New Macbook Pro's

You're going to have to buy the 17". You can do it, but it won't be really portable and you'll pay more.

I'm a big mac fan, but... I don't know. I'm thinking of going back to windows. I don't like their hardware choices with the new laptops over the past couple of revisions and, not to get too off the topic of the MBP, they seem to be completely ignoring the pro apps. I have Logic, FCS, Shake... They all seem like really wasted investments at this point with the lack of support.

All their innovation and focus is on their ipod/phone markets. I think I'm moving on from Apple if they don't pull something spectacular (or phenomenal *cough*) out really soon.
 
I know! I read that about the Excpress Card slot going away and was like, "WTF? They just alienated a sizable market of P2 users."

While I'm not a Mac user, I could never really complain about using WindowsXP for P2 offloading and editing. I "upgraded" one of my machines to Windows Vista and it was disastrous. However, Windows 7 is actually . . . cool! I'll switch over to Windows 7 in October, if not sooner using the current Release Candidate.
 
i think panasonic won't be happy too... they bring their prices down for their E series... hoping to snatch XDCAM/ HDV supporters...
Now Panasonic got to crack their heads as they going to lose the market of P2 mac users. Esp those doing editing on the go.
I m one of them. I just bought my HPX172. Now looks like I m left with a 17inch MBP to buy.
:(
 
This is bad for EX1/EX3 users. There slot is the one being removed. SD slot? Really! I am glad I don't plan on upgrading right now. Geez
 
Guys,

I'm a P2 user but I'm not seeing any sleight at P2 from Apple's WWDC announcement.

We've already gone through many "adapters" as video producers: From 4 to 6pin FW400, FW400 to 800, PC to Express.

And as long as computer manufacturers keep going wireless and hi-bandwidth, I think it's up to Broadcast Manufacturers to keep up

*cough* Panasonic Single Slot P2 Reader, FW800, Proxie clips over Wi-Fi *cough*

-Andrew Burke
 
I'd have to say it's pretty lame.

I can understand Apple's past iffy decisions - getting rid of Cardbus slots in favor of newer ExpressCard; getting rid of floppys, serial, etc... even standardizing on FW800 vs FW400... but this choice to get get rid of a technology near the BEGINNING of its lifetime... and to make all but the 17" Mac Pro pretty much non-expandable... doesn't make any sense. One of the big distinctions between MacBook and MacBook Pro has long been in expandability. It's not just a P2 / SxS issue (which is NOT a major market); it's any new kind of expansion: eSATA, many audio/video interfaces, the recently-annoinced H.264 encoder cards, video expansion, lkely some 4G wireless devices... this is really a severe and disappointing downgrade of the 15" MacBook!

An SD card slot? Ugh! Does it even handle SDHC?
 
I'm sure they aint cheap either. This is why I use an Old Gateway PC laptop with a PCMCIA slot. and I have a Mac guy since 1997.

Apple really makes some odd choices sometimes.
 
I'm thinking they upgraded the previous MacBook to MacBook Pros with a little redesign, to make room for an ultracheap, sub 500 dollar Netbook, which may be the new MacBooks...Anyways, guess I'll be able to get a good price for my 15" Macbook Pro with Expresscard slot when the time comes to sell it!
 
Luckily, there will be plenty of the last few generations of MBPs around strictly for P2 work. I am glad that they brought back the 13" MBP. I like the price too. But the lack of support for P2/SxS is lame, I use both formats. I'll probably buy the cheap 13" and just keep the MBP 15" that I am typing this on just for P2/SxS shoots.

I think it is becoming a question as to how much time, effort an development money that Apple is going to throw toward Pro Apps. I guess this proves what I have said all along. In our little world, we think we are a significant market but in the big scheme of thing, none of us video people, designers, photographers, musicians are really a very significant market for Apple. All of the time, money and effort are obviously going to the stupid iPhone. A bad strategy if you ask me. Something could come out any time that could instantly steal away the iPhone's market, consumers are much more fickle than Pros. I have been on FCP since it was in beta.

Dan
 
Well... I think you may be conflating HW and SW issues. I do think Apple makes nice workstation iron for us folks, though the laptops haven't quite followed our needs of late. But the laptop HW is certainly following consumer trends. I think I read that in the keynote, the presenter noted that "fewer than 1% of MacBook Pro users ever used an ExpressCard." Wouldn't necessarily surprise me... and shows us our place in the overall market.

SW wise... I am holding out hope that FCS 3 is being held up by Snow Leopard. Apple is certainly throwing a lot of development money/effort at Snow Leopard (SL), and THAT indeed has tremendous potential benefit for ProApps and pro usage. There are a lot of technologies currently in development that will be huge for us, and it may just be an efficiency (and consistency, reliability) issue that's causing Apple to hold off a bit on the ProApps. I mean, if they're working on OpenCL accelerated H.264 operations, should they spend time pumping out a dead-end patch to get FCP to edit H.264 natively for the next month or two? Etc...

I know this is just a hope, but I don't yet think an unreasonable one.
 
Lack of Blu-ray is the biggest disappointment, for me. I do have an external Lacie burner, but was expecting a new Blu-ray internal drive. I'm still considering the 17", but will probably hold for the Snow Leopard pre installed laptop. My current one is a 17" Powerbook G4 1.67, a fantastic machine for P2. But forget it for AVC Intra, and it struggles for1080p DVCPRO HD ( Also due to HDD full).

One of the things I do like about the 17"is how light it is. SInce I have all the support gear (backpacks, etc.) for my 17", I don't see a problem upgrading to this one...
 
I spoke with three different Apple software developers today and the consensus is that FCS 3 will be the last iteration, after that pro apps will probably go away. When were the last updates for Logic, Aperture, etc.?

I hope that they are wrong but I don't know, Apple doesn't seem real intent on owning the video post market anymore. Its like they drove AVID almost to the point of financial insolvency and going under, but then AVID hasn't rolled over and died yet. Now it seems like their focus (from a business standpoint, rightly so) is on selling billions of iPhone apps, iPhones and a few iPods still.

I believe the numbers on the Expresscard 34 but it would have been nicer to still offer it as a BTO option. Pros would not mind ordering BTO and waiting a few days in order to get that all important feature. In one fell swoop, Apple just gave a big middle finger to Matrox, Aja, OWC, CalDigit, etc. basically orphaning entire product lines and a product category. Other than the few 17"s they will sell, pro level editing on an Apple laptop just died today. Very sad. No more Matrox, Aja i/O, SATA Raids for laptops, etc. It's almost like there is someone at Apple who is plotting to say, "screw you video and media pros". Replacing the card slot with something that could be read in any of dozens of different ways ( I have USB and FW SD card readers that come free with the cards, they cost zilch) was short sighted, and an insult to anyone who has used Apple laptops for pro video/media work. The 17" is just a pacifier until they run out of stock of the components, then the 17" will probably go the same way as the 13 and 15" models.

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
I spoke with three different Apple software developers today and the consensus is that FCS 3 will be the last iteration, after that pro apps will probably go away. When were the last updates for Logic, Aperture, etc.?

I hope that they are wrong but I don't know, Apple doesn't seem real intent on owning the video post market anymore. Its like they drove AVID almost to the point of financial insolvency and going under, but then AVID hasn't rolled over and died yet. Now it seems like their focus (from a business standpoint, rightly so) is on selling billions of iPhone apps, iPhones and a few iPods still.

I believe the numbers on the Expresscard 34 but it would have been nicer to still offer it as a BTO option. Pros would not mind ordering BTO and waiting a few days in order to get that all important feature. In one fell swoop, Apple just gave a big middle finger to Matrox, Aja, OWC, CalDigit, etc. basically orphaning entire product lines and a product category. Other than the few 17"s they will sell, pro level editing on an Apple laptop just died today. Very sad. No more Matrox, Aja i/O, SATA Raids for laptops, etc. It's almost like there is someone at Apple who is plotting to say, "screw you video and media pros". Replacing the card slot with something that could be read in any of dozens of different ways ( I have USB and FW SD card readers that come free with the cards, they cost zilch) was short sighted, and an insult to anyone who has used Apple laptops for pro video/media work. The 17" is just a pacifier until they run out of stock of the components, then the 17" will probably go the same way as the 13 and 15" models.

Dan
Click to expand...

Dan, I hope you're wrong with this...
 
This is sad and a slap in the face to the people who helped them actually SELL hardware through the proapps before the iphone craze.

A stupid move.
 
puredrifting said:
I spoke with three different Apple software developers today and the consensus is that FCS 3 will be the last iteration, after that pro apps will probably go away. When were the last updates for Logic, Aperture, etc.?
Click to expand...

So you think they might sell FCS and Logic to someone or will they just die off?
 
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