Apple Ceases to have Design Edge

[bruinsrme]

Wow thats a restrictive school!

My I ask what country you live in??

Those were our rules. he is living in a very nice part of Boston.

the high counsel (my wife) didn't want cable TV in his place, she had some very strict rules.

 

[NT1440]

Those were our rules. he is living in a very nice part of Boston.

the high counsel (my wife) didn't want cable TV in his place, she had some very strict rules.

OH, that certainly clears things up!

I thought you were referring to some sort of board at the school!

 

[Digital Skunk]

I agree. I love the cheese grater look. I hope they don't change that. If they change anything let it be a for speed, cooling etc...... But keep the design.

Simply put, it's still the best design for a desktop almost 10 years standing if you count the G5 and Mac Pro as refreshes to the original Blue and White G3.

Even my beloved Firebird can't compare to the cleanness of the Mac Pro, the HP having only more space for hardware and top notch components. It's still pretty messy with cables inside compared to the Mac Pro or even the G5 before it.

 

[bruinsrme]

I cracked open my sons 1730. that think is packed with hardware.
2 hdds, sli vid cards, sound, video accelarator, tv tuner, and other things I didn't recognize.
Its pretty tight in there. Now I understand why such a large foot print

 

[Digital Skunk]

I cracked open my sons 1730. that think is packed with hardware.
2 hdds, sli vid cards, sound, video accelarator, tv tuner, and other things I didn't recognize.
Its pretty tight in there. Now I understand why such a large foot print

Not to mention weight. I can understand not carrying that around all the time and leaving it plugged in since the batt will only get you about an hour and a half.

The 17" MBP, not so much.

 

[Furrybeagle]

Hmmm. If this is the case why then for the need to run windows on mac. According to many posts the 9400 and 9600 nvidia cards are performing better under the windows boot? Just wondering if the OS is not able to exploit the hardware as of yet?

Don't get me wrong it is a nice looking machine but I would rather have the latest hardware.

Um... are you really asking that? Some software is only available on Windows... that’s really a function of market share, not OS engineering and design... The fact that people are willing to dual-boot their Macs shows that these people would rather be using OS X, but are still tied software on Windows.

As for your second paragraph, how does the MacBook Pro not have the latest hardware? It’s like you imply that the MBP is using dated hardware, as opposed to having a smaller/minimalist feature set. I guess you could make the case for not having BluRay and maybe eSATA as having “dated” hardware, but what else about the MPB is not “the latest hardware”?


In the end, it’s a tradeoff. Some people, including me, have a strong desire for OS X, and don’t care if we have to buy third party GPS/WWAN/Tv Tuners/card readers/whatevers (Apple should include BluRay and eSATA, though...). But if you just have to have those wherever you go, then get a PC. Simple as that.

And why do people keep harping on about HDMI? DisplayPort is a newer specification. I agree that HDMI has more practical use now, but it’s like harping on the fact that the 2002 PowerBook G4 dropped VGA for DVI. In fact, why are there still so many PCs carrying that god awful VGA port, when some even already have HDMI ports!? It’s so wasteful... Am I missing something????

 

[VoR]

HDMI lets you plug the machine into any flat panel tv and carries hd sound.
VGA is used in most projectors and conference rooms.

Nothing to say on this topic, other than I certainly can't see myself buying any apple products in the near future.

 

[argos4000]

After looking through a lot of the CES photos and much of what is on the market right now I am convinced that Apple has finally lost the design edge that it used to have 2 or 3 years ago.

The Dell offerings at CES are smooth, sweet, and I know will be Quad core with removable batteries. The Pre is fugly, but the OS is decidedly better than the iPhone. I don't know if it's easier to use and intuitive, but from what I see it's far more capable with more powerful gestures.

Sony to me has always kept up with Apple in terms of design, but now I can see them leaping ahead of Apple in terms of innovation with their Sony P netbook and 18" widescreen with Blu Ray. As well as their 11.1" laptop with dual SSD, Blu Ray, and ports.

Not that I don't like the current Macbook and Macbook Pro design, just that the PC makers are taking note, and are answering the call in ways Apple may never by offering great designs, great performance/price, great expandability, and great warranties and service.

Or has this always been the case and I was just being a blind fanboy (which I was during my first few years as a Mac user)?

No way! The new MacBooks look awesome!

 

[hacksaw-C87]

The Sony Vaio range is, and imo always has been, an impressive range. Some of their notebooks are truly impressive. However, you still have to pay a premium for them and you're stuck with a (more) buggy OS. I'd say some of the Vaio range is on a par with Apple in design terms, but my personal preference is Apple.

 

[bruinsrme]

Not to mention weight. I can understand not carrying that around all the time and leaving it plugged in since the batt will only get you about an hour and a half.

The 17" MBP, not so much.

Battery in the 1730 runs 2.5 to 3.5 hours of solid gaming.

I have seen it run over 4 hours just him doing his homework. the power management is very good on that machine.

the weight, yeah its heavy as i would expect as I have said it is truly a desktop replacement. for him its exactly what he wanted and needed. For me I saved a chunk of change which went towards my new XPS.

Sure its not as thin or as light as the MBP but the MBP doesn't have what he needed/wanted. He could of ahd any computer he wanted under $4000. He elected to get the computer that met his needs.

Could he have gotten away with a MBP possibly but he wanted to watch bluray 1080P not an upscaled 720p or 1080i out, cant blame him. He wanted a fast raid configuration and the latest SLI video cards, surround sound, back lit keyboard. he also wanted the capability to easily swap large external HDDs with his friends. Plus the 4 year full warranty regular and accidental with next day parts is also a bonus.
So for around $2800 he got exactly what he wanted. And I got a full warranty for the 4 years, minus the battery

 

[Furrybeagle]

Sure its not as thin or as light as the MBP but the MBP doesn't have what he needed/wanted. He could of ahd any computer he wanted under $4000. He elected to get the computer that met his needs.

Could he have gotten away with a MBP possibly but he wanted to watch bluray 1080P not an upscaled 720p or 1080i out, cant blame him. He wanted a fast raid configuration and the latest SLI video cards, surround sound, back lit keyboard. he also wanted the capability to easily swap large external HDDs with his friends. Plus the 4 year full warranty regular and accidental with next day parts is also a bonus.
So for around $2800 he got exactly what he wanted. And I got a full warranty for the 4 years, minus the battery

Jeeze, with a $4000 limit why not get an XPS tower (or better yet build a custom rig) and a laptop that you can actually carry? Am I the only student that actually carries a laptop around on campus? My roommates gave me a weird look when I told them I *gasp* take notes with it.

And where does the MBP not have surround sound, 1080p out, and the capability to swap large external drives?