[maya1000]

I'm pretty new to the technical aspect of computers, and I was wondering if someone could explain this to me:
"Yes. The MacBook Pros optical drive is slower than the PowerBooks (4x, instead of 8x), and it wont burn dual-layer DVD discs. Apple says this is because, the company has to use a new ultra-slimline optical drive in order to get the MacBook Pro down to one inch of thickness. Currently, the 4x DVD burner with no dual-layer capacity is the best drive in that class. (But fear notthe drive will still burn single-layer DVDs and CDs, and it plays back all your DVDs and CDs just fine.)
The PowerBooks built-in S-Video port is also gone, although you can buy a $19 adapter to convert the output of the MacBooks DVI port to either S-Video or composite.
And, oh yeah, the MacBook Pro doesnt have a modem."
lol, I have no idea what these features are! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Thanks!

[d00d]

Well, 4x and 8x refer to top DVD burning speed (4 or 8 times the running time of the disc). Dual layer discs are DVDs that can hold twice as much data as traditional DVDs. So basically, the optical drive in the MacBook Pro is half as fast at burning DVDs and can't use the bigger discs.
The S-Video port is generally used for displaying things on a TV or projector (it's a type of video output like composite, VGA, and DVI).
Finally, a modem is that antique thing that uses a phone line to connect to the internet. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Mario]

>>Finally, a modem is that antique thing that uses a phone line to connect to the internet.<<
Yeah also to connect to the internet from a hotel room when nothing else is available, or sending faxes ditto. Also my pcmcia UMTS/gprs card is an antique which I masochistically use to connect to internet at high speed from everywhere; and my fire800 BigDisk LaCie also is practically superfluous, after all I can use the disk's firewire400 or even better USB2 ports, they are much slower but I don't complain, this is progress. As a compensation I have a much larger trackpad /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
M

[pdrayton]

I like the Pew Internet & American Life Project's September 2005 report which describes dial-up customers as:
"Today's dial-up customers, by contrast, tend to be older adults with lower incomes and educational levels. Most importantly, they do not use the Internet to do much beyond basic Web surfing and e-mailing."
and then it added:
"The low-hanging fruit of early adopters is gone,, and the remaining dial-up population seems unenthused in terms of the Internet, so mathematically, that makes for a smaller fruitful pool for providers to select from."
I vote for making low-hanging fruit pay for their modems!

[barkomatic]

True, the article does state that, but after reviewing the link you provided I found the following quote from the story
"The survey, published by independent think tank Pew Internet & American Life Project, found that high-speed Internet adoption, after growing quickly in the past several years, has been losing steam and is poised to slow even further. During the first six months of 2005, 53 percent of home Internet users said they use a broadband connection, up from only 50 percent during the previous six months."
If I interpret this correctly, that means that according to this study 47% of internet users do not yet use a broadband connection and thus would require a modem. That is an awful large percentage of the population to exclude, despite the fact that they are " lower educated" and "lower income" individuals.
Its just premature to drop the internal modem that's all. In 5 years maybe--besides I have a broadband connection, but find myself in areas that do not have access when I travel. Therefore, when I move from an area that has broadband access to an area that has only dial up access, does that mean that instantly I become less educated and have a lower income? If that is the case, I must then restrict my travel immediately to only include large urban areas where there are smart people.

[pdrayton]

Yes, I thought that part of the report. The gist that I got was that those people just aren't gonna budge easily. In Boston you pay a premium for having broadband... in many rural areas without broadband you are paying considerably less for internet service. It all evens out perhaps.
Don't foget... when floppy drives were first abandoned everyone had them. Only 47% of consumers have broadband at home.
A modem is only $49... I don't think it's an unreasonable add-on.

[Mario]

>>A modem is only $49... I don't think it's an unreasonable add-on. <<
In a desktop it is not a problem. In a portable it is a matter of having to carry one more thing which matters ...
M

[Martian]

I think it is absolutely unconscionable, or perhaps just plain stupid that Apple would produce a computer, laptop or desktop, without a modem. This is the kind of arrogant disregard to backward compatibility that puts off potential PC to Mac switchers.
This is the kind of crap that Apple pulled when they prematurely eliminated floppy drives long before they went out of general usage. Likewise for eliminating analogue audio inputs on computers without built-in mikes.
The all up cost to Apple to include a phone modem is absolutely negligible, but the benefits are huge. And because INDUSTRY STANDARD is to include modems in ALL consumer computers, people will buy Macs not even thinking to question whether there is a modem on board.
I receive and archive all my faxes on my Mac I dont even have paper in my fax machine (fax machine is just for sending faxes). Mentioned earlier in this thread was that some hotels and some small towns dont yet have broadband.
Finally, dial-up is a good backup for when broadband service is down.

[charlieartist]

I'll second that about the backup option of dial-up. Recently, the ethernet in my Powerbook died. Until I had it repaired, though, I could still link up via the modem. Also, because I have cable broadband at home, and no POTS (I use VoIP), a power failure can do it all in. But, I can simply leave the house, and connect via a POTS link to remain connected.

[BoingoBongo]

I haven't used a modem in ages, and I'm sure there are many other people who haven't either. That's not to say it isn't useful. I know there are also people who do need them, but that's why you can buy the adapter.
Regardless of how many people use them, I think the dial up modem is definitely on the way out. Just like floppy disks as mentioned above. I don't need one and I don't want to have to pay for one that I wont use.

[barkomatic]

True enough, I think that we do need a little push to try and bring broadband to everyone and perhaps this is it. However, I think that transition may take longer than the transition from the floppy drives because of the infrastructure change required for broadband. The modem may be necessary for many longer than we would like it to. We are definately lagging behind other countries as far as that is concerned. $49 is not a big deal to pay for a modem if you need one--I just wish it were a built-in option somehow. The Macbook is a huge leap forward and I'm sure I will be tempted to get one myself once I get a chance to see how well it works first hand. Upon reflection, even the "downgraded" optical drive really doesn't matter when you can back up large amounts of data on an ipod or similar device.

[Applehigh]

The Macbook pro HAS a dual layer superdrive!
When did it ever not? Look at this page at the superdrive piece. It burns dual-layer, just 4x and not 8x yet so it can be lighter. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[pdrayton]

The MacBook Pro can't write to double layer, however. The 15" PowerBook can.
Apple stated a drive that would write to double layer would be thicker and thus the MacBook Pro wouldn't be able to fit in a 1" thick profile.

[maya1000]

I'll probably need to use a modem unless I figure out Airport, but I wouldn't worry too much about bringing it with me when I travel...these days, you can't open the car door without banging into a Starbucks. But when I travel, it's usually recreational so it's probably different if you need your laptop for work.