Related Posts

Power, er, Mac Book Pro…

Having used Apple computers since the early-80’s, I’ve seen them grow from the Apple IIe that we all used in elementary school to the new Intel-based macs coming out now.

This time of year is pretty exciting for tech folks in general because of all the news coming out of both the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and MacWorld. A few days ago I wrote about announcements by Directv and today, some news from the Apple camp at MacWorld—the first Intel-based computers have been showcased, the MacBook Pro and the iMac.

Shown above is the new MacBook Pro laptop, taking the place of the Powerbook used mostly by design professionals. From Apple’s own website:

You’ve seen improvements in notebook performance before — but never on this scale. The Intel Core Duo powering MacBook Pro is actually two processors built into a single chip. This, combined with myriad other engineering leaps, boosts performance up to four times higher than the PowerBook G4. With this awesome power, it’s a breeze to render complex 3D models, enjoy smooth playback of 1080p HD video, or host a four-way video conference.

When Apple first announced the move to Intel, it made a lot of people very nervous. Would we have to replace all of our software, how would it work, could we run both platforms on one computer? The answers seem to be in and it shows that existing applications will work with the new Intel-Macs, due in part to a small app called Rosetta running in the background. Also, software developers will now be able to create Universal applications that will run on both our Intel and PowerPC versions of our hardware. Finally, the computer is just spankin’ fast with it’s new Intel chips.

Moving onto software included with this bad boy, you’ll get Front Row built-in. What’s that mean? It means you’ll have access to a portable theater of your music, movies and and photos, which also comes with a remote control so you can view it from a distance.

Also cool is a built-in webcam called iSight right into the monitor, so you can teleconference from your MacBook Pro. Not only that, but this little cam also works well with Front Row, so while you’re on the road you could create a video diary of whatever you’re doing. And don’t forget, you can also video chat with your friends if you’d like without having to carry around a bulky webcam.

So what else is there? The powercord locks into the computer magnetically. Why is this a good thing? Because if you trip on it, as most of us end up doing at some point, instead of getting yanked out and broken, it simply comes off like a magnet pulling from your refrigerator. No more broken or loose connectors. The screen has been upgraded to match that of the Cinema Display making your viewing a little brighter, giving you less eye strain. Finally it’s wireless, which is a standard for laptops these days. The idea is to travel with it, free of cords and this one delivers.

And what’s the bad news. Well there’s not really bad news, but I have to say, the name kind of sucks. MacBook Pro doesn’t really roll off the tongue like Powerbook did. The transition from PowerPC-based to Intel-based called for a change, and as most of are familiar, Apple isn’t as great on names as they are on design. Why not just call it a Powerbook Pro or something. MacBook is just clunky and sounds a little 80’s, to be honest.

Other than that, though, all’s good for us Mac folk. Funny how you don’t see Windows folks getting juiced up about a new computer. Guess we’re just in a league of our own.

Tags: apple, macbook, imac, ces, macworld, intel

 Print This Post
  Link to this Entry