unfortunate that almost all the rumours were false
- hybrid ssd
- better battery
- higher resolution
- bigger trackpad
- thinner body
New MacBook Pro series
221–230 of 359 posts
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#222Will you be able to get a MBP with a builtin 3G-adapter yet? No? Ok, I'll just go back to Dell then. Edit: While my comment may come off trollish, this is a requirement for me when buying any mobile gear. That Apple still doesn't provide this for their top of the line laptops still baffles me.
I've never understood the demand for builtin 3G for laptops. I don't want to pay for a 3G data plan for my laptop + 3G data plan for my iPad + 3G data plan for my phone. I want a data plan for my phone, and I want all of my devices to be able to access it via tethering.
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#223hmm - you need to go to 1799$ before you end up with a half decent graphics card and 2199$ for a decent card. Compare it with a Dell XPS 15 Sandy Bridge - $1049 for i7 2620M, 1920X1080 display, nVidia GT525 Optimus card, HD Camera. For a first time possible mac buyer (me) - is it well justified ?
The Dell XPS is a desktop-replacement laptop. Fast, but bulky. I doubt it has wonderful battery life. It's probably got a cheap case. Resale value will be low. Comparing Apples to Apples, you might look at high-end Sony laptops. The MBP 13" close to the S series, both in price and quality. The F series (big, bulky powerhouse) is much cheaper, and has much better specs - but it's a desktop replacement (like the Dell X…
It doesn't even make desktops!
Huh? What about the Mac Mini, the iMac and the Mac Pro?
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#224Re: New MacBook Pro series
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have you used OS X before? I pay the Mac premium for two reasons: (1) my laptop is supported by tons of Apple Stores across the country, and (2) OS X is awesome (and since it's Unix-based, I can work in the terminal without a problem). There's also a great reselling market for Macs. If (1) and (2) don't really matter to you, go with the Dell. I'll pay the extra price to get exactly what I want in my computer.
this is not a rhetorical question - would you say that a similarly priced Dell warranty cover (what we call CompleteCover in Asia: it includes accidental damage protection) is worse than a walk-in Apple Genius support ? Dell's coverage is usually next day onsite.
Never owned a Dell, but support for my Compaq (I know, I know) was absolutely terrible. Others could probably answer this question better.
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#226Color me disappointed. I was hoping for: • Ditching the optical media for longer battery life • 4 cores in the 13" • Max RAM of 12 GB (this one isn't listed ... maybe?) • The higher resolution 1440x900 resolution in the 13" that the Macbook Air has Altogether it's a pretty wussy update. Basically it looks like the diff (on the 13" model, which is what I care about) is: • Faster CPU (finally!) • Thunderbolt port (coun…
I don't think the laptop versions of the Core i* have 3 memory channels (neither do the Socket-1155/1156 desktop versions), so 3x4GB of RAM would be a strange/suboptimal configuration. There probably isn't enough physical space in a 13" laptop for more than 2 modules anyway (unless you sacrifice battery or optical drive space). Even soldering them to the motherboard wouldn't save much space - I think all current 4GB…
unless you sacrifice [...] optical drive space
What they really sacrificed here was the opportunity to make a compelling product. It's 2011, when have you last time used an optical drive?
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#227Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are only charging $1100-$1200 for the upgrade. Where are you getting a high-quality aftermarket 512GB SSD for much less than that (forget that you have to install it yourself)? edit: pricing differs slightly depending on model
Is hard drive replacement in an MBP really difficult enough to warrant any mention when high-end SSDs are in play?
Nope. I got my 13" Macbook Pro in early January of this year and it took me a total of 10 minutes to replace the stock HDD with an SSD.
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nope. They have all been TN so far. Just better quality TNs. I've been wishing for an IPS on a Macbook for years. Looks like this update didn't bring any change to that matter.
I believe the last commercially available IPS laptop was the think pad t43p. The actual plant making 15" IPS panels shut down. (EDIT: wow, thank you! (I forgot about the T60p, but that's also discontinued; the HP EliteBook having a 17" is amazing though...I may have to get one of those!)
"I believe the last commercially available IPS laptop was the think pad t43p."
There are one or two commercially available -- see here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4049/hp-elitebook-8740w-ips-on...
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
More like, so much within the Air is still bloody expensive. I'd rather have space than SSD speed for the associated price. I want to be able to watch DVDs or burn off a quick disk. I don't want to have to step up to a bulky 15" machine just to retain these features. The Air is not, in my opinion, a really useful machine.
So you are one of the reasons there is still a 13 inch Pro. In a couple of years, with a new Air with bigger SSD and more of your data in the cloud, it might make more sense to you.
How is having a bigger SSD going to help him burn stuff to disk or watch a DVD? His point was that he still uses the optical drive.
So you say, well, your DVD will be 'in the cloud'. Never mind that pushing that much data up most connections will take all month, how will he even get it onto his computer with no optical drive in the first place?
Well, you might say, all your new stuff will be on the cloud, so don't worry about it. But consider if he has a massive DVD collection. Heck, not even a massive one, just assume a hundred or s DVDs.... are you Seriously proposing that he repurchase all that media in 'cloud' format? At $30 a pop, that would easily justify the cost of going for a more expensive MBP rather than a crippled Air.
Oh you say, well if it is just a matter of money, you can just buy the external optical drive. But now whenever you take the laptop anywhere, you have peripherals to drag along with you, and that involves logistics. Again, he's better off with the one that is just built in.
Disclaimer: personally I think the Air is pretty neat. I just don't agree with parent's assertion that optical drives are unnecessary.
Re: New MacBook Pro series
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
This... the cost of my computer hardware is basically inconsequential given that these days I'll often get 3-4 years out of it. If I'm using it for work, that's like $2 a day total cost over its lifetime. I'll happily pay an incremental $1 a day for a system that saves me 10 minutes of dicking around and forgo starbucks if that's what it takes. Justifying choice of your primary work system on the basis of even a $1,0…
That assumes you save any time at all. I use a ThinkPad with Win7 and I think honestly say that I lose no additional time vs using a MBP. In fact I'd argue it saves me time as I generally like the keyboard more and I can't stand trackpads (I turn mine off and use the stickpoint -- which I actually even prefer over a mouse). My point... the $1000 savings for many comes with no penalty at all. With that said, I don't h…
I think if you find the Thinkpad / W7 more powerful, you should go that route.
All I'm saying is that if you're planning to make on the order of $250-$300K off using a piece of equipment, $1,000 (or even $10,000, arguably) probably shouldn't be material to which one you choose.