which Apple laptop?

[soulohio]

I want a new Apple laptop so I can do cool stuff.

choices:

the new 15 inch Mac Pro
wait until the 17 inch Mac Pro is updated early 2009
save myself a pile of money and buy a used Mac Pro

anything else? The 3K price tag on a 15 inch MP is killing me, I have to admit. This is with the Apple Protection, and other upgrades.

[Tritone]

The Mac Pro isn't a laptop. The MacBOOK Pro is a laptop, but it's only 2000 USD, what are you adding to get to 3K? The base config would be powerful enough for most recording (although I'd prefer a larger hard drive if you're recording with Logic and its 50 GB of samples!). The RAM and hard drive can be upgraded later if you want. Remember, you can add Apple Protection up to a year after you purchase the laptop if you can't afford it right away.

[desceneisvals]

Avoid the new MacBooks. I love mine, especially pumping it up to 4 gig of RAM, but those new MacBooks don't have Firewire ports; boo.

The new MacBookPros have some kind of upgraded Firewire that might not work with older equipment. I don't feel like reading up to clarify the scattered thoughts in my brain right now, but make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

Good luck!

[moody07747]

What type of "cool stuff" are you looking to do?

IMO anything a Mac can do, a PC can do...for cheaper.
Now I dont bash Mac computers but I have always been a fan of PCs due to the user interface and more importantly...the price difference.

[elambo]

I really like the new MacBook Pro (I bought one a few weeks ago). I haven't heard anything about FW upgrades that would cause any compatibility issues - it connects flawlessly with every FW device I've tried, just as past MacBook Pros always have.

I keep ProTools LE on it for editing and it's incredibly fast, and for only having a 5400 RPM drive (as laptops tend to have) it keeps up with a high track count nicely. The build quality is good, it's extremely fast, the graphics look great, and the general feel of the OS (running and working with applcations) is solid.

Although my previous generation MBP was good as well. Its only issue was with the battery, which needed replacing more often than I thought necessary. I believe you can still buy these at certain places (online?).

15" vs. 17" screen??? It's entirely up to you, whether or not you need the added real estate. I find the 15" comfortable enough.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by moody07747

IMO anything a Mac can do, a PC can do...for cheaper.

Another Mac vs. PC thread hijacking??? Something tells me that he's already done his homework in that regard.

[Crikey]

The loss of FireWire from the MacBook is hard to take for a musician with a ton of FireWire external gear. Why, Apple?

I'm curious about this, too. I used to recommend the MacBook Pro for recording, because until recently there was a FireWire 800 port for the external hard disk you'd probably want to use, and a FireWire 400 port for the external audio interface you'd want to use, and they were separate FireWire buses, so the data flowing across one didn't interfere with the other.

The new MacBook Pro only has one FireWire 800 port, so while you can daisy-chain devices, they all must share the bandwidth of one FireWire bus. In theory, that's bad, but I don't know how much difference it makes in practice. Hard to believe Apple would hamstring their high-end notebooks for the music market. I'm glad I bought the last version that has both FireWire buses!

As for the PC zealot, I'm a network admin and work with PCs all day. At home I went all Mac in 2002 and haven't looked back. So far, I've definitely gotten what I paid for.


Crikey

Originally Posted by desceneisvals

Avoid the new MacBooks. I love mine, especially pumping it up to 4 gig of RAM, but those new MacBooks don't have Firewire ports; boo.

The new MacBookPros have some kind of upgraded Firewire that might not work with older equipment. I don't feel like reading up to clarify the scattered thoughts in my brain right now, but make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

Good luck!

[Pietro]

Apple, what the heck were you thinking? I was going to get a new MacBook next year, now I might go back to a desktop for music and use my laptop only for email and MS office and stuff.

Yuk.

Also, I've used both Macs and PCs for Audio/Video/Music for years and can only say that while they can both do it, I will never, myself, ever choose a PC for these purposes again.

[bdegrande]

Using the FireWire 800 port with older devices is not a problem, you just need a cable.

The low end $999 Macbook still has FireWire if you need it and don't need a bigger screen or a higher price.

That having been said, FireWire is on its way out. Nobody but Apple and Sony among computer manufacturers has used it much, and Apple is starting to phase it out. I think you are going to see USB 3 take over when it is out.

If you need a Macbook Pro and are willing to live with an older model, www.macmall.com has some great closeout deals.

[soulohio]

I think I can live with an older model...and I do want firewire! what is Apple thinking...

I just don't wanna hang myself on an older computer that is somewhat slow in other regards,.... say I want to upgrade the HD to a 72000 rpm platter...can you do that on the $999 Mac? Also, I MUST HAVE an external monitor...cannot live without one. Which Mac will do that? I wish Macs came with a dock.

[KagakuNinja]

This has been flamed over in numerous forums. Apple is thinking no one outside of a select few users want firewire. You can still get it on the Macbook Pro.

[Groovey Records]

Firewire is a dead issue just like other obsolete protocols

[elambo]

Originally Posted by Groovey Records

Firewire is a dead issue just like other obsolete protocols

FW is alive and well, just not as popular at the consumer level. Firewire is available on the MacBook Pros, which is what Pros tend to use, hence the FW800 port on the MBP.

[Groovey Records]

According to Jobs those will be the last editions.

Read the interview he gave the NY Times tech editor

[killerburst]

I read the NY Times story. Jobs said no such thing. His comments were about DV tape. The author commented later in the story that Apple has started the countdown clock on FireWire, but that appears to me to be the author's own speculation, not something stated by Jobs.

FireWire is not dead at all, nor does it deserve to be, at least until a superior technology emerges as a replacement. At this point there is no equivalent.

Here's another article to read.