Apple's Next 17" MBP should be this.....Maybe

[Digital Skunk]

All I am saying, is that this is the innovation I am looking for from Apple. It doesn't have to be this ugly, but it could be this useful.

I hope they don't take anything away from the beloved 17" MBP revision, but if they do, could they please replace it with some PROFESSIONAL features, and not just another USB port that won't get much use from some.

Can it resemble the tech specs of this Apple? Please!

 

[Eidorian]

I was surprised they got the second screen onto that laptop.

I know you're still waiting for a portable workstation from Apple.

 

[Cliff3]

11 pounds? I'll pass, thanks. My 15" MBP is just about perfect for portability.

 

[dmw007]

Those are some pretty impressive specs!

11 pounds? I'll pass, thanks. My 15" MBP is just about perfect for portability.

I agree, 11 pounds is super heavy for a laptop (at least in my opinion it is). Heck, it makes my 17" PowerBook G4 feel like a featherweight.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I was surprised they got the second screen onto that laptop.

I know you're still waiting for a portable workstation from Apple.

True. And to go along with the comment below it is heavy as sin, but that's what I would love in a portable workstation. Editing more than two streams of 1080p on a 17" MBP is just about it's limit, and thats not even with motion graphics. It would be a pain to carry, but it would a joy to work on.

This thing from Lenovo isn't what I want, especially at twice the weight of a the current 17" MBP, but it does have quad core, dual HDD, full sized CF card reader, and custom order 8GB of RAM.

I hope Apple releases the updated 17" with at least another option that makes it worth spending another $300 other than a larger screen.

I think that's what's keeping it from being released... Apple just doesn't know what to do with all the space they are truly going to gain from the unibody construction.

11 pounds? I'll pass, thanks. My 15" MBP is just about perfect for portability.

 

[Cliff3]

I agree, 11 pounds is super heavy for a laptop (at least in my opinion it is). Heck, it makes my 17" PowerBook G4 feel like a featherweight.

When your carry-on already has a good 15 pounds worth of camera stuff, adding 11 pounds to that package is the straw that broke the camel's back. And many carriers have a 7kg weight limit for carry-on luggage, which is one of the things that has me jonesing for a D700 in lieu of my D2X.

 

[Digital Skunk]

When your carry-on already has a good 15 pounds worth of camera stuff, adding 11 pounds to that package is the straw that broke the camel's back. And many carriers have a 7kg weight limit for carry-on luggage, which is one of the things that has me jonesing for a D700 in lieu of my D2X.

Oh man! I have carried a good 30 pounds of gear with me from time to time. Covered a conference in Michigan that had me gone for about three days and had a good portion of gear, and audio gathering with 17" MBP. Had two separate carry-ons but I have no doubt that it was around 15 pounds each bag.

But yes, I agree, adding 5.2 more pound to my 17" wouldn't help.

Which is why I would love Apple to make a true desktop replacement that is not only thinner, but cancels out the useless tablet and extra screen.

 

[Cliff3]

This thing from Lenovo isn't what I want, especially at twice the weight of a the current 17" MBP, but it does have quad core, dual HDD, full sized CF card reader, and custom order 8GB of RAM.

I would imagine we'll see quad core laptops from Apple soon enough, and dual internal drives aren't a big deal to me when a bus powered FW800 external drive works just fine. Finally, those internal card readers are all running at USB speeds - I'll stick with my external FW800 card reader.

I do seriously lust for more than 4GB of RAM though..

 

[FX120]

11 pounds? I'll pass, thanks. My 15" MBP is just about perfect for portability.

A number of other workstation class notebooks weigh about the same...

Hell just a few years ago I remember buying a 17" Sager for using Solidworks, paying nearly $4000 for it, and thinking "boy this is heavy" after setting it on a shipping scale one day out of curiosity and being in shock when it weighed in at 12.5lbs... But it offered the desktop class performance I needed in a "portable" package, at least that is compared to lugging around a desktop and a LCD monitor...

So this sort of notebook isn't intended to be a daily use laptop you toss in your bag and head down to the cafe with, it's meant for professionals who need the heavy lifting capability of a desktop while remaining mobile. And the W700 really does have a lot to offer, color calibrated LCD, quad core CPU, butt-loads of RAM, dual hard drives, built in Wacom digitizer, dual graphics cards, optional auxillary display.

For a professional photographer that needs to do on-site reviewing, and quick touch up work I can't imagine a better machine. Compared to the weight of the cameras, lenses, tripod, strobes, diffusers, backdrops, makeup ect, the extra 6lbs of laptop isn't all that big of a deal...

 

[Cliff3]

For a professional photographer who doesn't fly that needs to do on-site reviewing, and quick touch up work I can't imagine a better machine. Compared to the weight of the cameras, lenses, tripod, strobes, diffusers, backdrops, makeup ect, the extra 6lbs of laptop isn't all that big of a deal...

Fixed your post. If they travel via surface transport then sure, the weight doesn't matter much.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Fixed your post. If they travel via surface transport then sure, the weight doesn't matter much.

As I said, it doesn't matter much when you fly either. I have carried well over the 11 pounds of this notebook on many flights.

And as was said, it beats trying to check your Mac Pro and a monitor.

Also, having dual internal HDD is very important to me since FW800 cables have a nasty habit of falling out, and I can edit while driving long distances on my 17" MBP while in my tiny Ford car comfortably. Also, an internal SATA will give me 3GB/s speeds, without having to use two cables like eSATA does.

It also gives me the ability to either have my scratch disk right there in my machine, or the option to RAID my drives for more speed, the option to have a faster SSD boot disk and secondary storage drive, or large storage.

I am sure the target market for the 17" would love to have that.

 

[Cliff3]

As I said, it doesn't matter much when you fly either. I have carried well over the 11 pounds of this notebook on many flights.

It depends on which airline you fly. I flew United to Australia last Spring because they don't weigh carry-ons (this post has details on what I brought with me: link). When I flew to Manila in 2007, Philippine Airlines was very conscious of the weight of my luggage, and my trip to Boracay avoided regional turboprops because of their extreme weight limitations.

 

[Digital Skunk]

It depends on which airline you fly. I flew United to Australia last Spring because they don't weigh carry-ons (this post has details on what I brought with me: link). When I flew to Manila in 2007, Philippine Airlines was very conscious of the weight of my luggage, and my trip to Boracay avoided regional turboprops because of their extreme weight limitations.

This is very true, I see that you had a LowePro Stealth Reporter in that shot? I am right? That is an amazing bag. Mine FINALLY came in a few weeks ago and I use it and the older SR400 to carry misc stuff.

You brought a lot with you to Aussie. During the Michigan trip I carried:

(abbreviated)
17" MBP, two LaCie ruggeds, two SB-80s, one SB-800, D2xs, D200, Marantz PDM600, Mic and cable, various AA batteries, 70-200, 17-55, 50mm, batteries for bodies and chargers, headphones, and it all weighed in about 30+ pounds in a Victorinox Metro Roller and SR400.

I know that it was hard as hell finding a bag to fit a 17" MBP from LowePro, getting anything larger will need it's own bag, but I know that it will fit perfectly in the Metro Roller's laptop compartment.

 

[Cliff3]

This is very true, I see that you had a LowePro Stealth Reporter in that shot? I am right? That is an amazing bag. Mine FINALLY came in a few weeks ago and I use it and the older SR400 to carry misc stuff.

You brought a lot with you to Aussie. During the Michigan trip I carried:

(abbreviated)
17" MBP, two LaCie ruggeds, two SB-80s, one SB-800, D2xs, D200, Marantz PDM600, Mic and cable, various AA batteries, 70-200, 17-55, 50mm, batteries for bodies and chargers, headphones, and it all weighed in about 30+ pounds in a Victorinox Metro Roller and SR400.

I know that it was hard as hell finding a bag to fit a 17" MBP from LowePro, getting anything larger will need it's own bag, but I know that it will fit perfectly in the Metro Roller's laptop compartment.

That's a lot of gear.

I have a Stealth Reporter 650, but that's more of a car bag than an airplane bag. The bag I took to Oz is a Tamrac 5618. It's a few inches shallower than the Lowepro, but otherwise about the same size. Those inches make a big difference.

I thought I was going to be living in Oz for 2+ years (I was there to manage a software development team for a subsidiary that was subsequently sold, of an employer from whom I subsequently accepted an early retirement package), but the current economic climate shot that all to hell. Hence all the crap I took with me.

 

[gjw4u]

The 2nd screen on the ds model is only slightly thinner / lighter than a MBA!!!

 

[Techguy172]

I think this is a better option from dell, 16GB Ram, Quad Core, Full Gamut screen. Only 8.5 Pounds. Much better Option

 

[Digital Skunk]

I think this is a better option from dell, 16GB Ram, Quad Core, Full Gamut screen. Only 8.5 Pounds. Much better Option

I wouldn't call it a better option. Different, but not better.

I would like Apple to make something that more competes with the Dell however. The Lenovo isn't as sleek as I am used to, and the Dell is just about perfect and stays in a weight that I am used to.

 

[Techguy172]

I wouldn't call it a better option. Different, but not better.

I would like Apple to make something that more competes with the Dell however. The Lenovo isn't as sleek as I am used to, and the Dell is just about perfect and stays in a weight that I am used to.

Really, if the dell ran mac, That would be the Computer I would buy. That is a really nice machine. If windows 7 is good, then I would strongly consider this.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Really, if the dell ran mac, That would be the Computer I would buy. That is a really nice machine. If windows 7 is good, then I would strongly consider this.

Same here. That's pretty much what's keeping me from going all PC. If I could run Mac OSX and Mac software it would be a no brainer.

It's always been this way in the tech world. PC users get the full gamut of hardware, but Mac users get the best software IMHO. There would be SO MANY Sony 11.1" PCs and Dell power houses and the HP Blackbird on my desk if they could run Mac OS X.

I hope Windows 7 and Windows Mobile 7 turn out to be the best MS has done ever. I don't know about spending $6000 for this machine with Windows 7, but I would consider getting other PCs again. And if there was ever something that Apple does that pisses me off to no end then I know I can get the integration I need and love with Windows and Adobe apps.

 

[Techguy172]

Same here. That's pretty much what's keeping me from going all PC. If I could run Mac OSX and Mac software it would be a no brainer.

It's always been this way in the tech world. PC users get the full gamut of hardware, but Mac users get the best software IMHO. There would be SO MANY Sony 11.1" PCs and Dell power houses and the HP Blackbird on my desk if they could run Mac OS X.

I hope Windows 7 and Windows Mobile 7 turn out to be the best MS has done ever. I don't know about spending $6000 for this machine with Windows 7, but I would consider getting other PCs again. And if there was ever something that Apple does that pisses me off to no end then I know I can get the integration I need and love with Windows and Adobe apps.

Yeah, We don't have the best hardware but the software is fantastic and that's enough right now to keep me switching back.

Are you getting the Windows 7 Beta? I think I'll try it and then see what I think. But first I'm waiting to see what happens with the mini.

 

[FX120]

I've been playing around with a Windows 7 alpha release for a few days, and it is pretty amazing. By far the fastest and most responsive operating system I have used. I use PC's daily in addition to my Macs, and I am eagerly awaiting 7...

 

[Techguy172]

I've been playing around with a Windows 7 alpha release for a few days, and it is pretty amazing. By far the fastest and most responsive operating system I have used. I use PC's daily in addition to my Macs, and I am eagerly awaiting 7...

That's' good, I'm gonna put the beta on my Macbook.

 

[vga4life]

Same here. That's pretty much what's keeping me from going all PC. If I could run Mac OSX and Mac software it would be a no brainer.

It's always been this way in the tech world. PC users get the full gamut of hardware, but Mac users get the best software IMHO. There would be SO MANY Sony 11.1" PCs and Dell power houses and the HP Blackbird on my desk if they could run Mac OS X.

See, this gives me a bad feeling about the future of the Mac platform. Apple has always been at its best when it delivers a premium hardware product, not just a nice OS. The best and fastest gear available, etc. Remember the original Powerbook G3? The G5 when it first came out? The iPod? (The greatest part of Apple's success in that market was arguably the result of their cornering the market on 1.8" hard drives for several years. Nobody else could make a music player as sleek as an iPod because nobody else could buy small hard drives of adequate capacity.)

I appreciate Apple's focus on simplicity but it is no longer competing on features and performance. It is competing on fashion/design aesthetic (which is fickle) and brand loyalty (which is not inexhaustable) in a price-sensitive world.

$1299 is a premium (not entry level) laptop in the PC world, and buys a desktop that approaches or exceeds the Mac Pro in real-world performance. OS X is worth a lot to me, but I'm not convinced it's worth the 50-100% price premium it's commanding, especially in the desktop space.

I also think Apple is at its worst when it's delivering half-baked marketecture like underclocked CPUs (remembering the bad-old-days again) and use of proprietary connectors where standard ones will do (A long tradition at Apple, one I'd hoped had mostly died out until MiniDisplayport was foisted on us.)

Certainly the new unibody designs don't do much for me - MiniDisplayPort is an anti-feature they should be paying me to accept, rather than nickle-and-diming me for a set of adapters they expect me to carry to interface with any other monitor or projector on the planet. Rolling it out to the desktop line (such as it is) is another groanworthy move, all but ensuring they will continue to lag behind in GPU availability and performance.

I'm waiting to see how Efi-X deals with 10.6, but if they work well I am seriously considering building my own mac for my next desktop this year. My real concern is what happens when my 15" Santa Rosa MBP is due for replacement in 2010 (if the GPU hasn't died by then.) It may well be time to suck it up and switch to Windows.

 

[Digital Skunk]

It may well be time to suck it up and switch to Windows.

Brother!

Everything you say is EXACTLY how I feel right now.

To add to that, I am also pissed that Apple constantly gives us one long awaited feature, but takes a much loved features away.

They give us a stronger MB and MBP with LED, take away FW400 and full sized DVi.

They give us a new ACD, take away the matte option, FW400, and backward compatibility.

They give us decent GPU and backlit keyboard on the MacBook, take away FW400 and the decent $999 starting price.

And the sad sad truth comes when you have to justify the use of OSX over Windows for a much cheaper, much more powerful, and much much more catered toward what YOU need/want machine.

The Dell above is actually a machine I'd love to have. I would miss the large trackpads, and can't wait for PC makers to get off their @$$e$ and put a larger TP in their machines, and would miss the integration I get from OSX, but would love to have machines that actually fit the need I have for them.

 

[SWC]

See, this gives me a bad feeling about the future of the Mac platform. Apple has always been at its best when it delivers a premium hardware product, not just a nice OS. The best and fastest gear available, etc. Remember the original Powerbook G3? The G5 when it first came out? The iPod? (The greatest part of Apple's success in that market was arguably the result of their cornering the market on 1.8" hard drives for several years. Nobody else could make a music player as sleek as an iPod because nobody else could buy small hard drives of adequate capacity.)

I appreciate Apple's focus on simplicity but it is no longer competing on features and performance. It is competing on fashion/design aesthetic (which is fickle) and brand loyalty (which is not inexhaustable) in a price-sensitive world.

$1299 is a premium (not entry level) laptop in the PC world, and buys a desktop that approaches or exceeds the Mac Pro in real-world performance. OS X is worth a lot to me, but I'm not convinced it's worth the 50-100% price premium it's commanding, especially in the desktop space.

I also think Apple is at its worst when it's delivering half-baked marketecture like underclocked CPUs (remembering the bad-old-days again) and use of proprietary connectors where standard ones will do (A long tradition at Apple, one I'd hoped had mostly died out until MiniDisplayport was foisted on us.)

Certainly the new unibody designs don't do much for me - MiniDisplayPort is an anti-feature they should be paying me to accept, rather than nickle-and-diming me for a set of adapters they expect me to carry to interface with any other monitor or projector on the planet. Rolling it out to the desktop line (such as it is) is another groanworthy move, all but ensuring they will continue to lag behind in GPU availability and performance.

I'm waiting to see how Efi-X deals with 10.6, but if they work well I am seriously considering building my own mac for my next desktop this year. My real concern is what happens when my 15" Santa Rosa MBP is due for replacement in 2010 (if the GPU hasn't died by then.) It may well be time to suck it up and switch to Windows.

I couldn't agree more. Display port isn't much bigger and isn't proprietary. But I guess thats what happens when you redesign a laptop and don't have the physical space for anything including firewire. In my opinion with the exception of processor and video card the new macbook pros were a huge step backwards so that you could replace the hard drive easier while still having a sleek bottom. While on the 14" hp I get from my employer I have more connectivity than the 15" macbook pro which is bigger. They didnt have hard time fitting a proper video port, 3 usb ports, firewire, expresscard and pcmcia, dvd drive and a SD card reader. Granted it's a tad thicker and not quite as pretty but it functions. Something apple has lost sight of.

It has always been more form over function but that balance has gone downhill severely since focus shifted to the iPhone. Now with rumors of the new 17" not having a removable battery it seems like they are anti pro market now as well. While you have consumers buying the 17" I would wager a majority of them are professionals who want/need the ability to swap batteries.