The 'Book Mystique Mailbag - June 22, 2006
with Charles W. Moore
Great Read
Is the MacBook rev. A The Real "Son of Pismo" ?
MacBook
Macbook Pro enclosure update coming?
MacBook and Final Cut Studio
CHE Link to your powerbook article
From Ken Cox
Dear Mr. Moore,
I greatly enjoyed reading "Is the MacBook The Real "Son of Pismo."
I really hope the new MacBooks do follow in the remarkable Pismo's footsteps. They were remarkable machines.
My Pismo has also been extensively upgraded. It felt like working on an old muscle car, and over the years I got to know every single connector, component and micro torx screw (especially when I replaced a broken AC & Sound board after a high-dive off a table - badly lit photo attached).
I always liked the Pismo's curvy lines better than the G4s - especially the way it fit in my hand carrying it. Although I was on my 3rd hard drive, needed a replacement battery, and the list of apps I couldn't run was getting longer, I had no REAL reason to upgrade... my wife and father thought differently though and surprised me with a MacBook Pro for my birthday. I love the new beast, and it isn't even fair to compare its power to my old machine, but I'll miss my Pismo, and I may never get used to the Apple logo being upside down on the lid.
Thanks again for the great read,
Ken Cox
Hi Ken;
Thanks for the comments. I like your muscle car analogy for the hotrodded Pismo.
Charles
Is the MacBook rev. A The Real "Son of Pismo" ?
From Jacek A. Rochacki
Dear Charles:
You simply read my thoughts....in one of Polish Mac blogs on May 16th
http://www.santee.pl/blogger/2006/05/mamy-czarnego-macbooka.html
I have expressed my hope for the black Mac Book to be the Son of Pismo. This was a month ago, and the time runs fast...
Few days ago I finally had a chance of testing the MacBook for an hour or two. Oh yes, it is so fast, good, modern, etc. I am impressed by easy access to HDD, I like easy access to the battery, the MagSafe is great. But the result of this testing was a surprise to myself.
I am sensitive on the keyboard matter, on the way how keys respond under my fingers; this is why I could not adopt myself to the iBook G4 keyboard which is too soft, too "plastic" like under my fingers. My present situation is, that for considerable amount of time I type not seated by my desk, but when seated at the armchair, what excludes use of an external keyboard. I am an old typewriter user, so I can't help my old habits influencing the way of typing on my computers. I believe that I am not alone; the subtitle of Nancy Carrol Gravley column in MacObserver was "My first Mac was a typewriter". We haveÊalready exchanged views on keyboards, and I understand that we agree that the best 'Books keyboards were these of PB 1400, of Wallstreets and this of Pismo. The keyboards of PB Alu series are OK, too.
Back to my Mac Book testing: I have read a lot on Mac Book keyboard, being different to previous 'Books keyboards, but I didn't expect the differences to be so big.
At first: the keyboard is not a separate part, it is the part of the top case of the laptop. After my experiences with wearing off letters from the iBook keyboards I value the easy way of eventual keyboard removal, and I am afraid that it would not be easy in case of the Mac Book.
Then the keys: they are smaller then in other keyboards, and the way they respond during my typing reminded me too much of typing on my iBook G4.
So I have placed side by side: my Pismo, the MacBook, iBook G4 12", and Power Book Alu G4 12", last model 1.5 GHz. After another hour of comparing how keys respond under my fingers I realized that the keyboard which is closest up to my liking (beside the Pismo keyboard which IMO outclassed other indicated here "competitors") is the keyboard of the little Alu.
And - surprise: by most happy coincidence two days later I have bought on most favourable conditions the 6 months old Power Book G4 Alu 1.5 GHz, 12", in perfect, mint condition. The battery after only 42 cycles of charging has capacity of more then 4236 mAh. There is still 6 months of warranty left. I believe that for a time being I am as happy with my Little Alu as you are with it's Big Brother - your 17" version. What I miss is the backlit keyboard, but the MacBook doesn't have it either...
The same day I have sold the iBook G4, so now my Pismo and Little Alu work side by side. And I continue being productive using machines that I really like, looking forward to see what the future will bring with the next revision of the MacBook.
As always
Jacek
Warsaw, Poland
PUC - Pismo Users Club
http://puc.santee.pl
Hi Jacek;
Congratulations on your purchase of the LittelAL, which is my favorite PowerBook model that I haven't personally owned. The keyboard is pretty much identical to the one in my 17" BigAL, and I agree that it is excellent.
In my opinion, the WallStreet keyboard is still the supreme ultimate, but the Pismo and AlBook 'boards are close behind.
Good point about the keyboard in the MacBook being more difficult and complex to remove than the iBook/ PowerBook 'boards.
Your comment piqued my curiousity, so I took a look at the iFixIt MacBook teardown guide: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/86.5.1.html
Indeed, it requires removal of 26 (!) screws and two ribbon cables to remove the upper case/keyboard assembly, and I'll bet the replacement keyboard will be a lot more expensive than the iBook / PowerBook 'boards.
Charles
From Oliver Starkey
Charles,
I just received my MacBook. It is the best Apple laptop I have ever used. It gets hot but that hasn't caused a problem. There is a little fan noise but that is not a real issue and I'm noise sensitive. The glossy screen in a non-factor. I really like the keyboard. I'm very pleased with my purchase so far.
Try one out. See if you agree with me.
Cheers,
Oliver Starkey
Hi Oliver;
I definitely will at my first opportunity. The nearest Apple reseller is a three hour drive from here, and nobody local has bought one yet.
On spec., I've pretty much provisionally decided that a MacBook will be my next system upgrade, although it won't be until the new year earliest. I'm still reveling in this 17" PowerBook. :-)
Delighted to hear that you're happy with your purchase.
Charles
Macbook Pro enclosure update coming?
From Scott McClean
Charles, thanks for the Macbook/Pro value article. I went to my local Apple store and checked out the Macbook. I thought I would own a 15" Macbook Pro by now but...wow.
After seeing the Macbook, I feel that Apple will upgrade the Macbook Pro with that new enclosure. Kick up the speed and backlight the keyboard? I just feel the 15" is not a good value (as you stated) and it seems strange that the "low-end" laptop has new features that the Pro model does not. Faster aluminum versions perhaps? Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but the current Macbook Pros seem to feature "old" engineering. Their laptops also lack a design continuity across the board that I think Jobs would demand. I find that odd.
Anyway, I've not seen any speculation, but I would think that when Apple releases it's newly designed Pro Towers, it would be a good time to update the Pro laptops and distance the performance a bit from the Macbook.
Anyway, sorry for the rant...I'm going to trust my gut and wait!
Take it easy, Scott McClean
Graphic Designer, Mac user since 1988!
Hi Scott;
While I wouldn't be surprised to see a MacBook Pro update/speed bump later this year (probably September or October), I don't anticipate any form factor change until Macworld Expo SF at the very earliest.
The 15" MacBook Pro's early arrival on the market was obviously facilitated by virtually cloning the 15" PowerBook case design, and ditto for the 17" MacBook Pro. However, given that the latter has only been out for less than two months, I'm expecting Apple to stick with it for a while yet.
The new MacBook, being a clean slate new design incorporates some substantial design and engineering changes, but I think Apple will continue to distinguish the Pro line with metal cases and a deeper feature set (eg: backlit keyboard; expansion card slot).
Charles
From: David Chilstrom
The Apple document you linked to stands in direct conflict with a battery of benchmarks at: http://www.creativemac.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=43717
David Nagel's conclusion: "Normally you don't even think about running benchmarks of professional-level creative software on a laptop against desktops, and certainly not a laptop targeted toward consumers. But in the vast majority of tests, the MacBook beat out the desktop system (a dual 2Ghz G5) and certainly proved itself competition for all but the highest-end G5 Quad) Mac systems on the market today: http://www.creativemac.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=43717#
"Again, like the MacBook Pro:
http://www.creativemac.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=43717#
the 2.0 GHz 13-inch MacBook proves a thoroughly viable machine for users of Final Cut Studio." http://www.creativemac.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=43717#
Very likely Nagel's test were not exhaustive and I would think that video professionals would prefer the hopped up graphics card in the Pro laptop anyway, not to mention the larger screen.Ê
Regards,
David Chilstrom
CHE Link to your powerbook article
From Sarah Dacre
Dear Charles,
Thank you for a particularly well researched article.
I do hope that you are agreeable to having your piece circulated to a number of European web sites keen to assess and analyse new articles on EMFs. Please advise whether this is possible.
I myself suffer from ES which for me means that on most days I have to avoid any high tech environments and even social settings. I work with ES-UK raising the media profile of sufferers and a range of cases in the UK.
We are establishing HESE-UK
to promote and discuss scientificÊresearch already published in Europe, in German and in Russian, Êwhich is available and which opens up the debate further on EMFs and health.
We are in very early days but believe that the public has the right to know what is happening to the planet under the influence of astronomical growths in EMFs and the resultant impact on human health and changes observed in plant and animal behaviour.
kind regards
Sarah Dacre MBA ACIB
Hi Sarah;
Thank you for your comment, and please feel free to link to the article.
You may find a letter in this Mailbag colum interesting:
Charles
http://www.macopinion.com/columns/roadwarrior/06/05/30/index.html
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