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Oh man, It's startingMacRumors posted:Apple is working on a 15" ultra-thin Mac notebook, MacRumors has learned. We aren't certain if it will be called a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, but we do know that it is already in late testing stages at Apple.... Not that any of this is surprising in the slightest. That said, the oddly matter-of-fact tone for a site that often stresses and comments on the unreliability/reliability of information sources might mean that Apple's really getting ready to roll these suckers out very soon. I guess I'll just have to rely on my blackbook that much longer. I wonder what that means for the MBP's glass cover on the glossy screens. While I'm no fan of glare, I really like the vibrancy of the glossy's colors and the convenience of an easily wipeable glass front. Also, presumably quad-core Ivy Bridge CPUs and high-power discrete GPUs in an ultrathin? Don't current MBPs already have a problem with heat management with big heatsinks and two fans?...Not to mention, putting in one of those proprietary SSD cards (or any SSD, really) with a capacity to rival the 500gb HDDs in current MBPs is impossible if they want to keep pricing remotely consistent for most buyers. There's always the possibility that the MBP line will bifurcate into Ultraportable and high-performance desktop replacement lines but that seems terribly un-Apple. My best bet is on an expansion of the MBA brand with 15" and 17" options and an Optical-less, slightly thinner MBP- possibly like the original Air that came with a HDD. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 07:56 on Jul 27, 2011 |
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Jul 27, 2011 07:39
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SERIOUS posted:So not only are they dragging their feet, they're lying to me. Gee, that's just swell. Maybe they broke the glass and were waiting for a replacement. EDIT: Sorry. Meant to post this last night but my internet died. Good to see that you got your computer back, SERIOUS.
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Aug 4, 2011 00:27
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Saw this on macrumors today, thought it was interesting to share: Intel Ultrabooks Unable to Undercut MBA Prices macrumors posted:DigiTimes reports, however, that manufacturers are having trouble pricing their new machines under Apple's MacBook Air, raising concerns about their prospects for market success. Intel apparently expects computers like this to make up about 40% of the market by the end of next year. If they're forced to drop their prices, I wonder if we'll see those savings trickle into the MBA's price (probably not). At any rate, if this holds out to be true, I guess we could see the "Apple Tax" get a little smaller in relation to PC Land, at least for notebooks.
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Aug 4, 2011 00:39
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I considered putting this in the Postproduction thread, but considering they've collectively shunned FCPX and the last time I asked them (exactly a year ago) the consensus was that the Mac pro was the way to go, I figured I'd try you guys first: I'm just about to be in the market for a new Mac and I'm looking at something that I can comfortably and frequently run Premiere, AfterEffects, FCPX, and FCP 7 (if I can find a copy) on- as well as other Adobe CS programs (mainly Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and InDesign). I'd like this computer to pull double-duty as a workstation/main computer if possible, so I've got some Steam games that I want to run on it as well (shouldn't be a problem given what else I want to run). While upgradeability and expandability are important, they aren't the be-all-end-all (I'll probably try to turn over a new computer every revision cycle or so...thank you tiny Mac devaluation), and the sandy-bridge CPUs and thunderbolt pretty much negate any reason for me to consider a Mac Pro for the time being. Right now, I'm between a 27" iMac and a 15" MBP- both slightly over the $2k mark. The iMac is sweet and the screen is huge, but it's sadly not portable- which is something I need in at least some faculty. I have a 2007 BlackBook that could probably hold me over as a portable (the portable wouldn't need to run any of the software I mentioned, but it would be nice) but I'm considering giving it to my mom and I'd need to pick up an iPad or 11" MBA to replace it. The MBP would be portable (though not as portable as the iPad/MBA) and it would run all of the software I need on the go (though maybe not as well as the iMac? That point is very debatable). But given its one TB port, I'd have to get a TB display along with it in order to run both a big monitor (necessary) and external drives (more necessary). In either case, I'd be looking at spending almost 1 grand more in extra hardware for the computer (iPad/MBA vs TB display), and it ultimately comes down to which computer would be better at doing what I need (lots of video crap). Which do I choose? Note: yes, I'll be waiting until the new Mac pros come out so I can change my plans all over again. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Aug 4, 2011 |
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Aug 4, 2011 17:39
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Daric posted:Why do people claim that the MBP is not very portable? It weight 5lbs. If you can't carry an extra 5lb weight with you all day, you have an issue. It's what happens when people get nice things, I guess. I thought my BlackBook was perfectly portable (I think it's actually heavier than the 15" MBP) until my dad got an iPad and sister got an MBA. Now it suddenly feels "hefty." To be honest, my only real serious complaints about Blackie these days are that it's slow and underpowered compared to the new hotness and that it's not nearly as durable as the aluminum unibodies. I've babied that computer to Hell though. It runs like it did 4 years ago and the Genius I gave it to last week (free top case replacement for palmrest cracks) said its body was in "ridiculously perfect shape." You know what? I think I'll keep it as a music server or something and get my mom an iPad with my sister. I hear blackbooks are rare these days and this one means something special to me. I'd definitely like something that I can be less careful with (not that I will).
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Aug 4, 2011 18:05
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So what I've gleaned from the arguments about portability suggests that the iMac/MBA or ipad combo might make more sense than an MBP+ TB display despite not having the ability to take all of the power/software with me. But in terms of performance, is one more desirable than the other? I know the iMac can take more RAM (probably can't afford to put more than 8 gigs into either of them regardless) and its GPU is rated slightly higher (though none will give me any CUDA goodness). Geekbench scores have put them both fairly on par but the tests have also been a bit vague for my taste. Does anyone have any experience running Adobe CS-MC/FCP on both of them? Or, assuming all performance is equal, which combo would you specifically choose?
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Aug 4, 2011 23:38
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Corbet posted:You can get a 21.5" iMac ($1200 base model) and a 13" Macbook Air ($1300) for the price of a 17" MacBook Pro. Well, I'm not looking at the 17" MBP and a base model iMac wouldn't come close to a spec'd out MBP in terms of performance for what I need. Maybe Sinestro does need that kind of performance though, hmm?
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Aug 5, 2011 00:38
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japtor posted:Post the configurations you're comparing, just wondering cause it doesn't seem like the base iMac is super slow compared to the MBP. If you get an iPad rather than a notebook you could spend a bit more on the iMac too. With student discount: MBP: 15" with 7200 rpm HDD and Hi-res screen-between $2,100-2,500 depending on whether I get the 2.2 or 2.3 ghz quad-core i7 CPU, or 8gb of RAM from Apple (I won't, but I'm not opening Newegg atm). This doesn't count stuff like AppleCare or external crap, which would be extra. iMac: (*in retrospect, I should've been a lot nicer to it. For whatever reason, I was sort of thinking about some of the specs from last year-ie. no quad core except on the top tier, which was obviously wrong). Looks like I can get a 27" similar to the MBP for about $1700 (or a top 21.5" for less, but the screen seems a bit small for what I want). Alternatively, I can go balls-out on the 27" and come out at a similar price to the MBP. I'd still need to tack on between $700-$1200 for an iPad/MBA though, but then that's not sooo bad if it's 2 computers instead of just 1....... But I lose portability with CS/film editing apps- though at $100-$300 a pop, I could probably stick some essentials on the MBA if it'll have them.... Also, thanks for the note on the display. Slipped my mind as well. I guess it comes down to work portability vs. performance at the same price point (barring the need for personal portable computing stuff) or similar performance at different price points. When you include the cost of either a monitor and cables or an extra portable computer, it really just ends up being about portability of my projects I guess (like being able to edit something on the road). trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Aug 5, 2011 |
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Aug 5, 2011 05:30
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My thoughts exactly. Though I think I'll talk to my partner in crime about his plans. As long as we as a team ultimately have access to a road editing machine, everything should work out. I'm actually starting to lean toward the iMac/MBA combo personally. It's also good to note that an iMac isn't exactly completely "unportable." It's an all-in-one, so loading it in its box and driving it to a temporary homebase isn't super difficult or unheard of (hell, I know plenty of small teams that load up Mac Pros and Cinema Displays, rent out an apartment, and set up shop on folding buffet tables for 6 weeks). It isn't remotely ideal or exactly safe, but if it needs to happen it can. Wouldn't be able to comfortably run Portal 2/Team Fortress on an MBA though, right?
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Aug 5, 2011 06:31
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MEET ME BY DUCKS posted:On this topic of comparisons, and I hate to bring it up and I'm sure I'll get the canned answer, but is there any indication to believe the MBP line will get a sizable revision any time soon? I know macrumors and people are guessing October based on averages, but everything I've seen indicates there isn't much to be done until Intel releases their Ivy chips, which could be mid next year. It was at my school, though not nearly as common as the 13", which virtually wiped out the plastic macbook. The 15" is a much better computer, though- especially with the hi-res screen.
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Aug 5, 2011 06:55
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How does the i7 compare to the best i5 on the MBAs? Is hyperthreading that important? I want it to replace my blackbook as my primary surfing/dicking around/basic work machine and I'd like to keep the 13" form factor- though I still haven't ruled out the 11" portability and price. It sucks that the i7 on the 13" is only available on the most spec'd out model, because I don't need that much memory/can't justify the price.
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Aug 6, 2011 19:57
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Welp, just pulled the trigger on a base 13" MBA..... All in all about $1500, which stings a bit for what ultimately amounts to an impulse luxury buy (my '07 MacBook is just fine, dammit!) At least I get to work on my credit score. Now to figure out how I'm going to manage that iMac.....
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Aug 10, 2011 16:41
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vty posted:Any else of you returning your i5 MBA for the i7? I only have two days left on my return, still trying to decide. I'd trade the i7 11" for the i5 13." Every review and piece of advice I've looked at points to it being a pretty big leap from the 1.6ghz i5 in the 11" to the 1.7ghz one in the base 13" and a comparatively tiny one between the two available CPUs in the bigger MBA. Anand subscribes to the 10% rule when comparing benchmark scores (anything 10% different or less isn't going to be noticeable/worth a lot of money and anything over is) and the two 13" CPUs tend to fall within that 10% for the vast majority of things. As someone else pointed out, you drop another $100 just for e-peen. Plus, if you get the base 13", you won't pay a cent more than you would on a tricked out 11". Either way, the worst MBA runs circles around my macbook, so I'm pleased as punch regardless. I sort of wish I'd have gotten the biggest HD since I've already got more on the macbook than I'll have room for-but a lot of that is crap I don't need/can relegate to an external drive/use as an excuse to keep the macbook. It just wasn't worth another $300 to me. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 02:29 on Aug 13, 2011 |
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Aug 13, 2011 02:21
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Anyone sweating the SSD size/$$$ tradeoffs in the MBAs (64 vs 128 vs 256) like I've been? Fear not, for my friend gave me the brilliant way he's been able to keep his massive backlog of documents and pictures (and some videos) from eating up his precious space without leaving them on an external drive that's annoying to move around: Have an SD card laying around? Use that, or pick up a 16-32gb for less than $60 (or spend ~$150 on a really big one, but then you're approaching BTO upgrade territory). trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Aug 14, 2011 |
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Aug 14, 2011 18:31
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Bob Morales posted:Get either a Speck shell/case thing or some other case designed especially for it. Why scuff it up? I've found that those things are hands-down terrible 100% of the time. I didn't put one on my blackbook (it still looks fantastic) and I definitely won't put one on the Air. Being just a tiny bit careful does ten times what any shell case could possibly do and the unibody finishes really don't need anything covering them because they're really, really deceptively rugged. Every single shell'd mac looks like crap, with the case beat to hell (what's the point of making your computer look like rear end all the time, especially since the plastic will get and show many more scuffs and scratches than the aluminum would?) in order to protect a finish you'll never see (because removing those cases is ridiculously hard...not to mention that will scratch the body). And if you get any bit of dirt or crap between the case and the computer, the constant pressure against it will leave marks and scuffs in the aluminum, thus causing the problem you're trying to prevent. Don't throw rocks at your computer, keep it in a soft carrier case when it isn't on your desk/lap, and don't put your keys in the bag with it. There. Spend the $60 on an actual case for it.
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Aug 16, 2011 05:30
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Bob Morales posted:They're very easy to scratch and even easier to dent. Check out the for sale ads and see some that are scuffed up. My nightmare is someone setting something on top of my machine, or sliding it across the table while it's on it's lid. Good point. I'm obsessively protective of my notebook so if it's not in my hands, it's either locked in my room or in a soft case. I'm sure people think I must be hiding porn on it 24/7 with all the Gollum-level coddling I give it. On a tangentially related note, I've had the MBA for about 2 days and already begun hyperventilating about the SSD space on it. As of migrating all of my music and putting XCode, Steam/TF2, and a few small apps on the thing (Evernote, Skype, etc), I've got about 22 GB left. I have yet to put Office or any other things on it but I can see where this is going to end up. While the blackbook spent almost 2/4 years with 22GB or less free, I was limited a great deal by the sorts of things I could run on it- not nearly the same problem here. Either I get comfy with the idea of hosting the bulk of my documents/photos/videos on SD cards/externals or I'm going to have to bite the bullet, send this puppy back (there go another 2 weeks), and shell out another $300.... This is the 128GB SSD too. I can't imagine how someone would get by with the 64GB one. It seems ludicrous. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 16:28 on Aug 16, 2011 |
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Aug 16, 2011 16:20
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I sort of miss the green battery indicator lights and "breathing" sleep light on the MBA. Every other portable mac has them, but I can see why it might not (size/battery constraints).
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Aug 18, 2011 04:08
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rear end Catchcum posted:I was probably going to use it until the next major update came out and then sell it to upgrade. I wouldn't then. I had the same debate when buying my 13" and figured I'd try to do the same thing. Ivy Bridge comes out at the beginning of 2012, promising a huge step up in computing power/energy use, and you can bet dollars to donuts that macs will be getting those processors as soon as they roll into production. The difference between 2012 MBAs and 2011 ones will probably be as pronounced as the one between these and last year's. I realized: 1) I won't be putting more than 20 GB of new stuff on this drive over the course of a year. 2) If I end up keeping it a bit longer, I won't sweat hosting my media externally. It seems like you're already planning to do that, so ask yourself what sort of software you'd be filling 128 more GB of space with...and whether you'd want to be using it on a 11.6" MBA. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Aug 24, 2011 |
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Aug 24, 2011 21:55
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Well, it's finally happening (I hope): http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/07/magma-introduces-thunderbolt-pcie-expansion-box/ macrumors posted:For users who need a bit more expansion for their Thunderbolt equipped Macs, Magma has introduced the ExpressBox 3T. The 3T is an expansion chassis with three PCIe slots for "outside-the-box" expansion.
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Sep 8, 2011 00:04
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SourKraut posted:You know you want to... (especially since black MacBooks in that condition will only become more and more rare). I've tried to put mine on sale ever since the Air came in......and I just. can't. bring. myself. to.....do it. -File server/GIMP machine/remote disk drive for the Air it is, then.
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Sep 9, 2011 00:56
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ndrake posted:Thanks. Now if only I could bring a 27" home and see how ridiculous it looks on my desk... No, it's user replaceable. Click on almost any page in this thread or the older one and you'll see somebody talking about wanting to do it, about to do it, or having already done so. You can mess with the HDD and RAM in any mac that doesn't have them soldered to the motherboard (though the unibody notebooks require a special screwdriver) and not void the warranty. I think they object to optibays, but you can easily swap those back if you ever need to bring your computer in for something. It's also really, really easy to pull the glass off of an iMac and put it back on, as it's only held in place by some pins and magnets. But it's also really, really easy to damage the screen and God help you if you get anything dusty. Also (not sure if you already knew this and were kidding), the purpose of popping a small SSD in with a big HDD is to put all of your system and program files on the SSD- which is really fast- and your media and docs on the HDD- which isn't. ---Sorta beaten
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Sep 11, 2011 01:41
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Autism Monday posted:Will Apple do anything about cracking and peeling plastic on a 3 year old white MacBook? I'm not sure whether it's a known defect like the rubber bottom peeling off, but is seems like it could be worth a call to Apple's tech support even though the laptop's out of warranty? These cases were very poorly made... I know I was beaten, but to clarify: I assume that the only plastic that could be cracked/peeling is around the palmrest area. That's a known defect and any Apple store should give you a full topcase replacement for free. Don't worry about warranty- assuming it's the problem I think it is, it's a no questions asked fix.
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Sep 11, 2011 18:01
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Autism Monday posted:Same thing is happening around the display area though, as I said above... Yep. That'll be your standard macbook topcase palmrest crack. As for the screen bezel, I have never in my life heard of that cracking, but I suppose they might do something about that if it went about the same way as the palmrest.
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Sep 11, 2011 22:22
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Argali posted:I'm really leery of Western Digital stuff, based on nothing, really, other than some very bad reviews here and there. Really? I've always heard the exact opposite.
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May 29, 2012 18:39
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SplitDestiny posted:I don't really have any restrictions... Is the thunderbolt display worthwhile? I'm actually fine with two 24" IPS screens as well. Two 27" screens seems excessive. If you aren't paying for it out of pocket, go hog wild with Thunderbolt displays. 1. You can daisy chain up to 2 of them off of one tb port, which you can't do using any other connection type. They'll also bring along a bevy of USB ports and whatnot. 2. They look gorgeous and the picture quality's mad good. 3. The built in speakers and subwoofer (yes, there's a subwoofer) are a LOT better than you'd expect to hear out of a display. The built in HD camera's not bad either. 4. You can charge your MBP directly from the display with a short magsafe cable that snakes out of the power line. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Jun 5, 2012 |
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Jun 5, 2012 07:00
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shrughes posted:Oh certainly college professors that hook their laptops up to projectors are pieces of trash. 90% of the college professors I had who carted their laptops around were using macbook pros, so they were as annoyed about the connector situation as we are. Most classrooms had a little box full of assorted dongles- and some always had the displayport one attached to the VGA cable- so it wasn't that big of a deal.
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Jun 9, 2012 19:04
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PDP-1 posted:I don't follow mac stuff very closely - when there is a new hardware release do the refurb/used markets typically get glutted with older models as ten million hipsters all upgrade at once? illcendiary posted:
^This, times a million. I mean, I guess you could spring for the lowest tier iPad 3 or an iPad 2 so that he wouldn't have any problem playing new games, since their GPU performance is a lot better than the original model's and they have cameras so he can draw on pictures of his face or something. He's loving seven. He's going to want to go to nickelodeon.com, play some games, maybe watch some youtube videos, and possibly watch movies and draw a little bit. Even the lowest spec Core 2 Duo macbook air is tremendous overkill for a 7 year old. I mean, an Air might be "Apple's equivalent to a cheapo netbook" but it's a fully-specced, and expensive, notebook- and even a netbook is TREMENDOUS OVERKILL FOR A 7 YEAR OLD. I know macs get a "ha ha, they're overpriced toys for hipsters who can't handle a real computer" rep on other parts of the internet- and these forums- but I don't know how you'd make the leap from that to "it'll be perfect for Billy, he can color inside the lines now!" Don't buy a second grader a laptop.
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Jun 11, 2012 05:55
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Daric posted:Just ordered my first Apple product ever. Well slow down there, hoss- you're gonna have to install a Windows partition first... Question: After a year of waiting, I can't hold off much longer- I need a machine for video editing- mainly Adobe Premiere with some FCP on the side. Last August, I bought a 13" MBA to replace my ailing 2007 macbook. I was working in a completely non-video related field, needed a portable computer, and the Air has been nothing but wonderful to use. That said, it was always intended to be a stopgap or aside until I bought a more powerful desktop/desktop replacement rig. The 128gigs of memory are dwindling fast and I'm about ready to give Apple some more of my money. The idea over the last few months was to hold onto the MBA (or try to offload it on the used market, pick up a 2012 model, and simply eat the difference if the new ones were that much better- which is debatable but doesn't seem to be the case about anything other than getting more flash memory space and 8 gigs of RAM. Those aren't necessarily unworthy reasons, though. Or I could replace it with an iPad) for portable/personal computer stuff and pick up a 27" iMac and fill it with RAM. The other option was, of course, a Macbook Pro- but after a lot of deliberation, it seemed that an Air/iMac split would better serve my needs than a portable that tried to do both jobs. Following the glorious arrival of the MBPTNG, all of my preconceived ideas have been challenged. It seems like it would be the compromise I'd been waiting for- aside from the fact that the GPU/display setup seems a little bit anemic. Can anybody speak to that, or is it too early to really say? Is it reasonable to think that the GPU would have performance issues running Premiere/AfterEffects on the retina display, or am I being dumb? I'd want to wait until the next iMac refresh to be certain, assuming it comes within the next few months. The Mac Pro's never been an option that I could justifiably afford-especially given how old it is- and there's no way that I could wait for its purported second coming. So MBPTNG or iMac/Air? I'd probably end up spending about the same on either setup, if you factor in stuff like displays and peripherals needed to turn the MBP into a desktop.
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Jun 14, 2012 17:50
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terriyaki posted:I understand everyone's disappointment in the 13" MBPr not having dedicated video but it can't be that much of a surprise, can it? The 13" MBPc never had dedicated video. No, it's not surprising. But considering that the discrete GPU in the 15" one is pushed within an inch of its capabilities just to make things look zippy and smooth on the display (it doesn't leave much wiggle room for serious "pro" use), I'm not entirely sure I want to know how comfortable the 13" MBPr will be to run. I'm seriously digging the iMacs though. This is the first time (at least to my knowledge) that you can spec what can honestly be called a "top of the line" GPU in a mac from the factory. Previously, the best anyone's ever been able to get is "pretty solid but not quite the best thing out there." I know it's "only a laptop GPU" but I think the 680MX is more than capable of handling most people's workflows. It's like Apple decided to do their best to satisfy the cries from creatives over neglecting the mac pro- but then went the extra mile to make sure that they'd never have the ability to service or replace a drat thing on the machine that they earn their bread with. I know that nobody'll have the chance to futz around with the new iMac's innards until they ship, but I'm assuming that replacing your own drive is out of the question with these new Fusion setups, right? trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 09:22
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barfoid posted:I'm looking to buy what will be my first Mac computer. I own a first gen ipad, iphone 4, and a $400 Toshiba Failtop that I have not replaced because I just use my ipad for everything at home unless I really need a laptop for some reason. I do all my work on the work computer. My only teeny tiny caveat would be to maybe look at one with 8gb of RAM if you can find it. With either 4 or 8 gigs, it's still going to be a fantastic computer- IMO the best on the market for what you're planning to do with it. And I disagree about getting the 11" one- at least without comparing it to a 13" in person. The 11" form totally boosts the portability factor of what's all ready an extremely portable machine and it's awesome for a lot of people. Many people (myself included) find the screen size just too awkward to use comfortably as a main machine. I'm sure I'd get used to it pretty quickly if I had one, but I think 13" is pretty much the sweet spot for portability and comfort. Considering that you've already got an iPad, I think you're probably better off with the bigger screen. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 11:28 on Oct 26, 2012 |
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Oct 26, 2012 11:25
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Guni posted:So, what would the difference be between a normal MBP screen and a rMBP? Like is it completely obvious difference or? I'm just wondering if the screen really is superb or if it's more of a gimmick type deal (I'm sure it's great, just wondering) Honestly, you're better off going to a fruit stand/Best Buy and playing with one in person. It's really easy to go into the control panel and futz around with the different display density settings. Doing that for about 5-10 minutes will let you figure out everything you'd want to know.
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Oct 26, 2012 11:31
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barfoid posted:About the next refresh cycle. I'm going to be kicking myself if retina comes out on the air soon after buying. What is the normal way to sell your Mac when it's time to upgrade? Sell it on SAmart. Unless you're selling a P-p-p-p-PowerBook you should have no problem finding a trustworthy buyer. Craigslist can work too, but be wily. There's a rule of thumb for what price to expect to sell for but I can't remember it and I'm posting from my iPhone in China. Someone else here can give you the schpeel. P-p-p-p-PowerBook refers to an infamous attempted scam that was turned around on the scammer with much merriment and rejoicing among goonkind. If you were to sell an actual PowerBook on these forums, somebody would probably buy it from you. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Oct 26, 2012 |
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Oct 26, 2012 14:19
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Lexicon posted:Basically, Apple's laptops are moving to all SSD, getting thinner and lighter, and re-introducing spinning disks would be a step backwards rather than adhering to the usual relentless march of progress. That makes perfect sense to me. I can't imagine that Apple would ever keep the two-tiered MBP roster around any longer than absolutely necessary. As soon as they find a way to bring the retina model pricing more inline with that of the older chassis, it's going to be the standard. It's quite obvious that there's no way to fit a platter drive into an rMBP- even if they wanted to do it- so it's a moot point there. They're doing the bare minimum to keep the MBP classic relevant to prospective buyers, but even a partial chassis redesign to accommodate the extra chips would be a bridge too far for a computer that's only still around because it's their best selling model. Consider that it's the only computer in the lineup that still has a SuperDrive (aside from the Mac Pro), when even the iMac doesn't have one anymore. Apple couldn't be more obvious about saying that the MBP is yesterday's news, and popping a Fusion drive setup in there contradicts that. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Oct 28, 2012 |
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Oct 28, 2012 02:14
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Lexicon posted:It's not as though the thinness was a design constraint they had to work around - they're the ones who decided it should be that thin. If that means having to forego a new technology that they've spent time developing, and for which there is a clear demand, well that seems like a pyrrhic victory to me. It isn't a pyrrhic victory, because as long as Jony Ive's been in charge of designing Apple products, the tactile/perceived interface between the user and the machine has been a lot more important to the company than ticking spec boxes. This is a company that clung to a C2D/320M setup in its 13" notebooks long after it could be considered outdated because it was the best compromise they had between graphics performance, battery life, and chassis size despite all of the flack they got for it. They could have easily sacrificed some battery length or made the unibody bigger to accomodate more cells and some hungrier internals- and I'm sure lots of people would have loving loved it. But criticizing Apple for their unflagging commitment to thinness/portability and aesthetics is like criticizing a cat for making GBS threads in sand. I mean, it's kind of their thing. I think that the fusion drive is only there as a way to get closer to unifying the experience between their portables and the iMac. People expect different things from a desktop and a notebook- or at the very least, they expect a substantial cost penalty to trying to get the best of both worlds. It's a lot easier to justify the cost (either in money or in space) of solid storage in a notebook than in a desktop- where the physical resilience/power consumption/physical size benefits are largely meaningless. At the same time, though, SSDs are obviously-and very noticeably (this is what's important to Apple)-faster than HDDs. Since very few people would give up their 1TB+ desktop drives, and even fewer would plop down an extra grand for 750gb-worth of SSD speed, Apple's using the Fusion drive as a stopgap solution to a largely desktop-only dilemma. It's easy to justify a 128gb SSD in a $1100 MacBook Air or a 750gb SSD in a $3500 rMBP. It only becomes troubling when your $1100 MBA has faster read/write speeds than your $2100 iMac. Stoatbringer posted:GPU via Thunderbolt looks like it will be very useful, when it eventually comes to market. The RAM in the new 27" one is user-replaceable. There's a little hatch on the back of the case for it, and if it's anything like previous iMacs, it's probably a cakewalk to do it. I totally agree about the 21" one though- but gently caress that, 27" or bust.
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Oct 28, 2012 14:22
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Bob Morales posted:The 13" MBP isn't a lost cause. You can get the current model on sale for $999, it has the longest battery life out of Apples 13" laptops, it has an optical drive, Firewire, ethernet, faster CPU than the Air, and you can easily upgrade the RAM (up to 16GB) and HD to whatever the hell is on sale at Fry's. While this is all true, I doubt self-upgradeability is going to be more important to a college student than physical robustness, solidity, portability, and weight savings. Also, the ethernet thing's easily mitigated by a USB dongle- I'll admit it's an annoying hassle, but it's totally negligible in light of the computer's size/shape IMO. Same thing can be said for the optical drive, and the roughly 3 times I've found myself needing to use one. And nobody who's trading up from a Celeron laptop gives a poo poo about Firewire. Also, even though the MBP will have a faster CPU, I'm going to argue that the SSD in the MBA will still make it feel like the much faster computer. The overwhelming majority of notebook users will never notice distinctions between CPU speeds from the same generation in day-to-day tasks unless they're doing something particularly resource-intensive. What they will notice is startup times, open/save/transfer speed, noise, and vibration- which the MBA demolishes. The only alternative in a MBP would be to either order an SSD from Apple or swap one yourself- but then you're adding money and headache to the equation. Simply put, the only speed/performance bottleneck that 99% of the sort of people who'd cross-shop the 13" MBP/MBA are ever going to experience is purely storage related. My younger sister's a college sophomore at the moment and she got a 13" MBP at the same time I picked up my 2011 13" Air. Guess who regrets their purchase in light of the other's. I let her trade with me for a weekend and she didn't want to trade back. GET THE loving AIR. DO IT. DOOOOO IT. SuperSix posted:Does the 1.8 ghz gimp any sort of light gaming? I'm planning to run Guild Wars 2 or Eve Online, and I always have a bad feeling about CPUs with low clock speeds. Not in my experience. I regularly play Steam games on my MBA- and it's the 2011 1.7 ghz i5 version. It handles TF2 more than adequately- though it starts to run a bit hot if you push it (you won't have it any better with the MBP). If I were super worried, I'd upgrade the CPU to the 2.0ghz i7, though I don't know how the benchmarks compare. I know that for the 2011 models, the gulf between my CPU and the optional i7 was almost negligible compared to the one between the processor in the base 11" and mine (which was an option in the 11"- along with the i7- and the base for the 13" model). Upgrading the CPU is only $100 (less with student discount  ) so it's hard to sweat. I would definitely go for the 8 gig RAM option (again, $100). In hindsight, I'd have preferred to go for the 256gb storage instead of 128- but that's only because I'm a stubborn idiot who willfully refuses to move his massive music collection to an external drive and so I'm constantly hitting the wall. Just keep in mind that these things add up (especially storage- $300 is a lot) and it's really easy to take a relatively affordable, already very capable machine and make it a lot more expensive with nail-biting and add ons.Edit: Sort of beaten.
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Oct 30, 2012 14:54
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Bob Morales posted:The USB ethernet dongle is one more thing to get lost or misplaced, which can be a PITA on campuses where the wireless network runs at dial-up speeds. Can I just say that this is a very big "if?" I mean, I'm sure that there are places like that, but you make it sound like all campus wifi networks are just lovely messes that run unusably slowly. My undergrad experience certainly wasn't like that at all, and it's a bit presumptuous to assume that someone else's will be. SuperSix: If you attend a college with campus wifi that feels like it's from 2005, then yes- certainly take notice of the possible extra thing you might have to carry with you. It's very small so you may lose it. Honestly dude, just walk into an Apple store/Best Buy. Pick up the MBP. Pick up the MBA. Pick up the MBP. Pick up the MBA. Consider other specific needs. Reach a logical conclusion. Kenny Logins posted:Agreed with all you said, except wanted to clarify for SuperSix that the $100 CPU upgrade is only after you've paid the $300 to make the jump to the 256GB hard drive. The stock 13" only has the option for the $100 RAM doubling. I'm going to add that I signed up for iTunes match in September, and it's been amazing. I still haven't wiped the music from my Air- and I'll probably replace it before I'd do that just out of habit (and also because I frequently travel to areas without fast wifi for long stretches and I want to have my music)- but it's a fantastic option for people with small capacity drives. You could easily get by- especially if you're always on campus during the school year- with uploading everything to Match, backing it all up on an external drive (or better, keeping it on another computer), wiping the music from- let's say- your MBA, and just streaming it all. Just remember to always pay your annual $25 fee and you should be set. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 15:40 on Oct 30, 2012 |
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Oct 30, 2012 15:35
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Hermi On Me posted:I never understand people who buy a Mac just to out windows on it. Surely there are great windows laptops at half the price. Apple doesn't even put put that great drivers to get the best out of their hardware in windows. Hardware spec sheets and service/upgradeability issues aside, a lot of people would argue that Apple laptops have the best fit and finish on the market. A lot of people also buy a Mac for the first time thinking they'll get used to OSX and end up hating it. Others boot camp for games/windows programs and end up staying more in that OS than OSX. And when the updated MacBook Air chassis came out, it was oddly enough the cheapest ultra book on the market by a factor of at least $100 for a while- at least for the specs. I dunno if it's still like that, but I remember hearing a lot of teeth gnashing and "I NEVER thought I'd see the day I'd buy a loving Mac but..."
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Oct 30, 2012 16:16
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Jon93 posted:Ultrabook? That's last year's poo poo, MEGAbooks are the new craze. Instead of rubber feet it just sits on a forklift (forklift sold separately). Yeah, I'd tell you to go with the Air too- look at the last few pages(?- I'm on my phone and can't tell) of posts to see the reasons Kenny Loggins and I gave someone else with a similar enough question. To reiterate Loggins' last point, the rMBP is just way too new for me to really recommend it. I'm sure it's fine and Apple have given it their stamp of approval- but after seeing Anandtech's conclusion that the display in the 15" one taxes its discrete GPU too heavily in mundane tasks to allow you to push it very hard graphically I simply don't trust running the 13" one with just the Intel HD4000, however adequate it may be for most things. At least give the rMBP another year to mature- it'll likely be much better when Haswell drops. And if you're willing to spend rMBP money on a 13" laptop, then you might as well max out an Air- or save your money instead.
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Oct 31, 2012 17:06
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PaganGoatPants posted:Now I have no clue which one to get Go to an Apple store/BestBuy/college campus and hold a 13" MacBook Pro. Then lift a 13" MacBook Air. If you're okay with not having an attached DVD drive (you will be. Honestly, grab a USB one on Newegg for ~20 bucks for the maybe 3 times you'll use it) and having less storage (128-256gb, depending on what you're comfortable buying/spending) in a computer that weighs significantly less, feels noticeably faster, has a noticeably better screen, and is less prone to component failure than the Macbook Pro, then GET THE GODDAMN AIR. You've given yourself a $1200 budget cap- that'll just match a brand new base model 13" MBA, unless you can use a student discount on it- in which case it'll be cheaper. Also: A quick dig through Apple's refurb list yields: -2011 Sandy Bridge i5, 4 gigs RAM, 128gb SSD for $919. (This is the computer I currently own, and it's served me extremely well. My only complaint is that the 128gb are getting a bit claustrophobic, but it's not a dealbreaker for me. That said, I'll be reselling it this summer- presumably to exchange it for a yet-unreleased Haswell model with more storage.) -  2012 (this year's model) Ivy Bridge i5, 4 gigs RAM, 128gb SSD for $1,019-2011 Sandy Bridge i5, 4 gigs RAM, 256gb SSD for $1,159. -2011 Sandy Bridge i7, 4 gigs RAM, 256gb SSD for $1,179. - 2012 Ivy Bridge i5, 4 gigs RAM, 256gb SSD for $1,269-2012 Ivy Bridge i7, 8 gigs RAM, 512gb SSD for $1,869. These are really good deals. It gets mentioned once every two pages in this thread, but Apple's refurbishing program is incredibly stringent. All of the external bits that you'd touch and the battery get replaced with new components and the computer is run through a strict series of tests- it basically has to qualify as a new computer. Then they give it the full warranty. Plenty of goons swear by Apple refurbs. In short- For everything you're planning to do (and even more- I play Steam games and edit photos on mine with no problems), there is no reason to get a 13" Pro instead of an Air outside of storage space. It will spoil you so hard. Once you get used to how thin/light it is, you will never be satisfied by other notebooks again. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Nov 11, 2012 |
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Nov 11, 2012 01:47
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PaganGoatPants posted:Thanks I'll have one next week Wait, does this mean you're getting the Pro or the Air? 
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Nov 11, 2012 03:49
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