New MacBook case leaks question FireWire's future - Page 4

JeffDM is a Global Moderator. If there is was something written that was deemed a personal attack or something offensive it was probably edited. I wouldn't read too much into it as JeffDM's posts are often very even handed and fair, so don't take it as a personal attack against you.

Apple's Mini DVI and Micro DVI connectors are proprietary to Apple. This is not 1995 anymore. Apple should use industry standard connectors whenever possible. Here is a Mini HDMI connector which is industry standard, and appears to be even smaller than Apple's Mini DVI or Micro DVI

http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/mini.aspx

Especially for those who consider security to be paramount. Go ahead, sit outside of my joint and try to wirelessly break in to my wired network!

You're misunderstanding my comment. I said, All MacBooks are identical, all Airs are identical, all MacBook Pros are identical.

Each separate computer (MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air) has multiple SKUs (the entry-level $1100 2.1GHz MacBook, the $1300 2.4GHz MacBook, etc.), yet all the ports of each model's SKUs are the same.

Oh dear Apple you are doing it again.

Makes it hard to trust you.

We users keep picking up the tab for all the dumped hardware, software and compatibility issues you create, whilst driving down the technology highway.

The ports on the 15" and the 17" MacBook pro's are not the same, the 17" has one more USB 2 port than the 15". Moreover, the 17" can be had with a high resolution display, another difference. That does not fit the meaning of the word identical in my dictionary.

The beauty of these photos includes the fact no one is even questioning whether this is a prototype that was scrapped for another design.

There are no timestamp/manufacturering stamp dates on the photos to indicate how far in the production cycle these test cases reside.

You will not see Gigabit Ethernet [wired] being dropped. Anyone thinking of using these in enterprises for development platforms while not needing more Final Cut Pro features in the Macbook Pro aren't going to convince their clients to switch to wireless networks for their in-house development.

DisplayPort offering both Video and Audio makes sense to have moving foward.

Unless Nvidia or AMD are upgrading their Laptop line of cards, by Oct 14, we are seeing dedicated DVI-I port being on the system for the MacBook Pro.

Moving the MacBook Pro to have a combo FW3200/800 and dropping FW 400, but offering a third party add-on to use FW400 makes sense.

This image:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

gives the impression the DVI-I port is the far-left point, down below the keyboard to give space for more airflow and thus a cooler system.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Newer HP laptops and docks already do this. The laptop sits on top of the dock and connects from the side. But instead of a "big fat cable in the side", the HP dock has a retractable connector that is engaged by moving a switch on the dock.

Regarding the size differences between the MB and the MBP to musicians, I guess the issue is paranoia, not reality.

The fact remains that the MBP is...what...10% larger? Probably not even, but then again, if you desperately want to believe something, then you can.

Carrying around an extra .4lb and barely 1"x1" is not a big deal for those of us who are...um...not 80lb teens.



Look at THAT difference! I'm sorry, but the size argument is ridiculous to most rational people.

THIS is size difference:

You continue to misunderstand, or perhaps you're just being pedantic for the heck of it.

Obviously, Wobegon means that all 15" MBPs are the same; all 17" MBPs are the same, all MBs the same, etc.

So now we will need several adaptors? None of them cheap either. The reason I haven't bothered connecting my Macs up to our TVs is that we will need 4 different very pricey cables, plus the separate audio cables, which will probably become rapidly redundant.

Apple has always made life difficult with monitor connections. I've lost track of how many different plugs and cables they've used.

I have learnt to not even try.

Is that like a news flash? do you think that you're the only one that knows that the MacBook never had FW800? Is there some reason that I can't want Apple to have a FW800 port on the yet to be released Macbook? Here's a clue for you, most pro photogs don't use laptops to edit images because they aren't up to the task ,unless you add a quality external display. However, they are fine for field work to peek at the images, and do a fast transfer of CF cards, check email, browse the web, etc. Later the images are edited on a desktop, or at least using an decent external display.

Ugh, I see where I led you astray.

The 15" and 17" are two separate models. Obviously one is the scaled up or down version of the other, but they are different computers, with different cases. I did not mean to imply all MacBook Pros are the same, I simply was in the mindset of thinking about the MacBook (which has only ever come in one 13" model), the MacBook Air (which has only ever come in one 13" model), the iBook (which has only ever come in one 13" model).

There are multiple SKUs of the 15" model and multiple SKUs of the 17" model. In terms of ports, all the 15" SKUs are the same. In terms of ports, all the 17" SKUs are the same.

Hope that clears everything up.

EDIT

@ applebook,

Thank you. I thought I was going out of my mind.

In your dreams. Since the FW 400 and FW 800 ports are on the same bus, all connected FW devices are restricted to FW 400 speeds as long as there is a device running on the FW 400 port. You absolutely lose FW 800 speeds when using both ports at once. HTH

You're welcome, but if we ever meet, you owe me a cold one!

I freaking LOVE that ASUS EeePC.

I issue was not really about industry standard vs. proprietary, but Apple laptops vs. PC laptops running Windows. More often than not, Windows laptops only have VGA, not DVI. As for Apple's laptops connecting to projectors, many places still use VGA projectors, thus you end up needing an adaptor anyway.

Apple's likely going with mini-DVI on MacBook Pros now because while they're designed to be portable powerhouses, many mainstream consumers are attracted to the larger screen of the MBP and Apple's likely finding that few mainstream users are actually hooking up their MBPs to external displays. So for now, they're switching to mini-DVI until they can drop something else to fit a better connector. Remember (and I've brought this up multiple times in this thread, as have others) that Apple dropped FW 800 in the first MacBook Pro and then brought it back in the next revision. The same think could happen to dual link DVI or they could move to HDMI.

I'd say the next thing on the cutting board is the internal SuperDrive. Once they remove this, Apple could potentially offer even more ports than they have now, instead of having to replace one type of cable for another.

People,

I seriously doubt apple are going to drop firewire completely for the next few years at least. Besdides, the photos from the asain sites have been wrong before, what is to say that they were just protypes or even photoshopped. Only time will tell but apple isn't that dumb to not know that people are still using firewire. On the other hand, apples future seems to be all wireless, and not many/ports buttons. Take the macbook air for example. I reckont the only reason they put the usb,headphone jack and video out on the machine is because people aren't used to being in that wireless sort of world just yet. I'm sure in the future as wireless usb hubs become cheaper they will eliminate usb completely from the macbook air, and they probably will develop technology for wireless video output, therefore eliminating the need for that as well. But the fact is apple is probably 50 years ahead of the industry, and people like mac newbies/ recnt convert from windows type of thing and also other people, just aren't ready for it yet. At the moment ethernet is soooo much faster than wireless. And for all you prosumers out there, apple isn't going to leave you out of the cold. Wi-fi, while great for just kicking up on the couch with a laptop, it isn't practical for big internet usage people, say people who want to upload stuff onto the net.

as they say

Think different.

Apple isn't as dumb as people set to make out.

Any pro doing video or photography would use a MBP, not a MB. If you're doing casual photo and video work and need FireWire 400, it's no problem on the new MB via an adapter. The existing MB only has one FW400 port anyway so if you need FW800, you can only get that on a MBP to start with.

So, yes, I don't know what the freaking fuss is about.

It would be stupid to continue using Mini DVI or Micro DVI now that MIni HDMI is available, is industry standard, and seems to be smaller than Apple's proprietary connectors:

http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/mini.aspx

But then again, Apple might try to introduce another proprietary connector like "Nano HDMI" or "Micro DisplayPort".

The optical drive should be made removable so users can take it out and put in other accessories like a second battery or second hard drive.

The iBook came in 12" and 14" models.

I know because one is sitting on the floor in front of me.

God, I hope not.


I'd assume assume quite a few people other than me know that, why?


Not that I can think of. Apple obviously disagrees with you, but there's nothing wrong with wanting things, obviously.


To quote someone not-so-famous:

Is that like a news flash?

Obviously, that is not exactly what he said, in spite of what he meant. Maybe you should look at the Apple Store and see the differences available within the same models. Because things might be similar, that's not enough to claim that they're identical.

Ah, that's true, thanks. My original point about models and SKUs still stands, though.

ahhhhhh but look at this http://notechie.com/nvidia-present-t...er-randomness/

sorry it was the best i could find......but............any coincidence you think?

What tha? zinfella, no offense, but I wasn't thanking you, I was thanking poster applebook. Unless you're talking about the astray part.

— What you list as the FW800 looks more like a Mini-DVI port in that image. Even the associated image for the port matches the Mini-DVI port image on my MacBook.
— What is being considered the MagSafe connector looks larger than the current MagSafe connector.
— All other Mac EC/34 slots use an oblong port hole, but this is rectangle. Why the aestethically unpleasing change, especially when ExpressCards are rounded at the edges?
— I don't see the reason to have a DL-DVI-I and a Mini-DI on the same machine.
— What is that perfectly round hole next to the taped "DL-DVI-I" port? An oddly side-mounted IR receiver makes no sense. Could be an eject button for what ever does fit into the taped over port?


I'm lost on how this would cool the system. Any heat from running mutliple monitors would result from the CPU and GPU, not the external port.



This oddly rectangle port on these MB mockups are large enough to carry all the necessary data to a docking station. I would give this open a solid 1% of actually occurring as docking stations among retail or corporate consumers, but it's certainly a best non-Sci-Fi I've read.

PS: But that was before notebooks were the primary sale target for PCs. If Apple does make a dock connector then I think we can assume that they will vying for the corporate environment with their PCs, but I still stay that they will need an entirely new line of non-Mac PCs to make it work.

Ive just measured my ports on my macbook (yes i am that sad!) and the actual cut out for the mini-DVI is 80mm and for the USB 60mm, so there is still a problem there. the outer jacket on the adaptor could be removed i suppose to decrease its size, but would still be a new adaptor really.


Due to the fact that on the pictures there is the display output icon i very much doubt this is anything other than the output.

You know, there are some of us that would like to see a FW 800 port on the MacBook, because we don't need all of the features of the more expensive MacBook Pro. It was only wishful thinking on my part that Apple would include a FW 800 port on the new Macbook. Sheesh!

I have desktops, as do most pro photographers. nobody edits on a laptop, not even a MacBook Pro, because the displays suck for critical photo editing. For that you need a GOOD external display, ACD, NEC, Eizo, etc. We already know what FW speeds are available on current models, this thread is about the yet to be released model, capish?

FINE! I'll buy my own beer!!!!

The Macbook, in my opinion, feels considerably smaller in my hands than my 15" MacBook Pro. Let me guess, you're probably one of the people that said that Apple would never release anything like the MacBook Air because 2lbs doesn't "break the deal".

Steve Jobs mentioned during Macworld 08 that Apple presented Macbook Air in the 2nd week and there are 50 more weeks ahead. Now that 2008 is ending and we have :

1) Macbook Air
2) iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0, MobileMe
3) New Nano and iPod Touch 2.0
4) New Macbooks

I can't think of any more new products Apple can announce for Macworld.

Will it be a boring Macworld or will Apple make history again in January? I prefer the latter

Q1) How many time have you used the Mini-DVI on their MacBooks?

1) Never.
2) One or twice in the time I've had my MB.
3) Every week or so.
4) Almost constantly when at home/school/elsewhere.

Q2) How many time have you used the DVD/CD on you MacBooks?

1) Never.
2) One or twice in the time I've had my MB.
3) Every week or so.
4) Almost constantly when at home/school/elsewhere.

Q3) How many time have you used the DVD/CD on you MacBooks to play movies music?

1) Never.
2) One or twice in the time I've had my MB.
3) Every week or so.
4) Almost constantly when at home/school/elsewhere.
5) I copy the data to iTS or the HDD as an ISO or use HandBrake/VirtualHub to save on power consumption and hassle

Q4) How do you feel about the CD/DVD drive becoming an external option?

1) That would be a great idea, until we can get rid of it altogether. Plus we would get faster read/write speeds from using thicker optical drives that aren't subject to the super-thin drives Apple uses.
2) I like to lug around obsolescing tech that takes up more room than everything in my notebook, save for the battery, because it makes me feel retro.
3) I like knowing that I can slowly burn a disc as opposed to enailing or copying to another computer or Flash drive, because it gives me more time to flirt with the girls I'm tutoring.
4) Almost constantly when at home/school/elsewhere because it won't be affected by an EM pulse.
5) All those faulty CD/DVD burns make for a great party trick when you put them in a microwave, as well as cup coasters for bachelor pads

A few random thoughts:

1) So many of the FW arguments presented here are predicated on the MB and MBP lineups that exist today. We don't know if that will remain the same. It's entirely possible that the MB becomes a sub-$1000 machine and for those I can see why eliminating FW might be necessary from a cost standpoint.

2) I've always been a fan of FW but the reality is that the proportion of peripherals that rely solely on FW is getting smaller. How many things out there today only use FW for connectivity? It used to be that video cams only used FW but those days are gone. Also, there was a time when the only plug-and-play external drives that were of any use were all based on FW. Those days are long gone, too.

3) It's wishful thinking to believe Apple is going to design a computer for primarily musicians who want to use high end professional peripherals with the lowest end laptop Apple makes.

4) As others have commented, it's flawed thinking to assume that the only way to achieve the functionality of Target Disk Mode is via a FW connection. Apple has often innovated new ways of achieving desired functionality and they could again. Who thought the MBA could achieve the connectivity that it does (though perhaps not real well yet) given the I/O limitations built into its design? It's not like Apple to abandon good ideas but they often evolve the means for implementing those ideas.

Apple's new (and proprietary) "Mini ADC" connector!

Hahahah! Gosh, I felt like a complete jerk 'til I scrolled down and saw the smilys. Hey, regardless, I owe you a beer. I owe myself a few.

6) I would like the CD/DVD drive to be removable so I can fit my laptop with dual batteries and go twice as long without recharging.

7) I would like the CD/DVD drive to be removable so I can fit my laptop with dual hard drives for double the storage.

Ha, I don't consider that sad, considering we're already debating about pretty nerdy things.

But I'm not saying the "outer jacket" would be removed. I'm saying that that part comes in on the outer enclosure part, which this whole frame will fit into. The mini-DVI female port will go through that first hole and then through a second hole in the outer enclosure (you know, the tapered outer enclosure pictured in these spy shots?).

The second hole that is part of the outer enclosure will have the "outer jacket" built into it or there's a plastic cutout that goes into that hole. Otherwise, there'd be no way to hold the current mini-DVI male connector in place.

Then again, I could very well be wrong. Just seems so illogical to introduce something new, yet so similar looking, for no apparent reason.

There's at least one disk that runs slower on FW400 than USB2. Saw the review and decided not to buy it despite it being on sale. The maker (Seagate owns them...WD?) claimed it was because Apple improved the performance of USB2 in Leopard.

Most drives these days are USB2 and folks are reasonably happy without FW. The only real need is for cameras that only output on FW.

IMHO the only shame is that the MB doesn't have an expresscard slot. That would allow folks to get the kind of port they wanted as opposed to the kind someone else wanted. eSATA, FW800, whatever.

As for the MBP...any "pro" whining about the loss of a FW400 port should just get an eSATA bay and card assuming the MBP won't already come with eSATA.

-Snow Leopard
-New Cinema Displays
-Apple TV 3 or maybe even an actual LCD or Plasma TV from Apple
-New Mac Mini
-Apple Netbook or Tablet