Why You should buy a MacBook Pro
February 20th, 2007
Hi, I’m Dave, the new Web Developer Extraordinaire at Geezeo.
I get many questions about Apple laptops so I decided to do a little research so I can be better informed. There is some question as to the real difference between just a plain “MacBook” and a “MacBook Pro.”
What is this “Pro” distinction you ask? I wasn’t sure until sometime this afternoon. So please, grab a coffee (or beer) and let me enlighten you, dear Reader while I simulate an educated Englishman (puts pipe in mouth). If this prose bores you, there are cliff-notes at the bottom. You’ll recognize them when you see them.
Upon trivial inspection, one might surmise the only change the addition of the word “Pro” to the fine market-ese that is the word “MacBook” (bless you), is a change of material (MacBook == plastic, MacBook Pro == metal) and a slightly larger screen. However the differences are far greater once a person decides to look under the hood, kick the tires, and other automotive metaphors.
The MacBook Pro has 100% more L2 Cache on faster processors from the base MacBook. Although the clock-speed of these processors may only be a little higher (2.33Ghz over the base MacBook at 1.83Ghz), the addition of that extra L2 Cache magnifies the increase. The MacBook Pros also come with double the amount of RAM standard over the MacBooks, even triple the amount in the 17″ MacBook Pro.
This serves as a nice segue to screen sizes. The MacBooks come with a measly 13″ screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. While this resolution may work fine while editing one Word document at a time for your school book report due on Friday, it provides for a very cramped working environment when one is required to have multiple Browser windows, TextMate (the de-facto text editing program on the Mac for programming), Finder, and Terminal all open at the same time. It is also pretty cramped when working on a spreadsheet of any sort of complexity. Death to scrollbars!
So maybe you are thinking right now, “Well Gee(zeo!), Dave, why not hook up an external monitor?” My response would be, “Great question Reader! Lets talk about external monitors a bit!”
Now I will not presume to know how you use your computer, but allow me to enlighten you on my own personal usage. My current laptop; which some of you may know is an old-and-creaky 3 years and 4 months old; is a PowerBook G4. It has a screen size of 15″ and has 1280 x 960 pixels (which you may note is bigger that the newest MacBook! How astute!) and also supports a handy feature called “screen spanning.” This allows me to hook an external monitor to my laptop and have my Desktop stretch across both monitors! I love it and have done it for years and find that it greatly enhances my productivity. Note that I use *both* the laptop’s screen and the external monitor for double the Ruby power!
So lets examine the largest external monitors we can hook up to this “MacBook” and this “MacBook Pro.” The MacBook only supports an external resolution of 1900 x 1200 pixels. This is good for a 24″ flat panel monitor. However the MacBook Pro supports a maximum external resolution of a whopping 2560 x 1600! That is enough pixels for a 30″ Apple Cinema Display! That means you could work on a monitor that is bigger than the television set in my living room! If you had the 17″ MacBook Pro and hooked up a 30″ Flat Panel, that would be 6,370,000 pixels! I bet that even NASA doesn’t have that kind of pixelicious love!
It is at this point in this wonderful conversation that I would like to point to a study done by Pfeiffer Consulting in 2005 (PDF, 6 pages).
Did you read? That’s OK because I’m going to summarize it for you. “Screen Real Estate” increases productivity for even the most menial of computer tasks. Even moving files around the file system is faster. Can you imaging seeing hundreds of rows of an Excel spreadsheet, and still have room for a browser window to go Google-ing for statistics? The chart on page 5 of that study easily shows that a 30″ display increases the speed of almost every task by 50% over a 17″ monitor. Their ROI calculations for a revenue of $100/hr. is almost $6000 per year! So clearly having a larger monitor will make anybody using the computer more productive.
And the bigger the better! There isn’t any clear evidence of diminishing returns on this decision. So here we are at the end of this short story of pixels, lust, and intrigue. And the conclusion? A MacBook Pro with a 17″ screen all the way. It has the fastest processor, the most amount of RAM standard, and the largest screen which, by itself, will generate a higher ROI than a smaller screen. I would only recommend a MacBook if you are incredibly infatuated with plastic computers, or you absolutely have to, without a doubt in the world, HAVE to own a black Apple laptop.
Thanks for sticking with me fair Reader, and if you’ve made it this far, thank you. Your attention is greatly appreciated and may you have a fine rest-of-the-evening (or morning!).
And now for something completely different…
Two laptops meet in a field. One is small and plastic, and he says, “Hi, I’m a MacBook.” One is big and aluminum and says, “Hi, I’m a MacBook Pro” and proceeds to kick the MacBook’s ass until his perfect plastic case starts to split along the glue-line. There was once a study done on how monitor size affects productivity and ROI. The conclusion was bigger is better, no matter what the task. The MacBook Pros have better processors, bigger screens, larger hard-drives, more RAM and can also drive much larger external monitors. When those forces combine, they form… SUPER MACBOOK PRO HAPPY AWESOME COMPUTER! Now just imagine having more than one of those suckers in the office! You’d be unstoppable!
By the way, here is a link to that study.
-Dave
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
most of the MacBook models have the same amount of cache as the MBPs (the processors are only slightly faster - 2GHz vs. 2.16/2.33 GHz)
and upping the hard drive is simplicity itself on the MacBook, but a chore on the MBP
MBP has the dedicated graphics, yet in actual tests the only advantage I’ve seen for that feature is for time-wasters like Quake/Doom/UT (doesn’t seem to make any significant difference for productivity apps like Photoshop)
please remember many of us yearn for a smaller portable, as the 13″ MacBook still feels way too big compared to the 12″ Powerbook models we are used to using
might be nice to have a 17″ MBP, if you never had to do any actual travelling with it
hopefully the rumors are true and we’ll be able to buy a 12″ (or smaller) widescreen MacBook or MBP model this summer
February 23rd, 2007 at 7:03 am
Bill,
The MacBook beats the MacBook Pro if your main concern is travel size. But my perspective here is strictly professional; that being, “How much work can I get done right now.” And also from a Return on Investment perspective too.
Sure the MacBook travels better. But the MacBook Pro’s larger screen increases productivity, and the Pro’s better graphics card can drive bigger external monitors, which again increases productivity. I also am not going to waste time upgrading my hard drive. If its big enough, then great, let work!
I think it’d be great to have a small 12″ widescreen sexy laptop. But I wouldn’t want to be coding on it all day long. For me, and for any other person who uses a computer full time for knowledge work, you’d be selling yourself short if you got a regular MacBook for your full time work machine.
-Dave
February 23rd, 2007 at 8:50 am
Large monitors are terrific, but most people will not bother with anything over 20″ strictly for cost reasons. Not to mention, anyone doing work that requires a 24″ or larger monitor should probably be doing it on a desktop anyway.
The 17″ and even 13″ Apple portables are simply too large for travelers. I still use a beat-up, 6-year-old PC laptop for travel because of its 3 lb weight (11″ screen).
February 23rd, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Dave-
Just wondering here, after you are done for the day working with that 30 inch flat, do you drive/subway/train/walk home and read stock quotes from your web enabled telephone and its awesome 1.5 inch screen?
February 23rd, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Dave, please read up on the use of apostrophes. When you want to pluralize a noun like “Macbook” you wouldn’t use an apostrophe. It’s “Macbooks.”
I totally understand that this is nitpicking, but this is a published article and the repeated misuse makes the prose irritating.
February 23rd, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Andrew - I choose to only have one computer to do all my work. I don’t travel often enough to necessitate an ultra-portable, and copying working files between desktops and laptops gets old, fast (I did it for years).
Rick - I don’t have a 30 inch flat panel, my point was that more pixels equal more productivity, therefore if you are making money using your computer a larger screen is the most beneficial. And no, I don’t read stock quotes from my phone, why would I want to do that? I use my phone to call people. What does that have to do with working professionally on a laptop anyway?
Erich - Thanks for pointing out my apostraphe abuse. I’ve fixed all 3 instances. I also caught an instance of “You’re” when it should have been “Your.” It’ll be nice when Start Us Up has enough cash for a full-time editor for the blog. What are your thoughts on my use of semi-colons? Did I leave in any split infinitives?
-Dave
February 24th, 2007 at 7:50 am
The “plastic” you refer to the Macbook being made out of is actually polycarbonate, the same material infused into glass to make it bulletproof. Just FYI
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1971872,00.asp
February 27th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Your 15″ G4 PowerBook’s resolution is 1280×854, not 1280×960. The last ones (october 2005) were 1440×960 (vs 1440×900 for the MBP 15).
I have a 13″ MacBook & a PG G4 Ti 867MHz (4 yo now). At first I thought the 54 less pixels would bother me a lot, but it ain’t actually so. In reality, what’s bothersome is that the MacBook is only just slightly smaller physically than the Powerbook 15″. Oh, and the big bezel around the screen, but it’s the same for MBPs (compared to the Ti, of course).
Screen spanning is nice, but what a pain to move the mouse around to get to the menu bar when you’re not on the screen that has it!
March 2nd, 2007 at 1:42 pm
I’m going to have to agree with Andrew. If you’re really concerned about screen real estate, buy a Mac Pro, the top o’ the line video card, and three 30-inch cinema displays.
And then, when you file bankruptcy, you can have fun selling your productivity toys on eBay.
March 2nd, 2007 at 2:15 pm
It must be unclear in my post, but this is about laptops. Not about desktops. My point is that the MacBook Pro is more than worth the extra money over a regular MacBook if it is going to be used to do a lot of work, not just checking e-mail, writing the occasional paper, or surfing the web.
The 17″ MacBook Pro maximizes screen real-estate within the constraints of a laptop form factor. My argument is that this is the best solution for a laptop.
March 2nd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Wow Dave,
I feel your pain. It must be frustrating when people comment without having read the article. I commend you for not flying off the handle at the lack of comprehension and reading skills by previous commenters. You are a better person than me. I would have told them to stfu until they actually read the article in its entirety before writing condescending comments. But that’s me.
-Theron
March 2nd, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I am a beautiful and unique snowflake in that unless I can add to the conversation, I just prefer to stfu myself and stay out of it.
March 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 am
I think you are missing the point of many of the responses - even with regards to “productivity”.
A primary purpose behind laptops is mobility. Travelling with a 15″ MacBook Pro (much less the 17″) is painful. You can work with it on a plane and on a conference table much easier than the 15″. The work that most of us “road warriors” do is likely e-mail, Word, Powerpoint (Keynote!) based. The loss of a bit of screen area only really affects Word (if doing any page layout work). The top of the line MacBook is also $500-$1000 less and easier to travel with.
I actually down-graded from a MacBook Pro to a MacBook because of size and really miss the 12″ Powerbook I carried with me for years.
That said, I would not mind it if Apple increased the resolution (but not size) of the LCD panel in the MacBook…. BUT MY PRODUCTIVITY IS DEPENDENT UPON ME TRAVELLING WITH THE LAPTOP and this is where smaller is better (well ok, the new mini Sony Viao is too small to be usefull!)
March 3rd, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I’m a student.. the 1200$ vs 2000$ price for the macbook vs macbook pro at the student rate makes a BIG DIFFERENCE. There is a reason the macbook is selling much better than the pro, it’s a relatively affordable computer.
March 3rd, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I disagree on so many levels with this article. Not to say that the Macbook Pro is not superior, but it’s the reasoning that I find faulty.
First, you should define ‘productivity.’ It’s different for different people. Not all are developers. And a laptop’s original intent was to be mobile. If I wanted computing-power, a desktop is clearly more “productive” in that sense. And a Macbook is more productive in the portable sense. Simply looking at battery-life, I get 5 hours on my simple iBook, which I think is similar to the Macbook in that sense, after 18 months. And friend of mine gets 2:30 hours on his 17″ MB Pro after 3 months.
Other than that, screen-estate. If you wanted to have several windows next to each other, you could get an external screen for either, and I think most users would be quite happy with the mere 24″ that the Macbook supports (ignoring the cost).
Not ignoring the cost, how is having a 30″ more productive? Also ignoring the study, whose neutrality is questionable (source), how is spending $2000 extra productive, except if the work you do on that screen pays it back with a profit? Most people will not feel that they are more productive on a 30″, rather that they have one hell of a cool screen. And many people swear that having multiple monitors is more productive than having bigger screens (source).
Sorry for this critical tone, but that’s what comments are for. Personally, the only things I currently find superior about the MB Pro is the option of a matte screen (which I love on my iBook) and the exclusivity factor (way too many of those whitebooks, where I’m chilling). And, I suppose, if I was someone that valued portable (!) graphic-power, I would favour the Pro’s as well (ignoring that the battery would drain like crazy). But for that price, I’d rather get an iMac 24″ for gfx-power and—when it comes out—the ultra-portable, matte-screened, MB Pro.
March 3rd, 2007 at 7:13 pm
My laptop usage pattern fits into the “Desktop Replacement” category. I like a laptop because I can use the same computer with the same software setup everywhere I go (whether at my home in Indianapolis, or the office in Boston). But 99% of my usage is sitting at a desk or on a couch near a power outlet. The actual weight of the machine isn’t that big of a deal because I only travel to the office once a month for a few days. Our development environment is Rails, which takes awhile to get the software and all of the libraries compiled, set up, and talking to each other. I really only want to do that once. And a typical “round” of work for me is 3 hours minimum. Its virtually impossible to get all of the domain I’m dealing with into my head, start thinking about it, then write code, then debug said code, all in less than that amount of time.
I also stated in the blog post that the 17″ MacBook Pro is great for someone who does more than just checking e-mail, word processing, and PowerPoint. If all you do is check e-mail, etc. then get a MacBook! I’m not saying you shouldn’t! But if you are a programmer, or a developer, or an accountant, or do serious statistical work or any other work that requires serious information processing and display, than a 17″ MacBook Pro is the best deal. And PowerPoint is not ’serious information processing’. MacBooks are for students and middle level management.
We here at Start Us Up don’t have anybody like that working here! We’re serious about every minute of time we spend working. We’re a start-up company kicking-ass. We don’t have time to poke around playing with fonts for our e-mail signature.
I’m talking about productivity involving many required windows open simultaneously. As I stated in my article, I always have a web browser, a terminal window, a text editor, some API docs, and ideally another terminal window all up and visible at the same time. Thats on a normal day of typical usage. Do you see now how just taking a micro-second to move my hand to the mouse and click another window can add up?
I’m not saying everybody should buy a 17″ MacBook Pro. But I can’t exactly qualify the “you” in the post title; after all, a post title of “Why you should buy a MacBook Pro if you are someone who primarily uses her laptop as a desktop replacement and does serious computer/information processing everyday” would be a little long.
So I’m familiar with all of the “I’m a student, its too expensive” or “I’m a road-warrior, its too heavy” arguments. Just because thats what you are doesn’t mean thats what I am. So its ok if you disagree with my post. Just try to understand the context I which I’m speaking.
March 4th, 2007 at 3:50 am
*Sigh*
You could entitle it “Why developers should use a Macbook Pro.” Nice and short and I wouldn’t have needed to say anything.
And sorry, I didn’t realise that this post was a big commercial about how great your company is. In that case I would have read the “You” differently.
And sorry to correct you again, but I would say Macbooks are for “people with a budget,” not students and middle-management. Management and studies of what, would be my first question. IT-managers would prefer a Pro I think, and IT-students probably as well.
When you write for the world, for the greater contextual good, if you will, semantics—the correct use of language—is your greatest friend.
March 4th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Followup to earlier post….
Frankly I’m disappointed at the tone you have taken towards people with legitimate differences to your opinion. Your whole premise is “Productivity” and many of us have pointed out your flaw in your definition. Secondly, PowerPoint/keynote are often not “simple needs”. I use Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canvas to generate the artwork that goes into PowerPoint. I use Word and Quark to produce complicated technical handouts and I screw around with the iLife suit and Aperature for my photos (photo hobbyist). ALL of this on my MacBook that MUST travel where I go. Again, due to size contraints, I recently got rid of a new MacBook Pro for a top end MacBook due to size. This change has ENHANCED my productivity - which counters your productivity calims. One solution is not the best solution for everybody and that is what people have ried to explain to you.
While I am also not “middle management” [I am toward the top of the food chain in a $700 million company] - I find your phasing of that term rather critical.
Your article has become, at best, why “I” would choose a MacBook Pro over a MacBook as a “desktop replacement”. Most of your points loose validity once you have to start sitting in that “comfy” airline seat or gathering around a conference table or talking to somebody in the airline departure lounge. Serious work is productively done on the go with the MacBook line and for many of us our productivity is enhanced by its smaller size. Indeed I hope the rumors of Apple coming out with an ultra portable are true.
Modify the article to reflect the shortcomings of the MacBook Pro line with regards to TRUE portability (especially with a 17″ monster) and there will be fewer complaints - outside of the cost differential which can also tie into productivity bonuses for the low end MacBook line.
Again size is key to me. I would choose a 10″ or 12″ MacBook Pro over a 13″ MacBook in a heartbeat.
March 26th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
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May 11th, 2007 at 5:43 am
People seem to be quick to take offense that Dave thinks they should choose a MacBook Pro over a MacBook. Ignoring the social dynamics, which is interesting of itself, its obvioud that there is no one answer. It all depends on what you want to optimize for.
I wanted to buy a MacBook but I hated gthe keyboard and shiny screen. I wanted the display of a 17″, in the form factor of a 12″ My compromise was the 15″ MacBook Pro and I am very happy with it.
I would be happier if Apple used a better screen resolution. I’d love to have a 2560×1024 MacBook Pro 15″.
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November 23rd, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I have a G4 and after almost four years, I’m ready for an upgrade, but … so far I haven’t found a good reason to buy a new notebook. Email, internet, word processing, some graphic work, iTunes, iPhoto, videos … seems that’s all working nicely on the old G4. Anyone able to give me a good reason to buy a new notebook considering that I don’t really need faster processing speed?
December 6th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
You people have no lives at all. It is highly unecessary to comment on an article which is trying to help you to decide which laptop is most compatible for you, so get off your high horse.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Hi
I used Mac years ago and was happpy to get far away from it. Now unfortunately, I have a job that wants me to use this MacBook 3.1 with op system X Its got a tiny screen and I need a monitor because I am over 50 years old etc. Tell me best one to buy if you can….
ALso….is there no way to change the font size or cursor arrow with MAC?
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Why You should buy a MacBook Pro thanks for this post! Robert
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