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Ars reviews MacBook Pro

updated 09:15 am EST, Thu March 2, 2006

Ars reviews MacBook Pro


Ars Technica has posted an in-depth review of the new MacBook Pro, offering benchmark comparisons to a Dell Inspiron 9100 with a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 HT chip running Mac OS X 10.4.4. The article notes that the inclusion of the iSight has may prevent sales to users in environments where cameras are banned (e.g., the government) and that the ambient light sensors on the new MacBook Pro may be too sensitive. The review also says the battery life is a bit shorter than previous-generation PowerBooks--with an average of 3 hours and 3 min per charge and says that MagSafe connector, while an "ingenious idea," needs a bit more refinement. "Unfortunately, however, most pro software is not yet available in Universal Binary and is not expected to be for a little while (Adobe is estimating sometime in 2007, for example), but Rosetta is usable enough to get by in the interim if you don't mind the performance hit."


by MacNN Staff

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  1. Gorloth

    Registered User

    Joined: Nov 2001

    0
    03/02, 10:39am | report spam | Reply |

    Ars Tech is ______

    You fill in the blank. I used to like Ars Tech but comparing a Mac Book Pro to a Dell running OS X. Complaining about the ambient lit display dimming while your cats go around you in bed casting shadows on your Macbook. Geeze why didn't Steve think of that. This gal is a loone.

  1. hayesk

    Professional Poster

    Joined: Sep 1999

    0
    03/02, 11:30am | report spam | Reply |

    eyesight banned?

    That makes no sense. Isn't the stuff the government doesn't want public on the computer itself, not what the computer can see?

    I mean really - are hackers interested in what the user looks like, or are they interested in the data on the computer.

    Not only that, many laptops have built-in microphones - they can be used to listen in on meetings far more effectively than a camera that is always pointing at someone's face. I would think that is more of a risk but yet I haven't heard of laptops with microphones being banned.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    03/02, 12:35pm | report spam | Reply |

    R: isight banned

    But a lot of places ban cell phones because of their photo feature.

    But, beyond that, I just love apple. They always throw c*** in their computers that only a small percentage of people want, with no option to remove to save money. And, yet, they couldn't find it within themselves to offer backward compatibility for firewire 800, PC Cards, etc. Nope, but they've got a camera!

  1. Zak Nilsson

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 1999

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    03/02, 02:16pm | report spam | Reply |

    small percentage?

    Honestly, do you really think Apple doesn't do any market research? That they just pull ideas out of their a** and assume everybody will like them? Would they have bothered with all that expensive R&D to add a tiny camera to the MacBook screen if they didn't have some indication that it was something a large number of people were going to want?

    Same thing with Firewire 800. How many FW800 devices are on the market now? 5 or 6? How much sense does it make to include FW800 on the Macbooks when there are very few FW800 devices out there, and most people don't have FW800 devices anyway - and if they do they probably have a tower of some sort to run them. FW800 really makes very little logistical sense on a laptop, and the market supports that.

    And seriously, what do you need to use PC cards for on a MacBook?

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    03/02, 04:35pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: small percentage

    Honestly, do you really think Apple doesn't do any market research? That they just pull ideas out of their a** and assume everybody will like them? Would they have bothered with all that expensive R&D to add a tiny camera to the MacBook screen if they didn't have some indication that it was something a large number of people were going to want?

    Yes, that is what Apple does. Its all about steve's whims, anyway. Because if they asked, don't you think enough people would've said "Hey, isight built-in? Great! Make sure I can rotate it like you can an external one!" Web cameras are great for mom and dad, but I find it useless to be able to see who I'm talking to. Seeing what they're talking about (white board, docs, etc), now that's useful. I'd rather have a $100 cheaper computer.

    And seriously, what do you need to use PC cards for on a MacBook?

    How about a wireless cell phone connectivity card, which is what most people want. Or any of the existing PC cards that existing Mac users currently own.

    Then again, if you don't need it, why is apple wasting the money on an express 3/4 card slot in the first place???

    I just love how mac-lovers always go crazy over apple without regard for the added expense apple shoves onto its users. Own a tower and want to upgrade? Well, hopefully you don't own any PCI cards, because Apple's decided to switch completely over to PCI-express. No compatibility for you all. Just buy new hardware.

    They never lower prices, they add features. (Sell a cheaper notebook? Never. Let's add a camera! Cheaper imac? Nah! We'll add airport and bluetooth by default. So what if most people connect wired. Everyone will call this a great improvement!")

  1. bokubob

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    03/02, 06:36pm | report spam | Reply |

    compatibility

    While we're bringing back PCI, do you also want the old 5V version? What about nubus? VME anyone? No let's never move forward, just keep adding stuff. That'll be great. Whatever...

  1. sandmed

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2006

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    03/02, 06:44pm | report spam | Reply |

    I agree with testudo

    Apple is too fast of a moving target for everybody with lots of hardware and software investments. The cell phone card/service providers (Verizon & Cingular) JUST became compatible with the Powerbooks with full size PC card slots. I recently bought a 15" PB to take advantage of it. Nobody at Verizon including the support people knew about it, though. I had to dig out all the info myself and tell them which card to use for compatibility. Now I'm glad I did not wait for the MacBook for this and many other reasons. But do you blame Verizon for not keeping up with Apple?

    I think it is maddening for users and mainstream industry to keep up with Apple's constantly changing interface standards. I love Apple's stuff but I have spent MUCH extra energy and money (compared to PC's) chasing them around with mainstream peripherals and software I own. I used to blame Adobe, HP, Canon, etc. for ignoring the Mac but I swear they are VERY tolerant of Apple's whimsies and they cut us (users) a huge break by keeping up as good as they do considering the small size and large arrogance of Apple.

  1. Zak Nilsson

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 1999

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    03/02, 07:07pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: small percentage

    "Yes, that is what Apple does. Its all about steve's whims, anyway."

    Sure, Steve has whims. But assuming Apple does zero market research for things like this that cost lots of R&D money is just ridiculous.

    " Because if they asked, don't you think enough people would've said "Hey, isight built-in? Great! Make sure I can rotate it like you can an external one!""

    um... what? Rotate it like an external one? No, I don't believe that would have been the first thing on anybody's mind. I mean, considering it's a laptop and all, and you can just rotate the whole computer. And stream your video wirelessly. No actually, I'm pretty sure most people who may have been shown that concept would have thought it was pretty cool.

    "Web cameras are great for mom and dad, but I find it useless to be able to see who I'm talking to."

    I see, so not only do mom and dad not make up a significant percentage of the population, but apparently nobody else in the world has a use for a webcam? Is that about right? You may not know this, but your opinion isn't actually the defining opinion on which Apple decides what products to build and how. Basic webcam stuff is far, far, far, vastly, massively more popular and omnipresent than screen sharing. You may not want to see who you're talking to, but that doesn't mean millions and millions of other people don't.

    "How about a wireless cell phone connectivity card, which is what most people want."

    Most people? Have you done research on this? Can you back that up with numbers? How about "Use bluetooth to do the same thing, which is included by default on the MacBook"? See, just because you don't have a bluetooth enabled cell phone doesn't mean millions and millions of other people don't. While I agree that cell phone connectivity is important for a lot of people, I don't think "a wired cable connection to a PC card installed in a laptop" would be the #1 favorite way of doing it for most people - not with the saturation of bluetooth in the cell phone market.

    "Own a tower and want to upgrade? Well, hopefully you don't own any PCI cards, because Apple's decided to switch completely over to PCI-express."

    Wouldn't the exact same thing be true for PC users? You'd have to swap out your entire motherboard in addition to buying a different kind of video card (PCI vs. PCI express) and probably different ram along with it. And a different processor. So I really don't see what your point is here, other than you just want things to always stay the same so you aren't put through the hassle of upgrading anything, ever.

    And really, you're one of the only people I've seen who can whine and complain about Apple adding new features without raising the price. Maybe Apple should just give them away instead of selling them, would that work for you?

  1. bokubob

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    03/02, 07:37pm | report spam | Reply |

    worst ars tech review..

    I agree with the comments about this not being that great of a review. I feel like the reviewer wanted to show off how clever she could be by pointing out ways the macbook's "features" could go wrong. Ok, you have cats and kids, got it, move on already! I'd skip this review.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    03/03, 11:15am | report spam | Reply |

    Re: small percentage

    Wouldn't the exact same thing be true for PC users? You'd have to swap out your entire motherboard in addition to buying a different kind of video card (PCI vs. PCI express) and probably different ram along with it. And a different processor. So I really don't see what your point is here, other than you just want things to always stay the same so you aren't put through the hassle of upgrading anything, ever.

    No, because PCs with PCI-Express also have PCI slots. So you can get updated hardwware for what you may want (say PCI-Express video), but then not have to go out and buy all new other peripherals (say a new SCSI card, or USB/Firewire card, or whatever else people may own.

    And really, you're one of the only people I've seen who can whine and complain about Apple adding new features without raising the price. Maybe Apple should just give them away instead of selling them, would that work for you?

    Umm, they do raise the price. The mini is now more expensive then before (because they've dropped the low end). Its not that I'm complaining about apple adding new features, its that they won't NOT add new features and just drop the freakin' price. How impossible is it that, when upgrading processor speed on a computer model, to perhaps keep the older speed chip on a low-end and mark it down in price? Nope, can't do it. Gotta keep those price points. So they gotta add in extra stuff to make it warrant it (for all those "Yeah, but if spec a Dell to the same specs of stuff, even if you'll never use it, it comes out the same!")

    And I'm not the only person who complains, you're just not paying attention.

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