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My new MacBook Pro

November 8, 2008 I’ve been carrying a Macintosh PowerBook since the early 1990s when they became available. I used them primarily for making presentations to audiences around the world.

My first was a PowerBook 170. It was a black and white machine with a track ball and a mouse-clicker on the front edge. It was well-made, fast enough to use on the road, and a pretty good computer for staying in touch with the world while traveling. Over the years I upgraded to the PowerBook 3400,* a machine that could present in color, and then, when they became available, a Macintosh PowerBook G4 12-inch laptop computer with the aluminum shell. I have had that one since the first few months they had been available. That was almost six years ago.

My affair with the 12-inch machine was enduring. It is small and light. I always argued that it was the size and weight of – a book. I never invested in a fancy case for the PowerBook, instead choosing to put it into a bubble-wrap envelope. Unsophisticated, but effective. I stowed the thing in the bottom of my backpack, and usually tossed a couple of books on top.

In early October I realized that I couldn’t do it any longer. My hard disk (a whopping 35GB!) was full, and it had only the operating system and my applications on it. For all of my presentation work I used a portable Oyen USB hard drive. But the end of the line appeared when I discovered that I couldn’t run the new Creative Suite applications on it. Realistically I could have installed them, but I would have had to make room somehow by throwing something else away, and once they were installed, it would not have been a happy machine. The older G4 processor was beginning to show its age.

So I made one last presentation using the G4 machine, and committed myself to getting a new MacBook or MacBook Pro when I got home.

The latest MacBook 13-inch machine is a breathtaking machine. It’s only slightly larger than my 12-inch G4 machine. It’s slim, and like its senior sibling, machined from a solid block of aluminum. Pure, simple industrial design, and a monster processor inside. It would do nicely, thank you. But, Apple’s decision to remove FireWire from the 13-inch model squelched that plan. I was forced to: a) get the just-discontinued Pro model at a significant discount, or b) get the last of the plastic-case 13-inch MacBooks, or c) get the slightly faster and much larger 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. After considerable research, I bought the big one.


And, compared to my diminutive 12-inch machine, it’s huge! I had to remove all the Velcro partitions in my backpack just to get this new computer inside. And I bought a $20 neoprene “glove” in which to put the new machine (bubble-wrap would not have done it any justice). It’s slightly heavier than my 12-inch machine, but it’s a modern-day computer.

Everything is faster. The wireless communication is dramatically faster (802.11n) and the processor, video chips and RAM are all faster. I can tell, as I use it, that a lot has happened to computing since my last laptop purchase. It’s like discovering power steering in a new car. Wow!

My tendency in these things is to treat them like cars. I get one of those about every six years; I’m in no rush. So, I bought the Mercedes (in both cases). And, it’s worth the money (in both cases). If you are concerned, I do not use a bubble-wrap envelope for my Mercedes car.

The industrial design, attention to detail, and the manufacturing methods are all dazzling. And, the computer under the lid is a serious, video-capable machine with a very large display, and every interconnection capability I will need. I stopped using the USB drive already; that was a crutch.

It has been two weeks now, and I can tell you this is a very, very nice computer. I have profiled the display using my Color Munki, installed the Creative Suite (runs beautifully), and I am ready for the next six years. It’s too big, and a little too heavy (compared to the machine I am replacing). But, it’s my new traveling companion, and I look forward to our adventures together.

*I still have it! Make me an offer, and it’s yours.

Posted by Brian Lawler on November 8, 2008 | Comments (2)