AnandTech evaluates the MacBook and MacBook Pro updates. Conclusion? Yawn

Wed, 02/27/2008 - 7:59pm — Quincy Pince-Nez
7263

AnandTech has taken a close look at the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros both inside and outside.  Their conclusion?  Not much to talk about.  The internals are almost exactly the same.  Same motherboards, same hardware save for new video chips and trackpad on the MacBook Pros and Penryns and RAM/HD configurations on both.

Alltogether kind of a small update from Apple.  In fact, the MacBook Pros haven't been touched much over the past two years.  We expect much more from Apple at the WWDC 2008.  Perhaps even a *gasp* redesign. 

Table recreated below...

 

  New Penryn MacBook Pro 15" Old Merom MacBook Pro 15" New Penryn MacBook Old Merom MacBook MacBook Air
Dimensions H: 1.0"
W: 14.1"
D: 9.6"
H: 1.0"
W: 14.1"
D: 9.6"
H: 1.08"
W: 12.78"
D: 8.92"
H: 1.08"
W: 12.78"
D: 8.92"
H: 0.16-076"
W: 12.8"
D: 8.94"
Weight 5.4 lbs 5.4 lbs 5.0 lbs 5.0 lbs 3.0 lbs
Screen Size/Resolution 15.4" / 1440 x 900 15.4" / 1440 x 900 13.3" / 1280 x 800 13.3" / 1280 x 800 13.3" / 1280 x 800
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz - 2.6GHz (45nm Penryn) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz - 2.6GHz (65nm Merom) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 - 2.4GHz (45nm Penryn) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 - 2.2GHz (65nm Merom) Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 - 1.8GHz (65nm Merom)
GPU NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (256MB - 512MB) NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (128MB - 256MB) Intel GMA X3100
(144MB UMA)
Intel GMA X3100
(144MB UMA)
Intel GMA X3100 (144MB UMA)
Memory 2GB - 4GB DDR2-667 2GB - 4GB DDR2-667 1GB - 4GB DDR2-667 1GB - 4GB DDR2-667 2GB DDR2-667 (fixed)
HDD 200 - 250GB 2.5" 5400RPM SATA
200GB 7200RPM SATA
120 - 250GB 2.5" 5400RPM SATA
200GB 7200RPM SATA
120 - 250GB 2.5" 5400RPM SATA HDD 80 - 160GB 2.5" 5400RPM SATA HDD 80GB 1.8" HDD
or 64GB 1.8" SSD
Optical Drive Integrated SuperDrive Integrated SuperDrive Integrated Combo drive or SuperDrive Integrated Combo drive or SuperDrive Optional External USB SuperDrive
Networking 802.11a/b/g/n
10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11a/b/g/n
10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11a/b/g/n
10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11a/b/g/n
10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11a/b/g/n
Built in iSight Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Inputs 2 x USB 2.0
1 x FireWire 400
1 x FireWire 800
1 x ExpressCard/34
1 x Audio in
1 x Integrated mic
2 x USB 2.0
1 x FireWire 400
1 x FireWire 800
1 x ExpressCard/34
1 x Audio in
1 x Integrated mic
2 x USB 2.0
1 x FireWire 400
1 x Audio in
1 x Integrated mic
2 x USB 2.0
1 x FireWire 400
1 x Audio in
1 x Integrated mic
1 x USB 2.0
1 x Integrated mic
Outputs 1 x Audio
1 x dual-link DVI
1 x Audio
1 x dual-link DVI
1 x Audio
1 x mini-DVI
1 x Audio
1 x mini-DVI
1 x Audio
1 x Micro-DVI
Battery 60WHr 60WHr 55WHr 55WHr 37WHr
Price $1999 $1999 $1099 $1099 $1799

 

Comments

When is WWDC? is that when

2924

When is WWDC? is that when they intro'd the iMacs last year?

Uh, WWDC 2008 is in the past

2729

Uh, WWDC 2008 is in the past man. (Jan 15th)

Um, no. Macworld was 1/15.

2627

Um, no. Macworld was 1/15. WWDC is usually in June

word is apple was goosed by

3026

word is apple was goosed by intel to nominal updates. they had chips they needed outthe door, or so goes the story. more a political thing than, "hey, check this out!"

real update will be in june, at or about, when montevina is ready and raring.

<http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=10875>

 

be well,

=t

Well, identical performance,

3224

Well, identical performance, but the prices have dropped a little from one generation to the next. The previous Mid range is now the low end.

Well, identical performance,

3233

Well, identical performance, but the prices have dropped a little from one generation to the next. The previous Mid range is now the low end.

Awesome Changes! It is good

2625

Awesome Changes!

It is good news that there isn't a whole new motherboard or internals... since the new CPUs are designed to be a drop-in replacement.  That's the advantage that Intel has provided - a decent bump in performance and battery life can be achieved without any substantial engineering changes to the machine.

As other have noted - this is a speed and performance bump, not an entirely new platform.  I think Apple will evaluate the sales of the MacBook Air before substantially retooling the Pro.  That will take at least a year.

 

 

Good chart. Thx. Please add

3429

Good chart. Thx.

Please add info on the chip L2 cache to your chart, as apparently Intel lowered the amount of L2 memory cache in these new processors.

(The new lower L2 may explain why they are not much faster, and why Apple's performance claim is made against much older MacBook Pro line, not against the line it just replaced.)

Why redesign? MBP rocks as

3521

Why redesign? MBP rocks as are now :-) WHo cares if the design is "old".

Has Apple Lost Its Styling Nerve?

3033

Last Wednesday morning I got out of bed and made my way to the study so that I could rouse my PowerBook G4 15" Aluminium (Last PPC Model) from sleep so that I could check out Apple's web site to see if the rumour sites had it right or wrong. I often go through this series of events around critical release dates as I am in Australia and I have to wait until Wednesday morning to see what Apple has announced on Tuesday. So this morning, encouraged by some of the new styling seen on the MacBook Air, I was expecting an enclosure redesign for the MacBook Pro series. What I was presented with was yet another slight 'under the hood' upgrade, with the addition of multi-touch. Has Apple lost its styling nerve?
 
Many out there would state how they like the Aluminium enclosure; why change a winning formula? Apple appologist mentality asside, one has to admit that the Aluminium enclosure has been around for just a tad too long. The same enclosure has practically addorned the Apple pro series of laptop computers since January 2003. The enclosure stagnation is not isolated to the laptops as Apple's professional workstation enclosure has also stuck around since the Power PC era.
 
We all love our Apple computers for multiple reasons one of them being the industrial design. We all knew that this aspect would be neglected as Apple made the transition to Intel processors, but that transition is well and truelly complete. Apple has always been able to, though not to everyone's liking, come up with very compelling ways to express physically what they where about philosophicaly. Has Apple's philosophy changed? Even though they've dropped the 'Computer' from the company name, when we look at the iMac update from mid 2007, we see that visual styling is still very much part of the product development lifecycle. And the Macworld 2008 revelation of the MacBook Air also reassured us that Mr. Ives still masterfully combines Function with Stytlish Form. So why not the professional series? Are us professionals so pre-occupied with what we are working on that style becomes secondary or tertiary? I'd have to disagree, especially when it's something as personal as a portable computer.
 
My opinion, which is no doubt shared by others, is that clearly identifiable styling differentiators between model generations serve as an instant iconographic representation of one's investement in their 'tools of the trade', much like the polycarbonate in contrast with the aluminium, or the 17" in contrast with the 15". I'm not talking about your old-fashioned Mac snobery here, regardless of the tool people use, they like to diffentiate themselves from the users of the same tool a series behind. And it doesn't have to be a functional differentiator, in my experience it most oftenly isn't. "I can see by the blue handle that you're using the Series III, how are you finding the improved gamma field disruptor?" the conversation would go.
 
Here's another scenario, I'm looking to have an outside agency do some digital media work for my company. I visit two of them and they each give me a brief tour of their offices. Both have many aluminium clad Mac desktops on the artists' desks and the representatives assure me that they are using state of the art equipment and that they will be able to produce what I need by my specified deadline. Though I was unable to discern it at the time, one agency has the latest series of Mac Pro's and the other has PowerMac G5's and is charging less. Now I don't know about you, but if I am made able to easlily identify the latest series of Mac desktop at the hypothetical agency I would pay the higher price having the piece of mind that they are serious about the tools they use and thus be reassured that the work will be both of high quality and would be complete by the deadline.
 
Note: Please don't pick appart the aformentioned scenario as it does not constitute a challenge.
 
Some 80% of information about the outside world comes in through the eyes. Apple has always understood this very well. I just don't understand why they've forgotten it with their professional series of computers.