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Apple's introduces 15-, 17-in. MacBook Pros with quad-core i7 CPUs, AMD GPUs - Page 2

post #41 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:27am
The battery life just took a 1-2 hour hit. It now says 7 hours instead of 8-9.

I'm really considering a refurb of the previous model. The savings is huge! Anything will rock compared to my 1.83 CD MBP!
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post #42 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post

On these new models, I was really glad to see that even though Apple added the new Thunderbolt port (although it replaced the Display Port)

They didn't replace anything. The mini Display Port port supports DisplayPort devices. It ALSO supports Thunderbolt. You plug in either one and it figures out what to speak. Very nice.

- Jasen.
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post #43 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:30am
Thunderbolt at a time when USB 3 is gaining way more devices...
Why not Both? apple is too cheap to pay patents and parts on both.

Why not Blu-Ray? Apple is too cheap to pay patents and cost on it. let alone support it in OS, letting consumers install it for full proper use.

Apple has record profits, but it limits functionality for consumers choice. Won't let consumers pay for options they want. in case of BD, to protect the itunes movie rentals/sales.

Thunderbolt seems ok, but SSD is an option others offer also.

I am thinking of replacing my MBP with a VAIO.
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post #44 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeph View Post

Thunderbolt can handle only up to 6 devices???

I'm not too worried, but I did note that number, too. I have 4 drives always connected to the FW port on one computer, and occassionally attach a 5th. There's still a FW port, so that's good if you have even more devices. I haven't had a chance to research it, but is 6 always going to be the limitation, or is that a first-implementation limit which may increase in the future (becase I assume sooner or later they will drop the FW port)? Again, haven't had time to do any research, but a few other questions come to mind: is it hot-swappable (I assume yes, in this day and age), what are the cable length restrictions, does it provide bus power and how much to run devices.

I'm in no hurry to upgrade, so I'll eventually go read Apple's pages to see what all they are saying about it.
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post #45 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by holden89 View Post

Bit of a let down, after all the rumours going around.

I agree! Disappointed here too. I was really hoping for a SSD boot / HDD for data combination to replace the largely unused / unnecessary SuperDrive.

I knew that the "light peak / thunderbolt" port was coming and supposedly there will be adapters that will allow for connection from thunderbolt to other peripherals including USB, but I was really hoping that the remaining USB ports would be upgraded to 3.0 at least. Last thing I want to carry around is some type of "Lightpeak to USB dongle" in order to connect a USB 3.0 drive at max speed.

Also disappointed that they are still offering 5400 rpm drives as the "standard" option. These are premium notebooks, and they are being crippled with slow / cheap drives. For the money the MBP costs and the minor difference in price between 5400 and 7200 rpm drives, the 7200's should be the new standard on these (at least on the 15 and the 17 models).

I was thinking I would be upgrading this month, but I may consider waiting for the next one now, I am not sure there is enough of a step forward with this update to justify the $$$.
\
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post #46 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:37am
There appears to have been a modest price drop across the board.

A 2.0GHz/i7-quad/8GB RAM/500GB(7200)HDD goes for $2099

A 2.6GHz/i7-dual/8GB RAM/500GB(7200)HDD went for $2649 yesterday


Although the latter probably compares better to the 2.2GHz quad with 1GB Radeon GPU ($2399)


edit: the upgraded 2.3GHz goes for $2649
MS Windows is like Mac OSX designed by committee.
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MS Windows is like Mac OSX designed by committee.
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post #47 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasenj1 View Post

They didn't replace anything. The mini Display Port port supports DisplayPort devices. It ALSO supports Thunderbolt. You plug in either one and it figures out what to speak. Very nice.

- Jasen.

Hm, I assumed it could do both simultaneously? A single wire to a monitor that also has data ports so it can act as a hub.
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post #48 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:38am
In case this hasn't been listed:

http://www.intel.com/technology/io/t...bolt/index.htm

Quote:
"We're thrilled to collaborate with Intel to bring the groundbreaking Thunderbolt technology to Mac users," said Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of Mac Hardware Engineering. "With ultra-fast transfer speeds, support for high-resolution displays and compatibility with existing I/O technologies, Thunderbolt is a breakthrough for the entire industry and we think developers are going to have a blast with it."
– Bob Mansfield, Senior Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering, Apple Inc.
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post #49 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:40am
Happy birthday Steve! And, yes, we get the quad core presents.
Now I know why Apple was saying "no" to USB3. It was a transitional technology.
"And just like that, everyone here realizes you're just another sweaty little Google licker with an axe to grind and no idea what he's talking about." --addabox
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"And just like that, everyone here realizes you're just another sweaty little Google licker with an axe to grind and no idea what he's talking about." --addabox
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post #50 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by holden89 View Post

Bit of a let down, after all the rumours going around.

Agreed.
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post #51 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post

I'm not too worried, but I did note that number, too. I have 4 drives always connected to the FW port on one computer, and occassionally attach a 5th. There's still a FW port, so that's good if you have even more devices. I haven't had a chance to research it, but is 6 always going to be the limitation, or is that a first-implementation limit which may increase in the future (becase I assume sooner or later they will drop the FW port)? Again, haven't had time to do any research, but a few other questions come to mind: is it hot-swappable (I assume yes, in this day and age), what are the cable length restrictions, does it provide bus power and how much to run devices.

I'm in no hurry to upgrade, so I'll eventually go read Apple's pages to see what all they are saying about it.

I'm not really worried either, as it is sure to handle anything I would be likely to throw at it, but it surprised me as FW has a theoretical limit of 64 devices (IIRC).


The only disappointment for me is the 8GB RAM limit.
MS Windows is like Mac OSX designed by committee.
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MS Windows is like Mac OSX designed by committee.
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post #52 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post

Same here. I don't know what this insistence is on providing less. If one doesn't want an optical drive because you think that gets you the thinnest and lightest possible machine, that machine already exists. It's called the Air. I, for one, do not want Apple to cripple the MBP line to turn them into Airs and I don't think they want to either - that's why they have two product lines.

I definitely want an optical drive in my next MBP and while I think I like the idea of a combo SSD/HD, I would not want the hard disk removed completely unless the SSD has the same high capacity and was the same cost, but right now, a 250GB SSD is pretty expensive.

And while a "redesign" is always interesting because it's fun to see where Apple is going to take it next, there's nothing wrong with the current design of the MBP. It still looks better than every other laptop out there. It boggles the mind that almost every Windows laptop out there still only has analog video output. On these new models, I was really glad to see that even though Apple added the new Thunderbolt port (although it replaced the Display Port), they still kept all the traditional USB, Firewire and Ethernet ports. I half expected them to drop one of those like they dropped the FW port a few years back, then had to restore it in later models.

I agree, but will go even further by stating that until SSD drives become available in 1 and 2 TB sizes, for the cost of a 1TB drive two years ago, you'll never see them replacing the plate drives which will continue to expand to 3 or 4 TB soon.
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post #53 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mitchelljd View Post

Thunderbolt at a time when USB 3 is gaining way more devices...
Why not Both? apple is too cheap to pay patents and parts on both.

Of course, it's Apple's fault and not Intel's for not building the chipset with USB 3 support.

USB is dead.

Quote:
Why not Blu-Ray? Apple is too cheap to pay patents and cost on it. let alone support it in OS, letting consumers install it for full proper use.

I don't know about Apple, but I DON'T WANT OS-LEVEL DRM ON MY COMPUTER. Also, you can already play Blu-ray disks in OS X.

Quote:
Apple has record profits, but it limits functionality for consumers choice. Won't let consumers pay for options they want.

So Apple won't let people buy a computer from another company if they don't offer the ludicrous desires of the minority?

Quote:
in case of BD, to protect the itunes movie rentals/sales.

Oh, no! Apple wants to make money from iTunes! How wrong!
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #54 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post

Same here. I don't know what this insistence is on providing less. If one doesn't want an optical drive because you think that gets you the thinnest and lightest possible machine, that machine already exists. It's called the Air. I, for one, do not want Apple to cripple the MBP line to turn them into Airs and I don't think they want to either - that's why they have two product lines.

I definitely want an optical drive in my next MBP and while I think I like the idea of a combo SSD/HD, I would not want the hard disk removed completely unless the SSD has the same high capacity and was the same cost, but right now, a 250GB SSD is pretty expensive.

And while a "redesign" is always interesting because it's fun to see where Apple is going to take it next, there's nothing wrong with the current design of the MBP. It still looks better than every other laptop out there. It boggles the mind that almost every Windows laptop out there still only has analog video output. On these new models, I was really glad to see that even though Apple added the new Thunderbolt port (although it replaced the Display Port), they still kept all the traditional USB, Firewire and Ethernet ports. I half expected them to drop one of those like they dropped the FW port a few years back, then had to restore it in later models.

I already have an Air. It's a nice and portable machine, but not usable as a main computer. I don't want less, I simply don't want a feature I never make use of (and which takes up about 25% of the internal space on an MBP).

Seriously, I'm so sick of people saying "just get an Air" when someone points out the fact that the Superdrive is obsolete. An Air does not have a quad-core CPU. An Air does not have a large, hi-res display. An Air does not have a dedicated GPU. An Air does not have enough storage. An Air does not have 8GB RAM. An Air does not have Thunderbolt. An Air does not have a backlit keyboard.

It does have one thing the MBP should have gotten today, though, and that's the dedicated SSD - and no superfluous ODD.
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post #55 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:46am
Looks like the 17 doesn't have an SD card slot. I would rather have SD than the Express card since the only thing I use Express for is cell data which is just as easily done with USB now days.

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post #56 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:46am
Gotta love the nitpickers.

I'm actually pretty hard to impress, but I have to say "Well done, Apple."
I'm interested enough to take an external to the store and see how it performs vs my current (2010) MBP 17. It may well end up that yet another family member gets a surprise gift this year.
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Pity the agnostic dyslectic. They spend all their time contemplating the existence of dog.
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post #57 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parkettpolitur View Post

Ah yes, the fabled "majority of users". I know a ton of Mac users, and no one ever uses the Superdrive. Why should they, anyway? Burning DVDs is slow, there are thumbdrives for that. And no one I know watches DVDs anymore, they're dead media.

Oh well, no MBP for me this time. Guess I'll wait for an updated iMac (yes, I know, there's a superfluous Superdrive in there too).

Ah yes, the fabled "all of the people I know" anecdotes. \

Is your assertion of "I know a ton of Mac users" any more accurate than throwing "a majority of users" out there? I'd think that Apple has a better idea than we all do about where the market truly is.
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post #58 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

Looks like the 17 doesn't have an SD card slot. I would rather have SD than the Express card since the only thing I use Express for is cell data which is just as easily done with USB now days.

And I'd rather have ExpressCard/34 BACK on the 15" so that we could have SD, eSATA, USB 3 (for the people who don't think it's dead), more FireWire, a second built-in SSD...

You see? SD is pointless. ExpressCard is everything.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #59 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parkettpolitur View Post

I already have an Air. It's a nice and portable machine, but not usable as a main computer. I don't want less, I simply don't want a feature I never make use of (and which takes up about 25% of the internal space on an MBP).

Seriously, I'm so sick of people saying "just get an Air" when someone points out the fact that the Superdrive is obsolete. An Air does not have a quad-core CPU. An Air does not have a large, hi-res display. An Air does not have a dedicated GPU. An Air does not have enough storage. An Air does not have 8GB RAM. An Air does not have Thunderbolt. An Air does not have a backlit keyboard.

It does have one thing the MBP should have gotten today, though, and that's the dedicated SSD - and no superfluous ODD.

You raise some great points.

I use my Superdrive a lot to rip movies, but I wish it was not there. I only rip movies while at home, but I take my MBP everywhere and would like to not have 25% of the unit not be needed 80% of the time. I would be happy to have an external drive for ripping and burning.

Also like you, I want the power that comes from the MBP. An Air will not suit my needs. I have replaced the internal drive with a SSD though.
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post #60 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

And I'd rather have ExpressCard/34 BACK on the 15" so that we could have SD, eSATA, USB 3 (for the people who don't think it's dead), more FireWire, a second built-in SSD...

You see? SD is pointless. ExpressCard is everything.

I see your point. I don't use my MBP as a main computer since most of the work week I'm in the office with a MacPro. When I am out using my MBP I often have my camera so the SD card is nice. 17 is too big for my needs anyway. I think I'll wait this rev out since it looks like an intermediate bump not a redesign. Thunderbolt is interesting, however I wouldn't be at all surprised if TB 2.0 isn't on the horizon.

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post #61 of 180
2/24/11 at 7:59am
http://www.maccouch.com/2011/02/thunderbolt-ssd/
it seems to me that thundebolt just makes the sata connector inside appear as a limited bottleneck and therefore is better to have the system on a external disk!!
www.maccouch.com
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www.maccouch.com
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post #62 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post

Happy birthday Steve! And, yes, we get the quad core presents.
Now I know why Apple was saying "no" to USB3. It was a transitional technology.

And why they never included the eSATA port everyone complained about not having.

Their web site says there will be "simple adaptors" to connect USB, FW, and ethernet to the Thunderbolt port, but I bet they won't be low priced. But seriously, if you can add a FW adaptor and it fully supports FW (ie, provides the same power, same speed, and daisy-chains many devices), I suspect the next update will drop FW altogether, and possibly the ethernet port. That would allow Apple to redesign the case with fewer ports to work around. If they drop the optical drive, you could then get something between the current MBP and MBA, packaging-wise.
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post #63 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:00am
I was really hoping for flash storage along with HDD but that is not a big deal since I already have hybrid HDD. I really like the updates though. Looking forward for MacMall ad Amazon discounts

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post

The battery life just took a 1-2 hour hit. It now says 7 hours instead of 8-9.

I'm really considering a refurb of the previous model. The savings is huge! Anything will rock compared to my 1.83 CD MBP!

The new 7 hours battery life reflects the new testing Apple talked about during the Airs event. Depending on your usage, battery life should be the same as the previous generation, if not better.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post

Hm, I assumed it could do both simultaneously? A single wire to a monitor that also has data ports so it can act as a hub.

I believe you can do that if the display has a Thunderbolt as well.
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post #64 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:01am
I wasnt disappointed by the specs...Apple clearly changed direction towards power over battery life. What killed me is raising the prices.....

I decided to forgo and buy one second hand. Apple's not getting my money this time around. I realize that production proces fluctuate but in this economy to raise prices 100-200 is counter productive.

I won't bitch about it, I just won't spend my money.
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post #65 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by briavael View Post

Ah yes, the fabled "all of the people I know" anecdotes. \

Is your assertion of "I know a ton of Mac users" any more accurate than throwing "a majority of users" out there? I'd think that Apple has a better idea than we all do about where the market truly is.

True, I'm sorry, it's anecdotal evidence either way. Apple must have some reason for keeping the Superdrive around; I just can't really fathom that reason.
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post #66 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post

I suspect the next update will drop FW altogether, and possibly the ethernet port. That would allow Apple to redesign the case with fewer ports to work around. If they drop the optical drive, you could then get something between the current MBP and MBA, packaging-wise.

I would buy it.

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post #67 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

They serve two pretty different needs at the moment though. High end MBPs are now powerful enough (since i7 IMO) in all respects to be real low to medium end work stations for the likes of video production when hooked up to a bunch of external storage devices. It will be a while before Airs can do that ... it will happen no doubt, but it is not going happen for a few years IMHO. Which I guess is what you are saying here

Frankly, I suspect the iPad2 will be eating into Air sales more than Air into MBP's sales.

I have to disagree with you on the sales cannibalization. Personally, I've wanted a MBP for a couple of years now, but having recently looked at the Air and taking a seriously look as to what I NEED a laptop for rather than what I WANT a laptop for, the Air is looking better and better to me. The iPad, which I have one of, on the other hand fills a completely different niche.

Now, all that said, when my Mac Pro dies which is hopefully still a couple years away, I'm be planning on investing in a MBP. Honestly for the gaming and other things that I do in addition to it being a general purpose system the MBP is now powerful enough to replace the Mac Pro and give me portability. Hopefully SSD prices in a couple years will be low enough that having a pair of internal 512GB drives won't be breaking the bank, or maybe even 1TB SSD drives by then.
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post #68 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:07am
What about the Intel on-board and Radeon GPU? I remember that the on-board handles all native duties and the dedicated GPU only kicks in when an external display is connected?
MS Windows is like Mac OSX designed by committee.
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post #69 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parkettpolitur View Post

Why on earth are there still Superdrives in these things?

So people can still b*tch about the lack of Blu-Ray
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post #70 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post

You may never use a DVD or a CD but the vast majority of users still use them. Hell, I just burned a couple DVDs this past week.

Is it so hard to comprehend that there are thousands of USB devices designed for this?

A couple DVDs this past week? That's NOTHING. Hopefully you used your machine far more often than that...and if you did, you could have benefited from no DVD drive.

Do you carry the machine around when burning? Highly doubtful. An accessory for this rare occasion would not kill you, and would benefit you all other moments.

Vast majority my ass. The vast majority have used the drive once to make sure it works.
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post #71 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeph View Post

Thunderbolt can handle only up to 6 devices???

Ick, please don't upsize your text like that. Anyway, one device can be an entire drive array, so you could chain six drive arrays for maybe thirty six hard drives, which would easily saturate the connection. Not that I know when such an array is coming, the one pictured in Apple's pages doesn't appear to exist yet, in Apple's store, at Promise's site, etc.


Quote:
Originally Posted by zeph View Post

I'm not really worried either, as it is sure to handle anything I would be likely to throw at it, but it surprised me as FW has a theoretical limit of 64 devices (IIRC).

The only disappointment for me is the 8GB RAM limit.

First, what are you doing that exceeds 8GB now or in the next two years?

Second, that may be all Apple has tested. They don't seem to advertise capability that hasn't been tested, for the lack of readily available memory cards.

The limitation on number of devices may be an issue of speed, the higher the clock rate, the harder it is to propagate the data long distances without corruption. That might change with optical Lightpeak, but Apple doesn't have that yet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

Looks like the 17 doesn't have an SD card slot. I would rather have SD than the Express card since the only thing I use Express for is cell data which is just as easily done with USB now days.

Ideally, cell data would be built-in rather than needing an exposed dongle. I wish Apple would get on board with cell data built into their notebooks. Failing a built-in option, I'd much prefer an E/34 card than a USB stick that has a risk of acting like a lever and possibly break the port or card. I have a multi-card reader that plugs neatly inside the E/34 jack, so I'm set there.
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post #72 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:14am
My dilemma now is:

To buy an iMac now, or wait for Thunderbolt iMac and pay $200-300 more for the same machine.
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post #73 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post

The battery life just took a 1-2 hour hit. It now says 7 hours instead of 8-9.

That might be more an artifact of changing the way they determine battery life than anything. they were talking about this a while back, that they were developing new tests for this, I think around the time of the latest MBA launch. Unless there is some other evidence to the contrary, I'd be very surprised if the batteries took a "real" hit in longevity. It's possible due to the new hardware, but it may not be what it seems on the face of it.
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post #74 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by svnipp View Post

I have to disagree with you on the sales cannibalization. Personally, I've wanted a MBP for a couple of years now, but having recently looked at the Air and taking a seriously look as to what I NEED a laptop for rather than what I WANT a laptop for, the Air is looking better and better to me. The iPad, which I have one of, on the other hand fills a completely different niche.

Now, all that said, when my Mac Pro dies which is hopefully still a couple years away, I'm be planning on investing in a MBP. Honestly for the gaming and other things that I do in addition to it being a general purpose system the MBP is now powerful enough to replace the Mac Pro and give me portability. Hopefully SSD prices in a couple years will be low enough that having a pair of internal 512GB drives won't be breaking the bank, or maybe even 1TB SSD drives by then.

Well the cannibalization comment was just in reference to someone saying the Air would be killing the MBP which I don't agree with... but I agree with you on switching to a laptop but the MBPro is my choice. I have actually migrated most of my HD video work from a Mac Pro 8 Core Xeon to a MBPro i7. I added a 1 TB drive and 8 GIGs of RAM (myself ... very simple - $200 total) and am very pleased so far. Obviously I hook up to a large ACD when working but to be able to work anywhere is sooooo freeing!
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Been using Apples since 1978 and Macs since 1984
Long on AAPL so biased. Strong advocate for separation of technology and politics on AI.
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post #75 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parkettpolitur View Post

Why on earth are there still Superdrives in these things?

...because many of us are mobile creative professionals and do want to lug around one more piece of equipment, when it can burn DVDs and CDs on the spot. this is very helpful for photographers who want to burn off a DVD from aperture after a shoot.

and in case you are wondering, I have to do very little post.. yes I am that good.
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post #76 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasenj1 View Post

They didn't replace anything. The mini Display Port port supports DisplayPort devices. It ALSO supports Thunderbolt. You plug in either one and it figures out what to speak. Very nice.

- Jasen.

Any insights on whether the old mini Display cable will support HD as well? I.e., does one have to buy a new mini Display cable ($29) with the new MBP?
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post #77 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mitchelljd View Post

Thunderbolt at a time when USB 3 is gaining way more devices...
Why not Both? apple is too cheap to pay patents and parts on both.

Why not Blu-Ray? Apple is too cheap to pay patents and cost on it. let alone support it in OS, letting consumers install it for full proper use.

Apple has record profits, but it limits functionality for consumers choice. Won't let consumers pay for options they want. in case of BD, to protect the itunes movie rentals/sales.

Thunderbolt seems ok, but SSD is an option others offer also.

I am thinking of replacing my MBP with a VAIO.

Thunderbolt is a much better interface...I use FW800 for disk arrays all the time and can't wait to buy a Thunderbolt array. But I agree, I wish they did at least give them USB 3.0 ports.

Because Blu-Ray sucks, for both content authors and system integrators due to the licensing. But let's not get back into the HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray argument. Do you really think they keep Blu-Ray out of the Mac to protect their iTunes revenue stream? Please. Blu-ray sales do not compare well to standard definition DVDs, the players are klunky and slow, and Apple's iTunes HD videos not only look excellent (even though they are at 720P), but they're $10 cheaper than a typical Blu-Ray disk. I never want to buy a darn DVD again.

It's your choice, but I personally feel the Vaio (I use one at work) is a poor shadow of even my 2-year-old MBP.
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post #78 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parkettpolitur View Post

Why on earth are there still Superdrives in these things?

CD\\DVD burning
iMovie/iDVD disk burning
Software installs
Ripping CDs
Video games that require CD for copy protection reasons
Playing DVDs
Booting to run Disk Utility while on the road without needing an external drive
More...

There are plenty reasons Apple should NOT drop the SuperDrive from its flagship portable multimedia development studio.
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post #79 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:26am
I'm really happy with the design and glad Apple didn't Air-ify the MBPs..not that I thought they would.

However, they should have given the option to replace the optical drive with a second SSD or HDD. I pulled my optical drive from my MBP 13" and put it in a portable enclosure. I still never use it and don't even carry it with me. By giving the option Apple could both make the Macs more attractive to some users and make more money. My MBP 13" now has 1.5TB and the OS drive is a really fast hybrid. It's friggin' awesome, but many users won't want to do this themselves or even know that it could be done.

As far as those complaining about USB 3.0. Realize that you can still plug your legacy 3.0 devices in the Thunderbolt port. You'll just need a cable, adapter or hub.

For those complaining about lack of peripherals, you can already use Thunderbolt with any HDMI/DisplayPort using your existing cables. Hard Drives and everything else will be 3rd party and announced soon. Also announced soon will be new iPads
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post #80 of 180
2/24/11 at 8:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

Well the cannibalization comment was just in reference to someone saying the Air would be killing the MBP which I don't agree with... but I agree with you on switching to a laptop but the MBPro is my choice. I have actually migrated most of my HD video work from a Mac Pro 8 Core Xeon to a MBPro i7. I added a 1 TB drive and 8 GIGs of RAM (myself ... very simple - $200 total) and am very pleased so far. Obviously I hook up to a large ACD when working but to be able to work anywhere is sooooo freeing!

At these prices, the Air will outsell the MBP by a long way.

Whether you call that cannibalization or not is your business.

It was never called cannibalization when the MacBook line far outsold the MBP.
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