Well it may be possible for single persons to decide they will switch everything and FW is outdated.
the entire article is based on an immediate need that can't be satisfied ... for a very short term. Nothing new about that as technology advances - early adopters always have to work around issues. But actually seems like a pointless article since in a month or so the adaptor makes the entire issue irrelevant.
The display on the new retina is by far the best display I've seen in a powerbook. The extra resolution means there is no limitation of "resolution" you can work at any resolution you choose based on your task and desired screen real estate (and how good your eyes are) and it's very sharp. The anti reflection works very well, without contrast killing matt screen (this coming from someone who hates matt screens so I"m very familiar with gloss screens and the reflection issues).
The battery life is amazing (I was at 40% and still had 3.5 hours estimated). the boot up time is stunning ... 11 seconds to from cold start to sign in, a couple after that. 2 seconds to launch Photoshop.
The lack of firewire is a very temporary situation. It won't be solved in time enough for lloyd, but in a month or so it's a moot issue. The DVD is also something which is pretty irrelevant, add the USB drive if you need and I think you are still less weight than the current 15".
The Nikon software can be installed via internet download ... the mentioning of that really is kind of odd. Does anyone install from DVD's anymore? I never do, I always download the most recent from the manufacturer, I never even put the DVD's in the computer. Burning DVD's may be somewhat useful. As far as the card reader, sorry but I still often use an old cheap USB one that even with IQ180 files isn't a big deal. It will download them plenty fast enough, and again a moot issue in about a month (or just buy one of
these now.)
I can see why he won't take it on this trip - I'm in the same boat with a 2 drive raid that is eSata, Firewire 800 or USB 2. But I know that's temporary ( and very temporary because thunderbolt portable drives are beginning to finally show up). certainly not worth writing an article about. I subscribe to lloyd and read his stuff frequently, this is one article he should have skipped.
BTW, thanks to this new Powerbook, issues for the macbook air's suddenly are different, since the firewire adaptor means you would now be able to tether a Phase Back to a small light 11" macbook air. Quite tempting to try it with a tech camera, even in the field.