I don't think the smaller ones have express card slots. Prices are good.
MacBook Pro - Apple Store (U.S.) (http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=NzUyMzg0)

They have an SDHC card slot, though... right?

firewire 800, not 400 - so no DV import for me, deal breaker.

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics probably not adequate for HD editing too.

I like the looks of this model.

$200 cheaper with a speed bump of 0.26 GHz on the CPU.

Most importantly - a FW800 port! (The most recent 13-inch didn't have any FW at all.)

So it's possible to do location capture from a camera's FW400 port.

The local (Aussie) price of a Firestore DR-HD100 is $3,328.

The price of this new 13-inch MBP is $1,899.

In fact, this model is great news for those with JVC HD cams. FW800 for the older models and the SDHC slot for the new models.

As I said, there's a lot to like about this one!



firewire 800, not 400 - so no DV import for me, deal breaker.
Hi Cole.

A FW800 port can handle both FW800 and FW400. The FW400 just needs a special adapter. Which costs about $9.

So it's a good thing, not a bad thing.

MacNN | New FW400-to-FW800, CF Eye-Fi adapters ship (http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/10/17/synchrotech.adapters/)

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics probably not adequate for HD editing too.

You can easily edit HD footage on the old vanilla macbooks with the integrated cards although Motion could be a problem though.

Chris, the express card slots are nice for esata drives and xdcam dumps. It looks like the express card slots are only on the 17" now?

7 hour battery life.

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics probably not adequate for HD editing too.

Hi Luke.

Where was this written?

With the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, Apple claim a 5X graphics performance boost over the previous graphics card (Intel GMA X3100) in the old white Macbook.

Apple - MacBook Pro - Graphics - Even faster graphics processing. (http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/graphics.html)

I thought this NVIDIA card in the 13-inch is the main reason why they now call it a Macbook Pro instead of a MacBook. (I.e. the 5X graphics performance boost should now make it easy to handle the FCS requirements.)

Well, I don't know if it can handle HD in FCP or not but Final Cut Suite doesn't officially support integrated graphics cards. The $2000 15"Macbook Pro is the cheapest one with a dedicated video card (9600M GT with 256MB)

From Apple website:
Minimum Requirements
* An AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card (Final Cut Studio is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors)


Just noticed it says integrated Intel graphics cards specifically, so maybe the nvidia's work fine...?

Yes, I agree that Apple really need to update their FCS specs page to reflect the graphics cards in their newer models because it's quite ambiguous in it's current form!

Hi Cole.

A FW800 port can handle both FW800 and FW400. The FW400 just needs a special adapter. Which costs about $9.

So it's a good thing, not a bad thing.

MacNN | New FW400-to-FW800, CF Eye-Fi adapters ship (http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/10/17/synchrotech.adapters/)

I sit corrected!

I thought this NVIDIA card in the 13-inch is the main reason why they now call it a Macbook Pro instead of a MacBook. (I.e. the 5X graphics performance boost should now make it easy to handle the FCS requirements.)The white MacBook has had the exact same Nvidia 9400M graphics as the 13" MacBook Pro since they last re-vamped the model back in February. In fact the internals of both models are very similar under their respective plastic or aluminium cases & there will be little real life difference in performance.

From Apple website:
Minimum Requirements
* An AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card (Final Cut Studio is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors)


Just noticed it says integrated Intel graphics cards specifically, so maybe the nvidia's work fine...?

It says that but I've used an old Macbook (pre3100) to edit in FCP, there are however a few functions in Motion that arent supported.

Just wondering though, if it's the same card as the new plain MB, no expresscard, what exactly makes it a MBP? Firewire?

Apple Marketing Speak makes it a MBP or if you prefer it's a sexy aluminium case that makes it one. The white MacBook has a Firewire 400 port.

I'm too lazy to check, but I'm nearly certain the new Macbooks aren't the white plastic but the same one piece aluminum as the MBP's. And they have no firewire.

edit: I checked the site, I'm all mixed up, coulda sworn the MB's went from plastic to aluminum. And I'm positive there was no firewire cuz people were grumbling. Now they've got firewire again. I can't keep up.

Just wondering though, if it's the same card as the new plain MB, no expresscard, what exactly makes it a MBP? Firewire?

It looks like they just took the old macbooks and just relabeled it as pro since the last generation of macbooks look just like the mbp. The 13" is limited to 5400rpm HD, not pro at all. The white macbook now just look like a neglected step-child.

edit: I checked the site, I'm all mixed up, coulda sworn the MB's went from plastic to aluminum. And I'm positive there was no firewire cuz people were grumbling. Now they've got firewire again. I can't keep up.

It is somewhat confusing. Back in January or so, the macbook went aluminum and lost it's firewire port. Now it's been upgraded to pro status with a firewire 800 port and a SD card reader. They also sold a basic white plastic model.

Today, the only "macbook" available is the white plastic model.

The Nvidia 9400 works great for FCP. The gpu isn't used as much in FCP as you would think it is.

This is not a Intel graphics chip but a proper Nvidia video adapter. Yes it is built into the motherboard and yes it shares ram with your system but other then that it is still Nvidia.

There was a 20" Imac at an Apple store near where I live. I went in to see how well FC Studio would work with the Nvidia 9400. FCP, DVD SP, and Motion all worked great. Motion may not have had the same level of RT performance but then again we are not talking about a huge boost in gpu speed with a Nvidia 9600 either. As a test I opened up the same demo projects on a MBP in the store with an Nvidia 9600 and they only ran a few fps faster. I personally found that Motion lagged no matter what sub Mac Pro system was used. It didn't really matter if it was a White MB, a MBP, a Mac Mini or a Imac. In fact for the most part they all seem to perform about the same give or take 6% to 40% render speed. Cutting and moving things around and doing stuff seemed to work about the same across the board with Apple.

awesome, a 13" MBP might be in my future.