[Gee4orce]

Originally Posted by EdipisReks 

ever notice that really good crts aimed at designers and visual artists are glossy?

Exactly. I think you'll find that the super-über colour critical work is still undertaken using CRT monitors with large hoods, even today.

For the other 99.9999999% of humanity, glossy vs. matt is really just personal preference. I never liked the thought of glossy screens when I got my original Macbook. Now, I don't even think about it.

[iREZ]

Originally Posted by EdipisReks 

the matte display, by adding a physical layer to the screen, is negatively distorting the actual contrast and color accuracy of the display. it's an unavoidable effect of adding a textured plastic film to a display. in a controlled light room (which is the only environment where close color matching can actually be done [no matter how matte your screen is, ambient light screws up human visual perception]), the glossy screen is quantifiably more accurate. ever notice that really good crts aimed at designers and visual artists are glossy? glossy is the natural state of the display (adding a layer of glass to the front of the screen also negatively affects the image, but well made optical glass, applied as a flat uniform layer, can have a vanishingly small distortion percentage).

sure, the matte display will have less glare if you're doing design work in your cubicle, or on an airplane, or under a tree outside, but you can't do careful color matching in those environments regardless of what kind of gear you're using.

before we get into a "i know more than you know" argument, i just want to clarify that i think matte is better than glossy only in 'opinion' and i never once mentioned that matte is more accurate at displaying colors...my issue is with glare. when i look at my screen i want to be able to see everything without something showing up in the screen that's not supposed to be there (reflections).

i have no beef with glossy, it does look pretty good in a controlled environment...but definitely not for my notebook.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by hyteckit 

Wondering if I can use the new touchpad as a mini-wacom tablet. Would be nice if it's pressure sensitive too.

To both questions: I'd say most likely not, though I haven't gotten to try one yet. The iPhone isn't pressure-sensitive and doesn't recognize a stylus, and it sounds like the MacBooks are using similar technology. But hey, it's obviously a little more advanced, so maybe it can sense pressure.

[hyteckit]

I have a MacBook with a glossy screen. I work right next to a window. Never been an issue with me. I really don't have a preference for glossy or matte screen.

[MikeD]

I personally can't wait! I ordered the 2.8 ghz and 320gb 7200 drive model. I'm upgrading from my 2.0ghz rev A black macbook coreduo model.

[p.a.h.]

Originally Posted by Super Mario 

Super Mario yawns and puts a Dell Precision M6400 on order with:

Quad-core 2.53Ghz
8GB RAM
Dual 500GB hard drives
Nvidia Quadro 3700M with 1GB video memory
17" LED screen supporting 100% Adobe RGB color gamut
eSATA port for my external Photoshop scratch disk
Adobe Photoshop CS4 64bit

It does make me wish that CS4 was 64bit for OSX, and Final Cut was Cocoa, and that Adobe offered cross platform usability with one license.
Ahhhh, in a perfect world.

[Eug]

I went to check them out at the Eaton Centre Apple Store in Toronto. Nada. None on display yet.

I also went to pick up the replacement USB power adapter for my iPhone. Nada. Out of stock.

What a waste of time.

[dimmer]

Given that the "click" is a physical action, not a software one, I doubt that the glass trackpad could be used a la a pressure sensitive tablet. Nice idea though (although I'd suspect the number of people using a graphics tablet is much, much lower than the number using FireWire!)

So, in effect, it used to be if you wanted decent graphics, you had to go get a MacBook Pro; now, if you need FireWire, you have to get a MacBook Pro: to me, that seems like a reasonable decision.

[shifuimam]

FWIW, Synaptics trackpads do have pressure sensitivity - there are several little utilities that show off that capability.

It doesn't translate into Adobe applications, though. That should, however, be doable through drivers. If the MacBook line uses Synaptics hardware, it's likely that the trackpad is physically capable of pressure sensitivity.

WRT using a stylus, you could theoretically do that - trackpads sense touch by heat, so if you rigged up something that imitated human body temperature, you could probably do something with that.

<edit>
Also, it just occurred to me that Apple's dropping FW after PC manufacturers have started including it (usually 4-pin, but it's FW400 nonetheless). That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. It's not like they saved any space by not including it - is the new MB much smaller than the previous rev models?

Granted, FW is useless to most consumers for anything other than video transfers, but the fact that it's gone from the laptops (and there's no ExpressCard slot to allow for an expansion card for those who need it)...

I suppose one might say that this is like the original iMac and its lack of a floppy drive. Perhaps the next generation of camcorders will have gigabit NICs and allow for data transfer through a crossover connection. In the meantime, USB 2.0 just isn't going to cut it...

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

WRT using a stylus, you could theoretically do that - trackpads sense touch by heat, so if you rigged up something that imitated human body temperature, you could probably do something with that.

Absolutely not. Trackpads are capacitive, measuring changes in electricity.

The multi-touch capacitive trackpads are a tad more complicated arranging capacitive material in a grid, but they work like the iPhone screen like this:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/iphone2.htm

Bottom line is they only work with your fingers. However some have come up with ways to emulate a "fingertip touch" in a stylus: http://www.tenonedesign.com/stylus.php

However it is not based on heat.

[imitchellg5]

They have one MBP out and three MBs out at my Apple Store. Love them!



More pics here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchel...7608072891753/

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Absolutely not. Trackpads are capacitive, measuring changes in electricity.

The multi-touch capacitive trackpads are a tad more complicated arranging capacitive material in a grid, but they work like the iPhone screen like this:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/iphone2.htm

Bottom line is they only work with your fingers. However some have come up with ways to emulate a "fingertip touch" in a stylus: http://www.tenonedesign.com/stylus.php

However it is not based on heat.

I guess what I was getting at was that you can't use it with gloves or anything like that. Fingers, toes, noses, my cat's paws (I tested it to be sure...she looked at me like I was a freak). There must be some part of the circuitry that knows that it's a body part touching it, rather than some kind of solid, inanimate object (stylus, pen, cigarette, etc.).

[Eug]

As you already know, I've skipped this version of the unibody MacBook, but may get one later after a refresh. I would like to see:

1) Price drop
2) Backlit keyboard on the low end model
3) FireWire <-- Seems unlikely

For those of you waiting, what are you waiting for?

[Rob van dam]

Has anyone read about the new Liquid submersion indicators in the macbooks?

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...d_and_ram.html

Appleinsider states

"Some users in humid climates have complained that the sensors may indicate accidental liquid spill damage when in fact there has been none. In such a case, a user with a bad logic board might find it difficult to get it repaired under warranty without being forced to prove they they did not cause the failure themselves."

Is it foreseeable that Apple Australia (due to the climate) and countries with warmer climates are going to have to deal with unhappy people should these sensors indicate indicate accidental liquid spill damage when in fact there has been none.

Also Operating requirements are
Operating temperature: 10° to 35° C
Relative humidity: 0% to 90% noncondensing

So 38ºC at 97% humidity is outside these limits.

[hyteckit]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

They have one MBP out and three MBs out at my Apple Store. Love them!

More pics here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchel...7608072891753/

That's purdy. Need to get a purdy desk to match the purdy laptop.

[freudling]

What I am interested to see...

Real world battery life; heat; speed.

All the above need improvements, hopefully they deliver. Intel MB Pros have crap battery life and are way too hot. Funny how an Apple laptop that is over 8 years old now has 3 times the battery life than any MB Pro (non-unibody). The iBook clamshell, for instance.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by SierraDragon 

However, modern Intel mobile GPUs do allow more RAM and the extra RAM is a huge issue for mobile graphics pros running Aperture and CS4.

This has nothing to do with the GPU. It's the Cantiga mobile chipset (the chipset for the Montevina/Centrino3 platform) that allows 8 GB RAM.

I was definitely expecting to see an 8 GB RAM ceiling on the MBP. I was just as sure though that Apple would limit it to 4 GB in firmware on the MB. Apple usually specifies max RAM as no. of slots times max. available DIMM size they offer. So it's no surprise they say 4 GB is the maximum now.

And in NVIDIA's specs for the MCP79 I can't find a RAM ceiling specification. Somebody will just have to take two 4 GB SO-DIMMs and put them in a MBP to see. Right now, finding those DIMMs will be more of a problem though.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Eug 

For those of you waiting, what are you waiting for?

I'm keeping my 2.4 GHz MBP and waiting for the next MBP rev. Not because the new MBPs aren't nice, but simply because mine is still so nice.

On the next rev I want faster Penryns, quad-core Penryn XE option, 8 GB RAM ceiling (in case it's really 4 GB right now), less bezel -> smaller case, and a port for docking stations.

I'm only expecting the first three to actually happen. The others would be nice to have, but won't happen anytime soon.

I will be buying a new high-end MB soon though to replace an old black CD MB. I like the new case, I like the reduced weight. And I dig the backlit KB. The improved MB graphics are also great.

[Big Mac]

Faster Penryns? I expect the next rev to go Nehalem.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by analogika 

For file transfer, yes.

Unfortunately, that's the least important concern.

Really? That was what I've used Target Disk Mode for the most.
I agree that it would be better if we still had it, but what else did you use it for?

[P]

Maybe. We won't see a Nehalem-based laptop CPU in about a year yet, and Apple could easily fit in a speedbump this spring, but that doesn't mean that they will.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Faster Penryns? I expect the next rev to go Nehalem.

I'd like Nehalem as well. But considering Clarksfield won't be launched till 4Q09, I hope we'll see the next MBP rev before Nehalem.

[Simon]

Holy mackerel! The new MBP is big!



I'd really like to see Apple cut back on that bezel. Although thickness went down by 0.05", it appears we gained about 1/4-1/2" in depth and width.

[Simon]

More pics...

MB unboxing on Flickr

iFixIt MB disassembly


iFixIt MBP disassembly

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

They have one MBP out and three MBs out at my Apple Store. Love them!



More pics here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchel...7608072891753/

Oh my lord, such a beauty !!

You can define what unibody means by quoting Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

[NeverTriedApple]

Any ideas on the future of 17" model? I take it manufacturing techniques have changed for good now and it is going to make 17" cost ineffective relatively quickly. Gotta head to local pcworld and get another 'old stock' seventeener whilst there is a supply..

On the side note i am happy for Macbook owners as on my opinion new model looks so much better than the old one.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

You can define what unibody means by quoting Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Then perfection won't be achieved until that Bezel is gone

[PaperNotes]

I have been testing these new MacBooks for a day now. They are so very solid and the MacBook is a good update but the MacBook Pro has become somewhat toy like. The screen isn't good for pros and is a fingerprint magnet. The have smear stains on them easily, the black bezel is distracting and the reflections are too distracting. It also feels heavier. If the weight meant more useful features that would be OK but the new MBP is just bigger and that is all. Thumbs up for consumers but thumbs down for pros.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Really? That was what I've used Target Disk Mode for the most.
I agree that it would be better if we still had it, but what else did you use it for?

File transfer (including migration) is easily accomplished through other interfaces.

My priority is obviously audio production, and there is no replacement for that other than ExpressCards.

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Then perfection won't be achieved until that Bezel is gone

You mean the screen's black bezel? it provides unity to the whole !!

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by analogika 

My priority is obviously audio production, and there is no replacement for that other than ExpressCards.

You mean FireWire and not TDM here, right?

[NeverTriedApple]

re: 17" MBP

I seem to get it now. Looks like Apple pushes new 24" monitor as an expansion of 15" screen in MBP instead of keeping an all-in-one 17" model. Not sure if that's something for everyone (cost and desk space are ones of the issues) but I think ppl will get used to that. To me obsolescence of 12" PB was first stab in the back and seeing 17" go is another one. Eh, what you're gonna do.. (Homer J.)

[analogika]

Wait.

The 17" model is coming.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

You mean FireWire and not TDM here, right?

Uh yeah.

TDM is, of course, tremendously useful for salvaging files off a non-bootable machine - though that point is really mooted in a service context due to the incredibly easy hard drive removal. Having an extra $25 USB enclosure along for support jobs is not that huge a problem, and it circumvents the fact that most hardware defects that would render a system unbootable would also affect TDM (or at least make it untrustworthy WRT data integrity).

[NeverTriedApple]

Originally Posted by analogika 

Wait.

The 17" model is coming.

I wish, but why the delay then? Can't believe it would take more efforts to produce one than 13 or 15". Unless there are dramatic changes like dual HDD, etc. I'm intrigued nonetheless

[bbales]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

Oh my lord, such a beauty !!

You can define what unibody means by quoting Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

It looks gorgeous. I was looking at the pictures and then down at my own 12-inch PB and realized my keyboard goes the entire width of the machine. (Of course the new machine is 13, not 12 inches...) It also looks like the area in front of the keyboard is much larger. I wonder if that will take any getting used to or not. Probably not.

I'm really anxious now for mine to arrive!

And a question -- it looks gorgeous, but what's the machine like to operate?

[Simon]

Originally Posted by bbales 

It looks gorgeous. I was looking at the pictures and then down at my own 12-inch PB and realized my keyboard goes the entire width of the machine. (Of course the new machine is 13, not 12 inches...) It also looks like the area in front of the keyboard is much larger. I wonder if that will take any getting used to or not. Probably not.

Unfortunately the 13" MB does feel a whole lot bigger than the 12" PB. It offers a lot more too, and I'm not saying the MB is huge, but whereas the 12" felt super compact, the 13" MB just feels "smaller than the MBP" IMHO.

[moep]

I would say that the 12" PB was replaced by the MBA.
That may sound silly since the 12" PB was a full notebook whereas MBA kind of isn’t, but the target audience (travelers, people looking for a super small and light machine) is the same.

[JoshuaZ]

Originally Posted by moep 

I would say that the 12" PB was replaced by the MBA.
That may sound silly since the 12" PB was a full notebook whereas MBA kind of isn’t, but the target audience (travelers, people looking for a super small and light machine) is the same.

The 12in Powerbook has become the G3 Pismo for a whole new generation.

I loved my 12in Powerbook for nearly 4 years, but I like my 15in Macbook Pro a whole lot more.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

The 12in Powerbook has become the G3 Pismo for a whole new generation.

I loved my 12in Powerbook for nearly 4 years, but I like my 15in Macbook Pro a whole lot more.

i miss my 12" pb (1.5g); for me, it was a 'pro' machine; audio production, firewire interface...
wish apple had a mbp equivalent, but have long since given up on that.

i want small, light, PRO...not sure what my next laptop will be (and i will be getting one soon...)

[bbales]

Originally Posted by fisherKing 

i miss my 12" pb (1.5g); for me, it was a 'pro' machine; audio production, firewire interface...
wish apple had a mbp equivalent, but have long since given up on that.

i want small, light, PRO...not sure what my next laptop will be (and i will be getting one soon...)

I was kind of in the same boat -- I have loved my 12-inch PB since I got it, back in early 2003 (ordered shortly after keynote, but after I could actually SEE one in the store). Still use it daily. My youngest child will still be using it, I'm sure. I'm sure these new MBs have issues, including the FW one. BUt I needed a new laptop. I don't need the pro abilities, so I'm sure this one will be fine. I think if I did need the pro stuff, I'd just get a MBP.

Those 12-in PBs, though, have been great machines.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by bbales 

I was kind of in the same boat -- I have loved my 12-inch PB since I got it, back in early 2003 (ordered shortly after keynote, but after I could actually SEE one in the store). Still use it daily. My youngest child will still be using it, I'm sure. I'm sure these new MBs have issues, including the FW one. BUt I needed a new laptop. I don't need the pro abilities, so I'm sure this one will be fine. I think if I did need the pro stuff, I'd just get a MBP.

Those 12-in PBs, though, have been great machines.

shame, tho...i had a great working system; a desktop for work, the 12" to bring that work elsewhere (in this case, recording studios). i should go for a mbp, but will miss the 'small & light' of the 12". am not happy with apple these days...

[analogika]

I'm in the same boat.

But godDAMN, the bastards make desirable machines...

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...cbook_pro.html

*drool*

[analogika]

Originally Posted by NeverTriedApple 

I wish, but why the delay then? Can't believe it would take more efforts to produce one than 13 or 15". Unless there are dramatic changes like dual HDD, etc. I'm intrigued nonetheless

http://arstechnica.com/journals/appl...arly-next-year

[scottiB]

Originally Posted by analogika 

I'm in the same boat.

But godDAMN, the bastards make desirable machines...

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...cbook_pro.html

*drool*

Amazing. For a few seconds, I regret my refurb purchase (that was just delivered to my office). Ah, well.

Anybody know where's the sleep light on the new 'books since there's no lid release button?

[molala]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

The 12in Powerbook has become the G3 Pismo for a whole new generation.

I loved my 12in Powerbook for nearly 4 years, but I like my 15in Macbook Pro a whole lot more.

I still use a 12in PB and have a G3 Pismo gathering dust and I can't bring myself to sell it (I still power it up sometimes).

Just saw the new Macbooks in the Apple Centre here. They look great, but just don't give me the "got to have it" feeling that my previous laptops did. The Macbook is bigger than the 12-in PB but it's noticeably thinner. No problems with the trackpad of a few machines I tried.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by analogika 

But godDAMN, the bastards make desirable machines...

Hot damn! The looks of the new MBP so make me want to get one.

Oh, and... Yippee! The lid opens up further!



The improved hinge design also allows the lid to open significantly wider, a welcome solution to an issue I frequently find an irritating limitation on the existing MacBook Pro. The difference looks subtle in the photo, but the wider angle of opening is a significant improvement. In this photo you can also see the difference in construction, with the new model on the bottom using a thin cover over the bottom with tapering edges, rather than a thin, one piece pan that is screwed onto the top palm rest cover with the internals suspended between them.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by scottiB 

Anybody know where's the sleep light on the new 'books since there's no lid release button?

It's right next to the IR receiver. It shines through the case similar to the iSight indicator on the previous MBP.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Really? That was what I've used Target Disk Mode for the most.
I agree that it would be better if we still had it, but what else did you use it for?

Fixing other people's machines.

Sure sure, you can remove the hard drive and put it in an enclosure, but a FireWire cable is a lot cheaper than a disk enclosure (and more likely that you'll already have one lying around). Also if the computer that needs fixing is something without a removable hard drive, like an older Mac laptop, a Mac mini, or an iMac, then you need a laptop with FireWire.

Soon, the only one that will work is going to cost $2000.

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by analogika 

I'm in the same boat.

But godDAMN, the bastards make desirable machines...

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...cbook_pro.html

*drool*

Not a fan of the glossy screen but... where's my credit card?