The last time I wrote about Photoshop on the new MacBook Pro I was vilified. This time I’ll probably be vilified again for saying the following sentence:
Do not buy a MacBook Pro if you are a Photoshop user. Period.
CNET just reviewed the MacBook Pro’s performance when running a variety of applications on both Mac OS X and Windows XP, and although the article was geared more towards Windows benchmarks on the Mac, they had this graph which caused me to do a double take:
Because Photoshop has to run using Rosetta emulation (at least until April 2007, if not longer) it’s going to be really slow. The author of the CNET article even said that Photoshop on the MacBook Pro is slower than Photoshop on a 12″ iBook. Wow. I’m using a 12″ iBook right now, and I can tell you that is *not* good.
Now this is not a fault entry. I fully realize that porting Photoshop over to a Universal Binary is not a trivial task, and I also know that first generation hardware has its quirks. But as a designer who has Photoshop open on his computer all day long, and makes a living from the usage of that software, I would strongly advise everyone not to purchase a MacBook Pro if you intend to use it as your Photoshop workhorse. Not only is it slow, but I’ve heard from numerous friends saying that it is buggy and prone to crashing when switching back and forth between Photoshop and other applications. If you need a portable Photoshop machine, I’d suggest picking up a 15″ or 17″ Aluminum Powerbook G4, or wait a year from now when MacBook Pro prices drop and Adobe CS3 is released.
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dude just keep in mind you can run it at full speed in xp, so someone could buy the mbp and when cs3 comes out enjoy it in os x.
i dunno, i just don’t see how someone would rather buy a powerbook right now just for photoshop, when it would run faster in xp (mbp or not).
Yeah, but die-hard Mac users might not want to crud up their new MacBook Pros with an installation of Windows XP, at least I wouldn’t. Plus Photoshop in Windows is weird because of the full-screen way that Windows applications have to run.
Plus, doesn’t everyone buy new computers every year anyway? ;)
What i see is someone with a G5/G4 already, looking for a fast laptop to work on and buying a PowerBook wouldn’t help at all since PhotoShop would run at the same speed as the current rig the buyer has, so going for the MacBook Pro isn’t a bad move at all. PhotoShop would run at almost the same speed the buyer is used to, but there’s the option of going to XP for real performance and/or hang in there until CS3. Either way, getting a PowerBook would really be a bad move if PhotoShop is all you care about (again, the bad performance would be almost the same depending on the current setup, so what’s the point?).
All this is coming from a guy buying a MacBook Pro soon with no need for PhotoShop really.
I’m wondering how Fireworks runs on the MBP? I can’t seem to find any benchmarks on it.
Not to mention that Windows XP doesn’t come free. Having to fork out even more money just so you have the ‘privilege’ of dual-booting and moving your entire workspace into XP just so you can run Photoshop natively doesn’t really sound like a very attractive option.
I think most hardcore Mac Photoshoppers are sensible enough to tough it out until CS3. In the meantime, all the nerdy “I can’t live without games” folk can help Apple beta test Bootcamp so things will be hassle-free when it is finally time to make the switch. ;)
… that, and Photoshop for Mac won’t run on Windows.
I guess that is my reason to go to Boot Camp. Pretty simple one.
…just keep in mind you can run [Photoshop] at full speed in XP…
If you don’t use anything but the fonts that come with the operating system you’re fine. Otherwise not all type for the Mac will work with Windows. I suppse there are conversion apps but they don’t always work like advertised. Still it’s a sound alternative to using Photoshop through an emulator.
Way to state the obvious. Yes, Photoshop isn’t available as a Universal Application yet. Yes, it will run in emulation if you attempt to run the non-Universal version on it. Yes, that will be very slow.
Apple has stated this, point blank, over and over again. In fact Steve Jobs himself said it when unveiling the MacBook Pro. I’ve even been in Apple stores while they explain the nuances of Universal Applications to prospective buyers.
Of course, what you fail to explain adequately is that this has nothing to do with the MacBook Pro being slow and is instead caused by the fact that Photoshop is not yet available as a Universal application and that Adobe has announced those Universal versions will be available later in the year.
I agree that users that require spending the vast majority of their time in applications that are not available as Universal applications, such as Photoshop or CS2, should probably stick with the G4 PowerBooks until those versions are upgraded. For the occassional (home or non-professional) user of these apps though, the short-term speed sacrifice in these few applications will be made up by the drastic speed improvements with all the other applications that are Universal, which those users are likely to be spending most of their time in anyway (iLife, Safari, Mail, etc).
Crud. I bought a MacBook Pro last week >_Crud. I bought a MacBook Pro last week >_Crud. I bought a MacBook Pro last week >_Crud. I bought a MacBook Pro last week >_<
I’m a web designer and use Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver all the time with my MBP. I am happy with the results and Photoshop can be buggy and slow (like when opening files or running filters) but it is still adequate for what I need to use. I have files that work with more than 20 layers and it still runs nicely.
Though, once CS3 comes out I’ll be shocked by the performance of the MBP.
All this is coming from a guy buying a MacBook Pro soon with no need for PhotoShop really.
I think this is great information. When the Macbook Pro first came out I wanted to sell my 15″ Power Book but after reading reviews such as this one its obviously best to wait it out for the second generation and CS3.
I’m coming from a Tibook 1 Ghz, Photoshop 7, to a Macbook Pro, same version of Photoshop. For me, Photoshop runs the same or faster. In fact, the laptop is much snappier overall, until it gets bogged down with too many resource-heavy apps at once, demonstrating that I really have to upgrade my RAM (only have half a gig right now). So it depends on the setup you have.
I’m really surprised by this. I did some testing of my own, and my copy of Photoshop CS on my MacBook Pro easily beat my friend’s on a similarly equipped XP machine.
I have recently moved from a Dell D610 to a MBP 2.13 2GB. I have photoshop cs2, and honestly, it’s not that bad. Compared with the rotted out windows install (aka, NOT a fresh copy of windows, but used heavily for a year), it’s not noticably slower.
This is interesting, but the review is immaterial, and I can tell you a non-mac obsessed user that it hasn’t been a problem, even with heavy use.
And, when the universal version is out, great. Until then… it’s not a reason not to buy a MBP. ;-)
I had the pleasure of trying to put together a presentation on a brand-spanking-new Macbook Pro using Powerpoint and Photoshop.
“Slow” does not begin to describe it.
I assume Powerpoint is suffering from this same emulation “problem,” because running the presentation in slide show view is slower than an ancient P2 laptop.
And when it comes to the part where it’s supposed to run a short (under a minute) video clip (in Quicktime format), it’s so fucking slow the sound and video are perenially out of synch.
What an overpriced piece of shit. If Gates put out something so woefully inadequate and not-ready-for-prime-time, he’d be savaged mercilessly and rightly so. But since it’s Technomessiah Steve lining his pockets, all the gullible Macinistas just grin and bear it.
Pa-thetic.
Anyone else care to comment on Powerpoint running under Rosetta? I am considering upgraded my department’s G4 Powerbook with an MBP and the predominant use of the machine is for Pwerpoint presentations. We are finding movies and data-intensive slides getting to be a bit slow on the 5 year old machine. Will there be an improvement with the MBP, or should we wait for universal Powerpoint? Thanks.
Hi everyone…
I see that the MBP is going to be slow which I understand…
What I am wondering though is that….
I am currently running Photoshop Elements on a G3 Ibook (I bought it about two weeks before the G4′s came out ARSE !! Nevermind). What do you guys (and girls ?!) think will be the difference between retouching a 25mb tiff on a G3 to a MBP ??
If the speed is going to be the same, or at least similar, then I am happy to live with the MBP until CS3 comes out, as the G3 is slowly dying after 3.5yrs of solid service… Just really dont want to splash out £1500 for a G4, just feel like I am buying into old (if proven) technology….
Any info is much appreciated…
Kind Regards,
Jonathan.
i am selling my 2ghz MBP to downgrade to the last g4 PB. this thing really is barely useable. it is significantly slower than my 1ghz titanium running software like photoshop, dreamweaver, office, reason. i didn’t expect blazing fast speed with rosetta emulation; i expected decent, useable performance. i didn’t get it.
i had it out with the people at the apple store yesterday. told them i felt personally swindled by steve jobs and their ad campaign for this product. of course they gave me the standard dismissal routine.
as hinted at above, i think a lot of people will have a hard time admitting that they bought the latest, hottest shit on the market only to find that it is slower than 3 year old computers that would cost a fraction of the price. ever heard of cognitive dissonance?
this is a top-of-line product. do they expect us to run strictly apple native apps?
i got my first mac when i was 12, i was the first person i knew with an ipod in NYC. i’ve recommended their products to countless people. but i feel really burnt by this last experience. apple is making record profits and they can’t redress their false advertising by exchanging my product? fuck that. apple will not be getting anymore promotional help from me.
How does Photoshop CS2 and its related applications run under Parallel’s Desktop software and 2GB of RAM?
Obviously it’s going to run slow, as brad said apple has stated that photoshop and other programs wont work on it as fast as it should.
And i think its a good thing to bring out these computer whether or not photoshop works on it or not. I work at an apple store, and its insane how many people are grabbing these macbook pros and new Macbooks.
They are really great computers with students and we do mention that some programs arent able to run.
Let people make their own decisions… you cant say DONT BUY IT BECAUSE BLAH BLAH BLAH. Let them buy it, if they arent happy with it you can obviously return it.
i bought a macbook pro three days ago and i love it…im going to college in a couple months and my major is graphic communication and it was recommended to buy an apple computer. im waiting to buy the photoshop native for the macbook pro in 2007, because i dont think that freshman year is photoshop-intensive.
there is no doubt that macbook pros are outrageously expensive though :/
Hi, I’ve just bought the 15″ MacBook Pro (2.16GHz, 1GB RAM), and I am totally blown away by its speed when running Universal Binary applications. I’ve ran Photoshop CS2 and MS Powerpoint 2004 on the MBP, and sadly, they run much slower than my old computer (1.6GHz, 512MB RAM, Windows XP). Photoshop takes about 40 seconds to load, but there is always a slight delay whenever I click something (for example, a menu). It does feel slightly sluggish, and this is without other programs running simultaneously.
bucky said: “do they expect us to run strictly apple native apps?”
do you expect to run non-windows apps on windows without a lot of pain?
running cs2 on a macbook pro is PAINFUL – and i have the fastest processor you can get w/ 2gig of ram. painful. so much so, that i removed it completely and put just cs on the computer. its faster, and i found no benefits to the ‘features’ in cs2 anyway.
why would someone want to go to the hassle of dual-booting just to run photoshop? yeah, no thanks.
What many people seem to miss is that moving to the x86 processor is a big translation. What we are seeing performance-wise is simmular to the time Apple moved from Motorola’s 68k Processors to IBM’s PowerPCs. For a while high end 68k macs such as the 840av ran many programs faster, but as native PPC programs became more plentiful the 68k macs were quickly phased out. If you have a new MBP, and are a little disapointed with how PPC programs run, be patient. In the long run it will last you much longer than a Powerbook.
I have a new MBP and it is TERRIBLE. When working with music software like reason and ableton live, it wont even playback my songs without stuttering like a computer from 1995. Whats up, Apple?
After reading all the post it occurred to me that many of upset posters are forgetting an important fact. We all are consumers and being the consumer we are solely responsible for doing our homework before making a purchase as expensive as a computer that may or may not be our livelihood.
Everyone who has purchased a MBP are “early adopters” to new technology. The key word being “NEW”. Apple using the intel processor is a huge step, and the transition from the PPC to intel isn’t going to be easy.
I push my 2x2G G5 using CS2 (Photoshop, Indesign and Bridge) all day. Since the MBP was announced I was very interested in moving to a portable but knowing that CS2 isn’t native I will wait. I didn’t want to drop $3000 in hopes that it would be ok. That would be wishful thinking.
Perhaps Apple could have been more in your face about using non-universal apps on the new intel based macs. Perhaps they could of done all sorts of different things to please people but they can’t please everyone. The information was out there for people to read about running non-universal apps on the intel macs. If you still choose to purchase the latest tech as soon as its announced then YOU are taking that chance. I personally like to wait to let everyone else deal with the bugs in new tech.
i for one really wish i wasn’t forced to upgrade to the MBP so soon. Unfortunatley about 2 months ago someone broke into my apartment and stole my G4 powerbook. it sucked, mainly because i lost some work, but i did have insurance set at a one-hundred dollar deductable, so at first i was happy to hear that i was being upgraded. not so happy anymore, as a graphic designer pretty much all i use is adobe programs and running more than one at a time eats up massive amounts of memory. i blame adobe. the were fully aware of the new release and should have released cs2 as a universal application. i’m sure there are many reasons why they chose not to do this but, i heard that maxon, the company that makes cinema 4d (which i also use frequently) did this over a year prior to release of the MBP, as a result it seems to render at double speed.
That sucks. I also think Adobe is to blame since Apple had the developer info out to the public, including Adobe, far before the intro of MBP. I bet Apple even gave Adobe the inside scoop on the actual release date of the MBP. Still they choose to keep the universal version to CS3. It pisses me off because i’m wanting to benifit from the faster performance and portability of the MBP but can’t due to Adobe apparently not being totally dedicated to the Apple platform.
My personal take on it is this, I think that Adobe believes that laptops are not what people solely use there products on. Or, at least not the main work horse computer people have the CS suite installed on. Since the desktop version of the intel based macs havent been released yet they probably felt that keeping the universal version to CS3 will be inline with Apples release of desktop versions of intel based macs. It will be interesting to see if on the day Apple anounces the desktop intel mac that Jobs also anounces Adobe CS3 for mac…Universal!
Does anyone remember Classic environment programs running in the first versions of MAC OSX? They were painful weren’t they… did it get better when the software companies got their OSX versions done and out?
To my mind, the same should only be expected here.
I’ve been working on Macs for about 8 years now, in that time I’ve always had my home machine as a PC (standard reasons, games, net etc). since Apple brought out OSX i’ve wanted a home MAC more and more, with recent debut of Intel chips and now BOOTCAMP enabling dual boot XP and OSX. I want the best of both worlds!
I had my heart set on an Imac, but the more i look into it, the better MacBook Pro’s look… I like the portability of a laptop, and in Australia i can get a tax benefit for getting a laptop for work that i cant get with a Desktop.
I know i wouldn’t be happy with a MacBook (white or black) as i am honest with myself about what i want out of it.
But i know the PRO is a different story, It kicks ass as a windows machine, and the Universal apps run faster…
I work in wide format digital (big poster printing) i would never expect a laptop to be able to replace the tower desktop (G5 mac) i use to do pre-press on.
REMEMBER, THIS IS A LAPTOP! Ofcourse it’s gonna chunk down in Pshop, not to mention running an emulation to run PShopDoes anyone remember Classic environment programs running in the first versions of MAC OSX? They were painful weren’t they… did it get better when the software companies got their OSX versions done and out?
To my mind, the same should only be expected here.
I’ve been working on Macs for about 8 years now, in that time I’ve always had my home machine as a PC (standard reasons, games, net etc). since Apple brought out OSX i’ve wanted a home MAC more and more, with recent debut of Intel chips and now BOOTCAMP enabling dual boot XP and OSX. I want the best of both worlds!
I had my heart set on an Imac, but the more i look into it, the better MacBook Pro’s look… I like the portability of a laptop, and in Australia i can get a tax benefit for getting a laptop for work that i cant get with a Desktop.
I know i wouldn’t be happy with a MacBook (white or black) as i am honest with myself about what i want out of it.
But i know the PRO is a different story, It kicks ass as a windows machine, and the Universal apps run faster…
I work in wide format digital (big poster printing) i would never expect a laptop to be able to replace the tower desktop (G5 mac) i use to do pre-press on.
REMEMBER, THIS IS A LAPTOP! Ofcourse it’s gonna chunk down in Pshop, not to mention running an emulation to run PShop< at the same time a pc laptop wouldn’t be any better either
My advice is, if you want a Mac laptop for the future, consider the MBP 17″
Get it dual boot, you’ll use it. (REMEMBER 17″ widescreen!… AND IT”S GOT A REMOTE… just watch movies till Adobe catch up!) and video chat lol
Use Universal software where possible, if you’re a photographer try apples “APERTURE” and work in raw (iphoto, iweb, idvd, imovie HD, Final CUT HD, ALL GOOD PROGRAMS, ALL UNIVERSAL) Avoid using CS2 on it until they bring out their upgrades, use Universal alternates if you can (or run it in windows) otherwise, install CS2 and stop complaining… This is the most flexible a Mac has been since the Quadra’s had dual boot windows 3.11.
And if you can’t work with it, while the software companys catch up… then yes, go get an older machine.
Although, you’re only gonna want to upgrade in less than a years time anyway.
As a software developer, I have a pretty good hunch on why it will take Adobe so long to deliver native apps. Two points from http://www.adobe.com/products/pdfs/intelmacsupport.pdf provide the clues.
Also mentioned is the required testing which I’m sure will need to be extensive. These statements clearly imply that Adobe hasn’t been using Apple’s development tools. That’s not too surprising considering Photoshop has been around far longer than Xcode. Adobe also has a large product line, much of which has both Mac and Windows versions. (Xcode currently isn’t much use for building Windows applications.) I’m simply speculating here but I’m certain that in addition to having to maintain a Windows-specific code base, a Mac-specific code base and a common functionality code base, there also common modules between Photoshop and their other products. Adobe’s transition to Xcode must be accomplished without breaking a lot of other Windows and Mac products. Am I happy the wait? No, but I understand the probable reason why.
Some here have called the MBP defective because of the performance issues. It’s not a defect. If you’ve ever experienced the slowness of Windows under Virtual PC, Rosetta is slow for exactly the same basic technical reason.
I am wondering though, has anyone tried out Photoshop Elements 3.0 on an Intel Mac? I would expect similar performance characteristics with Photoshop since they are probably built off the same code base, but has anyone actually tried it?
MacBook Pros are for video and audio pros who run Final Cut Studio and/or Logic. Users shouldn’t [buy them to] run Adobe apps on them. Period. They run like a three year old PowerBook and have all sorts of compatibility problems. You want to run Photoshop? Get a used PB, it’s nearly twice as fast as the MacBooks in PS. Or get a desktop G5.
I hope this shows everyone what Adobe is – a fucking monopoly. If there would be another graphics software company on the market, you could bet they’d be rushing to get CS3 out the door. They’re sitting on their fucking laurels. I don’t know what they’re going to do when the last PPC-based system rolls off the assembly line.
If they’re really going to take next spring to release CS3, I’m going to wait that long to buy a MacBook Pro – I’m very well suited on my current PPC system, and by that time, there’ll be a _faster_ MBP out that doesn’t whine, moo, melt, and have three layers of thermal paste smurfed onto the CPU’s.
I’m gettin one. I’ve got a G5 tower that runs Photoshop CS like a friggin charm. when CS3 comes out i’ll upgrade on both machines, voila. Don’t let Adobe’s draggin feet stop you from buying the next generation of computer. If anyone’s at fault, it’s Adobe, and that’s a stretch cause it’s not worth it for them to update their existing software.
I too have found my MBP performance inferior to my old PowerBook and to the XP systems in my office. I too feel somewhat ripped off by the hype that Apple gave this box and the lack of native software that’s available. While Apple applications run fine, my real-world apps (Office, Macromedia apps, Photoshop, Acrobat, etc) seem to crawl. My PowerPoint shows contain a number of large video clips. Luckily the clips run well, however, the software doesn’t respond as quickly as XP versions that I have used. I have been a die-hard Mac fan, but Apple has lost it’s luster with this overpriced G3 in a new box. Do they know this? What are they doing to fix it?
I’m not a computer geek, I don’t keep up on the latest scoops, I just need to get my work done and have loved my macs. But whether it is Apple or Adobe, it’s inexcusable that the new MacBook Pro (PRO!!!) would be released with no conceivable way of getting professional work done in the most professionally established programs run– Adobe graphics programs.
Do not buy the MacBook if you run Adobe. Adobe should have been on top of this and they clearly screwed their base. They had to know the change was happening and they’ve ignored it. Great, I can surf the net quickly. Otherwise I bought a well-packaged G3 at best.
Adobe is quickly gaining the same wrath I have for Quark.
“I hope this shows everyone what Adobe is – a fucking monopoly. If there would be another graphics software company on the market, you could bet they’d be rushing to get CS3 out the door. They’re sitting on their fucking laurels. I don’t know what they’re going to do when the last PPC-based system rolls off the assembly line.”
my hunch is you’re not a programmer dealing with highly mathematically intense software?
try writing photoshop.
- might not be as quick as you think. even if there were ten (or twenty) of you.
development is expensive. my uncle was an engineer designing dl tape chipsets at seagate, and he was working on projects to be released in five years. I doubt that adobe was in the know five years ago that the macbook pro was going to run on a intel processor. – even if they were only one year into development on cs2 they would still have to scrap a years worth of work ($!!!) to start production on a universal…
hardly practical. just be patient. engineers are a strange lot. the wheels take time to turn.
I think its hilarious that so many people are angry at Adobe and Apple. If you want to run all of your Power PC applications on the new Intel technology, then you have a alarming mental problem.
I just bought a 17″ MacBook Pro, and it runs blazingly fast. It is the most glorious laptop known to man!
I’ll run CS2 with windows (dual boot), as I have that bootcamp installed. I also have a G5 iMac, which has CS2 on it as well.
There are always options…