MacBook Drool

Creative Mac – MacBook, MacBook Pro and Power Mac G5 Benchmarks in Final Cut and Motion
These benchmarks show a new 13″ MacBook 2.0 beating a Dual 2.0 G5 in most Final Cut tests. It even edges out the MacBook Pro in some instances.

Granted, all three machines had 2 GB of RAM, and although I get the impression that the G5 would spank most anything if it was maxed out at 8 or 16 GB, the FCP and Motion tests performed focused mainly on the performance of the processor and internal video. Nothing they tested would have probably used more than a gig. Weren’t we told MacBooks won’t run FCP because of the lack of dedicated video card? Seems that may be the sales pitch to push for MacBook Pro machines.

The way I see it, Apple has considerably narrowed the gap between their two lines of portables. The lack of an internal audio-in jack has long been a sore point for iBook users, having to purchase USB audio devices that may or may not have buggy drivers. Now that Apple has added digital audio in and out, a built-in iSight, Gigabit Ethernet, standard Airport and Bluetooth, the Apple Remote with Front Row, and a bigger trackpad with all the two-finger tricks it may just be time to get a new laptop.

The performance reports I’m seeing all over indicate that Apple has dropped the ages-old tactic of hobbling their lower line to increase perceived value of the Pro machines. These MacBooks smoke.

Black MacBook photoset on Flickr

I predict the 13″ MacBook (doesn’t matter which one, but probably the slower of the two simply because of price) will become Apple’s best-selling Mac of all time. I expect a large influx of Linux gurus (the one in early 2001-2002 due to OS X was good but more is always better) and Windows power users due to the ‘pure drool combined with performance’ of these things. Lots of current Mac owners are gasping for one. (one hardcore Mac user, Rob Griffiths, already got his) Many people haven’t owned their first Mac yet, and there’s no good reason why this shouldn’t be it. We’ll see how things pan out.

Oh yeah, Season 5 DVD of Trailer Park Boys kicks ass.