“On Friday I received one of the first 15.4in MacBook Pros to be given to any journalist. I’ve been buzzing ever since,” Tom Dunmore writes for Stuff Magazine. “The 1440×900-pixel screen is particularly impressive: it looks brighter than my G5 iMac’s LCD, although to get the best out of it you need to be seated directly in front of the display. It’s not that the viewing angle is awful; it’s just much dimmer when you’re viewing from the side or above. Still, as I type this I’m working in direct sunlight without any problem.”
“Of course, the real difference between the MacBook and its Powerbook predecessor lies beneath the tastefully brushed aluminium exterior; for inside this new machine is an Intel Core Duo processor, running at 2GHz,” Dunmore writes. “The MacBook certainly runs at a blistering pace: boot time, for example, is under 30 seconds… In standard use, the MacBook performed snappily – no spinning ‘beachballs of death’ to report, and the Safari web browser launched instantaneously. iTunes flies through CD rips at around 15x-20x playback speed (in high performance mode) and you can seamlessly scroll through thousands of snaps in iPhoto without the slightest glitch. Of course, Apple’s consumer software has been rewritten for the Intel chips, but most third party software is not yet ‘Universal’ (optimised to run on both old PowerPCs and new Intels). This makes no difference in productivity apps like Microsoft Office, but Photoshop runs at around half the speed of a G5 desktop, and Final Cut Express feels a little slow. Both are perfectly useable, though – and still run significantly faster than on my two-year-old 867MHz G4 Powerbook.”
“On its first full charge, with a lot of disc spinning and installation going all, the MacBook Pro managed to survive for just over two and a half hours. And that was after choosing ‘better battery life’ from the battery drop-down on the menu bar (the other options are ‘better performance’ or ‘normal’). Full recharge – while the MacBook was being used – took about 90 minutes,” Dunmore writes. “The MacBook Pro does nothing to damage Apple’s appeal as a status symbol. But nor does it mark a great leap forward for the brand – the design is the familiar, as are the functions. Battery life is acceptable. Performance is roaring with Universal applications, but less so with unoptimised software… For now, all I know is that Apple’s going to have to send the heavies around if it expects to get this particular MacBook back… If you’re after a drop-dead gorgeous laptop that runs consumer applications brilliantly, that excels in entertainment and productivity software, and that’s truly future-proofed, then it’s worth joining the queue.”
Full article here.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Macworld posts Apple MacBook Pro 2.0GHz first lab tests – February 22, 2006
Apple PowerBook G4 1.5GHz vs. MacBook Pro 2.0Ghz Adobe Photoshop benchmarks – February 22, 2006
Apple begins shipping MacBook Pro notebook computers with faster 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processors – February 14, 2006
Adobe: no native Intel Mac support until 2007; Photoshop could be 14 months away – February 01, 2006
Computerworld: Apple’s MacBook Pro ‘fast, really fast – looks like a real winner’ – January 28, 2006
Analyst: Apple seeing strong sales of iMac Core Duo, MacBook Pro, 5th generation iPod – January 25, 2006
Apple: expect MacBook Pro shortages – January 19, 2006
Use the ExpressCard slot to add FireWire 800 to Apple’s new MacBook Pro – January 15, 2006
Apple MacBook Pro, ExpressCard and EVDO – January 14, 2006
Apple introduces MacBook Pro; up to four times faster than PowerBook G4 – January 10, 2006
My PowerBook G4 1.67Ghz is for Sale, any offers?
I’ve used the new Intel iMac, and if it’s as good as that then I want one. Now. This instant. DAMMIT!
How much you want for it, Jim?
nice review — i wonder if Apple has fixed the ‘line’ issue with the high-resolution screens. Search Apple discussion boards for more on that.
As a first edition G4 Alu-Book owner i am particularly fond of Apple Powerbook screen issues. With white-spots and dark spots and resolution issues, i am on my 4th screen in 2 and a half years.
You mean while Spotlight is indexing and keeping the HD spinning full-time?
I have to change my name to iWill cause I’m gonna order one today.
The MacDaddy-Oh, I want £2,000 for it
I can’t sell it but I want to. It’s less than a year old. My Mum taught me to look after things and only replace them if they break.
Hey, wait,
I love my 1.67 GHz PowerBook. Not that I’d turn down the new machines, but I figure with at least another year to go before the heavy-duty apps. I use (Photoshop, Maya, etc.) are Universal, there’s no real reason to upgrade just yet. Heck, maybe if I wait another year, I could get a 3GHz dual-core laptop. Talk about cool … er, hot!
I got mine last week. Love it so far. Screen is perfect. Software compatibility is surprisingly good.
mdn “club”
as in
welcome to the “club”
I have a 1.5 PB G4, you should always wait before you jump on the bandwagon. Only a couple times have I found it prudent to buy when a product first comes out. Like the PowerMac G5s, the early ones came with up to 8 Gigs of RAM, later on only the premium models came with 8 the standard was up to 4 Gigs. I got my G5 when the getting was good. I recommend waiting on optimized apps and faster specs which I am sure will emerge in a year and a half.
whatever,
Yeah, you could wait, but that’s a year to a year and a half that you won’t be able to enjoy a new notebook. In a couple years I’ll buy a new one.
anybody know if HD can be edited on it? iMovie HD is intel-native, isn’t it? but i haven’t seen whether the new macbooks or iMacs will capture HD.
Anybody, please help.
I can’t believe he didn’t mention that the Mac has absolutely ZERO viruses. What a pro-microsoft pundit.
Yes, iMovie HD is Universal.
This review is almost worthless. The author seems ignorant of important technical details, and uses questionable ‘standards’ regarding his performance assessments. Regardless, what useful info he does provide really doesn’t show the MacBook Pro to be a stellar performer.
From the article: “… the real difference between the MacBook and its Powerbook predecessor … is an Intel Core Duo processor, running at 2GHz …”
Not exactly. The MBP also has PCIx, a better graphics chipset, and SATA. All of these impact overall performance a great deal, and have nothing to do with the CPU. Even the old PB with these features would have shown measurable performance improvements.
And on the subject of differences, others should’ve been noted. He could’ve included the built-in video cam as another plus, but on the minus side MBP drops pro-level features such as FW800, dual layer DVD burning, and the PC card slot.
“The MacBook certainly runs at a blistering pace: boot time … is under 30 seconds …”
Again, despite his implication, this has nothing to do with the CPU. It boots faster because Apple is moving to a better BIOS chip, which is another ‘processor indifferent’ change.
“In standard use, the MacBook performed snappily – no spinning ‘beachballs of death’ …, and … Safari … launched instantaneously.”
His implication here is that G4/G5 systems have a problem in this regard, but my 12″ iBook has no beachballs either, and all my browsers launch right away. Software optimizations (or lack thereof, as the case may be) would explain most any improvement here.
“iTunes flies through CD rips at around 15x-20x playback speed (in high performance mode) …”
This has as much to do with optical drive speed as anything.
“… and you can seamlessly scroll through thousands of snaps in iPhoto without the slightest glitch.”
Given iPhoto is now a CoreImage app, the GPU is the ‘hero’ in this case.
“Of course, … most third party software is not yet ‘Universal’ … This makes no difference in productivity apps like Microsoft Office, but Photoshop runs at around half the speed of a G5 desktop, and Final Cut Express feels a little slow. Both are perfectly useable, though – and still run significantly faster than on my two-year old 867MHz G4 Powerbook.”
This non-Universal third party software problem is one of the real holes in the Macintel armor right now, and especially for a pro level product like MBP it really shouldn’t be minimized like this. I’ve used Office under Rosetta (on the CoreDuo iMac), and it chokes often enough to be a concern. Creating pdfs and making PowerPoint files with lots of ‘goodies’ are two tasks I’m familiar with, and the CoreDuo iMac can’t beat my ‘measely’ 1.33Ghz iBook G4 there. And Photoshop? Forget it. No pro user in his/her right mind is going to waste their time with a MBP until Adobe goes Universal. It really is THAT bad, and no way his 867Mhz G4 is “significantly” slower. As for Final Cut; it IS Universal & comparisons using it to an 800Mhz G4 of any stripe is disingenuous at best. Forget all the other peformance enhancing changes I mentioned – he’s comparing a CPU running nearly 3x the speed and with 2x the cores!. Anyway, “perfectly usuable” is a ridiculous standard here given this laptop’s intended market.
“… quite a few … [Centrino] laptops that pass through the Stuff offices manage between three and four hours of processor intensive work. On its first full charge, with a lot of disc spinning and installation …, the MacBook Pro managed … just over two and a half hours. And that was after choosing ‘better battery life’ from the battery drop-down on the menu bar …”
And this is the second hole. Battery life on MBP is abysmal. I’ve installed alot of software on many mobile Macs; for this new, supposedly superior in the performeance/watt department, machine to last only 2.5 hrs (on it’s most efficient settings!) doing such a simple task is NOT good. Watching a DVD movie is more system intensive, and I can get 3 hours doing that on any PPC Mac laptop made since 2001. Plus, while the author doesn’t even mention the heat issues with the MBP, many others have. It’s certainly no better than the old PB & probably worse.
Look, I hate to be a curmudgeon, but this laptop – along with having a stupid name – is not a great product. Thanks to Rosetta, any G4 machine built in the last 3 years can outperform it on important tasks, and leaving off features (in order to accomodate the much more expensive Intel CPU) is really unforgiveable. Frankly, even as a transition product, it should be avoided by any professional who actually cares how they spend their money. The Macintel iMac has some merit, if only because it’s not a pro-level machine, and has given us a few improvements without dropping features. However, the MBP is an expensive, underperforming dud.
And this ‘review’ simply wasn’t worth the time it took to read.
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I can’t prove it, but it just seems obvious from your post. You’re in a different universe with a different MBP from the rest of us.
That’s all.
Kate
My 12 inch G4 Powerbook is for sale now as well (1.5 Ghz/1.25 Gb ram). I tried a demo of the macbook last Friday and I too *need* one right now.
Thank you for listening.
Kate, I am with you. Odyssey67’s bias shows through loud & clear, just as much as the reviewer’s superficiality does.
Kate and Poppycock,
IMO, Odyssey’s post is about the only one here worth reading. He/she makes good points, isn’t a blowhard, and can string words into complete sentances. What exactly is the problem? Do you two work for Apple or something? I can’t understand your criticism otherwise.
Odyssey, I agree with you. The Mac Book Pro isn’t ready for prime time. The Intel iMac is the better of the two. And yes, this article does suck. If anything, it seems to me that Jobs may have made a mistake going to Intel. I still love Macs, but this whole CPU-change thing seems to be yielding little real benefit product wise. More trouble than it’s worth if you ask me.