Apple MacBook Pro--Not Worth the Wait.

I've been playing with a new portable I've been anxiously awaiting for a some time. I have really mixed feelings about this machine but i want to carefully think about what I'm going to say.

First, in my world, no manufacturer gets a free pass. Either a notebook measures up to mainstream standards or it doesn't.

Even though it's late at night, I'm going to make a short report on a new notebook that has a temporary stall in my carrying case

The notebook is the 15-inch screen version of the MacBook Pro. I waited a long time for this system and read a lot of hype-laden reviews. My take is that i expected more, a lot more, from Apple, and they delivered a lot less than they should have.  Right off the top, Apple has to stop eating it's own dog food. MacBook Pro has the look, feel and performance of a product that was designed in an air conditioned building with Arctic winds blowing across a workbench where it was seated and tested five feet from a 54 mbps 802.11 wireless access point.

The base level performance is great. It opens and recalcs my test spreadsheet lightning fast. it has outstanding graphics performance, It's keyboard has a nice feel and is comfortable to use for long periods of time.

Continuing on: I love that this iteration of the Macintosh portable lets me use my existing applications.  Frankly, buying new apps for a non standard machine would really doom this platform. And, this is a pretty notebook, although I wish it were black. "Tragically, the MacBook Portable has one of the weakest 802.11 implementations I've ever seen on a mainstream notebook. And this is incredibly annoying. I put the Mac Portable right beside my trusted ThinkPad to test WiFi reception.  At 180 feet from my access point, the ThinkPad holds the signal for hour after hour.  The MacBook Pro is another story. It has grave difficulty holding its connection and god forbid you should need to connect from afar with poorly charged battery.

But What really annoys me is  an Apple design decision.  The MacBook Pro does not come standard with an internal modem.  Hello, Apple, there are still a lot of times when we mortals still connect to the mother ship using dial-up. And Apple wants you to buy an optional near $50 USB dongle to connect using a phone network. Grab a clue, Apple and jump into reality!

I need dial-up connectivity. Like right now! I'm in a hotel Vegas not far from a public WiFi point that I can't stay attached to and this machine doesn't have a modem. I think this is a detestable design decision and I just can't recommend the MacBook Pro (or any Macintosh portable) that doesn't include this basic connection. Seriously!

And Xp compatibility via Boot Camp is a joke. I find the idea of running a Mac application on one side of my screen and a Windows application in a parallel screen to be a great example of a solution in search of a non existent problem. I've had data file compatibility between Mac and mainstream Windows applications for years and years. I can not think of a single case where i needed to have both software architectures simultaneously on screen. Not one case. And I have a particularly free ranging imagination.

Full software applications compatibility is a very good thing for Apple. It eliminates one of the biggest barriers to entry this company faced in the portable market. Apple's move to Intel processors was the right first step. Software like Boot Camp and Parallel is merely a check mark in a marketing matrix. it's not much of a real milestone for mainstream computer users.

And while I'm on a tear, the MacBook Pro is uncomfortably hot. In fact in more than 15 years of reviewing portables I only remember one other machine that seemed as hot as this Macintosh is after five hours of use. That machine was the ill-fated Innovabook, an early subnotebook from Canon Computer Systems that used an Intel 486DX processor.

There are somethings that are very good about the MacBook Pro ( I love Apple's basic software bundle and this machine's innate capabilities for video blogging and pod casting, two tasks at which it's unsurpassed). There's also some thing else i like about Apple's portables, but I'm saving that for another post after i get home from vacation.

but initially, this machine goes on a shelf and it doesn't get a place of honor on my list. Instead, it goes either to the next member of my family who can't live without a Macintosh, or gets relegated as a "sometimes" server out on the back of my desk in the garage, where I hope it can connect consistently to my 802.11g network via an access point that's only 100 feet from that desk.

But I'm not keeping fingers crossed about its ability to stay attached to my network. After all, it's not a Lenovo ThinkPad or an HP portable, two established brands I know i can trust.--Jim Forbes, from Las Vegas 06/22/2006

Comments

[Nicholas Sanders]

You write : I've had data file compatibility between Mac and mainstream Windows applications for years and years. I can not think of a single case where i needed to have both software architectures simultaneously on screen. Not one case. And I have a particularly free ranging imagination.

From the perspective of a Windows user, this probably makes sense (although one might look for a little more from an author's imagination). For a Mac user, the situation is rather different - I am obliged to use a handful of packages only available for Windows, and having a virtual machine to run them in is the ideal solution.

To do it, I use Parallels Desktop of course - as a proper reviewer would know, Boot Camp only allows one to *boot* in Windows, which doesn't do it for me at all.

[Jarod]

I think you should have written this review in the morning when you are more rested and make more sense. Your complaints make absolutely no sense (except for the heat issue). As a network admin using a MBP 17, let me tell you, this is one of the best portables released.
Jaarod, thanks for reading. I've not had a great experience keeping this notbook attached. i noted this and reported it.
And yes, I shoulds have wrote the piece when i was rested. Again, thanks for posting and reading... best, jim

Best,
jim

[David]

The MacBook Pro feels like a stopgap measure to me. Apple had been so delayed in significantly upgrading the PowerBook G4, that they had to get something out the door. Thus, we have the old design crammed with new stuff. Seeing this, I waited, and was rewarded with the MacBook -- redesigned top to bottom and spectacular. The MacBook does get hot, no doubt. But, not any worse than the Windows laptops that nobody wants to use anymore having played around with my MacBook. :)

[Styx]

I upgraded from a Powerbook 15 to the MacBook Pro 15. What a difference.

1). You must lack imagination about running simultaneous platorms, side-by-side. I need some Windows XP specific software for work, but do not want to use XP for anything like web-browsing, mail, address book or calendar. Spotlight is most valuable to me and saves me hours of time, but the need for Windows access still remains. Currently using Parallel's Workstation software (works great!)

2). No issues on connectivity, either wired or wirelessly (must be your individual settings or hardware).

3). Heat is not an issue when using a coolpad, but I agree that it needs to be addressed by Apple.

4). No illumination problems, though at certain angles, it is hard to read the illuminated keys (coming from a non-touch typer).

5). You are complaining about dialup? If you are using dialup still today, then you are holding on desperately to a slow and dying technology. Why not use bluetooth and your cell phone? Get with the times. If you choose not to use technology that is available and instead use a poor, antiquated technology - that's your choice! Don't blame Apple. I suppose you still want a serial port or a parallel port. What next? BetaMax?
hey, thanks for reading and commenting.--jmf

[Wiggo]

Obviously, you haven't tried Boot Camp.

And those apostrophes are tough.

Well, Forbes is a magazine for the idle rich....
I don't work for Forbes. My name is "Forbes" and yes I have used Boot Camp and I'm familiar with Parallel. I think XP on a Mac is nice but Intel compatibility has never been an issue for me, and i've used a mac since the first 128K. This machine is too hot, although it's wicked fast and has one of the best softwarre preloads I've ever seen.More on that later. thanks for reading and commenting-- best--jim forbes

[Mark oliver]

"And Xp compatibility via Boot Camp is a joke. I find the idea of running a Mac application on one side of my screen and a Windows application in a parallel screen to be a great example of a solution in search of a non existent problem"

Have you even used bootcamp. That sentance makes no damn sense.

If you didn't know Bootcamp isn't for running both the MacOS and windows at the same time, bootcamp is to boot into windows. And it is hardly a joke as it runs faster on a Mac than any other pc.
What other PC does BootCsmp run on ?--jmf

[Bobby Knueven]

Jim,

Boot Camp does not run on other PCs. Mark was saying that Windows runs faster on a MBP using Boot Camp than any other laptop.

Parallels will allow you to have OS X on one monitor and Win XP on the other.

[michael]

You're absolutely right about the wi-fi capability or lack thereof in the MacBook Pro (Or Macbook No). It's why I have the less expensive consumer Macbook even though my graphics are a tad slower.

You obviously don't do web design, though. Wrap your imagination around the need to test web pages on two platforms.

And, as a Windows user you probably have all the applications you need already intstalled on another computer.

As primarily a Mac user, I'll vouch for those of us who much prefer the Mac OS but need just one or two Windows application for work.

I've been more than happy to ditch Windows on my Toshiba, even though it works fine. It has not been a bad computer. But why not pass it along to someone else, now that I'm free of the need for the extra box. -- vey good point. do pass that old machine on. Perhaps you know a serviceman or woman who is about to deploy. I strongly urge to consider donating your old machine to them before they go overseas. thanks for reading and commenting--jmf.