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New MacBook case leaks question FireWire's future - Page 3

post #81 of 322
10/12/08 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PB View Post

In fact I may never again buy an Apple portable at the MB price range if it has not something more than just two USB ports for high-speed data transfer.

I said the same thing about glossy screens. So now I pay twice as much for a MBP. Somehow I feel that this isn't the best way to punish their choices.
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post #82 of 322
10/12/08 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galley View Post

Why on earth would they drop FireWire completely from the MacBook?

Cost.

Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

I would love one, but a 12" or smaller notebook just just doesn't when you use a 16:9 screen ratio unless you r main goal is to watch video

16:10 would be more reasonable for a 12" laptop.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FuturePastNow View Post

It's too small to be Mini-DVI, which is larger than a USB port (Google some pictures). It's also the wrong shape to be Micro-DVI (like the Macbook Air uses). It has the display symbol next to it, so it must be something new. Hopefully something that supports dual-link.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vagvoba View Post

I think we can safely state now that that's not a mini-DVI or a micro-DVI port. Comparing them to USB, it is obvious that their shape and size do not match this new hole.
Since the icon next the cut-out clearly signals a display connector, we can assume that Apple is introducing a completely new type of port.
If Apple still sticks to some flavor of DVI, then they need to support dual-link considering how many people use 30" cinema display with MBP. Shrinking a dual-link DVI port to this tiny size seems to be a challenge.
Rather than using DVI, I would guess Apple is leaving DVI behind and switches to a more modern standard, like HDMI or Display-Port. If that's the case, they will need to provide converter dongles for legacy hardware supporting only DVI/VGA.
Moreover, since the size of these new connectors do not look like either HDMI or Display-Port, I guess they just made up their own miniaturized version of one of them.

That port is clearly not MiniDVI or MicroDVI. I hope it is DisplayPort.
Mac user since August 1983.
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post #83 of 322
10/12/08 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PB View Post

In fact I may never again buy an Apple portable at the MB price range if it has not something more than just two USB ports for high-speed data transfer.

I agree. Even the new Pro looks a bit lean on I/O bandwidth, unless that mystery port is an eSATA/usb combo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by L255J View Post

Like the difference between a landline and a cellphone, so is the signal quality by Ethernet superior to Wi-Fi. If Apple leaves Ethernet, I think I might have to leave Apple, which is one of the worst things imaginable.

Both the shots of the Macbook and the Pro have a nice big square port right next to what must be the magsafe connector in the corner. Don't fret, both of these models are going to keep their gigabit Ethernet port.
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post #84 of 322
10/12/08 at 2:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wobegon View Post

Many people here have stated this notion and I simply don't buy it. I believe it's mini-DVI and here's why.

Looking at the pictures, everyone in agreement with you, I think, is misinterpreting what they're seeing. The cutouts we're looking at are going to fit into an enclosure, just like the MacBook Air. The mini-DVI port only appears smaller than normal because the housing around it isn't in the pictures.

Why would Apple introduce an entirely new video out port that looks so similar to the current mini-DVI port, but is just that much smaller to require everyone to buy new adapters? When they released the Air, they introduced a new micro-DVI port that looks markedly different from the mini-DVI and dual link DVI ports of the MacBook and MacBook Pro, respectively.

Look at the photo below.


Notice all the space around the actual port?

You are correct about the inclosures, but there is still not enought room in there for the mini-DVI port. Looking at the pictures the port is as high as a USB, now when my adaptor is in my MacBooks port it takes up all the space around the port up to the enclosure of the casing. The port is smaller than the enclosure, but the adaptor still has to fit around the port in some way.
I think this will be a new type of adaptor, capable of new and exciting things!
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post #85 of 322
10/12/08 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vagvoba View Post

I think we can safely state now that that's not a mini-DVI or a micro-DVI port. Comparing them to USB, it is obvious that their shape and size do not match this new hole.
Since the icon next the cut-out clearly signals a display connector, we can assume that Apple is introducing a completely new type of port.
If Apple still sticks to some flavor of DVI, then they need to support dual-link considering how many people use 30" cinema display with MBP. Shrinking a dual-link DVI port to this tiny size seems to be a challenge.
Rather than using DVI, I would guess Apple is leaving DVI behind and switches to a more modern standard, like HDMI or Display-Port. If that's the case, they will need to provide converter dongles for legacy hardware supporting only DVI/VGA.
Moreover, since the size of these new connectors do not look like either HDMI or Display-Port, I guess they just made up their own miniaturized version of one of them.

HDMI is just a DVI signal in a different shape connector, not a different signaling standard.

DisplayPort is a different signal, but as a result nothing supports it. Except for a few select Dell monitors. None of Apple's Cinema Display monitors have a DisplayPort connector.

You can bet Apple won't drop support for their own product in favor of that of their competitors.
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post #86 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:02pm
One esata port would make the most sense.
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post #87 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jak1502 View Post

Looking at the pictures the port is as high as a USB

If by port you mean the space around the actual female connector, then yes, the top of the mini-DVI port is at the same height as the top of the USB 2.0 port next to it.

If, however, you are talking about the actual female connector, then no, the top of that is lower than the top of the USB 2.0 port.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jak1502 View Post

The port is smaller than the enclosure, but the adaptor still has to fit around the port in some way.

Yes, and that space that helps secure the male connector to the female connector will be part of the enclosure that this whole frame fits into. The space around the female connector and the female connector itself are two separate things, not one whole piece (as far as I can tell).

If Apple had wanted to really reduce space, they would have gone with the Air's micro-DVI port. But they didn't. They're unlikely to introduce an entirely new video out port that looks nearly identical to their own mini-DVI port, which would not only result in people having to invest in new cables, but also create confusion for users.

It certainly ain't a dual link DVI port, which pretty much leaves only one option: mini-DVI.

UPDATE

Looks like I'm right about the DVI female connector and the space around it being two separate things. Take a look at this picture from an Apple support document:

http://developer.apple.com/documenta...mentation.html
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post #88 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wobegon View Post

Pro Audio? For the average computer user?

Pro Audio is a bit of a misleading term- it generally means (to musicians) a quality external audio interface. Good ones can be had for as little as $200. I wasn't talking about the average computer user. I said musicians, who are a big part of Apple's base. Go to any electronic music show, even some rock bands- you'll see a Mac laptop on stage.

I understand the new Macs still have optical, LAN, etc. But my original post was a cynical prediction of the direction they seem to be going.
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post #89 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:20pm
IMO, mysterious port = Mini Displayport.

Quote:
Originally posted by samh004 on MR
I did a search for mini-displayport and came up with a PDF from a Chinese company about their operation for 2008.

On page 43 they mention that from January to March this year they did the following:

Quote:
1/1/2008 ～ 3/31/2008
1.Batch production for Sony HDMI Cable 3M.
2.Development to Apples mouse cable and keyboard cable.
3.Development to Apples Mini Displayport.
 4.Development to Displayport products.
5.Development to halogen-free signal cable.
As nice as they were to print this information, they don't provide a photo of the port.

PDF link

Firewire. There is still a possibility of 1394c: FW800 on CAT-5 cable (sharing the RJ45 with Ethernet).
Quote:
For the end user, the objective is to have a
single RJ-45 socket that is labeled network,
and works for any kind of connection.

Since a lot of people are connected wirelessly to Internet, the Ethernet port is less required.
Still, implementing 1394c on the RJ45 port would allow users than need fast networking to have GbE and people would need faster data transfers to have FW800.
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post #90 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wobegon View Post


New MacBook Pro



Looks as though those glass/MultiTouch display trackpads aren't coming after all, though. We'll see.

Actually the source website states that picture was Photoshopped to show what it would look like with a keyboard and trackpad installed. You can see the telltale artifacts around the trackpad edge. They only have access to the aluminum shell.

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     Where were you when the hammer flew?  

 

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post #91 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:30pm
I don't mind one bit about the loss of Firewire, as I have not used a Firewire device on my Laptop for years. In fact the only Firewire device I still own is a Firewire 800 external drive that I use on my iMac for Time Machine. My HD Video Camera, iPhone, iPod and still camera ALL use USB2 and that means I can use them.
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post #92 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:33pm
video professionals (me for one) will mostly favour pro models over standard macbooks, so wont be losing too much sleep over firewire port cutbacks in entry level macbooks - primarily because screen resolution/real estate is essential for using final cut/ pro apps. although - i do rather like to firewire a camera through the 400 port while the 800 takes care of higher speed external hdd data transfer. will chaining multiple firewire devices create issues perhaps? hmm..

looks a lot thinner - i'll be at the front of the queue! very excited>>>
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post #93 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:48pm
I've been thinking of ways apple could potentially make a dock for the MBP... obviously they wont slap a port on the bottom like IBM does so I believe they might go for dock where you place the MBP on top and connect a big fat cable in the side.

Could this be the use of that "unknown" port?

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post #94 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:52pm
I think that these two leaked shells are MacBooks NOT MacBook Pros.

13-inch MacBook lacking Firewire and USB only:
$799

15-inch MacBook with right-side slot-loading optical drive:
$1,099

On another note, Apple really needs a black flavor of these notebooks too.
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post #95 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:53pm
I'm not sure if this helps, but the mini-dvi port on my 12" Powerbook is smaller (shorter vertically) than the same port on my Macbook. I don't have pics to illustrate the difference, but the adapter dongles for the 12" PB are unusable with the Macbooks due to this. Perhaps with the new form factor they are going back to the mini-dvi used on the older 12" Powerbook.
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post #96 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post

I work in an all mac environment where huge amounts of movie making goes on and the majority of the cameras are USB nowadays or use DVD's to record onto. The majority of movie making is done on iMacs.

Huge amounts of movie making?

The majority of movie making is done on iMacs?

Using footage shot on USB/DVD cameras?

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post #97 of 322
10/12/08 at 3:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonefree View Post

Pro Audio is a bit of a misleading term- it generally means (to musicians) a quality external audio interface. Good ones can be had for as little as $200. I wasn't talking about the average computer user. I said musicians, who are a big part of Apple's base. Go to any electronic music show, even some rock bands- you'll see a Mac laptop on stage.

What's stopping them from getting a MacBook Pro? The MacBook Pro's 15" screen has stronger mainstream appeal than the MacBook's 13" screen. While musicians make up an important sect of Apple's base, that doesn't mean they represent the majority of those buying Apple's computers. For anyone who wants to record audio, the MacBook comes with a built-in mic (crappy, but its there for podcasting), digital audio in port (for recording real instruments, which a majority of musicians would probably want for recording their band live) and GarageBand has tons of stock instruments. Need more options and power? Get a MacBook Pro.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stonefree View Post

I understand the new Macs still have optical, LAN, etc. But my original post was a cynical prediction of the direction they seem to be going.

That wasn't obvious in your original post.
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post #98 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1984 View Post

Actually the source website states that picture was Photoshopped to show what it would look like with a keyboard and trackpad installed. You can see the telltale artifacts around the trackpad edge. They only have access to the aluminum shell.

Thanks. I don't speak or read Japanese, though I did think the photo looked a little funny.

So then there's still hope for a glass, MultiTouch display!
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post #99 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post

The real downside to not having firewire, is the loss of target disc mode.

I'll bet you that there are way more people using firewire for audio or video purposes than for target disc mode..

Quote:
Originally Posted by foobar View Post

Sad to see Firewire go, but it had to be done eventually... Apple wants to do small notebooks. Can't have a lot of "legacy" ports.

ehrm?
the 13" macBook IS a small notebook. and it works very well with 2 USB ports AND a firewire port..

Quote:
Originally Posted by fft View Post

Firewire is common language in the mac world, it serves for almost anything that deals with connectivity, for connecting computers in target mode, for external hard drives, WERE THE DATA SPEED IS ESSENTIAL, BE IT VIDEO, AUDIO or even DATA... , for VIDEO CAPTURE, or AUDIO, because of the nature of the protocol, peer-to-peer, not crappy and bad written protocols for consumer market like the USB, were speed usually is secondary, better for connecting mouses and printers, the initially aim of the protocol...

Mac's became fashion consumer products and not tools for creative work,
CS

there are certain audio editing programs that won't accept any external USB hard drive to work on; it has to be firewire, or else it won't run.
also the majority of audio interfaces run with firewire, especially if you want to daisy-chain them together.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stonefree View Post

Pro Audio is a bit of a misleading term- it generally means (to musicians) a quality external audio interface. Good ones can be had for as little as $200. I wasn't talking about the average computer user. I said musicians, who are a big part of Apple's base. Go to any electronic music show, even some rock bands- you'll see a Mac laptop on stage.

as a live sound engineer I work with over a 1000 bands per year, and from all the artists that have computers, about 95% have apple laptops. from these laptops again about 95% has a (black) macBook.
most musicians I know own a macBook, not because it's cheaper than the pro, but because it is smaller. if this smaller version loses it's firewire port to connect audio interfaces to on top of the lack of the on-stage-camouflage black color, I'm afraid a lot of them won't know where to go: either it be bigger or PC..

and seriously: about every band that comes through the club I work has at least 3, if not more, 13' macBooks with them.
don't underestimate the numbers of semi-pro users that use the macBook, it isn't just a consumer's product.
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post #100 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:02pm
could the unidentified port (mini dvi) be a 3.2 gig firewire???
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post #101 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stonefree View Post

Pro Audio is a bit of a misleading term- it generally means (to musicians) a quality external audio interface. Good ones can be had for as little as $200. I wasn't talking about the average computer user. I said musicians, who are a big part of Apple's base. Go to any electronic music show, even some rock bands- you'll see a Mac laptop on stage.

Yes, and most musicians use the MBP.

For all of you crying about the loss of FW on the MB, you now have a great reason to save a few hundred bucks and keep your current MBs or get the current generation at substantial discounts when the new ones are introduced. The low-end nVidia chip in the new MB and the extra 1066MHz FSB will not allow you to do much that the current MB cannot anyway.
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post #102 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pooped View Post

most musicians I know own a macBook, not because it's cheaper than the pro, but because it is smaller.

and I still find the size issue because the MBP is, in overall cubic volume, not substantially larger than the MB.

Seriously, if you are a pro musician and can carry around hundreds of pounds of equipment, an extra 1.5x1 inches and .7lbs will REALLY break the deal? \
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post #103 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post

This is kinda like saying that the new MacBook might disappoint the small group of users that want to use it to slice bread with or are going to be disappointed that it won't come in brown.

The MacBook is an entry level laptop with the biggest rumour for it this year centring around the possibility that the price point might start below a thousand dollars. Anyone who thinks the designers should base some of their design choices around the tiny group that want to use it as a portable video editing platform are just stupid.

Sure it will edit video and sure you can use iMovie on it for your home movies, but it's never going to be a pro video editing tool and it's stupid to think that it is. I work in an all mac environment where huge amounts of movie making goes on and the majority of the cameras are USB nowadays or use DVD's to record onto. The majority of movie making is done on iMacs.

Agreed.
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post #104 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post

Seriously guys look closely at these cases and the only possibility for battery placement. It seems obvious that these machines are going to have one big ass battery. Either that or they are going to new technology with respect to energy storage.

Yes, it does look like battery doesn't it?

Originally I thought perhaps the front half of the machine significantly tapered off to give a very thin front edge - but the side shots show that's wrong.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Galley View Post

I can understand going only with a FW800 port (and possibly including a FW400 adapter)on the MBP, but why on earth would they drop FireWire completely from the MacBook?

Another possibility - perhaps the rumoured super-low-priced Macbook doesn't have firewire, but the standard price MacBook does? I was already wondering, if Apple has made one extra low priced, what they would cut away to make it PERFECT for some people and functional for everyone, but encourage certain users to buy a better machine.
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post #105 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by applebook View Post

and I still find the size issue because the MBP is, in overall cubic volume, not substantially larger than the MB.

Seriously, if you are a pro musician and can carry around hundreds of pounds of equipment, an extra 1.5x1 inches and .7lbs will REALLY break the deal? \

Actually, the 15" MacBook Pro is only 0.4 lbs. heavier than the MacBook.

In addition, the MacBook is 0.08" thicker than the MacBook Pro and thanks to the MacBook Pro's weight distribution over a larger area, it actually feels lighter than the smaller, denser MacBook.
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post #106 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GregAlexander View Post

Yes, it does look like battery doesn't it?

Originally I thought perhaps the front half of the machine significantly tapered off to give a very thin front edge - but the side shots show that's wrong.

You were right the first time:


http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...real_deal.html

While the tapering on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro isn't going to be on the level of the MacBook Air, there will definitely be tapering. That's why they moved the MacBook Pro's slot-loading SuperDrive to the right side and all the ports to the left.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GregAlexander View Post

Another possibility - perhaps the rumoured super-low-priced Macbook doesn't have firewire, but the standard price MacBook does? I was already wondering, if Apple has made one extra low priced, what they would cut away to make it PERFECT for some people and functional for everyone, but encourage certain users to buy a better machine.

I don't believe Apple has ever released a neutered version of any given laptop model. All MacBooks are identical, all Air's are identical, all MacBook Pros are identical. The aluminum PowerBooks and plastic iBooks were the same.
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post #107 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:31pm
Mini-DVI makes the Mac look bad in a professional context. You need a special adapter to connect to projector and PC users just plug right in. As for Firewire, it was a nice way to connect a Time Machine disk, but USB will do.
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post #108 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wobegon View Post

While the tapering on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro isn't going to be on the level of the MacBook Air, there will definitely be tapering.

Thanks

Quote:
I don't believe Apple has ever released a neutered version of any given laptop model. All MacBooks are identical, all Air's are identical, all MacBook Pros are identical. The aluminum PowerBooks and plastic iBooks were the same.

True. Then again we don't know the full breadth of what they're releasing Tuesday (or at least, I don't think we do). The 12 price-points instead of 8 is interesting.

iMacs and iBooks were software-disabled from offering a 2nd screen as an extended desktop... I assume to encourage sales of the better machines.
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post #109 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii View Post

Mini-DVI makes the Mac look bad in a professional context. You need a special adapter to connect to projector and PC users just plug right in. As for Firewire, it was a nice way to connect a Time Machine disk, but USB will do.

Who's going to care or notice? Many places, sadly, still use VGA, thus you have to use an adaptor anyway. Many PC laptops only have VGA connections and of course, display sharing and mirroring isn't nearly as smooth in Windows as it is in Mac OS X.
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post #110 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wobegon View Post




I don't believe Apple has ever released a neutered version of any given laptop model. All MacBooks are identical, all Air's are identical, all MacBook Pros are identical. The aluminum PowerBooks and plastic iBooks were the same.

WRONG, Kimosabe! The 15" MacBook pro has two USB 2 ports, and the 17" has three.
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post #111 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by drblank View Post

Firewire 800 is compatible with Firewire 400, so I don't know what the big deal is, it is just a different connector. Personally, Apple should have just gone with Firewire 800 and dropped the Firewire 400 port a long time ago. If they ultimately come out with a faster version of Firewire, maybe they can still use the same Firewire 800 port and use the same concept that USB does. Same connector, just various speed depending on the device that is connected to it.

Aside from the speed and different connector, FW 800 can also support looping and redundant connections. FW 400 cannot.

Firewire 3200 uses the same connector as Firewire 800. So hopefully, that Firewire port on the MacBook Pro is FW 3200.
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post #112 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by applebook View Post

Yes, and most musicians use the MBP.

and this is based upon what?
as I told you: I work with different musicians every day of the week, so I think I might have a good idea of what they use, because it is such a diverse group I meet (DJ's to metal, jazz to hip hop, etc) it could be considered a suitable a poll-group.
in my experience MOST musicians have the macBook, not the pro.

Quote:
Originally Posted by applebook View Post

and I still find the size issue because the MBP is, in overall cubic volume, not substantially larger than the MB.

Seriously, if you are a pro musician and can carry around hundreds of pounds of equipment, an extra 1.5x1 inches and .7lbs will REALLY break the deal? \

yes it will, because it is not about weight or cubic volume, it's about two-dimensional space. how big it LOOKS when unfolded. never mind thin-ness, curves or weight.
also on stage you'd want it to be inconspicuous (black and small) and those 2 extra inches matter a lot.. they matter more that the added extra empty space on the side of the macBook by not adding FW.
and on a cramped stage or DJ table, 13" is way easier to fit in without it extending over the edges of the table/piano/whatever.
and then the laptop is the one thing that you wouldn't throw in the back of the truck with the rest of the gear, it's the thing you carry with you 24/7 next to your toothbrush, a family pack of condoms and some clean underwear. also a 15" wouldn't fit in a standard tool case (or my backpack).
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post #113 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjteix View Post

IMO, mysterious port = Mini Displayport.



Firewire. There is still a possibility of 1394c: FW800 on CAT-5 cable (sharing the RJ45 with Ethernet).

Since a lot of people are connected wirelessly to Internet, the Ethernet port is less required.
Still, implementing 1394c on the RJ45 port would allow users than need fast networking to have GbE and people would need faster data transfers to have FW800.

That is absolutely brain dead. You aren't seeing wired gigabit ethernet going anywhere.
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post #114 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by toaste View Post

I'm puzzled by some of Apple's choices for ports:
Dropping Firewire means no target disk. This was useful since the hard drive can't be removed easily...

As we've seen with the MBA, the use of FW is an artificial limitation that can be easily rectified. There is no reason that Apple cant make WiFi, USB or Ethernet the way of accessing a Mac via Target Disk Mode.

Quote:
Two USB 2.0 ports: Unacceptably anemic. Doubly so without Firewire.

It does seem that way, especially id you are removing a FW-400 port, but I wonder if Apple did extensive testing to see how many USB ports people actually use on average. There is also the odd rectangle slot ion the port side (no pun intended) that doesn't conform to the typical rounded port hole for an EC/34 slot. Perhaps Apple will be making a bunch of propriety cards that will offer additional USB, FW400, FW800, HSUPA, CDMA2000, SD and CD card readers for those so inclided to add such functionality, without having to auto-include a bunch of gaudy ports that will rarely get utilized.

Quote:
They went with MiniDVI instead of HDMI? HDMI is thin and carries the same DVI signal over it so you can still use a monitor with a dongle.

I think HDMI is a bad choice over DisplayPort, but it's certainly better than using the bulky DL-DVI or even the Mini-DVI.
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post #115 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bwik View Post

I don't think they wanted to do that. I think the problem was that going to 800MHz caused some problems for RFI at the time, I think it's a problem that has been resolved. What Firewire did was add a second 400MHz channel, which pretty much means a new connector. USB didn't have to go that fast for its update.


Can someone please explain how a post by "bwik" in Reply 43 (that's me) came to be edited by JeffDM? It says it right there on the post. WTF? And where is my original post.
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post #116 of 322
10/12/08 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaNkKnD View Post

I've been thinking of ways apple could potentially make a dock for the MBP... obviously they wont slap a port on the bottom like IBM does so I believe they might go for dock where you place the MBP on top and connect a big fat cable in the side.

Could this be the use of that "unknown" port?


This is what the dock is going to look like. It's the reason why all of the ports are on the left and the optical drive is on the right. Wonder if the mystery port on the bottom relates to this?

http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/01/...notebook.dock/
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post #117 of 322
10/12/08 at 5:01pm
Those are the least interesting pictures I've ever seen.
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post #118 of 322
10/12/08 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by applebook View Post

and I still find the size issue because the MBP is, in overall cubic volume, not substantially larger than the MB.

Seriously, if you are a pro musician and can carry around hundreds of pounds of equipment, an extra 1.5x1 inches and .7lbs will REALLY break the deal? \

You're forgetting lots of musicians that play electronics, or sound designers, or "Field recordists", or just people that use the computer for recording, mixing or mastering sound in mobile ways, be them professionals or amateurs, that did their work up until now in macbooks, because it's small, can be carried anywhere, cheaper...
They could connect their audio interfaces and HD drives and work everywhere, trust me the macbook pro is much bigger and hard to handle in some situations...
Working with Mac's since 1990... ups, a lot has changed...
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Working with Mac's since 1990... ups, a lot has changed...
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post #119 of 322
10/12/08 at 5:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post

That is absolutely brain dead. You aren't seeing wired gigabit ethernet going anywhere.

To back you your claim, they are working on getting 1000BASE-T to 1000BASE-T, or go from 1Gbps to 10Gbps.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Gigabit_Ethernet Surely, there is a certain freedom to having wireless standards but the structure of wired connectivity will probably reign king for many a year to come.
Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"
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Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"
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post #120 of 322
10/12/08 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hook View Post

This is what the dock is going to look like. It's the reason why all of the ports are on the left and the optical drive is on the right. Wonder if the mystery port on the bottom relates to this?

http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/01/...notebook.dock/

Hopefully Apple will either produce a version of the dock without the monitor, or license the dock connector to third parties so people can buy a dock without that built-in monitor.
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