Where is Apple Going with its Pro Hardware ?

LuckyStudio 13

LuckyStudio 13

The Tapeless One
The new MacBook Pro comes with ONLY 1 FW800 connection. NO FW400 anymore and NO eSata. The lcd screen also comes in Glossy ONLY.

The new MacBook has NO firewire connection AT ALL and lcd screen comes in Glossy ONLY.

The new 24" Apple cinema display is also a GLOSSY screen ONLY.

What is goin on ?
 
If you guys are buying Audio interface for your sound needs, be aware of the lack of FW 400 on the MBP. I have heard that there is a FW 400 - FW 800 conversion cable but I dont know if this will complicate things with the SW and your Audio Interface.

As for the Macbook user, I dont even know why Apple wants to include iMovie to the MacBook, coz there is no FW connection AT ALL.
 
Overall, I'm very aggravated. Nice new hardware updates for the laptops in terms of Graphics, HD space, etc. but the screens are ONLY GLOSSY. This is a big disappointment for me...and probably the biggest and DUMBEST thing I've ever seen Apple do in a long time was to remove FW400 jacks from the notebooks. Are they friggin serious?

Their Cinema Display is also Glossy only, and some of the worst parts of their old displays are the same, besides a little bit of brightness increase...everything is the same. 14ms response time is terrible for all purpose, and the price is still 900 bucks.

Besides the nice new hardware in the notebooks, overall I think this really sucks.
 
This is my new 'puter:

Clamshell_iBook_G3.jpg


I realized at this moment in time I only need this for screenwriting. My G4 still works fine. I may sale it soon but right now it's still working for me.

-Nate
 
MacPro

MacPro

I have to say Firewire 400 to 800 works fine and I love my glossy screen. Jobs even stated that they were not selling any matte. If it was that big a deal wouldn't they be selling just as well as Glossy. Back to the 800 with the proper gear it is much better then one 400 because you can use a hub and get more bandwidth.
 
Love that gloss screen though. The new MacBook having no firewire connection is a mistake. (Or is it?). Now that I think about it Apple never did want people like us buying MacBooks, they wanted us to buy Macbook Pros and MacPros. Remember, they went so far as saying Final Cut Pro wasn't even compatible but that was like the first thing everyone tried and it worked fine, minus LiveType (which worked but was slow).

Then again, considering your workflow this may not be a deal breaker. If you're using solid state cameras you're probably not using firewire and can transfer everything via card reader. Am I right here.

-Nate
 
kgimedia said:
Back to the 800 with the proper gear it is much better then one 400 because you can use a hub and get more bandwidth.
Click to expand...

Have you forgotten every major camera out there including ones everyone owns on this site uses the FW400 to dump footage? Those with P2 are an exception with the use of an adapter...

Its a disaster not having FW400 for filmmakers in the field with no other way to dump footage if they're using tape or even HD based cams. Its ridiculous...unless an adapter comes around for USB or something that all the softwares can support.

Also there is loads of equipment used in the field that uses FW400....not all of them have FW800 as well. Overall this spells disaster for someone who wants to stay Mac and use equipment that depends on such things, unless they resort to prev. gen on Ebay. I think Apple will see that they were stupid and introduce it again in next years lineup...still it confuses me to death why they did this.
 
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Nathyn said:
Now that I think about it Apple never did want people like us buying MacBooks, they wanted us to buy Macbook Pros and MacPros.
Click to expand...
What about the all those iMovie users with firewire cams? Hmm? They aren't professionals.
 
I'm really disappointed in the new computers, but happy because now i dont wanna buy one now=] another day, another day out of debt. hahaha guess i can keep my current macbookpro!
 
Adaptors are available to connect Firewire devices to the 9 pin 800 port,which is backwards compatible with 6 pin FireWire 400 devices and 4 pin FireWire devices such as many cameras use. So at least there's that, but...

As much as I love Apple products, this revision is, I must agree, mighty annoying. FireWire removed from the MacBook is unfortunate, but in keeping with the Apple model started with the Air to have a minimal consumer laptop. Of course that leaves us tethered to only the pro model, which is where anyone reading this should be anyway... but there's a new problem; glossy screens are a no-fly zone for color correction and their suggested add-on display also has a glossy screen- harumph. THAT is the deal killer.

I can live with a display port dongle but it's something to have to keep track of. Dongles are never my favorite, its a point of failure and a thingy to lose.

One less FireWire port is marginally adequate. Who carries a powered FireWire hub in the field? Which leaves daisy chaining off one port with multiple devices. To be fair, the two ports were always on one bus so there is no performance advantage per se to having two ports. But one port is... one port. Creating a second bus is possible and sometimes desirable using a FireWire Express card but again, not always a good thing- those have to be AC powered and they aren't as transparent as just plugging in to a built in port.

I'm sure the trackpad will be cool and the dual GPU is an advance. Otherwise- seems a step backward into the consumer space. I guess Apple research determined that the average egotistical consumer likes to see their own reflection in the display...

I will be hanging on to my older matte Macbook Pro and cinema display.
 
Steve Smull said:
glossy screens are a no-fly zone for color correction and their suggested add-on display also has a glossy screen- harumph. THAT is the deal killer.
Click to expand...

Computer monitors in general are kind of a no-fly zone for color correction though... unless you are using the Matrox MXO with an Apple Display. In which case you already have an older, matte display.
 
I would rather pop in my P2 or SXS into the Express slot, and then connect my 2x FW drives to my last gen mbp and make 2 copies of my data at the same time. Now there is only 1 pro connector (FW800) on the MBP and NONE on the MacBook. So bundling the MacBook with iMovie is a big joke now ? How are you going to get footage to the new MacBook ?

There is nothing 'PRO' on the new MBP, the Glossy Screen is the No 1 Deal Killer. Not to mention the lack of eSata Connectors and at least some sort of CF or SD card Readers built in for the Pro Photographer or RED ONE users. I rather have them make the Optical Drive removable, so users have an option to pop in another HD and do a RAID 0 for mobile video editing, just like on the IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads.
 
Steve Smull said:
Of course that leaves us tethered to only the pro model, which is where anyone reading this should be anyway...
Click to expand...

That's a little demeaning to folks who have the talent but have budget constraints. I keep my Final Cut Studio suite running at the house, but earlier this year I got a new MacBook (not Pro, mind you) and had FCE installed on it.

While I do miss certain features when I use FCE, I have found that I can do some projects on the road with tight turnarounds and no need for all the extra stuff, and I have no issues. But I didn't have the money to get a MBPro, and field editing was not my primary reason for getting the computer. Nonetheless, I feel no less professional or capable with this setup and it does just what I need it to do.

The removal of FW ports altogether from the MacBook is going to have some nasty fallout. But I also have a sneaking suspicion that Apple is trying to force folks who want to work with video onto more expensive computers... despite the effects on the average home user who does nothing more than Suzy's soccer game and Bobby's school play.

Look at the strides that have been made with lesser technology. A Sundance winner cut in iMovie? Lots of indie films on FCE? Apple wants those folks to move upwards in hardware. And this shouldn't come as a big shock if you look at what's happened to FCP and FCE over the last couple of generations.

FCP used to be available as a standalone. Now you have to get Studio. FCE used to come with LiveType and Soundtrack (light version of STP). Now, it only has Livetype with just enough LT media to piss you off. Apple has slowly been paring down the "prosumer" offerings to force people to choose: go all consumer or all professional.

Sadly, the student base is going to feel this the most. FCE on a MacBook was really one of the best learning/teaching systems out there.
 
I had an edit all day and missed the announcement.

Interesting how the rumors were true. For the most part.

I never thought they would get rid of FW altogether on the Macbook.

Last week the news surfaced about the dual Nvidia graphics, much like Sony's latest VAIO. This upgrade is huge. But I must agree, and Im not sure how you can disagree that the glossy screen is annoying & distracting. Has everyone forgotten how annoying glare was when we all used CRTs?

I can live with the port changes, the glass (what if it cracks) touchpad, the black keyboard, and was actually ready to buy one after the graphics upgrade announcement...but the glossy only nonsense really is a deal breaker, as Im sure no FW port will be for macbooks.

Lets not forget to mention Apple's pricing. Yes you can get these specs for half the price. But even though FCP user have no choice, Apple's hardware is pretty solid. Although the entry point could be lower, for $2500 that laptop will last you a while...alot longer than your patience for glossy everything though :(
 
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