Bites from the Apple: MacBook Afterglow (Now LED-Powered)
The biggest fuss seems to be over the missing FireWire port, which is gone completely from the MacBook and appears on the MacBook Pro only as a FireWire 800 port (which isn't as widely used as the more standard FireWire 400, though you can get an adapter that will work with FireWire 400 peripherals). Some have groused that this kills the Target Disk Mode and requires you to connect via Ethernet to use the Migration Assistant to transfer data from one computer to another. But, by and large, this is functionality that's rarely needed. The bigger headache (as Peter Kirn documents over at CreateDigitalMusic) comes for those (consumers and professionals) who have FireWire-based peripherals (external hard drives and digital camcorders), who now must choose the higher-priced and bulkier MacBook Pro if they want to upgrade to one of the new models.
But Cyrus Farivar over at his Salon Machinist blog makes an interesting point noting an email exchange he had with Macworld senior editor Peter Cohen, who wrote Macworld's article on the FireWire flameout and notes that Apple seems to be pretty good at figuring out what technologies to support and which ones to ditch.
"But Apple's COO, Tim Cook, is always quick to point out that half of the customers who buy a new Mac from the Apple Store are new to the platform," he wrote. "We can then infer that half the people who will be buying new MacBooks are new to the platform as well. For many of them, the MacBook's lack of FireWire connectivity may not be a problem in the slightest; they may not have any FireWire peripherals at all."
What do you think? Are you up in arms over the lack of FireWire? Or is there something else about the new MacBooks that's bugging you? Let us know in the comments. For now, let's take out the fine-tooth comb and see what else we can uncover about the new MacBooks.
- Check out some of the other technologies that Apple has laid waste to over the years (remember that floppy drive?) over at Technologizer.
- If you're scratching your head over the new DisplayPort (which, like HDMI, provides both video and audio output through one cable connection), Macworld covers everything you need to know about this new standard.
- From APC's "top 10 things you didn't know about the new MacBook," we learn that they run a special build of Mac OS X that includes some changes to System Preferences (including a new Trackpad pad and replaced the Energy Saver's old lightbulb icon with a CFL bulb).
- Some other facts posted by Jason O'Grady at The Apple Core:
There are at least six Liquid Submersion Indicators (LSIs) in the the MacBook. Don’t feed coffee to your MacBook. Apple will know that you did.
Hard drive swaps are now much easier in the MBP. The HDD sits next to the battery under a latched cover. The HDD is secured by one screw.
- Gizmodo has an extensive hands-on look at the MacBook and the MacBook Pro, and they provide us this warning: "When you open the new MacBooks, be careful not to smudge your iSight lens. It's positioned right where your fingers go—and ours is now covered with grease."
- As expected, Greenpeace applauds Apple's move to reduce toxic PVC plastics, but says it could have gone all the way an eliminated them.
- Looks like we're not finished with this season's Apple updates. AppleInsider reports that refreshed 20- and 24-inch iMacs will make their debuts in the next few weeks.
--Agen G.N. Schmitz
Andrew Kelvin on October 19, 2008 at 10:47 PM
I don't really understand the strategy here, but it always seems to be the case with Apple and their products. Role out a new product and see how much stuff we can strip from it and still get away with it.
Apparently, buyers, are proof that they CAN get away with this. Take the Ipod for example. Perfectly wonderful design in the third generation, then you get the Ipod Video and the input interface is stripped down to simple mic/ear input/output configurations. So all those accessories like the wireless remote and cassette tape desk adapter go away, or on Ebay.
This mode of progress, I believe, truly cripples Apple in terms of retaining loyalty, which is evident by the statement that they are catering to the majority of their customer base who are new. I think the Marketing VP should be flogged and transfered to the mail room. What a ridiculous platform for a profit-based plan for their future since those new peeps are going to be not-new peeps and will begin to wonder why their purchase doesn't have all the features that their fellow flight passenger next to them has from an earlier model.
So here's my idea for a truly profitable marketing strategy for product integration. Use all the good stuff from before and improve on it, or leave it alone! Then make better stuff around that good stuff and sell it!
Perhaps only then will be begin to notice the whining of how Apple doesn't get enough software support becoming a thing of the past, and ends up as a true competitor against Microsoft.
matthew on October 20, 2008 at 06:49 AM
Regarding the lack of FW and the alleged death of Target Disk Mode, I've long used a(n) USB cable via TDM and Migration Assistant treated it the same way as if I had used a FW cable. It just took much longer.
I plan to buy the new MB, and will again attempt to use a(n) USB cable and Migration Assistant. I'll report the results on my Apple blog.
Chris Williama on October 20, 2008 at 12:40 PM
I am a 20 year Mac user in graphics arts. I use a Mac desktop and laptop and keep them sync'd. I went to the Apple store and no one, not even the "genius" could answer four questions:
1. What replaces target mode? Answer, I suspect, is a gig switch and ethernet. Otherwise, in a home office you are probably limited to 100mbps when using the laptop as an external disk. Store personel had the concept but not the specifics. Sort of, "try it, you'll like it."
2. Can the MacBook be booted from an external drive? Very handy for testing alternative configurations and for recovering corrupted systems. No one knew.
3. Is there an alternative means of doing a block copy backup? Block copying a 200 GB disk can take 10 minutes compared to possibly hours doing a file level copy. No one knew.
4. Is there a low cost and readily available USB/Firewire adapter that will perserve the utility of Firewire peripherals until they are replaced? Apparently yes, but price and availability and capability unknown.
Store staff and the Apple website should have simple and concise answer to these questions and to all similar "No Firewire" questions.
I am probably a power user (less than 5% of all users) of a Mac in terms of how I use and abuse the platform. But I am routinely asked to recommend and comment. I know that my recommendations have sold at least five users on new Macs this summer.
I really do not care about the Firewire/USB trade off as long as I understand how that decision impacts the platform. Blowing off customers like me with vague platitudes while not providing solid guidance to store personel does not build confidence with the most knowledgeable and loyal customers.
Mister Snitch on October 20, 2008 at 12:40 PM
"as well as a message from Greenpeace that Apple's improved its green cred... but it could have done so much better"
You meant to say:
"as well as THE USUAL message from Greenpeace that Apple's improved its green cred... but it could have done so much better"
After all: If Greenpeace is appeased, it has no power.
stephen on October 20, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Having just been through a painful disk upgrade during which the USB disk connected to my Macbook kept shutting down (works fine with my old Thinkpad) during backups of data that I rely on for a living, and then being told by a Mac Genius that I should really be using Firewire, I give Apple a flakiness score of 5 out of 5 on this issue. If dropping Firewire means that they are beefing up the power supply to the USB ports, they really should say so.
BlogDog on October 20, 2008 at 01:08 PM
"Role" out a new model?
Steve Jobs has always been my roll model.
It's how I role.
Kendall on October 20, 2008 at 01:39 PM
@Chris:
2) Yes of course you can boot from an external USB drive, and have multiple startup partitions if you like.
3) It's UNIX, if you really want a block level copy use dd. There are probably commercial data transfer programs that support block copying as well.
4) There are a million cases that offer dual firewire/USB support (or just USB if you are moving the drive out of an older case and just need to use it with a new Macbook), in addition there's this universal USB 2.0 drive reader that should be able to attach to whatever drive you have:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/U2NV2SPATA/
I personally really like the OWC cases that support Firewire (400/800), USB, and eSata:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MEFW924AL1KS/
Expensive but it gives you the most options.
willem on October 20, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Well. Who said the IBM marketing mentality is dead? I wondered what the Apple execs would eventually do to injure the appeal of the MacBook as it continued to encroach on the performance of the MacBookPro. Killing the Firewire 400 port is a stroke of yuppie genius. They must be high-five-ing themselves in Cupertino. Now we can rest assured the hubris and executive incompetence which has long permeated MicroSoft will soon enough spoil the Apple we once loved. Let the degradation begin!
frankg on October 20, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Willem...
Just wait until Jobs is gone. Not saying he's perfect, but no one at Apple will have any clue.
Capt.D on October 20, 2008 at 04:07 PM
I believe Apple is not helping itself with these new releases!
Forgetting about the missing FW port, Apple should have priced them way lower for a specific period of time, say till the first of the year, which would have created a huge buy it now movement and then adjusted the price after Xmas...
Come on Apple think outside the recycled box...
Hucbald on October 20, 2008 at 04:45 PM
The lack of Firewire makes this machine useless to me, at least for the time being. I record my music using Digidesign ProTools LE 7, and my current interface is a Digi 002 Rack, which is Firewire. Currently, I use a 17" 1.67GHz PPC PowerBook for mobile recording (Capturing my live performances), and there is NO WAY a non-Firewire machine could work for me (I need an external Firewire HD to record onto as well, though I could get away with using an internal drive if I kept the machine stripped of a lot of software, but who wants to do that?). I'd be interested only in the MacBook Pro, then... except for the fact that the Digi 002 is Firewire 400, which would necessitate an adaptor. Great. Another dongle doodad to schlep around with me.
The main reason I'm just getting around to moving to Intel-based macs is Digidesign's caution - some say slowness - in moving ProTools to new platforms. I doubt they'll scratch their heads for any length of time over this before concluding that Apple doesn't want their decades-old customers using Apple portables as they have for all those years, and so then I'll have to schlep a full Mac Pro system around with me. *rolleyes*
Tom Bonner on October 21, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Having worked with dozens (maybe hundreds) of Macs over the years, I liked knowing that all modern Macs were equipped with Firewire. I could rely on the fact that I could hook up any FW component and have it work without a hassle. I even have portable FW drive with OSX and all my applications on it. I can travel to a client's office, boot from the drive and have an exact duplicate of my home system. I am truly sorry to hear that Apple is starting to close the door on this kind of flexibility.
Firewire is faster and more reliable than USB. Yes, USB is more popular, but then so is the Windows operating system. Popularity is no indicator of quality.