformer 1080p trailer on youtube and it does it perfectly well. Fair enough, it pushes 120% of the processor (two cores) but it still copes. I imagine the new one will do it with less effort.
But btw, are you planning to play 1080p video often on the computer? I think that's just for bluray, but this machine doesn't do that so how are you going to get the 1080p videos anyway (legally)?
Good luck!

 

[Burnsey]

The vast majority of people this notebook is targeted at come nowhere near the limitations of the CPU, heck I've got a 2nd gen mbp and I still have never had issues due to limited CPU power (I even under clocked it to 1GHz to save heat). The biggest bottleneck is a lack of RAM.

 

[carlclarke]

Okay so the real question, for most new buyers (like myself), is this new 13" macbook pro worth buying or should someone just buy the 15" for the new processors etc..

Personally I've waited a couple a months to see what Apple had in store, and I had my mind set to buy the 13" MBP because its just more convenient for college and whatnot.. But im not sure any more.. any suggestions??

I am for sure going to buy A Macbook Pro, and almost surely during this summer, where they usually through in an ipod

About 6 years ago I purchased a Toshiba 'Qosmio' G10 17" laptop. Back then it was 'state of the art' but it was too big and heavy so it never got used as a portable, it became desk-bound (spec-wise I could have got a desktop for half of the money). My point? Go for what you really really need, not what you fancy 'just in case you might..'. I would love to buy a 17" MBP with all of the options but it wont get the everyday usage of my 13" MBP because it is just too big to be convenient.

I read somewhere that the 15" MBP is considered to be the perfect machine so maybe it is the perfect compromise, but here in the UK it is 50% more than the 13" MBP so do you really need it?

Carl.

 

[uluvbs]

Can someone please give an honest summation (rather than a tirade)of what you cannot do with the new 13" MBP or would not want to do with this laptop (because it would be painfully slow)?

Obviously, this is not a notebook for "gamers," but . . .

-1- Could you reasonably expect to do heavy duty Photoshop work on it?

-2- What about music or video editing?

 

[snowleopard13]

Hi. I've got the mid 2009 Macbook Pro 13 and a 24 inch monitor. I just played the transformer 1080p trailer on youtube and it does it perfectly well. Fair enough, it pushes 120% of the processor (two cores) but it still copes. I imagine the new one will do it with less effort.
But btw, are you planning to play 1080p video often on the computer? I think that's just for bluray, but this machine doesn't do that so how are you going to get the 1080p videos anyway (legally)?
Good luck!

Hey, thank you for testing this. HD-Camcorder's aren't that expensive anymore

 

[Soordhin]

It's a 13" laptop. How many 13" laptops with 1900x1200 resolution do you know of? It will support higher resolution if you attach it to an external monitor, but it's just not practical on a smaller screen - with current technology.

Actually, you can buy it. Weighs a pound less than the 13'' MBP too and sports a Core i7 and builtin 3G network. But sadly you have to use either Linux or Windows since Apple cannot built something like that

 

[bf2008]

Hey, thank you for testing this. HD-Camcorder's aren't that expensive anymore

Ah, I see your point. Then you could use it to play 1080p or maybe a little bit of editing too. Bear in mind that the youtube video was in flash, so your own recordings it will play them better since it will be native video I think.

 

[silentnite]

What else was Steve to say, F-off to everyone. come on let's get real here. He's gotta keep us all cool until the next refresh. I don't mind keeping 1 of the 13" pro's a C-2 for $1199 but both. At $1499 we should have gotten at least an i5 under the hood for that. I'd like to see how the new 13'" stands up to the old, are we really going to be blown away.

 

[jragosta]

It seems you know a lot about Apple and computers, but nothing about life. Your statement is so much out of place and your life is probably just about computing. Graffiti is an art form and represent the real life, represents culture, represents emotions and creative expressions. It seems you don't understand essential parts of culture (or sub-cultures) otherwise you wouldn't public such statements. The world would be a better place without facebook (and I use it too), but not without Graffiti.

Sorry, it's vandalism. If they are interested in doing art, they can buy a canvas or paper.

So what's stopping them from making a replaceable battery with the new technology?

They could - and it would be better than a replaceable battery with the old technology, but not as good as the non-replaceable battery.

Having a replaceable battery adds a good bit of bulk and weight because both the battery and frame have to be reinforced to allow for battery removal. And since you can get 10 hours on a charge, it's just not worth the tradeoff. If you need more than that, carry an external battery pack which won't cost or weigh any more than a spare battery, but will be more convenient.

Okay so the real question, for most new buyers (like myself), is this new 13" macbook pro worth buying or should someone just buy the 15" for the new processors etc..

Either. Or both. Or neither. How is anyone else supposed to know what is right for you?

It comes down to how much you want to spend, how much performance you need, and what screen size and portability suits you. Find an Apple Store or Best Buy and try them out.

Can someone please give an honest summation (rather than a tirade)of what you cannot do with the new 13" MBP or would not want to do with this laptop (because it would be painfully slow)?

Obviously, this is not a notebook for "gamers," but . . .

-1- Could you reasonably expect to do heavy duty Photoshop work on it?

-2- What about music or video editing?

You could do heavy duty photoshop, but it would get old after a while. If this is your primary Photoshop machine, go for an i7 at either 15" or 17" with 8 GB (or more!) RAM. If it's occasional, the 13" will work.

Music shouldn't be any problem. Video again depends on how much and how often. If it's your primary machine and you do video editing for a living, go with more power. If you only occasionally edit video, the 13" will work.

Actually, you can buy it. Weighs a pound less than the 13'' MBP too and sports a Core i7 and builtin 3G network. But sadly you have to use either Linux or Windows since Apple cannot built something like that

Right. Please tell us where you can buy a 13" with i7, builtin 3G that weighs a pound less than the MBP and costs less. And then tell us what they sacrificed to get there. A 1995 vintage LCD screen, perhaps? Service provided by Elbonians? 50% DOA rates?

Does anyone know why there is no option to configure a 7200 rpm hard drive for the 13" MBP? The option is available only for the 15" and 17" models.

Probably heat generation. 7200 rpm drives still produce quite a bit more heat than 5400.

 

[Maserati7200]

Hi. I've got the mid 2009 Macbook Pro 13 and a 24 inch monitor. I just played the transformer 1080p trailer on youtube and it does it perfectly well. Fair enough, it pushes 120% of the processor (two cores) but it still copes. I imagine the new one will do it with less effort.
But btw, are you planning to play 1080p video often on the computer? I think that's just for bluray, but this machine doesn't do that so how are you going to get the 1080p videos anyway (legally)?
Good luck!

The thing is, you are playing on youtube in the flash player. If you were playing a 1080p file on your computer it wouldn't be at 120%. And since he said he had a hd camcorder, it's definitely native file playback. I have 1080p mkv files that play flawlessly, without any heat issues. And if you convert to h.264 (you could use handbrake for that), it uses even less power.

 

[louis Fashion]

hey

Hey, i LIKE doom

 

[Soordhin]

Right. Please tell us where you can buy a 13" with i7, builtin 3G that weighs a pound less than the MBP and costs less. And then tell us what they sacrificed to get there. A 1995 vintage LCD screen, perhaps? Service provided by Elbonians? 50% DOA rates?

Wouldn't call a full HD 13,3'' display (questionable as that is, i would go for the lower res one) a vintage LCD screen. However, i never said it is cheaper, in fact it costs more mainly because it uses dual or quad SSDs, however price really is not an issue if you want a professional product, even for my private use it is not a big point. Way more important is weight, performance and small form factor if you have to lug your notebook around all of europe for 220+ days a year. I would love to buy Apple for its brilliant OS and software, but sadly they simply do not offer the right product at the moment, sony et al do.

 

[jragosta]

Wouldn't call a full HD 13,3'' display (questionable as that is, i would go for the lower res one) a vintage LCD screen. However, i never said it is cheaper, in fact it costs more mainly because it uses dual or quad SSDs, however price really is not an issue if you want a professional product, even for my private use it is not a big point. Way more important is weight, performance and small form factor if you have to lug your notebook around all of europe for 220+ days a year. I would love to buy Apple for its brilliant OS and software, but sadly they simply do not offer the right product at the moment, sony et al do.

OK. So you've got a full HD 13.3", i7, quad SSD system that's smaller and a pound lighter than the MBP?

I guess it's theoretically possible, but the entire world market can't be more than a couple dozen units at whatever it would cost - hardly worth Apple messing with. It's not a matter of Apple being unable to do that, more a matter of the market not being big enough to worry about. And I very much doubt that multiple suppliers offer it as you claim (sony, et al).

 

[Smith2542]

Some of you people amaze me that you are still waiting. I've been waiting since JANUARY. I just don't have the heart to continue. I'm folding and getting the 13". I'm sure i'll be happy with anything at this point, and to be honest, I don't need an IX for what i'm doing, I kinda got caught up in all of the hype that i didn't see that before. Besides, all of this will be obsolete in 2 years anyways.