Those harsh edges on the new laptops suck!!!! Good point DHagan. I was blown away by how awful they are. Something you'd expect from HP or something. EESH they're hurting me right now! Rounded edges would be the biggest deal! And they should definitely hire Tog...having delete only on the upper right does slow me down. And what's the excuse for the MB having removable hard drive and not the MBP? Also bad, another reason I got the MacBook. I will probably upgrade my drive later this year.
I always thought the Ctrl-Delete thing would slow me down, but I really don't think it has.
As for the edges, is the front edge of the MBP sharp? On the Powerbook, it's nice and soft, just barely square.
This is the edge of the MBP, from Apple's website:
I've always thought it looks a little sharp... I know my weight certainly rests on the edge of my Powerbook 99% of the time.
I always thought the Ctrl-Delete thing would slow me down, but I really don't think it has.
As for the edges, is the front edge of the MBP sharp? On the Powerbook, it's nice and soft, just barely square.
This is the edge of the MBP, from Apple's website:
I've always thought it looks a little sharp... I know my weight certainly rests on the edge of my Powerbook 99% of the time.
There's a very slight radius to the little plastic surround on the top edge.
I'm not trying to be difficult, but how do you get your weight out to the edge of your powerbook? Am I forgetting how they were designed? On the MBP there's 5 inches of space between the bottom of the keyboard and the edge-- with my fingers on the keyboard I would have to type from under the table to get any pressure there.
There's a very slight radius to the little plastic surround on the top edge.
I'm not trying to be difficult, but how do you get your weight out to the edge of your powerbook? Am I forgetting how they were designed? On the MBP there's 5 inches of space between the bottom of the keyboard and the edge-- with my fingers on the keyboard I would have to type from under the table to get any pressure there.
With my fingers on or near home row, my wrist - about 2" in from the edge of the cuff of my shirt - sits on the edge of the 15" Tibook.
Like I said, it's comfortable since there's a distinct rounded edge of the Tibook (where the infamous bubbling/chipping paint problem usually occurs) so the machine never leaves a mark on my arm. Incidentally, the chipped paint is much worse on my computer than in this picture I found on the web:
Is the MBP's rounded edge similar to the Tibook's?
I know now that for years Apple has specialized in the manufacturing of premium products. Apple's entry level products are comparable to most PC manufacturer's mid-level. Apple's premium level, for its price, has little competition. Speaking in terms of specifications, the Mac Pro, Macbook Pro, 24" iMac and $799 macMini (let's face it folks, the macMini is direct competition to HP's slimline, not a Dell Dimension of some sort like most uneducated consumer/observers believe to be the case) have plenty of competition fromm an almost sickening range of Windows PC/notebook manufacturers. Do you know what keeps the Windows PC manufacturers in business? The common consumer. One of the reasons Windows is so popular is because of the wide array of manufacturers and the other reason is price. People see a PC Laptop for 500 dollars and flip and well.. buy. When really, windows software is much more complex then other OS's like let's say... OS X.4 and to completely frank, much too complex for the common user to explore the 'advanced' features that XP (soon to be Vista) offers. This is where Apple loses. How can you gain a larger market share in the computer market (however humongous/infinite it may be) when you do not have products to directly compete.
What is the answer? A lite series. Can you imagine how well a Macbook Lite (totally dropping a name-hint) or iMac lite would sell especially with price points of say around 400, 600, and 750-900? For most consumers that buy PC, 400 dollars is hard earned money. Most consumers want something that looks nice but would rather save money then have something that is appealing to the eye. An Apple Lite series would look nice because let's face it, it's Apple. All they would need to do is shed bluetooth, the superdrive that is available in practically everything, maybe build something with (Oh dear god not that!)a Celeron or a Pentium (remember when it was all about Pentium and not Core 2 duo/quad?). They could even package it the same and throw the word Lite or something similar on the the name. This would be absolute genius! The demand would be insane eventually. Unless there is a pre-release announcement and major hype surrounding the series' release, it would start slow, but if they do follow that ad strategy, their production would almost struggle to keep up with the demand. Market-share would soar in the first two months (especially if they did this around holiday season) because let's face it the only reason most teenagers that watch the Apple-ad saturated MTV won't buy Apple is because it's too expensive. Apple Lite would kill among computer-savvy teenagers. Imagine... a stable OS for less than a grand (i know the macMini's are less than a grand but you have to buy your own peripherals.. adds up to roughly a grand +)!!! Whatever CEO that implements this would win some sort of prize and also the scorn and hate of Bill Gates (even though he does seem like a nice man) and Microsoft fanboys (not-so-nice people) for a very long time.
Just a suggestion though. Sorry that was so winded.
Could not agree more, Ports need to moved back to the rear like they were on the Pismo and Wallstreet. I have 15" Powerbook sitting on an iCurve and when anything more than the power cord is attached the Pbook look's like its on Life Support!
Also cables take up a lot more desk space becasue of the angle. I had no problem plugging cables into the back on the Wallstreet as Apple had handy dandy little icons displayed on the back of the port cover flap. I also think from a design point of view having all your cables routed from the rear, presents a much cleaner line with less clutter.
Could not agree more, Ports need to moved back to the rear like they were on the Pismo and Wallstreet. I have 15" Powerbook sitting on an iCurve and when anything more than the power cord is attached the Pbook look's like its on Life Support!
Also cables take up a lot more desk space becasue of the angle. I had no problem plugging cables into the back on the Wallstreet as Apple had handy dandy little icons displayed on the back of the port cover flap. I also think from a design point of view having all your cables routed from the rear, presents a much cleaner line with less clutter.
Agreed. But then, Apple knew the tradeoffs, and they sat around endlessly discussing them, and they settled on the side ports.
It's taken me a few years, but I can plug things into my Powerbook by touch now, even if I have scratched the back up quite a bit. It certainly is more aesthetically pleasing when you can't see a bunch of cords: USB, power, FW, extra monitor, speakers...
Hey JP, I've had no problems with the Macbook Pro's keyboard. The flipside of the keys is that they're removable which is handy for cleaning. They feel great, type well, and seem pretty robust to me.
Hey JP, I've had no problems with the Macbook Pro's keyboard. The flipside of the keys is that they're removable which is handy for cleaning. They feel great, type well, and seem pretty robust to me.
thx mate. was just concerned it might break on me.
Hey JP, I've had no problems with the Macbook Pro's keyboard. The flipside of the keys is that they're removable which is handy for cleaning. They feel great, type well, and seem pretty robust to me.
And they have back lighting which is excellent when the lights are out.
Comments
I'm trying to figure out how I could position my hands on the MBP I'm on so it would "hurt me".
I'm stumped.
Is the front edge pointed? My Powerbook is ever-so-slightly rounded, and it's always been comfortable.
Those harsh edges on the new laptops suck!!!! Good point DHagan. I was blown away by how awful they are. Something you'd expect from HP or something. EESH they're hurting me right now! Rounded edges would be the biggest deal! And they should definitely hire Tog...having delete only on the upper right does slow me down. And what's the excuse for the MB having removable hard drive and not the MBP? Also bad, another reason I got the MacBook. I will probably upgrade my drive later this year.
I always thought the Ctrl-Delete thing would slow me down, but I really don't think it has.
As for the edges, is the front edge of the MBP sharp? On the Powerbook, it's nice and soft, just barely square.
This is the edge of the MBP, from Apple's website:
I've always thought it looks a little sharp... I know my weight certainly rests on the edge of my Powerbook 99% of the time.
I always thought the Ctrl-Delete thing would slow me down, but I really don't think it has.
As for the edges, is the front edge of the MBP sharp? On the Powerbook, it's nice and soft, just barely square.
This is the edge of the MBP, from Apple's website:
I've always thought it looks a little sharp... I know my weight certainly rests on the edge of my Powerbook 99% of the time.
There's a very slight radius to the little plastic surround on the top edge.
I'm not trying to be difficult, but how do you get your weight out to the edge of your powerbook? Am I forgetting how they were designed? On the MBP there's 5 inches of space between the bottom of the keyboard and the edge-- with my fingers on the keyboard I would have to type from under the table to get any pressure there.
There's a very slight radius to the little plastic surround on the top edge.
I'm not trying to be difficult, but how do you get your weight out to the edge of your powerbook? Am I forgetting how they were designed? On the MBP there's 5 inches of space between the bottom of the keyboard and the edge-- with my fingers on the keyboard I would have to type from under the table to get any pressure there.
With my fingers on or near home row, my wrist - about 2" in from the edge of the cuff of my shirt - sits on the edge of the 15" Tibook.
Like I said, it's comfortable since there's a distinct rounded edge of the Tibook (where the infamous bubbling/chipping paint problem usually occurs) so the machine never leaves a mark on my arm. Incidentally, the chipped paint is much worse on my computer than in this picture I found on the web:
Is the MBP's rounded edge similar to the Tibook's?
What is the answer? A lite series. Can you imagine how well a Macbook Lite (totally dropping a name-hint) or iMac lite would sell especially with price points of say around 400, 600, and 750-900? For most consumers that buy PC, 400 dollars is hard earned money. Most consumers want something that looks nice but would rather save money then have something that is appealing to the eye. An Apple Lite series would look nice because let's face it, it's Apple. All they would need to do is shed bluetooth, the superdrive that is available in practically everything, maybe build something with (Oh dear god not that!)a Celeron or a Pentium (remember when it was all about Pentium and not Core 2 duo/quad?). They could even package it the same and throw the word Lite or something similar on the the name. This would be absolute genius! The demand would be insane eventually. Unless there is a pre-release announcement and major hype surrounding the series' release, it would start slow, but if they do follow that ad strategy, their production would almost struggle to keep up with the demand. Market-share would soar in the first two months (especially if they did this around holiday season) because let's face it the only reason most teenagers that watch the Apple-ad saturated MTV won't buy Apple is because it's too expensive. Apple Lite would kill among computer-savvy teenagers. Imagine... a stable OS for less than a grand (i know the macMini's are less than a grand but you have to buy your own peripherals.. adds up to roughly a grand +)!!! Whatever CEO that implements this would win some sort of prize and also the scorn and hate of Bill Gates (even though he does seem like a nice man) and Microsoft fanboys (not-so-nice people) for a very long time.
Just a suggestion though. Sorry that was so winded.
Also cables take up a lot more desk space becasue of the angle. I had no problem plugging cables into the back on the Wallstreet as Apple had handy dandy little icons displayed on the back of the port cover flap. I also think from a design point of view having all your cables routed from the rear, presents a much cleaner line with less clutter.
Could not agree more, Ports need to moved back to the rear like they were on the Pismo and Wallstreet. I have 15" Powerbook sitting on an iCurve and when anything more than the power cord is attached the Pbook look's like its on Life Support!
Also cables take up a lot more desk space becasue of the angle. I had no problem plugging cables into the back on the Wallstreet as Apple had handy dandy little icons displayed on the back of the port cover flap. I also think from a design point of view having all your cables routed from the rear, presents a much cleaner line with less clutter.
Agreed. But then, Apple knew the tradeoffs, and they sat around endlessly discussing them, and they settled on the side ports.
It's taken me a few years, but I can plug things into my Powerbook by touch now, even if I have scratched the back up quite a bit. It certainly is more aesthetically pleasing when you can't see a bunch of cords: USB, power, FW, extra monitor, speakers...
When i checked out the keys at the shop the pro's keys seemed really fragile and lose especially compared to the macbook.
Are they really fragile, has anyone had any probs with keys breaking or coming loose?
just wanted opinions before i pull the trigger and buy it. thanks
And what's the excuse for the MB having removable hard drive and not the MBP?
New form factor coming this year?
Hey JP, I've had no problems with the Macbook Pro's keyboard. The flipside of the keys is that they're removable which is handy for cleaning. They feel great, type well, and seem pretty robust to me.
thx mate. was just concerned it might break on me.
Hey JP, I've had no problems with the Macbook Pro's keyboard. The flipside of the keys is that they're removable which is handy for cleaning. They feel great, type well, and seem pretty robust to me.
And they have back lighting which is excellent when the lights are out.
What do you think the chances are that Apple will put a SSD in the Macbook Pro by summertime?
Zero.
/summertime 2008 maybe? Flash isn't cheap enough yet, it's that simple. 32GB Sony non-laptop.