Chris’s Domain

Watching the WWDC segment on the new Macbook Pro line up this morning and then reading the comments on various web forums, I began to realise how shallow some people can be when it comes to owning a computer. Apple rebadged the 13″ unibody Macbook as a Macbook Pro, and suddenly, I see comments from people saying how they now deem this to be a worthwhile purpose, all because it is now a “Pro” device.

Come on! It’s only “Pro” because Apple says it so. How is the notebook different in any way from its predecessor, besides the addition of some features which is probably irrelevant to most buyers. Let’s break it down:

1) Firewire 800 - Unless you’re a digital content professional (which probably means the 13″ Macbook was never the right device to use in the first place due to the limited screen resolution, processing power and graphics chipset), you’d hardly use this. An eSata port may have been a better solution.

2) Built-in Battery - Now, this is probably worth an upgrade IF the single battery 6 hour light to moderate usage scenario suites you.

3) Better Screen - The original Macbook doesn’t have such a bad screen either. Now, if the resolution was higher at say 1440×900, then it will be completely worth it.

4) 8GB RAM - Too expensive and by the time I can get one, I’d be upgrading the notebook anyway.

5) Larger HDDs and SSDs - NewEgg.

6) SD Card Slot - Seriously? This is a cheap addition and completely unnecesary. A full-sized ExpressCard slot would offer better expandability.

7) Processor speed bump - Insignificant

Backlit keyboard - Already have it if you had the higher end model.

9) Pro nametag - Ah ha! The big ticket item, or so it seems. I can assure you there are people who refused to buy the first unibody model because it wasn’t “Pro”. It’s interesting how people actually react to branding. Must be the reason why GM was so successful.

Head on to eBay in the next few weeks and expect to see a whole bunch of people selling off their Macbooks in order to “upgrade” to a Pro’er version. I’d rather wait for the next Intel platform refresh which will actually bring in real performance gains worth waiting for.