Describe/build your perfect Mac

Hey all,

I've always been a PC user, but being in college about 90% of my friends have Macbook Pros. In a year or two I'm interested in getting a 15" Macbook Pro/MBA or whatever down the road it is.

So what would be your perfect Macbook? Specs, design, features, etc.?

Mine would be a 15" MBP without Optical drive and:

-More rugged exterior. I have always had Thinkpads and would love a black macbook pro that was something other than Aluminum
-Intel Quad Core processor
-Mid-High Range GPU (something like what a 6770 or GT 555 is today)
-16:10 High Resolution Screen (higher than 1680x1050 or whatever it is now for MBPs)
-8GB RAM
-160GB SSD drive with a 500GB HDD for other storage
-Same trackpad and keyboard as current MBP, including a number pad (Accounting student)
-1080p webcam
-No Optical drive, would love it to be around .8-.9 inches thick, with around 7 hours of battery life
-Removable battery and easier access to components
-Ability to dock

Main thing would be another line of Macbooks that were more business oriented. With more easily upgraded components and a different sort of shell.

So what about you guys?

 

I want the original macbook pro keyboard back, as well as some of the original design choices, mixed with modern hardware

 

ZAGG Incipio Feather for MacBook 38.1 cm (15") Black: Ultra Thin Protection Cover - Laptop and Tablet Accessories - Product Reviews and Prices - Shopping.com

Already standard on 15" MacBook Pro

Already optional on 15" MacBook Pro

If you want 1920x1200 you get the 17".

Optional on every MacBook Pro

Would make the MacBook Pro too heavy/run too hot, though the rumor mill likes to say there is a plan to dump optical drives.

You take those speakers over my dead body.
LMP Bluetooth Keypad - Apple Store (U.S.)

Apple likes to be gradual. They didn't go 1080 there must be some reason.

I'd like mine to be .00001mm thick and have 14,000 hours of battery life. ( also, the MacBook Pros have "7" hours of battery.)

The battery will last five years and last several hours on a charge. If you live in a first world country and can't find power in several hours, then, well, I dunno.

Hi. Henge Docks

One of my clients is moving their entire employee workforce to MacBook Pros (I have been authorized to snag all the stickers). They have no cares about upgrading components and anything they could want to do, they can. The users don't care about that stuff, they just want light, thin, very portable, looks good in front of a potential customer.

 

Heck YES to having the original keyboard back!!!

 

how would that make it hot or heavy? People already do this by replacing the optical bay and it doesn't have any bad effect.

uhhgg... the current ones are so much better... I hope y'all don't get your wish

 

That's a horrible shell. It fits poorly and has no rubberized feet so it slides everywhere.

Not the case any more. The base 15" has a 6750M standard. Granted, it's only 512 MB, but even for moderate gaming, it's far better than the old 6490M.

Agreed. Apple has it right on the 15" models. IMO, 1680x1050 is about the highest resolution you want on a notebook that size. 1920x1080 makes things way too small.

My wish would be for Apple to offer a matte version of the standard 1440x900 screen.

At an exorbitant price. However, this job is easy enough for users to do themselves. Took me 15 minutes start to finish and only cost $30 for 8 GB.

As was pointed out, people are already doing this with no ill effects. OWC makes an optical bay caddy and has very clear instructional videos on how to fit it.

 

I can't feel any difference at all in weight in mine.
I mean the SSD weighs so little that it is practically the same weight as the optical drive..
But even if the SSD was as heavy as a HDD it would be something ridicolous as a 1-2% change in weight in total, which is next to nothing..

SSD's don't run that hot and isn't really any bother.. Loads of people are already running those setups today so that is definately not a problem

 

I understand that current MBPs have most of these features, thus why I'm interested in one in the first place haha. I was just stating what else would make a current MBP perfect for me.

I'm aware of all of those "shells" for MBPs, but I don't want a snap on plastic covering for durability. I know it protects it from scratches but that isn't my main concern.

Like I said this is all just what I'd want if I bought one next week. The company I'm currently interning for just dumped PC's for all Mac products and it definitely adds some more professionalism to the business.

 

Bring back the MacBook (neither Pro nor Air)--an all-around affordable OSX laptop for those on a budget.

$900
1440x900 15.4" screen
i5 with integrated graphics
Optical drive
Cheaper case design than aluminum unibody if need be to make that price point.

Apple appeals to a lot of people who don't want extreme ultraportability (MBA) or high-performance hardware (MBP). Like my wife. She's absolutely loyal to OSX and Apple trackpads. She wants an optical drive to play movies on the laptop (we own dozens and dozens of movies on DVD), so MBA is out. She doesn't know what a quad-core processor is or what a dedicated GPU is, and she doesn't need either. But having something with a bigger screen than the MBP 13 would be nice. Yet she doesn't want to spend $2000 to replace the MBP 15 when it needs replacing. Apple doesn't make anything for people like her.

 

Make it Black

 

My perfect Mac would be a 15" MBA made of black anodized aluminum with a 720p webcam, 512GB SSD, 1920X1200 16:10 display, 12 hour battery life, quad-core ULV Intel chip with Intel HD 3000, the option of switching on some higher end AMD or Nvidia graphics, current keyboard and trackpad, 8GB of RAM, and it comes bundled with a color matched Tunderbolt dock that offers eSATA, FireWire 800, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and HDMI video/audio (along with Thunderbolt daisy chaining capabilities) all for $1800.

 

I like that. Make it black and it'd be perfect

 

That's what I said, black anodized aluminum (same as the iPod nano and iPod classic). It can take a beating more than standard black plastic and has the high quality aluminum look.

 

Better according to what? I think its just a matter of personal preference

 

for me a 17" with :

4:3 or 16:10 IPS, PVA OR AFFS panel 8 or 10 bit color and 98%+ calibrated rgb gamut
4 DIMM slots
SSD + HDD + optical ability
the old keyboard but with number pad ( I agree its personal preference )
Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, HDMI, Firewire connectors with out needing adapters
Mid to high end Quadro GPU option
cooling adjusted so baseplate stays cold
dual battery config so I can hotswap batteries on the go
tougher anodizing or a more scratch resistant alloy
water resistant keyboard
a true dock and not those wimpy USB things
NBD onsite warranty option

 

And they were clearly stating their own opinion.

Personally, I agree that the newer keyboards are better than the older ones. At least with these, I can clearly see each individual key and the character/number/whatever on it. That was one thing I never liked about old Mac laptops, I had a hard time seeing the keyboards with the backlights on unless the room was really dark.

 

HDMI port HDMI port HDMI port, Blu Ray Drive, maybe MXM Slots as well, but that's probably ALL wishful thinking...

 

macbook air design, but with aluminum black
more ports but they will all be on one side or pref on the back
18.4" screen (but this is the air so keep in mind this will only weigh under 5lb)
1920 x 1080 ips ultra thin screen bezel
dual 256gb ssd's
tri intel 3000hd graphics.

 

You got a lot more out of him "clearly" stating his opinion that they were better than I did, I guess. Your reasoning for why you prefer the newer style keyboard is kind of what I was asking doh. I just dont like the feel of the keys and feel the keys are spaced too far apart - matter of preference. It took forever and a day to get used to, but now I have no problem typing on it. The one thing I didnt like about the old style keyboard was how the lettering would wear off (I dont need to look at the keys when I type, so that wouldnt have really bothered me from a usage point).

 

MacBook Air 17 inches under five pounds with at least 1920x1200 resolution. Budget would be $3,000 for such a machine.

 

Addendum: I want this inexpensive MacBook reboot (no Air, no Pro, just Macbook) to have a bamboo case. No, it won't be as light or thin or "premium" as an aluminum unibody, but it'll be pleasant to touch, environmentally-friendly, and aesthetically unique (now that Asus canned the U33 Bamboo). Maybe something in a light-color bamboo like this smartphone, or maybe multiple colors available:



ADZero bamboo smartphone prototypes hands-on (video) -- Engadget

 

I am curious as to how those handle drops, abrasions, heat, excess moisture (i.e. being in a pocket, using in a humid area) along with other types of moistures (rain, snow, mist, etc.), and how the wood warps over time. Living in a really humid area, I have observed how wooden decks (which have been properly treated) warp under the hot Sun and excess moisture. I would hate to think that a phone would do the same thing over time when being carried in my pocket or a Mac go through the same process simply because I used it a lot on my lap (which is something I have been doing a lot more lately now that I have a MBA, it seems to run a lot cooler than my 13" MBP).

I wouldn't think that wood would be stronger than metal. That means that a single drop could splinter and crack the whole damn case. Lastly, I don't think the wood would (chuck chuck) would be very heat resistant. We are talking about 110-130 degrees F (sorry, I am in the U.S., I have to use my strange custom units or else Ronal Reagan will haunt me) for the CPU alone. It seems like even properly treated bamboo would even burn/warp/become brittle rather easily under those conditions.

Then again, this thread isn't really filled with many realistic suggestions (mine included). At least a bamboo MacBook would likely float. Ohh yes... They Float Georgie... They Float... And when your down here, with me... You float too!

 

The sort of moisture that warps a deck (being left out in the rain 24/7) would kill the computer's internals far sooner than it would kill the case. I don't think ambient moisture in the air is going to warp treated bamboo in a laptop case. And I can't imagine that using it on your lap would have anything to do with causing it to warp.

As for heat dissipation, plastic doesn't dissipate heat well either...that's what the ventilation system is for. It's true that using the case as a heat sink like the MBP adds supplemental benefit over just the ventilation system, but there are a lot of plastic-cased machines (my Vaio included) where the ventilation system is the sole method of cooling, and that works just fine.

I doubt that 130 Farenheit would cause bamboo any problems. I've used wooden hot-pads with tea kettles that are at 212 degrees Farenheit and I've never seen one of them damaged by the experience. Also, keep in mind that I'm not advocating a quad-core CPU or a dedicated GPU in this thing. I'm thinking i5 or even i3 and that's it.

Abrasions and durability are probably the biggest issue. I'm not sure, but I think it would probably hold up well for typical use, though, at least if you did a traditional body-on-frame setup instead of some bamboo unibody setup. And remember this is an inexpensive entry-level model; nobody is expecting it to be at the same level of durability as a $2000 MacBook Pro.

 

I'll take one of exactly what you posted

 

only thing that was puzzling me ever since is — why dont you put better gpu and remove DVD? Works good in my head — like you free some space with removing DVD and free more space for bigger gpu with more intensive cooling.
would be perfect.

and make it thinner

and black. yes.

 

13" Macbook Pro with:

-Original Macbook Pro keyboard with backlighting
-Fastest Quad-Core i7 on the market
-16 GB RAM
-Two 512GB SSDs
-4 USB ports with covers
-More powerful speakers
-An External optical drive
-Wireless N (I know, pretty much standard)
-A nice graphics card
-GPS with a nav program linked to Google Earth I can use worldwide
-Waterproof barrier between the keyboard and the logic board
-A cooling system that will ensure the laptop never gets above 50 degrees centigrade
-10 hours battery life with a spare that comes standard (a shell design that doesn't require a screwdriver to swap out the battery goes without saying)
-Under 4 pounds
-Aluminum shell would be fine, but maybe to get the weight down use some of the carbon fiber stuff they make the boeing 787 out of.
-Choice of colors
-Same dimensions as the current 13"
-Around $2,500+tax.

I know, this will probably never happen in the next two years, at least not at my price point. My current macbook pro is on its last legs, so something like this won't be my next computer fo sure

 

I'd like to see Macbook Pro with the same connectivity as the Mac Mini - four USB port and HDMI.

I'd also like to see better maintainability. How about a bottom cover that removes without any tools so you can easily upgrade memory, storage or replace a battery?

Ditch the internal optical drive. It takes up space and slot loading drives have always been less reliable than tray-loading drives.

Ditch Broadcom as a wireless card supplier. Atheros, Intel, anyone else.

Go ARM with the Macbook Air, but stay x86 with the Macbook Pro.


Optimize Bootcamp for Linux and BSD.

 

I'd like to see a high performance model that is less concerned with being thinner and lighter and more concerned with performance and cooling and professional usage.
Battery life would be understandably lesser given the hardware involved.

Professional rendering hardware on par with the mid-high end or high-end of GPUs instead of the low/middle. (Nvidia Quatro series with GTX 560m or higher equivalent)

Quad-core mobile processors with the cooling to actually run them at 100% on all four cores.

SSD/HDD/optical standard.

High-end 95% gamut 1080p or 1920x1200 screens.

I'd also like to see a degree of durability similar to the OLD macbook pro before the unibody.

The above fits in 15" laptops around 6-7lbs for other vendors.

I want a real professional-grade laptop to recommend for my MacOS users.

 

So you want a mbp for rendering?
Its still a notebook means you mostly create stuff on the fly and i cant imagine creating on the fly something more hardware demanding then top mbp can offer.

I am not much into 3d though, but didnt os x lack 3dmax so most 3d guys turned away from it anyway?
Can imagine such notebook could be loved by gamers, but then again not many gamers in mac os anyway. Dats rather little group of potential buyers left.

 

Oops, I didn't see this earlier. I mentioned the lap usage for a couple of reasons. First, moisture can be absorbed from skin if someone is sweating. How would the wood deal with that over time and could it ever get inside. Second, skin has oil on it and I have observed first hand how skin oil can ruin wood, even treated wood.

I have never owned wooden electronics so I don't know how they would perform. That is why I made my statements. Like I said, there isn't any wrong answer in this thread and people (including me) are obviously posting unrealistic options.

 

I don't think Apple needs or wants "an inexpensive MacBook reboot."

Bamboo is associated with cheap. Cheap cutting boards, cheap shelves, cheaper flooring materials. Bamboo=cheap.

Bamboo also has an undeniable association with China, although it grows over much of the world. At a time when labor practices at Chinese ODMs producing Apple products are at issue, Apple doesn't need any more controversy.

It's also worth noting that the Bamboo case Asus was a flop. People don't like Bamboo as a material for high quality products. Bamboo=Cheap Leave the Bamboo to the Pandas.

 

I've got a cutting board and some camping utensils made out of treated bamboo. The stuff is not at all like untreated pine. It's durable and resilient to various elements. I wouldn't worry at all.

http://www.rei.com/product/792792/t...-B849-E011-AFD7-001517384908&mr:referralID=NA

 

I think this thread is about OUR perfect Mac, not about what Apple is currently offering. We all know what the current offerings are. That's not the purpose of this thread.

Just because Asus didn't do something successfully doesn't mean nobody else could. Seriously.

I think everyone in the world has already heard by now that Apple, like all electronics manufacturers, uses Chinese subcontractors. The proper response is to enforce the subcontractor labor standards they're recently implemented, not to hope people just...forget...that Apple electronics are assembled in China.

Bamboo products available at REI include a $1900 paddleboard, a $215 camping chair, and a $255 camping table.

 

a laptop made from bamboo? what is this madness?
I can imagine poor cooling, poor durability and poor looks after a month or two.

 

Some of our web artists use graphic and rendering programs to create original material. Some of this material apparently uses more oomph than even the best-equipped macbook pro can handle well as I get rather constant complaints. Worse, without laptop coolers, Macbook Pros tend to overheat quickly in their current configuration as their cooling is not really adequate for extended processing.

While a professional card like the Quatro can indeed be used for gaming, it is not optimal as the drivers are not tuned that way.

I have a group of 15-20 or so such people who would order a performance-based macbook immediately.

I think you woefully underestimate the professionals who would use a Macbook Performance model.

 

Macbook Air 15:

35 watt quad or 17 watt dual. I'd love to see the i7-3667u in it.
8GB DDR3
180GB-256GB SSD
Decent GPU like the current models
6-8 hour battery life
Current 900p screen
Windows Intel GPU drivers

 

My perfect Macbook would be as follows :

12" florescent tube backlit LCD capable of displaying VGA only.

OS X Lion (preinstalled with no option of other OS's to be installed)

Intel Core Solo 1.4Ghz or lower

800MB of ram (non upgradable because it's already too much ram to begin with)

40GB HDD @4200rpm rotational speed

Intel shared graphics (because dedicated GPU's are overrated and I should be able to run Starcraft II and the Sims 3 on max settings anyway)

High decibel fans (because I can't tell if those quiet ones are actually running)

Multitouch trackpad that's as good as the one's found on PC's years ago.

60-90 minute battery life (I know that's asking too much but heck, I have to use it on the go and I can't afford to lose power)

No useless USB ports or any type of ports (because iCloud will do everything for everyone)

Looking forward to seeing my perfect Mac come out from Apple soon.

 

13.3" style MBP
1440x900 resolution
IPS display
2x 512GB SSD
16GB RAM (2x8GB)
ThinkPad keyboard but with MBP backlight
8 hour battery
2.4Ghz Quad Core i7