I'm confused about this macbook pro

[luna crescent]

I'm not privy to all the intracacies of the announcements of MacWorld but I heard about the intel macbook pro.

Is this the evolution of powerboook lines or a seperate line. What happens to the ibook line?

 

[yellow]

It's a replacement for the PowerBook line. To wit, it's unknown what will happen to the iBook line. I suspect there will be an x86 replacement line for it as well, as the prices for the MacBook Pro are rather hefty (more PowerBook-like).

I'm assuming that it'll have a name like MacBook Lite or something "non-Pro".

 

[Lacero]

Considering Macworld is a consumer-oriented convention, with WWDC as the professional-oriented convention, the introduction of the MacBook Pro might mean the end of the line for the iBook. I guess you could wait and see when Apple would release a MacBook at the $999 price point. The current cost for the Core Duos are a tad steep so it's unlikely we'll see then in the consumer space. Maybe Core Solos?

Here's to the Crazy Ones ​

 

[BlizzardBomb]

It's a replacement for the PowerBook line. To wit, it's unknown what will happen to the iBook line. I suspect there will be an x86 replacement line for it as well, as the prices for the MacBook Pro are rather hefty (more PowerBook-like).

I'm assuming that it'll have a name like MacBook Lite or something "non-Pro".

Or... how about a MacBook as an iBook replacement and then MacBook Lite as a budget laptop

 

[russed]

on a slighly off note topic, has anyone noticed that there are no battery life data for the macbook?

 

[pdpfilms]

on a slighly off note topic, has anyone noticed that there are no battery life data for the macbook?

Yes, there are a few threads about this. Ars Technica wrote up a little something about it i believe.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

on a slighly off note topic, has anyone noticed that there are no battery life data for the macbook?

Yes, they send you straight to apple.com/batteries to discuss battery health. They just say "Battery life varies by usage". Honestly, that disturbs me. If they can get so much more performance per watt, why aren't they touting the battery life of these things?!

 

[yellow]

on a slighly off note topic, has anyone noticed that there are no battery life data for the macbook?

I did. That was the first thing I looked for. All the battery data they have listed is basically the same as the G4s.

 

[2nyRiggz]

that could be true...get rid of the ibook and keep the mac mini...just like they did the mini.


Bless

 

[smwatson]

I expect battery life will be similar to the G4s until Apple replace the Powerbook completely and start to really focus on moving components etc to get the best performance per watt. And of course, this first-gen Macbook Pro may only be around for a few weeks. Maybe...

 

[sethypoo]

I expect battery life will be similar to the G4s until Apple replace the Powerbook completely and start to really focus on moving components etc to get the best performance per watt. And of course, this first-gen Macbook Pro may only be around for a few weeks. Maybe...

Eh, I doubt it will only be around for a "few weeks." Apple will keep this system at least until May, or even WWDC. They'll be focusing on the rest of their lineup.

 

[smwatson]

I deffenitly (boy does my spelling suck ) think that this is only a stopgap until the full Macbook Pro line release (more screen sizes, maybe faster, bigger HD more RAM etc) Is it DDR2 RAM yet? or PCI?

 

[hvfsl]

Yes, there are a few threads about this. Ars Technica wrote up a little something about it i believe.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2006/1/10/2436

It says that when you unplug the power cable, it says 3:03 (hours:minutes). When I do the same with my PowerBook G4 1.33Ghz, I get 3:09 (set to max performance with wifi enabled). So it doesn't look too bad.

However we don't know what options they set (like if they disabled 1 core when it goes to battery mode).

I really want to get an Intel Mac laptop, but I have to say I am leaning towards the iMac and keeping my current G4 as my portable Mac.

 

[yellow]

Eh, I doubt it will only be around for a "few weeks."

I believe the "few weeks" comment was tongue in cheek.

 

[Jay42]

Yes, they send you straight to apple.com/batteries to discuss battery health. They just say "Battery life varies by usage". Honestly, that disturbs me. If they can get so much more performance per watt, why aren't they touting the battery life of these things?!

Yeah, I agree that it is pretty unlike Apple to do something like this. They usually wouldn't release a pro product unless they were more than satisfied with all aspects of it. My guess is that even with good performance per watt, a lot of performance is still going to need a lot of watts.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

...a lot of performance is still going to need a lot of watts.

...a logical deduction.

We'll see what the real-world stats are in just a few weeks!

 

[iFrank]

think of the display as well

Apple is really touting the brightness of the display on the new MacBooks. Displays are one of the primary power consumers, and brightness is the most significant reason.

This may be one reason that Apple is not hyping any improvement in battery life -- one only hopes that it doesn't do any worse!