The New MBP vs. Old - Better/Worse

I was not very happy seeing the new MBP:
1. The screen - the glossy screen + the black border around it (watch out for finger prints)
2. Switching between the graphic cards with log out and back login. I think it's going to be pretty annoying.

I would really like to know what this community has to say abut the new MBP. My first reaction was that Apple blew it with these new products.

Oh, I was so disappointed that I removed the apple sticker from my car

I'm personally not that impressed with the MBP.

I'd like to see some performance comparisons between the 8600M and the 9600M. From what i can gather they are pretty evenly matched. New case is nice, but I don't know if it's worth the premium. I would have jumped at a MBP if they had added a better performing GPU.

As for logging out to switch between the graphics cards, hopefully they can fix that with a firmware update. It's seems kinda sloppy on their part.

New Macbooks are nice though.

I know it sounds stupid, but I was expecting something really radical from the new MBP, like a quad core inside or something just a ludicrous!
I was also erhaps stupidly expecting the introduction of blu-ray drives?!

Utterly disappointing, and I'm sorry but I hate the new design with a passion.
Add to that the dropping of a proper DVI port and FW and there's just no reason for me to buy one, I thought id left the days of carrying a bag full of cables and adapters behind me.

I think Apple took a step forward in terms of video cards and gaming. If you ever hear about the PC guys biggest rant, its about gaming. With amazing graphics cards I've convinced two friends to switch from their PC laptops to new Mac ones.

They could have done a better design and maybe even a blueray drive for the extra cash, but I believe they took a step forward... Albeit a small step.

In short terms, this will boost their sales.

Andy348 said:

In short terms, this will boost their sales.

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What will ultimately drive sales is a cheaper computer. True, there is the $999 one in the US (no sub $1000 in Canada yet...still hoping) but they need to offer more than the barely sub $1000 Macbook at $999.

First, there are 800000 threads about this already, albeit you did add a poll.

Logging in and out, seriously is it that big of a deal? You actually get to choose what video device to use, and have the option of extending you battery life by doing so. Seems kind of nitpicky to me.

I have now also posted about 5 times about BlueRay, there was no reason to add it. It is, right now, a format that is not doing well at all, comprising less than 8% of the market! It is expensive, and people are not willing to switch right now. Many analysts are predicting BlueRay to not last very long at all, it is certainly not the next DVD. Not to mention that the hardware is very expensive AND it is a Sony product (licensing it from what I have read is very expensive).

Quadcore? Not yet. One of the MBP's design standards is size, and in this size you can't do a Quadcore chip yet, not unless you want it to be: a) heavier, b) much more expensive, c) bigger to control the heat.

There is still a firewire port on the Pro's, just not the regular Macbooks. The loss of the DVI, ok, I will give you that one, I don't get that. BUT, Apple has always been on the forefront of technology, and this is the new way to go, but I think it might have been a little to early.

There are benchmarks on the new 9600m GT, and it does show an improvement. Whether it is enough for someone to upgrade or not is another thing entirely.

Cheaper products: Apple has never been in this market, and, at least in the near future, they aren't worried about entering it. Why would they? Their sales have done nothing but increase for the last 8 quarters or more (see the keynote). And while the global economy is slowing, they have been around for other recessions and have done fine then as well. While at the Apple store the other day (for about 20 min), I saw at least 15 new MB's and MBP's leaving the place, now, I do live in a quite large city, but still, doesn't seem like too much of a slowdown in business to me. Make your own judgements about the price, but Apple has never had low-end stuff, why start now?

I must agree with the prior post. Don't expect Apple to come in rolling down the hill with a product with a fantastic price tag. Though, I must say, I was also dissapointed because earlier in the year Steve did suggest a product that will priced very competitively.

One thing I just wished on the MBP was an additional USB port. I find having only 2 ports insufficient sometimes. Not a big fan of usb hubs... all the additional dongles are a pain.

IMO, I find that Apple's second configuration for their products (MB and MBP) contain more value then their cheaper brethren. Then again, not everyone has the money to afford an expensive product.

Well said lifeafter2am.

Yeah, I was at an Apple store on Friday around 1pm in a town of 35,000 and there were so many people there, nobody could or would help me. I must have seen at least 20 MB and MBPs leave...crazy! I think the $1300 MacBook took a step down with a slower processor than before and no firewire now, but I'm quite impressed by the new $2k MBP. It has everything you'd need on a notebook ever and I'm dying for one, I need a new computer!

geneilie said:

I was not very happy seeing the new MBP:
1. The screen - the glossy screen + the black border around it (watch out for finger prints)

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It's just something you have to get used to. IMO, the benefits in visual quality far outweigh the glare issues.

2. Switching between the graphic cards with log out and back login. I think it's going to be pretty annoying.

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This is a pretty minor issue, which is addressable in software. I'd be willing to bet 10.5.6 will sort this out. If you can do it on-the-fly in Windows, you should be able to do it in Mac OS X, it's just a matter of a more thorough reworking of the driver.

I would really like to know what this community has to say abut the new MBP. My first reaction was that Apple blew it with these new products.

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I don't mean to defend Apple on their choice of using a glossy overlay on the screen, because they certainly should be able to just as easily apply a matte overlay, but I think overall, it's a good redesign. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

cwa107 said:

I don't mean to defend Apple on their choice of using a glossy overlay on the screen, because they certainly should be able to just as easily apply a matte overlay, but I think overall, it's a good redesign. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

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Exactly.

i agree that you cant please everyone all the time...but personally i did like the old design more... (for the mbp at least)

but strictly on the matter of looks i liked the fact that the older models were all silver...the black keyboard & screen does not look as good in my opinion..

plus the fact that now the macbooks & macbook pros look pretty much the same

im not sure why they did that...

I personally find the new MBP attractive except I am rather irritated over the fact that the bezel is black and is reflective (glass). Just makes it a finger print magnet.

Wished they put more oomph into the machine at that kind of price point.

fungry said:

I personally find the new MBP attractive except I am rather irritated over the fact that the bezel is black and is reflective (glass). Just makes it a finger print magnet.

Wished they put more oomph into the machine at that kind of price point.

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I seriously doubt you will even notice the black bezel when you are staring at the screen.

geneilie said:

Oh, I was so disappointed that I removed the apple sticker from my car

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Yes agree! I think Apple have "Lost it" big time, I was going to upgrade my white MacBook for a new one, but no way now! No FireWire, No Blue-ray, and way OVER PRICED in todays marketplace.

I have been 100% Apple for two years now, but now I am Apple/Microsoft
neutral, If the new Windows 7 is any good i could well go back in that direction, as there are some very nice laptops out there, once Vista is dead and gone Apple will have to watch it.

I didn't want black keys or black bezel, However, this is the best macbook as to date, no heat ,no fans, I can live with the black for a perfect MB. Blu ray, I have a 50" in the living room, no need to watch it on my 13" screen.Firewire, I can live without also!

Uneducated "hating" on forums these days is amazing. I purchased the 2.53 MBP last friday and so far love the machine, here are my pros/cons:

**Pros:
**Resolution aside, the screen is amazing. I was uneasy about the switch from matte to glare type, but the new screens are so bright and clear. With the machine on, you are unable to see shadows or glares on the screen surface at all.
**Love the new keyboards. I've used the old style keyboards since early powerbook days, and the switch was extremely easy.
**The new video performance is astounding, the 512MB 9600GT really does perform extremely well for a notebook card. (also, the switching between cards by logging out, is a non-issue in my mind)
**The optical drive being on the right hand side now is a major bonus. All ports being on the left is also a major improvement.. no slamming your mouse into the USB port on the right-hand side of the machine.
**Sound is much improved on the OSX side, but is far from great on the Bootcamp XP/Vista side. Sound constantly "lags and clicks," even if nothing else is going on. I believe it is a driver issue that will soon be addressed. Still, I view this as a pro, new products are never 100% perfect upon initial release.

**Cons:
**No FW400, although this really isnt too big of a con in my mind. It's called forward progression, FW400 is old and slow. A 3rd USB port or a 2nd FW800 port would have been nice though..
**The trackpad is... weird. Certainly takes more than a few days to get used to. Clicking is LOUD! (hopefully will break in over time?)

Overall, I think this update is a big improvement, especially from the unibody case standpoint. They'll be able to work off of this platform for years to come. You "haters" need to sit down with one of the new machines for a few hours and get a feel for them.

I like the new MBP and sort of like the MB. I'd have gone with the new MB if it had Firewire since I've had to use target mode more than a few times before. It does not though, so MBP it is. For about $3~400 more than the MB you get Firewire 800, Express 34, better graphics on two separate chips and better display. Seems like a decent value to me. People will complain about price, such is life. The bitter taste of disappointment with an deficient product will far outlast the sweetness of low initial cost.

XJ-linux said:

...The bitter taste of disappointment with an deficient product will far outlast the sweetness of low initial cost.

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Aye this is so true, you get what you pay for.