About two weeks ago, Apple gave the world an update to the Macbook and Macbook Pro. Like many of you, I watched the live broadcast as Steve unveiled his latest and greatest to the world. My first impressions were the new Macbooks were awesome and that I should head down to the local Apple store and pick up one of each. However, upon closer inspection, I realized that the new Macs really aren’t all that.
While Apple has done a great job creating a Mini Pro out of the 13″ Macbook, they have purposely crippled it by removing the Firewire and gimping the display. The Firewire I can do without since I don’t have many Firewire hardware. On the other hand, gimping the display is unforgivable. You would think the 13″ display would be the same quality as the 15.4″ display. Both are LED backlit with similar specs. However, one look at the Macbook and Macbook Pro side by side and the difference in display quality is like night and day. While Apple may have made the Macbook look like the Pro, the display is still playing in the minor leagues. No sale.
The new Macbook Pro is near perfect except for one thing. And that one thing is going to keep me from buying it. Why Apple went with a glossy display is beyond me. Yes, it may look nice and pretty in the Apple store but the glare coming off that screen gets a no sale. I hope Apple will introduce a Macbook Pro with a matte screen soon. Until then, my old Macbook Pro and Macbook Air will do just fine.
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{ 68 comments }
Macs suck regardless
Haha, be careful, or you might find yourself being attacked by the Apple fanboys!
Nothing to fear…There are some Windows fanboys here too….like me!
No fanboy here, I have both and just use whatever works. They’re only tools, what really counts is what you do with them.
If you can recover the cost blogging in a moneth , its worth
Lol window fans..
There a ton of fan boys on here for both sides. Most of them are for the evil mac though. Well, not me, hardcore PC user here.
I run OSX on PC Hardware and run my Vista in VMWare under OSX. I think I’m hated equally on both sides
It seems that you and The guy from “shoemoney.com” can’t give out the laptops at the same time. Its a conspiracy! LOL
From what I have seen wityh John using his Macs while I was on TAC with him, they kick the crap out of my pc any day of the week.
i wouldnt go as far as saying apple sucks, but theyre definitely overpriced and overrated. Come get me fanboys!
Kind of makes you wonder when the hype will die down.
*ducks*
I like macs but they have their limitations. I own both, and use them for different things. Personally I love the glossy screens!
The new mac isn’t supposed to be better than the current macbooks. They are supposed to be a cheaper version of the mac laptops for those who can’t afford the pricier alternative in the recession we’re having.
I am still going to look out for the laptop regardless. I have high hopes.
Wouldn’t bother it either. Really don’t get the wole super glossy screen in any portable.
Thanks for the heads up on the Macs. i still can’t find a reason to get one.
So you can be the envy of your friends!
I was considering an upgrade, think i got my mac soon after you less then a yr ago, but like the latest and greatest always. Sick of VMware so might get a windows laptop, a sony the real small ones
and of course keep the mac (this mac doesnt work on my 50″ plasma which sucks)
From the performance numbers I’ve seen there really isn’t much “upgrade” involved. I mean there is a little performance gain but nothing that I see that would warrant buying a new laptop after less than a year. Basically it would just be a “latest greatest” buy.
Interesting. Neither of those would stop be from buying them. I think they are great. However, I don’t really need a laptop right now.
Why not just go with the older Mac Pro?
I already have an older Macbook Pro and new Macbook Air. It will do for now.
Aww come on John you could add a new MacBook to the family and hand down the MacBook air to one of your readers…hint hint
Isn’t it really just a case of Apple stretching out existing hardware for more profits (already obscenely inflated) until the Snowleopard OS is released to the market, most likely in conjunction with a “new” notebook or laptop?
From the amount I have read on the “latest” Macs, it seems to me to be nothing more than yet another blatantly cynical attempt at maximizing profits. There seem to be no substantial upgrade over previous editions with the possible exception of the graphics card, though even that seems to be “dumbed-down” from what it should be, according to the tech columns I’ve read.
In short, I too would be awaiting better things from Apple, as I cannot see that such a huge expense for the current “newest” product is at all justifiable.
The only thing out of those 2 stopping me the glossy screen. I made the mistake of buying a laptop with one a few years ago, and since then I’ve hated them. Really suck in the sunlight.
Yeah, same here. I can’t see anything if I stand outside in the sun. Good to know. I will grab the old MacBook then.
need based investing is the best during times like these
I love my air!
I have an older Powerbook with the matte screen and the last MBPro with a glossy screen. I agree that the new Apple laptops don’t offer much in the way of an upgrade. In fact, with the loss of FW400, they’re a downgrade. However, I don’t see what the fuss is about the glossy screen glare. Sure, there’s some glare when outside in direct sunlight (not enough to really bother me), but most of the time I would think that owners of the MBPro would have it hooked up to a 20+ inch LCD monitor anyways.
That brings up another issue. My Pro is hooked to my 30″ display when at home. With the new Pro I would need to buy a $100 mini display to dual link DVI converter cable.
I agree with the screens. What were they thinking? WOW!!
Maybe that’s why their stock price has dropped over 50% over the past couple of months.. Apple is an overhyped company. The next 5 years will be very tough for it..
I disagree with this.
Initially I thought the glossy screen was not good, however after i used it for a couple days, the quality and crystalization it creates is much more refined the the older macbooks.
I am very impressed with the screen, its a whole level up from the current gens.
I’m with ya on this one. After picking up the new MacBook and using it for a week, the display is gorgeous with the glossy finish. Coming from a Dell 700M which had one of the best glossy displays on a notebook, the glare is not that bad at all and it doesn’t bother me. I guess it really depends on what you can tolerate.
If you’ve been waiting to pick up a MacBook these new models are better than the previous ones. The “alooo min nee oooom” unibody construction makes the laptop feel very solid.
John, why would you need a 3rd notebook anyways?! Go buy a Time Machine or Apple TV!!
You can never have too many notebooks. I can see how you would like the new Macbook coming off a Dell 700M. Anything is an improvement over that. Come off an Macbook Pro and you’ll be singing a different tune.
If you look closely at the 700m screen, it doesn’t suffer from the black level fall off that the new Macbook screen has. Move an in or two, and it happens. Stare right at the MacBook and it’s fine, but only if you lock your head in one place the whole time.
For comparison sake, the LED backlit screen on my ASUS U1F doesn’t suffer from this either. Along with the glossy nonsense, it really made that screen a deal breaker. I was set on buying the Macbook 13…till I actually saw it in person. Even if I got it, I would always know that the screen is compromised.
If Apple gets that screen sorted along with a matte screen, I might look at one again. I can overlook Firewire, since I don’t use it at all, but the screen quality is of utmost importance.
Have not seen new Macbooks life yet. Is display much worse then on older Macbooks?
The black level fall off (when you move your head even an inch or two) and the over glossy screen is pretty bad. If color consistency on a properly calibrated screen are important to you, do not buy the current MacBook 13. I would wait and see what Apple does with a matte version first. If they are able to correct the black level fall off, then it might become a winner.
Macbooks are great for looking cool and all that, but seriously they are not the only laptops available!
Macbooks
I will still stick with windows one.
Being new to blogs, I have been pleasantly surprised with the resources used. Usually, I use what I find everyone else using and that has served me well. By doing so I find help, news, community, and support easy. I am using WordPress, Aweber, Feedburner, Firefox, because everyone else is. However, the ubiquity of Mac users is not so easy to join. Priced over $1K, for a low end model, that change may be off in the future. Though with Windows Vista being one the worst softwares ever, IMHO, it is nice to hear consumer reports like this as my next machine will be a Mac.
the new laptops will flop because this was nothing but a “gimmick” upgrade. (whats new?)
techies are also getting laid off left and right so these fanboys wont buy just to buy.
sell your apple stocks before it plummets even more.
i heard iphones will drop to $99 next year also.
Question John
I am a heart beat away from getting my macbook pro. There is just one thing I want to ask you. My desk will not fit a 30 inch monitor, and I really like the look of 2 monitors. I was looking online and the price difference between a 30 inch monitor and a 23 inch monitor is about a grand. So, for the price of one 30 inch apple monitor I can buy 2 – 23 inch.
How do you twin two monitors together for a mac laptop?
Collin
PS
I can’t wait to get this set up man….its going to rock and roll!
A macbook, like most laptops, can only support one external monitor. That’s why I hook my to a 30″. If you wish to plug in two or more, you’ll need to buy a device like the Matrox DualHead2Go.
John, if you decided to give away a Macbook or Macbook Pro to your readers, I don’t think anyone would be complaining about the screen quality. lol
correctly said
i won’t be getting it too.
I have a glossy display on my MacBook Air and it doesn’t bother me at all.
We’ve had discussions on this and the screen on the MBA is distinctly different from the one that is gimped on the MacBook 13. However, since many of us use our notebooks in a coffee shop or outside of the office environment, we get bombarded with a ton of stray light. That makes the glossy not an option.
Gloss is a no go – especially if you want to take the laptop outdoors when its nice and sunny. Im a matte lover!
The Macbook looks awesome
I always wanted to give a macbook a try but they seem to pricey for my budget. My friends got it and i find it amazing. I have a Dell 1420 and has Windows Vista Installed its the worst windows ever its as crappy as Windows ME, the only Windows I Liked was Windows 98 SE and Windows XP, tried installing XP on the dell and it just gave problems cause the drivers were not great.
I have tried the macbooks and really like them. I don’t own one yet but plan on buy one shortly.
Andy
I just can’t understand why anyone would pick glass as a screen material. It can crack in the temperature changes, and it’s a liquid! (non-crystalline solid..sorry Ms. G.) That means that after a while (100s of years…but hey, I’m finicky) it will start to, you know, flow away. Plus, the glare off of glass is insane, yeah.
I wouldn’t mind some of those speakers, though.
Its pretty much the same thing. The only difference is the size, the backlighting, the new touch pad, and the uber-cool graphics card.
I might be getting one by the end of the month.
Yeah, I too am holding out for the Macbook Pro with the matte display. I can only assume that it will only be a matter of time until it is released.
I have never been a big fan of the mac computer but I must say I have a friend who has the mac book pro and he is a DJ so I asked him why the mac and not a pc and is answer was if you have 2000 party goers and the computer locks up Not Good! his mac has never crashed! I see his point.
Steve
Interesting that you feel that way, but Im a big Mac fanatic and I beg to differ. I was into pc’s and their notebook variety for 15 years before that and I had my fair share of pc/ windows type nightmares throughout. The new 13 inch Macbooks were chosen for a reason– to satisfy a market who is now looking for the mini notebooks in the mist. Lets face it, Apple are mostly a hardware innovation company and that is what they do best. These aluminum little puppies are built to last, have faster then ever displays and graphics cards, and wont hinder your work flow or crash every too often like the windows variety. I say got Mac…you’ll love all the free open source software you can download, like neooffice…
Cheers!
A mac? No man thanks, i am geat with my toshiba.
sorry it is great*
glossy is fine if you are outside…i guess…i’ve never used the glossy…i wouldn’t use it because i don’t want to get the glare for the photos that I am editing
I want to say first and foremost I am not an Apple fan for most of their products, especially their iPods. Had one, and was not satisfied.
So when I say this its with some bias, but for a student of marketing, I must say, Apple is not very loyal to their consumer base. One month they’ll put out an iPod or Nano, or a Macbook and than price it at retail, than next month they’ll put out a better version of that product reduce the old one down by 10% and create a segregated market between the new product users and the old product users. They essentially alienate their early adopters each and every time.
Harry
I had been looking should I get a Mac, well I think more and more I am happy with what I have. The Mac’s can stay in the shops.
Well hey if the glossy screen is annoyying (which I know they can be), why not send an e-mail to Apple? Just link back to this post as I’m sure once they see the user repsonse, they might just consider changing the glossy display to a matte one.
John
I was VERY disappointed to hear about the firewire! I spent weeks researching firewire vs USB earlier this summer and decided to go with the firewire for a digital recording interface. I also bought a hard drive for this purpose. My next purchase WAS going to be an Ibook- but not without FW!!!
I agree. Once you have a Mac, why change it?
I will stick with the MacBook for some time also, but I do admit that when a surplus matches the price of a Pro with 17″ screen, it will be time to do our kids a favour – and buy the Pro, and give them the “old” Mac….
I bought the macbook thinking that the screen was the same as the macbook pro.
holy crap, the screen is such crap, if you move your head like 1 inch in any direction the whole screen blacks out at the top, and washes out at the bottom.
I am a huge mac fan, but seriously, this is crap.
I am returning the macbook, and getting the macbook pro with adapter to 30″ cinema.
Honestly though… I think it is stupid to be locked into an operating system (osx) and have no options but glossy screen.
Dont they realise that they are the only company people can buy from if you use OSX, and by shutting out (a lot) of people, they are really fucking up big time.
I love the new macbook pro, other then that fucken lame glossy screen.
I am hoping for a 3rd party screen cover (like for iphone) that will rock..
also pissed as hell about the adapter… really lame, they should include 1 adapter of your choice for free.
my 2c
btw, bought apple at 89 per share, sold at 115… not buying again.
I love my Air, I think I’m going to stick with it for some time.
just want to stick with the old one for some time
I am not a big fan of Macs either. I am a windows dude – it looks professional to your clients and gets you a better productivity.