Huh? Maybe you think I'm talking about an iPod dock connector? To be clear, I'm asking why Apple hasn't added a connector to dock the laptop. Monitors, periphrials, wired ethernet, etc.
I agree a Docking station would do the MacBook Pros a favor.
Apple did an outstanding job with their classical Duo-Dock, if they would bring that concept to today's market we would probably see two PCI slots in the station, space for memory expansion, space for a 3.5" HD, and even a BluRay drive for a case to total obsession on thinness like MB Air.
Does a DisplayPort connector look anything like a mini-DVI connector? Might someone mistake one for the other?
No, but it does look an awful lot like the Micro-DVI port used on the MBA.
(Mini-DVI, Micro-DVI, DVI, VGA, DisplayPort) As you can see DisplayPort and Micro-DVI used in the MBA look very similar and it is incorrectly labeled as such in photo I found.
Apple would never sell a Pro unit with the same processor as a non-Pro one. There must be more than discrete video differentiating the Pro models. If Apple does unify the lineup then I think it'll look more like this:
There will be a docking station for macbooks. It will be a brick. It will connect wirelessly, not with some ugly dock-connection port. The laptop itself will have, at most, two plugs: power and display, possibly via usb.
The brick will have more stuff: superdrive, firewire, usb, 2400 baud modem, ethernet, optical-audio out, cassette-tape backup, scsi, nubus, whatever. It can be out of sight, or sit next to (with a physical connection, if desired) your airport, printer, stereo, etc.
The macbook itself will be like the air (similar size/shape/weight); people can buy a 2nd brick for their office/home if they want - the point is that the laptop will be the lightest/thinnest/smallest thing it can possibly be, and look really cool, but it's wedded to all of the peripherals a person could want in a way that the macbook air currently is not.
Benefit of this plan: Cheapest/lightest laptop possible without sacrificing functionality.
Assuming this is correct why not combine the MB and MBP into one product line with 15/17 inch versions configured with either a 'consumer' or 'pro' spec, with a 13 inch MBA and 10 inch Mac Tablet for those who need ultra portability.
I agree - why not combine the two. They are all MacBooks and the 'Pro' thing is really just vanity. There are lots of 'pros' that use the MacBook, and likewise there are lots of non-pros that use the 'pro'. It has very little to do with being pro (what exactly does that mean? I'm a pro and I use an iMac) and everything to do with what your requirements are.
As for the Ultra Portable - not happening. The market for these thing is ultra mini and so of little interest.
True. And if they change the design of the current Cinema Displays, they may change the design of the current Mac Pro as well.
Sorry for the noob question, but does that mean my brand new fancy-dancy early 08 Mac Pro won't be compatible with the new Cinema Displays? Because I've been salivating over refreshed ACD's for months. Sometimes I dream about them when I sleep.
As for the Ultra Portable - not happening. The market for these thing is ultra mini and so of little interest.
A glance at Amazons top 10 selling laptops disagrees. Netbooks are going to be this holiday season's biggest sellers and Apple really dropped the ball with the MacBook Air. That's the laptop version of the Cube. They should have made an Atom based MacBook Mini instead - all the portability of a netbook with the pizazz of a Mac.
There are lots of 'pros' that use the MacBook, and likewise there are lots of non-pros that use the 'pro'. It has very little to do with being pro (what exactly does that mean? I'm a pro and I use an iMac) and everything to do with what your requirements are. It has very little to do with being pro (what exactly does that mean? I'm a pro and I use an iMac) and everything to do with what your requirements are.
A non-glossy screen, for one thing. Easier serviceability would be another. Take the user replaceable hard drive of the Macbook and add the ability to slide out the optical drive and put in a second battery.
MBP is a pro machine and its already lacking some ports that its competitor have, I dont think Apple will want to reduce the number of ports summore.
I thought that FireWire S3200 is compatible with FireWire 800?
Quote:
What about MAC PROS?!! Does Apple still even make them??!
Are you an idiot? Go to Apple website and its there. MacPro design right now is very efficient, and even today it still looks good. I wonder if Apple could find way to make the MacPro design better without sacrificing some stuffs?
A non-glossy screen, for one thing. Easier serviceability would be another. Take the user replaceable hard drive of the Macbook and add the ability to slide out the optical drive and put in a second battery.
Or a second HD like in the Thinkpad series but I doubt it since signs point that the designers will make it thinner (again). I think I'm going to faint if the MBP becomes thinner then it is, there is only so much Apple can cram into a small thin chassis.
I recently bought the 2.8Ghz cause I got sick of waiting for the xMac. The MacPro is super-fast but also super duper expensive.
But I hear ya, I'm not a big notebook guy either and I've seen Apple paying less attention to the pro desktops lately.
Really, I guess that you missed the release of the current models in January.
If you want to get even sicker, keep waiting for a model that Apple isn't going to make, the xMac. It's amazing that people will insist on something that has no chance. Why not wish for a Hot Pink Mac, you probably have a better shot at that.
Removing the FireWire 400 port, leaving only ONE FireWire 800 port makes no sense. I use my FW800 port all the time for a LaCie 2big Triple RAID (TIme Machine) and daisy-chained to several other FW800 drives.<snip>
Bad idea removing the full-sized DVI port! Now I carry a DVI to VGA adaptor. But with mini-DVI, I'd be forced to carry TWO adaptors.
I occasionally use 2 firewire ports also, though I think I can get around it with 1. It may be that Apple is trying to push laptops more into the laptop realm (ie less connections), and not as alternatives for your home PC. I'm not sure what I think if that's the case... as for many people the laptop is their primary computer (myself included).
As for the DVI port - just replace your DVI-to-VGA adaptor with a mini-DVI-to-VGA adaptor. Don't daisy-chain 2 together. Oh.... the MBA uses a Micro-DVI, not a Mini-DVI, so I'd assume the same for these.
I'd rather see Apple moving to HDMI (or Display Port) than micro-DVI, but then it wouldn't be backward compatible with VGA at all. And there's a lot of background hardware required for HDCP, not just the port.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zandros
I think they ought to replace the USB-A ports with Mini-USB ports
The main reason Apple won't do that is the huge numbers of iPods that suddenly would need a new connector cable. Hey perhaps Apple is betting on wireless USB now.
If Apple put a SuperDrive in the base config. then nobody would buy the middle of the range machine.
Agreed. I had to whine for a REALLY long time (months) before my wife agreed to let me spend money on a MacBook. She didn't see the point, as we already had three WinXP machines in the house. (Except that was the point... \) The bottom model was passable. I wanted more memory and speed, but wasn't even going to ask.
As we were driving to the store, she stared asking me details - I got the the part where it had the CD Burner/DVD-ROM.
"What? It can't even burn a DVD???"
"Well, the next model up can."
"How much more is that?"
"$200."
"$200 to burn a DVD???"
"Well, it's got more memory and a little faster processor."
"I don't care about those. $200 to burn a DVD???"
Guess which one we got. And guess how many DVD's we've burned!
on a macbook, whatever, do your thing, but that miniDVI bullshit and lack of FW400 support is really fucking annoying. I want MORE ports, not less, for god's sake!
This is why it's important that you read the article and pay attention. The FW800 port will have backwards compatibility with FW400. With Apple, less is always better.
This 'rumor' convinces me that the MacBook Pro and MacBook Ranges are migrating into a single line-up of machines: one common design with three screen sizes. I imagine that each model will be available with two chip choices something like as follows:
13" MacBook -2.4 and 2.53 Ghz, 2 or 4 Gb RAM
15" MacBook - 2.53 and and 2.8 Ghz 2 or 4 Gb RAM
17" MacBook - 2.53 and 2.8 Ghz, 2, 4 or 8 Gb RAM
This would fit with reports of six new SKUs being reported in inventory lists, if such a rumor can be relied upon.
Glass track pad? Dunno whether i want this, but it sounds interesting.
Comments
Huh? Maybe you think I'm talking about an iPod dock connector? To be clear, I'm asking why Apple hasn't added a connector to dock the laptop. Monitors, periphrials, wired ethernet, etc.
I agree a Docking station would do the MacBook Pros a favor.
Apple did an outstanding job with their classical Duo-Dock, if they would bring that concept to today's market we would probably see two PCI slots in the station, space for memory expansion, space for a 3.5" HD, and even a BluRay drive for a case to total obsession on thinness like MB Air.
So let me get this straight if the rumours are correct and i get a new macbook pro it wont work with my apple cinema display?
I've only had a it a few months.
I have been waiting for a new pro for ages.
Could i not just use a Mini-DVI to DVI adaptor?
Does a DisplayPort connector look anything like a mini-DVI connector? Might someone mistake one for the other?
No, but it does look an awful lot like the Micro-DVI port used on the MBA.
(Mini-DVI, Micro-DVI, DVI, VGA, DisplayPort) As you can see DisplayPort and Micro-DVI used in the MBA look very similar and it is incorrectly labeled as such in photo I found.
13" MacBook - 2.40 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 160GB HD, WUSB
15" MacBook - 2.53 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 160GB HD, WUSB
17" MacBook - 2.53 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 200GB HD, WUSB
13" MacBook Pro - 2.40 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 200GB HD, NVIDIA 256, WUSB
15" MacBook Pro - 2.53 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 200GB HD, NVIDIA 512, WUSB
17" MacBook Pro - 2.80 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 250GB HD, NVIDIA 512, WUSB
My best guess.
Apple would never sell a Pro unit with the same processor as a non-Pro one. There must be more than discrete video differentiating the Pro models. If Apple does unify the lineup then I think it'll look more like this:
13" MacBook - 2.2 GHz, 1Gb RAM, 120GB HD, Intel x4500 graphics
13" MacBook - 2.4 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 200GB HD, Intel x4500 graphics
15" MacBook - 2.4 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 200GB HD, Intel x4500 graphics
13" MacBook Pro - 2.6 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 250GB HD, NVIDIA 9600 512
15" MacBook Pro - 2.6 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 250GB HD, NVIDIA 9600 512
17" MacBook Pro - 2.8 Ghz, 2Gb RAM, 250GB HD, NVIDIA 9600 512
I really hope they finally stop shipping combo drives as a way of crippling their entry level machine.
There will be a docking station for macbooks. It will be a brick. It will connect wirelessly, not with some ugly dock-connection port. The laptop itself will have, at most, two plugs: power and display, possibly via usb.
The brick will have more stuff: superdrive, firewire, usb, 2400 baud modem, ethernet, optical-audio out, cassette-tape backup, scsi, nubus, whatever. It can be out of sight, or sit next to (with a physical connection, if desired) your airport, printer, stereo, etc.
The macbook itself will be like the air (similar size/shape/weight); people can buy a 2nd brick for their office/home if they want - the point is that the laptop will be the lightest/thinnest/smallest thing it can possibly be, and look really cool, but it's wedded to all of the peripherals a person could want in a way that the macbook air currently is not.
Benefit of this plan: Cheapest/lightest laptop possible without sacrificing functionality.
Assuming this is correct why not combine the MB and MBP into one product line with 15/17 inch versions configured with either a 'consumer' or 'pro' spec, with a 13 inch MBA and 10 inch Mac Tablet for those who need ultra portability.
I agree - why not combine the two. They are all MacBooks and the 'Pro' thing is really just vanity. There are lots of 'pros' that use the MacBook, and likewise there are lots of non-pros that use the 'pro'. It has very little to do with being pro (what exactly does that mean? I'm a pro and I use an iMac) and everything to do with what your requirements are.
As for the Ultra Portable - not happening. The market for these thing is ultra mini and so of little interest.
True. And if they change the design of the current Cinema Displays, they may change the design of the current Mac Pro as well.
Sorry for the noob question, but does that mean my brand new fancy-dancy early 08 Mac Pro won't be compatible with the new Cinema Displays? Because I've been salivating over refreshed ACD's for months. Sometimes I dream about them when I sleep.
A Guess:
There will be a docking station for macbooks. It will be a brick. It will connect wirelessly, not with some ugly dock-connection port.
You mean like that ugly dock-connection port on iPhones and iPods?
As for the Ultra Portable - not happening. The market for these thing is ultra mini and so of little interest.
A glance at Amazons top 10 selling laptops disagrees. Netbooks are going to be this holiday season's biggest sellers and Apple really dropped the ball with the MacBook Air. That's the laptop version of the Cube. They should have made an Atom based MacBook Mini instead - all the portability of a netbook with the pizazz of a Mac.
There are lots of 'pros' that use the MacBook, and likewise there are lots of non-pros that use the 'pro'. It has very little to do with being pro (what exactly does that mean? I'm a pro and I use an iMac) and everything to do with what your requirements are. It has very little to do with being pro (what exactly does that mean? I'm a pro and I use an iMac) and everything to do with what your requirements are.
A non-glossy screen, for one thing. Easier serviceability would be another. Take the user replaceable hard drive of the Macbook and add the ability to slide out the optical drive and put in a second battery.
I thought that FireWire S3200 is compatible with FireWire 800?
What about MAC PROS?!! Does Apple still even make them??!
Are you an idiot? Go to Apple website and its there. MacPro design right now is very efficient, and even today it still looks good. I wonder if Apple could find way to make the MacPro design better without sacrificing some stuffs?
A non-glossy screen, for one thing. Easier serviceability would be another. Take the user replaceable hard drive of the Macbook and add the ability to slide out the optical drive and put in a second battery.
Or a second HD like in the Thinkpad series but I doubt it since signs point that the designers will make it thinner (again). I think I'm going to faint if the MBP becomes thinner then it is, there is only so much Apple can cram into a small thin chassis.
Hello everyone first post
So let me get this straight if the rumours are correct and i get a new macbook pro it wont work with my apple cinema display?
I've only had a it a few months.
I have been waiting for a new pro for ages.
Could i not just use a Mini-DVI to DVI adaptor?
Welcome
You should be able to use your Apple display, Apple has always include adapters with their notebooks.
What about MAC PROS?!! Does Apple still even make them??!
Yeah they make them and they're crazy-fast!
I recently bought the 2.8Ghz cause I got sick of waiting for the xMac. The MacPro is super-fast but also super duper expensive.
But I hear ya, I'm not a big notebook guy either and I've seen Apple paying less attention to the pro desktops lately.
Yeah they make them and they're crazy-fast!
I recently bought the 2.8Ghz cause I got sick of waiting for the xMac. The MacPro is super-fast but also super duper expensive.
But I hear ya, I'm not a big notebook guy either and I've seen Apple paying less attention to the pro desktops lately.
Really, I guess that you missed the release of the current models in January.
If you want to get even sicker, keep waiting for a model that Apple isn't going to make, the xMac. It's amazing that people will insist on something that has no chance. Why not wish for a Hot Pink Mac, you probably have a better shot at that.
Removing the FireWire 400 port, leaving only ONE FireWire 800 port makes no sense. I use my FW800 port all the time for a LaCie 2big Triple RAID (TIme Machine) and daisy-chained to several other FW800 drives.<snip>
Bad idea removing the full-sized DVI port! Now I carry a DVI to VGA adaptor. But with mini-DVI, I'd be forced to carry TWO adaptors.
I occasionally use 2 firewire ports also, though I think I can get around it with 1. It may be that Apple is trying to push laptops more into the laptop realm (ie less connections), and not as alternatives for your home PC. I'm not sure what I think if that's the case... as for many people the laptop is their primary computer (myself included).
As for the DVI port - just replace your DVI-to-VGA adaptor with a mini-DVI-to-VGA adaptor. Don't daisy-chain 2 together. Oh.... the MBA uses a Micro-DVI, not a Mini-DVI, so I'd assume the same for these.
I'd rather see Apple moving to HDMI (or Display Port) than micro-DVI, but then it wouldn't be backward compatible with VGA at all. And there's a lot of background hardware required for HDCP, not just the port.
I think they ought to replace the USB-A ports with Mini-USB ports
The main reason Apple won't do that is the huge numbers of iPods that suddenly would need a new connector cable. Hey perhaps Apple is betting on wireless USB now.
If Apple put a SuperDrive in the base config. then nobody would buy the middle of the range machine.
Agreed. I had to whine for a REALLY long time (months) before my wife agreed to let me spend money on a MacBook. She didn't see the point, as we already had three WinXP machines in the house. (Except that was the point...
As we were driving to the store, she stared asking me details - I got the the part where it had the CD Burner/DVD-ROM.
"What? It can't even burn a DVD???"
"Well, the next model up can."
"How much more is that?"
"$200."
"$200 to burn a DVD???"
"Well, it's got more memory and a little faster processor."
"I don't care about those. $200 to burn a DVD???"
Guess which one we got.
on a macbook, whatever, do your thing, but that miniDVI bullshit and lack of FW400 support is really fucking annoying. I want MORE ports, not less, for god's sake!
This is why it's important that you read the article and pay attention. The FW800 port will have backwards compatibility with FW400. With Apple, less is always better.
This 'rumor' convinces me that the MacBook Pro and MacBook Ranges are migrating into a single line-up of machines: one common design with three screen sizes. I imagine that each model will be available with two chip choices something like as follows:
13" MacBook -2.4 and 2.53 Ghz, 2 or 4 Gb RAM
15" MacBook - 2.53 and and 2.8 Ghz 2 or 4 Gb RAM
17" MacBook - 2.53 and 2.8 Ghz, 2, 4 or 8 Gb RAM
This would fit with reports of six new SKUs being reported in inventory lists, if such a rumor can be relied upon.
Glass track pad? Dunno whether i want this, but it sounds interesting.
Ports: 3 USB ports, please.
Lay down the crack pipe.