No Wifi-AC, and price is embarrassingly high. I'm under-impressed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo42 
Yea yea, it has an SSD. Big freaking deal, SSD prices have been on steep decline for several months now.

How many of them have 500MB/s read/write?

Genuine question; I don't follow SSDs because they're still nowhere near the capacities I need.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hypez 

TBH:  The high end non retina 15in macbook pro is the same price as the entry retina with nearly same specs besides the old 5400 hd.   so the pricing isn't that bad and for those who say "256 SSD is so small omg i want my 5400 awesomeness."  get over it buy an external and move on.  for 2199 price tag this thing is nice.  it has alot new features not just the retina display.  the new cooling system is amazing and the build of the laptop itself was enough for me to purchase.   so TY apple for not sticking to the norm and changing everything again with little to any price hike!

True, especially since they are supporting USB 3 now so the range of fast external drives is now in reach as Thunderbolt accessories are still way too expensive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

How many of them have 500MB/s read/write?

 

Genuine question; I don't follow SSDs because they're still nowhere near the capacities I need.

Not all but some. I run a Crucial m4 which will do that read, but not write.  The samsung 830 series (I think) will do 500 r/w, it was $230 for a 256GB within the last couple weeks.  Almost picked up one for my optical bay.

now if the headline was...

Apple launches 0.71" thick next-generation MacBook Pro with 17" display

...i'd be getting out my amex, as it is, i'm going to be lovingly caring for my 17" for a long long time

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

How many of them have 500MB/s read/write?

 

Genuine question; I don't follow SSDs because they're still nowhere near the capacities I need.

This does http://au.sandisk.com/products/solid-state-drives/sandisk-extreme-solid-state-drive/.

Just put the 240GB one in my Mac Mini for $239 AUS and it's great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hypez 

TBH:  The high end non retina 15in macbook pro is the same price as the entry retina with nearly same specs besides the old 5400 hd.   so the pricing isn't that bad and for those who say "256 SSD is so small omg i want my 5400 awesomeness."  get over it buy an external and move on.  for 2199 price tag this thing is nice.  it has alot new features not just the retina display.  the new cooling system is amazing and the build of the laptop itself was enough for me to purchase.   so TY apple for not sticking to the norm and changing everything again with little to any price hike!

i guess it cool for you to spend $2200+ on a machine and tug along an external HDD, for most users im sure its not.

Amusing how they state "less glare".

Any glare is a big negative, so I guess 'less glare' is a step in the right direction.

I imagine professionals pouring out of their studio's and offices, racing to the nearest Mac store in a mad frenzy to see the new 'less glare' screens.

I know i'll be one of them. 'Less Glare' is almost what i've been wanting for a long time now.

Heaven forbid that professionals should ask for 'no glare' (let those spoiled trolls feel the wrath of the all-knowing Tallest-Shrill).

Dare we dream of iMac's with 'less glare'?

just seems to me in all my uses i never find myself needing a library of music or all my movies on a laptop when i leave the house?  and to pull out a usb 3 external hd that fits in my hand doesn't seem a big deal to me.   guess im just living in the future or something =D

Quote:

Originally Posted by myapplelove 


They have pushed it way too far this time, others will come along with a similar slim design add royally ample hard drive storage, upgradable and reasonably priced ram... They ve dropped the ball big time...

No OS X, no Apple ecosystem, NO SALE. 

You still don't get it. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mode 

Amusing how they state "less glare".

Any glare is a big negative, so I guess 'less glare' is a step in the right direction.

 

I imagine professionals pouring out of their studio's and offices, racing to the nearest Mac store in a mad frenzy to see the new 'less glare' screens.

I know i'll be one of them. 'Less Glare' is almost what i've been wanting for a long time now.

 

Heaven forbid that professionals should ask for 'no glare' (let those spoiled trolls feel the wrath of the all-knowing Tallest-Shrill).

 

Dare we dream of iMac's with 'less glare'?

I don't mind the glare on my iMac and my old Macbook Pro to be honest. I had a Dell U2711 attached as a second monitor but the anti glare coating on it was horrible so I returned it and the Apple display cost too much in my opinion. Samsung make a great 27" monitor with perfect anti glare coating. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by heffeque 

No Wifi-AC, and price is embarrassingly high. I'm under-impressed.

but dude.... less glare!

'Less glare' comes at a price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

More like, "BA HA HA HA HA HA No Ethernet?! Failure!"

 

Of course this thing is going to be $3,000 BASE price… Just watch.

What currency are you figuring this in?

Try $2200.

 This is really just a nice 15 inch air, not a lot of storage space.

Apple just effectively made the baseline Retina MBP dead on arrival, by locking it to 256GB storage. Why would they do this?

The top model can even expand to 768GB. Ggrrrr...

Quote:

Originally Posted by esstek 

Not sure if I will I own one of these next month, or a year from now, but I *will* own one. It's hard to think of a feature one might want in a laptop that's not available, here. WOW!

811ac (and possibly LTE) are about the only things missing from my personal wish list.  And that's from someone coping fairly well with 811g at this moment.  Those (and greater power efficiency to compensate for them) will likely come with the next spec bump to the tock of Ivy Bridge's tick, but I'll still likely buy now - because I'm on ooold tech.  

I do have a few questions I've already been trying to figure out for weeks now, i.e., still not quite understanding whether the HiDpi mode is going to allow me to utilize more than 1440x900 of real estate.  My guess is not on the notebook's own screen, but yes on a connected TB 27" monitor (and if so - simultaneously, i.e., while the notebook's showing retinized elements and the monitor's showing.....???).  Questions, we have questions......

And expect that there will be a semi-awkward transition as Apps and the whole of the internets starts to optimize for new screen tech.  And since this will be my main machine, wondering how the display tech is going to integrate with either Win 7 or 8 which I need - either virtualized or in boot camp mode.  But tech is always in transition and some parts are always a bit ahead of themselves and others.

Anyway, I imagine there will be solutions I can live with.  E.g., it can support TWO external monitors - so somebody's thinking something through and all will be clearer in a few days to weeks.  Meanwhile:

• New light weight, slim + powerful form factor.  Check.
• All the connectivity I need (with the FW800 adaptor of course).  TB, HDMI, USB 3, SD card.  Check.
• Enough power for my needs for a few years - with the possibility of innovative ways to keep improving it via TB.  Check.
• Great screen experience.  Check (checkish until my questions above get sorted out).
• Sufficient (and faster) available SSD storage.  Check.  Bit of sticker shock on the 768 option +$500 on the $2799 base machine, check (this IS Apple).  
• Sufficient RAM expandability (8 GB will suit me for now I expect - but $200 to double to 16GB ain't that bad for the bennie).  Check.  
• Defense against the "Apple's abandoning the pros" kvetching (altho' where are the Mac Pros lots of sites had predicted yesterday?). Check.

But $2199 is a teaser price to get into this game.  We are easily in the $3-4,000 (and far above) range here when you start to get serious....

16 GB, 2.6 Quad Ivy Bridge, 512 GB SSD is $2999 without Apple Care or One to One. (My likely config)

Max the the HW to the 2.7 and 768 - $3749. [The 768 SSD option (and bummer not even the 512) are NOT available on the base model - tho the 16GB of Ram is - so that - with the 2.3 processor and 512 GB of SSD is your limited local storage/hi RAM $2399 compromise]

Add A. Care and One to One - $4197.

Also think I'll wait on the next rev of the TB (USB 2.0 ports) monitor (3 grand is also enough to spend this year - not including updated optimized programs - but add that and a Superdrive and you have the bare makings of a "Notetop" system - for $5324!!  Or at least $6,000 with sales tax and judicious software updating.  

(Throw in the iPad + dumb phone I'll be buying now that the Pad includes Siri and some apps for it, and we're at $7,000 plus a "data plan" to be well Apple-equipped.)

And there goes the used pick-up I wanted for work on my property.  Oh well.

****************************

As for the Pros and maybe a new Apple TV (or whatever TV related announcements) - well they need something (those plus new iMacs) to announce between now and the next iPhone, no?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleGreen 

You got that right, Tally !!  Remember though, just 256GB of storage.

Unless you opt for up to 768GB of flash...

And base is 512GB.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredaroony 

I don't mind the glare on my iMac and my old Macbook Pro to be honest. I had a Dell U2711 attached as a second monitor but the anti glare coating on it was horrible so I returned it and the Apple display cost too much in my opinion. Samsung make a great 27" monitor with perfect anti glare coating. 

I have several designers working on the 27" iMac's, (had no choice) and they all love/hate them because of the glare. Excellent display - but the glare kills it.

We had to re-arrange work spaces and tint windows to try and work around the glare problem. It's made workspace a bit awkward.

My work is very color sensitive and I simply cannot work with Apple's glossy displays. (I refuse to work in a cave).

I was looking at getting the Dell U2711. I heard a few rumbles about the anti-glare coating. I wish i could see one before purchase.

Which Samsung did you go with? Is it IPS?

I just ordered a 15" base Retina MBP, with 16gb of RAM.  256gb of disk space is a bit tight, but the $600 bump to the next model was just too much.  95 percent of my work is at the desk, but I do like editing photos at home while watching TV.  This will be perfect for that.  

I had a 2.2Ghz 15" MBP that I bought in January, but it was stolen out of my studio over Memorial Day weekend (along with all my camera equipment). I bought a Nikon D800E to replace the two older Nikon bodies that were stolen, and now this.  Thank goodness for insurance.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha10711 

"The next-generation MacBook Pro starts at $2,199 for the 15.4-inch model."  Whoops.  I am far from poor, but this is WAY out of my price range for a laptop--no matter how cool it is.

So pick one of the lower-spec MacBook Pros ($1199/$1799 on up), or a MacBook Air($999 on up).

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha10711 

"The next-generation MacBook Pro starts at $2,199 for the 15.4-inch model."  Whoops.  I am far from poor, but this is WAY out of my price range for a laptop--no matter how cool it is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jume 

 

I don't think so. Maybe for some of you $2200 is not a lot of money but for most is. And if you think that included 256GB SSD is not something I want today you need to take at list one that will be 2.5k which is A LOT. So I guess a lot of us wont be able to afford it at this price.

Then neither of you should be even considering one.  This is what premium/pro laptops cost.  In 2000, I bought I Pismo PowerBook 500MHZ for $3499.  That's what pro stuff cost back then.  Now, a machine that blows the doors off my 3 year old MBP is $2,500 or less.  If you can't afford it, then you should be in the regular MB market instead.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by xmiku 

I cannot judge if this is too much or not... there is no competitor that could offer similar product.

 

But I think 1199 USD for basic 13" MBP is totally overpriced. They should wake up soon. Their hw may be slightly above average, but their prices are definetily premium.

Dude, these are better specs than my 2009 MBP 2.8GHZ Core 2 Duo.  I paid nearly $2,500.  By comparison, the "basic" MBP has this: .  

• 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
• 4GB 1600MHz memory
• 500GB 5400-rpm hard drive¹
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• Built-in battery (7 hours)²

Get real.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mode 

 

I have several designers working on the 27" iMac's, (had no choice) and they all love/hate them because of the glare. Excellent display - but the glare kills it.

We had to re-arrange work spaces and tint windows to try and work around the glare problem. It's made workspace a bit awkward.

 

My work is very color sensitive and I simply cannot work with Apple's glossy displays. (I refuse to work in a cave).

I was looking at getting the Dell U2711. I heard a few rumbles about the anti-glare coating. I wish i could see one before purchase.

 

Which Samsung did you go with? Is it IPS?

PM Sent

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffDM 


Thermal paste doesn't magically keep a computer cold. It merely helps transfer heat faster if properly applied. Sadly, most notebook computers run pretty hot, that's just how the basic chip is, a certain number of watts power consumed means the same number of watts of heat generated. I would be interested to see how the new model holds up.
Have you used the new iPad? I suspect you wouldn't be saying that if you have. Take a look at one of the Foxtrot comic strip Pad Packs on a new iPad. Probably the best presentation to be had save for the original drawing.
The Retina display is impressive enough for me. Super thin and light and powerful quad core and increased battery life is great too.

Look, I never said thermal paste was the only solution to the heat problems with the Macbooks nor did I say the Retina Display won't look fabulous. I have stated my reasoning behind why I'm disappointed with the incremental refreshes. I'd be interested in knowing whether you think Apple has made any missteps with their laptop line-up though to see how objective someone who obviously is quite taken with Apple products is.

So what does Apple need to do with their notebooks or are they perfect as they are now? Any real reasons that you have would prove enlightening as I don't watch the Apple world as much as some.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mode 

 

I have several designers working on the 27" iMac's, (had no choice) and they all love/hate them because of the glare. Excellent display - but the glare kills it.

We had to re-arrange work spaces and tint windows to try and work around the glare problem. It's made workspace a bit awkward.

 

My work is very color sensitive and I simply cannot work with Apple's glossy displays. (I refuse to work in a cave).

I was looking at getting the Dell U2711. I heard a few rumbles about the anti-glare coating. I wish i could see one before purchase.

 

Which Samsung did you go with? Is it IPS?

You probably think it's color sensitive, but the way you're going about this affords you little control. If you're a graphic designer or photographer and you're really picky, how are you doing checks? If you're just buying a display, saying okay this looks good and trusting it, you aren't very critical at all. If you're buying a spyder or something and running that, you're still not being critical. Beyond that light affects the appearance of all displays. Antiglare and glossy displays both look different when too much light is hitting them. You're either not as sensitive as you believe, or you're not being served well by your current setup.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OlanJohnson 

Final CutX is not a pro app. Apple is getting out of the pro market. That's why there was no Mac Pro update. I really had my hopes up after the rumors last week.

I dunno, FCPX works for me, for most jobs.

Better tell the Apple online store people that the Mac Pro was updated today.

There's your problem: paying attention to rumors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha10711 

No, actually, I own a 13" and a 15" MBP and a Mini, an iPad and an iPod Touch.  I teach classes on using Mac software, so I am aware of what my students can afford.  $1799 was already a high entry point for a 15" laptop.  $2199 is out of reach for a lot of people who don't live in silicon valley and live on real incomes instead of adding the cost of a new laptop to their student debt.
 

Good thing they still sell a 15" for $1800 then isn't it?  Not everyone needs the Retina 15", altho I certanly drool over it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wizard69 

I'M actually fairly impressed with the new laptop.    I'm not at all happy that Ethernet took a hike but three USB ports and two TB ports makes up for that a bit.

 

Not too worried about the ethernet. I just bought the $29 dongle. If someone needs ethernet at a particular location they could just leave the dongle there. If they need it on the road it can just go in the carry case. This'll definitely be my first computer without one but it is a laptop and I won't be losing sleep over it. Happy for the extra Thunderbolt port, which will matter down the road. :)

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by myapplelove 

Apple has gone too far and it will come back and bite them in the ass, no matter what the apologists are saying.
It's not that the pro is pricy, it's that they drop the optical and wont allow a hard drive in there because they want to control storage options to sell the highest margin model possible.
We ve been waiting for years some of us for them to drop the optical and make space for a hard disk, and they get us to pre 2008 storage levels because they won't have a hard drive there because if they do people are not going to pay ridiculously high prices for the 700gb model. Do they really believe pro users these days can get by with 256gbs of ram?
Adding insult to injury the soldered ram means a pro model won't have the benefit of being upgraded in the future. You pay apple's overpriced ram or get stuck with 8gb forever. And for no technological reason whatsoever, no matter what they might say about thinness and soldered ram. And all that with an os what anyone who's used it will tell you shouldn't have anything less than 16gbs of ram for proper pro work.
I have been in the market for a retina mac for a while now, and I ve been saving to buy one, the retina screen being my main incentive. 500gbs of storage and 16gbs of ram to future proof it plus not suffer through the memory leaks rampant in os x will see me having to pay oh about what £3000? And I still won't be getting the amount of storage I had hoped for, a fast 128gb or 256gb ssd for programs and some data and 1tb for the bulk of my files. Now I am supposed to keep my work library, my scientific papers, my photos, movies, music, my audiobooks on storage that is something a White MacBook had circa 2007 (?)...
And all that for a screen that costs them an extra $80.
They have pushed it way too far this time, others will come along with a similar slim design add royally ample hard drive storage, upgradable and reasonably priced ram... They ve dropped the ball big time...

Not losing sleep over the optical drive either. You can get a plug-in optical drive for use on those rare occasions where it matters (I know some people need an optical drive more frequently but they're probably in the minority, and if they can afford a laptop like this they're probably able to explore all the options available without fuss, or just get the regular MacBook Pro). 256 GBs of storage isn't much, but that's where the upgrades come into play. I personally ordered one with 512 GBs, which should be fantastic for the lifetime of the laptop (unless you're working with video or doing something extremely media intensive).

I can see how it might matter for regular home use as a primary computer for someone who has a massive iTunes collection, for example. If I were in that camp I wouldn't be buying this as my only computer or I'd depend on something like iTunes Match.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BahHumbug 

PS2: How is it no one here knows SSD devices get slower over time AND often simply hang for awhile as they work to get their speed back. Go read about SSDs.

The impact of this problem has diminished significantly as the technology has progressed and even a SSD which has started to slow a little is still far faster than a regular ol' mechanical hard drive.

Glad I don't like to buy laptops. What an effin' joke about being forced to go SSD if you want Retina Display. And the Mac Pro is an insult.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo42 

 

I took an $850 Asus laptop, put 32gb of ram in it and a 256gb ssd, I am under $1200.  I am missing retina display (1080p is plenty) and the sexy slim, but for the $1000 in savings I don't care (especially for a machine that is used on a desk 99.9% of the time).

 

New MBP is awesome for sure.  Hyper inflated price tag though.

No, it isn't. For what you're getting (in terms of engineering) this is a fantastic price. That ASUS laptop is but a shadow of the build quality of this computer with far lower quality parts (in most cases), larger in size, and has much lower battery life (I'll also be surprised if it has the same processor and graphics). Many of these things aren't going to matter for a computer buyer. Many people don't care about the quality of their laptop in terms of engineering. They're only going to care about the specifications. But if it does matter, those features are a part of the price which the ASUS you're looking at doesn't reflect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy Mann 

Didnt you read my post?? its $2799 for the 512 Flash drive so 2799 + tax works out to about $3000, basic maths actually.

Which is neither the base model nor base price, which is what was being discussed upthread.

Mackerels and salmon, thingie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mode 

 

I have several designers working on the 27" iMac's, (had no choice) and they all love/hate them because of the glare. Excellent display - but the glare kills it.

We had to re-arrange work spaces and tint windows to try and work around the glare problem. It's made workspace a bit awkward.

 

My work is very color sensitive and I simply cannot work with Apple's glossy displays. (I refuse to work in a cave).

I was looking at getting the Dell U2711. I heard a few rumbles about the anti-glare coating. I wish i could see one before purchase.

 

Which Samsung did you go with? Is it IPS?

Not a huge fan of the glossy displays myself. I've still got an old matte Cinema Display for my Mac Pro and I love it. My current MacBook Pro has a glossy display, but to be honest it has really become a bit of a non-issue. It is easy to adjust indoors and even outdoors I can usually find a position where it is manageable. That said, I'm looking forward to the, what was it, 70% glare reduction they mentioned in the keynote? That'll be a great bonus.

I work with colors too as a graphics/web designer. I work with colors a lot. The display has not interfered with my colors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

I guess if you have no concept of economics then $2,199 certainly rounds up to $3,000.

Moderators here aren't too bright, are they?
 

Here's a clue:  Apple's $2199 MacBook is gimped on memory and drive space.  Once you put in a larger SSD and max the RAM, it's at $3000 or even more.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by wizard69 

How is $2199 = 3 grand?

 

As to the price if one can afford $1800 one can afford $2200.    Especially in the context of the new machine offering up so much technology.   These are not half baked machine built out of left over parts from some asian jobber they are very much bleeding edge machines.

And if one can afford $2200, they can afford $2600.  And anyone who can afford $2600 clearly can afford $3000.  Thus, by the transitive property*, if one can afford an $1800 laptop, he can easily afford a $3000 laptop.

Just wait until you see what sort of Mac Pro you can afford using the transitive property!

*This application of the transitive property requires an abundant supply of Apple Kool-Aid.

Skimming through the thread, it seems that many users don't have the slightest fu[king clue about implications of display resolutions or how Apple is dealing with the ultra-high resolution Retina displays.  Apple would be wise to put up an explanation on their website, and not a marketing gobblygook statement, I mean a real, honest white paper discussion of ultra-high resolutions and what they mean for end users.  Otherwise every Windows user you meet is going to be snarking at Apple's tiny font sizes, LOL.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande 

 

Not a huge fan of the glossy displays myself. I've still got an old matte Cinema Display for my Mac Pro and I love it. My current MacBook Pro has a glossy display, but to be honest it has really become a bit of a non-issue. It is easy to adjust indoors and even outdoors I can usually find a position where it is manageable. That said, I'm looking forward to the, what was it, 70% glare reduction they mentioned in the keynote? That'll be a great bonus.

 

I work with colors too as a graphics/web designer. I work with colors a lot. The display has not interfered with my colors.

The glare can be an issue, but again most people are less picky than they realize. If you're doing print design work, you're going to have proofs or press checks either way. For web design it should just be close enough. There's no possible way that an old one is still dead on given how fast those things drifted, but close enough is close enough. The closer you want to get, the more elaborate the setup can become

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

How many of them have 500MB/s read/write?

 

Genuine question; I don't follow SSDs because they're still nowhere near the capacities I need.

Newegg sells a PCI-E SSd that has 1600MB/s read/write, and it's expensive enough to be an Apple product.

The sub $100 SSDs are usually 250-300MB/s

At these prices I should probably be thankful they don't have a 17" model. Yikes. 

I don't get it; iPad gets retina display and more memory but the price doesn't change. SSD prices are plummeting and the new MacBook explodes in price. Maybe Apple is anticipating low volume. Maybe they don't care to make that much of an impact on the market beyond twitters. 

Until apps are upgraded to take advantage of the new display this is just a very, very expensive toy.