“Apple calls the MacBook ‘the finest laptop in the world.’ In truth, a more accurate description would be ‘the finest laptop in the world, with a small serving of disappointment on the side,'” David Pogue writes for The New York Times. “You can see why Apple might be fond of its latest machine. The one-inch-thick MacBook is only 0.1 inch thinner than the PowerBook, but somehow feels worlds sleeker and more futuristic. Fit, finish and quality are spectacular. The wireless antenna has been moved, so Wi-Fi reception is much improved. The guts, from the bus (circuitry) to the graphics card, have been substantially accelerated. Battery life is pretty much the same as on the PowerBooks: 3 to 3.5 hours.”
Pogue writes. “The MacBook trumps its predecessor in five substantial areas. First, the gorgeous, 1,440-by-900-pixel screen is much whiter and brighter. It’s very, very bright. At half brightness, it matches the brightest setting of other laptops; at full brightness, it could illuminate a runway. It’s really bright.” Pogue also lists the built-in iSight video camera, the Apple remote control and Front Row, and the magnetically-attahced power cord as two, three, and four of his five substantial features. The fifth, is speed. “It’s nothing like the 4X or 5X speedup measured by Apple’s benchmarks. Even so, this machine flies. It starts up fast, programs open fast, iTunes imports CD’s fast, iMovie processes high-definition video fast and Web pages blink onto the screen, fully formed. This laptop makes you aware of how many little pauses you’ve been tolerating on your old computer. Note, though, that all of that speed is available only when you’re using programs that have been revised to work with the Intel chip — so-called Universal programs.”
Pogue writes, “Over all, the MacBook Pro is a beautifully engineered machine. If it’s not the world’s finest, it’s darned close. (Apple hints that its 12-inch and 17-inch siblings are on the way.) But in so many ways, it’s a forward-thinking laptop. It won’t achieve true greatness until the important programs have been rewritten for the Core Duo chip’s blazing speed, expansion cards for the new slot are available, and wireless Internet is offered by every hotel, bed-and-breakfast and friend’s house. Until then, call it the MacBook Po — for Potential.”
Full article here.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple MacBook Pro a ‘drop-dead gorgeous laptop’ – February 27, 2006
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
Finest? Eh?
Not according to MacFixIt, lots of problem with these new boxes.
Wait for revision 2 is my advice.
Just checked MacFixit forums.. Portable Macs
Nothing significant there…
Ow, I stubbed my toe. All toes are defective.
I was thinking today, when forced to install some Dell equipment for a client, that the worst thing about being Michael Dell, is that you’d be THAT rich… I mean BILLIONS, and you’d still have to use Dell equipment…
Do you think he has a secret room in the mansion with Macs in it?
Sh-t! I bought the first Edsel way back when!
Who do I sue?
Revision 2 same problems
Sorry guys.. my post was a bit shortsighted!
Disappointed with Adobe, not Apple.
It’s not as if some high school geek is sitting there at Apple making seemingly random decisions about what should and shouldn’t be included in the new computer models. I am very sure that the Apple engineers have agonized and debated over all of these design issues.
In the past, Apple has been known to push the general public forward, often kicking and screaming. Apple has also had its humiliating moments when their crystal ball was out of tune, and they had to step backward.
While the rest of the world views their laptops as the low powered shuttle pod from their desktop mother ship, Apple’s design team strives to make their portables strong enough to be the primary computer.
Hardware or software, every day, being an Apple user is a far more removed experience than being a Windows user. Thanks, Apple!
“Here’s to the crazy ones!”
Mike –
I sure hope your day job is Journalist or Writer….
That was far too good for only a small group of wingnuts like us to read.
If you are a pro user, wait.
If you are a surf,chat and email person buy it….but its lots of $$$$$$$$ just for internet surfing….
Mike B., surfing the web on my windows or apple computer is the same experience.
Mike B., using Photoshop on my windows or apple computer is the same experience.
Mike B. “While the rest of the world views their laptops as the low powered shuttle pod from their desktop mother ship…”
What in heck are you talking about????
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When the dual layer drive is available, I’ll buy. By then, they may have the dual core 64bit Intel processors. Of course, Apple would probably want $3000 for those.
Sorry veleeeta, it’s not the same experience. I have both at work, and not only do I prefer using the Mac for those common tasks, so do the guys in my IT department.
I certainly understand what Mike meant by “low-powered shuttle pods.” If you didn’t, why own a Mac?
If it’s the same experience for you, why on earth would you own a Mac? What’s the reason?
Even routine email for me is more interesting on my Mac. The interaction with the machine is just better. I get a kick knowing that someone in Cupertino thought long and hard about the placement of a button, or the function of a command, or how widgets work.
But if it feels the same to you, why bother?
Can’t say I’m disappointed with Adobe at all… in fact, I hope they really drag their heels giving Apple plenty of time to ‘final cut studio’ them in the photoshop department.
Our little (quarter billion dollar) operationhas been basing some of our key communications on the iWork/Life/FinalCut suites, simply b/c of the fabulous integration across those apps and the ease of worflow.
If something emerged that was a serious PS contender, we’d drop Adobe in a heartbeat. Ditto for Dreamweaver, pos that it is.
MDN magic word: anachronism (okay, I made that up)
Why by now? Why live on the bleeding edge?
By the time third party software is ready Apple will have updated these early models to be faster, have more features, and fix any glitches.
Mike B., surfing the web on my windows or apple computer is the same experience.
Mike B., using Photoshop on my windows or apple computer is the same experience.
velveeta, do you get Windows viruses surfing the web with a Mac?
Apparently you haven’t used Photoshop on both platforms, or maybe at all? The Mac version has features that are strangely absent in the Windows version, and thus almost unusable in Windows.
<i>”Why by now? Why live on the bleeding edge?”<i>
I agree, if you MUST have the latest and greatest and can afford it, then go for it. I have no problem with that. But just because Apple is moving to Intel doesn’t mean your Mac is instantly obsolete. If you bought a G5 Mac late in 2005, don’t get upset over this transition. I used to do that all the time – everytime something new came out I had to instantly dump what I had to get the latest.
Now, I say keep your G(X) Mac and run it into the ground. When it becomes intolerable or can’t do what you need it to do, then upgrade. I remember someone saying something about “Urged Obsolescence”. Don’t feel your not in the running, there is still plenty of life left in the older Macs.