New MB Pro announced at WWDC 13 inches

From Macworld

13-inch can also take up to 8GB; up to 500GB of storage, or 256GB SSD. The built-in backlit LED keyboard is standard as well. And it's got FireWire 800 port. MacBook Pro deserves it. So the 13-inch is bumped up to "MacBook Pro" and it starts at just $1199. Less expensive than the 13-inch aluminum MacBook it replaces.


No express 34 slot as far as I can tell

They also announced new 15 inch MB pros.

[www.macworld.com]

Michael Horton
-------------------

The express34 slot is now only in the 17"

ak
Sleeplings, AWAKE!

Snow leopard announced for September, 2009 at $29.00 for Leopard users. Intel only.

Michael Horton
-------------------

Quote

No express 34 slot as far as I can tell

Nothing "Pro" about that, I'm afraid

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Yeah, I was pretty crestfallen that new MacBooks came out right after I bought mine ? seriously, it was two weeks ago last Saturday ? but then I heard about the Express Card thing. I'm pretty sure that makes me the luckiest kid in class right now.

I'm sorry, but whatwhatWHAT??

No express card slot on ANY 15" models now. Great. I'm supposed to plug in my SATA RAID where, exactly?? And extra FW ports?

I can't believe they did this. You can get an express card > SD adapter online for like $10, but instead they replace the ONLY expansion slot available in favor of a cheap camera card slot. I'm stunned.

JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

Apple doesn't do things on a whim. I'm absolutely certain they have market research that shows only X percent of 15" MacBook Pro owners have ever put anything in their Express Card slots, where X is a single-digit number or something. So I absolutely can't fault the business decision.

That said, I'm still really glad I bought when I did. Cause I intend to be firmly wedged in that X percent.

New iPhone 3Gs does video. Plus it does everything else you can possibly think of except cook.

Crap, old iPhone now $99.00

Oh well.

Michael Horton
-------------------

I had a bad app on my iPhone for a while a couple weeks ago. It'd burn through the battery in about four hours. It got nearly warm enough to cook on it.

Send it to me. If they can get iPhones to do eggs like some of the 15 inch macbook pros I'll go for the new 3Gs

Michael Horton
-------------------

Jeff Harrell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Apple doesn't do things on a whim. I'm absolutely
> certain they have market research that shows only
> X percent of 15" MacBook Pro owners have ever put
> anything in their Express Card slots, where X is a
> single-digit number or something. So I absolutely
> can't fault the business decision.

I personally don't think it's a wise business decision to keep taking away features based on whatever they think people are using. If I'm paying for a Pro machine I at least want the OPTION of slapping in an SxS card, or a SATA port, or an extra FW port. I'm paying for expandability, whether I use it or not. I could handle the loss of almost any port on the machine as long as that slot (and it's array of cheap adapters) was still around, but now it doesn't even have that.

I'm not saying they need to listen to us 'X' users all the time, even if it means the loss of our FW400 ports and matte screens. But for a company that uses "Pro" a lot in their products they sure seem to be marginalizing that user base. They're only offering 1 laptop now with all the features we might need, at a size that not everyone wants. Urrgggh.

Sorry, just venting. I'm going to go buy a refurb model now and STFU.

JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

The lack of Express34 on the 15" model is stupid. This forces people who want to edit with laptops to get the 17". This really hits the MXO2, as it connects via Express34. But then so does the MXO2 mini AND the I/O HD express. OHO! But this also effects people who want to use the I/O HD...because it while connects via firewire, it ties up that bus. SO they NEED the Express34 slot to connect the media drive to.

SO now the 15" MBP is not for the Professional editor who needs an external capture device. Well, really for ANY editor, because now you have ONE firewire bus, so you connect your camera to that and...oop, no more slots for your media drive. So now you are forced to get the BIG A$$ 17" model.

Apple is making a LOT of boneheaded moves with their laptops in relation to ProVideo. Just bad. yeah, the iPhone is cool and all the new stuff is great, but WTF are they doing with the ProLine of computers? No FW on MacBooks. That stupid new monitor with proprietary connection type, so they need to include a special graphics card....ugh.

No...when Apple announces new stuff, at first I am like "Wow, holy cow! That is amazing, great battery life! Nice monitor! Oh...no Express24 slot. Well, glad that I have the one I bought 6 months ago."

Leaves me shaking my head.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

Well one would think matrox, aja etc is working on a solution to this problem. Seems about all they can do really.

Michael Horton
-------------------

Yeah it's pretty obvious iPhone is the priority these days...

Noah

Final Cut Studio Training, featuring the HVX200, EX1, EX3, DVX100, DVDSP and Color at [www.callboxlive.com]!
Author, RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera available now at: [www.amazon.com].
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Shane Ross Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The lack of Express34 on the 15" model is stupid.
> This forces people who want to edit with laptops
> to get the 17". This really hits the MXO2, as it
> connects via Express34. But then so does the MXO2
> mini AND the I/O HD express. OHO! But this also
> effects people who want to use the I/O
> HD...because it while connects via firewire, it
> ties up that bus. SO they NEED the Express34 slot
> to connect the media drive to.
>
> SO now the 15" MBP is not for the Professional
> editor who needs an external capture device.
> Well, really for ANY editor, because now you have
> ONE firewire bus, so you connect your camera to
> that and...oop, no more slots for your media
> drive. So now you are forced to get the BIG A$$
> 17" model.
>
> Apple is making a LOT of boneheaded moves with
> their laptops in relation to ProVideo. Just bad.
> yeah, the iPhone is cool and all the new stuff is
> great, but WTF are they doing with the ProLine of
> computers? No FW on MacBooks. That stupid new
> monitor with proprietary connection type, so they
> need to include a special graphics card....ugh.
>
> No...when Apple announces new stuff, at first I am
> like "Wow, holy cow! That is amazing, great
> battery life! Nice monitor! Oh...no Express24
> slot. Well, glad that I have the one I bought 6
> months ago."
>
> Leaves me shaking my head.
No expresscard slot really pisses me off.
I can see the direction they are going.
No blueray....
Glad I bought my MBP late 2008 15" last fall too, almost mad enough to try a PC.....

Well, not for us it isn't.

Just got to keep on track folks and fight the good fight. FCP is not going anywhere, but to the next version. When is anyone's guess, but judging from the fact the FCP team is still in tact and hard at work and no one I know has been laid off, all will be good one day. Best to make good use of what we have instead of moaning about what we do not have, but probably will get.

Not to say I'm real happy about all this, but no sense in bitching and moaning. We do that the day FCS 3 ships.



Michael Horton
-------------------

Yeah...gonna hang onto my late 07 MBP 17" 2.6 GHZ for quite a while. IMHO, it's still the major workhorse of the post production world (FW400 & FW800 / 3 x USB 2.0 / Express34 / DVI / 1920 x 1200 screen real estate / matte screen). When BluRay burners come out for these puppies I will just drop one in.

Even pays to pick one up used with the new garbage being released for Pros. What is Apple up to anyway?!

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Quote

The express34 slot is now only in the 17"

Shame for those using SxS but a boon for those using the new JVC line with SDHC cards.

They should really have done a BTO or a swap out unit for either/or an Express34 or SD slot.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Agreed. I don't suppose an SD slot has the bandwidth to adapt to other drives? Like an SD>SATA adapter? Seems ridiculous I know, just wondering if that's technically possible...

JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

I'm still trying to get around the lack of FW400 support. This seemingly new Apple hobby of stripping functionality and expandability out of their existing product range is weirding me out.

But Snow Leopard... That's cool.. I forsee moving onto Snow Leopard around December when the snow cat start to stabilize.



www.strypesinpost.com

Notice that the new MacBooks...the plastic ones...NOW have a FW400 slot. IT came back.

So now we have a batch of MacBooks without one...joy.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

Apple does listen sometimes. Remember the very first MacBook Pro? No FW800. That port magically reappeared on the next model. No matte screen option on the latest 15" models but they made it BTO for the 17" at least, an acknowledgment that some users really hate those glossy screens. And certain Apple-only technologies have been dropped in favor of industry standards (ADC vs. DVI). I just hope that enough people (and possibly 3rd-party equipment vendors) complain about this and maybe they'll make the card slot BTO at the very least...

JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

They could have at the very least added an SDHC port for FLASH camcorders. This MB"P" is probably the worst ever IMHO. Bad decision making on the dev side. Take the word "Pro" off.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Would not go that far. At least we got a 13 inch and a FW port. For $1200.00 its a heck of a deal.

Are there any solutions to the lack of an express 34 slot or will we have to wait for someone smart company to figure that out. Got to figure Matrox, AJA and and any company that requires you to have a express 34 card to hook up their stuff, has to be a bit, uh, not happy.

Michael Horton
-------------------

Hey, guys? All that talk about how the MacBook Pro doesn't have Firewire 400? You know that no MacBook Pro has ever had separate Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 buses, right? All they did on the MacBook Pro is remove the Firewire 400 socket. It's still the same, internally, as it ever was.

In fact, I think it's better to have only one Firewire 800 socket, because it eliminates the possibility that somebody might plug their framestore into the 800 socket and their camera into the 400 socket and wonder why things don't work the way they expected.

That said, yes, removing the Express Card slot from the 15" model is annoying as hell. I reiterate that I'm confident it's a sound business decision, but I don't love it. All you guys talking about making it some kind of swappable module that can be replaced at the factory ? I hope you have the urge to drop $3,000 on an entry-model laptop. Because that's where that kind of thinking ends up.

Unrelatedly, buried in the fine print of Apple's Snow Leopard refinements page, we find this:

Gamma 2.2.
The default gamma has been changed from 1.8 to 2.2 to better serve the color needs of digital content producers and consumers.

Shane, they never dropped FW on the plastic Macbook... they just added a FW800 port to the alum MB today.

... no sense in bitching and moaning. We do that the day FCS 3 ships.

LOL.

bigbossbmb Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Shane, they never dropped FW on the plastic
> Macbook... they just added a FW800 port to the
> alum MB today.

Sorry, you are mistaken:

[arstechnica.com]


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

My daughter in Long Beach bought a new aluminum unibody MacBook yesterday the 7th at Best Buy. The new ones came out today. I told her to return it and get the new ones because they are cheaper. They told her there is a 15% re-stocking fee. After she got a hold of the manager and talked for quite a bit, They are giving her $200 back if she keeps the Mac Book she originally bought. Not bad!

Shane, that is only talking about the aluminum unibody Macbook...

The last line of the 4th paragraph reads:

"But Apple still sells a MacBook with a FW400 port for $100 less than they did a week ago. " talking about the plastic MB which got a price drop at the time... the plastic MB always retained FW.

The fuss was from people that wanted a new-and-improved unibody having to sacrifice FW connectivity... while the plastic model still fit their functional needs.