MacBook Pro?

[Brian K]

I have the latest versions, Core 2 Duo, of both the MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro. I can tell you that PS CS2 runs a little faster on the Mac Pro (2.66, 8 gigs ram, 512 VRAM) than it did on my G5 dual 2.7. However when 64 bit Universal CS3 comes out there should be a significant increase in speed. Also when Apple releases Leopard many of the other processes for the Intel macs should significantly increase in speed.

As of yet I have not used my MacBookPro (2.33 ghz,3 gigs of ram, 256 VRAM) for PS, however I will advise against getting the 200 gig drive because it runs at 5400 rpm and is noticeably slower. The 160 gig 7200 rpm drive is a faster choice. One improvement is that the MacBook Pro does not run nearly as hot as the other laptop computers I have.

I would also advise at this point against Parallels and would suggest that people who need to also run Windows on the new Intel Macs to use Boot Camp. Parallels has quite a few USB problems.

[Bob McCarthy]

I have two setup. One is PC based, I recently bought a macbook, added two gig of memory fron Frys ($140) and hooked it to a fast fw800 300gig drive and run a 24" Apple screen. I couldn't be happier.

Large batches of digital files are still best served on a HD desktop. But scans of 4x5 are easily served by the Macbook. (i wanted small for portability).

CS3 runs just fine as well as the scanning software on the Apple.

Boot Camp works flawlessly too.

The PC is sitting idle most of the time now.

Way to go Apple.

Bob

[ageorge]

I have been running CS3 on a new MacBook Pro, 15'' 2.33 GHz, 2 Gig Ram for about a week now. This set up is slightly faster that my G5 dual 2 GHz w/ 4.5 Gig Ram w/ CS2. The bottleneck now seems to be the hard drive. It still takes a while to write out a 600Meg file from CS3. I was afraid I would run into issues with software that would not run on the Intel chip, but have been pleasantly surprised to have only one so far. Be aware that CS3 has quite a few issues and I would not consider it generally usable yet.

[Ken Lee]

Be aware that CS3 has quite a few issues and I would not consider it generally usable yet.

Could you elaborate on this please ?

[Kirk Gittings]

CS3 has quite a few issues and I would not consider it generally usable yet

I have been using CS3 beta exclusively since its release and have had no issues with it.

[Kirk Gittings]

I would probably follow the earlier advice in this thread and wait for the new machines to come out with OS X 10.5. I have a feeling it won't be too long of a wait...

Won't this be a simple update to 10.4?. the hardware won't change necessarily will it?

[hporter]

If it follows the pattern of all of the other OS X updates it should be easy and relatively painless. I have used OS X from the start and have installed every updated version as they came out and have never encountered a problem.

I made that statement because they will probably boost the specs on the MBP again in the near future and I believe that 10.5 is supposed to come out this spring.

One other point that I forgot to make in my first post is that the 17" MBP is rather awkward to tote around coming from the smaller Mac Book. I bought it because I use my laptop as a desktop replacement and often I don't have access to an external monitor when I am in the field. The larger screen is nice, but if I did it again I would purchase the 15" version.

Regards,

Harold

[Frank Petronio]

Some of the incremental OS upgrades have had a few issues, sometimes with printers and security. I usually wait a week and read the reports on http://www.macintouch.com/ before doing anything.

Also, it helps to unplug all the USB and Firewire gadgets beforehand and to start up from the install CD to repair your disk permissions after the install.

[Henry Ambrose]

What Frank wrote is worth watching. There have been a few times where after upgrades printing or other services were broken. And when X first came out there were no drivers for many printers. I don't see any need to constantly upgrade. Pay attention to whats being fixed but stay back a release or two.

I like Struan's (I think) idea of carrying a 20" Apple Display in addition to your MacBookPro. The 'Book screens are definitely not as good as the desktop screens. So you could use the 'Book as is on location then set up the big screen to polish and prep your files.

The other thing to think about shooting tethered is where to put the computer. Put it on the floor or ground at great peril. Ever stepped on one? They're not made for that kind of use.

A small cart is a great thing to have. I have a small Anthro cart http://anthro.com/ and a Rubbermaid material handling cart that are portable. In studio I used a big Antro but anymore it just stays pushed against the wall most all the time. My main tool for moving camera and lights is a Mag Liner http://www.magliner.com/ that converts from 2 wheeler to a 4 wheel cart. Its great for moving lots of stuff. You can work off it after you get there.

If you're shooting outdoors power may become an issue. I'd look at some kind of power pack that supplies 110V from battery. If not, then at least one extra charged 'Book battery would be smart. Shooting one single picture outside as a test is one thing, working tethered all day with your 'Book is another. Forget to plug it in while you're shooting indoors for a couple of hours and then heading outside to find you have almost no battry power left is disconcerting to say the least.

And we thought Polaroid was a pain in the rear.

[neil poulsen]

A small cart is a great thing to have. I have a small Anthro cart http://anthro.com/ and a Rubbermaid material handling cart that are portable.

What's the model number on this cart? I'm having trouble finding it on the Rubbermaid site.