MacBook Pro thoughts Posted January 11, 2006 at 11:25 pm

Like many other technology fans, I have eagerly awaited the keynote speech from Steve Jobs at the annual MacWorld Expo and the slew of product announcements that come with it. Last year, Apple announced that it would take up the Intel line of processors and integrate them across the entire line of Mac products starting in 2006. Naturally, there was plenty of speculation that the Expo would see the first Intel-Mac products unveiled.

For my part, I have been most interested in seeing a new generation of the Apple’s PowerBook line of portables. As a happy Titanium G4 owner myself, the rumored dual-core Intel PowerBook sounded like an enticing upgrade. The promise of portable multiprocessing alone seemed like enough to drive an immediate upgrade. Now, with the PowerBook replacement unveiled, I can finally step back and take an objective look at what we’ll be getting in the MacBook Pro.

Feature-wise, things are pretty much what we were expecting. An Intel Core Duo should bring much-vaunted dual-core processing and a generous performance improvement across the board, though it’s too early to say by just how much. The Apple Remote and integrated iSight camera should nicely complement the growing iLife suite. The surprise MagSafe power connector addition has good ergonomic implications, but it’s not a sales driver for the new portables. A brighter display is also promised, which likely means a new panel with other improved attributes will accompany the MacBooks. The rest of the changes are your standard incremental upgrades.

I’m already noticing discussions targeted at the pricing of the MacBooks. The announced price points don’t strike me as particularly unreasonable. Compared to when I bought my PowerBook three years ago, the high-end offering has shifted down by a good $500. The quality and quantity of software bundled with all new Macs seems to have improved substantially during that timeframe as well. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if the iBook replacements receive a price break when they are announced later this year.

For now, I will wait for the Mac community to deem whether or not the MacBook is ultimately a worthy successor to the PowerBook. I still have great expectations of the Apple-Intel partnership. But after surviving expectations of a MacWorld product announcement, I think I can ride the transition for a while longer with an old G4.