The MacBook Pro Part 2?
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave the keynote at this years MacWorld in San Francisco he proclaimed that the MacBook Pro was 4x to 5x faster that the current line of Apple laptops on the market. Of course no one can confirm nor disprove Mr. Jobs claims since the MacBook Pros are not on the market. Of course by the time you read this blog they maybe. One thing to consider is that the owners of the new Intel iMacs have claimed that their machines are not 2x to 3x faster than the iMac G5 on the market as they were purported to be in Mr. Jobs keynote. Owners of the Intel iMacs have stated that the Intel iMacs at times faster than their G5 counterparts and at other times they are at the same speeds then there are times when the Intel iMacs are vastly slower than their G5 brethren.
Now this is not to say that the MacBook Pro laptops will not be 4x to 5x faster than the Powerbook G4 line since when talking about the iMac we are dealing with the G5 chip instead of the G4 chip that is in the Powerbook.
For those concern with what “appears” to be a lack of speed and power on the new Intel Core Duo there is no need to fret. As Mac OS X optimization improves for the Intel Core Duo performance will improve. Speeds will also increase as more and more software developers make their applications universal binary a cute word for software than can run on the PowerPc chip and take advantage of its infrastructure as well at the Intel infrastructure. Now when will all of this take place is anyone’s guess but rest assured all programmers are working overtime to get this done.
Which brings up a vital question, should you run out and buy a MacBook Pro right now? The answer to this question as with all questions concerning the purchase of a computer varies on the situation. If you are one of those who must have the latest and greatest machine then of course go for it. The MacBook Pro by far is the best laptop on the market. If you are new to Apple or even a switcher from the windows platform the MacBook Pro is the way for you to go. Eventually like or not PowerPc lovers the Intel Core Duo is the future of the Mac line. So as a newbie you might as well get the jump. If you are a casual computer user the MacBook Pro is the way to go for you as well especially if you plan to stay within the native applications.
For professional users you may want to wait before grabbing this powerful machine. Since a lot of pro apps even Apple’s own pro apps such as Logic and Final Cut Pro are not yet suited to run on the Intel chip yet. Apple says that by March their pro apps will be ready but what about plugins and other extensions that you use with your pro apps they may not be ready. Then of course we have the major players in professional applications
such as Adobe who has already stated that their Intel ready suites will not be available for at least 18 to 24 months.
Though you can use all of these applications on the Rosetta emulation software they are going to drag their tiny little feet. Emulations are good for running small software apps but heavy apps may put too much strain to be use effectively or for extended periods of time.
If all of this sounds a little bit irritating it is as is all forms of change and transitions. Long time Mac user will liken this to the days when Mac OS X first hit the market and the transition that was made from Mac OS 9 it was not pretty but when it happen it was amazing. We were left with a powerful OS as we will be left with some powerful machines when this transition fully occurs.
All of these issues do not exclude the typical issues that go along with a purchase of a new computer such as purchasing first line or Rev A of a product line and this is only more amplified by the transition at hand.
That brings up another issue with the MacBook Pro especially for professional users while Apple has went out of their way to create a great machine in the process they eliminated a few features for pro users. Missing from the MacBook Pro is a dial up modem I know mostly everyone uses Broadband for their internet connections but there still are times when a dial up modem may come in handy. Also missing is the Firewire 800 port though many users were not using FW 800 DV editors and other multimedia pros had made FW 800 a staple in their arsenal. Apple also disposed of the Svideo out port, which some people may not have thought about using but anyone doing lots of presentations knows that most businesses and people are still using standard projections if not TV for presentation use. I can see it now some twerp running up with his rinky-dink PC laptop and beating you out on a bid because he was able to show his presentation while you were stuck trying to come with an excuse on why you could not. Last but not least is the PCI slot situation, with this Apple has removed PCI slot and replace it with the PCE express slot which by all accounts is faster than the PCI slot. But PCE express devices have yet to hit the market so anyone using EVDO or owners of the Panasonic HVX-200 P2 DV Cam maybe a little at lost until some type of extensions hit the market.
Then there is the MacBook Pro itself which of right now only comes in a 15-inch model will Apple eventually release a 12 inch and or 17 inch model, all indications say yes but one can never truly know. What this means is that there is more to come from the MacBook Pro.
So what should one do if you are a professional user and you use your computer to make money you may want to wait until more professional applications are ready to run on the Intel Macs before you jump aboard. If you are really in the need of an Apple laptop right now look into purchasing a refurb or an open box return with the release of the MacBook Pro I am quite sure that they are going to be a lot of Powerbook G4 being traded in or exchange for the MacBook Pro etc…
All of this aside if you are willing to ride the wave of this transition and can adjust to every burp, belch and cough that goes along with it give the MacBook Pro a try either way you cannot go wrong.
Hopefully the elimination of so much tech jargon made this piece bearable.
Now this is not to say that the MacBook Pro laptops will not be 4x to 5x faster than the Powerbook G4 line since when talking about the iMac we are dealing with the G5 chip instead of the G4 chip that is in the Powerbook.
For those concern with what “appears” to be a lack of speed and power on the new Intel Core Duo there is no need to fret. As Mac OS X optimization improves for the Intel Core Duo performance will improve. Speeds will also increase as more and more software developers make their applications universal binary a cute word for software than can run on the PowerPc chip and take advantage of its infrastructure as well at the Intel infrastructure. Now when will all of this take place is anyone’s guess but rest assured all programmers are working overtime to get this done.
Which brings up a vital question, should you run out and buy a MacBook Pro right now? The answer to this question as with all questions concerning the purchase of a computer varies on the situation. If you are one of those who must have the latest and greatest machine then of course go for it. The MacBook Pro by far is the best laptop on the market. If you are new to Apple or even a switcher from the windows platform the MacBook Pro is the way for you to go. Eventually like or not PowerPc lovers the Intel Core Duo is the future of the Mac line. So as a newbie you might as well get the jump. If you are a casual computer user the MacBook Pro is the way to go for you as well especially if you plan to stay within the native applications.
For professional users you may want to wait before grabbing this powerful machine. Since a lot of pro apps even Apple’s own pro apps such as Logic and Final Cut Pro are not yet suited to run on the Intel chip yet. Apple says that by March their pro apps will be ready but what about plugins and other extensions that you use with your pro apps they may not be ready. Then of course we have the major players in professional applications
such as Adobe who has already stated that their Intel ready suites will not be available for at least 18 to 24 months.
Though you can use all of these applications on the Rosetta emulation software they are going to drag their tiny little feet. Emulations are good for running small software apps but heavy apps may put too much strain to be use effectively or for extended periods of time.
If all of this sounds a little bit irritating it is as is all forms of change and transitions. Long time Mac user will liken this to the days when Mac OS X first hit the market and the transition that was made from Mac OS 9 it was not pretty but when it happen it was amazing. We were left with a powerful OS as we will be left with some powerful machines when this transition fully occurs.
All of these issues do not exclude the typical issues that go along with a purchase of a new computer such as purchasing first line or Rev A of a product line and this is only more amplified by the transition at hand.
That brings up another issue with the MacBook Pro especially for professional users while Apple has went out of their way to create a great machine in the process they eliminated a few features for pro users. Missing from the MacBook Pro is a dial up modem I know mostly everyone uses Broadband for their internet connections but there still are times when a dial up modem may come in handy. Also missing is the Firewire 800 port though many users were not using FW 800 DV editors and other multimedia pros had made FW 800 a staple in their arsenal. Apple also disposed of the Svideo out port, which some people may not have thought about using but anyone doing lots of presentations knows that most businesses and people are still using standard projections if not TV for presentation use. I can see it now some twerp running up with his rinky-dink PC laptop and beating you out on a bid because he was able to show his presentation while you were stuck trying to come with an excuse on why you could not. Last but not least is the PCI slot situation, with this Apple has removed PCI slot and replace it with the PCE express slot which by all accounts is faster than the PCI slot. But PCE express devices have yet to hit the market so anyone using EVDO or owners of the Panasonic HVX-200 P2 DV Cam maybe a little at lost until some type of extensions hit the market.
Then there is the MacBook Pro itself which of right now only comes in a 15-inch model will Apple eventually release a 12 inch and or 17 inch model, all indications say yes but one can never truly know. What this means is that there is more to come from the MacBook Pro.
So what should one do if you are a professional user and you use your computer to make money you may want to wait until more professional applications are ready to run on the Intel Macs before you jump aboard. If you are really in the need of an Apple laptop right now look into purchasing a refurb or an open box return with the release of the MacBook Pro I am quite sure that they are going to be a lot of Powerbook G4 being traded in or exchange for the MacBook Pro etc…
All of this aside if you are willing to ride the wave of this transition and can adjust to every burp, belch and cough that goes along with it give the MacBook Pro a try either way you cannot go wrong.
Hopefully the elimination of so much tech jargon made this piece bearable.
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