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MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

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181–190 of 541 posts

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no interest in such a discussion in this thread, but no, clearly I'm not joking and that rhetorical intro has no place on HN. Microsoft is a disaster currently, their navigation being "react to where Apple was two years ago". It is telling that every Microsoft defense extrapolates some fantastic future of what will be in the world of Microsoft, never using what actually is. But yes, I'm sure your imagination o…

> Microsoft is a walking disaster currently. The problem is perspective. The types of people that spend time on HN don't spend time in the real world, where the current state of affairs is very different from what we think it is. Apple gets a lot of hype, and no doubt the iPhone is very successful (because it was a new type of product), but the iPad is no more than than a glorified toy. Once Windows 8 tablets are rel…

> The types of people that spend time on HN don't spend time in the real world, where the current state of affairs is very different from what we think it is. Apple gets a lot of hype, and no doubt the iPhone is very successful (because it was a new type of product), but the iPad is no more than than a glorified toy.

This is quite the non-sequitur. Apple products are successful precisely because they appeal to people in the real world. Your comment about the iPad being a toy is a timeless refrain that has been leveled against every single Apple product since the original Macintosh. That time, they lost to Microsoft because A) the Mac was way too expensive, B) the ecosystem was too small, and only by the standardization of the PC was a viable ecosystem able to emerge and C) Adoption was driven by businesses who purchase by checklists rather than by personal appeal. These same downsides no longer exist, and the iPad launch is one of the most successful new products in the history of the world.

Probably most on HN are hoping for MS to hit a home run with Windows 8 if for no other reason than to foster competition and innovation. But the other thing you have to realize is that Microsoft's "no compromises" approach is insanely difficult to pull off. It's much harder than what Apple has done, and the risk of creating a confusing product that does not resonate with customers is incredibly high.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#182
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over the past 10 or so years Microsoft has been a behemoth moving glacially on whatever inertia it had left. Recently, it seems like the behemoth is starting to regain control of itself and is demonstrating independent movement. Sure; they're nowhere near being as focused purposeful as Apple is, but you can no longer say they are truly stuck in their ways. Whether that will translate into something tangible is anothe…

Over the past 10 or so years Microsoft has been a behemoth moving glacially on whatever inertia it had left They completely overhauled Office. They've built wholesale online experiences, cloud services, and have purchased and entered new markets. They took the gaming market and owned it. They continued to make incredible progress with their development tools and runtimes/platforms. The only difference this time is th…

> They completely overhauled Office Overhauling the Office UI is pretty much inertia; they seem to keep fiddling with it and honestly I think I'd prefer that they just left it alone.

>They took the gaming market and owned it. Xbox360 is a distant second to Wii and only a nose ahead of PS3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars#Worldwide_sales_fi...). While it's certainly done better than its predecessor, I think describing it as "owning" is a bit of an exaggeration.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no interest in such a discussion in this thread, but no, clearly I'm not joking and that rhetorical intro has no place on HN. Microsoft is a disaster currently, their navigation being "react to where Apple was two years ago". It is telling that every Microsoft defense extrapolates some fantastic future of what will be in the world of Microsoft, never using what actually is. But yes, I'm sure your imagination o…

> Microsoft is a walking disaster currently. The problem is perspective. The types of people that spend time on HN don't spend time in the real world, where the current state of affairs is very different from what we think it is. Apple gets a lot of hype, and no doubt the iPhone is very successful (because it was a new type of product), but the iPad is no more than than a glorified toy. Once Windows 8 tablets are rel…

If you think all of a sudden iPads are going to stop selling when windows 8 tablets come out you must have been the one living under a rock. People don't go out and buy iPads because they want tablet computers. They go out and buy iPads because they want iPads. They want the app store, they want the integration with their computers and iTunes and their phones.

Windows 8 tablets will sell, but not to the same demographic.

As for Xbox vs a TV made by apple, you'll be wrong again, mark my words. Things that come out of cupertino sell. Project Glass sounds like a response to Airplay to me.

Overall, you're trolling because you're a microsoft fan.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking as a Windows user who uses a Mac for dev on iOS: you will be frustrated by Mac OS, at least initially. I've been using Mac OS daily for over a year and I still find Windows superior in many ways. This is my opinion, of course. Not trying to change minds or trolling. That retina display is dead sexy though.

I love my Mac (as I said in my reply to OP), but I agree that Mac OS takes some getting used to. Luckily I had some Linux experience before switching so I felt right at home at the terminal. But some things still feel odd to me, even after several years. - The unified menu bar makes sense and saves space, but it's still somewhat disconcerting to someone who is used to their menus having some spatial context with what…

I've been using Forklift for a while now instead of Finder. Much less braindead, reminds me of Directory Opus on the Amiga. Probably need to spend more time customising it so it's as good as Midnight Commander but it's getting there.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#185
post #136
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I study computer science and the amount of banter I get from fellow students for using a macbook air is unbelievable. Other people usually seem quite ok with it, although self proclaimed power users usually seem to have an opinion about it.

If you look at Silicon Valley startups, it's basically almost all Macs, with the possible exception of Windows + Excel for CFOs at the larger companies, and Windows + CAD for people doing hardware design at a serious level. i.e. conference tables have MagSafe power adapters zip tied to them semi-permanently, since that's what almost everyone uses.

> i.e. conference tables have MagSafe power adapters zip tied to them semi-permanently, since that's what almost everyone uses.

It's too bad that Apple is moving to MagSafe II with the new retina MacBook Pro. I guess we'll all have to carry around adapters now: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD504

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, if you're comfortable with Linux and do a lot of work in a Cygwin environment, what are your reasons for running Windows as your MBA's main OS rather than a Linux flavor?

I don't know it for certain about Airs but with the Pros as i understand there's some issues with bios/hardware support in linux. I don't know how severe as I don't own any of the hardware myself.

Airs shouldn't be that bad. IIRC, Linus runs one.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#187

I have been a Windows user my whole life. As a hacker who has recently moved to San Francisco, I've continuously battled Apple fanboys and Linux fanatics alike on why I love Windows and absolutely do not understand why people want to switch platforms. Then I watched this keynote. I'm buying a Macbook Pro.

To be frank, Apple makes awesome Windows PCs. Their Windows drivers are quite good also. Still hate the placement of the control key on the keyboard though, but I am slowly becoming acclimated to it.

Remap caps lock to control, and you'll be a lot more comfortable.

Unless you use that other text editor, you know, the one that makes you always have to reach for the escape key...in that case, I suppose you should map it to escape instead.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, if you're comfortable with Linux and do a lot of work in a Cygwin environment, what are your reasons for running Windows as your MBA's main OS rather than a Linux flavor?

I don't know it for certain about Airs but with the Pros as i understand there's some issues with bios/hardware support in linux. I don't know how severe as I don't own any of the hardware myself.

I can't say one way or the other, but I know Linus develops on a Macbook Air. I'm sure hardware support isn't too horrible if that's the case.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

by removing the hard-drive in lieu of flash and removing the media drive, that's exactly what they've just given you, wouldn't you say? (but with real graphics card so you can actually do something with that beautiful display other than watch HD content stutter. and quad core i7.) granted its not an air, but - are you sure you want one?

I imagine it needs the memory bandwidth of a real card with dedicated RAM to even just composite windows fast, so the air is not an option. This has the benefit of making a bigger difference between the two lines again too, although the 13 inch looks a weak offering now.

but there is a "15 inch air" from samsung, http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/15-inch-samsung-series-9-... , which is along the lines the parent must have been thinking of.

I think the 15 inch macbook as just announced is a far better option, with a single weak point (7 hrs) compared to an air-style form factor which would be weaker at everything - except weight and slightly thinner form factor.

basically, if all someone wants to do is type on it and not have to think about carrying it with them or not (e.g. a reporter for stories, student for essays, CEO for emails), a 15 inch air was not announced today. for everyone else, what was just announced is better than the 15 inch air.

Re: MacBook Pro gets Retina Display; MacBook Air updated with Ivy Bridge

#190
post #68

Hopefully the macbook pro with retina display supports 16gb of ram. Everything else sounds amazing, but being limited to 8gb of ram for another few years is going to hold me back.

The 2011 MacBook pros can handle 16 GB of RAM as well. It's not stated in the manual but if you put two 8 GB sticks in there it'll run just fine. I did it last month.
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