now reading the “Apple Oct 14″ Gizmodo liveblog (go see their website for the news)…
c'est la vie, my expectations could have been too high.
– SINGLE ALUMINUM MOLD, “BRICK” CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
I saw somewhere that they start off with 2.5 pounds of aluminum, and then start cutting holes and what not, and end up with 0.5 pounds. Sounds to me like a lot of environmental wastage.
It does look more rigid though… however… IS IT EASY TO TAKE APART? in case i need to upgrade stuff or do emergency repairs.
EDIT : According to Apple, aluminum is easily recycled.
-- USING THE NEW NVIDIA 9400M CHIPSETS
Hmm, I wonder what gives for stability using an Nvidia chipset, and also heat issues. System builders know for a long time that for stability, go for Intel chipsets. For performance, go for 3rd-party chipsets.
So 3 points to muse -> stability, heat and ultimately, longevity of an Nvidia board.
– NEW GLASS TOUCHPAD, 4-FINGER GESTURES
This has got to be the most laughable thing ever. Even though my MBP has 3-finger gesture support, I still use the button! It’s important, you don’t want your fingers to lift up from the pad (so your actions are quicker), and thus have a thumb on the trackpad for clicking. I’m going to miss the button, that’s for sure.
4-finger gesture support. What’s next? 5-finger support? 10-finger support? 20-finger-and-toe support? I think 4-finger draws the borderline at ridiculous. Then again, advances in technology is often ridiculed by not-so-far-thinking mortals. We shall see how it works out.
Glass. Fingerprints galore? Glass has always connotated a certain sort of fragility. If it’s going to be like the iphone glass touchpad, i think there’s nothing bad about it… just that it can get a bit tricky to have precise mouse motions sometimes.
- NEW MACBOOKS TO USE DDR3 MEMORY
DDR3… still more expensive than DDR2 off-the-shelf… and performance gains seems minimal.
– MBP COMES WITH HYBRID GRAPHICS, 9400M AND 9600GT
5 hours with the 9600GT and 4 hours with the 9400M. Okay, I have never been a big fan of hybrid graphics in a notebook. Reasons are
- More components = more heat, more things to screw up
- Most users default to ONE single mode. Unless you are a gamer or CAD/3D artist, then you would probably be constantly running in 9400M mode.
Gimmicky.
– MACBOOK AIR GRAPHICS, HARD DISK UPGRADE
Does it have removable batteries? NOT INTERESTED. It looks light, sleek, and all things beautiful. But if I really want an ultraportable, I’ll get a second-hand Sony TX or TZ series. It’s much cheaper, and does everything that an ultraportable should do.
I absolutely adore my Sony TX… and it is still the machine I spend the most time on, by far.
– NEW APPLE 24″ CINEMA DISPLAY WITH iSIGHT, MIC, DISPLAYPORT
Still expensive. Even though I have an 23″ Apple Cinema Display, and it is really a work of art to look at… I still want to kick myself sometimes for spending the kind of money when I could get 2 Dell 2408WFPs with better quality displays, AND accept TV inputs! Apple ACDs – it’s an ostentatious thing.
Is it just me, or does anyone else can’t stand that black glossy… GLOSSY?! my gawd things are getting shot to hell. That black gloss border kind of distract. Not really a fan.
EDIT : just saw that it accepts DisplayPort… WHAT no HDMI?? I have no idea about that option, but HDMI would have been so much better. That’ll allow people to hook up their PS3s or Xbox360s better. Hmm I think there’s a HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapter, but I could be very wrong on that.
– MACBOOKS NOW IN SAME ALUMINUM FINISH, LED DISPLAYS, 4-FINGER GESTURE TOUCHPAD
In short, everything like the MBP except for the 9600GT graphics, 13.3″ instead of 15″.
I can hear the groans of many a MBP owner who proudly display their ALUMINUM (look, not white, not black!) MBPs in Starbucks – “How are we gonna distinguish ourselves from the cheapo students?!”
However, this is a good move by Apple. I would probably get a new MacBook. With the 9400M, I know I can do light gaming, and with LED displays like the MBPs, doing graphics work on the screen is better. 5 hours of battery life too. 13.3″ is just the right size, not too large like the MBP.
And I believe it can drive the 30-inchers ACDs. Saavvvy, this’ll be it.
EDIT : OH! These aluminum models are going to be ON TOP of the white macbooks. Ahahahaha, this model probably replaces the MacBook Black. Hmm, I wonder what’s the pricing like… US$1,299. It probably means about SGD$2,2k or so…
—
The black borders on the LCD screen are starting to get on my nerves for some reason. And that design is not unique to them, HP has an LCD tech (just out recently too) that makes the front appear to be one seamless surface – same as the new MacBook and MacBook Pros.
Black on aluminum is ugly IMO. I hate the keyboard look. Hearkens back to the Apple Titanium PowerBook days. I hope they have an option of white for their keyboard.
—
They ran a poll on what’s the most exciting news so far… I voted for “that Steve Jobs is still alive.”. It garnered the highest votes. Looks like no one is really excited about anything.
—
“In many ways I think it’s more beautiful internally than it is externally” – Jonathan Ive, designer of iPod.
I want stability and longevity internally in my machines, Jon. Okay, you gonna start saying how inner beauty matters more than external looks… but I say that inner beauty means that things are in the right places not because of how they look, but rather it was the best choice. Internally, form should NEVER compromise function!
—
Presentation flash -> Steve’s BP = 110/70
Good fer ya, mate. But I think this is starting to sound like a re-hashed “oh, but I’m still alive” joke. Anyway, live long and prosper.
Q&A
Q: Is the MacBook upgrade going to steal some demand from the MacBook Pro?
A: Pros buy MacBook Pros. So we’re going to see a refresh demand in both spaces.
I think Apple might be wrong on that answer. MBPs is overkill for a travel photographer for example, who wants a lighter machine, capable of doing post-editing on photos, etc. Videographers will probably use AVID systems or FCP on a Mac Pro. Funny, it seems to me suddenly that MBPs are not so useful anymore. Previously, I bought an MBP because of…
- Capable graphics
- Aluminum casing
- LED displays for more accurate color reprod.
It seems all the reasons have been taken away.
- next qn -
Both the MacBook Pro and MacBook are .95 inches, and weight is 5.5 and 4.5 lbs, respecitvely
In metric terms, it means the MacBook Pro is 2.5kg and the MacBook is about 2.05kg. STILL HEAVY! I recommend people to check out the Sony Z series… it’s light, full-fledge capable notebook. Expensive… but it’s the best in notebook engineering now, IMO.
- next qn -
Q: Are you going to have matte screens or just go with glossy glass ones? How about with reflection problems?
A: Just glass, and we’re going to compensate for the reflection from pushing more light through the back. And, since these are notebooks, you can position it any way you want.
this is madness. “Just glass” means glossy, you marketing weasels. Yes, move your notebooks. When the sun is glaring all over, let’s see you MOVE the sun. I hate glossy displays.
– FINAL THOUGHTS –
I must admit, I am disappointed with the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. I was hoping for…
- A netbook MacBook would be fantastic
- Touchpad to actually be a secondary screen
- The design overhaul to be better… the design just seems lacking from the photos. Could be different in real life.
- Announcement of a docking-station-cum-LCD. Slot your notebook in the back of the LCD, and voila! you get an iMac.
Am I going to get one of the new machines? Even though I initially had the money standing by, in light of the less-than-appealing upgrades, and the turbulent down-up-down economy, I’m probably just going to hold on the purchase.
In comparison to PC notebook evolutions such as the HP Voodoo Envy series, or the Sony Z series… even the new Dell Latitudes… Apple’s notebook news just does not make me go “Wow!” anymore. One thing I like about the PC world, is that really, there are a lot of choices out there – you’ll find something that appeals to you.
If only Apple would license their OS out to third-party hardware. -sighs-
