512 Pixels

Titling Introductions is Hard

Back in 2009, when I was managing an Apple-Authorized Service Provider, I picked up a 13-inch MacBook Pro as a work machine and reviewed it. I closed my review with this:

Over the years, I’ve used a Clamshell iBook G3, a PowerBook ‘Pismo’ G3, a Titanium PowerBook, both a 12- and 15-inch aluminum PowerBook, two pre-unibody MacBook Pros and a black MacBook. I’m confident in saying this machine smokes them all — and is finally a decent replacement for the 12-inch PowerBook. Simply put, Apple is shipping the best notebooks they’ve ever built, and you’re not going to find a better machine out there for $1,199.

It’s a very different world now. The MacBook Air has gone from an over-priced, under-powered notebook to the crown jewel of Apple’s notebook line. With that shift, the 13-inch MacBook Pro’s future has been questioned for some time.

Now, I know all of that. Even so, when I upgraded my work machine from a Core2Duo 15-inch MacBook Pro, I moved to the new i7 13-inch MacBook Pro.

As back in 2009, I need a machine at the intersection of power, expandability and portability. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is that machine.

A Brief Interpolation About Re-Reviewing a Product

Before continuing this review, go read my article from 2009 first. The parts about the construction, keyboard and trackpad all stand true today. The battery life on this new machine isn’t nearly as good as my old Core2Duo-powered machine, but I’ll get that to a bit.

Power, Baby

This model is the high-end, with the 2.7 GHz Core i7. I added 8 GB RAM and my 115 GB OWC SSD post-purchase.

The short version? This little MacBook Pro is insanely fast. It feels like as quick as a MacBook Air, just with lots of ports and a SuperDrive.¹

But that power comes with a drawback.

Is That a Jet, or Are You Running Photoshop Again?

This MacBook Pro gets hot. While I don’t really care about temperature readouts and fan RPMs as much as some people, I do have to say that under load, this machine is loud and hot.

Basically, when under load, the CPU will ramp up and up until it bumps into its thermal limits, meaning the single fan in the MacBook will also ramp up and up. I blame Intel.

To help cope with this while at work, I’ve got the notebook up on a stand to help with airflow. Running this MacBook Pro in clamshell mode is just about impossible.

Sadly, the battery life has taken a hit on this model due to the CPU. While Apple claims up to 7 hours of battery life, I haven’t seen it.

In Closing

I really don’t think the 13-inch MacBook Pro has much of a future. That’s a shame, as it still offers the most power and expandability that can be found in such a small Apple notebook. Even with the heat issues, this machine is well worth the money.

Go read this interview.

What can you say about a man whose inventions and ingenuity changed almost every single industry on the planet?

He went too soon.

What can you say about a man whose first name is known around the world?

He went too soon.

What can you say about a man who co-founded, then rescued what is now the most valuable company on the planet?

He went too soon.

What can you say about a man with four kids and a wife dying at 56?

He went too soon.

The tragedy of course is that Steve Jobs lost his battle to cancer. Our loss of a hero is secondary.

Cancer takes people like Steve Jobs and our little friends at St. Jude too soon. It may take our son. Fuck cancer. Fuck it right in the eye.

It takes our loved ones too soon.

From Jobs’ 2005 Sanford commencement address:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Walt Mossberg’s piece is very, very good.

President Obama, on Steve Jobs’ passing:

By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.

Prayers for the Jobs family this evening.

Speaking of podcasts, I go to join the boys on The Bro Show this week to talk about the iPhone 4S. Go check it out.

Long live the tiny, spinning hard drive.

Jason Gilbert, for the Huffington Post:

It’s not that the new iPhone won’t be great. It will be one of, if not the, best smartphone available to consumers when it is released on October 14. After all, it is identical to the fantastic iPhone 4, except its antenna will be much-improved, the Internet and the apps will load and run faster and the camera and battery will put its predecessor’s to shame.

And that – exactly that! – is the reason why everyone is so disappointed. It is exactly identical to the iPhone 4, except it got some nerd-friendly upgrades on its insides. Faster processors. Improved antennas. Increased camera pixels. Okay, okay, fine: But where is the improvement that I can see? And where is the improvement that my friends and co-workers and ex-lovers will be able to see and drool over and associate with me when I whip this shiny new Apple thing out?

AOL really has some great writers, don’t you think?

Want to know about three-wheeled cars like the Reliant Robin? Well, episode two of Myke and I’s new podcast is perfect for you!