Four years is a long time in computer years. Now a Macintosh lives a longer average life than its non-Apple counterparts, but four years is definitely old for any computer. If that four year old computer happens to be a laptop, then it is _really_ ancient. My iBook happens to be that computer, but one should not fear generational decline. New machines rise with the retirement of the old, and the soon to be envy of many a computer user (Mac and non-Mac alike) is the “MacBook Pro”:http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/.
The speed is definitely one of the main aspects driving my anticipation. By 600 MHz G3 is _very_ long in the tooth and trying to juggle Pages documents, iPhoto, iTunes, “OmniGraffle”:http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/, “SubEthaEdit”:http://www.codingmonkeys.de/subethaedit/, Safari and countless others has become an interminable waiting game. There is much more I would like to explore, but I limit myself to the confines of my current iBook’s capabilities.
The MacBook Pro, with new Intel Core Duo might, will allow me to expand to those computing horizons my fellow Macians have been enjoying for years: multi-user video conferencing, greater than 640 MB of RAM, hoards of applications open simultaneously, and bragging rights for having the latest and greatest—can anyone say MagSafe?—that geeks everywhere (including myself) covet.
With just under an estimated 14 days to go until my MBP(MacBook Pro) is scheduled to arrive at the door, my anticipation grows. I was very skeptical at first of the performance claims made by Steve Jobs on stage one month ago at MacWorld San Francisco, but the iMac based on the the same Intel processor architecture has been well-received (save the “Rosetta problem”:http://www.macintouch.com/imacintel/rosettacompat.html) and does show huge improvements over the G5 in several areas.
In preparation for the day of arrival, I have purchased a new “WaterField Designs Sleeve Case”:http://www.sfbags.com/products/sleevecases/sleevecases.htm and the missing “DVI-to-S-video adaptor”:http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9267G/A, and I plan to fill up the last remaining RAM slot with another gigabyte to bring the total to 2 GB. The usual can be expected of that day: Apple packaging porn, whereby I slowly open the box, careful to judiciously inspect its assemblage and ultimately its contents.
The day is coming, and it is going to be oh, so sweet. (Except of course, I have a Physiology mid-term on or following that day, so maybe I’ll have to hold off one day. Damn.)
5 Comments
Well, Apple has upped the ante: faster speeds for longer wait times. Basically, Apple sent future MacBook Pro owners a Valentine’s Day present in the form of faster speeds. If you ordered a 1.67 GHz, you get a 1.83 GHz machine, and if you ordered a 1.83 GHz machine, you get a 2.0 GHz machine. Sweet deal, huh?
One catch, however, to which I have already alluded: all orders have increased wait times before they ship. I guess two more weeks isn’t _that bad_ in the grand scheme of things. Good things come to those who wait.
I was in a similar situation. I used the iBook G3 (800Mhz though) for three years. I used it daily for work, and it was starting to affect my productivity.
The MacBookPro was not for me though: I decided to watch the transition to Intel from the safe side. I also use Photoshop way too much to run it under Rosetta.
So I just bought an iBook G4, since the PowerBook has awful cost-benefit ratio. Maxed out on memory, it is close to 300% upgrade from the old one anyway. Hopefully it’ll run for three more years, and by then, the Intel stuff will be running free of glitches and emulation.
Although I have enjoyed the small form factor, the screen size (more specifically, the resolution) has been especially limiting to productivity. I look forward to the increased screen real estate with my MacBook Pro.
Looks like Apple’s revised shipping estimates were incorrect: my MBP shipped yesterday and is scheduled for delivery on Thursday. Sweet!
I decided last minute to swing for Apple’s printer deal: buy any Mac and a printer and get $100 rebate. Since some of the printers on the list were less than $100, I basically get the printer for free.
Kyle I have noticed that the MBP doesn’t come with OmniGraffle, but no one seems to have mentioned it.
Yeah, I noticed that, too. Having upgraded from an iBook, I never had the opportunity to get OmniGraffle for free with the computer, but I was expecting it. Alas, only OmniOutliner (which I rarely use).
I purchased my new license for OmniGraffle 4 (educational upgrade from 3) for $20. Not bad. I use it quite a bit for diagramming stuff for medical school when the diagrams provided by the book or lecture are not meeting my needs. Plus, it’s universal! I tried using OmniGraffle 3 for a while under Rosetta, but it was acting a little funky (palettes wouldn’t move or respond). Anyway, the upgrade has been nice. Although, I miss the old icon. This overly green icon is a little sterile.