New MacBook Pro and Mac OS X.5 (Leopard)
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
I recently bought a new 15″ MacBook Pro to replace my first generation model. There were a number of reasons I did this upgrade now:
1. Apple just came out with new versions of the computer.
2. I needed a MacBook Pro that could handle more than 2 gigs of memory so my photo editing work with Lightroom would go more smoothly.
3. I had not yet upgraded to Leopard and figured I’d do it when I got a new machine.
4. I wanted to use the new iChat screen sharing feature of Leopard to help my 92 year old mother with her computer in Los Angeles but her older computer would choke on Leopard so I needed to give her my old MacBook Pro with Leopard installed to make this work. This was the piece that tipped me as well as Apple coming out with new models of the computer.
Meta Process
I bought the new MacBook Pro (MBP), backed up the old MBP with SuperDuper!, transferred my stuff from the old machine with migration assistant, put the extra 2 gigs of memory in, took the old machine apart to get 250 gig HD out and put a 100 gig HD in for my mother, put the 250 in the external case my 100 was in, installed Leopard on old MBP and set it up for my mother. She mostly uses Gmail so I got her account up and running here in Connecticut.
When I got to LA last week I moved her stuff from her old G4 PowerBook onto her new MBP and taught her how to use screen sharing. We had a few sessions with it and hopefully we’ll practice more now that I’m home.
I brought the old G4 home and it will get scrubbed and used for something.
The entire process of getting the new machine, moving my old stuff onto it and setting up my mother’s machine went without a single hitch. Apple’s Migration Assistant works spectacularly well and it’s hard to believe we went through over ten years of moving things around by hand in the old days. In my mind, the smoothness of this process is another part of Apple’s design genius that few take the time to recognize.
New Buying Process
I generally buy my Macs direct from Apple but because Apple has stores in Connecticut they charge sales tax here, even on mail orders. Still, I always figured they’d have the latest products in their pipeline and if there was a small hardware change in a product they’d have it earlier than their resellers. That was my rationale anyway.
Because I’m a B&H photo affiliate I figured I’d try buying from them. They have an Apple Store and while it’s not as pretty as Apple, Inc.’s store, they carry pretty much everything I’d want from Apple’s own store.
Their prices are the same as Apple’s or slightly lower, they have free shipping on computers (like Apple), and they charge no sales tax on mail orders. If you buy your Macintosh or photo gear from them through any of my B&H links at this site I’ll get a small affiliate fee for leading you there. You can also use the B&H banner in the sidebar once this article is burried.
There are two versions of 15″ MacBook Pro and one version of the 17″ and one can customize each.
I got the 15″ model, 2.5 ghz processor, matte screen, 250 gig HD, 512 mb memory on graphics card.
Here’s the computer I bought: Apple 15″ MacBook Pro Notebook Computer.
I got this model because of the memory on the graphics card which would be useful if I ever switch back to Aperture or buy an external monitor. Otherwise I’d have been happy with the lower end 2.4 ghz model and I’d have simply bumped up the HD to 250 gigs on that model.
I also bought a memory upgrade from B&H to install myself which would give me 4 gigs of memory: Crucial Technology 4GB (2×2GB) PC2-5300 Non-ECC DDR2 SO-DIMM Upgrade Kit for Laptop.
B&H’s prices on the memory are as good or better than anyone else’s and they make it easy to choose the right memory upgrade because it’s listed as an accessory for the computer.
The memory is quite easy to install and one is left with the original 2 x 1 gig DIMMs which one can put away to possibly use in case the new memory fails.
If you don’t have a small philips screwdriver consider this kit if you can find it: Newer Technology 7 piece tool set which includes the phillips “0″ driver and the torx “T6″. The phillips “0″ is all you need to put memory in a MacBook Pro.
I also bought AppleCare for the new computer and I had problems registering it. It’s possible that B&H pre-registers AppleCare accounts when it’s bought with a new computer from them but if they did, the person who did it mistyped the account number and it took me a bit to get it squared with Apple. That was the only bump in this process and frankly, it could have easily happened had I bought the computer at an Apple store as well.
I’m completely satisfied with B&H as a vendor of Apple products and will continue to use them as the price is right as is the service.
Notes on New MacBook Pro
The battery life on the new computer is incredible, much longer than any I’ve had before. Some or all of this must be from the new LED backlighting on the screen. Whatever it is, it’s great. I can now watch a full length DVD without running out of juice.
Between LED backlighting on new matte screen and new typography in Leopard, the screen on the new computer looks different from the old. It’s taking me a while to get used to it.
The fit and finish on the new computer is less than perfect. The top deck’s fit to the bottom of the case is not exact and there’s a ridge on the left side, like the top deck is a bit too big for the bottom.
That ridge doesn’t exist on the right side so it’s a flaw, not a feature. I noticed this on my last MacBook Pro as well: lack of smooth fit between top deck and bottom.
When the computer is closed and latched there is more play between the closed screen and the bottom (computer) such that if I carry the MacBook Pro around like a book the top clicks as the screen moves away from and then back toward and hits the keyboard/bottom.
The sensor(s) that control screen dimming must be built into the speaker vents because with automatic screen dimming turned on my screen would change at the oddest times. It seems I must put my hand or hands over the speaker vents when I type or mouse or do things with the computer and when I do, the screen lights up thinking night is falling. I turned that feature off for now until I can retrain my hands.
Upgrading to Leopard
The upgrade to Leopard is the first major Mac OS upgrade I’ve not done as soon as it came out. Because of my photography and my use of Lightroom and Aperture, I didn’t want to mess with a working system and I was quite happy with Tiger: it was stable and while not perfect, I had printing working perfectly. Given that I’m still having problems with printing with Leopard I’m glad I waited on this upgrade.
The printing architecture of Leopard has changed and it’s both a blessing and a curse. So far I can’t print as I did from Tiger in Lightroom or Aperture although I’m still working on it and will no doubt be back in business soon, and while I can now use paper profiles in Pages, there seem to be bugs in the system’s ability to remember settings between print jobs.
I’m not crazy about the new look of the Dock and I seem to remember hacks to get rid of the bottom “shelf” if one were so inclined. I’m not that motivated but I still don’t like it.
Cover flow in the Finder is a godsend (thanks Mamen) for reviewing images before importing them into Lightroom or iPhoto. It’s fast and easy to use.
Likewise, Quick Look is incredibly useful: tap the spacebar with a document selected in the Finder and you can see what’s in it without opening it. Great for images, PDFs, anything.
The new Dictionary is fantastic with both local content and a Wikipedia button. I’ve not used Wikipedia on the web since I got this machine, preferring the less cluttered UI of the Dictionary.
The new iChat screen sharing feature really works amazingly well and is easy to use.
The new voice “Alex” in Leopard is quite spectacular, one of the best free text to speech voices I’ve ever heard. Turn on text to speech, choose a reading key (I use “T” for talk) and select an article on Salon or the New York Times and have your computer read it to you.
I like the Downloads and Documents folders on the dock although it’s taking me a while to get used to them being there.
I have yet to use Time Machine at all since I’m happy with SuperDuper! and I’ve continued my daily backup routine onto multiple external hard disks. I plan to buy a Time Capsule at some point but not quite yet.
Endnotes
Really, my biggest issue now is printing and I hope to have that solved this week. That’s not an issue with the new computer but with Leopard and it may just be my own stupidity in not knowing how to migrate my old process rather than problems with Leopard.
Other than that, the new computer is incredibly fast at everything I do with it and with the extra memory I can leave things running while I edit large batches of RAW images with Lightroom. For this reason alone the upgrade was worthwhile for me but it’s also nice to be using the latest version of Mac OS X, I don’t like to get too far behind on these things.
Great analysis! I am thinking of upgrading from an iMac to a Mac Pro for my photography work (I also manage a huge iTunes library on the same machine). Do you find the macBook Pro perfectly capable for photography work? Do you use an external display? (I already have a MacBook as my laptop.)
Andrew: You may have read this post before but if not, take a look: Apeture, Lightroom, and Me.
What I describe in it is my revelation that portability is my highest priority, not image editing software. This forced me to move to Lightroom (I’m glad I did for many reasons now) and stick with portables rather than get a desktop computer for image editing, etc.
Many people buy computers simply to run Photoshop and I get this. They work on a large monitor on a desk and portability isn’t important to them. I totally get it.
That’s not me.
I like portable computers and now that they can handle enough memory to do the job things are evening out with desktop machines.
I don’t have an external display yet but it’s certainly in my future, that’s why I got the higher end model with extra video memory. Probably will get a 23″ display once they revise them and put cameras in.
I was about to ask about a external monitor but see your comment to Andrew.
Your mother sounds great. At 92 and a mac user! Excellent!
I have the same case issue with the ridge on my 17″, and as you know it’s the same one you just parted with.
Is there a big increase in performance from your 17? I’ll probably wait until the new formfactor is out but am curious about speed increase.
My next question. Is it hard to go from a 17″ to a 15″?
Oh, and nice narrative on the process Richard. As always, a good read.
Greg: I never had a 17″ model, always 15″ models. Yes, the performance increase is there although many things changed: processor, RAM, OS, video memory, so it’s hard to tell which had the biggest affect.
I don’t know why I thought you were using a 17″.
Will you opt for a Apple cinema or is there a good alternative to the cinemas?
Richard, thank you so much for this fine analysis of your new MacBook Pro in relation to your previous model and from the perspective of a experienced Mac user. I appreciate the opinion of users like you who evaluate it from a different perspective like reviewers. You pay attention to the details that matter in one’s daily routine which does not necessarily require exceptional benchmark values.
I am also glad about reading your article and I will bookmark it since I plan to switch back to a Mac this summer or autumn, once I finished uni and won’t be using my Windows laptop that I was given by my department. I plan to wait until Apple releases updated MBP models with the latest Intel Centrino 2 chips as rumored on the internet.
At the moment I am in a bit of a dilemma as I cannot make up my mind on whether to buy a 17″ or 15″ model. My current laptop has a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels. This is very nice as one has pretty much screen estate. Sometimes the font can be a bit too small and not too comfortable to read. I believe this will be much better on a 23″ external display. However I’m a bit worried that I might not like the lower resolution of the 15″ screen especially when working in Lightroom with the two panes on either side of the modules (especially in the Library module as I usually hide the left pane in the develop module). Eventually I plan to purchase an external 23″ cinema display for critical photography work once they are refreshed which is long overdue. Thus I could live with a smaller screen as a mobile solution and temporarily as my main display. What is your opinion on the high-resolution 17″ screen versus the 15″ model?
Since portability is not my utmost priority, I was pondering if I should get a MacPro with 23″ display as it would not be sooo much more expensive than a high-end MBP with 23″ external display.
From your experience would you think the MacPro would be overkill for my workload/workflow that should be fairly similar to yours? How long do you wait until you replace your MBs? Would you estimate that the MBPs work life almost equals that of a MacPro? I assume even though the MacPro is a desktop it cannot be upgraded in every aspect. Thus necessitating a replacement at a not so distant point in future.
Please accept my apology for leaving such a lengthy comment with lots of questions. Although it is a personal decision to some extent, I appreciate your input from the point of view of an experienced Mac user and since you probably pondered similar questions (except for the priority of mobility).
Thank you so much for this very good, helpful article!
All the best wishes,
Andy
Eizo displays are said to be of good quality, though more expensive than “equivalent” Apple displays. Some of them, even the “cheaper” Color Graphic displays can be hardware calibrated with a colorimeter or spectrometer. Samsung offers LED backlit displays up to 30″; pricey but obviously interesting. Could they become the suppliers for Apple’s next generation cinema displays as Apple will eventually incorporate LEDs into all of their display to meet their green promises.
The cinema displays might have an edge as they incorporate S-IPS panels versus S-PVA. Just heard that this might be an advantage. Though I haven’t really read up on the differences (pros/cons) of these technologies.
Greg: Yes, I like Apple’s displays as the quality is good enough for me (not withstanding Andy’s post about Eizo which I know are excellent too). I like the cabling, the coming built in camera and the design compatibility. A 23″ model is on my list along with a Time Capsule.
Andy: the resolution on the 15″ model is actually such that it’s easier to read. Both models of 17″ (normal and high def) have a denser dot pitch and so, everything is a bit smaller. That can be adjusted, of course, but then why buy a 17″ model?
I thought about 17″ models but I wanted portability and if I need a bigger screen I’ll get an external monitor. In due time when they’re updated.
Until then I’m quite happy with the 15″ display.
If portability isn’t your highest priority why not a 24″ iMac? That’s the best bang for the buck and I’m sure it will run Lightroom just fine. It’s Aperture where you’ll want the MacPro with it’s fast graphics card. If you’re using Lightroom you just want processor speed and RAM as it’s processor intensive, not graphics card intensive. Do they take 4 gigs of RAM now?
No problem on long comments, I love ‘em.
Thank you Richard for the super fast feedback! :-)
I was thinking that the lower resolution screen of the 15″ MBP might look a bit crammed. On the other hand it might be easier to read.
I would have seriously considered the 24″ iMac, if Apple would offer a matte screen option. I hate glossy screens. The new aluminum iMacs are said to be almost impossible to calibrate with colorimeters like my Gretag iOne Display.
It’s good that you pointed out the graphics card and Aperture aspect, as this totally rules out the iMac.
A reason for the move back to Apple is Aperture. Recently played with it at a friend’s house. Although it’s not perfect, it has features that I value more and don’t have in Lightroom. For example I find Aperture’s user interface more intuitive. I guess it’s a matter of taste. I don’t expect Adobe will remedy the grips that I have with LR in version 2. Thus why should I upgrade. I’d rather spend the money on a copy of Aperture.
I believe iMacs incorporate a very similar hardware to MBPs and hence the top limit for RAM is 4GB at the moment. Not sure if this is going to change with the next revision. On the other hand I am not sure if I can justify to spend the extra amount on a MacPro. Or better go along the step-by-step upgrade/extension route like you do.
Andy, if you’re going to be using Aperture I recommend getting the fastest machine you can with the fastest and most memory laden video card and put as much memory in it as you can. In the MacBook Pro world, that’s the 2.6 ghz model of 15″ and get the 4 gig memory upgrade. It’s only a bit more than what I paid for mine for a bit more processing speed.
Richard,
I know what you mean by Fit and Finish of the MacBook Pro’s. I’ve had a 15″ PowerBook for about four years and bought a new MBP about a month ago. The Powerbook edges were nice and smooth but the MBP has a few sharp edges on the plastic trim. All in all I love the MBP but it could use a bit more attention to detail.
Scott: Well, I guess I feel better that it’s not just me, but, I feel bad that Apple’s historic attention to detail is showing signs of age. I know as they’ve become more successful they’ve moved manufacturing from Taiwan to China so maybe that’s it. That would be a bummer although my guess is it’s correctable. It could just be an inspection issue: they’re letting through what they used to reject.
I agree, great computer, but this stuff bothers me given my long history as a Mac user.
Richard, unusual brief comment from me this time. ;-)
Why did you choose the 250 GB 5.400 rpm hard-disk over the 200 GB 7.200 rpm one? Is the performance boost negligible in comparison to the 50GB extra storage?
Andy: When I had a 7200 RPM drive in my older machine for a while I found it too hot and it also seemed like the battery wasn’t lasting as long (that might have been psychological rather than actual).
Aperture is a disk intensive application but Lightroom is less so, at least so it seems, so I figured I could back off on speed a bit there.
That was my hunch anyway. So far so good although I’m not sure what the faster drive would have done at this point, maybe it would have been cool and great, who knows.
Richard, thank you for your awesome feedback! These are the observation of an experienced Mac user. These questions are hardly answered by most professional reviewers.
I guess heat could be an issue in the tight space of a laptop and might promote the disk’s premature failure. Will definitely keep this hint in mind.
Andy, I’d worry less about the drive’s premature failure than your lap getting burned or your sperm count going down.
Of course at my age sperm count isn’t a concern, maybe I should opt for the faster drive!
Richard, I’d be more worried about the threat of exploding batteries than the effects of my laptop’s heat emission on my fitness. Keep in mind that a slower drive is probably better for your carbon footprint. ;-)
Andy, whatever rationale it takes to drive in the slow lane.
Let me tell you, a 7200 rpm drive will leave a carbon lapprint!