Comments about:

New MacBook Pro

The Apple Pro apps will be in universal binary in March for $49.

- We have no idea of the battery uptime…
- One FW400 and 2 USB2… gosh, kidding?
- I want more than 2 GB of RAM, it saves batteries!
- No Intel sticker, cool!

this said, once the apps will be there, it'll be interesting to test

This post has been edited by lepetitmartien: Wed 11 Jan 2006, 02:07

Apple's being careful not to cannibalize the PowerMac G5 market. Once the Intel PowerMacs are out there I think you'll see some port and expansion upgrades for the next MacBook Pros.

Mhmm good idea

Now the macintel use EFI and not Open Firmware like on PPC, or BIOS like most current PCs. The good news is it's the EFI which recognize peripherals, so no special driver software on cards for example to be recognized by the mac which made some mac peripherals more expensive (like video cards)…

To be clear, the $49 tag price it's for updates, of course.

Worrying aspects make this a definite watch and wait:

1 No FW800 and this is a "pro" macBook?
2 No S-Video
3 No PC Card slot replaced by the extremely rare CardExpress
4 The Cardexpress std has two sizes 3/4 and 5/4 and 3/4 cards will go in a 5/4 slot - guess which size Apple have?
5 The audio in/out seem to be both analogue and SP/DIF?

I'd wait and see which audio company have
a) their software out in Universal Binary form
b0 their hardware supporting CardExpress - Echo anybody?
c) what they'll say about the absence of FW800

Makes me worried what will happen to the iBook. Nice to see GE - maybe we'll all go mLAN?

Vince

It's possible that Apple has changed their plans about FW's future. They switched to USB on the pods about the time they cemented the processor deal with Intel. If USB 2.0 is it for USB then possibly Intel has something new in development that Apple likes enough to say bye bye to FW development. The new PowerMacs or what ever they are going to be called should hopefully clear things up.

Software-wise:

- Apple: Logic and FCP in March
- MOTU: drivers should there end of january, software in validation, so it comes

I'm sure that given the underground job done by apple and Digidesign for the PCI-e cards this autumn, they must have done something too…

No news/hint from Steinberg, Ableton, propellerheads…

Another stoopid point raised by clouvel, the DVD is an "old timer", 4X and no double layer.

I'm not sure the lack of FW800 is a sign FW is to be stopped (save if Intel has the real bomb of course), they may have thought a lot at Apple about what people do with their laptop, the power needed, the place on the motherboard for another connector. if Intel has something hidden in its pocket, then it must be HUGE, because the evolution of FW on the paper was.

Our friends from Macbidouille/hardmac have been able to ask directly at the EBC in Paris…

- For the autonomy, Apple waits to have the final product out of the chain to test and tell. (but don't expect miracles)
- FW800, Intel has no FW800 chipset for now so it had to go this time. (Intel, please, support FW800 in your chipset it's better than your USB2…)

What is going to happen with Digidesign's Pro Tools software? They say it's not compatible. When will an update be released? Will it be free?

I am going to buy the Macbook Pro in the Next Rev. I personally need the dual layer burner as well as FW800.

Having done some more reading about the iMac and MacBook Pro I can see some things that make me think that the MacBook Pro was rushed to market. The iMac has a DL DVD RW so why not the MacBook Pro? The lack of FW 800 is an issue and there is not a PCIexpress that includes it; Intel haven't had FW800 in any of their designs. I am sure that Apple will not want to turn their back on the Pro AV people when they produce the Intel replacement for the PowerMac tower machines. At that time we should see FW800 and then it will (I'm sure) filter into the laptop. I don't think that the MacBook Pro (current version) will get it another than someone producing an ExpressCard version. On that front, Apple need to kick start this new standard. The question about S-Video output should be taken care of by the DVI port with appropriate connector. Interesting that the audio i/o is different than the iMac.

I'd expect something special at the end of March - both the pro apps will be UniBin and it's Apple's 30th anniversary. Maybe a tower to run Motion, Shake, FCP, Logic, etc. with dual, dual core?

There is an interesting set of tests and review done by Ars Technica on the iMac.

For me, the MacBook pro is rushed. Clearly pressure on the market for a PowerBook upgrade got this out quick.

Vince