MacBook Pro
Posted January 10th, 2006 @ 01:33pm by Erik J. Barzeski
What the fuck kind of stupid name is MacBook Pro?
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Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 1:39pm #
Since you asked, it's a fucking stupid name.
It's also the needless demolition of the PowerBook brand. I'm sure the MacBook *shudder* will be great in performance, but it remains a dumb move, marketing-wise.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 1:40pm #
Absolutely terrible name. How the hell did that get through Steve? Unless he thought of it... That would indicate he's LOSING HIS MIND.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 1:43pm #
Horrible name.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 1:45pm #
How long until the first online petition to change the name back is started? Not shipping until February = THERE'S STILL TIME! 🙂
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 1:46pm #
It's an unbelievably stupid, amazingly horrible name. It's unreal. I cannot properly put into words just how boneheaded was that move. The name "PowerBook" has been with us since the m68k days; it's not tied to the name of the platform. The name "PowerBook" stands for design, innovation, beauty. "MacBook Pro" is just goofy.
So does that mean the Intel iBook will be a "MacBook"?
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 1:56pm #
Tried pinging you with my entry but it looks like that didn't go through. I posted a number of thoughts on my own weblog, mostly steming with what about Powermacs (MacMacs?) and iMacs (especially if there is a MacBook non-pro).
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 2:13pm #
What's in a name?
During Steve Jobs' keynote at the Macworld Expo he announced a new Intel iMac and the new MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is the new name for Apple's professional portable computer (formerly known as the Powerbook). My first reaction to the n...
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 2:20pm #
who cares what it's called? You'll just end up calling it a Mac anyway...
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 2:27pm #
Andy, that's really not accurate. And clearly people care.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 2:43pm #
I still can't find much sanity in the name...
MacBook sounds like a toy. MacBook Pro sounds like the marketing department went nuts. Why not the MacBook Extreme, that would at least keep with Apples naming lately.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 2:49pm #
SuperDuper MacBook Awesome ExtremeMachine
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 3:28pm #
I put a petition online after Erik gave me the idea. I thought it would be a little funny, but will indubitably have no effect.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mbpname/
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 4:20pm #
I'm thinking this has something to do with IBM owning the POWER platform. Any thoughts on that bucket of worms?
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 4:39pm #
No need to ask for thoughts on that. Apple owns the name PowerBook. They could name whatever they wanted the PowerBook. It has nothing to do with IBM.
Heck, the G4 is made by Motorola.
The real reason may be that this is a temporary name while PowerBooks and MacBooks are offered. When the G4 PowerBook goes away, perhaps the MacBook will assume its name.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 5:15pm #
Well... if we went from PowerBook to MacBook, does that mean we're going to go from PowerMac to MacMac? Urgh....
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 5:53pm #
iChat session with a buddy who works for Intel:
him: not sure I like the MacBook name though
me: yeah, doesn't have the ring of Powerbook
me: Power denotes strength, speed, etc
me: what does Mac do?
him: denotes "not windows"
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 6:11pm #
The PowerBook moniker has nothing to do with IBM or the POWER line. Apple's been using since the PowerBook 100 which was a 68k machine. Other then the mac portable and the iBooks, all Apple laptops have used PowerBook in their name...Until now.
Hopefully the name does change since MacBook just plain sucks. I've had trouble even saying it today.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 10:03pm #
Even the name "eMate" kicks this name's ass. 😛
Seriously, this kind of question was running through my mind too...nice to see someone else was thinking it, too.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 10:25pm #
I dont know what kinda name that is. A boy on a hockey team we played last name was McKrackin/McCrackin...now thats a stupid but cool last name..lol you could be like "Whats Crackin McCrackin" lol
Courtney
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 11:12pm #
If they have to use this name, then "Mac Book Pro" sounds even better.
Posted 11 Jan 2006 at 1:54am #
i think it's simply to finally leave the 15 year old name at a point where renaming makes some sort of sense.
How better to let people differentiate between powerpc and intel based portables (while the market has both) and also finally have "mac" in the name so that it's never questioned? i've actually heard people calling dell's a powerbook with little regard for what OS was running... but a macbook, there's no question there. 🙂
i do, however, think the new name kinda sucks. maybe it'll grow on me. (i'm not, however, very upset. doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me, though i could be wrong. we'll see when the next thing is re-named.)
Posted 11 Jan 2006 at 3:52am #
I can kind of cope with MacBook. Kind of. The pro just makes it sound tacky.
Maybe they felt it need that bit on the end? Shrug.
I guess what would it've been otherwise, PowerBook Core Duo?
Posted 11 Jan 2006 at 7:31am #
Actually MacBook is a great name. I imagine that both the iBook and Powerbook names will go. MacBook will replace the iBook and MacBook Pro will replace Powerbook. Otherwise, why add the "Pro" to the name? Then you don't have a Mac laptop, you have a MacBook.
Posted 14 Jan 2006 at 4:59pm #
PowerMac (G5) = needs to match Power (up to 1000 Watt).
PowerBook = no Mac in the name, so it may by a PC.
Take the power out, put the Mac in and don't think too match!!!
How about "lowPowerBook" or "LowPowerMacBook" or "LowMac" (no thanks)
or MacLowPower or MacBook (ok, some one had this idear before me ;-/ )
taking the low out becose it "negativ"
SpeedBook, (hey thats from me!)
SpeedBookPro, MacSpeedPro, MacSpeedBook, ...
now after years, speed is coming back to the AppleBooks
"ComebackBook"
and so on...
Posted 16 Jan 2006 at 9:45pm #
I'm with you, Erik 100%... BUT...
I wouldn't be surprised if this was a negotiating point between Intel and Apple. Despite the fact that the PowerBook name pre-dates the PowerPC chip, there is an association there and even if it's unintentional, it may be something that Intel wanted Apple to get away from.
PowerBook was a great name. MacBook sucks, but honestly, if I make the assumption that anything with "Power" is out, it's hard to think of a great name to replace "PowerBook". Mac notebooks have ALWAYS been PowerBooks, so speaking as someone who has had a PowerBook since the PowerBook 100 came out, I consider last Tuesday a sad, sad day in the annals of Apple Computer, Inc.
Puh-lease. If you have/had a PowerBook, everyone knew that meant a Mac. The new name doesn't do anything but take the obvious and make it stupidly so. It's a dumb name, plus now when I talk about Mac books, I have to clarify that I'm not talking about a computer, but about an actual ink and paper book. Ugh.
Posted 17 Jan 2006 at 8:03am #
I doubt it was a negotiating point. Apple wouldn't let something as important as a product name be regulated by a chip supplier.
Posted 12 Mar 2006 at 5:01pm #
I was reading this thread and also hate the macbook pro name, especially pro, because if they are trying to make us NOT think of windows, that was a terrible idea. Pro? wtf, why not make "ibooks" the "MacBook Home". anyway that's a whole other story.
At school, i hear people constanly refering to their Dells as "powerbooks". These people act as though the phrase "powerbook" is equivelent to "notebook" or "laptop". As a result, I understand why apple wants to break away from that trend. However i have a simple 6 step solution for everyone:
1. Look at your powerbook where it says "PowerBook G4" and conjure name alternitives.
2. Sudenly notice that above your keyboard there aren't 2 rows of diffrenet plastic shape quick keys including: volume knobs, volume buttons, bass and treble faders, DSP, Dolby digital, automatic internet explorer openers, 4 power swtiches convienintly located no matter where your hands may be resting. Then observe the sleep buttons including: hibernate, sleep, sleep display, restart, logout, switch user, and shutdown.
3. Turn your powerbook around, and admire the huge glowing white apple logo, that everyone stares at every where you go.
4. Go to a coffee shop, sit down, and wait... Wait for someone with a Dell XPS to walk in with their 2 1/2 inch brick and undo all 6 screen latches and musclefuck the LCD open as the 2 weak plastic hinges creak under the weight of the metallic plastic trim and logo's that the ?designers? created... if you feel like waiting longer you can watch in horor as razor sharp lip on the screen slams down and decaptites user.
5. Apple realizes that if they continue to work on hardware production and minimalist simplistic aesthetic design, from now until the end of time, no one in the world will need to see the name mac in the title to know it's a mac.
6.Admit to yourself that one of the reason's that you purchased a powerbook was becuase the glowing apple logo. And nothing says that this computer is a mac like that!
In conclusion of this procedure let me say that the word mac in the title is redundant and erronius. It creates contraditions when discriminating this machine from PC's. Like the use of Pro in different versions of windows. Macs are beutiful and simple in design. If apple really wanted to, they could remove the apple log, remove the namesake and it still would be unique. I have seen the best of mac ripoffs, and they don't hold a candle to even the ibook models. Macs are unique and maybe MacBook will grow on me, but i will miss the hook an appeal of the phrase "powerbook".
Posted 14 Jan 2008 at 9:03am #
[...] I still haven't quite adjusted to calling them MacBooks. Though I despise the name less now than before, I still wish the "PowerBook" name lived on and I think "Air" is a pretty hippie-sounding name for [...]