Apple's MacBook Pro
By Marc Perton 
posted January 10th 2006 2:00PM
posted January 10th 2006 2:00PM
Yes, this is the one you've been waiting for (unless you've been holding out for an Apple tablet PC). It's the first Intel-powered portable from Apple, and it's called the MacBook Pro. That's right. Breaking from its long-standing PowerBook and iBook labels, Apple has created a whole new brand to commemorate its first Intel-based portable. As expected, the new portable is powered by an Intel Core Duo processor at either 1.67 or 1.83GHz, 512MB - 2GB RAM, built-in iSight, FrontRow, FireWire 400, two USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard/34, MagSafe power, 802.11g (AirPort Extreme), Bluetooth 2.0 EDR), gigabit Ethernet, backlit keyboard, Apple remote input, 15.4-inch 1440 x 900 display, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with either 128 or 256MB of RAM and dual-link DVI (for 30-inchers), an 80GB or 100GB drive, and dual-layer DVD burner. It'll cost $2,000 or $2,500 to start. It's an inch thick. It weighs 5.6 pounds. It'll run Windows. We think we're in love.
Any word on the battery life? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.
I don't really understand all of the complaints about the lack of FW800, and I don't know what I would do without my external FW800 hard drive. Fact is, FW800 never really got off the ground and is already a dying interface. The 400MBps port here, though, is widely used from DV cams to hard drives and other peripherals, so killing it would cause some major problems. My guess is that they just couldn't get the FW800 working with the intel chipset right.
So for those of you that actually NEED FW800 for your work? ExpressCard adapters will be here very soon.
Right now there is already an FW800 adapter for the wide 54mm slot (from abocom) and Belkin has announced an FW400 adapter for the 34mm slot the MacBook has. If you need FW800, then hold up a month or two for a 34mm FW800 adapter (the MacBook alone will probably make a market for it) and the machine looks quite a bit better.
Wait, can you zoom in on the 'Intel Inside' stickers?
;-)
Don't compare Apples to Oranges (no pun intended). Don't compare price/features with std latptops. Look at the other windows laptops that were announced at CES last week that are running on the Yonah chip. They are all in the same price range as this Mac. NONE of them will be able to dual-boot Mac OSX and Windows, however (at least not yet). Look at the NON dual core laptops out there. Yes, there are many that have more features. Yes there are some that are cheaper than this, but the dual-core, for the most part, will run a LOT faster, at least for dual-core aware apps like all of Adobe's apps, most serious music software, most serious NLEs (video editing) and 3d software.
For someone like me who does lots of video editing, music editing and graphic design, this thing is the shit. Dual booted I can run Final Cut Pro, AND Samplitude! (just not at the same time).
If you're just doing internet browsing, using office apps, etc., then not only do you not need this, you don't need the equivalent Win laptop either. Get a $700 Windows laptop.
If you want games, get the equivalent Windows laptop, and not this, and maybe get a few more slots, better screen resolution.
I expect that by the end of the year there will be MacBook clones coming out as well, or latops stating that they will run both OSes that are NOT Apple laptops. If I didn't need one relatively soon, I would just wait for a laptop that was a convertable tabletPC that can also run OSX.
As soon as these things ship, you can bet places like Toms Hardware, HardOCP, etc. will be dual-booting these things and benchmarking them. As long as the dual-boot is flawless (I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be unless it MUST be Vista and Vista will still be in buggy beta which could cause it not to run flawlessly), goodbye tablet PC (which is what I was going to get next month) and hello MacBook. And with an EDU discount, I can grab one for $1799. Not too shabby!
OSX I would suspect is closely tied to the hardware in terms of drivers, etc. Windows has so many drivers for different crap out there, it's ridiculous. I see no reason why the MacBook won't dual-boot. If it uses EFI, then maybe it won't dual-boot XP, but it will Vista.
The only cons really, are the (relatively) low res screeen (though those that have seen them still say that they aree beautiful), & lack of additional ports (more USB and FW800 would be nice), & a missing 2nd mouse button. I plan on getting a wireless 2-button+scroll wheel mouse for the thing if there is no *comfortable* way to emulate right-clicking...
Just bought a Powerbook G4 in November! Now I am damn angry...Steve...I want my money back!
I want a mac mini with the dual core with an intel chip.
Steve, I had my credit card ready. I guess I will wait now for Windows Vista to come out. I won't be alone.
Really quite pissed. (disappointed - could not sleep the night before for the excitement and anticipation).
According to CALLING Apple on the phone, they say the laptops are rated at 6 hours, which is in line with the new ThinkPad T60's that use the same processor so thats not all that suprising I guess.
hey Frank, #40, would you stop with all the damn line breaks already? fuck!
and "it'll run windows" ...wtf would you want to run windows for? just go out and buy one of the 10,000 other shitty laptops out there is you want to run an ass OS on it anyway. that'd be like buying a phat new corvette Z06 and replacing the engine and interior with shit from a ford taurus.
:P
i'm still not sure about the phonetics of "macbook" yet, but it'll probably grow on us. (also: finally they're building in iSights, and getting with the fancy PCI Express)
...single click? yes, single mouse button, but you can always buy a nice 2+ button mouse, or use the control key (where your hand is anyway, on the keyboard)
i highly doubt apple will release ANY trackpads with 2 buttons any time soon
price in EU is 2100 EUR for the small version.
considering that that includes tax, it's not _that_ much more than in the U.S. germany has a 14% sales tax without which the price would be about 1800 EUR. So yeah it's about $200 more. Lame.
just go to apple.de and see for yourself.
I think they will continue selling the PB G4 because non-native apps may actually be slower on the new ones. Like Photoshop - single threaded and interpreted, the Core Duo at 1.67GHz will have a disadvantage over the G4 1.67. It's a much faster processor, but my guess is that the emulation layer will take pretty much all the extra speed out of it.
Who needs FW800? Sorry if you got a FW800-only drive (do they exist?) but seriously most of the time the HD will be slower than FW400 and even USB 2.0. FW is dead. dead. dead. Life puishes the late.
The only problem I can see is battery life (a very _telling_ silence on the Apple web page) and 2G RAM max.
All said and done these are not giant improvements over the PBG4 for now. Once all apps are native, they will be though. So going into the future, those are just going to get faster.
Taking back the battery life comment. Acer's TM 8200 gets 6 hours out of a Core Duo 2GHz with an 87 WH battery. The PB has a 60 WH battery according to the spec page so it should get 2/3rds of that - a respectable 4 hours.
Probably translates to 3 under normal use though. As the battery saving features improve the best case (eg laptop sitting there doing nothing) gets better and better while real-world performance doesn't improve nearly as much because you are using perhaps both cores and all the cache memory most of the time.
Once they come out with a 17" Intel MacBook Pro Tablet PC I will upgrade form my current 1st generation 17" Powerbook.
Current features looking pretty yummy though!
I can't believe all the COMPLAINING about it running Windows. I mean, a very large chunk of Mac users already run Windows on their computers... its just in a crappy virtual state. The only difference now is that they have a modern hardware that runs both Mac software AND Windows software a TON better than anything they've ever had before.
We hear from our Microsoft sales reps all the time about how we need Virtual PC & Virtual Server at work... the only place I (over)hear about it more is employees at any Apple store trying to comfort potential Mac converts.
Gabriel,
a 7200 RPM 100GB drive is a BTO option. However it's, in typical Apple fashion, $100 more and IMHO not worth it. Or at the very least it wasn't when I ordered mind. Screw 100GB or 120GB. I'm going to pick up a Seagate 160GB in a few months and slap it into this sucker.
Guys is it just me or is the ExpressCard slot about the right size for a FireWire 800 port without needing a dongle? Just get a card with the port built into it and there you go.
Not having a right mouse button doesn't matter too much, buy a bluetooth wireless mouse and it's all good again.
i don't get it, what's so PRO about the MacBook Pro?
1) no FW800 port - forget faster harddrive connectivity for video editing etc.
2) no built-in modem - forget freedom to easily connect to the phoneline if you're on the road and no wireless network available (yes, i really used the modem once in a while!)
3) no s-video out - no playback of dvds on your tv, no output for VJing
4) no 8x (DL) Superdrive - speaks for itself.
but, heeeey, you can buy add ons: usb modem, expension card for fw800, adapter for dvi-svideo?! great, costs me another 200bucks
No Firewire 800 because it's not been the roaring success that it could have been had they ever upped it to 1600 and 3200 as they promised. But no biggie, SATA is faster than Firewire, and the new card slot is the equivalent of PCI Express. It is a replacement for PCMCIA, which is an old, old technology. Remember, Apple has always lead with technologies (except in processors for the past few years). They had WIFI before anyone else (next was Dell a year later), they had USB before anyone else, they have Bluetooth 2 before anyone else, and the list goes on. This is just another one of those forward-thinking leaps they take.
And Phil Schiller has said they will not prevent anyone from running Windows on the Mac. It's been done already with the Intel develpment Macs. The only remaining question is, why would anyone be so crass as to run such a butt-ugly OS on a Mac? :-P
Although running windows could be usefull (work/job), anyone who wants to ONLY use crappy windows software should be doomed to run it on a crappy computer. Windows doesnt deserve to run on such beautiful technology. go buy yourself a dell.
Well, i dont think it will run windows right away, since intelmacs use EFI instead of regular BIOS, and afaik, only the itanium version of XP supports it and in the future, vista as well.
"why so many compromises on what is their flagship laptop? no modem, no Dual-Layer burner, no FW800, no pc card expansion and slightly lower resolution. What's up with that?"
if you can afford a 2000$ laptop then you can afford a 20$ month DSL subscription so i really dont see why it should have a modem.. outdated technology..
Damn you APPLE! I have always made jokes about how quickly devices become obsolete but THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I just bought the "NEW" G4 15" thinking I made a sound investment for at least a year.... WRONG WRONG WRONG. DAMNIT!
The new MacBook does not burn DL-DVD's!!! No Firewire 800!!! What the hell is going on, this sucks, i rather do without the iSight and have the Firewire 800!!! There not even making a 12" MacBook. Everything else is sweet, i'm going to wait until they release another MacBook and hopefully they will add the Firewire 800 port and possible DL burning.
ONLY 4 X Superdrive and no Double Layer
The last 15 had a 8x burner with Double Layer
are we going backward Steve ?
No pc card
4x burner
No double Layer
No firewire 800
Less resolution
Les battery life
All for only 2000.00 or 2500.00
A real great buy, order yours today
I undestand there is a Linux program that allows Windows programs to run without windows. I imagine it will be ported to OS X in short order if it exists. Then you won't have to reboot.
The express card is the next generation of pcmcia card; appearently its faster, but there's probably nothing available for it yet.
No more 120 gig HD, though I'd trade 7200 rpm for 20 gigs and 5400 any day.
Thinner might be a problem too. Weren't the old models' memory slots breaking when the computer flexed (may be bad info).
In general, there's too much untested technology in the new book, most of which means nothing to me.
Mine has worked fine for the past 2.5 years, and I'll keep it 'til it breaks!
Why in the WORLD would you want Apple to have an option to purchase one of their computers with Windows??? Windows has too many flaws to list! Mac OSX is the best OS on the market... hands down. If you don't agree you must be a gamer-only computer user. To address those who want free apps, GET IN A WEBGROUP AND DOWNLOAD THEM!!! There are tons of them! For all the "mini" people out there, just wait a minute. The mini's will be here soon. As well as new PowerMacs. Back to the Windows thing. You could put Windows on a G4, so why wouldn't it work here??? You all need to do a little surfing and searching every once in a while. All this stuff is out there. Macs have been the most versatile computers for a long time now. I used to hate the idea of owning a Mac... until I used my brothers. I feel like a caveman, now, when I use a Windows based PC. Windows just sucks! There might be a flicker of hope for Windows Vista to do something good for Microsoft, but I don't think it will do enough to shadow the monolith that is OSX. Apple will never offer a Windows based PC from there store... NEVER! That would be like VW putting there engine in a Chevy Cobalt... it'll never happen. Apple has done the smartest thing ever with this move, as IBM is struggling to stay afloat and there engineering has suffered as a result. Mac's have been running beautifully on IBM's sub-par chip, but they will be untouchable (competitively) with Intel pumping the blood to their wonderous OSX brain. That, in my opinion, is the truth.
-(note to the readers) I am typing this on my Shuttle XPC Windows based PC. It's one of the best "bodies" of a computer that I've ever used, it just has the dumbest "brain" on the market... Windows XP.
-austin
Mmmm...
Multi-boot windows for gaming and work (Visual Studio), Linux for school and fun, and OS X for digital media (pics & video) editing. All in a beautiful machine.
Sounds like nirvana to me.
did nobody read the info at the top? "..... and dual-layer DVD burner."
I can TOTALLY see having a dual boot system. I am a Mac idealogue - but, much as it pains me to say it, there is some software that I MUST have for work that ONLY runs on xp, no Mac version available. If I could get my Macs to run XP (for real - not emulated, since I need the speed), I would soil myself. Well, almost.
sorry folks but it doesn't look like you'll be able to run Windows XP on the new intel-based Macs because they use Intel's latest bios technology. The next version of Windows (Vista) will support the same bios technology, so in theory you'll be able to dual boot between OSX and Vista, but looks like we're out of luck as far as XP goes (pending hacks) :( The builtin webcam looks handy - I have a travel logitech webcam for my Vaio laptop and it's a pain having to set it up. All laptops should have builtin webcams IMHO, especially since Skype 2.0 came out of beta.
Come on right, It will run windows but it uses a new type of Bios developed by intel called , witch is not supported by windows XP but when windows vista comes out later this year it is a certainty that it will be supported, Also it has no PCMCIA because it has a newer technology which has been proven to be the replacement for pcmcia cardbus cards, its just like saying why does it not have Serial and ADB ports, there is hardly and market for these peripherals anymore so why put them on a brand new machine? same with no firewire 800, if you have been reading any sort of computer news lately you would know that apple is lowly phasing out firewire all together, they have even removed the page telling you all firewire deep into their archives and no lover one click away from there home-page. The DVD burner is single layer to make it 1" thick which is half of the beauty of it, and finally not much software takes advantage of 64-bit processors at the moment so the intel core duo cuts it just fine. and to the guy who said ,"think what you could buy in the PC world for $2000" you could buy some crap tacky system that runs windows and crashes every couple of hours.
Oh how good it was to get that out!
it'll run windows?? but will it run windows programs?? mac osX + windows application = w00t
First off, it's all based on PCIe, not PCI+AGP, like nemi said. Expresscard is just a 34 mm wide card that loads into either PCIe or USB 2.0 (whichever the card maker wants). It will, eventually, replace PCMCIA (which, afaik, is basically PCI on a card). Apparently there's no Dual Layer Support because there are no DL drives thin enough for this machine (it's thinner than previous models). Regarding the "single click", actually it's a "single button", not "single click" mouse. Yes, it's still a single button mouse, and I hope it remains thusly for a long long time. You can, if you want, use an external mouse with as many buttons as you please. Personally, I bought an iBook under 2 months ago, and I'm quite used to the single button mouse. Context menus are mostly unused in OSX, and you can summon them with Ctrl-Click (the Apple/Command key does most of the work of Ctrl, by the way).
ATM, the biggest problem with running OSX/x86 on a PC is that OSX is made to boot from EFI rather than BIOS. Common PCs are based on BIOS, still. However, EFI supports some sort of BIOS compatibility mode, so it's quite likely that windows WILL boot on the Intel macs. A different matter is driver availability. But seeing as the MacBook uses standard components (Yukon net card, Intel 945 chipset, ATi x1600 graphics), driver availabity isn't likely to be a problem.
For the chap who doesn't get what the use of 64 bits is, well, there actually ARE some Mac 64 bit applications. The fact that 64 bits haven't caught on in windows world doesn't necessarily apply to macs as well. In fact, there are also plenty of Linux 64 bit apps. Windows is the laggard there, really! Also, please note that (despite this not being the biggest problem with a laptop) you can only go up to 4 gigs worth of RAM with 32 bits. For a proper workstation machine, you're likely to want more than that -- and you need bigger address spaces if you want to do it cleanly!
Wow, you apple guys like to avoid reality or what? It has been so long since Apple had superior hardware that I am surprised any of you still remember. Go to any online store and configure a PC and an Apple and not only will the PC have the same hardware at a lower price but often hardware Apple hasn't even got available.
What Apple has had going for it is a superior OS and their own MOBO/Chipset. Otherwise your hard drives are one whole generation old already (ever heard of SATA II?), your memory is slow, and there is nothing so super about your Superdrive. Now that Apple has come over from the dark side you will (eventually) have up to date components (or be forever behind, which will it be Steve?) developed and proven on a PC.
Right now, Apple cannot afford to give you a top of the line Intel based computer or none of the old stuff would sell. Even your vaunted G5 is getting slow. At least safe and sane Dell has the 3.6Ghz Dual core Intel chips available already, and you won't have to wait a month to get them either (or will that be a year for G5s to have enough price reductions that some poor schmoe will buy be satisfied with such old hardware?).
But, when Apple is all Intel, you (and I) can hope they will bring the newest most powerful components available to market. Then and only then will apple be hardware competitive. No matter how much you stomp and stutter, comparative shopping will show you that PCs have all that Apples have and more.
Windows, on the other hand, will never catch up.. Many on this list want Windows on their Mac, but millions more want OSX on our PCs. And when Vista forces new architecture on the PC motherboard, that will happen. Then Apple will have to keep their hardware up to date once and for all.
Cheers!
I'd go for a 17" 1680x1050 MacBook (though the name is not great) IF it had at least most of the same (or better) stuff as this HP:
http://www.mobilityguru.com/2006/01/11/hp_pavilion_dv8000z_is_big_heavy_and_full_of_features/
2 button mouse!
good keyboard layout
(I have to admit, Dell's second row (which HP has also used) for menu,prtscr,numlock,pause,ins,home,pgup is a good layout
ability to run Windows
ATI or NVIDA (anything that's NOT a step down from my desktop's 9800 Pro and Athlon XP-M 2400 @ 2.1 GHz
modern expansion slots just in case I need them
preferably a way to output 6 analog channels even if not hardware accelerated
not loud fans
oops, somehow the URL got s appended.
http://www.mobilityguru.com/2006/01/11/hp_pavilion_dv8000z_is_big_heavy_and_full_of_features/
Hey Guys, The new MacBook Pro will NOT (NOT NOT) run windows. I have just calles Apple (and ordered the laptop) and asked if it was real that this Mac could run Windows. And they told me NOT, it can't. You could run windows with an "emulator" (i think this is the word in english: I am fron Spain: ins spanish the word is "emulador").
I would have been a good think to be hable to use windows in the Mac, but it seems not to be true.
Stay online
Dont hate the media: use them
Luther Blissett is always online
Hey Guys,
Sorry to tell you that this Mac will NOT run Windows. I have just called Apple (to buy one) and I asked for it, but they told me that this Mac will not run Windows.
You could run it only with an emulator
Just a thought to all you windows users who want to dualboot. I assume atleast one of the most popular reasons for using windows is probably 'games'. Look at what transgaming has done in the linux world with games and then think for a second... Could this be ported to OSX? =P
About the whole windows thing..
Windows Vista will most likely work easily because it is written with EFI. Windows Media Edition has both EFI and BIOS support. Windows XP, that won't run on the new Intel Chips. The Intel Core Duo uses EFI, Not bios.
Superdrive, That's not a reason to not get the machine. Just like the powerbooks, upgrades were availible from the first superdrive, to the next one for only $149. That will most likely be the case. They machines are great. I got the chance to play around with one of them at Mac World.
Okay. Let's make one thing clear:
Right-click IS possible on any mac with OS X (for earlier versions I don't know), I am a student in graphics desing working on Panther with a shitty dual-button mouse and everything is fine, scrolling wheel included. A right-click gives the same menu as the Ctrl+click gives.
For those of you wondering if these MacBook Pros will run windows: At the moment, the answer is no. Keep your eyes open, though:
http://winxponmac.com/The%20Contest.html
S2
Everybody is excited, but me.
I spent £1500, on a brand new PB 15" 1.5Mhz, 10 months ago, I am am already 4 generations away. I know this bizz is a fast one, but still.
2 month after purchase>>> Tiger introduced, >>> +£79.00
3 month after purchase>>> single 15" model with 1.67Mhz processor and better graphic card as standard
7 month after purchase>>> dual layer dvd burner>>>+£200.00 or something like that to upgrade
10 month after purchase>>>MacBookPro no DL burner>>>> another £2000.00
While I like my PB, it wasn't working out of the box, needed to reinstall OSX and fiddle for a few weeks to get it sorted, (new to mac).
Officially I didn't do all the upgrades for cost reason!! but I am a bit tired of Apple changing things all the time. I feel that my £1500 are not worth much these days.
MacBook out in March. well I expect a DL a month later or so, never mind OS that may change, the applications that need updating etc... the batteries, that keep being called back one after the other for malfunction, and in my particular case, interacting badly with the OS. The PB works a lot better after a change.
Gr8 machine for rich guys for sure. I am not sure I like the Apple's politics. Still present themselves as the nice guys , hummm , Just as shark as Microsoft in my opinion, although Microsoft doesn't make computers?
Enjoy the spending
lets just wait and see people .