I dunno... I think it was a much bigger deal maybe 5 years ago, when it was hard to find a mainstream cellphone that was much thinner than an inch or nine-tenths of an inch.
Then the RAZR comes along, at around a half-inch thick, and everyone goes ga-ga.
THAT made sense, but the RAZR was DRAMATICALLY thinner than your typical cellphone of the time, by almost a factor of two.
But if it's just a millimeter or two we're talking, that's hard to even register visually.
Perhaps 'uber thinness' is chasing a trend that's past its prime? Diminishing returns and all that?
I seem to remember you arguing that Apple is like Porsche and shouldn't bother with the normal people. Funny how your position seems to change depending which way the wind is blowing.
Ever notice Porsche drivers are typically older, take their car to the dealer and don't sweat spending a ton of money for routine maintainence?
This is in comparison to say, folks that soup up their cars, change their own oil and are demanding as hell on a car that costs half as much for the about same level of performance but is less refined?
Nope, sorry...same opinion as before. Folks with money are demanding in different ways but easier to keep happy if you have a good user experience throught the life of the product. This is why Apple stores are the way they are vs the way Best Buy is.
Porsches break down too. But hey as long as they get a nice cup of designer coffee while waiting for their very nice loaner it doesn't matter so much.
Quote:
You might want to tell them that. The full on retail assault and the get a Mac ads say otherwise. Besides, didn't this contradict your last point?
Porsche wants to sell more cars to folks with money. Not to folks without money. Same with Apple. They want to sell more Macs, on THEIR terms. There's still market share to be had in that demographic.
The question wasn't so much, "Is the unibody construction wonderful- yes? no? Discuss", or "Isn't progress grand?"; but rather, "Would a notebook or an iPhone being a millimeter or two thicker seriously impact your buying decision?"
As in, "Well, I woulda bought the MacBook Pro at 0.95 inches of thickness, but at 1.00" thick? Oh heck no. No sale!".
Does anyone really think like that?
...
You're framing the question wrong. Does the average BMW driver REALLY use the extra performance of their car over a Toyota? No. Does the fact that the 0-60 time for BMW 528i is 6.5 seconds vs 6.8 seconds in a Camry XLE V6 REALLY matter? No.
But does the BMW 528i command a higher price ($44K) and a performance moniker over the Camry ($28K) because a few performance points here and there and branding? Yes.
So that .05" thickness matters just like that 0.3 second 0-60 time difference matters.
Yes, I could have picked the Pontiac G8 that GM pits against the 5 series and it's 0-60 times are better than the 528i. But that's more of an example where better numbers/more features doesn't mean better product when the delivery is sooo...sooo...Pontiac/Dell.
That's where machined aluminum case and refinement trumps price/performance.
You're framing the question wrong. Does the average BMW driver REALLY use the extra performance of their car over a Toyota? No. Does the fact that the 0-60 time for BMW 528i is 6.5 seconds vs 6.8 seconds in a Camry XLE V6 REALLY matter? No.
But does the BMW 528i command a higher price ($44K) and a performance moniker over the Camry ($28K) because a few performance points here and there and branding? Yes.
So that .05" thickness matters just like that 0.3 second 0-60 time difference matters.
Yes, I could have picked the Pontiac G8 that GM pits against the 5 series and it's 0-60 times are better than the 528i. But that's more of an example where better numbers/more features doesn't mean better product when the delivery is sooo...sooo...Pontiac/Dell.
That's where machined aluminum case and refinement trumps price/performance.
FYI, the original GTO's were able to lap Ferraris, on any road course in this country, and did so quite often. The reason? Ferraris were too large to compete with GTOs on road tracks in this country, at that time. The GTO's really cleaned house on the Ferraris at Riverside, and at an astronomically lower price.
Those sales figures do not take into account how many Macbooks would have sold if they still offered a Firewire port. Plus, the new Macbook was so long overdue, and the students who have to have the very latest model or they would just perish, that they just bought blindly, like lemmings.
The good news: Apple is finally attracting users from the windows side. All that brand capitol from the iPod and iPhone is paying off.
The bad news: Apple is alienating their base to do so.
I can unfortunately see a switch in the not too distant future where Apple is the computer of choice for less demanding consumers and all those in the traditional creatives fields that the Mac once dominated have been forced to switch to windows.
my company, one major network company, is adding mac as a new lease option for engineer starting this quarter starting in US first. there is a very big mac community inside of the company. and lately internal report is saying that those who had mac are helping themselves very well and amazingly IT cost is very much less, if not zero. further ppl who is using mac is far far likely to use our internal collaboration tools, thus save more on traveling.
our laptop is refreshed every 2-3 years. with this new mac option, i am sure people will at least try mac, simply because company pays for it. the base price difference btw a thinkpad t60s and a macbook pro is almost $800!
if the cost difference of this $800 is much much less than that spent on IT support on a window laptop and extra saving from collaboration, it might be worthy trying it.
You're framing the question wrong. Does the average BMW driver REALLY use the extra performance of their car over a Toyota?
Sorry Vin, I stopped reading once you launched into the flawed car analogy.
Being a couple of tenths of a second faster in 0-60 times could get you a couple more car lengths in a 1/4 mile race, which at least is SOME real-world benefit, though not a terribly practical one.
But being one-twentieth of an inch thinner in a consumer electronics product really buys you nothing. Not even bragging rights, really.
I mean, what sad fop says to his friends, "Haha, my comp is 0.05" thinner than yours?" Who CARES?
Guys like that are very rare, and the few that do exist, must get beaten up quite a lot. Darwinism at work?
The 1st gen Macbook Air is available at Amazon... for $1149.
I wouldn't want one (small screen, small hard drive, no Firewire), but one of you thinness-obsessed folks might, and that's a heckuva deal. At least the Air is enough thinner that you can really see the diff.
Why'd they drop the price so much though? I know a new rev's coming, but they have that many left over?
I'm sure if we did an A-B test you'd never be able to tell the diff.
...
In fact this just happened. A friend of mine with the black MacBook was holding the new unibody MacBook and noted how light it was and how much better if felt in the hand.
But being one-twentieth of an inch thinner in a consumer electronics product really buys you nothing. Not even bragging rights, really.
It does when you can claim you're less than an inch thick.
"Less than 1" thin!" But heck, not even Apple is saying that although they DO say it is thinner than before.
They are touting the "Precision aluminum unibody enclosure" which even if you hate car analogies sounds a lot like a car ad. Tell me that precision unibody does not invoke German auto engineering?
"Only Apple could make a notebook like this. Hardware and software. Design and engineering. Production and manufacturing. They’re all part of a single process at Apple. When you start using your new MacBook, you’ll discover what that means. The light and sturdy unibody protects the components inside. The LED-backlit display — along with the graphics processor that helps power it — gives you faster games and a brilliant canvas for your photos, movies, and more. The glass Multi-Touch trackpad feels as good as it functions. From the smallest detail to the biggest engineering breakthrough, the new MacBook truly is the next generation of notebooks"
"Only BMW could make a car like this. Power and grace. Design and engineering. Production and manufacturing. They’re all part of a single process at BMW. When you start driving your new BMW, you’ll discover what that means. The light and sturdy unibody protects the passengers inside. The tight suspension — along with the twin turbo inline 6 that helps power it — gives you faster performance and brilliant handling for your favorite curvy road, everyday commute, and more. The polished burlwood shifter feels as good as it functions. From the smallest detail to the biggest engineering breakthrough, the new BMW 5-series truly is the next generation of performance sedans"
They have a whole bleeding paragraph on how the LED is machined into the laptop with a fricking laser drill.
The thiness adds to the bragging rights as a total package. It's no longer the biggest point but it's a given that it HAS to be thin...and thinner than the last one. Just like BMWs have to be sleek.
It does when you can claim you're less than an inch thick.
Honestly, I've never met anyone who's had the slightest regard for the diff between a notebook being 1.01" (shudder horror) and 0.99".
The rest is just you equating to cars again, which is one of the most-overused and ill-fitting analogies/cliches in consumer electronics. A notebook is not a BMW. A BMW is a BMW. A BMW is cool (to some), but so are many things.
Where you would be more right is if you were comparing a Macbook to a Macbook Air. THEN the differences in form factor are quite noticeable, and you can then make a credible image/marketing play based on that.
Though I, along with many others, still consider the Air to be somewhat of a niche product. But it's a noticeably different and sexy one, at least.
In fact this just happened. A friend of mine with the black MacBook was holding the new unibody MacBook and noted how light it was and how much better if felt in the hand.
Actually, not the same thing at all. The old MB was 1.08" thick, which is .13" more than the new MB. The question was, could one detect a 1/20th of an inch (.05") difference?
Even in your friend's case, dealing with a difference almost three times larger than we were talking about, I have to wonder. Put both notebooks in a (slim) sleeve so he can't tell which is which (a 'blind' A-B comparo), and I think he notices a slight diff at most.
Now, 1/20th of an inch, under the same circumstances? Very much doubt he notices at all.
The rest is just you equating to cars again, which is one of the most-overused and ill-fitting analogies/cliches in consumer electronics. A notebook is not a BMW. A BMW is a BMW. A BMW is cool (to some), but so are many things.
Folks don't like car analogies because they don't like to positions they support, not because there's some inherent problem with them any more than any other kind of analogy.
Apple makes a premium brand that is defined by elegant design and excellent user experience. For them that .05" difference matters as part of the whole design and as a part of attention to detail.
Will people really notice .05" difference? Not by itself, no. But perhaps the notebook just feels a little better in their hands or fits a little easier into their briefcase. In any case, this is a design early in its lifecycle. As technology improves, performance will increase.
Form over function is as tired a cliche as car analogies but hey, since you do it I guess it must be okay. Besides, the form follows function folks eventually evolved into such "functional" minimalist design (Bauhaus*) that many designs became less usable. If anything your complaint is the same as that against some Bauhaus designs and some modernist architecture.
V
* that's a little unfair to Bauhaus which actually tried to merge art with technology rather than pure minimalism. But the Wassily chair is still so so as a chair even if it is interesting to look at.
Folks don't like car analogies because they don't like to positions they support, not because there's some inherent problem with them any more than any other kind of analogy.
That's a pretty mangled sentence, but I think I know what you're trying to say. And no, ppl actually don't like car analogies simply because 1) they've been beaten into the ground (and then some), and 2) they're often pretty vague and inaccurate.
Hey, have you checked out my blender? It's a Ferrari.
Quote:
Apple makes a premium brand that is defined by elegant design and excellent user experience. For them that .05" difference matters as part of the whole design and as a part of attention to detail.
Oh, we know that .05" difference matters to *Apple*. The question is, does it matter that much to *us*, the users who keep Apple in business?
Does "elegant design and an excellent user experience" go out the window once your laptop is 1.00" instead of 0.95"? I think for the vast majority of ppl, the answer is an obvious no. But might that user experience be improved by things like say better battery life, which you might get by going a little thicker than the cutting edge? That seems to be the likelier argument.
Quote:
Form over function is as tired a cliche as car analogies
The 'form over function' criticism didn't get chanted en masse in Apple's direction until Apple started pretty obviously valuing form over function as a matter of course.
So, blame Apple for the popularity of that phrase in regards to their products, not all the ppl who happened to notice.
And I think most ppl leveling that criticism don't dislike Apple designs so much as they wish that Apple's design ethic was more form = function in importance, instead of form >>> function. There is a middle ground.
The 'form over function' criticism didn't get chanted en masse in Apple's direction until Apple started pretty obviously valuing form over function as a matter of course.
Exactly where is this so-called "form over function"? Where exactly do you see that form has over-ruled function? A missing option or feature from something doesn't mean it was removed to make sure they could make the form the way wanted it.
In fact the new uni-body enclosure was designed to be more functionally sound, that is, less parts, less quality issues. The new design was also used to add strength to the overall laptop, yet another function out of form.
The lack of a FireWire port (which seems to be the biggest issue), may have been in the plans before they designed the new laptops. They previously removed FireWire from iPods because it's cheaper to support one bus than two and that certainly wasn't a consequence of form. (Except of course for the iPod shuffle which was nothing more than USB stick.) Apple probably sees a trend of consumer products moving towards all USB and professional equipment sticking with FireWire. The MacBook was always intended to be a consumer laptop, regardless of what anyone else says, that is a fact Apple has reiterated over and over again.
The only time function follows form is when it is intended to such as with the MacBook Air. The whole point of the Air was to make it as thin and light as possible, because there are in fact people out there who do care about such things. And that meant removing just about all the ports and optical drive, but even then there is function in the form; lighter and smaller, these are in fact functions to those that care about them.
Exactly where is this so-called "form over function"? Where exactly do you see that form has over-ruled function?
Either ya get it, or ya don't. But it has been a major topic of debate for many Apple products over the past year or so, most especially the iPhone, MacBook, and MB Air.
The unibody construction doesn't have to be anti-function at all, assuming that there's enough space within the unibody for things like a big-enough battery (the new MB Pro and MB batteries are significantly lower capacity than the previous gen, unfortunately), FW port and chipset, etc. But if all else were equal functionality-wise, you'd want the unibody, for all the advantages you state.
Far as the Air goes, I don't have a problem with loss of function in that one particular case. It's its own, sort of 'niche' product, and to be what it is, it needs to lose some functionality.
What I don't like is when some of the workhorse product lines do the same. Including the iPhone, which is a 'workhorse' multifunction device, not a niche product IMO... at least judging from the level of sales Apple seems to want to get from it.
Either ya get it, or ya don't. But it has been a major topic of debate for many Apple products over the past year or so, most especially the iPhone, MacBook, and MB Air.
The unibody construction doesn't have to be anti-function at all, assuming that there's enough space within the unibody for things like a big-enough battery (the new MB Pro and MB batteries are significantly lower capacity than the previous gen, unfortunately), FW port and chipset, etc. But if all else were equal functionality-wise, you'd want the unibody, for all the advantages you state.
Except that Apple has reduced power consumption that the ALU with the 45 W/hr battery lasts about as long as the older MB with the 55 W/hr battery. Mossberg reported that the new MB lasted 6 minutes longer on his battery test. AnandTech found that the new MB lasted 4.77 hours vs 5 hours on the old one. About 10-15 mins less. It looks like in the real world testing it's a wash and you can get pretty close to Apple's claimed 5 hour mark depending on what you're doing.
Tests that hit the drives a lot will see a reduction in time. Tests that hits the CPU will see about the same or better time.
So it has a big enough battery to meet previous performance. What you want is MORE performance.
FW was not a form issue. FW is missing for the same reason that the expresscard slot is missing.
The MB is essentially a MBP now at lower cost. Yes, the GPU is weaker but it's no weaker than the X1600 in my MBP. The only difference is that the MB lacks the expansion capability. One that many MBP users probably won't miss.
Quote:
What I don't like is when some of the workhorse product lines do the same. Including the iPhone, which is a 'workhorse' multifunction device, not a niche product IMO... at least judging from the level of sales Apple seems to want to get from it.
There's a new case that blends in a bigger battery for the iPhone and there are external packs of various kinds and sizes. I don't see where Apple traded significant function for form on the iPhone. It fits nicely in my hand now and I doubt Apple could have gotten a lot more power into it without making it more awkward...and I have medium sized male hands. It's probably borderline for small female hands sizewise.
There are certainly smaller phones. Even the Sony Walkman phones are smaller.
FW was not a form issue. FW is missing for the same reason that the expresscard slot is missing.
I agree with everything else you have stated, but I do feel that the loss of FW400 from both the MBP and MB are due to the change in the form. While this is an engineering trade off of allowing easier access to the HDD and battery, which in itself adds a function, the new 'form' has reduced the ability for Apple to have all the ports they had on the previous notebook design. FW400 was bottom of the totem poll; I don't think it's much more complex than that.
Here is a cool x-ray of the new MacBook. The only way that FW400 could have been added in an Apple-like way would be in the optical drive* had been removed (wishful thinking) or the battery was made even smaller so the HDD could be slide a little more to the center, which would allow enough space for more ports on the left edge.
* Notice how much space that worthless optical drive is taking up. I can't wait until it's gone. Think of all ports you could put along that right edge.
Ever notice Porsche drivers are typically older, take their car to the dealer and don't sweat spending a ton of money for routine maintainence?
This is in comparison to say, folks that soup up their cars, change their own oil and are demanding as hell on a car that costs half as much for the about same level of performance but is less refined?
Nope, sorry...same opinion as before. Folks with money are demanding in different ways but easier to keep happy if you have a good user experience throught the life of the product. This is why Apple stores are the way they are vs the way Best Buy is.
Porsches break down too. But hey as long as they get a nice cup of designer coffee while waiting for their very nice loaner it doesn't matter so much.
Porsche wants to sell more cars to folks with money. Not to folks without money. Same with Apple. They want to sell more Macs, on THEIR terms. There's still market share to be had in that demographic.
What a nice way of putting it and I AGREE totally!. Also Porsche sells on their terms. If a buyer wants to soup up their product. they go to RUF. Apple pretty much follows this principle. The automotive industry is way refined in their ways of doing things. Some analogies are almost identical.
Comments
I would hope not, but I have to wonder sometimes.
I dunno... I think it was a much bigger deal maybe 5 years ago, when it was hard to find a mainstream cellphone that was much thinner than an inch or nine-tenths of an inch.
Then the RAZR comes along, at around a half-inch thick, and everyone goes ga-ga.
THAT made sense, but the RAZR was DRAMATICALLY thinner than your typical cellphone of the time, by almost a factor of two.
But if it's just a millimeter or two we're talking, that's hard to even register visually.
Perhaps 'uber thinness' is chasing a trend that's past its prime? Diminishing returns and all that?
...
I seem to remember you arguing that Apple is like Porsche and shouldn't bother with the normal people. Funny how your position seems to change depending which way the wind is blowing.
Ever notice Porsche drivers are typically older, take their car to the dealer and don't sweat spending a ton of money for routine maintainence?
This is in comparison to say, folks that soup up their cars, change their own oil and are demanding as hell on a car that costs half as much for the about same level of performance but is less refined?
Nope, sorry...same opinion as before. Folks with money are demanding in different ways but easier to keep happy if you have a good user experience throught the life of the product. This is why Apple stores are the way they are vs the way Best Buy is.
Porsches break down too. But hey as long as they get a nice cup of designer coffee while waiting for their very nice loaner it doesn't matter so much.
You might want to tell them that. The full on retail assault and the get a Mac ads say otherwise. Besides, didn't this contradict your last point?
Porsche wants to sell more cars to folks with money. Not to folks without money. Same with Apple. They want to sell more Macs, on THEIR terms. There's still market share to be had in that demographic.
The question wasn't so much, "Is the unibody construction wonderful- yes? no? Discuss", or "Isn't progress grand?"; but rather, "Would a notebook or an iPhone being a millimeter or two thicker seriously impact your buying decision?"
As in, "Well, I woulda bought the MacBook Pro at 0.95 inches of thickness, but at 1.00" thick? Oh heck no. No sale!".
Does anyone really think like that?
...
You're framing the question wrong. Does the average BMW driver REALLY use the extra performance of their car over a Toyota? No. Does the fact that the 0-60 time for BMW 528i is 6.5 seconds vs 6.8 seconds in a Camry XLE V6 REALLY matter? No.
But does the BMW 528i command a higher price ($44K) and a performance moniker over the Camry ($28K) because a few performance points here and there and branding? Yes.
So that .05" thickness matters just like that 0.3 second 0-60 time difference matters.
Yes, I could have picked the Pontiac G8 that GM pits against the 5 series
That's where machined aluminum case and refinement trumps price/performance.
You're framing the question wrong. Does the average BMW driver REALLY use the extra performance of their car over a Toyota? No. Does the fact that the 0-60 time for BMW 528i is 6.5 seconds vs 6.8 seconds in a Camry XLE V6 REALLY matter? No.
But does the BMW 528i command a higher price ($44K) and a performance moniker over the Camry ($28K) because a few performance points here and there and branding? Yes.
So that .05" thickness matters just like that 0.3 second 0-60 time difference matters.
Yes, I could have picked the Pontiac G8 that GM pits against the 5 series
That's where machined aluminum case and refinement trumps price/performance.
FYI, the original GTO's were able to lap Ferraris, on any road course in this country, and did so quite often. The reason? Ferraris were too large to compete with GTOs on road tracks in this country, at that time. The GTO's really cleaned house on the Ferraris at Riverside, and at an astronomically lower price.
Those sales figures do not take into account how many Macbooks would have sold if they still offered a Firewire port. Plus, the new Macbook was so long overdue, and the students who have to have the very latest model or they would just perish, that they just bought blindly, like lemmings.
The good news: Apple is finally attracting users from the windows side. All that brand capitol from the iPod and iPhone is paying off.
The bad news: Apple is alienating their base to do so.
I can unfortunately see a switch in the not too distant future where Apple is the computer of choice for less demanding consumers and all those in the traditional creatives fields that the Mac once dominated have been forced to switch to windows.
my company, one major network company, is adding mac as a new lease option for engineer starting this quarter starting in US first. there is a very big mac community inside of the company. and lately internal report is saying that those who had mac are helping themselves very well and amazingly IT cost is very much less, if not zero. further ppl who is using mac is far far likely to use our internal collaboration tools, thus save more on traveling.
our laptop is refreshed every 2-3 years. with this new mac option, i am sure people will at least try mac, simply because company pays for it. the base price difference btw a thinkpad t60s and a macbook pro is almost $800!
if the cost difference of this $800 is much much less than that spent on IT support on a window laptop and extra saving from collaboration, it might be worthy trying it.
You're framing the question wrong. Does the average BMW driver REALLY use the extra performance of their car over a Toyota?
Sorry Vin, I stopped reading once you launched into the flawed car analogy.
Being a couple of tenths of a second faster in 0-60 times could get you a couple more car lengths in a 1/4 mile race, which at least is SOME real-world benefit, though not a terribly practical one.
But being one-twentieth of an inch thinner in a consumer electronics product really buys you nothing. Not even bragging rights, really.
I mean, what sad fop says to his friends, "Haha, my comp is 0.05" thinner than yours?" Who CARES?
Guys like that are very rare, and the few that do exist, must get beaten up quite a lot. Darwinism at work?
...
The 1st gen Macbook Air is available at Amazon... for $1149.
I wouldn't want one (small screen, small hard drive, no Firewire), but one of you thinness-obsessed folks might, and that's a heckuva deal. At least the Air is enough thinner that you can really see the diff.
Why'd they drop the price so much though? I know a new rev's coming, but they have that many left over?
...
But being one-twentieth of an inch thinner in a consumer electronics product really buys you nothing. Not even bragging rights, really.
I mean, what sad fop says to his friends, "Haha, my comp is 0.05" thinner than yours?" Who CARES?
It does make a difference when you hold it in your hands and carry it around all day.
It does make a difference when you hold it in your hands and carry it around all day.
I'm sure if we did an A-B test you'd never be able to tell the diff.
...
I'm sure if we did an A-B test you'd never be able to tell the diff.
...
In fact this just happened. A friend of mine with the black MacBook was holding the new unibody MacBook and noted how light it was and how much better if felt in the hand.
But being one-twentieth of an inch thinner in a consumer electronics product really buys you nothing. Not even bragging rights, really.
It does when you can claim you're less than an inch thick.
"Less than 1" thin!" But heck, not even Apple is saying that although they DO say it is thinner than before.
They are touting the "Precision aluminum unibody enclosure" which even if you hate car analogies sounds a lot like a car ad. Tell me that precision unibody does not invoke German auto engineering?
"Only Apple could make a notebook like this. Hardware and software. Design and engineering. Production and manufacturing. They’re all part of a single process at Apple. When you start using your new MacBook, you’ll discover what that means. The light and sturdy unibody protects the components inside. The LED-backlit display — along with the graphics processor that helps power it — gives you faster games and a brilliant canvas for your photos, movies, and more. The glass Multi-Touch trackpad feels as good as it functions. From the smallest detail to the biggest engineering breakthrough, the new MacBook truly is the next generation of notebooks"
http://www.apple.com/macbook/design.html
"Only BMW could make a car like this. Power and grace. Design and engineering. Production and manufacturing. They’re all part of a single process at BMW. When you start driving your new BMW, you’ll discover what that means. The light and sturdy unibody protects the passengers inside. The tight suspension — along with the twin turbo inline 6 that helps power it — gives you faster performance and brilliant handling for your favorite curvy road, everyday commute, and more. The polished burlwood shifter feels as good as it functions. From the smallest detail to the biggest engineering breakthrough, the new BMW 5-series truly is the next generation of performance sedans"
They have a whole bleeding paragraph on how the LED is machined into the laptop with a fricking laser drill.
The thiness adds to the bragging rights as a total package. It's no longer the biggest point but it's a given that it HAS to be thin...and thinner than the last one. Just like BMWs have to be sleek.
It does when you can claim you're less than an inch thick.
Honestly, I've never met anyone who's had the slightest regard for the diff between a notebook being 1.01" (shudder horror) and 0.99".
The rest is just you equating to cars again, which is one of the most-overused and ill-fitting analogies/cliches in consumer electronics. A notebook is not a BMW. A BMW is a BMW. A BMW is cool (to some), but so are many things.
Where you would be more right is if you were comparing a Macbook to a Macbook Air. THEN the differences in form factor are quite noticeable, and you can then make a credible image/marketing play based on that.
Though I, along with many others, still consider the Air to be somewhat of a niche product. But it's a noticeably different and sexy one, at least.
...
In fact this just happened. A friend of mine with the black MacBook was holding the new unibody MacBook and noted how light it was and how much better if felt in the hand.
Actually, not the same thing at all. The old MB was 1.08" thick, which is .13" more than the new MB. The question was, could one detect a 1/20th of an inch (.05") difference?
Even in your friend's case, dealing with a difference almost three times larger than we were talking about, I have to wonder. Put both notebooks in a (slim) sleeve so he can't tell which is which (a 'blind' A-B comparo), and I think he notices a slight diff at most.
Now, 1/20th of an inch, under the same circumstances? Very much doubt he notices at all.
...
The rest is just you equating to cars again, which is one of the most-overused and ill-fitting analogies/cliches in consumer electronics. A notebook is not a BMW. A BMW is a BMW. A BMW is cool (to some), but so are many things.
Folks don't like car analogies because they don't like to positions they support, not because there's some inherent problem with them any more than any other kind of analogy.
Apple makes a premium brand that is defined by elegant design and excellent user experience. For them that .05" difference matters as part of the whole design and as a part of attention to detail.
Will people really notice .05" difference? Not by itself, no. But perhaps the notebook just feels a little better in their hands or fits a little easier into their briefcase. In any case, this is a design early in its lifecycle. As technology improves, performance will increase.
Form over function is as tired a cliche as car analogies but hey, since you do it I guess it must be okay. Besides, the form follows function folks eventually evolved into such "functional" minimalist design (Bauhaus*) that many designs became less usable. If anything your complaint is the same as that against some Bauhaus designs and some modernist architecture.
V
* that's a little unfair to Bauhaus which actually tried to merge art with technology rather than pure minimalism. But the Wassily chair is still so so as a chair even if it is interesting to look at.
Folks don't like car analogies because they don't like to positions they support, not because there's some inherent problem with them any more than any other kind of analogy.
That's a pretty mangled sentence, but I think I know what you're trying to say. And no, ppl actually don't like car analogies simply because 1) they've been beaten into the ground (and then some), and 2) they're often pretty vague and inaccurate.
Hey, have you checked out my blender? It's a Ferrari.
Apple makes a premium brand that is defined by elegant design and excellent user experience. For them that .05" difference matters as part of the whole design and as a part of attention to detail.
Oh, we know that .05" difference matters to *Apple*. The question is, does it matter that much to *us*, the users who keep Apple in business?
Does "elegant design and an excellent user experience" go out the window once your laptop is 1.00" instead of 0.95"? I think for the vast majority of ppl, the answer is an obvious no. But might that user experience be improved by things like say better battery life, which you might get by going a little thicker than the cutting edge? That seems to be the likelier argument.
Form over function is as tired a cliche as car analogies
The 'form over function' criticism didn't get chanted en masse in Apple's direction until Apple started pretty obviously valuing form over function as a matter of course.
So, blame Apple for the popularity of that phrase in regards to their products, not all the ppl who happened to notice.
And I think most ppl leveling that criticism don't dislike Apple designs so much as they wish that Apple's design ethic was more form = function in importance, instead of form >>> function. There is a middle ground.
...
The 'form over function' criticism didn't get chanted en masse in Apple's direction until Apple started pretty obviously valuing form over function as a matter of course.
Exactly where is this so-called "form over function"? Where exactly do you see that form has over-ruled function? A missing option or feature from something doesn't mean it was removed to make sure they could make the form the way wanted it.
In fact the new uni-body enclosure was designed to be more functionally sound, that is, less parts, less quality issues. The new design was also used to add strength to the overall laptop, yet another function out of form.
The lack of a FireWire port (which seems to be the biggest issue), may have been in the plans before they designed the new laptops. They previously removed FireWire from iPods because it's cheaper to support one bus than two and that certainly wasn't a consequence of form. (Except of course for the iPod shuffle which was nothing more than USB stick.) Apple probably sees a trend of consumer products moving towards all USB and professional equipment sticking with FireWire. The MacBook was always intended to be a consumer laptop, regardless of what anyone else says, that is a fact Apple has reiterated over and over again.
The only time function follows form is when it is intended to such as with the MacBook Air. The whole point of the Air was to make it as thin and light as possible, because there are in fact people out there who do care about such things. And that meant removing just about all the ports and optical drive, but even then there is function in the form; lighter and smaller, these are in fact functions to those that care about them.
Exactly where is this so-called "form over function"? Where exactly do you see that form has over-ruled function?
Either ya get it, or ya don't.
The unibody construction doesn't have to be anti-function at all, assuming that there's enough space within the unibody for things like a big-enough battery (the new MB Pro and MB batteries are significantly lower capacity than the previous gen, unfortunately), FW port and chipset, etc. But if all else were equal functionality-wise, you'd want the unibody, for all the advantages you state.
Far as the Air goes, I don't have a problem with loss of function in that one particular case. It's its own, sort of 'niche' product, and to be what it is, it needs to lose some functionality.
What I don't like is when some of the workhorse product lines do the same. Including the iPhone, which is a 'workhorse' multifunction device, not a niche product IMO... at least judging from the level of sales Apple seems to want to get from it.
...
Either ya get it, or ya don't.
The unibody construction doesn't have to be anti-function at all, assuming that there's enough space within the unibody for things like a big-enough battery (the new MB Pro and MB batteries are significantly lower capacity than the previous gen, unfortunately), FW port and chipset, etc. But if all else were equal functionality-wise, you'd want the unibody, for all the advantages you state.
Except that Apple has reduced power consumption that the ALU with the 45 W/hr battery lasts about as long as the older MB with the 55 W/hr battery. Mossberg reported that the new MB lasted 6 minutes longer on his battery test. AnandTech found that the new MB lasted 4.77 hours vs 5 hours on the old one. About 10-15 mins less. It looks like in the real world testing it's a wash and you can get pretty close to Apple's claimed 5 hour mark depending on what you're doing.
Tests that hit the drives a lot will see a reduction in time. Tests that hits the CPU will see about the same or better time.
So it has a big enough battery to meet previous performance. What you want is MORE performance.
FW was not a form issue. FW is missing for the same reason that the expresscard slot is missing.
The MB is essentially a MBP now at lower cost. Yes, the GPU is weaker but it's no weaker than the X1600 in my MBP. The only difference is that the MB lacks the expansion capability. One that many MBP users probably won't miss.
What I don't like is when some of the workhorse product lines do the same. Including the iPhone, which is a 'workhorse' multifunction device, not a niche product IMO... at least judging from the level of sales Apple seems to want to get from it.
There's a new case that blends in a bigger battery for the iPhone and there are external packs of various kinds and sizes. I don't see where Apple traded significant function for form on the iPhone. It fits nicely in my hand now and I doubt Apple could have gotten a lot more power into it without making it more awkward...and I have medium sized male hands. It's probably borderline for small female hands sizewise.
There are certainly smaller phones. Even the Sony Walkman phones are smaller.
FW was not a form issue. FW is missing for the same reason that the expresscard slot is missing.
I agree with everything else you have stated, but I do feel that the loss of FW400 from both the MBP and MB are due to the change in the form. While this is an engineering trade off of allowing easier access to the HDD and battery, which in itself adds a function, the new 'form' has reduced the ability for Apple to have all the ports they had on the previous notebook design. FW400 was bottom of the totem poll; I don't think it's much more complex than that.
Here is a cool x-ray of the new MacBook. The only way that FW400 could have been added in an Apple-like way would be in the optical drive* had been removed (wishful thinking) or the battery was made even smaller so the HDD could be slide a little more to the center, which would allow enough space for more ports on the left edge. * Notice how much space that worthless optical drive is taking up. I can't wait until it's gone. Think of all ports you could put along that right edge.
Ever notice Porsche drivers are typically older, take their car to the dealer and don't sweat spending a ton of money for routine maintainence?
This is in comparison to say, folks that soup up their cars, change their own oil and are demanding as hell on a car that costs half as much for the about same level of performance but is less refined?
Nope, sorry...same opinion as before. Folks with money are demanding in different ways but easier to keep happy if you have a good user experience throught the life of the product. This is why Apple stores are the way they are vs the way Best Buy is.
Porsches break down too. But hey as long as they get a nice cup of designer coffee while waiting for their very nice loaner it doesn't matter so much.
Porsche wants to sell more cars to folks with money. Not to folks without money. Same with Apple. They want to sell more Macs, on THEIR terms. There's still market share to be had in that demographic.
What a nice way of putting it and I AGREE totally!. Also Porsche sells on their terms. If a buyer wants to soup up their product. they go to RUF. Apple pretty much follows this principle. The automotive industry is way refined in their ways of doing things. Some analogies are almost identical.