I believe that the 1st gen unibody mbp has worse battery life than the penryn classic macbook pro that it replaces. Or it is just at best the exact same. 9400m graphics consumes less than 8600gt, but there was a 50wH battery vs. a 60 wH battery. So I wouldn't expect any better.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Who's glad they still have a "Classic" MacBook Pro?
- Thread starter mikes70mustang
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Amen to that. I haven't done a proper test in a while. It's not worth it but I don't get above 1:40 on light usage and maybe an hour while watching a DVD. I LOVE my machine. Looks, screen real estate, the old keyboard but am seriously thinking of picking up a MBP13 just for the battery life and added portability.
I do a lot of research and writing these days and it would be nice to have something more compact that I can take into a remote area if I feel the inspiration. Problem is that the large screen really helps with research/writing. Multiple web pages open, a document side by side with a saved web page etc.
I'd keep it and deal with the weight/size if I was getting more battery life but for now, I'm pretty much chained to a power outlet. Oh, it gets HOT as well. Can't keep it on my lap if a movie is on. It's not just uncomfortable but burning hot!
eV
thanks for making up my mind, guys! i was seriously contemplating getting the newest revision but there were simply too many variables i couldn't get over (one laptop's pros are the other one's cons):
"Unibody" Pros
- DDR3
- 1066MHz FSB
- Battery life
- Closed-lid looks (it does look a lot sleeker and thinner when closed)
"Classic" Pros
- DVI (this is a HUGE pro. no need to carry an extra $30 adapter at all times)
- Firefire 400 & 800
- Matte screen
- Removable battery
- ExpressCard/34
- Open-lid looks (all-silver)
two things that are really bothering me right now is that i have barely 2GB of free space left on my stock HDD and the battery lasts just a little over an hour (when lightly used). but those can be both replaced/upgraded for under $250.
"Unibody" Pros
- DDR3
- 1066MHz FSB
- Battery life
- Closed-lid looks (it does look a lot sleeker and thinner when closed)
"Classic" Pros
- DVI (this is a HUGE pro. no need to carry an extra $30 adapter at all times)
- Firefire 400 & 800
- Matte screen
- Removable battery
- ExpressCard/34
- Open-lid looks (all-silver)
two things that are really bothering me right now is that i have barely 2GB of free space left on my stock HDD and the battery lasts just a little over an hour (when lightly used). but those can be both replaced/upgraded for under $250.
I just picked up a 7200 RPM 320GB drive for 80 bucks shipped. Not sure about the battery. What year is it? There was an issue with 2006 MBP batteries and you may be eligible for a replacement.
eV
mine is just a little over a year old. it didn't last too long. the peculiar thing is, the charge level reported by the system is invalid. when i'm at about 25% remaining, the system goes to hibernation as though as it were at 0%. i'm out of warranty, however, so going to talk to the "geniuses" would be a waste of time.
i just placed an order on a 500GB 7200 RPM HDD for $140 (tax + shipping inclusive from newegg). i figured that should last me for some time (even when i do upgrade to a new machine).
Two things
1. There was a recall on a battery on 2006 MBPs. That's the year I was referring to and with a recall, it doesn't matter if you're out of warranty
http://apcmag.com/macbook_pro_battery_recall.htm
http://www.oreillynet.com/mac/blog/2007/04/yet_another_macbook_pro_batter.html
I got an exchange based on the first recall
2. Consider going with a 5400 RPM drive if you're getting a 500GB. I've read a bunch of reviews/reports over the last 2 days and at that size - the 5400 drives perform just as well as the 7200. The Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB is the one they tested against the others. Save some cash and also increase battery life slightly. Just a thought
eV
Unless you absolutely have to have that extra few tenths of Ghz, or there is some aspect of the unibody that you love like the keyboard or aerodynamic design, You're loosing all this functionality with the Classic. Some people will also say the graphics cards are all defective on the old ones. Well apple has guaranteed the gfx cards on all the mbp classics for 3 years - even without applecare. so you're then left with all this money you save, plus functionality, plus (imo) looks with the classic.
yeah, there is a lot of personal preference involved...
I like the classic and always will but mine has been giving me a headache the past 5 months. Had to have 5 parts replaced already (2x top case, bottom case, logic board, display) and battery capacity is already flirting with the 78% mark after just 190 cycles. I'm kinda getting tired...plus there's that ticking time bomb as well. I bought AppleCare for it from ebay but Apple is disputing it already and will likely revoke it
I'm seriously contemplating doing away with it and starting from fresh by 'upgrading' to a previous gen 2.66 now
I'm seriously contemplating doing away with it and starting from fresh by 'upgrading' to a previous gen 2.66 now
yeah, i got a replacement too, for my 2006 MBP. right now i have a 2008 model, however, so i don't believe there are any recalls for that one (wish there were).
i only now read about the 5400RPM WD drive. too late i guess, i've already placed the order on the seagate...
I love my late '07 MBP. It's still just as good as the majority of new windows laptops. My only complaint is the video ram... 128 mb just doesn't cut it with high-end games.
Not me, I just dumped mine on eBay and am going to get the new 13" Pro. The new screen, battery life, and fw800 are what set me over the edge to sell my previous gen 15" Pro.
I got really lucky on eBay. I was able to sell mine for a little over $1000 when most of the same model were selling for less than $900. I know because I have been watching them for the past month. I believe my pictures are what persuaded more buyers to buy mine. Anyway, I can't wait till I get it. Probably early next month!
I got really lucky on eBay. I was able to sell mine for a little over $1000 when most of the same model were selling for less than $900. I know because I have been watching them for the past month. I believe my pictures are what persuaded more buyers to buy mine. Anyway, I can't wait till I get it. Probably early next month!
Wirelessly posted (iPod touch 32GB: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)
I have an original unibody 15" which replaced my 1st gen (core duo) MBP.
It is an awesome machine and quite simply the best Mac I've ever owned.
I absolutely love the new keyboard and trackpad (this is the first notebook I've ever had that I don't feel the need to carry an external mouse around with)
the screen is absolutely gorgeous and I have zero problem with reflections.
Of course, being a first gen unibody I also have expresscard and 3GB SATA
I have an original unibody 15" which replaced my 1st gen (core duo) MBP.
It is an awesome machine and quite simply the best Mac I've ever owned.
I absolutely love the new keyboard and trackpad (this is the first notebook I've ever had that I don't feel the need to carry an external mouse around with)
the screen is absolutely gorgeous and I have zero problem with reflections.
Of course, being a first gen unibody I also have expresscard and 3GB SATA
This old SR MBP is great. I mean, come on Apple, PRO model is all about CONNECTIVITY. Take away ExpressCard, FW400, DVI and you could very well be talking about a MacBook in reality, now that the display is all glossy.
Sure, one could and really should use external display for design work, and FW400 can be used via FW800 port, but there's no excuse for dropping ExpressCard and little excuse for dropping the industry standard DVI port.
This old one can take "anything" you throw at it, the new ones cannot. SD reader instead of ExpressCard, what were you thinking? PRO models should not have been dumbed down.
That said; well done on the enclosure front. The new case feels better and has user serviceable hard drive. It was PITA to change hard drive to this old case, but then again one does not have to do it very often.
Sure, one could and really should use external display for design work, and FW400 can be used via FW800 port, but there's no excuse for dropping ExpressCard and little excuse for dropping the industry standard DVI port.
This old one can take "anything" you throw at it, the new ones cannot. SD reader instead of ExpressCard, what were you thinking? PRO models should not have been dumbed down.
That said; well done on the enclosure front. The new case feels better and has user serviceable hard drive. It was PITA to change hard drive to this old case, but then again one does not have to do it very often.
Long time Mac rumor speculator, first time poster.
Personally the flaws in the ancient design of my otherwise very excellent PowerBook G4 made me realize just how important Apple's switch to the unibody productions of future portables became. It was subject to warping (thin aluminium(sorry, Aussie spelling)), cracking at the seams and generally my new MacBook Pro just feels solid and sturdy.
On that account, I have the first iteration of the MacBook Pro unibody so I get ExpressCard slot, supposedly faster SATA and a removable battery (though would have settled for the inbuilt battery if claims are true.)
Loving it, since I grabbed it at refurbished prices.
On a side note, why didnt Apple just wait for nvidia to release their new line of mobile GPUS - they use less power than the 9600M and are reportedly 2x faster (unusual for Apple to not to acquire the best from their partners before anyone else?)
Personally the flaws in the ancient design of my otherwise very excellent PowerBook G4 made me realize just how important Apple's switch to the unibody productions of future portables became. It was subject to warping (thin aluminium(sorry, Aussie spelling)), cracking at the seams and generally my new MacBook Pro just feels solid and sturdy.
On that account, I have the first iteration of the MacBook Pro unibody so I get ExpressCard slot, supposedly faster SATA and a removable battery (though would have settled for the inbuilt battery if claims are true.)
Loving it, since I grabbed it at refurbished prices.
On a side note, why didnt Apple just wait for nvidia to release their new line of mobile GPUS - they use less power than the 9600M and are reportedly 2x faster (unusual for Apple to not to acquire the best from their partners before anyone else?)
What can I say? I'm not only proud of owning the late version of the old 17" model but I bought it brand new when the unibodys were alreadly released a month and a half ago. I connect my DVI monitor every day, directly, I'm a fanatic of firewire and I use both 400 and 800, I have a second battery and I saved 600 because it was "old" and nobody wanted it. Oh, and another advantage: I'm not upset for the last modifications in the Macbook family that has converted the first unibodys in "the old model".
if you would have dropped a uni youd be crying in another thread right now
I still have a Powerbook G4(1.5), macbook black and a new 15" 3.06 uMBP, to be honest, the new design has its flaws(glare), but my powerbook has bumps and bruises over it and has never been dropped, the strength of the uMBP is superior in everyway to both my powerbook and blackbook, yes it is missing a lot of features many desire, but it is still a professional and a consumer machine, built for what i need it for, video editing and portability, straightforward and powerful. Stop whining about how Apple should do things and go to another platform if that is how you feel, if you do not like the uMBP, you do not have to buy one, but nobody is interested in the continued rant of people who think apple did not do enough this upgrade, I for one, having not upgraded my computer for three years took a look at the boring(2008 MBP, looks the same as my powerbook, which has a keyboard i do not necessarily like) and the beautiful(uMBP, which adds to the beauty of the 15" MBP, I was happy that they included an SD slot despite some of the losses of the expresscard, but more importantly I felt that the increase in battery life was the key, as the processing power is already a great step ahead of my current machines)
Enjoy the computer that you have, and do not spend every moment trying to belittle apple, or other Apple users because you believe they are buying inferior machines. I love my powerbook, and i love my uMBP, they are both "pro" to me
I'm still glad I have my "classic" MBP. IMO, they just look so much nicer than the newer ones, and personally, I don't like the black keys/silver body colour scheme. I'm so glad I got the 15" Matte. And at no extra cost, too
Only thing that really bugs me is how the prices of repairs have gone up in my area, as everyone has the Unibodies now. Oh well, such is the consequences of progress.
EDIT: Also, this thing seems to be a sturdy little bugger. It's been spilled on, dented, and scratched, but it's still going strong.
Only thing that really bugs me is how the prices of repairs have gone up in my area, as everyone has the Unibodies now. Oh well, such is the consequences of progress.
EDIT: Also, this thing seems to be a sturdy little bugger. It's been spilled on, dented, and scratched, but it's still going strong.
it's up to you. are you the kind of person that always needs the "latest and greatest"? Does your machine ever feel slow in the daily tasks you perform? I also have a core duo MBP, but it still meets my needs just fine. I upgraded the RAM (1GB --> 2GB) and hard drive (80GB --> 250GB) and I'm sure my MBP will be fast enough for me for years to come.
Yes, but for no logical reason, what I have works, and is fast enough. A larger hard drive would be nice though...maybe thats a good solution!
Honestly, I think some people are in denial about the MacBook Pros. The unibody trackpad is incredible. So much real estate to scroll around etc. Awesome. The DVI argument is moot. We have the best of both worlds now! MOST people don't need to plug their laptops in, except for business people, and honestly, the little adapter is NO big deal, and at home we get to use the awesomeness that is the Apple Cinema Display 24", which I firmly believe NO "consumer" screen out there touches in terms of quality, and usefulness (charges laptop, speakers, usb hub, webcam/mic etc...).
Then you get tremendous battery life, none of the nastiness of the last generation's screen-clip mechanism, it's FASTER, none of the reliability issues (thus far!) of the GPU, MILES better keys that actually respond vs the older style which needed a deeper press to engage etc. Firewire 400 vs Firewire 800 isn't an argument since you just use a slightly different cable and you can daisy chain multiple devices.
Anyway, the new MBP absolutely owns the old one. And for those that say glossy sucks and matte rules, - don't bother. A glossy screen is actually MORE usable outside in the sun than a matte screen, and BOTH screens will have glare. The matte screen just isn't REFLECTIVE. There's a difference. Somehow, because you can make out definite shapes in the glossy screens, it's somehow WAY worse than a matte display, when in reality both types glare like crazy.
Anyway, you're all crazy.
Honestly, I think some people are in denial about the MacBook Pros. The unibody trackpad is incredible. So much real estate to scroll around etc. Awesome. The DVI argument is moot. We have the best of both worlds now! MOST people don't need to plug their laptops in, except for business people, and honestly, the little adapter is NO big deal, and at home we get to use the awesomeness that is the Apple Cinema Display 24", which I firmly believe NO "consumer" screen out there touches in terms of quality, and usefulness (charges laptop, speakers, usb hub, webcam/mic etc...).
Then you get tremendous battery life, none of the nastiness of the last generation's screen-clip mechanism, it's FASTER, none of the reliability issues (thus far!) of the GPU, MILES better keys that actually respond vs the older style which needed a deeper press to engage etc. Firewire 400 vs Firewire 800 isn't an argument since you just use a slightly different cable and you can daisy chain multiple devices.
Anyway, the new MBP absolutely owns the old one. And for those that say glossy sucks and matte rules, - don't bother. A glossy screen is actually MORE usable outside in the sun than a matte screen, and BOTH screens will have glare. The matte screen just isn't REFLECTIVE. There's a difference. Somehow, because you can make out definite shapes in the glossy screens, it's somehow WAY worse than a matte display, when in reality both types glare like crazy.
Anyway, you're all crazy.
So your saying its better b/c you can still utilize monitors and FW by having a bunch of adapters? And you are brainwashed if you think that apple displays are the best you can buy. Im not talking about matte on mine. My glossy is wayyy better than what is on those glass covered things. Most people seem to prefer the old keyboard. For those who dont use tap to click, the new pad sucks. Get a clue about the DVI. That is like the most common monitor hook up. Go hang out and fondle your sd slot
. And there is still not justifying the reflective screen of the new unis.