Mac Book Pro; Mini Review
MacBook Pro. I hate the name. I mean, I really hate the name. Say it out loud and you’re almost guaranteed to mess it up. Despite its horrendous name, the MBP (as I will call it for the duration of this article), certainly has a lot going for it. Apple likes to awe the press with its internal tests that show that the MBP is 4x-5x faster than the current top end PowerBooks, but in reality, how many people can actually make an association between a benchmark score and how a machine handles in every day use. Yesterday afternoon, I set out to test just that.
Even 3 hours after its announcement, the MBP was still surrounded by a layer of press 4-5 people thick (its down to about 3 today). I patiently took my place in line, and began waiting. Now, no matter how patient you are, when the guy in front of you keeps playing around with the toy you want so desperately to fondle, all those laws against maiming and rioting start to seem a bit silly.
After about 20 minutes of standing around, it was my turn. Naturally, the first thing I did was shut the machine down. The first and best indication of how fast a computer starts up. We are all used to pressing the power-button on our respective Macs, seeing black, then grey, then blue, then the login screen/desktop. I think David Pouge of the New York Times described the boot process of the MBP best.
You know normally you see the Apple logo and the spinning circle on startup. On these things it’s more like; press the power-button, BLIP, and you’re up and running”
So the MBP passed the boot test, but I wasn’t done putting it through its paces. Jobs had noted the speed of Safari on the new machines, and he wasn’t kidding. I can say with 100% certainty that the Intel build of Safari is the fastest web browser that I have ever used, on any platform. Instead of bouncing in the dock and forcing you to wait, Safari opens a new window and loads a page almost instantly when you open it.
One program at a time is nice, but Macs are about multitasking. I went to the Applications folders, selected all, and double clicked. Now, I know this is far beyond anything that would show up in normal use, but just wait until you hear the results. After slowing down significantly for around 30 seconds, the MBP started working smoothly again. And I mean smoothly. If you have ever had 3 or 4 resource hungry applications running simultaneously, you will be all too familiar with OS X taking a few seconds to switch between applications. Not so with the MBP. Clicking around between applications produced instant results, new documents opened quickly, and pages “Scrolled like butta,” as Reverend Jobs would say.
I didn’t have a chance to play with the remote or iSight, but I think its safe to assume that they work, and not much beyond that. Gimmicky is certainly the word that best describes those two features.
I hasten to say that the MBP is the fastest Mac I have ever used, keeping in mind I have not yet had a chance to play with the Intel iMac.
However, the MBP doesn’t lack its down-points. The MBP looses two things near-and-dear to my heart, a PCMCIA slot, and FireWire 800.
First, lets chat about FireWire. Apple was the first major manufacturer to include Firewire standard on their machines. This was a good thing. Firewire is a terrific interface with advanced features and blazing speeds. However, not many people actually need 800 megabit/s speeds, especially at the premium they were running. Apple started killing Firewire with the nano, and soon it was gone from the iPod. However, I don’t see Firewire going away for good any time soon. FW400 will certainly be with us on consumer level machines for a good time to come, and 800 should reappear soon. My hypothesis is such: At this point, the Pro Applications are not able to run natively on the MacBooks. No Final Cut, no need for fast ports. I see Apple announcing 12 and 17 inch MBP’s along side native Pro Applications some time in March.
As for PCMCIA, Apple obviously knows something we don’t about the new ExpressCard. PCMCIA is obviously still the de-facto standard, and this says to me that there is a big influx of ExpressCards coming to the market.
A nifty new feature on the new machines is a re-designed power plug. Apple designers have finally conquered the ages-old problem of cord trippage. Everyone has a story about tripping over a power cord plugged in to their machine, with the result of the machine flying across the room. The new plug attempts to solve this problem by introducing a mechanism that you don’t plug in, per se, but clip on. The plug is magnetic, and when you get the adapter close to the machine, it clicks snugly into a small depression.
A few little notes about the new machine before I sign off:
- The MBP uses a battery with a similar form factor to the 17 inch PowerBook
- The Airport antennae have been moved from the sides of the display to the hinge below the display.
- The track-pad is now the same size as those found on the 17 inch PowerBook
Update: No, the Pro Applications (Final Cut, Soundtrack, Motion, etc) do NOT work on the MBP, and will not until Apple releases native versions of the applications sometime in March.
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#1 Gareth Potter says:Good stuff Dan - interesting to hear the good news that, despite the name - Argh, the name! - the machine is a nice piece of work. I shall be most pleased to see a 12″ model - with a name along the lines of, say, PowerBook Core - emerge in due course.
On another (pedantic) note:
It’s “loses“, not “looses“, unless the MBP set free the PCMCIA slot and FireWire 800 port.
#2 Arjan says:Hi Dan,
I have read your story and I can only conclude the MacBook is a MacBeauty. Start saving…
Arjan
#3 David Appleyard says:Nice review
#4 Martin MC Brown says:IF you read one of rht erports (I can’t remember which) the reason that FW800 has been dropped in this recision is that they are currently using an all-Intel chipset (for speed of developerment, I expect).
Intel FireWire does not support FW800 (Intel pushed USB for a long time), so only FW400 is available.
I suspect on Apple’s Pro machines, where they will have more space and more time to develop a suitable mobo FW800 will make a return.
#5 henrrrik says:I very much doubt FW800 will appear as a built in connector on any intel based mac. It has failed to gain traction, eSATA II is cheaper and faster.
#6 Carsten Rose Lundberg says:Very nice review taking the conditions into consideration. To cheer you somewhat up PCMCIA and ExpressCard are not different technologies as you can read on TUAW
#7 Enrique A Gomez says:You forgot to mention something I read elsewhere today but had not noticed myself is the lack of S-Video out, and therefore composite. I’ll most certainly miss it, countless times I’ve hooked up my TiPowerBook to the TV to watch photos or movies, maybe Apple will come up with an alternative.
Nice review by the way.
#8 Patrick Haney says:The question I have that no one seems to be able to (or in Apple’s case, want to) answer is “what kind of battery life can we expect out of the MacBook Pro?
I know there’s a lot of speculation about the battery life and how Apple isn’t telling us because it’s not as good as the latest update of the Powerbook, but I’m not one to put much faith in speculation. I’d like hard facts.
Are we going to get 5+ hours out of our Intel-based laptops, or do we file battery life of the MacBook Pro under the same list as “Missing Firewire 800″ and “Lack of a PCMCIA slot?”
#9 Chris Kelly says:what we all really want to know is: was the Mac Startup sound present?
#10 Jason says:I’m curious - did you happen to use a non-Universal app? I’m wondering how programs like Photoshop & Dreamweaver 8 will respond on the MBP
#11 Ande says:Sounds pretty good that new MacBook Pro! And btw, i like the name
#12 Giovanny says:Hey Dan, thanks for your first impression. I’m wondering the exact same thing Jason is thinking on emulated software running Rosetta. Specifically Photoshop and Dreamweaver (Jobs’ Photoshop part scared me a bit). Thx in advance.
#13 Chad says:S-Video is available through an optional adapter. It just isn’t included in the box. I believe this was the case for the final PowerBook model too.
#14 Chris says:Thanks for the preview! I was curious though, was it running hot, or was it cool to the touch? The current powerbooks can get quite hot under average use…I’m hoping these will be better.
#15 Ryan Green says:For those lamenting the loss of FW800:
#1 ExpressCard FW800 ports already exist for 54 inch, and are in development for 34 inch.
#2 for the vast majority of users, this is not an issue, since the bottleneck is not in the protocol but in the IDE protocol itself. FW800 is mostly going to be saturated only by RAID arrays.
#16 Ger Nijkamp says:I’m just missing one major flaw of this MacBook Pro in jour review: comparing to the latest PowerBook we have gone BACK form Dual Layer DVD-burners to (again) Single Layer DVD burning.
I really can’t understand which idiot has decided (sorry if that’s you, Steve) to skip that feature from a machine that’s labeled als ‘Pro’.
#17 simon gardener says:And its only 4 speed burning
what gives with this - i work in the dive industry on a safari boat and produce dvd of the trip on the last morning i have to burn up tp 15 4.4 gig dvds.
windows machines regularly pack 8 speed burners - what are apple thinking here ?
Mce do a 8 speed burner upgrade - im condidering getting one for my powerbook - so it got to be possible
#18 Jesse J. Anderson says:Did I hear you correct… did you say this will not be able to run Final Cut or any of the other Pro Applications (Motion, DVD Studio Pro, etc)?? Seems like it should have ample power to do so.
#19 Paul Greatbatch says:Yeah, I noticed the 4X burning and lack of dual layer as well. The battery life is probably a wash, but I’m used to keeping an adapter on hand for my 17″ Powerbook anyway. The Pro applications won’t be Universal until March. (Should we see some MacPowerTower Pros around then?) So we traded massive speed increase for 8X DVD burning, a modem, S-video, Firewire 800, and a modem. Just depends on your needs, I guess.
#20 chris long says:I can vouch for photoshop cs and dreamweaver 8 use. Performance is very acceptable, especially for us web guys, who may not necessarily be pushing PS to its performance edge. I use a dual 867Mhz MDD mac at work, and the rosetta performance of both apps on the Intelimac is highly comparable. Not bad for an emulator.
HEY STEVE – why don’t you just call the new line Intelimac’s…..Ya know, Intel+imac??!
Thats all you did with the PowerPC chips, PowerMac, PowerBook, etc. Processor + Brand Name is a good formula, methinks. BTW, No charge for that one.
#21 KenC says:About battery life, I figured that Steve said, 4x more power per watt, and 4x to 5x more powerful; so a rough estimate would say, the MacBook uses the same, or slightly more power than the old PB. Factoring in the 20% larger battery, and I’m thinking the MB is going to be about the same or slightly longer in life.
Now, look at Acer’s website, and they peg their 8200 Core Duo at 2hrs with a 6-cell battery and 3.5hrs with a 9cell. Go to PC Mag’s website and they give the same Acer a 3:47 on their battery benchmark. A HP dv1000 with a CoreDuo got a 3:37 on the same test. For comparison, an HP dv4000 and a Dell XPS170 with the fastest Centrinos, got 2:28 and 2:34, respectively.
I don’t know how big the batteries were in the Centrino laptops, but since they were sporting the fastest Centrinos, one presumes these weren’t ultraportables, but professional laptops with large batteries. Even so, the Yonahs were significantly long-lifed, compared to them.
#22 KenC says:To answer the DVD question about dual-layers, I saw at Macbidouille’s website that the MacBook is thinner than the PB, just thin enough that there are no DL DVD burners to fit. Presumably, there are no 8x burners that fit yet, either.
#23 mr kitty says:what about the boot mechanism? the dev boxes shipped with a bios, not open firmware…. the loss of open firmware (and all the startup keys) would be the biggest tragedy of the intel switch
#24 David B says:Ryan Green - I think you mean millimetres where you write inches. ExpressCard comes in two flavours - 54 mm across or 34 mm across (both are 75 mm deep and 5 mm think if memory serves) See http://www.expresscard.org. Given that very large LCDs are only just now coming in 50″ diagonal sizes, I’d be happy that express cards are not 54 inches across.
Also - TUAW has it wrong. ExpressCards are not PCMCIA although the PCMCIA organisation stands behind both standards (PC Card and ExpressCard). The ExpressCard slot is simply a way of making a machine’s internal PCI-Express and USB 2.0 busses available via a small high-density connector. Not sure what interface PC Cards provide.
Also - all 12″ Powerbooks required an adapter to output composite or S-video - about 20 bucks from an Apple Store. There’s no reason why one wont work/be released for the MacBook Pro.
Finally - has anyone actually checked (via System Profiler) that the optical drive used by the MacBook does not support DVD-DL burning? At the moment all we’re going on is a spec sheet which doesn’t promote the feature.
Lack of FW800 is stupid on a Pro level machine and I fully expect it will be returned in some way to cater money-ed up pro mobile video editors.
Lack of modem on a portable is stupid - especially if you ever consider taking your machine outside the US or South Korea.
My take on this is that these machines have been rushed out ASAP to try to capitalise on hype, ability to deliver, etc. They are not the polished products that Apple is renown for. The MacBook and the iMac Core Duo are stop-gap measures until the really fresh machines are ready to be released. I am confident that they will usher in styling changes to all machines. FWIW I think that new designs will trend toward smaller and sleeker machines.
David
#25 Armando says:Other things to add based on my talks with the Apple guys. They said that the MacBook Pro will ship with a DVI-to-VGA/S-Video adapter, so you’ll still be able to do S-Video out. Also, the reason for missing the DVD-R DL support, drive size. The DL drive is thicker and would not fit is the skinner case they were shooting towards. They are hoping for skinner DL drives. In regards to battery life, all the MacBook Pro on displayed at Macworld are prototypes, not the final ones. They still have further tests, especially battery optimization and such, hence no announcement on battery specs, but they should be reasonable.
#26 henrrrik says:Ehrr. Why?
#27 henrrrik says:“the loss of open firmware (and all the startup keys) would be the biggest tragedy of the intel switch”
Ehrr. Why?
#28 close says:My concern: when closed, the MagSafe will be very close to the screen. Will this be harmful in the long term?
#29 Robert Sharl says:Good stuff, but I think it’s short-sighted to describe the iSight and IR remote as ‘gimmicky’. I can’t wait for developers to begin taking advantage of these. Have you tried Delicious Library? Just holding your books and cds up to the camera and having it use the barcode to categorise them and pull up their covers is /wonderful/. I futz with my phone as a bluetooth remote all the time, and would switch to a line-of-sight remote that just worked for 90% of the presentations I do (where I can see my PowerBook). The idea of a computer that can’t see you will seem crazy in 3-years time (sooner to us Mac users).
#30 Nate says:“the loss of open firmware (and all the startup keys) would be the biggest tragedy of the intel switch”
Ehrr. Why?
If you have ever had to deploy or troubleshoot a mac you’d know. I don’t see why apple can’t reproduce that functionality though in the new efi bios. I really get the feeling that this is a rushed product that will be updated as soon as they figure out that in reality it’s not a pro machine. Also they should have put in the larger expresscard. The smaller one can’t adapt for cf cards (total machine killer for photographers). Guess i’m waiting for revision 2
#31 George says:Merits of the various technology aside. I am not impressed with the offering . Furthermore, from an economics standpoint, very disappointed at the price point reletive to the offering. This akin to paying a 10 cent per gallon premium for diesel over hi-octane gasoline. ( diesel is in fact cheapest fuel to make b/c of higher yields and least cost addatives)
I think I might wait for dell version at $999
#32 Vicente Ribeiro says:The new MacBooks processor are 32 or 64 bit?
#33 Josh says:the Intel chips are 32 bit.
i was crushed to hear of the loss of PCMCIA slot because now i have now way of just snapping in my CF cards, i’ll have to resort to a cable which isn’t that practical on the go.
a couple other message boards are saying the Macbook’s battery life is 3 hours (running wireless internet)
#34 Roberto says:Thanks for the performance review. Too bad about the rest of the machine’s features. It’s not like this dual-core thingy is going to make my Word docs type faster, is it… Which makes this Powerbook Duo Pro a really odd pro machine — it seems to be not quite here nor there.
Thanks, Apple, but no thanks. My Powerbook 12-inch is more complete than what you’re trying to pass off as a Pro machine here (nice try)… so I guess this is one sale you’ve lost for this round.
Should’ve listened to us fanboys and gone with the widescreen iBooks instead. Then maybe you’d have been left with resounding squeals of delight instead of collective thud of disappointed arses hitting the sofa.
#35 Paul says:the new mbp blows…ppl should just wait for the next gen ones. That way all the bugs will be solved. What i really wanna see is a new tower, so at least if they screw up…i can always upgrade
#36 Brady says:Nothing that Apple makes can ever live up to the wild speculation and dreams of dedicated Apple-philes. Yes, we all want something impossible for half the price with Firewire 1 billion and a built in mind reader but that’s not practical. This is the best Apple portable ever…period. I for one already have my order in.
#37 Ste says:Check out this idiots site.
#38 Josh says:I’ve heard alot of speculation on this new macbook people praising it and other passing it off, waiting for next generation. But for me this is great, I love the machine. All I use my computer for asides from mail and internet is basically eiditing with photoshop for my photography and with the upgrade to the X1600 256mb graphics card, gig of standard ram and a dual core processor this makes it a dream machine.
Asides from my previous mention of the loss of PCMCIA, What were they thinkging, or do they know something we don’t. You can never be sure with Apple.
#39 Unknown says:well…der is a new mac book pro on the market as everybody knows…about there being a Firewire 400 instead of a Firewire 800, well mac hasalready taken out stuff for the intel based computer like final cut pro and other stuff like that..( with Rosetta) and its a possibility that these devices run on the Firewire 400
The good news is :- It’s a mac..we’ll really never know..
The bad news:- It’s a msc..we’ll really never know
#40 Willjk says:Let us not forget what we have gained here in all of this now I can plug a mouse in on both sides of my computer 1 gig ram standard. these are cool everyone is talking about firewire 800 but who really uses that I never have had too. Some one mentioned usb 2.0 repacing it but remember hat FW400 is standard for DV cameras ie imovie I can understand why some one can’t run a pro app on their new machine to me that is apple telling us “if you have waited 4 years for a G5 pB and have the money in the bank buy right now and be the first kid with the new nintendo” But for me what is the point if it isn’t optomized to do what i need yet and I know I can wait a while.
does anyone know what the long term reprocussions of the intell chips will be on softwear I can’t imagine what adobe is going to do they just merged with macromedia and now this their programmers must be pulling their hair out:) or is this gonig to increese over all compatability with PC softwear adn their for increase avalibility and thus draw more people to use an apple?
#41 Josh says:at the WWDC in 2005 Jobs brought in the Head of adobe and he announced that Abobe would be one of the first onboard for the intel switch (of course there were banking on the the second/third quarter of 06 for apple to release them), so i’m gonna guestimate that adobe will start rolling out universal binaries around June. Lets hope, i need photoshop and well lightroom too.
#42 imix says:I cant wait for mine to arrive, work here is getting me one to play with…
I’ve never even messed with a mac, this will be my machine to learn it on.
perhaps i will convert….
and M$ vista will be able to run on it for any apps i need there.
ps, the magsafe connector will have no affect on the screen, or anything else, its a great idea.
february cant come too soon….
#43 p5'werx says:“and M$ vista will be able to run on it for any apps i need there.”
I am curious if this will be true. I am presently a PC user and actually very fed up with all the f$%&@ virus trouble i have had in the last few years-constantly re-installing..
Anyways, because i need certain programs which are presently only available for PC, does anyone see Apple making it possible to run PC software?
Speaking about the new MBP now. I am curious to see what the changes might be after the first ones come out? When might the new ones come out-8 months, 12?
Dan, thanks for your take on things!
#44 GF says:Did you notice if the new MacBrook Pros suffer from the same “horizontal banding” (subtle yet noticable lines across the LCD display) as the 15” G4 Powerbooks? This is obviously important to many users who encountered this problem before. Thanks.
#45 Josh says:They won’t, thats why they changed it to a 15.4 inch screen as opposed to the previos 15.2 and altered the resolution to a more standard 1440×900 instead of the unusual and odd 1440×960 which should cure the problem.
as for running PC software, i highly doubt it, actually i’m quite sure you won’t be able to, of course their will be a handful of people who will have hacked it and made it work, but thats about as far as i see it going. If you could, manufacturers wouldn’t bother making mac and PC versions which they still are for the few apps that were announced at macworld
#46 Chris says:Ordered mine, and I can’t wait for it to arrive. =] So far it says Feb. 24th as shipping date. Got the 1.83ghz model
#47 p5'werx says:I have read some material to suggest that it will run WINDOWS VISTA OS, but no one will know until it is out and you are actually, physically able to put a CD into the drive and find out if it boots-? If not then there is the answer-!
I am however, a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the new MBP- i think i will wait and see what the next version brings, before dropping $3,000 Canadian for a subpar machine.
I am however strongly in favour of switching over to MAC from PC, but i will wait and see what happens in the next months.
#48 Willjk says:yeah don’t think that jobs is going to currupt is machine with a bunch of windows stuff. I find it ironic that people who have never used an apple are callin gthem subpar however I do understand the veiw that it is lacking in some areas but we all need to realize that you can’t put a tower on you lap period. I’ve head of hacked versions of os10 for PC but I think that was just BETA test for the new chips that was hacked. besides I don’t think it would ever happen bc then gates would have to deal with another monopoly lawsuit.
what i’m really waitin gfor is for ox11 to come out not sure when but I think with the new chip sets and all it s a good bet that it will happen soon.
willjk
#49 Josh says:When windows releases Longhorn aplpe will release Leopard, steve said so at the 05 WWDC
#50 Adam Michna says:The issues with the Mac Book Pro seem to be minor. With lack of a PCMCIA slot and FireWire 800, The Mac Book Pro will have it’s own problems. People are so hyped up to see the minuses rather than noticing how unique and powerful it is, rather than realizing problems that arose from the production of the Mac Book Pro and issues concerning how it’s going to funtion in everyday use. Apple takes the time to go over each products longitivity, durability, and read comments about what the publics point of view is on it’s products. What most people around the office wonder is to what an Intel chip is doing in a mca in the first place and what kind of conflicts are going to occure with Mac software, like Final Cut Pro.
Coincidently, Apple states that the Intel chip sitting inside of its new Mac Book Pro is as fast as if it had two G5 processors in them. Huh.. Well if Apple said it, It must be true. Anway, Theres still no guarentee that for people, such as myself who film and edit, Final Cut Pro will handel way more efficently than a G4 Powerbook could, with no exceptions to even inconsistent self shutting program problems that Final Cut Pro ususally encounters on G4s.
One way or another, I’ll be there when it finally arrives and taking notes for myself on how it handles.
#51 yv says:Re. running Winxx apps on the mac…
One of the neat things about the shift to intel chips is that it should be possible for VMWare to be ported to the new OS at some point. Assuming that this happens, you should be able to run MSVista or whatnot in a virtual machine…
All in all it looks like a nice machine. The loss of native FW800 will annoy a lot of the professional types that require that level of bandwidth to disk, and the loss of some vertical resolution will annoy a lot of folk who need every last dot… On the other hand, the DVI out handles 30″ displays. Not bad I say!
Sure… things that are useful to _some_ users are missing - modems, native FW800, native S-video out. On the other hand:
* it seems that S-Video/VGA will be handled as per PB12″ - with an external adapter
* Apple already ship a tiny little USB modem which costs a handful of dollars
* New card format notwithstanding, I daresay it won’t take terribly long for FW800 cards to appear.
Not that anyone really wants to shell out for extra bits on top of a laptop purchase… but hey, it’s not as if the machine is neutered by the lack of features..
#52 ezzup says:I just ordered the Intel MBP and was planning on using it with Final Cut - what will the issues be?
#53 charles davis says:FYI PowerBooks were PowerBooks long, and I mean LONG, before the PowerPC chip was ever dreamed up.
Long Long Long before. It was indeed a great Brand name, and Apple has committed the cardinal sin of Branding…change a known brand for the sake of changing a known brand.
#54 Willjk says:yeah I just heard form a friend that 804.11N is due to come out by spring it is something crazy like 600MPS wireless and has like 10x the range anyone else heard about this.
the problem with windows vista is going to be the 7 differant versions that bill has planned how dumb is that home, home pro, buiniess, small B, large B, corprate server, and probable some free thign or some thing. I smell compartability issues although it will be cool to get more people convereted to apple hey jet buy an apple and you can have everything. oh yeah and it won’t crash.
but yeah I’m planning on getting a MBP this summer when the new HD DVD vs blue laser and the new wireless stuff comes out I think this year is going to be full oh technichal leeps, exciting
Willjk
#55 Gt says:The Macbook Pro is one of the best laptops i have ever seen.
#56 snplatinum says:will macbook pro be able to have mac and vista on the system so where you can choose what OS to run?
#57 josh s says:Like most I am asking the question that hasn’t been answered, will Final Cut work on the Mac Book Pro?
#58 RTM says:I wish this portable could support a PCNCIA card — especially the ones that verizon national broadband access uses for access to its national high speec wireless service. Any idea if the MBP will eventially be able to support this — e.g., by some kind of usb or ExpressCard adapter to PCNCIA cards?
#59 Rob P says:No PC card slot, no firewire 800, less screen resolution, no startup keys,
this is MacBookAmatuer not Pro,
I’m usally the first in line for the new apple offering…not this time.
I’ll wait this one out until the add the “Pro” features.
#60 Michael Rose says:I’m also hoping to see another firewire connection — 800 would be nice. I use my Powerbook for video editing and hook up a drive and a video deck to my laptop. Each one on a separate firewire port. A PCMCIA slot would at least give us a way to add more fiirewire power.
#61 Meredith says:I’m in the process of choosing a laptop for college for next fall. I’ve had so many problems with stupid Dell and Windows all together, plus I do a lot of filmmaking. Does anyone suggest I get macbook pro? I’m not too enthusiastic about buying something that just came out because there are always problems. Things that seem important are; memory (need quite a bit), several USB ports, firewire, DVD/CD burner, good resolution, and something that runs fast. If none of you suggest macbook pro, then what other powerbook do you think?
#62 Mark says:OK, for those who are asking about Final Cut. No it will not run on MBP. Or, not yet anyways. I believe the release date for Final Cut and Aperture and the other professional programs offered by Apple will be released for the Intel in late spring or early summer-ish. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple released it earlier. And as far as Vista goes (OK,Vista is a WORSE name then Mac Book Pro is by far. And!, if you look-up the word “vista” in the dictionary, its very ironic. By the way the definition is something along the lines of “A distant view or prospect”), There is an article on Apple’s website in their “news” section that briefly discusses this platform crossing. As I take it, Microsoft will be making their programs run on Mac, not the operating system itself. Which, hopefully, they’ll run natively so that you don’t have to buy special Mac version of them.
#63 A regular web guy says:Now I love macs. I’ve had every version mac has come out with since I switched from my old Amiga. I am currently running a G4 tower, a Powerbook, an I just bought my girlfriend an ibook. So I am a devotee, but come on…
…why, after all this time investing over $20,000 in software to get where I am today, Apple is now making me do it all over again? Why, when you can get a PC that is already as fast as the “New” macs, would I continue down this path?
I don’t see it as a new mac. Because I can’t run any mac software on it! It’s not a mac, it’s a scam to make all us mac users unload even more money than we have been to get a computer that need all new software that isn’t even out yet!
By the time all you guys get the new MBP and the software to run your business on it, there will be a newer, better, faster one that needs all new softare again.
So it’s faster, other than that there’s no difference between it and the powerbook (I have virtual PC and it’s runs great!). It’s a hole to throw money in just so you can look cool when your at the coffee shop.
I hate to say it, but if apple is going the way of PC, I might as well buy a Dell, it’s already got the intel chip, and there’s tons of software already available.
Mac died with the Mac Book Piece Of Sh*t.
#64 Phillip says:Hello,
I am not a mac user but I was planning on getting a 15in. powerbook. I’m wondering if that’s a good idea, I don’t know mac very well. Awesome intel and mac machine. I’ll probably still get a powerbook because it has been iterated so many times, it is tried and true.
Still a dual core laptop is very… exciting, especially mac.
-Phil
#65 Ryan says:Do you think the powerbook g4’s will go on sale now as a result of the macbook pro? Also, I was curious to read anyones answer to merediths question about. Can anyone help? Thanks.
#66 Chris Balaska says:Thats not all the macbook pro is missing….. it is also missing a modem. you can buy a usb modem for $50.If you can give updates on the specs and weight i would aslo like to know the price.
much ablidged
Chris
#67 Singh says:I recieved my MacBook Pro 2.0Ghz yesterday. I am not sure if anyone else has experienced this but this thing runs very hot. underneath and near the back of the keyboard where the vent is its almost too hot to touch.
I hope Apple is not going to have problems with this thing running too hot this early in the game. I better get some AppleCare on it ASAP.
Thanks
Singh
#68 kelly says:Hey Singh - Can you keep us up to date on the temperature issue with your new MBP?
I was at the Apple store today and made a point to feel the bottoms of the new MBP for excessive heat - then I compared it to the Powerbook. There was little if any difference - if anything, the MBP was not as warm as the Powerbook. I wonder, though, what happens when you start running high powered programs…
#69 Philip says:Hello,
I am on my way to the mac store. I still don’t know what to buy: A powerbook G4 or the MBP. I guess I will take the G4.
To the guy who already has the new MBP: How is it with the software? -The Photoshop and the Final Cut? That is very important to me…..
#70 stephanie says:i’m in the same boat as some other folks whoi posted — i need to move up from my 3 year old i-book. i was planning on the powerbook g4, but am tempted to step up to the most recent model, although i do loathe and despise the name. i’m a writer and not a millionaire, so this purchase will need to do it for me for another 3 years. what should i do? please advise oh wise ones.
#71 Robert Sharl says:Stephanie, I’m probably going to have to replace a PowerBook G4 12″ soonish, and on the basis that it’s been powerful enough for my needs, and that there’s no real sign of a 12″ MBP, I’m waiting to see what Apple do with the Intel iBook replacement.
All the rumours point to a widescreen 13″ white-clad MacBook that should prove a worthy successor to the 12 PB and 12/14 iBook alike. These machines have been way too close in all but price for ages now and, assuming Apple have finally gotten over the idea that consumer Macs can’t do monitor spanning, my next Mac will probably come in white.
#72 Erik G. says:Great article with limited time to test. I am a Final Cut HD user and will wait til the end of the year to see what happens. I would also miss the fire wire 800. It’s nice to know that the computer is fast but not compatible with everything I need yet. I can wait a year til my PowerBook warranty runs out and they possible work out the downs sides and possibly upgrade to a g5 chip. thanks!
P.S. Nice to know they’re getting back on the bicycle at Apple
#73 Fungke says:Looking to get a new laptop over the summer…
perhaps a little later. i am am mainly a web and photo guy and i am looking to get a MBP. i run PC at home with a Mac Mini. I find the Mac not to be bad….i don’t have problems with file sharing and all at the moment…but i know that i will have trouble with fonts.
in any case, what do you guys think about Asus notebooks as opposed to the MBP?
#74 nour says:I intend to get a laptop, will be mainly using it for graphics, 3D. i m a photograperh and soon will be turning totally to graphics..
i ‘ve been told that mac is more stable and more efficently performing than the PC/windows combination, but from what i been reading here [about this software issues that for each new mac i have to purchase new software..] it really scared me ..
in case i want to use the virtual pc to run applications and software i have for windows, will it perform great or i will have trouble doing so?
i really need an advice [i don't want to regret paying around 3,000 USD for headache]…
#75 CATHERINE says:HEY I’VE NEVER HAD A LAPTOP BEFORE. YOU ARE RIGHT THIS MBP GETS EXTREMELY HOT, I WAS WORRIED AND THOUGHT THAT WAS NORMAL. EVEN AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT’S VERY HOT TO THE LAP. OTHERWIZE I AM A PRETTY HAPPY CAMPER AS A FIRST TIME LAPTOP USER. GOT MINE AT APPLE YORKDALE STORE IN TORONTO ONTARIO CANADA
HOT OFF THE PRESS!!
#76 Kelly Lowry says:On the heat issue, I just wanted to mention that my boyfriend has a 15″ G4 Powerbook (bought about 4 months ago) and I have the 2GHz MBP and we’ve compared the heat output and I have to say that they seem the same. And still less hot than my Gateway PC laptop.
Also, on software running through Rosetta…I have the new PowerCADD 7 software (they haven’t yet come out with the update for intel Macs, but when they do, it will be free for those who have already purchased version 7)…anyway, without comparing scientifically, I and one of the software developers for PowerCADD (they happened to be based nearby) compared the speed of the software on my MBP to his G5 desktop and decided hands down that mine was running faster. I can’t wait to see how it does when the intel update comes out.
So, all in all, I LOVE my MBP. This computer was my official switch from PC’s, and I will NEVER go back!!
#77 happy says:Yes, just want to say I’d like to buy a 12′ MBP.
Anyone knows when it is due?
Ta
#78 Robert Sharl says:There really might not be a 12″ MBP. There have been rumours of the 12″ being dropped from the line. For my part, I think there’s been too much overlap between the 12″ PB and the 12″ iBook for some time. I have a 12″PB and love it, but if it were my own money (and if I’d bought anytime in the last 12 months) I’d have gone back to the iBook, hacked the video firmware to handle monitor spanning and spent just a bit of the money saved on an external DVD writer.
Assuming that (i) Apple have gotten over the ‘consumer macs don’t span screens’ nonsense (firmware differences do not a Pro mac make!), and that (ii) iSight and Apple remote is now a part of the Mac platform in general, then I’d be happy to see a small, light, core duo consumer mac as my next machine. Yeah, silver is nice, but not worth $600 or so extra..
#79 nour says:thanks everyone for the replies.
i just read on cnet that photoshop performance on that MBP is not be conisdered thaaaat good.
well, untill Apple releases that update or fix or whatever that will match the non-apple graphic applications to the apple based ones regarding speed on the intel-processor-MBP, the question i’ve been asking around and found no answer for:
is it slower than the other PC-based laptops or is it “just not that 4x times faster” when it comes to photoshop or similar graphic applications?????
#80 Sandy says:I’m new to Macs, and considering getting the MBP. Does anyone know if the MBP supports current version of QuarkXpress 7, Photoshop, and Illustrator?
I know Final Cut Pro does not work on MBP, but do the others?
Would I be better off, buying a powerbook? I can hold off, on getting the Final Pro, until an update is released, but need to work with the other programs.
Thanks
#81 Scott Shepherd says:I love all the new and great improvements that have come with the Mac Book Pro. The one issue I have is difficult to overcome and I am considering returning my new laptop. The heat is terrible. As long as I run on batteries I can tolerate the heat. It goes to warm. If I can not hold my hand on the bottom of my computer for more than a few seconds what is it doing to the computer? I am concerned about the long term effect of so much heat. Last year I lost my one year old HP laptop due to extream heat. Like the Mac Book Pro the heat was enough to raise the temp of my blood, no kidding. I am very dissapointed. I spoke to mac techs and they have nothing to say. They totally plead ignorant of the problem. If it does not say anything in Mac News it is not a problem. I call the Apple store and spoke with a very nice lady. She said she answers 90% of all calls to the store and mine was the first she had heard of a heat problem. She encouraged me to bring it in and replace it. I am not the kind to do this so fast, however if there is a chance to get a Mac Book Pro that I can place on my lap without concern. I have a few more days before my 14 day period is up and would be interested in how others feel about the extreame heat. Again running on the battery seems to keep the heat down other suggestions. My brother loves macs and says if I increase the ram I could keep the processor from working so hard and hot. Why can’t mac support help with this?
#82 Bill says:Did anyone notice this quote in the article:
I hasten to say that the MBP is the fastest Mac I have ever used, keeping in mind I have not yet had a chance to play with the Intel iMac.
#83 Craig says:Well im going for the approach of, its an apple i have alot of faith in the company and over the last couple of years they have suprised me all the time! I think im going to order mine this week shame it cant run final cut pro? but thats what i got the G5 for im sure for all the problems its got there will be a perfectly good explanation or remedy!!!
#84 ANGEL says:Hey guys, i was wondering, does the MBP runs faster photoshop CS or dreamweaver 8, because i am a web designer, i have a powerbook G4, and i was thinking to switch to the MBP because i sometimes use 1 or 2 softwares only avaiable for windows, but i have my doubts with that stuff that theres no PCMCIA slot and that if you used for a long time it gets hotter, so, what u guys recommend me?…
ANGEL
#85 Chris J says:Hey everyone I think your being a bit hard on apple here no FW800 c’mon how many of you complaining actualy use that bandwith (ok the guy with the video deck) it aint gonna matter with photoshop or any web design apps and yeah it gets hot its the fastest laptop in production today what you expect it to be cool to the touch? no modem? who uses dial up? no pcmcia? its ancient and needs replacing! and finaly in my rant most software is coming out with FREE updates for their apps to run on x86 chipsets and with these updates will come LOTS more speed I am currently saving for mine but damn its expensive but it is new!
All in all I think apple have delivered a good machine!
Its gotta be better than any windows based machine!
My only gripe is the name your asking for trouble if you call any machine “Pro”
Cheers
#86 Scott Shepherd says:Well I keep hearing about how great the performance is on the MBP and it is nice but lets get back to a major problem. Some of you have read my previous comment. I tried to be balanced. I researched for weeks to see if other owners had the same problem with too much heat and I found alot of comments. I called mac support and they side stepped my concerns. After one week I returned the mbp in hopes I would get one I could keep on my lap without getting very uncomfortable. It actually raises my blood temp. I am not one to return things quickly. If I had not been given hope by the following I would not have gone through unloading and loading another computer.
1. Comment quoted on a recent review from a Mac rep. if it is getting so hot that you can not keep your hand on the bottom it should not work like that and should be replaced.
2. Local rep in Atlanta Apple store. She said I take 80% of the calls here and this is the first I have heard of probles with overheating. Again she said if it is that hot it is not right and should be returned. Because there was some hope I went down the Apple store I bought the computer from the week before and was told by the manager that I would have to pay a 10% restocking fee ($190.00). I was not happy. The other alternative was to see the Mac tech in the back and have them confirm my problem with the heat. I checked with them and was asked to wait over two hours in line. I spoke with the manager and complained that the line was 2 hours long and then we would need to let the computer crank up for 15-20 min. so someone could put there hand on the bottom to see how very hot the computer got. I theatend to stand by the new Mac Book Pro demo stand and tell everyone what I have been through he treatend me with security and I said my first phone call would be to Apple. He let me hang around for 20- min before coming back to say he was going to override his policy and work with me. A week in Apple hell and I end up with another hot computer. I am going to keep it this time because like you I like the performace, however if you do not let Apple know how bad the heat really nothing weill get done. Good luck!
#87 Phillip says:Hey guys,
I posted earlier. I just got my MBP, and I am happier than I have been in a long time. Yeah I’ll agree it gets hot, but the manual (yeah, I read the manual) says that you can actually risk burns if you keep it in your lap for prolonged periods. Obviously, then it isn’t a freak chance that one is a “hot” laptop. Honestly look at the processor, with one that fast, and everything crammed in that tiny space, how else is it going to keep cool? It is going to be hot unless you cart around a ten pound liquid cooler. Besides, with an aluminum case, at least you know the heat means it is not ketting kept inside. I have a friend who had a Fujitsu with a P4 and it melted down.
Another note is that this is a FAST computer. Mine is the 1.8ghz and it plays Halo beautifully. I have never had a better performing computer, and I have a 3.0ghz desktop pc. The only thing I don’t like is, oh, there’s nothing. The price really wasn’t bad either for how good the computer is.
#88 kelly says:yeah, phillip, i’m new to apple so i haven’t yet had to deal with them in the same way you have, but i’ve heard lots of complaints about apple support. is it really any different with any other computer company, though? geez, or cell phone co? my boyfriend’s 4 month old powerbook died spontaneously a few weeks ago, and he made the mistake of taking it to the apple store (seems things would have gone a bit better had he sent it to apple, at least that’s what he thinks). they told him it would be no more than 5 days before he’d have it back, so he didn’t make any arrangements to find a back-up computer - it took two weeks and daily calls and they were pretty rude about the whole thing. he lost work (=$) and missed some school assignments as a result. they were completely unapologetic and turns out it took so long because they kept misdiagnosing the prob (trying to do as little as they could get away with, when in fact the logic board and the harddrive had both gone bad).
i agree that the mbp gets pretty hot, but i have to say that it’s still better than my 1 year old gateway laptop. while they both get about equally as hot, the pc’s fan runs so loud it’s distracting! my solution: buy a lapdesk, like the one you might have used as a kid. it’s comfy and puts some distance between your bod and the hot computer.
#89 Unknown says:As we all know, the new 17 inch mac book pro has released..reading reviews on the net and doing some research shows that this computer is impressive…
However, I suggest that people wait a little longer and see what’s in stock then..According to me, Apple is following a trend… The Powerbook G4 had a 1.67 Ghz processor.. the same processor became the lower end mac book pro, it got upgraded to 1,83 and 2 GHz making the 1.67 GHz obsolete.. In the same way, I believe that the 17 inch mac book pro (bad name..will just call it the pro) will come with better speeds in a few months to come…maybe like a 2.4 GHz..which believe does make a difference…
So all mac enthusiasts, i suggest you do it my way…wait for sometime and then go mac shopping as there will be even more improvements
#90 jt says:my friend got a MBP he sed it heated up and started to burn his leg! he found out that the intel core dual over heats andd the machine cannot cool it down. Anyways thanks for the help it looks like a killer machine
JT
#91 Unknown says:ABout the heat, as everybody says, hopefully Apple geniuses could have redesigned the Macbook Pro in such a way that…i donno…it doesn’t burn your lap anymore on the 17 inch model that is…i might be being too optimistic…but look here…they instilled a firewire 800 because everybody wanted one. So anything could be possible!!!
#92 Ginnie says:After speaking with the people at apple, they expressed that the Adobe’s software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) will need to use “Rosetta” to run on the MBP (with the new Intel Chip), and will run okay. However, Adobe is planning a rewrite some of it’s software. These should be in the CS 3 series. These will be compatable with the intel chip and run full capacity.
As for using PC software on the new MBP…….Apple has made available a free download of “Boot Camp” beta (which you use instead of PC Anywhere). You will also need to install Windows XP that has Service Pack 2 for it all to work. When this will all happen……I don’t know.
#93 paul from germany says:just in case anyone is still reading this comment thread:
several people have stated that their MBPs don’t run that hot anymore after updating to the newest firewire (which also includes bios legacy support for EFI - enabling installation of win and linux via boot camp)
final cut, logic and aperture are available as universal binaries (for existing customers through a so-called “crossgrade”)
adobe lightroom beta is also available as UB.
gotta go my intel imac’s waiting…
cheers
#94 paul from germany says:did i write ‘firewire’ ??
that whole firewire 800 thing really got me confused…
of course i meant ‘firmware upgrade’
sorry ’bout that
#95 Lee says:I’ll stick to my Sony PCG TR3A. It may be small and may not be as fast as your Macs, but it’s never burnt my legs and it’s got longer battery life! And it’s super duper light to the max! And 3 years later, the battery life is still up to 4 hours even when I’m running Photoshop CS2 and Corel Painter IX simultaneously, among other applications, and my Intuos tablet is plugged in. By the way, if you do want to stick to your MBP, which I’ve sort of considered switching to, and the heat is your main concern, why don’t you invest in a notebook heatpipe? I got mine from tigerdirect.ca for just under $55 CAD 3 years ago. Check out BYTECC TD-3000 FANLESS HEATPIPE NOTEBOOK COOLER at http://www.ncix.com.
#96 Ginnie says:I read on another blog that someone open his MBP and found that the thermal paste had been applied incorrectly - he replaced it all and now says his MBP runs much much cooler. He said the thermal paste can make a difference on a CPU/GPU. Apparently, a glob of messy thermal paste was obscuring the heat sensors inside the machine. This meant that when the Powerbook got hot, the sensor didn’t pick it up properly. Instead of “locking” the heat inside, it helps transfer the heat (to a heatsink or in this case a heat pipe) outside of the machine. It means the heat doesn’t get trapped inside the motherboard/casing part of the laptop. The heat now transfers much more reliably to the actual heatpipe which is made of copper which conducts heat much better than, aluminium. They also mention that the heatpipe has it’s own temp sensors which would control the functioning of the cooling fans which, when active, are very effective at moving the heat from inside the heatpipe outside of the case. So It is dissipating the heat correctly (more efficiently) with the use of the fans and heat pipe. The heat is being “blown” outside. The case and innards remain cooler. Macs are sorta unique that they used a heat pipe to dissipate the heat (and reducing noise). I get mine tomorrow. I hope it all turns out well.
#97 Ginnie says:Interesting site about MBP………….home.sc.rr.com/mixedbag/MBP/Welcome.html
#98 Kirby says:Kirby likes
#99 Phillip says:Wow, that’s interesting about the thermal paste! I don’t really want to open my computer though, and anyway it doesn’t seem bad enough. I did notice that if I set it to better battery life (even plugged in) it stayed nice and cool. Of course, that wouldn’t be practical if you were doing something intense with the computer, but the difference surprised me. I also noticed that a little airflow around the cmputer makes a big difference too. It seems it gets really hot if the air is still. With a heat pipe it should work excellent though. Question: is the MBP thinner than the powerbooks and iBooks? At a glance it seems so, but I don’t have one to compare.
#100 Jason Collins says:Hi
Bought a Macbook pro 15.4 Widescreen 2.16 - a treat to myself.
DO NOT BUY IT
*it runs too hot
*bought with 100GB Hard Drive - only 75GB of actual space
i could list more, but im never going back to Apple
Not pleased from beginning to end
#101 kelly says:i can’t help but reply to this one…i’ve had my mbp 2.0ghz since march, and yes, it runs hot - but hands down, it’s the best computer i’ve ever owned (and the first mac i’ve owned since 1989…so glad i made the switch back).
#102 Phillip says:Do you know how much it would cost to buy all of the bundled software seperately? Probably more than the computer. Jason, about your memory comment. I agree, it would be nice to have more than 75 gigs or so, but you have to realize that formatting and OS X take up some of the space, plus all that bundled software like iMovie, iTunes, Garageband, iDVD, iCal, iPhoto, iWeb, Safari, QTplayer, iChat, and photobooth. You have a 100gb harddrive, however, all the software takes up space. Apple isn’t going to give you a bigger hd so that you have 100gb free space. If your only other complaint is the heat, I don’t know why you’re disappointed. The only laptops thinner (and that’s allways a reason to buy apple) are despairingly slow, small screened, or secret government tech, that would cost thousands of times more than the MBP. I don’t mean to defend Apple too much but did you read reviews before you purchased the computer? Oh, just an idea, you could get an external hard drive. Unwieldy, I know, but still, if you really need all that space it is an option. I edit video, so I’ll probably have to do that myself.
I agree with Kelly!
#103 Digital Equity says:I just want to say that I am grateful for the gracious tone that everypne’s been using in this blog so that, even when we completely disagree with someone else’s perspective, it’s said without heat or flaming. As one who is waiting on the sidelines to see whether I should jump in and get the new MBP, everyone’s diverse comments have been very helpful. Thanks!!
#104 Ginnie says:I just received my MBP. I have always loved a mac. This is my second mac. Yet, my first mac laptop. Mine does run rather warm. However, I just found out from out tech. at work that a duel processor (with its high speed) must run hotter than a conventional single core processor. We just have to choose between heat and speed. This applies to a PC as well as mac. I am going to give mine a try and see what happens. At least I won’t get a virus…….