[montgomery_burns]

"DisplayPort is an emerging display-connectivity standard"

If Apple uses the same signaling protocols but then sticks on their own proprietary connector that is not available anywhere else, are they really following the DisplayPort standard?

[night_sailor]

I am stunned they do not offer a new 17" MacBook Pro, and that they still don't offer a laptop with 8GB of Ram. 8 GB is the magic number for video editing. Aside from that, it is a nice looking package. I like the improved video, but the glossy screen, lack of memory and no 17" version put me off. Here I was waiting for something special and it seems I'll have to wait another year. I might buy a macbook for my teenager, but can't see getting one for myself. Hopefully they will upgrade the 17" model soon, and have space for 8 GB of memory.

[prl53]

I don't want to start a flame but I see things from a different perspective. (First, the new MBP only has 2 USB ports, not three. The Cinema Display has 3. I just finished watching the QT video of the keynote.) Too many people look at the CPU speed as the only indicator of performance. Fine, the new MBPs don't have faster CPUs. What they do have is faster RAM (DDR3) and a two video cards, the 9400M and 9600M GT. The 9400M is capable of driving a 30" Apple display, as is the 9600M GT. The 9400M is 80% the speed of the old 8600M GT, the video card in my MBP. A web search shows the 9 series to be 40% faster than the 8 series, a significant upgrade. These are just the speed upgrades I see in the new MacBook and MBPros. What really excites me deals with the unibody construction and ease of entry into the computer for upgrades and repair. Like I said above, many companies, especially government installations, have to physically disable certain components. This has meant prying apart laptops, usually to the detriment of the computer. Now, a latch and eight screws later you have access to everything. This is also the first MBP that has an easily removable hard drive. This is also critical for government installations where disk drives need to be replaced without sending them to Apple. I'm not as worried about the upgradeability of these drives as I am about their ability to be replaced without ruining the hardware. I also like the new 24" cinema display with custom cabling. My "desktop" is a 2.4GHz MBP with a 23" cinema display, normal keyboard and Kensington mouse. I have cables and power bricks all over the place. With these new devices, I can remove half the clutter, which also makes it quicker to move. I used to be the system manager of a large, in-house full-featured publications facility that at its peak had over 300 Macs. My responsibility was to find equipment that would satisfy each user. For those users needing mobility, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them the new MBPs with cinema displays.

[montgomery_burns]

JakeT said:

I'm not surprised at the lack of Blu-ray, since Apple wants to sell movies online. I would prefer having them on a hard drive as well, but I'm waiting for them to come out without proprietary copy protection.

In order to sell movies on iTunes, Apple needs to license the movies from the studios. But Mac using professional studios still want the ability to produce and sell Blu-ray content. What kind of licensing deals will Apple receive by denying their major customers the ability to produce Blu-ray content on Macs?

After the presentation, Steve Jobs responded to the Blu-ray issue by mentioning licensing and "waiting until things settle down and waiting until BluRay really takes off in the marketplace before we burden our customers with the cost of the licensing and the drives." He could also have mentioned the lack of Blu-ray drives that are small enough to fit in the new laptops, but he didn't.

The important thing is that Steve acknowledged that people want Blu-ray, and that Apple will need to start offering it at some point. He did not try to use the lame "just use iTunes" argument. I guess that's progress.

[WilfredLaurier]

Perhaps Macworld can get an official statement from Apple if they support Firewire over Ethernet. It seems like the perfect way to support Firewire on the MacBook since most users can probably use 802.11n anyways leaving the Ethernet port free for Firewire usage.
If they don't support Firewire over Ethernet maybe you can ask them why. Afterall, I thought Apple developed the standard?

[montgomery_burns]

WilfredLaurier said:

Perhaps Macworld can get an official statement from Apple if they support Firewire over Ethernet. It seems like the perfect way to support Firewire on the MacBook since most users can probably use 802.11n anyways leaving the Ethernet port free for Firewire usage.

If they don't support Firewire over Ethernet maybe you can ask them why. Afterall, I thought Apple developed the standard?

Maybe Macworld can also ask why Apple isn't using Firewire 3200 even though the standard has been approved and it uses the same connector as FW 800.

[TML_55]

Ahh, " 3 usb ports not 2", dude you're wrong, check http://www.apple.com...kpro/specs.html

[montgomery_burns]

prl53 said:

The ease with which you gained access to the insides really excites me. This is the first laptop I've seen, at least from Apple, that gives me easy access.

The Powerbook G3 Pismo went a step further and allowed you to slide out the optical drive and slide in a second battery or second hard drive. Apple should have offered this feature in the new MacBook Pro. With certain people arguing about not needing optical drives, wouldn't the ability to easily remove the optical drive be a welcome feature? Who wouldn't want extra-long runtime on battery? Before anyone responds with arguments of structural integrity, stiffness, etc, please note that these were the same arguments that you made against having an easily accessible hard drive in the MacBook Pro. And look what happened. How much more egg on your face do you want?

[someoneinca]

The removal of FW400 on the MBP is ridiculous. I realize that FW800 is the new standard, but now video editors are unable to plug in both a camera and an external HD at the same time without looping through the HD, which is impossible with a HD with two FW800 ports on it without an adapter. I think that if Apple removes the FW400, they should give us another FW800.
Also, I prefer the different connectors to be on different sides rather than having all of them on the same side which can cause all the wires to become cluttered

[qkarmark]

I don't want to dwell too much on the fact of whether or not a glossy screen is suitable for discerning pro users making a living producing graphics - namely photos: the fact is, displays are RGB, meaning if you're presenting artwork to a client who's end use is print, you're really not showing an accurate representation of your work by opening up your laptop as you are gloating that you've got an expensive, well-crafted laptop to tote around for the benefit of your client's awe. If they don't feel they're getting a true depiction of what you've got to offer - with or without an anti-glare coating - then that's your problem for not caring enough for your client's time or needs to spend ten minutes and five or ten bucks outputting a 10-12 color inkjet proof or contact sheet.

If one finds it difficult to correctly edit images using a glossy screen, then that individual is also not terribly familiar with eyedropper values, dot gain and device dependent profiles. On the other hand, if one is using a laptop to present online graphics or video, why on earth would the client care whether the display is glossy or not? Do people in this camp honestly believe their clients don't have enough imagination to visualize something sans-glare? Are they not actually reviewing your craft in motion graphics, video editing, and site architecture far more than how suitable the images may or may not be on that particular device? I'm surprised people aren't also complaining that MBPs don't have built-in 5.1 surround speakers so their work will sound the same on their laptop as it would on the DVD or consumer television spot.

[mindflayer]

Jason - how does the Aluminum feel to the touch? Is it "soft touch" as claimed?
As far as ZOMG faster laptops - if you want Quad Core, Extreme processors, you'd have to pay. Those are still expensive.

[steffi1]

In my world two tenths is one fifth and that's 20 percent heavier.

[someoneinca]

It is two tenths of a pound heavier at 5.5 pounds. This means that the new MBP is 4 percent heavier than the old one which would have weighed 5.3 pounds -- not 20 percent

[steffi1]

Oh yes right you are. So it's 20% of a pound heavier.