LED Laptop Display... New Apple MacBook Pro

jch79

**Do Not Feed The Vegan**,
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
3,661
Location
On the asphalt.
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

Just announced this morning:
"The new MacBook Pro is available in 15-inch models with a new mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display.."

I'm glad I've been waiting to updated my 1.67GHz 15" PowerBook.. Maybe one more revision, and then it's time!:broke:

john
 

Phredd

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 21, 2005
Messages
510
Location
New Hampshire
Every day it is looking more and more like I should upgrade my aging Powerbook G4.

Today would really be a good day. I'd guess AT LEAST 6-9 months before another update like today, processor bumps, LED backlight and some slimming. Just sell a few A2's to pay the difference. :)

Phredd
 

jch79

**Do Not Feed The Vegan**,
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
3,661
Location
On the asphalt.
Today would really be a good day. I'd guess AT LEAST 6-9 months before another update like today, processor bumps, LED backlight and some slimming.

Good estimate, Phredd..

From the MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide:
Average days between updates: 186

Although, I'm still a bit hesitant to update, as it seems the updates in the past couple years have been very nice (not just slight bumps in processor speed).

Personally, my 1.67GHz 15" PowerBook still does the job.. I'm hoping to wait out at least one more announcement before upgrading. :shrug:

In the meantime, there's always a new Ti light or three that I can buy!

john
 

Phredd

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 21, 2005
Messages
510
Location
New Hampshire
186 days and most updates are just processor bumps, maybe optical drive improvements. Not that today was really major, just more than usual.

You've got more patience than I have. I already ordered this morning, but it was an easy decision for me. My son has no computer and was looking at a MacBook anyway.

Phredd
 

jch79

**Do Not Feed The Vegan**,
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
3,661
Location
On the asphalt.
186 days and most updates are just processor bumps, maybe optical drive improvements. Not that today was really major, just more than usual.

You've got more patience than I have. I already ordered this morning, but it was an easy decision for me. My son has no computer and was looking at a MacBook anyway.

Best excuse, I mean reason, to buy a new laptop!! :) :) Congrats on the purchase, Fred!
 

hank

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 12, 2001
Messages
1,561
Location
Berkeley CA
Dear Mr. Jobs,

Please send one of your new LED-screen MacBooks to our good friend Craig at the LEDMuseum for review, as soon as possible.

Signed, a fan (of Craig's) waiting to update his G3 "Pismo" Powerbook.
 

koala

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 5, 2003
Messages
2,295
Location
Melbourne, Australia
I am surprised, nobody cares about LED color shift, degrading output after 100,000 hours? It isn't something you can test in a few weeks time. Having said that, LED vs CCFL efficiency, do the maths. CCFL is superior in terms of Lumens per watt. I am not sure how LED can be more efficient in a LCD screen. Perhaps the inverter is the main cause of efficiency. However, it's nice to know that there is no mercury gas to poison you if you crack the screen, which is very likely to happen...

Besides that, apple books are often plague with quality problem. The 'shell' don't seem to last very long. I used to worship apple macbook pros and buy them without a second thought but not anymore. True they are designed in California, but they are not made there. They are made in the country where people work like slaves, severely underpaid. Since they are riding Intel chips now, it's easy to find many laptop out there that could easily outdo apple for the money.

If you want to pay so much money for a laptop, look at the Sony Vaio with carbon fiber shell series. It's true some budget Vaio are made in the same place as Apples, that's because Sony also rebrand laptops from Original Design Manufacturer(ODM). However the high end Sony Vaio laptops are made in the land of sun. It's where Sanyo Eneloops are invented, sushi eaten as breakfast, whales are killed for 'research' but not dogs, robots iron your clothes, and a place where people strive for perfection. Carbon fiber shell is 10x cooler mmmkay, if it make cars go faster I am sure it makes the Intel inside go faster :D.

There's one thing I can't deny about apple, is that they look fabulous which is why I buy them in the first place.
 
Last edited:

SoundMix

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
140
Location
USA
Besides that, apple books are often plague with quality problem. The 'shell' don't seem to last very long. I used to worship apple macbook pros and buy them without a second thought but not anymore.

+1
 

carrot

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
9,240
Location
New York City
Of course if you want to legitimately run OS X, there's really only one option...

What I like about Apple's laptops is that a lot of thought is put into their design. For instance, other makers put all sorts of flashing LEDs on the keyboard, some are really bright blue and drive me crazy. Another, a lot of manufacturers allow the screen to tilt back 180º, sometimes even a little more. On Apple laptops, they cannot tilt back all the way, which is great if you mess up the hinge tension (I've seen this on so many PC's). The list goes on and on... It's really the little details that make me so pleased with my Powerbook.
 

jch79

**Do Not Feed The Vegan**,
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
3,661
Location
On the asphalt.
Maybe because nobody keeps their laptop on 24/7 for 11 years straight...

Speak for yourself!! :crackup:

koala - I share your concern regarding where the computers are made. I try and buy 100% of my belongings (clothes, cars, bike, FLASHLIGHTS) that are made in USA or any other country that has fair wages and working conditions, and all the rest of the stuff I could go on and on about. Anyways, everything is easy, except for my computer. This irks me, as it's a huge investment. Unfortunately, my job requires a Mac, so here I am!

I'd love if they were made in better conditions, and would pay more :green: if it were so. As far as I've researched things, Apple has come under some heat as far as where their iPods are made, and that has spurred some change, AFAIK. But they are far from perfect. :) Just like their PC counterparts.

However, eliminating a potentially toxic material such as mercury from their displays is a sign that they are moving in at least one right direction. I have my doubts that it's less efficient than their current displays, as Mac fans wouldn't allow a shorter runtime on their computers! But, who knows - maybe they improved effiency elsewhere, to make up for potential loss in efficiency from the change to LED displays?

Anyways, sorry to blab on. :sick2:

john
 

jtr1962

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 22, 2003
Messages
7,505
Location
Flushing, NY
Having said that, LED vs CCFL efficiency, do the maths. CCFL is superior in terms of Lumens per watt. I am not sure how LED can be more efficient in a LCD screen. Perhaps the inverter is the main cause of efficiency. However, it's nice to know that there is no mercury gas to poison you if you crack the screen, which is very likely to happen...
Part of the reason for the superior efficiency of LEDs versus CCFL is indeed the inverter. A bigger reason is that fact that most of the light coming from the LED is more easily focused exactly where you want it. CCFLs emit their light in a 360° pattern. A good portion of the light coming from the back side of the tube is wasted. I don't know what the numbers are but I think it's something like 80% of the LED's output makes it behind the screen compared to 50% of the CCFL output. Add in maybe 10% greater inverter losses for the CCFL, and it's easy to see how a technically less efficient LED can actually do a better job here.

I wonder if they're using RGB or white plus phosphor? The main advantage of using LED backlighting is improved color gamut but this applies only for RGB backlighting. White plus phosphor will probably be about the same as CCFL.
 

jch79

**Do Not Feed The Vegan**,
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
3,661
Location
On the asphalt.
From a Gizmodo interview with Apple:

How much battery life does the LED Backlighting save?
30 minutes to an hour vs. the older models. (Including savings from Santa Rosa, so there's no way to distinguish the improvements individually.)


Is there a full brightness warmup?
No, its...
instantly at full brightness, unlike traditional LCDs.


What is the comparison in brightness, color range?
Identical to the previous generation.


Why no 17-inch with LEDs?
The 15-inch is the first one [in the industry]. All screens will transition when it's technically and economically feasible.

:) john
 

jch79

**Do Not Feed The Vegan**,
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
3,661
Location
On the asphalt.

PhotonWrangler

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Messages
14,466
Location
In a handbasket
I saw an LED-backlit LCD display at the NAB show last year. The claim was that it did better in the reds and produced overall better color rendition for serious applications like professional publishing. I looked at that monitor for some time, comparing it to a traditional cold-cathode-backlit display nearby, and I could only barely notice a tiny difference in the reds. Hardly enough to justify the $7000 that they were asking for the LED monitor!
:eek:
 
Top