Apple Unveils MacBook Pro with Core 2 Duo 673
daveschroeder writes "Apple has just announced the upgraded MacBook Pro (15.4- and 17-inch models) with the Intel Core 2 Duo ("Merom") 64-bit dual core processor. The standard hard drive sizes have been increased, a FireWire 800 port has been added to all models (again, reaffirming that FireWire, and specifically FireWire 800, is not dead, and that Apple responded to customer requests to add it to the 15.4-inch model), and the optical drive is now dual-layer-write-capable on all models."
Memory Upgrade Too (Score:5, Informative)
Merom, not conroe (Score:3, Informative)
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Re:Merom, not conroe (Score:5, Informative)
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It makes sense, the iMac is a small enclosure and a mobile chip lends itself well to that design.
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from specs [apple.com]
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Fast 100GB Drive
Medium 160GB Drive
Slow 200GB Drive
What is more important Speed Storage or an average of both.
I myself Got the 7200RPM Drive. Because I do a lot code and Database calls some that do heavy drive useage.
But say someone is going to do a LOT of Virtualization they may want a larger slower drive. But sience I have a 500GB External on hand I want my OS to go fast and Archive the bigger data on the slower drive.
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Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if the 160GB wasn't just as fast as t
Egads, go configure a comparable Dell!!!!1 (Score:5, Informative)
But it was 25 percent *more* (at least compared the $1999 MacBook). And you *still* have to waste your time reinstalling Windows to get rid of all the circus-ware that comes on the Dell.
It really is no wonder [yahoo.com] that someone is paying Gartner to try and coax Apple out of the PC business [zdnet.co.uk]. They'd be idiots not to continue selling hardware.
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Also keep in mind that you can save quite a bit on a Dell through coupons or their outlet store and sometimes there ar
Apple Refurbs (Score:5, Interesting)
I also physically compared the Apple 17" to the various Dell 17" offerings (easy to do since I live in Austin, TX). You mention the screen resolution as a distinguishing characteristic between the Dell your wife bought and the Apple 17". Let me mention another difference. I can fit two MacBook Pros in the same physical space of the Dell offerings (yes, there is a bit of exaggeration, but not much!). So, what is the value of a much smaller footprint for what is supposed to be a mobile computer? It's really anyones guess.
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Re:Discounts (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Egads, go configure a comparable Dell!!!!1 (Score:5, Insightful)
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Plus a large factor in quality is the choice of materials and parts. (I'm not trying to bash Dell here, just giving examples, I can't say for sure anything about their overall quality.)
Dell Laptops (I'm typing on one now) are made from cheap ABS plastic. MacBooks, for instance, are polycarbonate, aka "bullet proof glass" (though when polycarbonate is sold to be bullet resistant it has extra fibers...) ABS is really cheap to injection mold, but polycarbonate is (or was until recently) difficult to manufa
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But it was 25 percent *more*
Apple have been competitive for quite some time now; I compared my Toshiba Satellite 3000-214 with a PPC PowerBook that a friend bought about the same time in 2002, and the PB was objectively equivalent or better in all ways (unless you wanted to run Windows or other x86-only so
FINALLY! But go look at HP... (Score:3, Informative)
I use 17" and won't use anything less, so that cut out most things. Core 2 Duo or Turion X2 was a must. That cut out Apple until this announcement, but I went and compared some specs anyhow. The truth is, the MBP was way overdue
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Dells vital stats:
E1505
Intel® Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7400 (4MB Cache/2.16GHz/667MHz FSB)
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
120GB 5400rpm SATA
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
56MB ATI MOBILITY(TM) RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory(TM)
15.4 inch UltraSharp(TM) Wide Screen SXGA+ Display with TrueLife(TM)
1 year warranty!
New MBPs vital stats:
# 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 D
Re:Egads, go configure a comparable Dell!!!!1 (Score:4, Informative)
In summary, I initially wanted to point out the Apple tax but failed to find a comparable Dell system, so I conceded to the Apple fanboys only to find that my comparison was flawed.
I'd like to retract my statement but it appears that it is too late. I've just contributed to the Apple machine.
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Faster Memory, Better Video Card, built in video camera, Glowing Keyboard, motion detection, Adjusts to light, The Dell Doesn't mention anything about firewire, Number of what type of ports. The material the case is made of.
Granted Dell give you a wider choice on what you want in the system. But if you are going to spec for specs for ALL Specs (weither you personally want them or not) The MacBook Pro will come to a simular prices with its competitors.
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At least two non-trivial items in your list are not matching. First, the Apple comes with faster RAM, and a 1 GB SO-DIMM, so adding more is easy. Secondly, the Radeon X1600 in the Apple not only is better, it also comes with 128 MB of dedicated video memory. Then add in the small stuff (iSight, FireWire, illuminated keyboard, better battery and power supply), and the price looks fair to me.
Of course, for me t
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The 15 inch can go to 3gig too, just not a standard configuration
Michael
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Memory Upgrade Too (Score:5, Insightful)
Why not get a desktop, you might ask? Because then I have to do things like sync them and spend more money.
Personally, I'd *LOVE* to have more memory.... If I am getting page outs, I don't have enough... and I get them all the time on 2gigs of RAM.
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Running Windows XP, OS X and Linux at the same time.
Give each system 1gb to run all their apps smootly.
Re:Memory Upgrade Too (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone who wants does video editing work, especially HD or movie footage. There are a lot of TV/Movie professionals who would love to have more RAM to use when working out of the office where they can't take a desktop.
It would also be handy for anyone who does art/design work in multiple programs simultaneously. I often have various combinations of Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Flash, BBEdit, and AfterEffects running. When I'm working with big files it's not hard to start chewing through every bit of my two gigabytes of memory, meaning that I have to stop running programs like Firefox and iTunes. It's irritating as hell, and another two gigs of RAM would be a huge plus at times.
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You might consider closing out some of your non-Intel native apps (Flash, Photoshop, After Effects all are massive resource hogs under Rosetta) before closing out native ones (Firefox/iTunes).
Hopefully come the middle of 2007, we'll see a nice boost in performance once we start working c
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*sigh* I suspect that such limits do not exist on Linux or Mac OS X.
They do. It's an architectural, not OS, issue. Get a 64-bit version of Windows and you have nothing to worry about.
Re:Memory Upgrade Too (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Memory Upgrade Too (Score:5, Informative)
Blame ia32 for PAE (Score:3, Interesting)
Wouldn't the way to get past the 4GB limit be to just use a 64-bit arch and OS, which Merom is?
As far as I understand it, the 4GB limitation (which leads to the 3GB application maximum, since 1GB is mapped by the kernel) is basically inherent in 32-bit architectures. There are hacks, of which PAE is the largest, that allow the processor to address more than 4GB of RAM, but even then you can only have 4GB per process. (Or is it 3GB per process? I don't rea
Hooray for 1394! (Score:5, Interesting)
Core 2 Duo (Score:5, Funny)
Screw that. I'm waiting for the MacBook Pro with Intel Core 2 Duo Twin Binary Pair featuring Extreme II Bifurcation technology.
Re:Core 2 Duo (Score:5, Funny)
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This is what I've been waiting for. (Score:2, Funny)
I'm ordering mine today, another switch is about to take place
Merom, Not Conroe (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Merom, Not Conroe (Score:5, Informative)
...and that Conroe has 75% faster FSB, 10% faster clock and 10% lower cost than Merom. That's the advantage of not having to pinch every watt.
the usual responses (Score:5, Funny)
Mac guy yesterday: why do you need a Core 2 Duo? Mac hardware is better that Dell and more expensive because it's better better better
Mac guy today: I've been waiting for months for Apple to release the Core 2 Duo, finally now I can buy the MacBook of my dreams -- the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro is the BEST COMPUTER EVER, EVER!
Windows guy: huh?
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Linux requires me to think too much (recompiling the kernel to install a driver? -- why would a home user ever want to do that??)
Dell has had the Core 2 Duo for a bit, but I'm sick of using Windows and dealing with MS security issues, MS DRM policies, MS licensing changes... and on and on...
Mac OS gives me the best of both worlds: a unix environment that is incredibly user friendly because it drops the nauseating hypocracy of GNU and the EFF... I don't have to recompile anything to install a driver
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Not anymore... (Score:5, Informative)
Ha.. that gripe is now becoming obsolete. On a MB or MBP, put two fingers on the track-pad and press the 'single' mouse button. You will find this has the same effect as pressing the secondary button button on a WinDell or any other PC laptop. I don't know if this works on the PPC Macs. For the desktop Macs there is plenty of alternatives (Logitech, Macally) if you don't like the old one button Mac mouse or the Mighty Mouse. The latter incidentally includes a second and third and fourth mouse 'button' functionality but the ergonomics are not to everyones taste. I'll admit it took Apple much longer than it should have to remedy the 'missing second button' issue in it's product line, the two-fingers-on-the-trackpad feature on the Laptop line was especially long overdue since the old [Ctrl]+MouseClick was pretty awkward.
Re:Not anymore... (Score:5, Insightful)
200 Gb harddisk (Score:3, Funny)
Wow. Finally a laptop with enough storage space.
(/me being cursed with a company laptop with a way-too-small 20 Gb disk)
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meh (Score:3, Informative)
Re:meh (Score:5, Informative)
You can get a 7200 rpm drive, its not a standard but its an option. But you have to drop down to 100GB. I think this reflects the manufacturers.
Bear in mind that the 160 GB drives use perpendicular recording, so they increase the size by increasing the areal density of the data.
This also means that for a given speed of rotation, it will increase the data rates quite alot.
Seek times won't be helped by this increase in density however.
Michael
this is incorrect, they have removed the option (Score:5, Informative)
Apple no longer offers any 7200 rpm drive in the 15" MacBook Pros, at any capacity. It's not standard, and it's not offered as an option. The only place it's still available is in the 17" model.
Anyone who doesn't believe me is invited to check the Apple store.
Re:this is incorrect, they have removed the option (Score:4, Insightful)
I stand corrected - I did check the store, but missed that it was missing as an option on the 15"
My apologies - I generally do check what I write pretty carefully before I hit the "submit" button....
I don't know why, but its a bit sad - especially on the Pro models - not because its critical in itself, but because its so much more of a pain to change the HDD on the Pro than it is on the MacBook. And there is no reason for Apple not to offer this - after all, its a PRO laptop.
Michael
Re:this is incorrect, they have removed the option (Score:5, Insightful)
Or, if you re-arrange your perspective a bit, what's sad is that Apple assumes all PROs want a huge-ass 17" screen. What about those of us who are PROs (maybe in an industry other than media), who want a 12" (or smaller) ultralight Mac? Apple makes exactly two things that can accomodate us: jack and squat.
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The issue is heat. The MBPs get quite hot, and a 7200RPM drive generates a fair bit more heat than a 5400RPM one. I opted for the 4200RPM in my PowerBook to try to keep heat down.
The 17" model has a larger surface area, so it can cool itself a bit better, and so keeps the option. For anyone doing video editing, I would recommend the LaCie
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It's no longer listed as an option for the 15.4" model, unfortunately. That's a shame, really, as my Shiny-New-Thing envy quickly fizzled when I realized that the MacBook Pro on my lap has better disk performance than the new one I'd want. Even with 3GB RAM, Photoshop would still need to use a scratch disk, and 5400 RPM simply won't cut it. The 17" model is more bulk than I want to carry.
Yes, I could swap it out with the drive in my curre
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I'm sure they've been around a while; I'm pretty sure 100GB was around when I upgraded my notebook from a 20GB drive to 60GB last year.
They have been around for a while.
I'm typing this on my factory fitted MacBook (not PRO) with 2GB RAM and 120 GB HDD.
Even 6 months ago this was an option on the macbook.
I just wish that they would let me spec out the MacBook better than this... For some reason Apple seems to think that the only p
Overheating with new models? (Score:4, Interesting)
Was it OSX causing the problem, or was it the first Macbook Pro hardware?
TIA...
Re:Overheating with new models? (Score:5, Informative)
Conveniently enough, this was just covered on /. a few days ago:
Cool your MacBook Pro [slashdot.org]
Basically, it boils down to: "Apple, in its quest for ultra, super-duper quietness, sets the fans to run much slower than the speed needed to make laptops usable on laps."
DVD drive maker? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm most interested in finding out who makes the new 6x DL burner used in the 15" MBPs. If the new drives are NOT Matsushita then it looks like I'm getting a MBP... otherwise no way.
Re:DVD drive maker? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sadly, it looks like the DVD consortium is going to get away with this bit of colusion and abuse of monopoly.
Re:DVD drive maker? (Score:5, Informative)
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I know that the standards are what they are, but it really f**ks me off when this comes up with laptops. The whole point of having a laptop is that I can travel with it, I buy all my dvds, I just happen to buy some in t
Re:DVD drive maker? (Score:5, Informative)
Also note that this behavior is NOT normal for a region locked drive. With most locked drives, you can still use DeCSS-based software such as AnyDVD, DVD Region Free, DVD Decrypter, mplayer, VLC, etc. even if a RPC1 hack is not available. OTOH, only the newest Matsushita drives will flat-out refuse to read encrypted sectors (even in raw/direct mode) when the regions don't match. Software cannot get around this problem because these Matsushita drives won't even attempt to read data from the disc unless the region code matches.
So, unless Apple has dumped Matsushita in the new MBP revision, the only possibility for region-free on a MB/MBP at this time is to use an external drive, and for me that is not an acceptable option.
Nice upgrade (Score:2)
The 17" MacBook Pro has always had Firewire 800 but it's good to see it returning to the smaller models, I remember reading the reason for its disappearance was to do with space concerns on the smaller models rather than Apple deciding the
How does Core 2 Duo compare to Turion? (Score:2)
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Why only 3 GB of RAM max? (Score:2)
Any idea why the MBP only supports 3?
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It's the chipset, stupid. (Score:5, Informative)
The problem is that they're plugging a Merom (Core 2 Duo) into motherboards using the chipset for the original Core Duo (they are forwards-compatible), which is how Mac Mini owners have been upgrading to Meroms for several months now). The Core Duo is 32-bit, while the Merom supports 64-bit. However, the old chipset on the motherboard only supports 32-bit, which means only 32-bit addressing for RAM, which means 4GB maximum. Now, the reason for the 3-4GB discrepancy is the way PCI-e interfaces directly with the memory bus. So video card VRAM etc. eats into that first 1GB.
Apple HQ knows that people sorely need more RAM, but can't do anything about it until Intel provides them with a supply of new 64-bit chipsets specifically for Merom (Core 2 Duo). This won't be until approximately March 2007.
But does it run MacOSX 64bit (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:But does it run MacOSX 64bit (Score:5, Informative)
But do note that moving most of the code to running in 64bit mode does not make it faster. In theory you can make 32bit code that uses the new features in the cips without taking the extra overhead of everything going 64bit.
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Tiger (10.4) supports applications with 64 bit virtual memory spaces [apple.com] when running on a 64 bit capable system (G5, Core 2 Duo, Xeon 51xx) but ONLY for applications that linked against libSystem, Accelerate.framework and a few others. In other words Tiger supports 64 bit address spaces but only for a handful of libraries.. basically no UI application primarily limited to POSIX. Ag
Re:But does it run MacOSX 64bit (Score:5, Interesting)
Apple's going to make Microsoft's 64-bit implementation look ridiculous and amateur. You people testing 64-bit Vista know what I'm talking about.
bigger desktop drives, too (Score:4, Informative)
I'm still waiting (Score:3, Insightful)
iMacs use the laptop version of the chip, and Mac Pros use the server version. This leaves a pretty big gap for people in the market for something in the middle.
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This is incorrect. Both Intel's newest laptop chips and desktop chips are marketted as "Core 2 Duo". The iMac uses the laptop version, as evidenced by the 667 mhz bus [apple.com]. The "Conroe" desktop version of the chip has a 1066 mhz bus.
Someone convince me... (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm interested in hearing from people who use both Linux and Mac extensively. The majority of people I've seen recommending either Linux or Mac don't seem to know either very well. So they end writing some bullshit statements about the capabilities/incapabilities of both that just look stupid. I think they read something on the Internet somewhere, maybe five years ago, and still think it's true.
Some of the questions I have:
1) Do I need to install Linux to make it useful? I.e., on a Windows machine I install Cygwin and lots of Unix-like tools such as bash, gvim, putty, perl.
2) What's the performance under Java like? On dual proccy machines (my Opteron, Core2Duo), Java screams. Can I expect the same performance under OSX?
3) How stable is it. Macs are traditionally easy to use, but as I've owned dozens of Macs (and used to sell them too) I can attest that they were not the most stable machines out there (up until the first OSX spin). But browsing the knowledge bases and user forums (the BEST place for info) I see lots of issues.
4) How much Free software is available? Can GNU/Open/Free programs be compiled easily and natively? I'd think because it's more consistent than the hundreds of Linux distros, this would be true...
5) How solid is the workmanship. Hey, I get mocked at work because of my Dell, but it was cheap and it's fast. That's usually all I need. My Thinkpad is better built, but the $600 price difference was not worth it. What makes the Mac worth the extra $1K?
6) How fast is it? Remember, I used to own lots of Macs. I know that the PowerPC Macs were not so fast in everyday usage as the equivalent Intel/AMD chips. If you quote some meaningless statistic and some Apple press release I will laugh at you because I used them on a daily basis for years. But Macs now have a new OS, new chips... On real world apps (Java, video, disk), how do they stack up?
7) How does the two-finger trackpad stack up against real buttons? I.e., it's software to emulate two physical buttons. I've not used it before. Any drawbacks?
Re:Someone convince me... (Score:5, Informative)
2) Java is not too bad, I've not done anything with that recently but I used to do a lot of Java development on a slower older Mac. The Mac is usually a few months (or more) behind on new Java releases (like 1.6). XCode (the mac development environment, comes with every Mac) understands Java.
3) Way more stable than the old OS 9. I've not had a problem yet with the OS crashing that was not caused by bad hardware (got a bad RAM stick from crucial).
4) You can compile most anything, there are X11 libraries as well that let you compile binaries on the Mac and run with an X11 server.
5) Well it's hard to say what is in that difference. Expresscard is nice because you can use external SATA devices. The screens are good quality, the backlit keyboard is actually really useful. Generally the build quality is excellent overall, however if you didn't appreciate the Thinkpad quality you may still be nonplussed by the Mac features.
6) I cannot really quantify it, because I don't know what fast means to you. Is it as fast as a Mac Pro? No. Is it much faster than my old G4 laptop? Yes. Can I use Aperture and Photoshop on it? Yes.
7) The two-finger trackpad is great for scrolling. Personally I don't use it for right clicking because it is WAY easier to just press "Control" while using the laptop mouse button to get a context menu or do other things that require a right click. AFter all your hand is right there to the side, what else would you be doing with it! I personally think this system works better than any second button arrangement I have ever used or seen on a Windows laptop.
Re:Someone convince me... (Score:5, Informative)
1) I stopped using Linux (my primary OS) three years ago when I first purchased an OS X Mac. Absolutely no need for it. I can download and run most open source apps on OS X. It's full blown UNIX.
2) JAVA screams! I develop J2EE apps using Eclipse/RAD to run on IBM WAS / WPS. I currently have a 15" MBP 2.0 GHz, 7200RPM drive, 2GB RAM. On this machine, JAVA is a rocket.
3) I've never had a single kernel panic since I received my MBP in March. Not one. A couple of apps have gone south once or twice, but never the OS.
4) GNU/Open/Free progs run with no issues I've encountered yet.
5) Sounds like you are a value shopper. Go to an Apple store, check for yourself. Personally, I think the build quality, design, etc. is worth the price "premium". If you can't see the advantage a TP has over a Dell, I doubt you will see what a Mac has to offer over a Dell. That's cool though -- we all have different expectations and ideas of value for money.
6) Smoking. SMOKING. SMOKING FAST! Fastest laptop I've ever used.
7) I love the two-finger trackpad for scrolling, and the two-finger tap for right-click works great for me. I must confess, I hated having to hold down control for a right-click with my old PowerBook. It was a nuisance.
Re:Someone convince me... (now formatted!) (Score:5, Informative)
2) I find Java performance to be quite good. I played a Java-based flight simulator that ran great on my MacBook. But if there's a particular application that you want to try out, I'd say go to an Apple store if one is nearby and download it to the desktop and give it a whirl. They don't monitor that stuff too closely.
3) I work on a Windows machine most of the time, but my personal system is a MacBook, and I find the latter to be much more stable overall. I essentially never reboot it, unless there is a software update that requires it. I did have the RSS problem, but I'll detail that in the hardware question.
4) There's lots and lots of free (as in speech) software. Apple even has a download section dedicated to it: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/unix_open_so urce/ [apple.com] . And since you've got Perl, etc., there are a lot of programs you can download and run without even having to recompile.
5) In general, I think workmanship is great. Easy access to parts, long-lasting and reliable systems. Problems do come up, but Apple's pretty good about fixing them. My old iBook is almost 6 years old, and it's my wife's main computer now, and works great. It did have to have the logic board replaced because of a video problem, but they took it and fixed it and returned it in three days without a hassle, even though it was officially out of warranty. My current MacBook has the RSS (random shutdown syndrome), and I just brought it in last night. My understanding is that they've resolved that, and if history is any indicator, I'll still be using this system in 4 years.
6) Speed is subjective, but basically, we're talking about the same hardware you might run windows on, so many--if not most--applications should run just the same. And if you want to run Windows, there's BootCamp, which lets you dual boot, or Parallels, which lets you run a virtual machine without the overhead of emulation. Lots of great reviews out there. Seach /. or google for more info.
7) The two finger trackpad is AWESOME. I mean, it's OK for the second button and all; much better for right-clicking than control-click, in my mind. But the key is two-finger scrolling. Once you're used to it, you'll feel like any laptop that doesn't support it is a toy. Two finger scrolling a pretty great jump forward in human-computer interface.
Hope this all helps!
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Unless you stole your Dell, the price I get for a system similar to the base $999 MacBook is $896...
The Dell has a 15.4" screen vs the MacBook's 13.3" but the MacBook has the iSight camera, Bluetooth, Remote and much more software.
You must have compared this low end Dell to the MacBook Pro and not the base MacBook.
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Weird. I think the Dell comes in at about $400 cheaper for me, with both machines having a few options the other does not. Of course I also would never buy a Dell laptop because of the reliability issues.
1) No. The CLI is as nice as Linux (I think bash is the default shell now) and the integration between the CLI and GUI is better than any Linux distro I've used. If you move a directory using the GUI, your
No 12" :( (Score:3)
I've been holding off getting a new work laptop, waiting for the new Power^H^H^H^H^HMacBook Pros to come out, so I could get my OS X fix on someone else's tab, but I am disappointed to see there is still no 12" PowerBook replacement.
It's not a showstopper for me, because realistically a 15" vs a 12" notebook isn't a huge issue (heck, I might even get a 17"), but it would truly have been great to see a 12" PowerBook replacement that wasn't the redheaded stepchild the 12" was...
It's a shame to see there isn't a 7200rpm hard disk option. However, 2G of RAM *standard* is a bold (and welcome, given OS X's hunger for memory) move by Apple that makes up for it. On the downside, as has become ironically typical (from a company that stresses its graphically-oriented heritage and having the "first" mainstream OS that really took advantage of GPUs for acceleration) it's a shame to see weak video hardware on "Pro" hardware, with no faster BTO alternative.
But where's the ultraportable? (Score:5, Insightful)
You've shown with iPod nano that you can do wonders in small scale, but your laptops are not reflecting your capabilities in this regard. They are currently just waaayyy too big and heavy for everyday and everywhere portability. So no Mac switch for me.
Have We Passed Version 1? (Score:3, Interesting)
I've learned not to buy version 1 of an Apple product unless I want to get cut by the bleeding edge.
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In my iMac I am already using fontforge, xchat and gaim (although I have to admit that Adium is much much prettier)
Re:Great. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Great. (Score:5, Funny)
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Yea.. you go find yourself a Core 2 Duo to drop in that Acer laptop of yours. I think Walmart sells them.
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The Apple hardware has something no other manufacturer offers - an OS X licence, also some people pay for the design too, others don't care.
But I want a machine I can run OS X and Linux on, I don't care a
Er, what? (Score:4, Insightful)
The lack of a card reader may seem a pain, but those are slots in the case that could admit dust/dirt, as well as taking up real estate inside the case. Considering what they pack in there and how much care is given to make the layout not interfere with ventilation, I have no problem getting an el cheapo external cardreader.
Next time you critique the Apple laptops, though, I suggest you get rid of that huge chip on your shoulder. Your antagonism towards Apple is pretty blatant.
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If Apple responded to its customers' requests, how come there are no left and right mouse buttons? It's still the single most annoying feature and you'd think it should be eliminated by now.
Apple actually has usability experts that test things. Thus, even if a bunch of people who will probably never buy Apple's claim they will if they have two buttons on the laptop, Apple holds off because it encourages both users and developers to break things. If developers are given two button mice as the standard con
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Sorry, 2-button mice on laptops are just annoying. I guess you haven't used OS X much -- the right click is not all that useful, and control-click is EASIER than finding the second mouse button on a laptop, where you have to move your hand to find it anyway. On a normal mouse, yes, right-click makes sense, you have a separate finger for it. On the laptop, its just a pain to hit the right button. Your hands are already
Re:Notify me when it ships with a 2-button mouse (Score:4, Insightful)
I own a 17" MBP and a 15" MBP. I like the 17" MBP a lot more.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
If they release anything it'll be a 13.3", which is still better than the 15.4".