Slashdot Mirror
MacBook is Speedy, but no FireWire 800, Modem Ports
Lam1969 writes "Yuval Kossovsky has a hands-on review of the new 15" MacBook Pro. Besides the speed improvement with the dual-core 1.83-GHz Intel processor, he likes the built-in iSight camera, "MagSafe" power connector, and better WiFi antenna placement, among other features. But he laments the loss of the modem port and FireWire 800 connectors: '[Apple] has taken away by getting rid of the FireWire 800 connector slot and the modem. FireWire 800 was left off the motherboard of the new laptop largely because it has not achieved much a following among users. ... The loss of the modem jack may be a sign of things to come. I was told that Apple had found that 90% of PowerBook owners used the 802.11g AirPort wireless card, gigabit ethernet or a Bluetooth connection to a cell modem to get network access. So for cost and package size reasons, the modem was left out.'" Update: 01/26 17:25 GMT by P : Story and headline updated to clarify that only FireWire 800 was not included on the machine; FireWire 400 is present.
For that matter, I've also never used the slot for PC cards in my PowerBook. Is the use of these slots common with other owners?
-Rob
Biblical fiscal responsibility
Now we get this "hands-on" review, but I'm not convinced anything has changed. He subjectively says the performance "cooks" -- but that's likely just the intel-happy finder. All he has is Apple's oddly vague words to go on about battery performance. The rest of it could have come from the press release about the keynote announcement.
Book's still out?
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
What the article summary fails to mention is that there is still a Firewire 400 port on the Macbook. They just removed what they feel people aren't using, and that has been Apple's way for as long as I can remember.
The modem can be taken care of by an optional dongle for the system, and Firewire 800 can be added with an Express Card. If anyone needs either, they're still available.
The loss of the modem jack may be a sign of things to come. I was told that Apple had found that 90% of PowerBook owners used the 802.11g Airport wireless card, Gigabit Ethernet or a Bluetooth connection to a cell modem to get network access. So for cost and package size reasons, the modem was left out.
The loss of the modem isn't such a big deal. I've only ever used mine once (when I was moving) and it wasn't a pleasant experience. If I'd had a Wifi card, I probably would have gone to a local hotspot instead of bothering with the modem.
The nice part about the modem being left out, however, is that the Wifi card is included in the base system rather than as an add-on card. IMHO, that's a fair trade. If you really want a modem, Apple has a USB modem as an available option when you order your unit. So I'd say it's a win/win for all involved.
Unfortunately, I can't speak to the Firewire as I've never used it. Of course, that may be saying more than enough...
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Everyone - including those people who didn't get hold of a MacBook so far - could have written such a review :( He really doesn't come up with anything the informed Mac fan doesn't know already. And I really wonder what it means that the new MacBook is "exponentially faster" than the last G4 version.. having only two measurements, how did this guy manage to interpolate a non-linear function??
Georg
I've never actually used FW 800, but then again, my camera syncs via USB, and I'm not a pro photo or video guy, so the only time I even used FW 400 was for my 3G iPod. As for a modem, I haven't used one of these in like 5 or 6 years - for most people it'll be okay, though those few travelers who go into areas without broadband wired or wireless (there are still places like this, somewhere, I think), they could find a USB modem, or maybe someone will come up with an Express Card modem, though that seems unlikely.
It's clear Apple is downplaying Firewire, quite possibly planning to drop it as a standard feature some time in the next few years, but they haven't gone the whole way yet.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Yeah, damnit, how am I meant to read my core memory now???!? Also, I demand an audio cassette drive! And an LP deck. How dare they remove my perfectly good ancient tech?!
One potential use for the MacBook's PC card slot is to add a FireWire 800 port, or a modem port. I've personally never had the use for either on my laptop. The MacBook does have a FireWire 400 port, contrary to the title of the Slashdot article.
Doug Moen
I have written a truly remarkable program which this sig is too small to contain.
... Intel's standard chip set doesn't support it.
It's that simple, Apple had no part to play in that decision.
I haven't used dialup in more than 4 years, and I'm yet to see a Firewire 800 device in the wild. Fw800 is for all intents and purposes, dead as fried chicken. Starting with the retarded, backwards-incompatible connector.
The perfect sig is a lot like silence, only louder
They could've added their own chip, driving up costs, weight and heat, while decreasing battery lifetime.
... and with a laptop, I don't want to go carrying around even more cables. I would like to see FW800 on the iMac mini, though, so I can get better disk performance than the internal.
It probably would have also increased the time to market.
So, they had a part to play, and in this case, they might've made the right decision -- the older laptops w/ FW800 are still on the market, and I would assume that Apple's going to push for support in the future.
Personally, I don't like FW800, as it uses a completely different connection and cable than FW400, unlike the various USB specs, and the various ethernet specs using RJ45 plugs
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
First the modem should be there as it adds very little to the cost and is present in many chipsets. Laptops are about NOT having to carry accessories. While FW800 may be excused as FW400 is there I can't give them a pass on the modem.
Many times I find the following situation, no wireless and no lan. This means modems. Yeah some hotels have internet I can connect to via lan but that still isn't widespread, or should I say widespread in hotels some business will pay for. Same goes for wireless.
If I am taking a laptop on business all I should need is the laptop, the power cord, and the case to carry it. I don't want to have a section for "exceptions". If I have one of those then I bought the wrong laptop.
This is a "PRO" model, by name it implies it will provide me everything I could use that is reasonable. That modem is far more valuable than a gimmick of a camera. Hell I already carry a digital camera around and I am sure I can use it in place of iSight (which seems more suitable to teens playing with IM and IV)
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
I had a Sony Vaio SRX without floppy nor a built in DVD drive. It was 2.6 pounds. The newest Sony with a built in Dvd drive weighs in at 3.1 pounds. The lightest Sony full function laptop ever made was 1.8 pounds. So the built drive does make quite a big difference percentage wise in the weight of the laptop. Most computers nowadays come with an image of the software on the hard drive rather than on a disk, so for most people who never buy any software other than ones installed for them, like people who buy iBooks, I can see one day where optical drives would be optional, and you would use a dock connected to a laptop to access this optical drive. Since this would be a dual use, I propose a new name for this Apple laptop without any drives. I propose the name, MacBook Duo.
And FireWire is going to be around for quite some time.
As long as all DV and HDV cameras and decks use FireWire for DV transport, FireWire isn't going anywhere on Macs, including "consumer" Macs, since half of iLife (iMovie, iDVD), and the continuing major selling point for the SuperDrive, rest on the ability to get DV into the machine.
And no, USB isn't a substitute on DV cameras. USB is only included to transfer things from the internal memory card, usually still images and crappy digital-still-camera-like video. To transfer DV, you must use FireWire. (Now, could the industry eventually agree upon a collective standard mechanism for DV video transfer via USB? Will something eventually replace FireWire? Sure. But that's not going to happen for a long time.)
And indeed, ExpressCard/34 FireWire 800 cards are on the way, for people who really need FireWire 800:
MacBook Pro #4: FireWire 800 cards for ExpressCard/34 slot on the way
We previously reported that Apple has opted to omit the FireWire 800 port from its new MacBook Pro line. We also noted that various firms already offer ExpressCard FireWire 800 adapters, but there's a catch -- so far the cards are only available in the 54 mm ExpressCard standard, not the 34 mm standard Apple uses.
We've now received anonymous word from a major peripheral manufacturer indicating that FireWire 800 cards for the ExpressCard/34 slot are on the way.
The firm told MacFixIt:
"We do not have an estimated release date, but we are currently working on a couple of ExpressCard solutions (1394b being one of them). We, like other companies have an ExpressCard/54 cards and all we need to do is down-size them into the ExpressCard/34 form factor
"We expect to begin testing our cards within the next 2-3 weeks, and if all goes well, we could see production not long afterwards."
I'd have to disagree here. There are probably a HUGE amount of people out there who would switch from PC to Mac only if there was a simple way to maintain backward-compatibility with all their Windows games and programs. Right now, when you buy a Mac as your sole computer, you're basically giving up PC gaming completely (except for World of Warcraft, that is). Not to mention all the proprietary VB stuff that many companies use.
A VM sounds nice, but I can't see how it would be any easier to make a VM for OSX than it is for x86-Linux, and the existing x86-Linux emulators (or translation layers or whatever) are far from perfect. I don't want WINE for Mac, I want Windows!
It may have little to do with Apple's "plans" for the system, but dual-booting to Windows would be a HUGE selling point among the gamer and geek crowds. If this is a white whale, it's got some darn valuable blubber.
Apple's USB modem is tiny, smaller than an iPod shuffle. I'm sure you'll also be able to get an ExpressCard modem (so it can be "in" the machine and not an extra part to carry). Sure people still need modems, but the number of those using them is shrinking. And since there's a reasonable external solution why continue to build it into the machine?
While many modem users may be shocked by the lack of a built-in modem, this move is probably less radical than it seems, just like ditching the floppy drive. Everyone couldn't imagine a machine without a floppy, but it didn't hurt Apple at all. I think replacing the PC Card slot with an ExpressCard slot is much more extreme, since that obsoletes hardware people have.
I wonder: can I see this MacBook Pro as a notebook version of the iMac, or are there significant differences in speed?
-- Cheers!
Apple does sell a USB modem. If you need one, you can always buy it with your MacBook.
Having a modem is like having insurance, you hope not to need it, but when you find that you do need it, you're very glad of it.
Now I'm the first to admit that I rarely use the modem in my PowerBook, but nearly every time that I have used it has been when I expected some sort of broad band service to have been available. If all else fails, you can get a dial-up connection almost anywhere and you can borrow a lead to connect from the local telephone point to a modem too.
My PowerBook has to be squeezed into space with other important stuff. It's simply not practical to take all my accessories with me. The chances are that if I needed a USB modem, it wouldn't be with me, but a built-in modem is always there when you need it.
I like the PCMCIA slots. I've always kept a compact flash reader in mine. If I take a photograph and want to see it on a larger screen, it's easy to pop the card straight onto the PowerBook, you don't need to find that strange USB adaptor lead that came with the camera. As the card reader lives entirely within the slot, you'd hardly know it was there - until you unexpectedly want it.
An ExpressCard slot would be equally acceptable for me, a card reader would almost certainly live in there. But it wouldn't be suitable for a modem as the slot is only 5mm high and if you need to use the modem unexpectedly, the card is unlikely to have a standard phone socket, so you'll still need a special lead, which you probably won't have with you.
I think that the lack of a modem is something that has come from people who move from home to office and on to smart hotels, with WiFi in Starbucks and GPRS for other places. They assume that users spend all their time in the city and never travel to rural areas, or even ( dare I say it ? ) travel abroad !
For some of us who live in the real world, the lack of a modem is a very serious omission.