My Dell 2001FP monitor, which isn’t exactly “dull” in color and brightness, looks a bit weak compared to the MacBook Pro’s display. Wow.First impressions:
- Wireless networking was a bit of a headache. At first, I was thinking, “Great, Revision A hardware — I should have waited!” because the symptoms were very odd — the wireless signal literally appeared to be blinking on and off. After applying a firmware upgrade to my D-Link router, all was good. That was very strange, and contrary to my earlier experience with Mac hardware where things tended to work even in “hostile” environments.
- The system seemed a bit slow for being a dual-core 2Ghz laptop. It didn’t feel much faster than my old 1Ghz Powerbook… until I selected “Better Performance” from the Energy Saver settings. Now, it is “teh snappy”.
- Battery life: with the “Better Performance” setting enabled, screen brightness cranked all the way up to the max, and under “normal use”, expect about 2 hours of solid battery life if you’re using it with bluetooth and 802.11g enabled. I think that in “real life” it’ll be good for about three hours of life. Not bad, but not stellar.
- Java is a lot faster. I’m going to install WebLogic Server 9.0 on it later tonight to see exactly how much faster it can go. I’m also looking forward to checking out applet performance with some of our partners’ products, as well as checking in to Macromedia Flash performance (which always seems lacking on the Mac).
- The built-in iSight camera and the “Photo Booth” application have already led to some serious goofing off. I had to reign that in while trying to get work done.
- Finally — the most underrated feature is the MagSafe connector for power. I can’t describe how impressive it is — you simply have to see it for yourself. But it’s going to be a lifesaver for anyone who has kids or pets who works with a laptop in a hectic environment with the power cord plugged in.
Heck, even the glowing keyboard is brighter than the old Powerbook…More later as I get some free time to experiment…
