New Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro laptops suck
October 14, 2008
Today was the big day. Apple fanboys the world over had been waiting for the latest from the stables of the Cupertino based company. And today they got to see it – the dream laptops from the company that is often considered to be the final word in innovation. Sadly enough Apple’s laptops disappointed.
There was hardly anything revolutionary about them. Some different price points, loads of aluminum, a more powerful graphics subsystem, solid state hard drives and some gimmickry in the name of touch gestures and glass trackpads. These kinds of features and specs were being offered in laptops from other manufacturers for quite some time now. I not quite sure how much does the glass trackpad and enhanced gestures add to the value of the laptops. So what is there in these laptops that would make them a compelling proposition for a new buyer? The short and sweet answer is nothing.
In their presentation Apple admitted that the recent growth in sales of their laptops had been fuelled by the disgraceful failure of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system. Accepted that Apple’s operating system is probably one of the best in the business but still how does one justify the cost of these machines? The hardware that is being used in them is the same as the ones in other laptops. So why the premium? Just for the OS? Is it justified?
Spec wise the new laptops spring no surprises. The standard Intel Core 2 Duo processors feature in all in speeds ranging from 2.0GHz to 2.8GHz. There is even an odd speed of 2.53GHz. Also the 2.8GHz speed processors come only in the 15″ MacBook Pro models and not the 17″ ones. Very odd indeed. The max RAM is limited to 4GB. Apple still does not offer a 64-bit version of the Mac OS on the laptops though both Microsoft and the various Linux distros do so. The MacBook and the MacBook Air also featured similar changes.
So what’s so different about these laptops? Practically nothing. In fact the new ones look bad. The serious coolness that used to be the USP of Apple’s laptops is missing in total in the new ones. A two-tone laptop from Apple? Come on. Was the design team on drugs when they approved this design?
In fact during the presentation Apple seemed to be more excited about the manufacturing process of the laptops rather than the laptops themselves. This, my friends, is really a huge disappointment.
Apple has failed to live up to its own high standards of design with these new laptops. The specs have improved from the previous lineup but not to the extent to really turn heads. Sorry to say the new laptops from Apple suck.
Entry Filed under: apple, mac book, mac book pro, mac os, macbook air, macbook touch, mbp, new laptop, ultraportable. Tags: apple, apple laptops, apple new laptops, mac, macbook air, macbook pro, mackbook, new apple laptops, new macbook, new macbook pro, new macbook pro air.
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1. Rob Winter | October 15, 2008 at 10:01 am
Yep, these laptops look sh*t.
This new casing design is very similar to low-end Acer notebooks. I get the feeling that Apple have pulled out all the stops in their attempts to capture sales from the ugly end of the market – PC users… shame on you Steve.
2. The New Apple Macbooks Ar&hellip | October 15, 2008 at 2:56 pm
[...] reviewers were unhappy even with the color scheme for the new laptops as the two-tone aptop manufactured by Apple must be [...]
3. Aelle | October 18, 2008 at 7:59 am
Use a MacBook Pro… Than you can say things like that… There’s no computer like the MacBook Pro… The way it’s done… The alluminium… Makes all the other computer feel like toys… Now they are even more solid….
4. Khürt | October 18, 2008 at 11:22 am
“..loads of aluminum, a more powerful graphics subsystem, solid state hard drives and some gimmickry in the name of touch gestures and glass trackpads. These kinds of features and specs were being offered in laptops from other manufacturers for quite some time now.”
Would you please backup those statements with some facts! Which other manufacturer offers an all aluminum construction and a trackpad with touch gestures?
Why not write more useful blog pieces about how wonderful Linux is and why instead of post after post about how bad Macs and OS X are. I think you have Mac envy.
5. davidxvision | October 20, 2008 at 3:03 am
I am so relieved to know I am once again ‘not alone’ in my standards …
I am so deeply disappointed in Apple lately for their gaffes ranging from their many glaring software missteps to their many half-baked new hardware offerings. Many of these new offerings have had to be publicly apologized for or quickly corrected. Need I even mention Mobile Me and the now seemingly endless upgrades to whatever other software they’ve got out ? Quick ~ name how many times iTUNES has been upgraded, not counting the legitimate ADD ON upgrades where a genuine feature was added.
If the Macbook Air had a starting price of under $900 it would be selling like hotcakes. How can they not see that if you make a glorified palm pilot you can’t price it higher than the company’s flagship laptop -( well at least this holds true at the Macbook Pro’s starting prices, anyway ). Why haven’t they seen fit to put out a keyboard with a trackpad so laptop users can come home and use a keyboard with their desktop that mimics their laptop ? I’ve seen this logic for years but had to buy a ‘third party’ keyboard to realize it. What happened to taking the time to comprehensively test products before the ‘big unveiling’ in these disturbing number of clockwork timed new releases ? What happened to putting out products that actually continue to work more than 24 hrs after their warrantee runs out ? Got a working airport express anyone ? ANYONE … ? ANYONE … ? BUELLER … ?
I wholeheartedly agree with this disgruntled former Apple fan – these new laptops, for want of a better word “suck” !
A top of the line Mac Laptop with this cheesy keyboard ? I mean, somebody needs to get fired man ! The idea of removing a firewire port from the Macbook and only making the option available on the ‘Pro’ is an obvious if not sleazy upsale tactic more in line with the minds at Microsoft than those of Apple Inc. Apple is, was: an iconic company that used to epitomize progressive ideas as well as progressive engineering and design. The non glare screen was a feature that distinguished Mac laptop products from most others and now its simply not available ?
I’m outta’ complaining space so I’ll just leave it here with a begrudging congratulations to Apple on your new ‘Unibody Aluminium Shell and your new Glass Trackpad’. Keep those, take them back to the lab and design four brand new laptops around them.
Yes: I want a new 17 inch Macbook Pro with a REAL backlit keyboard, the new glass trackpad, the new unibody and a bloody non glare screen so sue me ~
‘Thinner’ is not always better and ‘greener’ does not necessarily a deserving award winner make.
Signed ‘The Artist formerly known as Apple’s Greatest Fan’
6. James | October 23, 2008 at 7:35 am
Personally I think the whole computer itself it pretty much what I wanted except for one thing: I can see my ugly mug every time I use it. Damn, Apple if I wanted to scare myself I would have bought myself a mirror for 2 grand less. No really, the SUPER glossy screen is simply horrible! Why can’t you treat your glass with some anti glare coating like the decent CRT manufacturers are doing?
7. | October 28, 2008 at 9:53 am
This blog sucks..
8. Laura | November 6, 2008 at 10:31 am
Holy mackeral! Quit your complaining already and just be thankful you even have a computer to play with!! There’s nothing wrong with Apple. So long as you can log on to the internet, WHAT’S the problem???? I’m a single mother of two beautiful children and I can’t even afford a computer!!!!!!! You people really need to get a life!!!
9. Jomacki Richards | November 15, 2008 at 2:23 am
I totally agree to your blog 100%. I am a PC user, and wanted to transition to the mac at some point but never had the money to fork over, so I wanted to wait. These new laptops suck. I also read reviews about the color quality of the new macbooks. The blacks aren’t really black, so watching movies on them sucks. The glossy screens are a bit too much also. You’ll always see a reflection unless using them in the dark. The solid unified body style is great, but the outside is not appealing. I wish macbooks did something with colors like before when they had all those different flavors of macs. Also, if Microsoft didn’t eff up so badly, macs wouldn’t be as popular as they are now. They overcharge so much, and new pc systems at a fraction of the cost now come with memory from 5 gigs to 8 gigs, way below the cheapest model of a mac. The operating system is awesome, but as a whole package, not worth the money.
10. mac man | November 19, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I just bought the new Macbook and my University network will not even let me log onto the Internet. Back to my PowerBook. Mac should have never changed. What a waste of money.
11. Alex | December 15, 2008 at 8:41 pm
it simple sucks, its not a pro anymore, its simple a Macbook and why?
1-No matte screen for real DESIGN with REAL Colors, therefore you can rule out a pro touch in any adobe or Maya desings.
2- no firewire, what? no film editing? no final cut?
LOL! try to edit and use a virtual scenario on that mirror!!! wahahah!!
3-This a mainsteam laptop with a mirror instead of a mate screen.
4- The price!!! LOL!! thankfully i got my now “CLASSIC” MBP and i just knew that they are selling at the same price of the new model on E-bay.
5- if you want a $3000 laptop for use MS Office only then its ok.
I rest my case.
12. JRCX | January 30, 2009 at 10:50 pm
I think this is a harsh review. I’ve used both Mac & PC desktops and laptops for 15+ years. 2 different animals (to me). As far as laptops go, I have owned between 15-20 of them (hard to count), a majority of them PC, but If I had to choose from any of them, it would be the latest MacBook Pro 2.53GHz. No, not because of the speed (naturally we would want the fastest in spite of any design flaws) but in combination of the battery life, the design, the all aluminum body, size, weight and other features, this is by far the best laptop I have ever owned. It far surpasses any other mac and the only thing I can hold it close to in the PC end would be the SONY Vaios of the Y2K era. I do not work for Apple, I do not work for any PC company, I am an independent videographer and video editor and this is the only machine I can honestly say (so far) is worth all the hype and price it comes at. Often I research laptops and look at them in stores, then buy one, and almost always have a regret, due to something I overlooked, or the manufactuer omitted from their marketing. Not this time. The only negative thing I can say is, you need a firewire 400 to 800 cable to get video into the machine. Why they neglected to put a firewire 400 port but yet 2 USB ports is beyond belief, and even people at the Apple stores agree.
13. lieben | March 5, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Interessante Informationen.