Linked by Eddyspeeder on Tue 6th Oct 2009 22:01 UTC
Late June 2009 I bought a 13" MacBook Pro (2.26 GHz, 4 GB RAM). I suppose that after just three months, the blinding "first joys" over getting a laptop have worn off. By now, I deem my thoughts about this device to be realistic and of an appropriate level. The past few weeks I attained mastery over the Mac OS through personal discovery, accompanied by a very insightful book; I bought additional software and hacked the Dock to suit my preferences.
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Member since:2006-11-12
Apple has had the metallic look for a while My 2001 TI Powerbook, generally looked like this too. Basically Sony stole it from apple.
With one-button-mousers, the one thing that can be relied upon is their thorough sense of design history. Once a person becomes a Mac user, he/she is instantly transformed into an industrial design expert.
For instance, here is a Magnesium Sony notebook from 1997: http://www.sony.net/Fun/design/history/product/1990/pcg-505.html
Now, your typical, uninformed, non-Mac user would think that this 1997, metallic-bodied Sony laptop would predate the 2001 Mac TI Powerbook by four years. But no, it takes the expertise of Apple users to point at that Sony actually copied the metallic look from Apple.
One must also disregard the fact that Sony has been producing brushed metallic products since the 1960s, such as this 1968 cassette recorder that was used on the Apollo 7 mission: http://www.sony.net/Fun/design/history/product/1960/tc-50.html
Only the incredible genius of Steve Jobs and his design team is capable of applying such an unobvious concept as "brushed metal" to computer laptops.
Even though the 1997 Sony Magnesium laptop had a 4-panel body, that doesn't make it comparable to a 4-panel Mac "unibody." The "unibody" concept was totally conceived by by Apple alone, despite the fact that the term was a common automobile marketing catchword in the 1960s (to describe welded construction).
Another important plus of Apple is that they "popularize" things. Sony sold quite a few of those early metallic laptops, but Apple "popularized" the metallic laptop, so Apple is better.
By the way, did you know that Steve Jobs invented wearing a baseball cap backwards and that he also invented carrying a backpack by only one strap? He's so amazing!
/s
RE[2]: I have one too...
by StephenBeDoper on Wed 7th Oct 2009 19:48
in reply to "RE: I have one too..."
Member since:2005-07-06
Basically Sony stole it from apple.
Possibly, but Apple certainly wasn't the first. I have an old Sharp laptop (Actius A150) with a metal finish that looks very similar to Apple's more recent "pro" laptops (since the TiBook) - except the Sharp laptop is from '99, predating the Powerbook G4 by about 2 years.
Anecdotally, the original owner put an Apple sticker on it after the TiBook came out (as a joke) - and the appearance was similar enough that many people thought the Actius was actually a Mac laptop.
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Member since:
2005-09-27
Apple has had the metallic look for a while My 2001 TI Powerbook, generally looked like this too. Basically Sony stole it from apple. However it is one of those don't mess with a good idea design. Much like the ThinkPad (an other good design) that looks similar for many many years. With only minor changes in each version allowing for a more dramatic difference if you compare it over a long time.
But I currently have a 3 year old MacBook Pro and it still look like new. You would only know that it is an old model if you know all the changes in the macs. But for the people who are not into macs and see my laptop even compared to their new PC laptops they think I am running a newer system. Granted there are some signs of age if you look very carfuly. There is some pitting where I always rest my hand in the metal. But for the most part it still looks like a new compter.