If you are an Apple fan, you've probably read various blogs about Apple's new MacBook Pro -- some pro and some con. David Pogue, honcho for Yahoo Tech, bought one for himself, and here is his take on his purchase.
I've read Pogue's blogs for many years and have a great respect for his opinion. So, before you spend $3,000 for one -- as he did -- first read his comments. As always, your mileage may vary, but be aware.
Jim Hamm
Jim Hamm asks an interesting question: "Although Apple's new MacBook is really thin and small, the big hangup now is the battery -- how to get it smaller?
"Look at the inside of the new MacBook and see how small the computing stuff is (especially after getting rid of a spinning hard drive and optical drive), and all the room left for a battery. Although the running hours before recharging have improved by about 50% for a computer battery, the improvement isn't as impressive as for all the electronic stuff."
And Jim declares, "Way down the road, Graphene may be the answer for a significant improvement in batteries." Take a look at the link he sends: http://thenextweb.com/opinion/2015/03/11/apples-new-macbook-reiterates-how-desperately-we-need-battery-innovation/
John Carter reports on his experience with updates. "I updated my iPad 4, my iPhone 5, and Jackie's iPhone 4S.
The laptop computer felt hot to touch. How hot is too hot? That basic information was not evident with a Google search. Then, a bright idea. Yesterday the MacMedia email had arrived with the clever heading, "Geek Goods for your Mac Daddy!" We had purchased the MacBook Pro at the MacMedia store down in Peoria in September. Who better to call? A helpful guy, Rob, didn't seem in too big of a hurry to chat. I explained, relating some of the temperatures I'd noted from iStatPro widget. He explained the range of temperatures, reassured me that mine were OK, "That's why we don't call it a 'laptop' anymore." The helpful widget is here.
John's found out more about accessing the Internet at the Prescott Public Library. His complete report has now been posted to the PMUG website. Take a look at the details he explains under Benefits > Tips 'N Tricks. You'll also find there his slide presentation to the PMUG/PC meeting a few weeks ago. A big thanks to John Carter!
“Let’s take a look at that battery,” advised Kyle on the phone. Doing a Google search for “Mac swollen battery” brought up a lot of articles and many youtube videos about the problem. An expert was needed.
Don and I were happy doing business at MacMedia, Arizona’s largest privately owned Apple retail specialist which provides both in house and on-site repair services, as well as sales. Yesterday the Arrowhead Apple Store was crowded with customers and geniuses, and you could hardly walk through the aisles. At MacMedia the store is large and displays lots of Apple merchandise. And we decided to get that new MacBook Pro with Mountain Lion, too. Kyle deftly transferred everything for us, and we can recommend him to you.
"No doubt you've been wanting to look inside the new MacBook Pro just released by Apple. Here is a step-by-step tear-down by iFixit." It's Jim Hamm speaking here, knowing how curious we are about those innards.
Jim goes on to say, "Couple of things come to my mind after looking at the pictures. First, it is a very complex device to design and build. Just look at all the components that could go wrong, but usually don't.
"Next, Apple isn't designing product to be easily repaired. Component parts are not easy to get to, remove, or replace. Is this a good or bad strategy for the consumer? That's up for debate, but it is another step in furthering Apple's closed-loop system. They design the hardware, software, approve all apps, and now pretty much want you to bring Macs only back to Apple for repair. There's obviously good and bad aspects to this strategy. But that discussion is for another day.
"In the meantime, marvel at the new offering from Apple," Jim grins.
David Passell has been reading about the new MacBook Pro. He comments, "The author feels that it is not the computer for everyone. Certainly not for me."
Repair specialists say the retina MacBook isn't easy to take apart and modify, but the writer here calls MacBook Pro a "hermetically sealed magic box."
Do you know when to buy a Mac, iPod, or iPhone? Here's help from Prez Art Gorski. He leads off with, "Don't you just hate it when you buy an Apple product and then they release a new, better version right after? The MacBuyer's Guide keeps track of Apple hardware updates and is a great guide to when you should buy a new Apple product."
So we look here and find info with recommendations such as "Don't buy: updates soon" — "Buy only if you need it: approaching the end of a cycle" — or "Buy now! Product just updated." You also notice the links to their categories of blogs and forums. Take a look, you may want to bookmark this.
"Here's an interesting article and observation by Ted Landau of Apple's six best decisions — and why they make Apple the company it is today." Jim Hamm goes on to elaborate, "My only quibble with Ted is that the iPad should be included in the list. But he goes in detail explaining why he left this device out of his nominees. Possibly many of us — well, me, anyway — tend to think of Apple as a Mac, or computer, company. Not so much anymore. Here is a quote from the article: 'Apple’s success depended upon moving away from its focus on the Mac.' Hence, the dropping of 'computer' from the company name a while back."
"How do you use your Mac?" is always a good question to ask because our PMUG members and friends have unique and interesting info, and they like to share. David Passell innocently mentioned about a choral production coming to Trinity Presbyterian Church on December 4. After a few questions we found out what good Mac fans he knows at TPC.
"Joe Place, our facility manager, is a real Mac fan. All the computers at TPC are Macs, except some that had to remain Windows for compatibility with older Church software, and (I think) our telephone system.
"I operate the video camera and record all the services and special events on DVD. Joe also duplicates the sound on CDs from a digital Edirol recorder. He uses an iMac (now running Lion), and we have a stand-alone CD duplicator.
"Spike Foley, a professional sound engineer (Sound on Site Arizona), runs the main services. We have a 36 channel board, and orchestral-choir presentations are multi-miked. A MacBook Pro is sometimes connected to the board for mixing editing for audio CDs. I also run the sound board and record Memorial Services."
And, about that choral production, David? "Here's the link."
This month's Prescott Astronomy Club meeting on October 5 will feature John Carter and his presentation, "Planets in Motion." The meetings are always held at the Prescott Public Library in the Founders Suite from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every first Wednesday of the month. John will be using his MacBook Pro; his slides were created using NeoOffice. Take a look at NeoOffice here. "All are welcome," John announces.
Jim Hamm considers how iOS 5 will affect notebook sales. "Here’s a video with a summary of iOS 5. Lots of new features for mobile devices. The most important, in my opinion, is now the iPad, iPhone and iPod no longer need to have a computer to connect to. They can be free-standing devices. A nice step. On the flip side, possibly this might have a deleterious effect on notebook sales. On the other hand, though, I don’t think I’d just want to have only a mobile device and not have my Mac. I think each has its strong points. Time will tell how this all shakes out."
Here's a thought-provoking article from Jim that speculates about the future of Mac.
Want to see what's inside? Of course, you do! Jim Hamm fixes us up with this nifty site so we can see inside the iPad 2. But with a little searching I was able to find the innards of my MacBook Pro on that site. See if you can find your computer.