New Laptop

mbp15 with matte screen and 4gigs of ram. just love it. as simple as that:)
glossy screens freaks me out too…
mbp is absolutely portable and durable (titanium chassis I think)
pricey though…but I wanted the larger screen…

best of luck with your choice:)

MBP here. Have a polycarbonate shell on it, keeps it tough and durable. When the shell gets trashed, I’ll put a new one on. The screen is perfect, but yes, I wish I had a 12 MBP, or even a 13” wide. I would prefer the better WIFI and battery life of the MB, but there is compromise, and those I can compromise on. Speed and screen I cannot. But until Apple wake up and see that we’re clamoring for them, we have to make do. 15” MBP.

MBP here as well, max RAM, matte screen (glossy sucks for imaging) ordered the day they first announced them. With AppleCare, naturally, otherwise I’d have had to pay a stupid mint for replacing the keyboard I wore out and the track pad that died about a month ago. Fixed for free within a week, and I took that opportunity to upgrade its hard drive to a 320GB one (bought the HD on-line for the best price). Yup, 15” MBP rocks, especially when it’s driving an additional 30” LCD display.

Newest version may be on the way: http://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/07/aluminum-macbook-pro-case-photo/

17” inch MacBook Pro here. (Marius – it’s aluminum). Like Marius, I’ve upgraded to 4GB of RAM (crucial.com) and have a matte screen. I’m not a fan of glossy screens. Like Blue, I also use a protective shell (speckproducts.com) when traveling for added protection. Lastly, Stupid is dead-on with it driving an external display; it rocks! Good luck with your choice.

Thanks to everyone for your replies, but I was also wondering what people thought of the older PB G4’s? I thought it might be a good way of saving a bit of money.

Mark

Can somebody tell me how hot the MBP run when compared to to PB G4’s

Thanks

Mark

Well – I’ll take the opposite view. A white Macbook (cheaper than black) – with the fastest processor loaded with max ram will fit into a smaller bag, at half the price and hardly any difference in speed compared to MBP. The glossy screen may be annoying to some, but then sit down somewhere else! :-) For critical work at home I still prefer an external display – no matter what type of screeen the laptop has.
And then you can upgrade every year instead of every other year if you’re into that sort of thing.
I wouldn’t even consider a G4 since most essential software now run faster and rock solid on the Intel processor.

regards
Jesper

On the PC vs Mac issue, if you are using a PC now, stick with it. If a Mac, stick with that. Macs may be prettier, but IMHO if you step back neither of the two systems are wildly superior to the other. Macs may look cooler, but that is not the test…it’s functionality.

Irrespective of the brand you select, I would go with the latest technology. I don’t think getting the Powerbook would be a smart move, given the Intel chip’s adoption by Apple. Buying the PB might save you a few dollars now, but my guess is that the world (including the software) will soon bypass the Powerbook technology and you’ll be stuck with an expensive door-stop.

Jesper,

Thanks for that, I was looking a white macbook earlier and thought it’s just the job for what i need when you consider size and performance are taken into consideration. You say that you use a external display, is that driven from your macbook?

Mark

Neal,

I’m abit odd in that I’m using both systems at the mo. I’ve always prefered the mac system when i got my G4 it’s just so much easier to use.

As for the PB G4’s it was just a idea to save money with a view if a cheap one came along then I’d get it, but for not alot more I will definitely got the Intel route.

The only problem with trying to choose a pc laptop is the sheer range and knowing which one to go for that’s got a decent display for use while on assignment.

Mark

Mark,
The MB can handle external displays just fine via a DVI – a miniDVI-DVI adapter is needed, cost 15-20 €. I use the MB with a 20 Inch Apple Cinema Display and has used with a Viewsonic previously. Works really well and calibrates perfect with EyeOne and automatically recognises which calibration to use when the display is connected. It can even handle both the external and the internal display at the same time allowing you to have the Photoshop tools on the MB screen and the picture on the Cinema Display.

Jesper

Thanks Jesper,

How do you get on with the Macbook when your using it on assignment with regards to the glossy screen?

Cheers

Mark

mbp,

just don’t buy your ram from apple as they charge an arm and a leg, i got 4gb of ram for $70 instead of the hundreds apple or apple certified stores try to get you to pay.

it all comes from the same factory in taiwan.

Mark

When editing photograps on a deadline I try to position myself indoors with a wall behind me – that way there will be no lights interfering with my screen. No problem.
When inside my van I climb in the back with tanned windows – works OK even on sunny days. When possible I might import in the field but do critical editing on the external display at home.
Jesper

Jesper

Well, if choosing a good PC model is a problem, I can only say the best photo PC laptop I’ve ever had has been the Dell XPS M1210, since replaced by the M1330. It is small, has the Centrino duo system, has 6 USB sockets plus one for a monitor, a good screen, drives a big monitor well. The screen is small (12 inches diagonal on mine, enlarged to 13 inches on the 1330) but clear and bright. Dell also has a heavy duty battery for it, and there have no doubt been some advances from mine, but it seems to be a good photo laptop in the PC mode. Increase the RAM as much as you can afford and get a large drive, and you’ll have a very useful laptop to support photo work.

Get the MacBook Pro. Max the RAM out to 4GB with chips from www.crucial.com (install them yourself) and enjoy. Screw the PC laptop. If you ever need to run a Windows program you can install Windows on the Mac.