Want To Know About the New Apple MacBook Pro? 310
An anonymous reader writes to tell us about an extremely helpful user who is answering questions from all comers about the new MacBook Pro. "A few days ago, a user by the name 'bcavanau' posted on the macrumors.com forums that he had just picked up a new MacBook Pro. Forum members started asking him about features, specifications, and benchmarks. He was happy to oblige, posting responses to everyone's questions. Eventually the forum thread got out of hand, and he set up a website devoted to answering the questions. If you have a question that hasn't already been answered, email him at the address on the site. He is responding daily and sometimes within minutes. This guy is dedicated. Thanks 'bcavanau', you get two thumbs up." The link to the site is cached via the Coral Content Distribution Network.
Heat/Noise? (Score:2)
Can anyone get through to find out about heat/noise? Even the cache is down for me. I've got a Powerbook G4 (when they just added the sudden motion sensor) and while I like the laptop I would LOVE to be able to play recent games (as well as have the second core) but I'm a bit worried about the heat and noise of the new MacBook Pros. One of my favorite things about my G4 is that it stays relativly cool unless I'm really pushing it, and unless I have it's about dead silent. Even when the fans are on full (lik
Re:Heat/Noise? (Score:5, Informative)
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hooplah (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm typing on a MBP "v1.0" and the only noise I hear is the hard drive- a quiet "whoosh". The fans at minimum speed (1000RPM) are completely inaudible. They are more progressive than the G4's which were pretty much an on/off switch.
As for heat? Every year I read whining about "how hot" the newest Powerbook is. It's all a bunch of shit (with the exception of the 12" Al Powerbook. That thing WAS an oven.) Component specs don't chang
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WUXGA (Score:2)
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The next OS X is supposed to be resolution independent. Perhaps they'll upgrade the resolution on their laptops then.
Ubuntu on a Dell E1505 is a great combination, btw.
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aren't you even disagreeing with parent? (Score:2)
But, you've also said stuff that's not true. Most importantly, it's not a matter of not wanting to risk bleeding edge stuff. That's crap, and if it were true they would not, for example, have jumped on the Core Duo bandwagon so early. Also, the resolutions we're talking about no
Can someone help me? (Score:4, Interesting)
From what I can find, this C2D is a laptop that Apple Stores started selling over the past couple days. If it's already out, what will it provide me that other Mac's won't?
Thanks!
Re:Can someone help me? (Score:5, Informative)
While they were put up for order on Tuesday, they haven't hit the street yet (as far as I know). You can't go buy them in stores right now (unless someone knows otherwise). So basically this person got their hands on the laptop early.
So why all the fuss? First, this is a Core 2 Duo so it is supposed to have better performance than the Core Duo models that were replaces (and it is supposed to run circles around my little Powerbook G4). But more importantly while the MacBook Pros were nice computers, there were quite a few complaints about the amount of heat they generate, noises (from the speaker/screen/who-knows). A lot of people (myself included) want to know if the laptops run as hot as the MacBook Pros did.
To the Mac community this is a bit like someone getting their hands on a Zune and answering people's questions when there is no information about the Zune but specs out there (which I realize is not quite the case, but it's an example).
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The new Mac laptops are the best thing to happen to musicians since Tascam released the PortaStudio. Period. What other laptop comes pre-installed w/ multitrack audio recording software with built in amp modeling, software instruments, a huge loop library, and optical
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Does anyone know different?
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It's nice to know that they still use the firmware heavily restricted optical drives. (For those of us who are regular Mac users, and still want to regularly watch multiregion DVDs.)
Re:Can someone help me? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's nice to know that they still use the firmware heavily restricted optical drives. (For those of us who are regular Mac users, and still want to regularly watch multiregion DVDs.)
I've always wondered if, in countries where region-coding is considered anti-competitive (eg: Australia), you can use uo your 5 region changes and then legitimately return the laptop as "broken"...
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Temperatures (Score:3, Informative)
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For those asking that can't make it to the site, at idle both CPU cores are at 123.8 F, and the hard drive is at 100.4 F.
Nice to finally see a laptop with a built-in coffee warmer. Those Apple engineers are fucking geniuses.
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It's a shame (Score:5, Insightful)
That the MBP doesn't have:
* An option for a 7200rpm hard disk (except the "aircraft carrier" model
* A option for a faster video card
* Higher screen resolution
* A docking station
* A 12"-ish variant
Personally I consider these significant omissions for a machine touted as being a top-of-the-line "Professional" laptop.
On the flipside, it's *great* to see Apple throwing in 2G RAM standard, except in the bottom-end model.
On the wishlist, I'd _love_ to see a laptop that can drive two external screens.
(I'll probably still get work to buy me one, though, then I can get my OS X fix on someone else's tab.)
Re:It's a shame (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't worry too much about the 7200rpm drive for now. I have one in my first generation MBP, and wouldn't get it if I were buying today.
The density of the 160GB 5400rpm model, which wasn't available in quantity when the first generation MBP came out, is high enough that performance is really, really close to the 100GB 7200rpm models. My MBP averages about 44MB/s write flat-out... the Seagate 5400.3, according to this [linuxhardware.org], will do over 41. Read speeds are similarly close. If you're really pushing the disk subsystem so hard that you'll notice that difference, do yourself a favor and use the new FW800 port.
When Seagate finally ships its 160GB 7200.2 results may be different. I'm buying one of those for my existing MBP as soon as they ship.
I second the request for 1680x1050. (1920x1200 would just be too much on 15.4".) The faster video cards would probably cause heat issues; all the laptops available with them are thicker and heavier.
For the 12" the MacBook, unlike what we're used to with iBooks, is a legitimate performer unless you need 3D graphics. I'd like an even smaller model, and the option for discrete graphics in the black MB.
What I really want can't be provided by Apple... a fast 320GB notebook drive. That would change my life.
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The density of the 160GB 5400rpm model, which wasn't available in quantity when the first generation MBP came out, is high enough that performance is really, really close to the 100GB 7200rpm models. My MBP averages about 44MB/s write flat-out... the Seagate 5400.3, according to this, will do over 41. Read speeds are similarly close. If you're really pushing the disk subsystem so hard that you'll notice that difference, do yourself a favor and use the new FW800 port.
It's the latency benefit I'm more inter
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I must admit I've never seen the point of huge amounts of local storage in a laptop (or any standalone PC, for that matter). If you want lots of space, you're far better off putting it into a separate machine.
My life for the foreseeable future requires lots of longish trips and some boring time in hotel rooms. I'd be totally happy if I could 1) load Logic Pro and my several GB of associated stuff; 2) have a few spare GB for a Windows partition; 3) bring my whole music/video collection along without eith
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Just add one </i>... the preview button is our friend.
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Way overkill. That's why I want a MBP with EGA graphics and 8-bit sound.
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I'd buy a MBB today if they suddenly released one with 1920x1200, and going to 1680xwhatever on the 15" would really make me consider one.
Re:It's a shame (Score:4, Insightful)
There is something for that:
http://www.mcetech.com/optibay/ [mcetech.com]
What it does is move the optical drive to be an external drive and put another notebook hard drive inside. So if you have 2x 160GB drives, you have 320GB right there. I think kicking out the optical drive is a good compromise. The number of occasions that I use one is dwindling quite a bit. Even for movies, I can use an external at home to import it and it's on the hard drive for later use.
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I have a feeling we'll be seeing 1680x1050 and probably higher the moment resolution independance is ready in Leopard and shipping on new machines.
You _can_ get 320GB in a laptop (Score:2)
Well, Apple won't sell it to you but you can buy it: there's a company that offers to replace your DVD drive with a hard disk. If you can function OK on the road without a CD/DVD drive (and use an external at home) then this will give you what you asked for. Hmm, just found 'em: http://www.mcetech.com/optibay/ [mcetech.com]. They apparently consider it a self-install procedure! I'm not sure most people should Try I
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Heh, I like that. Though I usually refer to them as "TV dinner trays".
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Atleast you can always buy a 7200RPM drive and install it if you are so inclined. Not much you can do about the other omissions.
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Apparently, the 160gb (5400 rpm) and 200gb (4200 rpm) drives use PMR [wikipedia.org]. Someone on the forums over at macrumors linked to a benchmark, apparently the 5400 rpm PMR drives are faster than traditional 7200 rpm drives.
* A option for a faster video card
I think the form factor has a lot to do with this. I don't know that they could squeeze an X1700/X1800 or GeForce Go 7800/7900 in the current form factor, and I don't think enough customers
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BookEndz makes some port replicators, but they're really not that impressive.
Particularly considering the price. That's some serious money for a device that could only described as "barely adequate".
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Re:It's a shame (Score:4, Interesting)
Extending the battery life with C2d Macbookpro? (Score:2)
I'm deciding in purchasing between the faster and slower macbookpro's: Does the faster one drain the battery noticibly faster, or is there better power management with the more expensive computer? If I know I'll be using the computer without access to a wall socket for longer periods: is it smarter to go with the slower computer?
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Don't know about the C2D models, but my 2.16 CD MBP gets slightly worse life than a friend's 1.83 version. SpeedStep apparently won't slow down the processor quite as far.
The difference is very small though... with the faster processor and my 7200rpm drive it's about 15 minutes. They are claiming slightly improved life for the C2D version, but all CD MBP's get pretty terrible battery life. MacBooks are better, if you can live without a graphics card and with a smaller screen.
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How about Debunking... (Score:2)
Problem with link? (Score:2)
http://www.lartren.com/mac/ [lartren.com]
I also think they ment to post the following Coral link as well:
http://www.lartren.com.nyud.net:8080/ [nyud.net]
Want To Know About the New Apple MacBook Pro? (Score:5, Funny)
No.
(Disclaimer: I did not put the "no" tag on.)
Information the manufacturer should provide? (Score:2)
Q: Dell, I'd like to run Microsoft Flight Sim on an XPS 700 with three 30" displays. Can you give me the frame rate on that?
god bless this man!!!! (Score:2)
Why isn't it smaller? (Score:4, Insightful)
I have a 667 Mhz 12" G4 Powerbook that I adore and have been using for four years now. It goes with me everywhere, I can open it (barely) on a tray table in a coach seat on a plane, it works well on a bus, train, etc. It goes everywhere with me -- cause it is a decent size and works well. I don't need/want 15" and the 13.3" macbooks are still too big for what I want. :(
I was just at a "Sony Style" Store today and their smaller Vaio notebooks look real sweet. Just increase the DPI of the resolution and it cram into a smaller form factor please. Not all of us are blind.
I hate Apple's new laptop attitude that "pro" means huge.
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For monitors, it is ppi - for pixels per inch. dpi is for print, each dot is its own discrete, unmixed color. Otherwise, each color within a pixel counts as a point.
I think the higher ppi will simply increase the chances that the user will become blind as a result. My vision is good, I can use the 150 screens but it's pretty uncomfortable for long term use.
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Performance (Xbench) and Apple's claim of 7x speed (Score:2, Informative)
I've heard that Apple is claiming that the new Core2 Duo is 7 times faster than the old "top of the line" 1.67Ghz PowerBook. But comparing the XBench output that was posted earlier to an XBench run that I just ran (see below my signature) shows only a 2x increase in almost every single category (there was one or two that were about 2.5 times higher).
But nowhere near 7 times.
How can they make such a claim? I could understand missing by a few percentage points, but their claim is WAY off reality.
And,
Re:Performance (Xbench) and Apple's claim of 7x sp (Score:2)
1. Testing conducted by Apple in October 2006 using preproduction MacBook Pro units with Core 2 Duo; MacBook Pro with Core Duo and PowerBook G4 systems were shipping units. *On a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pro, Logic Pro showed a 45% performance improvement, playing 240 reverb plug-ins, compared to 165 reverb plug-ins played on a 2.16GH
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Apple's been doing this for years, it's nothing new - it was actually quite funny to watch them do a complete 180 in regards to Intel vs. PPC a while back. Basically, don't pay any attention to any benchmarks performed by the same company that sells the hardware.
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64 Bit Support? (Score:4, Interesting)
The announcements and marketing information about the new MBP's was conspicuously absent of any mention of the 64 bit support of the new Merom / Core 2 Duo processor. This is strange because both the Mac Pro and the iMac specifically mention their 64 bit support.
There is a lot of contradictory information floating around about the state of 64 bit support on the Intel Macs. So, I asked him to compile an app to show the sizeof a long int and pointer. The output showed 4 Bytes / 32 bits.
So, this is curious... Does x86 Tiger not support 64 bit mode? But, people have done tests on 32 bit vs. 64 bit on intel Macs ( http://www.geekpatrol.ca/blog/150/ [geekpatrol.ca] ). So, why is the MBP different than the iMac, which uses the same processor and chipset?
Anyone have more definitive information on 64 bit support for this new MacBook Pro? Or for x86 Tiger, the new iMacs and Mac Pro's?
Also, before all the "64 bit support is pointless" replies; yes, I know it can only handle 3GB of RAM. I know the benefits of 64 bit will not be dramatic (I already have two Linux boxes running Athlon64's in 64 bit mode). I'm just curious whether all the features of the processor can be used. I also want the performance benefit of doubling the number of general purpose processors and 64 bit math. And, since Leopard is supposed to have much better 64 bit support, I want to see where this MacBook Pro will stand.
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Re:64 Bit Support? (Score:4, Informative)
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So, it seems that the kernel on the new MBP's are indeed 64 bit.
Hats o' gold, thanks to your friends at /. (Score:4, Insightful)
And thanks to slashdot, maybe those Google Ads he's added to his answers will bring him a few bucks he wouldn't have made on the "out of hand" macrumors forum.
Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with cashing in -- macrumors' forum isn't exactly ad-free either -- but I'm not real sure how making your own website to answer questions makes slashdot. If he'd taken it apart, upgraded the processor, or found out that there's something inside we hadn't heard of, well, telling us about that is possibly post worthy. Right now, this story is just hardware.slashdot.org-as-billboard.
One of the incredible bits of insight from the site:
Q: What can you tell me about the battery?
A: Not a whole lot. Made in China (what isn't), Model # A1175, Li-ion.
Wow.
Save yourself some time, and skip directly to pictures of Sudan [googlesyndication.com] or Christian Wife Pictures [googlesyndication.com]. Not joking.
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Want To Know About the New Apple MacBook Pro? (Score:3, Funny)
simply couldn't resist making this comment:)
Re:Why? (Score:5, Informative)
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Agreed. Right now I'm listening to online radio with iTunes, fiddling with some build errors in XCode, toying around in the shell ftp'ing a file that a build script failed to fetch, sharing a file with my roommate (who runs Windows) across the LAN using HTTP (as opposed to SMB), and looking at my Monday appointments in iCal. All of this functionality out of the box - it is bar none the best 'nix I've ever used (and continue to use).
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OK, I'm probably going to get modded "troll" or "flamebait" for this but thi
Re:Why? (Score:5, Informative)
Okay, I'll bite.
Unfortunately for me, I tend to prefer Microsoft Office over OpenOffice. There's no Microsoft Office in Linux, FreeBSD, etc. In reality, this is a shame, because I spend most of my time using LaTeX and it stinks that when I do need an "office app" I have to resort to Microsoft Office since I consider it a better application. Also, there's no Photoshop for Linux, etc. Please don't say GIMP. I actually learned on GIMP and would much prefer to use it over Photoshop, but there's no true color calibration system for Linux. Aperture is also on OS X and I don't really have a desire to use anything else to manage photos.
I loathed the OS X interface when I first started using it. In fact, the day I got my PowerBook G4 (my first Mac, about 3.5 years ago), I spent all of 10 minutes in OS X. And I spend that time while I was figuring out how to install Debian on it. I ran Debian on my PowerBook for a year or more. I decided to try out OS X and haven't looked back. Well, I did for a bit, because the UI was a bit different to me. Since getting used to the UI, I would never like to go back to traditional UNIX desktops.
When I come from home from work and need to do something on my computer, I don't want to have to worry about it. I don't want to worry, for instance, if the new kernel I apt-geted broke my VMWare installation and now requires a module recompile. I don't have the time, nor the energy, to care anymore. OS X is for the practical inside of me. OS X is for the artist inside of me. OS X is for the lazy inside of me.
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Yea, it's wicked, except for the MM performance, VFS performance, POSIX ommisions (RT scheduling requires MACH proprietary APIs!), and fact that on my Core Duo I can freeze the UI when doing an import in iPhoto from a USB card reader.
It's a dual-core CPU, why should the VFS lock up both CPUs?
If I could run the Linux kernel with the MacOS X userland, I'd be happy.
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Best for what? If OS X is the best UNIX you've ever used for, say, database hosting, then it's probably the only UNIX you've ever used.
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Basically many opensource projects conflict and do not integrate with the praoprietary macosx counterparts. Its a bitch to upgrade things like samba and lpad. Ubuntu linux is great to upgrade and so are most debian based distro's and the BSD's. IT seems Apple wants you to upgrade and pay $$$ for the next version of OSX than allow you to upgrade the sytem yourself.
Newsflash: (Score:2)
The other 99.9 percent just want something that works that they don't have to fiddle with and is also rock-solid stable and comes w/ incredible media creation apps built in and integrated into every major part of the OS.
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Re:Why? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Why? (Score:5, Funny)
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Mac OS X requires no serial number or activation.
That's because you need a hardware dongle from Apple to run it.
It's really quite nice. Compared to Vista and its high prices, draconian EULA, separate purchase required for 64-bit support, and bloated system requirements, Leopard makes Vista look amateur.
FUD.
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Besides, TPM itself isn't evil; it's only a tool. It can be used for good or evil, just like a hammer, debugger, or decss.
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But unlike a hammer, a debugger, or DeCSS, TPM cannot be used for good. At all. So yes, it really is evil.
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TPM can be used as a way to sign binaries from the bootloader all the way through the OS and its libraries. You can, in theory, guarantee that your OS has not been compromised. This can even be done with Linux, though it would make replacing binaries a little more difficult. The tradeoff in security may be worth it to some people.
So yes, TPM can be used for good. You're just assuming that only closed-source vendors would ever possibly use it. Google for Bruce Potter and TPM--he opened my
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Maybe, just maybe, Apple adopted the TPM module because they want to prevent people from running OS X on commodity hardware. That was the override and exclusive motivation behind the move.
Many would argue that *is* restricting their rights.
For example, I have an unused copy of OS X for Intel here. Why shouldn't I be allowed to (try) and run it on any computer I want ?
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Considering the very serious string of problems associated with the Macbook (check out the vernerable macfixit.com or the comprehensive macdefects.com), you'd think Slashdot might be inspired to actually look carefully at the issue.
Slashdot look carefully at the issue? Either I'm drinking too much tonight, or not enough.
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Let's see what happens.
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Sorry, but it can run 100% cooler, be twice
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I think that if you look hard enough at any digital image, you can find "obvious signs" of manipulation. In fact, you could probably find "obvious signs" of digital manipulation in a purely analogue film print
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