PS - Why isn't it black brushed Aluminum? Come on Apple.

Like many, I'm trying to figure out whether I should upgrade to one of these, from a TiBook 667MHz. With that in mind there are some other key questions:

(1) Saying it's 4x faster than the older PowerBooks is great, but how does it compare to other things? For example, my G5 desktop?

(2) Similarly, if I spend a lot of time in intensive apps like Photoshop, how much faster will it be than my current TiBook while those apps have to run under Rosetta?

(3) How does it compare to PC laptops, speed-wise and in other respects? One could argue it's not a worthwhile comparison, but now that we're on a similar hardware platform to the other guys I wonder how much more we're paying for it being a Mac.

Though cool, it seems Apple rushed to get the MBP out. I called Apple to ask about battery performance and the Apple rep had no clue. She was only able to quote battery life for the PBG4. I'm holding out for a small ultralight varient of the 12inch- a Sony VAIO T-series killer- with 8 hours of battery life, WiFi, BT, DVD burner, 2gigs RAM, 100gig HD, under 3lbs, and an HD widescreen (13.3inch?). Got that, Steve?

Gee, Dave Feldman, I'm pretty sure this woul be a little bit of an, er, upgrade from your screaming 667MHz Powerbook. Well, on second thought, maybe you should wait for more specs.

You don't exactly sound like an early adaptor so I'm sure if you sit tight for a few weeks all these quesions and more will be answered. It's been less than 24 hrs. But, hm, I'm not sure if it will really outperform your current laptop enought for you to justify it.

PS, not sure that Photoshop will run under rosetta. Apple has already posted that Final Cut Pro and other Pro Apps will NOT be Roestta compatabile and will only work as dual binaries.

Why the same (albeit slightly modified) aluminum case form factor? Why no carbon fiber? This looks, for all the world, like an AL book.

As for the DVD burner, I'd rather it stayed with the 8X of the last laptop and the HD size drop is not a value....

Also: I thought the entire move to Intel was to get better pricing. Pardon moi but $2495 for the higher content model seems just like the older 'Books....

Too expensive. I'll stay with my trusty Ti 1 Gig which runs so nicely..........

Steve

"Don't forget the 120gb hardrive magically disappeared! Why would they go backwards like this? I'm thinking that the unit is too thin for the pc card, dual layer burner, firewire 800, and the 120 gb hardrive! they are gonna have to do some crunching to get those things in the next revisions. I just ordered it, but I'm gonna pass because I need my EVDO! Too sad!"

Um. 120 GB drives are still an option. As far as EVDO goes, I think this is a very similar situation to only having USB on the original iMac. PCMCIA badly needs to be put out to pasture, give it a few months and you'll see some Expresscards.

Rumor has it that the Core Duo Chip costs more than the PowerPC it replaces. Maybe Apple downgraded everything else so that they could introduce the MacBook at the same price as the Powerbook.

The 120G drive is a build-to-order option, so it is not gone. Removing the modem was I think a mistake even if the new external USB modem is small. Getting rid of FW800 was an even bigger mistake, and they also dropped S-video. This appears to be an interim machine, let's send them that message and not buy it.

I do agree that this model was rushed to market at least a little. Apple really needed to do something with the PowerBook line and they took this opportunity to do so. USB 2.0 is the direction Apple is headed with their iPod line. Why, because USB is the ubiquitous connector in the Windows/Intel lineup. It has to be more cost effective for Apple to support only one type of connection on the iPod lineup. Firewire 800 was likely difficult to integrate on this Intel design motherboard. Firewire 400 is still included for 2 reasons. One for capturing footage from DV devices and cameras, think iMovie and FCP and two for external boot devices, like Firewire hard disks for troubleshooting and cloning / imaging. Neither of these operations requires FW800. I don’t understand the move to a slower SuperDrive; that was a miss on Apple’s part. They should have stuck with the DL 8x drive. As for the ExpressCard slot, I’m not really surprised. It’s not the first time Apple has ditched tried-and-true hardware solutions in favor of cutting edge technology. Any of you Mac users remember the floppy disk? I don’t know how I feel about the MacBook Pro moniker. It certainly doesn’t roll off as nicely as PowerBook nor does it feel as commanding as POWERBook. I’m sure Apple felt the need to make the change to make it clear to consumers that this laptop is not running a PowerPC CPU, but I think perhaps they could have come up with a more fitting name. As for the missing S-Video cable, I think a DVI to HDMI cable might be in order. As for the modem, "What's a modem?"

This is a transition boys and girls.

Based on the iMac speed graphs Steve showed, one core of the new chip is roughly equal to one G5 of a similar speed. If your G5 is single processor then, this would be twice as fast.

Emulation slows things down, but not that much. Even and old copy of PS will haul with 3ghz under the hood. Still, that won't stop you from buying the latest native version when it ships.

Remember, this is the FIRST MacTelBook. Things like the modem aren't coming back but its only a matter of time before HDs are 200 gig and up.

Dan

Ick, we really are moving into PC land with laptops and not the good part. PC laptops are known for using dongles instead of ports. Now with the Mac Book Pro:
1. S Video out: dongle.
2. FW800: dongle, via ExpressCard slot.
3. FAX/Modem: dongle.
4. Memory card reader: dongle via USB (defacto standard CompactFlash cards are 43mm wide, ExpressCard slot on MacBook Pro 34mm - do the math).
While the increased speed is nice (though I don't have to wait on my PowerBook now) couple that with the dumbed down DVD burner and I'll take a pass on this round.

I distinctly remember Steve saying in the Keynote that the MacBook Pro has 5 hour battery life. That's pretty sad that the storage specs went backward like that. It does seem forced. Especially forced since it still won't be out till February.

This very fast laptop should be faster than most laptops without Yonah, except for the exceptional portable desktop sporting 10 lbs and 1 hour battery.

Comparing the specs to the new iMac and the stat that the new iMac is 2x faste than the previous iMac, you can bet that the new MacBook Pro is faster than your desktop Mac and most PowerMacs except of course the quad-core PM.

Rosetta should run PhotoShop quite a bit faster than your TiBook. Looking at the Keynote, I'd say it's quite a bit faster than my Rev A 12" PB, adequate for the casual user, but not Pros. If you spend a lot of time in PS, you MUST be hurting! Then again, if you've waited this long, why not wait a tiny bit longer for PS to be updated to Universal.

Better yet, wait for the price of PowerBooks to come crashing down.

You think they could have at last included a two button trackpad. If all desktops are shipping with the mighty mouse, and this is a 'pro' laptop, it would have been a no brainer. A configurable, two zone hard button would have been in line, and would totally sell me on the new books. Without it, windows support is going to be a pain.

Well, I ordered one, but I'm not ecstatic about the lack of modem, actually. I don't use it often, but when I do, I really need it. So I ordered a USB modem with it . . .

What really bugs me is the lack of a 12" option. I really wanted a lighter unit than my current 12" one, but now I'm gaining a pound, losing a modem, but getting a lot of speed (hopefully) and a much bigger screen.

I read that you can still get an S-Video adaptor, don't know how much it costs. I think a lot of people use that for projector connection.

Its not like there are an abundance of fw800 devices. In fact, i cant think of any besides hard drives. The thing is, when doing video production on a laptop, the speed of the hard drive is easily the weakest link. The internal drive on my 17" is anemic so I rely on my parade of fw800 drives to allow me to work. If usb2 worked as well and i was able to chain a pile of them without problems, i'd be willing to change interfaces, but usb2 isnt very reliable to me for video playback. I dont care about the politics involved, and i dont care what the port looks like, i just cant see myself buying an intel powerbook until there is SOME reasonable alternative to fw800 in it.

And I doubt i'll ever call it a macbook. I owned a half dozen powerbooks before the ppc came around. I dont equate "powerbook" or "powermac" with the chip inside. Frankly, I dont think the public does either. It reminds me of the big logo changing fanfares that companies (kodak just recently) have.

I think the most important question is....will it natively run Windows XP?

I didn't notice it until my dad pointed it out last night, they have removed 60 pixels at the top. I know this is for the camera, but it makes the top part of the bezel quite a bit bigger. Its kinda annoying. It would be nice if some of the "features" were optional.

I don't mind the lack of FW800-- it's a dying format anyway and people who need it will probably be able to buy a card-- but I sure wish they'd included external SATA. Now THAT would rock.

Someone over at Ars unplugged a show floor one and with 100% processor settings and monitor brightness, with 10 minute delay power-down on HD and 15 minutes on screen, it gave an initial estimate of 3 hours of battery life. I assume there are Energy Saver settings that will get that up much further, and probably optimizations in the OS over the next few point releases.

By the way, one of Intel's arguments about why it uses so little power is BECAUSE it's so fast. It can process the data faster and go back to sleep/nap mode sooner.

I was hoping Apple would blow our socks off and hit a home run their first time at bat with the MacBook Pro instead of needing to revise it substantially, but this is disappointing. It is a promising start, but I wouldn't buy one yet--smarter to wait for a decent revision or get a last-generation PowerBook when they finally drop prices to clear inventory. I guess we have to live with MacBook Pro, but I don't like it--too close to McBook Pro, which isn't far from Big Mac...

Yeah, after reading all of this I certainly am glad I picked up my new 12" G4 PowerPC PowerBook in August '05. Feelin' real good about that. Yup.

I think it's funny that the positives in this article are all negatively slanted. What about progress, man? I am a pro user, and WANT an iSight. See, I travel for work, so my wife and I can see each other while I'm on the road via our built-in iSights once I get an MBP to complement the iMac we're ordering.

FW800? I have a drive, but it's triple interface, and I have issues with it on FW800, so I end up using FW400 or USB2 anyway. I know this is an issue for others, but I think for far fewer than you realize. And the same goes for PCMCIA. I'd actually be happy to ditch the card slot all together, but whatever.

Guys, realize that progress of some kind comes with a price. I know it sucks sometimes, but we're getting processor improvements, among some others, and, yes, that means some things will have to go.

Lastly, power consumption. Don't forget that the power per watt of the Yonah is better than the G4 (and G5, obviously), so it's not fair to base any estimates on the PBG4...gotta go on the Ars guy or the Dell machine to get a sense. My PBG4 gets about 1.5 hours, so I'll be happy to double that.

Also, no one mentioned the memory improvements, including the chip speed, FSB speed, L2 cache growth. Danm, give Apple A LITTLE credit.

Can anyone verify that Classic will not boot on Intel Macs? I'm one of the few, I guess, who still needs Classic for programs that have not been updated for OS X.

Hey something that every one has missed: The Battery has a power connector on it, from what I can tell you can use your AC adapter to charge your battery (or a spair) with out your computer!

Although a nice looking machine, and almost ready for prime time (pending more optimized apps), the lack of Firewire 800 makes it fall short of "pro." Not a big deal if FW800 ExpressCards start appearing in retail stores near you. I wonder if a 17 inch version will have FW800? That would be the "Pro Plus" perhaps? Best wait until the next update.

I have to say this new Macbook is a huge disappointment and no way am I upgrading.

Macbook? Whoever approved of that name should be fired immediately. Jobs let them get away with that name? He must have gotten hit in the head with an iPod.

Second, I use my EVDO card religiously and if I lose that ability, then the laptop is completely useless for me.

Third, I'm going to lose screen resolution? NFW.

No S-Video out w/o dongle? Lame.

Did they intentionally try to screw up the Powerbook?

Macbook? You gotta be shitting me.

Has anyone (who went to MWSF) looked in the system profiler and found the brand/model number of the optical drive? If it's not some new ultra-slim version, there's no reason why the 8x DL couldn't fit in there.

if you read Mac news sites, Verizon is at MWSF and said that they will have EV-DO ExpressCards out by the time the MacBook Pro ships..... in theory other PC card things will have upgrades too.
sometimes when you buy new hardware you have to upgrade accessories. i had to buy all USB and Firewire stuff when i upgraded from a beige PowerMac. it happens.

who knows where this MacBook Pro lives in the Apple family? we assume it's the new powerbook... but they still are selling the 15" powerbook too. who knows what else will be coming. the fact that is is called "Pro" i think we can assume, but assuming anything about what Apple will do is going to trip you up sooner or later. i will miss the powerbook name though.
Battery life is up in the air for now, so why get upset?
i would guess there will be express card options for everything PC card today. maybe even a FW800 card? is that even possible? i dunno.
the optical drive downgrade is weird. i will agree.
the bigger hard drive is an option for BTO, so whatever. i guess it was to match price points?
S-Video requires a little adapter, so whatever. less ports seems easier. i would think less and less cutting edge people use S-Video now anyway?
modem dongle doesn't seem like a big deal to me either. less and less people use modems, if you have to use a phone cord to plug in, then it can have a lump in it for the modem. the iMac lost the internal modem a few months ago and nobody started a riot. the machine has airport and bluetooth built in, a LOT of people use BT to cell phone these days when they are out of WiFi. i still sometimes use a modem on my ibook, and it would not bother me to have the USB dongle.

overall i think it seems like a good update. the only real quirky issue i see is the optical drive, and i am sure there is a good reason it is not at least a BTO option. it is a shame to drop FW800, i wonder if it was space or they did not think anybody uses them. i guess we will see what the 17" or new towers have? losing pixels now creates a new screen ratio? it was never standard compared to movies anyway, why not shake things up some more!

For those needed EVDO, we started a page to keep everyone up-to-date on what options are available (or will be available) for MacBook Pro:

http://EVDOinfo.com/Tips/PC_5220/MacBook_Pro_and_EVDO_20060111671/

Has anybody thought maybe, just maybe Steve is playing a little bit of a trick on us? Maybe instead of a Powerbook replacement this is an iBook replacement! I know what he said and how it was presented, but this sounds to me like the lower model, like an iBook in specifications. I've seen the specs on the chips, but wouldn't it be great if he just introduced the replacement for the ibook making us all think he just replaced the Powerbook.

Oh well, with all the features lost and what seems to be a downgrade in components from the Powerbook, one can wish that this is the case.

I love how everyone here honestly expected Apple to lower the prices of their new Macs, just because they are running Intel.

Apple Computers will never/rarely be cheaper than their competitors. People pay more money for the brand and Apple knows that.

BMW could make cars that sell cheaper than Kia's/Hyundai's, but they aren't going to do it. Bad business move on their part. Same deal here.

All the hubub about the new "MacBook".It seems the Mac faithful have short memories or either I am getting old. Most faithfull only seem to go back as far as the WallStreet model. Everyone seems to forget the lowly PowerBook 3400. When the Apple users were all crying for a G3 PowerBook, Apple then, too, could not get a chip cool enough to run in a laptop. So, rather than wait any longer, and it had been a long time that we were waiting, they released the Powerbook G3 3400. The 3400 was highly touted, yet it was in a slightly modified case of the prior 603 models with only some some new adavantages but some losses as well.Down the line it was incapable of running the updated OS and had a slow bus. I believe that such is a similar case this time. Apple needed a faster laptop to answer critics and motivate developers. The insides of this machine may well develop and transform into the eventual iBook replacement-probably second generation.
People remember that Steve Jobs said the
transition would begin in June and that now they are early. Why did he say June? All the Mac press gauged the arrival of Intel macines on the arrival of Intel's Merom 64 bit Dual core processors. Jobs had been constantly touting the 64 bit OS and 64bit G5 prowess. Of course, he wanted to go all 64Bit. So, why the change? Simple- the press and public demand, coupled with the performance specs of the Yonah chip, the dual core use by PC makers and the need to demonstrate to deveoplers and the public just how good and easy the transition can be. So this new machine is an interim step. I believe that in June, Steve Jobs will announce the full line of PowerBook replacements - a 17", a wide screen 12 or 13" and a revised 15". All will have dual core 64 bit Merom chips and will probably ship in August or September. Power Macs may also get these chips as an interim step like the first gen motherboard on the G4 towers. this may be needed unless the stronger Conroe platform chips are ready. Also, look to see an iMac update to include this chip before the holiday, thereby converting the most popular lines and Pro machines to 64 bit. The iBooks and minis will probably remain Yonah or single core 64 bit Merom. when the full line of MacBook Pro's debut with the 64bit chips I am also guessing that like the WallStreet/ Lombard PowerBook the cases will also change. The current case is also an interim step. A new case will arrive. Apple has done this many times, PowerBook 100, 3400 etc. And, judging by all the furor revised options or comnnections will also see the light. Firewire 800 may be gone but Express card options may arrive, as well as larger hard drives( some PC's have 160GB drives) and smaller thinner 8 speed burners are probably being designed as we speak.( I am, also afraid that the modem issue is not going to change, so deal like you did with floppy drives) Patience is of the essence here. The new MacBook Pro is a capable machine and will serve many very well, but for those of us with a need or desire for few compromises, I say remember the lesson of the 3400 and wait for the 64bit chips and the changes they will bring.After all, the pro apps like Adobe's will be closer to a late fall or winter release as well. We waited this long, what's another 6 months give or take a few.

Apple lost it's way!

The Macbook Pro is the anti-climax of the century:

* no modem (some people actually travel with their laptops - and MANY places still require a modem to be used)
* no dual-layer DVD burning
* no firewire 800
* no PCMCIA card slot (how many expresscard products are actually out there?)
* no S-video out
* lower screen resolution than previous generation
* dubious battery life

Apple: BUT LOOK HOW THIN IT IS!!! ISN'T THAT GREAT??

Seems Apple has forgotton that they are primarily a computer company and not a fashion company. We want technology first and secondarily something that looks good - and thin is nice...

But when you start from a base of wanting primarily a thin laptop and then see much technology you can get into it - and what you can't squeeze in you drop - which it appears Apple have done, then that is proof that Apple has forgotten why it exists.

Apple please screw you head back on and focus on technology first and then once you've got that right then see how good you can make it look. Personally I wouldn't care if you added 1/8" - 1/4" to it's thickness as long as you made it really powerful with top-of-the-line features.

I never though I would consider this but I'm now looking to PC for my next upgrade. I've been holding onto my last generation TI-book, waiting and waiting... for the G5 Powerbooks, and then waiting for the Intel Books and finally we get this!? It's a piece of shit and I wouldn't dream of buying it. My external 400G drive with firewire 800 port now has to run at half speed, my PCMCIA high-end sound card in the trash, got to look after the fiddly external modem when I travel... No thanks.

And while I'm on the subject... Apple please do your research on Aluminum and you will see that it is not the best material to hold against your skin for hours ever day. It took a long time for people to acknowledge that lead is toxic. Aluminum is the same and you will absorb the metal through the skin over time. Get progressive - use kevlar or carbon fibre or something - and wrap it around real high spec machine, instead of this toy you've thrown to us...

Ok so I see some of the complaints here have already been taken care of. Eg fw800
However, some of these are just stupid. For starters it is about time that someone stepped up to the plate and elimnated PCMCIA (old as win95). Move with the times, to complain about that is like complaining about graphics cards moving to PCIX versus all PCI. Or moving to ethernet RJ-45 versus RJ-11 phone line. If you like old then buy a dell. Apple is taking a huge risk on moving away from the past hardware that many are used to but they are moving the market forward. Sure you have to be a good surfer to catch the first waves and if your not then wait for the storm to get a little closer. I do agree that maybe apple could have strained to make the 120GB HD standard or a less expensive upgrade, but then agian I wish that they also offered me a 250GB-500GB upgrade. But that market is no where near that, though I am. So I think that one should consider where they are in the market, where the market is at, where the market is moving, what the product target market is, and then write from that position.

In all honesty I am probably ahead of the market currently in my demands, and most of my comments are based from that position. I definately think that nextyears MBP will be better but I am not waiting because then I could wait for the next ten years. Eventually we have to jump in the the market and take what it offers and spend a little time behind the market until we are ready to jump in again. So if you do not like the specs of the MBP now and you can a while for the spec you want, then wait. But if what the market offers will meet somthing a little above your needs then jump in now the water is great and sun is shining.

The MBP is a beautiful step towards a universal computer. I currently have Mac OS, Windows, and Linux on my MBP 17" and love it, sure I would like some extra features but I am glad to have a MBP and not be waiting.