Macbook Pro - buy now, or wait?
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wowsers
Good to learn that new specs were released so recently! I just spent 2 days trying to Hackintosh first my old laptop and then my desktop. Both installed fine but wouldn't start. I was very close to ordering a Dell Mini 10v for this purpose - less than £300 for a reportedly stable OS X machine. Underpowered but fine for netbook uses and very small. I still might be tempted by one of those if I can get one cheap somewhere but the 2/3 hour battery life is a bummer.
This release was the perfect bait for me. My student loan went through on Sunday,the fact I'm in my final year at uni and there are these HE discounts is a clincher. I had been dead set against Macs all my life (still mostly agreeing with the Charlie Brooker article) but I have been working as a freelance artist for extra cash whilst at uni, and if I want to get a pro job somewhere I suppose some proficiency with OSX10 and photoshop is a must. (Even typing this I feel like I'm rationalizing a silly decision)
Anyways tomorrow I'm at uni so ill order one whilst I'm on the network. MBP 15" i7 with matte screen. I will mostly use it as a DTR with video out and the thing closed. I just wish that there was an intermediate Mac desktop between the iMacs and the Mac Pros. Basically I want an imac without the screen! My 42" HDTV has proven so effective as a monitor that I've sold my (higher) res monitor. Even for artistic purposes - your zooming in and out so often that the loss of pixels doesn't hurt and the big screen size becomes far less taxing on the eyes and can be placed further away. (None the less a top spec imac would have been far more cost-effective...)
To be clear - I can update the SATA drive to a SSD in the future? Especially at the end of the year when prices are reported to fall (or volumes rise). Hard drives have been the main bottlenecks I've found on all my PC setups. Out of interest - Why are the Hard drive speeds so slow on macs? Even the top spec Mac Pro is only 7200rpm.
Good to learn that new specs were released so recently! I just spent 2 days trying to Hackintosh first my old laptop and then my desktop. Both installed fine but wouldn't start. I was very close to ordering a Dell Mini 10v for this purpose - less than £300 for a reportedly stable OS X machine. Underpowered but fine for netbook uses and very small. I still might be tempted by one of those if I can get one cheap somewhere but the 2/3 hour battery life is a bummer.
This release was the perfect bait for me. My student loan went through on Sunday,the fact I'm in my final year at uni and there are these HE discounts is a clincher. I had been dead set against Macs all my life (still mostly agreeing with the Charlie Brooker article) but I have been working as a freelance artist for extra cash whilst at uni, and if I want to get a pro job somewhere I suppose some proficiency with OSX10 and photoshop is a must. (Even typing this I feel like I'm rationalizing a silly decision)
Anyways tomorrow I'm at uni so ill order one whilst I'm on the network. MBP 15" i7 with matte screen. I will mostly use it as a DTR with video out and the thing closed. I just wish that there was an intermediate Mac desktop between the iMacs and the Mac Pros. Basically I want an imac without the screen! My 42" HDTV has proven so effective as a monitor that I've sold my (higher) res monitor. Even for artistic purposes - your zooming in and out so often that the loss of pixels doesn't hurt and the big screen size becomes far less taxing on the eyes and can be placed further away. (None the less a top spec imac would have been far more cost-effective...)
To be clear - I can update the SATA drive to a SSD in the future? Especially at the end of the year when prices are reported to fall (or volumes rise). Hard drives have been the main bottlenecks I've found on all my PC setups. Out of interest - Why are the Hard drive speeds so slow on macs? Even the top spec Mac Pro is only 7200rpm.
You can change the drive for an SSD later no problems, its easy.
As for slow hard drives, there fairly standard for the product. Faster drives require different interfaces and cost so much more. Also the 10k raptor drives are only slightly faster than a 2TB disk.
Soldato
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Finally took the plunge after cancelling my order 3 times because I couldn't decide on the specs, now feeling a little light headed after speading so much money on a laptop, so hope I don't regret it =) going have to try and make it last about 5 years now so not to feel majorly out of pocket
Went for the i7, 7200rpm, HR anti-glare.
Was umming and arring about glossy or anti-glare for way too long but these pictures made up my mind for me, plus I think the glossy would really get on my wick after the novelty wears off.
I'm starting to come round to the silver around the edge instead of black, looks smart. But doesn't look like it's going to arrive anytime soon with this volcano kicking off.
Quoting because those pictures are awesome!
Higher res + Matte + Silver Bezel = Win.
Anyone know when the Apple stores are going to have any in as demo's? As a i7 15" High Res Matte is very tempting...
Im umming and arring about my potential purchase - mate has just wisely said that I could just get a Mac Mini to get on the Apple bandwagon to allow me to fool around with the IPhone dev kit and then get a decent Windows laptop (HP Envy) with the remainder to cover the actual laptop requirement with change to spare...
Hes making sense
...
ps3ud0
Hes making sense
...ps3ud0
I have a 1400x900+Matte + Silver Bezel = Nov 2007
Seriously though, I didn't like the completely black screen and much preferred the older model design. Although I think the new design is very tempting I think this machine will have to last a while longer (perhaps another battery) as it's power and ability with the OCZ Vertex aren't really lacking yet!
Once the DVD drive has died, the SSD has snuffed it, the next generation of CPU is out, the OS doesn't support it and they no longer make the battery.. I may upgrade.. although the newer button-less trackpad would annoy the crap out of me!
Nope.. resisting..
Soldato
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I have a 1400x900+Matte + Silver Bezel = Nov 2007
Seriously though, I didn't like the completely black screen and much preferred the older model design. Although I think the new design is very tempting I think this machine will have to last a while longer (perhaps another battery) as it's power and ability with the OCZ Vertex aren't really lacking yet!
Once the DVD drive has died, the SSD has snuffed it, the next generation of CPU is out, the OS doesn't support it and they no longer make the battery.. I may upgrade.. although the newer button-less trackpad would annoy the crap out of me!
Nope.. resisting..
That's what mine is, Summer 2007 2.4GHz C2D Santa Rosa 1440x900. I've since put in 4GB and 500GB 7200RPM. I bought it in the New York Apple Store and after comparing both the glossy and matte side-by-side and chatting with one of the store guys (after battling away all the tourists just checking their emails
) I chose the matte too! Apple Care runs out on it this Summer and once things start breaking on it....
Would that not be the mac mini, basically a mac book without a screen?
You can't put a faster hard drive in a laptop because there is not enough room to dissapate the heat generated. WD Raptor 10k drives actually come in their own heatsink and generally need some flow of air to keep cool, and taking them out of the heatsink and using them voids the user warranty. Plus they would be a massive drain on battery power, and anyone who wants a faster hard drive can just put in an SSD instead.
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And what you need to remember is that OS X is great for data management. My macbook pro boots up and shutdowns at unbelievable speeds when you compare it to when i'm booting up windows.
So basically, Apple don't need quick hard drives to make their operating system quick, their OS isn't a broken mess like windows. Therefore they go for battery life and cooler components instead, which makes total sense. I too at first was a bit indifferent about the slow HDD speeds in Macs, but after getting my Macbook pro it is pretty obvious why.
So basically, Apple don't need quick hard drives to make their operating system quick, their OS isn't a broken mess like windows. Therefore they go for battery life and cooler components instead, which makes total sense. I too at first was a bit indifferent about the slow HDD speeds in Macs, but after getting my Macbook pro it is pretty obvious why.
Dropped into the Trafford Centre yesterday. No 15" High Res at all and the guy I spoke to said they didn't expect any in. They did however have a 17" High Res Matte and very very nice it was too.
Soldato
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Would that not be the mac mini, basically a mac book without a screen?
That's probably what Apple say - but the folk complaining are more about the mac mini/macbook being 'laptop grade' and the imac / mac pro being 'desktop grade' i.e. desktop procs, 3.5 inch drives >1, 16GB ram etc
Plus the ability to plug a PCI card in. To use a PCI card in a mac you have to shell out 2+ grand on a Mac with PCI slots...
Yeah I suppose if you want that kind of flexability/power in a desktop and only have a small wallet, you are between a Rock(windows) and a hard place(linux)
The 15" 2.66 i7 / High res Antiglare are in at Arndale now.
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Soldato
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I ordered a 13" MBP last week fully expecting it to come directly from China, but it has been sent from within the UK and I missed delivery today, the day after it was dispatched.
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I orderd 17" i7 on thursday night, and it's still says 'not yet shipped' Do they usually take longer than 3 business days to ship ?
Soldato
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Just been to the Bath store at lunch, OMG WANT.
Had a 15" Glossy 1440x900 and a 15" Antiglare 1680x1050 side by side, the High res antiglare one is soooooo nice!
I also love the way that it has the aluminium bezel rather than the glossy black.Did come comparisons in Pages and after a while I couldn't look at the 1440x900 anymore without going ZOMG PIXELATED.
For anyone that wants to know about the student pricing:
Also in chatting with the girl I asked about whether student discount can be had in the retail stores and she said yep, so then I asked about me who has an unconditional offer for September (but is currently on a gap year) and she didn't know (fair enough - the stores only been open a few weeks and she's newly graduated!) so she pointed me out to the manager who said "Looks like a student, would have no problem giving them the student price".
End of the summer I think I might have to get one...
My sisters 13" MBP turned up yesterday - opened it to check everything was there and put it all back - wont have time til weekend to have a play of it
Think though I definitely going Antiglare - hoping Apple store MK have both the Glossy and Antiglare in High Res to take a look...
ps3ud0
Think though I definitely going Antiglare - hoping Apple store MK have both the Glossy and Antiglare in High Res to take a look...
ps3ud0