Macbook vs. Macbook Pro - Blurring Lines
With Santa Rosa architecture now in the Macbook and Macbook Pro lines, what kind of differences are we really seeing between the two notebook lines, besides price and a few peripheral features?
1.) Processor speed (200-400 MHz) NOT ALOT.
2.) Video Card
3.) Screen Size & General Form Factor
4.) LED vs. CCF
5.) Casing (Aluminum vs. Plastic)
These are the big ones that I notice right off the cuff. I'm frustrated currently because I've been waiting to order a new Macbook Pro 17", but I am not seeing the justification for it because it is so near the Macbook benchmark. I want the larger real-estate with the optional 1900 x 1200 resolution (glossy of course), but I'm not going to drop $3000-4000 until I see some serious differences here!
Assuming you can identify with any of these frustrations, and even if you do not, what would you like to see in the Macbook Pro's? After all, they are supposed to be "Professional" laptop!
Me? What would I like to see?
1.) Quad-Core!!! Yes! It's not really here yet, but it's on its way!!! We'll be there in a year!!! Come on Apple, take us there!! Front side bus?? 1333 MHz. Nothing less than 1000 MHz. How about a 2.6-3.0 GHz?
2.) 500GB HD. Okay, this is a stretch, but again, we'll be there soon enough!!! I need the space, and no, I do not want to purchase an external drive. Why? Because my Airport Extreme Base Station only has 1, yes, ONE USB connection. And why not at 7200 RPM!!! None of this 4200 RPM crap. Why are those even still being offered around here.
3.) 8GB RAM! Yes, again, it's a year off, but still. IF this is supposed to be the most advanced laptop, then why aren't we getting near this yet?? Only a few months ago did we even see 4GB.
4.) 512MB Video RAM. Now, if I'm getting 1900 x 1200 in a 17" package, PLUS Leopard with up to 16 virtual spaces, I need all the memory I can get in this department. Afterall, massive photo, video editing is in order. Realistically, LED!!!!! LED!!!!! LED!!!!
I hope it's on the way.
1.) Processor speed (200-400 MHz) NOT ALOT.
2.) Video Card
3.) Screen Size & General Form Factor
4.) LED vs. CCF
5.) Casing (Aluminum vs. Plastic)
These are the big ones that I notice right off the cuff. I'm frustrated currently because I've been waiting to order a new Macbook Pro 17", but I am not seeing the justification for it because it is so near the Macbook benchmark. I want the larger real-estate with the optional 1900 x 1200 resolution (glossy of course), but I'm not going to drop $3000-4000 until I see some serious differences here!
Assuming you can identify with any of these frustrations, and even if you do not, what would you like to see in the Macbook Pro's? After all, they are supposed to be "Professional" laptop!
Me? What would I like to see?
1.) Quad-Core!!! Yes! It's not really here yet, but it's on its way!!! We'll be there in a year!!! Come on Apple, take us there!! Front side bus?? 1333 MHz. Nothing less than 1000 MHz. How about a 2.6-3.0 GHz?
2.) 500GB HD. Okay, this is a stretch, but again, we'll be there soon enough!!! I need the space, and no, I do not want to purchase an external drive. Why? Because my Airport Extreme Base Station only has 1, yes, ONE USB connection. And why not at 7200 RPM!!! None of this 4200 RPM crap. Why are those even still being offered around here.
3.) 8GB RAM! Yes, again, it's a year off, but still. IF this is supposed to be the most advanced laptop, then why aren't we getting near this yet?? Only a few months ago did we even see 4GB.
4.) 512MB Video RAM. Now, if I'm getting 1900 x 1200 in a 17" package, PLUS Leopard with up to 16 virtual spaces, I need all the memory I can get in this department. Afterall, massive photo, video editing is in order. Realistically, LED!!!!! LED!!!!! LED!!!!
I hope it's on the way.
Comments
2.) 500GB HD. Okay, this is a stretch, but again, we'll be there soon enough!!! I need the space, and no, I do not want to purchase an external drive. Why? Because my Airport Extreme Base Station only has 1, yes, ONE USB connection. And why not at 7200 RPM!!! None of this 4200 RPM crap. Why are those even still being offered around here.
It's all cool, but, they just came out with the 320GB's at 5400 laptop drives, if I'm not mistaken, so hopefully shortly the 7200's, but... 500GB's might be awhile (though I hope not). And I'm unclear about the Airport Extreme's single USB connection as a problem for you. They support USB hubs (I stuck a small one on there), and I have a couple of 500GB hard drives on mine and my printer.
With Santa Rosa architecture now in the Macbook and Macbook Pro lines, what kind of differences are we really seeing between the two notebook lines, besides price and a few peripheral features?
1.) Processor speed (200-400 MHz) NOT ALOT.
2.) Video Card
3.) Screen Size & General Form Factor
4.) LED vs. CCF
5.) Casing (Aluminum vs. Plastic)
These are the big ones that I notice right off the cuff. I'm frustrated currently because I've been waiting to order a new Macbook Pro 17", but I am not seeing the justification for it because it is so near the Macbook benchmark. I want the larger real-estate with the optional 1900 x 1200 resolution (glossy of course), but I'm not going to drop $3000-4000 until I see some serious differences here!
Assuming you can identify with any of these frustrations, and even if you do not, what would you like to see in the Macbook Pro's? After all, they are supposed to be "Professional" laptop!
Me? What would I like to see?
1.) Quad-Core!!! Yes! It's not really here yet, but it's on its way!!! We'll be there in a year!!! Come on Apple, take us there!! Front side bus?? 1333 MHz. Nothing less than 1000 MHz. How about a 2.6-3.0 GHz?
2.) 500GB HD. Okay, this is a stretch, but again, we'll be there soon enough!!! I need the space, and no, I do not want to purchase an external drive. Why? Because my Airport Extreme Base Station only has 1, yes, ONE USB connection. And why not at 7200 RPM!!! None of this 4200 RPM crap. Why are those even still being offered around here.
3.) 8GB RAM! Yes, again, it's a year off, but still. IF this is supposed to be the most advanced laptop, then why aren't we getting near this yet?? Only a few months ago did we even see 4GB.
4.) 512MB Video RAM. Now, if I'm getting 1900 x 1200 in a 17" package, PLUS Leopard with up to 16 virtual spaces, I need all the memory I can get in this department. Afterall, massive photo, video editing is in order. Realistically, LED!!!!! LED!!!!! LED!!!!
I hope it's on the way.
There isn't a big difference in the specs that is true. But that isn't because Apple have crippled the MBP. They have the fastest mobile processor available. Apple have chosen to put in a high end mobile processor in their entry level laptop, the MB. Other pc vendors use less powerful processors in their entry level laptops.
So yes, the bets value is the MB. But if you want or need the 'best', the MBP isn't bad.
jk
That said, I doubt we'll see that.
2. I think 500GB 2.5" HDDs will ship by the end of 2008. The reason why 7200rpm is not popular in laptops is that they consume more power, generate more heat and noise, and are less reliable.
3. We won't see 8GB in a laptop until Intel ship a laptop chipset which supports it. I expect that will be 2009 or 2010. 4GB is a 32 bit address and exceeding 32 bits is expensive.
4. Do nVidia support 512MB of VRAM yet? I'm sure we'll have LED backlit screens in all Apple laptops by MWSF 2009.
1.) Quad-Core!!! Yes! It's not really here yet, but it's on its way!!! We'll be there in a year!!! Come on Apple, take us there!! Front side bus?? 1333 MHz. Nothing less than 1000 MHz. How about a 2.6-3.0 GHz?
2.) 500GB HD. Okay, this is a stretch, but again, we'll be there soon enough!!! I need the space, and no, I do not want to purchase an external drive. Why? Because my Airport Extreme Base Station only has 1, yes, ONE USB connection. And why not at 7200 RPM!!! None of this 4200 RPM crap. Why are those even still being offered around here.
3.) 8GB RAM! Yes, again, it's a year off, but still. IF this is supposed to be the most advanced laptop, then why aren't we getting near this yet?? Only a few months ago did we even see 4GB.
4.) 512MB Video RAM. Now, if I'm getting 1900 x 1200 in a 17" package, PLUS Leopard with up to 16 virtual spaces, I need all the memory I can get in this department. Afterall, massive photo, video editing is in order. Realistically, LED!!!!! LED!!!!! LED!!!!
5.) 2" thick
6.) 1 hour battery life
5.) 2" thick
6.) 1 hour battery life
About a year from now, it should be possible to make something with most of these features that is the same thickness as today's MBP, but one hour battery life is probably about right.
I want a 17" notebook (or a 15" one) but I don't need a dedicated GPU. I need a MacBook (non-pro) in these screen sizes. I'm tired of Apple charging me 2000 for a 15" screen or $3000 for a 17" screen, where a very-well equipped Dell or HP (albeit with no OS X) costs $1200 (with a dedicated GPU, by the way).
Apple needs to stop basing their prices on screen real estate and just offer Pro and non-Pro models in all of their notebooks. And if they do that, they'll need to really differentiate the Pro models more in terms of specs.
MacBook
---------
13.3" $1099
13.3" $1299
15.4" $1499
Integrated graphics
MacBookPro
----------
15.4" $1799
17" $1999
with graphic cards
BTO options on all the machines, and HDD and CPU difference between all of them
Notebooks needs refinement like iMac lineup
i see plenty of 17" for cheap price/reasonable prices on PC side, it is time apple does revamp the entire lineup
and oh yeah, no crap Combo drive on any of them!!!
I would love to see all those features, eventually, but here's my biggest gripe with the current line-up:
I want a 17" notebook (or a 15" one) but I don't need a dedicated GPU. I need a MacBook (non-pro) in these screen sizes. I'm tired of Apple charging me 2000 for a 15" screen or $3000 for a 17" screen, where a very-well equipped Dell or HP (albeit with no OS X) costs $1200 (with a dedicated GPU, by the way).
Apple needs to stop basing their prices on screen real estate and just offer Pro and non-Pro models in all of their notebooks. And if they do that, they'll need to really differentiate the Pro models more in terms of specs.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
About a year from now, it should be possible to make something with most of these features that is the same thickness as today's MBP
No way. Not enough room for all the cooling necessary
7200 rpm HDD and 8 GB RAM and 512 MB GPU RAM and quad-core processor? Hot, hot, hot!
No way. Not enough room for all the cooling necessary
7200 rpm HDD and 8 GB RAM and 512 MB GPU RAM and quad-core processor? Hot, hot, hot!
I did write most, not all. As I've previously posted a couple of times, Apple probably will not ship a quad-core mobile processor on a 45nm process. We probably won't see a quad-core MBP until a 32nm process is in use. The rest of the listed features would add about the same heat dissipation as will be saved by the move to Penryn (about 10W).
But yes, if Apple put a decent GPU into the MBs, they'd stop selling the entry level MBP altogether.
However, I'd rather have a smaller MBP than a larger MB. 17" screen without a dedicated GPU is probably going to be a quite painful experience.
I agree with the others posters and I think Apple should do the following:
Give all lappies in one form factor, and just give them all kinda low base specs, and let users BTO them all the way up to the current 17" specs. Maybe provide covers so that we can have cool looking macs to compare with colored Dell's and don't have to pay an extra 400 bucks for Colorware to do it for us. Then Apple can save money by having one form factor and can make comparable low end 17" and 15" inch AND have the portable 13" models. This would also satisfy the 13" MBP niche. That being said, Apple should maybe try to do something cool with the higher end BTO models by say, giving them special colors or a slight form change, like only offering Black after a certain level, so the higher-end people who used to buy MBP's can still feel special.
Then Apple should make an UBER MBP that is thicker and heavier, so that the specs on top of the line XPS's and Alienwares, like 512 MB graphic cards and dual drives and overclocked processors are possible, but without sacrificing the portability of all the other models.
because anyone could get a better speced computer for cheaper from Dell and Alienware
Dell updated its XPS system about a month ago. the Dell is very powerful ill have enough money to buy a laptop buy may/june '08. i really hope that apple has updated its MBP by that time.
What I'd really like to see is a 19" screen 1920x1080 rez or higher. Like I wrote above, I'm always plugged-in so this would be a true desktop replacement for me.
Fullsize keyboard w/numberpad.
More options in the Apple Store (choice of hardrives, graphics cards, Blu-ray Superdrive)
I'd be alright if Apple had to increase the thickness to 1 1/2 inches also.
(It would still be a couple pounds lighter than most PC laptops.)