Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Apple, MacBook
The MacBook compromise
The big difference between a MacBook and a MacBook Pro? In my opinion, and the one thing PC users will be quick to point out: the absence of a dedicated video card. The video cards on the MacBook Pros are fantastic, and bring a lot to the table when doing graphically intensive tricks like 3d animation or, say, games. I priced a MacBook Pro to my liking about a week ago, 120 GB drive, 1 GB of RAM, 2 GHz duo. Guess what? A similarly configured MacBook is a lot cheaper, but keep in mind the graphics compromise you're going to make. The proof will be when someone runs World of Warcraft on their MacBook... One thing I'm glad they added back in though: audio input, and they added digital I/O!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
arkowi said 1:08PM on 5-16-2006
what is up with these glossy screens.
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Greg Terry said 1:14PM on 5-16-2006
The glossy screen is a far bigger negative than the video system.
These laptops were never meant to be the ultimate gaming machine. If you are looking for that, you'll need to spend more money - same is true in the PC world.
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andy said 1:17PM on 5-16-2006
its strange really, when a hell of a lot of mac users are graphics professionals, im sure a few of them would sacrifice the processors to a lower model and take the graphics card but thats apple...they tell us what we want - not vice versa
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icono said 1:26PM on 5-16-2006
Well, they seem to have dropped the price of the pro, so maybe it's less of an issue... I know they did something to the page. Check it out.
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mike Lorenz said 1:30PM on 5-16-2006
So, tell me as a graphic designer how a graphics card will help me emmensly. I design print web...etc, no moving graphics really (video...etc). I don't play games. Now given the 17" is the only real choice for a serious graphic designer if you don't mind the extra bulk, but for the sake of discussion, how woudl having a dedicated graphics card really help me all that much when working in photoshop, illustrator, flash & indesign...
again I don't care about games.
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Drew said 1:35PM on 5-16-2006
The glossy screen should definitely be an option. They look okay in the controlled lighting of a retail store, but the real world performance is lame. Glare, smudges, scratches...
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Bjorn Nitmo said 1:36PM on 5-16-2006
Another compromise is memory. Whether you select a MacBook with 512MB, 1GB or 2GB of RAM, both RAM slots come populated. This means that should you purchase a MacBook with 512MB or 1GB of RAM and decide to upgrade in the future, you'll end up with unneeded RAM modules.
Also worth noting is that the "Glossy" screen is now a build option on the MacBooks. It appears that the line between consumer and professional level machines is becoming more blurry by the day.
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Thayne Miller said 1:40PM on 5-16-2006
mike, I agree completely. I have a PC at home with an intel GMA950 card and 2gigs of ram, with a 3 GHz Pentium 4. The sucker runs fantastically for photoshop, and for video editing. I've even seen the same machine (not mine) run the leaked OSX86 with that graphics card, and you know what? It ran amazingly well. I will be buying a macbook as soon as I find a buyer for my 1.5Ghz 12" powerbook.
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William Beem said 1:47PM on 5-16-2006
The MacBook is fine if you want to just surf the web, run iLife, and maybe a word process. For a lot of buyers, that's all they need. It's good to have the option for a lower cost machine.
If your needs dictate higher end capabilities, you get the MBP. I've gone back and forth a few times today, but I think I'll err on the side of too much instead of too little. I'm going for the MBP.
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eric f said 1:56PM on 5-16-2006
Check out my unpacking pics. Got one!!!!
http://ericfischer.blogspot.com/
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Will said 1:57PM on 5-16-2006
For what it's worth, always err on the side of the better computer. I bought a PowerMac Dual 867 a few years ago, and I didn't need all that power(powerful at the time). Anyway, that computer has outlasted several PC's that were bought after mine. Not to mention, it still runs like new. Unlike a PC that slows down the more you use it. Viva La Mac Revolucion!
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mike said 1:59PM on 5-16-2006
i don't get it -- the verbage for the MacBook says "Extended Desktop" which made me think they finally did away with the screen-spanning limitation on iBooks (to use the internal LCD and an external monitor simultaneously)
BUT the verbage for the MacBookPro says "Dual Display" so i guess we're still reliant on a firmware hack (if one exists for the new BIOS & whatnot) to use internal & external for anything other than mirroring?
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Eric Carroll said 2:01PM on 5-16-2006
Yeah, the integrated Graphics is a deal breaker for me...
I am sure it will run the normal stuff fine, but for my 'more-than-occational' trip to the 'World of Warcraft' or booting into Windows to run some other game, this card won't cut it. I also understand that this is supposed to be the more affordable machine and it isn't meant for Seroius Gamers and so on, but even if this is my back-up machine to compliment the yet-unannounced Intel-Based PowerMac replacement, I'd want at least a real Graphics Card. Even if it was an option...
Oh well, I hope this means there is a 13" MacBook Pro in the making too, with a real VideoCard, Express Slot and so on...
I doubt it though, with the Power these machines otherwise pack I bet this is a replacement for the 12" PowerBook too...
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dashiel said 2:01PM on 5-16-2006
william you're right on.
for god's sake people the ibook, erm mac book, is for people like my girlfriend and mum. mum takes loads of photos of grandkids, makes web pages of them, sends emails, does scrapbook stuff and surfs the web.
girlfriend needs to write reports, the occasional powerpoint, email, surf the web and occasional DVD creation.
these are consumer level machines period.
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Catt said 2:07PM on 5-16-2006
You got to be kidding!
I shell out $1500 for the top model and I get only 13" of screen real estate and no dedicated graphics card? If it had a 64MB dedicated card I would still be annoyed but a bit more understanding. No dedicated card will force me to consider nothing less than the MacBook Pro
which I can get at a discount due to my alumni status at a certain UNI near me.
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CyBeR said 2:18PM on 5-16-2006
The damn screen is my showstopper. I don't really care about games.
I've worked with those glossy pieces of crap. They're like mirrors. If I want to see myself I'll go look at an actual mirror, ok? Actually I'll get the non-glossy PowerBook (I object to its current name, to me it's a PowerBook like it should have been called) and use its built-in iSight.
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jads said 2:43PM on 5-16-2006
@12 - It does support spanning/extended desktop - it's just apple's wording.
If you check the tech specs, it says it supports an external display at something like 1900x1200 - if it were mirroring only then it would have to mirror the resolution of the MacBook.
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BobbyW said 2:52PM on 5-16-2006
Eric Carroll -
I don't think there will be a 13" MBP. I read this at Yahoo today - he says they're done with laptops. If he's to be trusted....
"Apple began the transition to Intel Core Duo-based notebooks in February with the 15-inch MacBook Pro, and now just 90 days later we have completed the transition with the release of the all new MacBook," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, in a statement.
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Eric Carroll said 3:34PM on 5-16-2006
BobbyW:
Good find on the News Clip there.
Damn though, it pretty much confirms my fear that to get a portable machine that will run Motion and Games, I'm going to have to shell out at least $2000.
and I also agree with everyone else's fears about the glossy screen, I'll have to see it in person. In a dimly lit room, they are nice, really do look more 'saturated' but since I work primarily in Really Well Sun-Lit Sky-Scraping Offices in Manhattan, I have a feeling the reflective screen would be a nightmare in any office with a window... Plus I always thought the glossy looked kinda cheap...
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eli said 3:44PM on 5-16-2006
most people don't need much graphics. And gamers college students aren't gonna buy a mac anytime soon.
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