Thread

What do you guys think of the new macbooks and macbook pros?

http://www.apple.com/

I think they are pretty close specs wise, unlike the years before when the pro was well the pro. I think that the new macbooks are just a good. What do you guys think. I’m gonna pick one up this weekend (not sure which one yet) hopefully if the apple store has them in stock.

The only thing I don’t like about them is the lack of firewire….but I will get over that I’m sure.

I actually like the smaller size over the 15” Macbook Pro, and now with a much more “real” video card, and solid feel of the unit itself its great.  I seriously considered getting the 128gig solid-state drive, but I think I will wait until next time around, I think I will be happier when that is more like 256gigs.  The one thing I always loved having in the Macbook Pro’s (and Powerbooks) was the backlit keyboard, and now that the Macbook 2.4ghz has that too, its just icing 😊

(Ordered mine shortly after the event, had it in my hands the next morning)

Yeah I went to the apple store and the 13” are nice looking, wonderful size. But I went with the 15” Macbook Pro just for that little bit more area to work in photoshop. Either choice is good.

imo the black keyboard and screen looks less professional. Apple did not cater to anyone except those looking to get a graphic card in their macbook.

i picked up a new previous gen macbook pro (2.4gh) for 1400 and absolutely love it.

Actually I don’t find the black keyboard/screen looking less professional, actually I moved from a previous gen Macbook Pro to the new Macbook, so far everyone that has seen it, including folks in two data center locations,  have fallen in love with the new look, and the really sturdy feel of the system over the previous Macbook or Macbook Pros.

One thing I have found impressive so far is even pushing the system to high disk/cpu and gpu loads the system is the coolest to the touch system I have owned in years, this goes for Macbook and Macbook Pros.  For extra real estate screen wise I am going to be really tempted to pick up the new 24” monitor in a bit too.  Not a really big price diff to get the new 2.4 Macbook and the 24” monitor, then simply the 15” Macbook Pro.

But I guess beauty of systems all depends on personal tastes more than anything 😊

regardless, I’m jealous. I haven’t upgraded yet but man they look frickin awesome… Apple once again is 4 steps ahead of the competition with their design. No one else has been able to make a laptop as nice as the new macbooks.

imo I like that they made the looks identical between the pro and macbook. So most people will just have to chose between 13 and 15 inch. I will hopefully be upgrading soon. But, I’m thinking about waiting until Snow Leopard and/or the next Intel Update is released next year before buying another laptop.

“This likely doesn’t change anything for future planning as Apple will certainly adopt Intel’s upcoming Nehalem processors over time. Nehalem is expected to offer a dramatic performance boost over existing processors. These next-generation Intel processors will be first launched for servers in Q4 2008, and come to desktop and mobile platforms in 2009.”

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/10/15/intel-update-macbook-airs-get-penryn-macbooks-and-pros-get-montevina-benefits/

My pro should be here next week. The extra 2 inches of real estate are why I prefer the pro over the macbook.

I am looking to get a MacBook or MacBook Pro 2.4 towards the end of the year. Firewire isn’t important to me so it’s really down to cost and screen size.

The thing that annoys me is the cost of the new 24” LED screen. AU$1,500!!! The Dell 24” by comparison is AU$799. It’s a shame because the innovation (such as powering the laptop) is great.

Fortunately I have an HP 24” here but it means breaking out the battery charger (perhaps I’ll get another one for travelling?).

Is 13” a major hindrance for Textmate/Coda/EE CP development?

The Macbooks are really excellent and for the price and spec you get, really good alternative to the MacBook Pro.

I used a friends one, and they are great and very fast. Only problem for me would be Firewire though, as a bootable external drive it’s very handy. Otherwise go for for it.

They do look nice but I’m still very very happy with my MacBook Pro. A simply fantastic machine. I love the fact that if you buy a Mac you can get it to last you for at least 8 years and still be blisteringly fast compared to other computers on the market.

I won’t be changing any time soon, mainly for the fact that I am very happy with my setup at the moment and partly as I just can’t afford it anyway!! 😉

Hope you all have fun with your shiny new toys though!! 😊

Best wishes,

Mark

I think an Asus EEE PC with OSX might be a better bet right now!

Steven, with the proper Spaces setup, 13” is perfect for development.  I can’t imagine a portable being any larger - if they made a MBP in 13” I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

In Australia it’s crept up to over $2,000 so I will have to consider it real careful. My alternative is to get an EEE PC 10” and use Hackintosh.

The real question is, will I really take my Mac out and about with me?

If not then we’ll just get another 24” iMac.

Steven, with the proper Spaces setup, 13” is perfect for development.  I can’t imagine a portable being any larger - if they made a MBP in 13” I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

Eek!!! Not if you’re both a developer and a designer!! 😉 My trusty MacBook Pro (17”) is perfect for everything and I take that everywhere with me. Not too big at all.

Also I work at high-res first and then bring it all down for final low-res work so that I get the best possible quality so screen real-estate is paramount to me 😊

That’s just me though.

Best wishes,

Mark