Macbook vs Macbook Pro?

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Oct 23, 2006
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So I'm kinda sorta shopping for a new laptop and I like the macs. I was looking for something portable so I liked the macbook. However, I really dislike the material and colors. It also lacks discrete graphics. Now I love the MBP but it is bigger and heavier plus much more costly. I know there is stuff going around about a refresh of the line possibly bringing brushed aluminum to the macbook, but what about the GPU? For people that use the MBP just how bad is portability with it? And also what is the best battery life I can expect? Should I wait for the new Macbooks or go ahead and get the bigger MBP?
 
Discrete graphics are the main thing differentiating the Macbook from the Pro, so it's very unlikely that you'll see anything but Intel graphics in any upcoming refreshes.
 
Asking how bad the portability of a 15" MBP is, is not entirely dissimilar to asking how dry, exactly, is the average swimming pool. At 5 pounds and 1" thick, it's among the most travel-friendly 15" notebooks on the market currently. The 17" - not so much. It was just too big. But the 15" in a nice backpack or satchel is pretty ideal for travelling IMO. It's working out quite well for me, anyway (5-6 business trips/year).

I wouldn't expect a discreet GPU in the MacBook any time soon. Not impossible I suppose, but very unlikely as that takes up extra space, power, needs more cooling, etc.

As to battery life, I average around 3½-4 hours on my 2.4GHz Santa Rosa MBP when doing common tasks (internet, office apps, etc.). No idea about battery life while gaming (assuming 3D games), but I'd wager a guess it's in the 1-1½ hour range.

Should you wait? Dunno. The popular saying around here is "if you need it, buy it." ;)

-Brian
 
Thanks for the info. Yes I think the MBP would be good for portability I am just stuck between going with it or the Dell m1330. The Dell is a 13.3 like the macbook but it has discrete graphics and is actually thinner. I much prefer the look of the MBP and OSX but the Dell is soooo much cheaper and more portable. I just can't decide!
 
Thanks for the info. Yes I think the MBP would be good for portability I am just stuck between going with it or the Dell m1330. The Dell is a 13.3 like the macbook but it has discrete graphics and is actually thinner. I much prefer the look of the MBP and OSX but the Dell is soooo much cheaper and more portable. I just can't decide!
Macs are usually competitively priced when they are first refreshed. Over time, Apple refuses to discount the models and they show their age through the price difference.

It's a lousy practice, but it's where Apple makes a lot of their money.

If the rumors are true (-$1000), I wouldn't expect a MacBook with discrete graphics anytime soon, but expect the MacBook Pros to get a bump in specs or a drop in price to keep the two lines in proportion.
 
Arrrrgh. In this situation, I would hesitantly recommend the M1330. I am using a Macbook right now, my parents use a [refurb] 24" iMac, and my sister uses a 12" Powerbook. However, my brother uses a Dell 700M laptop. His laptop was $400 cheaper than my Macbook but has a better screen and considerably better battery life. He gets over 5hrs, even with a 3yr old machine. His computer also has a memory card slot. The fact is that the M1330 with the larger battery actually is a better spec'd piece of hardware than the comparable Mac. Other options would be the Sony SR and Z series laptops, which would be somewhere in between Macbook and Macbook Pro. The Z is a bit cheaper than the MBP but also offers, for example, a 1600x900 screen res in a 13" laptop. That's pretty impressive. You'll have to deal with Vista though.

Apple doesn't make the best hardware. They are often innovative, but definitely not necessarily the most innovative. Trust me, if I could get OSX, supported, on a machine made by another manufacturer, I would. The Macbook casing, for example, is total garbage. I've a crack in my casing, on the wrist rest. If you google "Macbook crack" in the image search, you will find that this is a noted problem.

Dude, my $1200 computer CRACKED! What the hell is that about? I take care of my electronics, and this, this came out of nowhere. I personally know at least 5 people who also have cracked Macbooks. Get the Dell if you aren't tied to OSX. I, however, am willing to deal with the shit hardware to get the OS.
 
Shit hardware ? Apple ?

4 Macbooks and 2 Macbook pros and would rather have one of those than any Dell - and we sell 1000's of Dells each year to our clients and the build quality is cheap as shit

Saying Dell's build quality is better than Apple's is about the most ridiculous thing I have heard - even their high end precision latitiudes feel cheap in ways - the Vostro's are like something Wal-Mart would sell on the clearance isle

Apple isn't perfect by any means and issues arise but I'll feel safe in saying their quality control and overall build quality makes Dell's look like a joke
 
Arrrrgh. In this situation, I would hesitantly recommend the M1330. I am using a Macbook right now, my parents use a [refurb] 24" iMac, and my sister uses a 12" Powerbook. However, my brother uses a Dell 700M laptop. His laptop was $400 cheaper than my Macbook but has a better screen and considerably better battery life. He gets over 5hrs, even with a 3yr old machine. His computer also has a memory card slot. The fact is that the M1330 with the larger battery actually is a better spec'd piece of hardware than the comparable Mac. Other options would be the Sony SR and Z series laptops, which would be somewhere in between Macbook and Macbook Pro. The Z is a bit cheaper than the MBP but also offers, for example, a 1600x900 screen res in a 13" laptop. That's pretty impressive. You'll have to deal with Vista though.

Apple doesn't make the best hardware. They are often innovative, but definitely not necessarily the most innovative. Trust me, if I could get OSX, supported, on a machine made by another manufacturer, I would. The Macbook casing, for example, is total garbage. I've a crack in my casing, on the wrist rest. If you google "Macbook crack" in the image search, you will find that this is a noted problem.

Dude, my $1200 computer CRACKED! What the hell is that about? I take care of my electronics, and this, this came out of nowhere. I personally know at least 5 people who also have cracked Macbooks. Get the Dell if you aren't tied to OSX. I, however, am willing to deal with the shit hardware to get the OS.

Wouldn't apple cover that under applecare though if you had it?

After 2 years with my Core Duo 2.0Ghz BlackBook, I noticed my SuperDrive was out of alignment and wouldn't read discs anymore, so I mailed it in, and got it back *sorta fixed* by that I mean that they fixed the drive issue, but replaced the logic board, and therefore my ram, and 802.11n card... so I called them up, and they had me mail it in, and they sent me a brand new one back after calling to ask if that was ok.

They made right on their mistake and I didn't have to push or pull or anything, I just expected my machine to get fixed again, and they decided to give me a new one instead. I've never had that happen with any other hardware company, ever, it's always a refurb of the same thing that you get back, but Apple sent the full retail pack of a brand new SR MB 2.4GHz BlackBook, and that was a huge upgrade for me, considering how often I use the machine.

I've not suffered a crack in either one though... and my GF has a white MacBook and had the keyboard stain issue, and they replaced it in store for her (the keyboard), and before that, she had a dead pixel, so they gave her a new one, in store (whole new machine), and my friend with an older white MacBook had the same happen to him (the stain) and they replaced it in store for him.

They have totally taken care of all of my friends with problems.

I have 2 friends with MacBooks, 2 friends with MacBook Pro's, and a bunch of other friends who are hardware junkies but still jealous of how well we've been taken care of and the OS as a whole.


However, OP, unless you do need the machine right now, I greatly reccomend waiting, the usual september updates are coming, and they're usually the larger of them unless they hold something for MacWorld, in which case I would say if you need it, but it now.
 
Just an opinion from someone who is new to Apple and have been trying out the Macbook Pros. I bought a used MacBook Pro 15.4 on Ebay but couldnt get used to the 15.4 screen over the 15" Im used to. You lose around an inch at the top which I dont like. So I sold the it and bought a MacBook Pro 17" which I really like. It is still very light and compact for a 17" notebook. I installed WIndows XP with Bootcamp and it works great.

I also have a Dell Studio 17" (which I will probably send back) that I am comparing with the MacBook. It is a lot heavier but still a nice notebook. Keep in mind that Dell and other computer manufacturers do not build their own notebooks. I think there are maybe 3 notebook computer manufacturers over in Asia. So yes the quality varies over the years depending on which manufacturer they happen to be using that year.
 
So you were used to a 15" 5:4 or 4:3 ratio screen and not a 16:10 widescreen?

That was a pretty old laptop you were upgrading from :p
 
So you were used to a 15" 5:4 or 4:3 ratio screen and not a 16:10 widescreen?

That was a pretty old laptop you were upgrading from :p


Yes I had a Toshiba 5205 with the old 15" screen. Also bought a used IBM T43p which has the 15" IPS screen which cannot be beat. These days everyone is using the TN type screens which do not have the same PQ as the IPS type screens.
So when you go to a 15.4 you lose screen space at the top of the screen compared to the 15" which I dont like.
The only way to offset this is go with a 17" notebook.
 
what res is that 15" though? 1280x1024? or 1600x1200? vs 1440x900 or 1920x1200?

15.4's at 19x12 are epic, too bad apple hasn't get adopted them for the MBP's...
 
what res is that 15" though? 1280x1024? or 1600x1200? vs 1440x900 or 1920x1200?

15.4's at 19x12 are epic, too bad apple hasn't get adopted them for the MBP's...
15" MBP is 1440x900 (WXGA+). My favorite 15" resolution is 1680x1050 (WSXGA+) but that's hard to find these days. Dell used to offer WSXGA+ and WUXGA on their Inspiron and Latitude lines. Don't know if they still do, though.
 
What will you be doing on the laptop? What will you be using it for?

In terms of updates, they might come they might not. If you use the waiting rule, you'd never buy any tech device ever. The difference here is that Apple machines hold their value. You could buy an MBP and get 90% of the purchase price for it if you wanted a different machine when a new model comes out.

"Dude, my $1200 computer CRACKED! What the hell is that about? I take care of my electronics, and this, this came out of nowhere. I personally know at least 5 people who also have cracked Macbooks. Get the Dell if you aren't tied to OSX. I, however, am willing to deal with the shit hardware to get the OS."

What are the 6 of you doing to crack the case on that many Macbooks? This is the second Macbook I've owned and I really don't see, outside of misuse, how you'd do that. I know you said that you take care of electronics, but things generally don't crack on their own. My Macbook is solid. They definitely engineer their laptops quite well. My only gripe with them has been heat on the MBP side. That's mostly in terms of actually using it on my lap.
 
What are the 6 of you doing to crack the case on that many Macbooks? This is the second Macbook I've owned and I really don't see, outside of misuse, how you'd do that. I know you said that you take care of electronics, but things generally don't crack on their own. My Macbook is solid. They definitely engineer their laptops quite well. My only gripe with them has been heat on the MBP side. That's mostly in terms of actually using it on my lap.

Well, look at how some of the 3G iPhones plastic covers are cracking for no reason.
 
The reason is that Apple should have stuck withna aluminum backing, or I wouldn't be on my 4th iPhone 3G now, and the fact that they're always out of service phones when I go in really says something about the volume of replacements they're doing...
 
my bro got a macbook that has the "casing sealed too tight" defect where the top is kinda popping from one end and is flimsy.

there are many defects that some macbooks get, and apple doesn't cover any of it under their warranty. So you end up screwed
 
The MacBook Pro is extremely portable for it's size. With a 15.4" widescreen, it is the thinnest and lightest laptop I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

Crappy screen quality and keyboard take MacBook right off the list of options in my opinion.
 
Well, look at how some of the 3G iPhones plastic covers are cracking for no reason.

Haha. There's always a reason. I work at a company that, among other things, repairs broken phones. 99% of the people come in saying the phone broke out of no where or "for no reason."
 
Haha. There's always a reason. I work at a company that, among other things, repairs broken phones. 99% of the people come in saying the phone broke out of no where or "for no reason."

Fair enough, I may not have used the right wording for that, but what I was getting at is that it is not normal for those covers to break within a day of purchase. I could understand if it was an isolated occurance, but this does not seem to be the case.
 
Right now OP, I wouldn't be buying any laptop that uses nVidia mobile graphics cards due to the huge defect issue OEM's are battling with these cards right now, the 8600GT is specifically one of those models with the issue, and I'm surprised Apple hasn't said anything about it, my friends MBP seems to be getting very hot as of late and it's very likely due to this defect.
 
Right now OP, I wouldn't be buying any laptop that uses nVidia mobile graphics cards due to the huge defect issue OEM's are battling with these cards right now, the 8600GT is specifically one of those models with the issue, and I'm surprised Apple hasn't said anything about it, my friends MBP seems to be getting very hot as of late and it's very likely due to this defect.

Thanks for the heads up, so would the possible refresh of the line fix this problem?
 
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