“The new 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop from Apple is the finest portable computer I have ever owned. It’s just a little ahead of itself; software and hardware companies need to catch up,” Mike Wendland reports for The Detroit Free Press. “…To really see the speed boost, you need software written to take advantage of the change in Apple architecture, software made to work with maximum efficiency on those new chips as well as the older PowerPC chips on the previous Apples. That software is being labeled as Universal — meaning its underlying binary code works with both old and new… A behind-the-scenes Apple application called Rosetta translates… most other software written [only] for the PowerPC architecture and seamlessly ports them over to work with the Intel chips.”
“But I’m making more of the software issue than I should. Already, there are 1,000 applications released on Universal, with more coming every day. Gail Nishimura, a senior product manager for Apple’s Pro Portables, says the software industry wasn’t expecting the Intel Macs until summer and their early release has just caused them to move up their schedule,” Wendland reports. “It isn’t just software, though, that needs to catch up with the MacBook Pro… PCMCIA has been replaced on the MacBook Pro with a faster, more efficient connection called ExpressCard. By next year, some industry experts say, 70% of all laptops will have an ExpressCard.”
Wendland writes, “It’s a mighty fine machine — even as it waits for the rest of the world to catch up.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple leads. The rest follow eventually. As usual.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Fortune: Apple improves what were already two of best computers on planet with iMac, MacBook Pro – March 14, 2006
Seattle Times: Apple’s MacBook Pro ‘delivers the Mac experience with speed and potential to spare’ – March 11, 2006
AP: Apple shines with MacBook Pro – ‘fast with decent battery life’ – March 11, 2006
Apple’s MacBook Pro ‘leaps a generation beyond PowerBooks’ – March 08, 2006
Boston Herald: Apple MacBook Pro ‘contender for best notebook on market, comes with a superior OS’ – March 06, 2006
Time Magazine’s Gadget of the Week: Apple MacBook Pro – March 06, 2006
PC Magazine review gives Apple MacBook Pro 4 out of 5 stars – March 03, 2006
Ars Technica: Apple MacBook Pro ‘an extremely solid machine, an important step forward’ – March 02, 2006
Mossberg: Apple’s MacBook Pro gives users a ‘much better OS with vastly better built-in software’ – March 02, 2006
New York Times’ Pogue: Apples MacBook Pro a ‘beautifully engineered, forward-thinking laptop’ – March 01, 2006
Apple MacBook Pro a ‘drop-dead gorgeous laptop’ – February 27, 2006
Macworld posts Apple MacBook Pro 2.0GHz first lab tests – February 22, 2006
Apple PowerBook G4 1.5GHz vs. MacBook Pro 2.0Ghz Adobe Photoshop benchmarks – February 22, 2006
Apple begins shipping MacBook Pro notebook computers with faster 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processors – February 14, 2006
Adobe: no native Intel Mac support until 2007; Photoshop could be 14 months away – February 01, 2006
Computerworld: Apple’s MacBook Pro ‘fast, really fast – looks like a real winner’ – January 28, 2006
Analyst: Apple seeing strong sales of iMac Core Duo, MacBook Pro, 5th generation iPod – January 25, 2006
Apple: expect MacBook Pro shortages – January 19, 2006
Use the ExpressCard slot to add FireWire 800 to Apple’s new MacBook Pro – January 15, 2006
Apple MacBook Pro, ExpressCard and EVDO – January 14, 2006
Apple introduces MacBook Pro; up to four times faster than PowerBook G4 – January 10, 2006
Hmmm. The MacBook Pro is ‘the finest portable computer I have never owned’
Coincidence?
Methinks the MacBook Pro is going to be orphaned in the fall. It’ll be a lot like the original G3 PowerBook in a year or two: A red-headed stepchild.
Hey, coveted third post!
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I love the macbook pro..I am PARTYIN”
hahaha….
*Yawn*
Another ad revenue bias article.
According to the Mac fix it sites, these first issues Mactels are not doing so good.
I would wait for revision 2.
As much as I hate Intel…
I’ve got a new nuclear powered hover craft that is awesome. It’s just too bad that the plutoneum stations haven’t yet opened up around town and no one has yet mapped out the airways I can fly in, but…
my hover craft sure looks awesome sitting in its little hanger!