What the heck is that horizontal line on the top left edge of the MacBook Pro 17" screen in the photo? That isn't there in the photos on Apple's web site...

In my opinion, the Mag Safe connector is just a mask for the real problem. Why not make that cable disconnectable at the adapter end?

That way when it breaks, you can just replace a $10 cable instead of a $75 adapter (or whatever costs).

I can only speak for my local area. Here in Los Angeles, almost all Mac users are making media of some sort and almost all of them use FW 800. If external SATA becomes as cost effective and user friendly, then fine, but until then...

Re: "...to me it seems that Apple is quite clear on FW 800: Only needed for professional video editing - where you need the large screen too."

Not hardly. Lame single-100 GB hard drive (HD) capacity in laptops mean ALL image professionals, not just video, need FW 800! Photoshop demands a fast physically separate HD (no partitioning) for scratch, and digital photography requires an additional fast HD for an image library.

Elimination of FW800 was a mistake and I think Apple recognized it. There is a possibility we will see it reintroduced on the next version the 15" model. I hope so, as the 17" is just too large for me to lug around on my travels. Other things may also find their way back in, as successive developement miniturizes things even furture.

There was no FW 800 on the current 15" MBP, because the chipset at the time (intel's) did not support FW800. I believe we'll find that the 17" MBP uses a different chipset, which does support FW800 (or it clearly had more internal space to accomodate extra support circuitry).

So much for all the fanbois whining about "Wooboohoo, Apple is abandoning Firewire, because they dropped FW800... get clue!"

As for the FW800 use on 15" MBPs, honestly, I have FW800 devices, and I had the prior PB with FW800 - I have NEVER used that port.

As for Mr. denim - it's called 'product release strategy', something I'm sure you are not familiar with, but all of that will come to pass (12" replacement device, iBooks)

Not much left, really -- iBooks, to be announced in June or so; subcompact MacBook Pro; and then we're pretty much in the territory of the desktop and Xserve boxes -- both of which require availability of intel's Core Duo 64-bit offerings.

The Intel chipset used with the Core Solo/Duo supports PCIe for internal attachment. Apple likely just dropped in a FW800 to PCIe bridge... from what I can tell the 17" uses the same chipset as the 15", they just added such a bridge.

>but the missing modem is a problem. Have to get one of >those notebook wart time modems...really cumbersome >to use a card for communications.

Apple sells a 56K Modem that connects to your USB port. The whole thing is about the size of a iPod shuffle.

Its a pro laptop, but it comes with front row? Is that because all pros also need the ability to run a home entertainment system on their laptop while doing all that pro work?

And with the added size, they still couldn't put on an ExpressCard/54 slot?

And people wouldn't be complaining about FW800 and what apple's doing with it (or not doing with it) if they would just come out and say "Here's what machines we plan on using it on, and here's which ones we won't" rather then having customers guess what technologies they're going to use here and there.

>The 17" Powerbook has always been too large, so how >about announcing a machine most people will actually buy, >like the 12"? Or the iBook?

I would think that the 15-inch models have been Apple's highest selling products which is probably why it was the first to be introduced with the new architecture. The 17-inch is probably the next in-line for volume followed by the 12-inch PB and iBook lines.

As for too large -- it's for a specific market. Either you need it or you don't. Our office has three 17-inch PowerBooks and not a single 15- or 12-inch to be found.

When is the iBook going to be updated? It's getting a bit stale (not something i thought i'd ever say) in the wake of the other models transitioning. What is left not intel: iBook, xServe, Powermac. If you look at mactracker data you can see how the G4 iBooks were on track then the most recent model was all most 9 months ago...

I would think that the 15-inch models have been Apple's highest selling products which is probably why it was the first to be introduced with the new architecture. The 17-inch is probably the next in-line for volume followed by the 12-inch PB and iBook lines.

Well, the reason for this, though, isn't as obvious as you would think. The 12" powerbook probably doesn't sell well because its really more a highend iBook, not a smaller version of the 15".

If apple could actually make a 12" macbook pro with the same features of the 15", then I'm sure it would sell real well (assuming they also cut the weight at the same time). The one market where Apple doesn't have a laptop position is in the sub-notebook arena, the ultra-light but usable computers for those who trek so much every extra ounce is an annoyance (of course, they also would probably insist on an internal modem, and we all know that Apple has decreed modem communication dead).

bokubob, to me it seems that Apple is quite clear on FW 800: Only needed for professional video editing - where you need the large screen too.

Yeah, but one of the reasons to buy a powerbook/macbook (or, it should be said, one of the features that Apple "forces" its customers to buy a MacBook Pro to get) is real external monitor support. Take 15" laptop, connect to 24" external monitor, and off you go, although slowly (because of the firewire 400).

If you're going to have a "pro" machine, it should have "pro" features (esp those that you've touted as pro features).

I doubt if there is going to be a 13.3" MacBook Pro. I think the MacBook (iBook replacement) will take that spot. Many potential PB 12" buyers evaluated the difference and decided to go with the iBook and save $400.

Having a FW800 port is not the same as having a working FW800 port. Those who have G5 and use FW800 all know that it operates at a much slower pace than FW800 on PB or PMG4.

Really Testudo, you have to do a better troll than that. The remote can do double duty as a report for driving a Keynote presentation. Is a 54 slot taller? If so, you have your answer.

I recall when the 15" MacBook was released I read that the concensus was it was mostly an Intel design (It appears Apple contracted out much of the design work on the first Intel releases) and that the main reason FW400 wasn't offered was that there wasn't a standard Intel chipset for FW400.

The good news is that it should be evident that the feature set you see on the 17" will migrate to the 15" at some point. I'd guess this will happen after the price drops in June on the core-duo processors. Perhaps at the Dev. conference in August?

Just my 2 cents worth...

Geez, wonder if it will work as well as the 15"???

This Weeks What’s Wrong With Macs! COPIED DIRECTLY From YOUR Helpe Site macfixit.com!

Special Report: Troubleshooting the MacBook Pro Covering these topics: ◦ 30″ Cinema Display distortion ◦ Audio distortion/poor sound quality ◦ Battery problems: Shuts off when not connected to power, more ◦ Built-in Display distortion ◦ Dead MacBook Pro's-on-arrival units!! ◦ Downgraded SuperDrive relative to PowerBook G4 ◦ ExpressCard issues ◦ FireWire 800 cards for ExpressCard/34 slot on the way ◦ High-pitched whining noises: Eliminating ◦ iSight not functioning properly ◦ Kernel panics upon waking up (Inability to wake from sleep) ◦ Lack of alternative power adapters ◦ Missing components ◦ Poor general network performance ◦ Printer issues: Not recognized, more ◦ Problems sharing the Internet connection ◦ Slow networking performance with VLANs; VOIP phones ◦ Wireless connectivity issues ◦ MacBook Pro (#15): Kernel panics upon waking up (Inability to wake from sleep); More on whining noise; Wireless connectivity issues; more ◦ MacBook Pro (#14): Inconsistent wireless connections with third-party routers; Problems operating from battery; more ◦ MacBook Pro (#13): Whining noises — more fixes; AppleTalk printers not showing up over AirPort; more ◦ MacBook Pro (#12): Poor network performance for some ◦ MacBook Pro (#11): More on whining noises, fixes; Problems sharing Internet connection; more ◦ MacBook Pro (#11): Audio distortion; whining noises; screen flickering; more ◦ MacBook Pro (#10): High-pitched whine being emitted, possible fixes; More seemingly defective units ◦ MacBook Pro (#9): More units arrive DOA; More on sound quality ◦ MacBook Pro (#8): iSight not functioning properly; Screen artifacts; Sound quality/speaker issues; more ◦ MacBook Pro (#7): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more ◦ MacBook Pro (#5): Notes from service manual; Poor sound quality; more ◦ MacBook Pro #4: FireWire 800 cards for ExpressCard/34 slot on the way ◦ MacBook Pro #3: Ship date; Lack of third-party adapters; Adding a FireWire 800 port; ExpressCard issues ◦ MacBook Pro (#2): SuperDrive apparently not dual-layer; S-Video out gone; No internal modem ◦ Apple releases MacBook Pro Core Duo: 4–5X faster than PowerBook G4 (yeah sure!, NOT what Benchmarks have shown!)

MacBook Pro (#12): Poor network performance for some Monday, March 13 2006 @ 08:15 AM PST

Some users are reporting poor network performance from the MacBook Pro, an issue we are not experiencing in-house.

Note that we cover a broad range of Intel-based Mac networking issues in a separate series of articles, along with various workarounds that may also be applicable

Really Testudo, you have to do a better troll than that. The remote can do double duty as a report for driving a Keynote presentation. Is a 54 slot taller? If so, you have your answer.

That's nice about the remote. I never heard you could use it on keynote. Must be great to come up with a reason (although I think touting Front Row on a pro laptop is still pushing it. It'd be like MS saying "Get Windows XP Pro, and connect to your domain, handle remote accessing capabilities, and be able to record TV Shows and play them later").

As for the 54 slot. To my understanding, its no taller then a 34 slot. Just wider. But, hey, what does it matter. No one has ExpressCards anyway (and if you listen to most macfans, they insist upgrading a computer is pointless and no one does it because the macs have everything you could possibly need - well, except a modem - plus a ton of stuff you'll probably never use, because, well, apple just feels the need to make sure the price is high enough to scare most prospective buyers).

Hey, keep your trolling fact telling away from here. You're not allowed to make any comments around here that implies apple doesn't make the bestest ever products around. And even if they do have issues, we all know that every other computer maker has even worse issues, so stop complaining.

Next thing you'll know, you'll be complaining that Boot Camp doesn't support all the hardware on the laptop - like people want to use a webcam or the backlight on the keyboard when using windows - or that others would like to be able to change a harddrive, or put in a dual-layer drive, in their macbooks without having to have a technician do it.

Posters here don't like people like you. You just want to cause trouble!

First, any "pro" using FW is either misguided, or not that much of a pro. The "correct" shoe has finally dropped, FirmTek announced a 2 port Express 34 card that supports SATA. Native SATA support blows the doors completely off FW or any sort or variety (besides how serious is apple about it if they have been selling hardware for 2+ years that can only manage to write FW800 at FW400 speed?).

I have a 4 port SATA card in my G5, and it is hooked to a 2 drive array and lemme tell you, it is way faster than a 2 drive array on the INTERNAL buses.

When are they going to put a faster Superdrive in the 15" plus dual layer capability

Honestly, for me it doesn't matter as until I get a new job, I'm not about to go out and buy a new computer of [b]any[/b] size. :-(

So if you take a 15" and jump it's processor to 2.16, you are at the same price as the 17" but WITHOUT the larger screen, 120GB HDD, SD DL, 1 USB, and FW800. Right now the 17" is a deal compared to the 15". So I think we'll see a price change or a revamp on the 15" very soon.

I have a 4 port SATA card in my G5, and it is hooked to a 2 drive array and lemme tell you, it is way faster than a 2 drive array on the INTERNAL buses.

great, but don't you know we use macs. And, apparently, mac users have no need for expansion or upgrades or any new features coming down the pike. That's what I've been told whenever I complain about not having a relatively cheap mac solution that let's someone do something weird like add an expansion card. "Why do you need that? You have USB and firewire, everything is built in, you don't need anything else". Hey, maybe some people do. Unfortunately, you have to be willing to spen $2000 (vs $500 for a PC) to get such a simple little thing like expansion.

I didn't think the FW800 port could FIT on the 15 incher. In any case, arguing that connecting a 24 inch MONITOR would be SLOWER because of FW400 makes you look like a fool. I am using an iBook 1.33 ghz 12.1 inch model fuly loaded. This machine currently outperforms the 12 inch powerbook. The only thing the 12 inch PB has over this is possibly bus speed and the DVI port. People need to look at these things with their eyeballs before spewing out their ideas. In any case, i believe the highest end products having the fastest connectivity technology makes sense, especially from a design standpoint. You don't want an awkward design just to cram in some extra ports. These are not POS wintel "laptops" with ports poking out all every which way. These are high end quality portables which have dignity in their design. I mean, all those features and awesome new screens at 5-6 lbs with 1 inch thickness? Mind you, the old 15 g4 powerbook was thicker than one inch. the fact that they squeezed in a TOTALLY new chipset and such in a smaller form factor is, sto me at least, amazing. You folks need to get a grip and realize apple isn't going to put out some computer only you will buy! they need to mass produce these!

- Andy

So can I download the official Testudo video that comes up after Mac OS X boots and tells me all the problems I have with the computer and points me to places I could fix them. That would be really useful. Oh, when will it be available Testudo? When?

"Its a pro laptop, but it comes with front row? Is that because all pros also need the ability to run a home entertainment system on their laptop while doing all that pro work?"

Are you *really* complaining?

I would hope that Apple has realized that people purchasing their Pro products expect a superset of the software included with the consumer models. I know I was ticked a few years ago to discover my PowerBook lacked some of the software that came with my dad's iMac G3.

Well, I am getting this bad baby very soon. I was waiting, because currently I have an iBook G4 14inch and I can't stand this smallnest (is that a word?) so I wanted something widescreen and BIG. Can't wait. See you all later!

Thanks Apple