Alternative to mac book pro in location.

[nenes]

Hi all. It is time to change the computer.
My macbook pro is almost dead . The problem is that i work always tethered to the computer even on location and the new macbookpro has no battery to change no firewire port to plug my phaseone back and the very unconfortable glossy screen ...
The bad thing for me is to do not have the option to change the battery as in my old macbookpro y could bring always 2 or 3 extra batteries.
I have the feeling that apple just care on computers to wath films and send emails it pain in the .....
Does someone know any option to the apple computers for location without having to buy an old or used computer with old tecnology?

 

[dougpeterson]

You can use the Apple Thunderbolt-Firewire adapter works fine with the Phase backs we've tested it with. Read our article about Tethering using Thunderbolt-Firewire adapter for more detail. It's not as nice as a direct cable connection, but it works, and while you're adding one more "link" the physical tightness of the connector is actually even better than a Mac laptop's native FW port connection.

Glossy screen - not great, agreed. But a proper laptop case/tent works wonders with the reflections. The standard MacBookPro (non retina) is still available in a matte finish (and also has a FW port) - while it's not the "latest and greatest" it's nearly the same performance as the Retina, especially when loaded with a good SSD hard drive.

HyperMac and similar alternatives provide portable power to Mac laptops in the field. In many ways (aesthetics, size, cables) it is not as nice as having multiple batteries you can simply swap into the laptop. Notably however they do have the advantage of not requiring you to shut down your computer to switch batteries. Unfortunately Apple sued Hypermac so they can't sell plug-and-play MagSafe adapters. I haven't looked into it for a while but I'd guess you can still find them on eBay.
Archive | Cult of Mac

Apple makes most of it's money off of the iPhone and iPad:

Of their CPUs they make most of their money off of consumer level laptops and desktops. They still make stunning well made computers that I love, and they are still my choice by a mile, but pro photographers are simply not a significant percentage of their company's customers now. And this trend is likely to accelerate.

In pure revenue Apple is more of a music company (iTunes) than a Pro Computer company. And they are an order of magnitude more a phone company than a music company. This is not something to be bitter about or complain about - simply to be recognized, understood, and accepted.

*written at desk with an iMac, Apple Cinema Display, iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro (yes, all at one desk)*

 

[nenes]

Thanks so much for your replay.
All my digital workflow its been always based om apple and for year i have been very happy with.
At a time ,i have to say ,apple use to be more stable and with more suport to the profesional side especialy on macbook pro laptops .
About the adapter you recomend me the thunderbolt (you safe my life ), but still having the battery thing problem.the hippermac batteries are not very easy to find and my experiences with them where not very nice.
Thanks again ;-)