Macbook Pro 13"

Not in the "pro" category. But if you need a 13", that is you option for a Mac. Otherwise go PC.

What kind of reply is this?
can we afford to say to mac lovers to switch to pc?
It is just as to say to a guy looking for a woman with blue eyes that if he doesn't find one he can choose to love a man with blue eyes...
Firewire missing on new macbooks is a bad choice and we have to tell this to momma Apple: she made a bad mistake (and we are missing target mode too and this is not available on PCs....)

The 13" MB is a consumer notebook. Apple doesn't offer a 13" Pro notebook.

If you need FW then get the white 13" MB that comes with FW.

lenn

Like many others I have found the PowerBook G4 12" a great product. Small enough to lug around and a PRO notebook. I was about to purchase what I thought would be a replacement, a new MacBook 13".
But have heard that the display is not as good as the new MacBook Pro and it lacks Firewire.
Now Firewire I could live without - but a Pro Display is important.
Anyone else have a 'minimum spec' they would prefer for a 13" MacBook Pro?

Mine would be a 2.4GHz with backlit keyboard and a better display. (basically apple, please give us the option of a Pro Display for the 2.4GHz MacBook).

Join me in for the list of potential buyers for a true successor to the venerable Powerbook 12". In terms of the ratio of its footprint, even the MacBook 13" is awkward compared to that model. One reason (besides the plastic casing) why I did not upgrade mine since nearly 4 years. Compact size and firewire are essential for me... more important than just an upgrade in processing power. And no, a non Mac OS-X based system is not an alternative for me either.

Dirk

That is your other option. I wouldn't count on them doing it though. They might include FW at some point, but with Apple you never can tell.

Why is 13" required over 15"?

It is merely a question of size and weight. For one thing, I do have a desktop system, so a laptop does not need to replace a larger desktop screen.

I am presently using a Powerbook 12". The choice for this model was based on needing a pro computer and mainly its small size. A main portion of my job is giving presentatons and training. With all the other stuff I have to take with me, anthing larger is just a big nuisance in terms of space and luggage. Airline travel is another point.

Often too, I have to work in space wise sub optimum conditions to set up my materials, thus a small footprint is important to me.

A typical situation on the road: (ok not WHILE driving 😉 ) Try out different sizes of computer, while sitting in the drivers seat, and you will see 😉

Dirk

Have you seen the display in person? I wouldn't base your opinion on what others have said. Check them out yourself.

lenn

I got rid of my desktop system years ago.
I got tired of taking care of too many computers.
Desktop and Notebook for wife, Desktop and NoteBook for me plus another Mac Mini for the entertainment system.

I have been using the White MacBook for both my travels and as a desktop.
At home, I hook the MacBook up to an Apple 23" Cinema HD Display. I can't work at home on a 13 inch screen...
When I travel, I just unhook the monitor and away I go with the small footprint 13" MacBook. I don't want or need anything larger. 13" is plenty for me on the road.
Now I have one computer to take care of for me personally instead of two.
I also have 2 extra USB ports and 2 Firewire ports in the back of the Apple Display.

Hard to beat this combination for me personally and again, only one computer to take care of.
Of course I have everything backed up on a Time Machine along with another external HD...

I have several iSight Cameras and 3 DV Camcorders that use firewire and USB but the USB can only be used on Windows machines.

I had planned on buying the new Aluminum MacBook until I found out it did not have a firewire port.
Then I found out the new 24" Display did not have firewire ports either.
I was going to buy a complete new system Display and MacBook just because I like to keep up with the times. No firewire seems like I am going backwards to pre 1998 time....

Looks like I will be staying with the system I have until all of my firewire devices, 23" Apple Display etc. finally bite the dust.... Then I will make a decision on which direction I need to go.

Joseph Kriz

I'm hoping to go and see the new MacBook displays some time soon I was just bit horrified by what I saw here.. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1757089&tstart=0

I also saw a photo of the MB and MBP side by side and blacks etc looked very different - I think there were viewing angle issues also.

But you are right I should view it myself and really a comparison with my existing 12" PowerBook would be a better one for me to make. I hook up the PowerBook to a 20" monitor for work then just unplug and go for on the road.

Dirk,

I hear you and agree that the Air is not quite what some of us need and if Apple had a 13" MacBook Pro I'd go buy one for sure.

At present I use my 12" PowerBook with mainly the Adobe Suite and I have a PC laptop on the network so I can develop web sites using the PC as the web server. My ideal upgrade at present would be to have my Windows environment running within VMWare Vusion or similar on a new MacBook/MacBook Pro. Then I can just take my whole development environment with me easily in one notebook.

In my mind that notebook would be a 13" MacBook Pro.

MarcGarner68 wrote:
But have heard that the display is not as good as the new MacBook Pro and it lacks Firewire.

The screen difference shouldn't really matter, in perspective. First, the MacBook was never going to have a screen as nice as the Pro. But second, if you are happy with your 12" screen quality, today's LED-backlit panels, even the ones on the MacBooks, are far superior to the 12". Not only is the quality of the backlight more consistent, longer lasting, and probably a wider color gamut, but by now your 12" CCFL backlight bulb has probably faded over the years whether you have noticed it or not. And you are going to get a lot more pixels. The MacBook screen can only be a big step up from a 12" PowerBook.

Correct,

I personally also do not consider the Mac Book Air as directly comparable to the MacBook (Pro). To me it is a technical showcase of what is possible, if you do take a fully minimalistic approah in designing a laptop. Besides, when it was originally presented, it was clearly stated that a lot of hardware features had to be reduced to achieve this goal.

Yes, in my case too, the only true option would be a MacPro..... 12".

Dirk

Perhaps technically speaking, but even after calibrating my MacBook's display to get the richest colors I found that the brightness can wash out the colors, moreso than my old PowerBook which seems to have even colors to me. Perhaps this is just because I'm used to the old one.