Product Description
MacBook Pro brings high performance and precision design to
everyone. Every new MacBook Pro features a breakthrough, long-lasting
battery that delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity on a
single charge and can be recharged up to 1000 times—nearly three
times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries. The new LED-backlit
display has a 60 percent greater color gamut than that of previous
generations, giving you richer, more vibrant colors. Every MacBook Pro
features the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor, which
provides an outstanding graphics experience for everyday tasks. Power
your way through the latest 3D games—including Call of Duty and
Quake—and enjoy improved graphics performance with iWork, iLife, and
everything you do in Mac OS X. And with the latest 2.26GHz Intel Core 2
Duo processor, it’s the most powerful Mac notebook ever. All in a
precision aluminum unibody enclosure that’s less than an inch thin.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #4 in Personal Computers
- Brand: Apple
- Model: MB990LL/A
Features
- 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor
- 2 GB DDR3 RAM
- 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive
- Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system
- 13.3 inch LED Display, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Product Description
Featuring a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of
aluminum, the MacBook Pro is thinner and lighter than its predecessor
as well as stronger and more durable. But Apple didn't stop innovating
with the body's design. The MacBook Pro also includes a new 13-inch,
LED-backlit glass display (instead of an LCD panel) as well as a glass
trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) that
features Apple's Multi-Touch technology.
The 13-inch unibody MacBook Pro (see larger version). |
This 13-inch MacBook Pro (model MB990LL/A) also now includes Apple's
innovative built-in notebook battery for up to 7 hours of wireless
productivity on a single charge without adding thickness, weight or
cost. Using Adaptive Charging and advanced chemistry first introduced
with the 17-inch MacBook Pro the built-in battery delivers up to 1000
recharges before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity--nearly
three times the lifespan of conventional batteries. Under the
hood, the MacBook Pro is powered by a powerful 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2
Duo processor (with 3 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus), which
runs applications faster and more efficiently as well as helps to
reduce power requirements and save on battery life. And video is
powered by the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor,
which provides an outstanding everyday graphics experience with up to a
5x performance boost.
Other hardware features include a 160 GB
hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (which can be upgraded to 8 GB), an
8x combo Superdrive (for burning dual-layer DVDs as well as CDs),
built-in Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
(Enhanced Data Rate), FireWire 800 port, Mini DisplayPort video output
(for DVI and VGA connections), and a Secure Digital card slot for easy
access to digital photos and audio stored on SD and MMC memory cards.
It
comes pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system,
and is ready to run the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system. It
also comes with the iLife '09 suite of applications, including iPhoto,
iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes.
The Unibody MacBook Pro Design
Traditionally notebooks are made from multiple parts. With the MacBook
Pro all of those parts with just one part--the breakthrough unibody
enclosure. Every MacBook Pro starts its life as a single block of
aluminum, which is precisely machined into the basic unibody design.
Another pass and the unibody takes shape. Another, and the integrated
keyboard emerges. When you pick up a new MacBook Pro, you immediately
notice the entire enclosure is thinner and lighter. And it feels strong
and durable--perfect for life inside (and outside) your briefcase or
backpack.
 |
Off-the-shelf
lithium-ion cells come in fixed, cylindrical shapes. The 13-inch
MacBook Pro is powered by custom-made, ultrathin lithium-polymer
batteries. |
The
standard aluminum electro-static trackpad has been replaced with a new
glass Multi-Touch trackpad, which provides 40 percent more tracking
area than before. Use two fingers to scroll up and down a page. Pinch
to zoom in and out. Rotate an image with your fingertips. Swipe with
three fingers to flip through your photo libraries. Swipe with four
fingers to show your desktop, view all open windows, or switch
applications. The entire trackpad surface is also a button, allowing
you to both track and click virtually anywhere on the trackpad. And you
can easily enable multiple virtual buttons in software, such as
right-clicking. The keyboard has also been improved, with the
rigid aluminum keyboard webbing cut precisely to hold the keys, which
are curved to perfectly fit fingers. And it's illuminated, so when
you're in low-light settings, such as airplanes or conference rooms,
you can always see what you're typing.
The 13-inch display is
made of edge-to-edge, uninterrupted glass for a smooth, seamless
surface and features LED backlighting for brilliant instant-on
performance that uses up to 30 percent less energy than its
predecessor. The ultra-thin displays provide crisp images and vivid
colors which are ideal for viewing photos and movies
Long-Lasting Battery
The 13-inch MacBook Pro now includes a newly engineered lithium-polymer
battery that that lasts up to 7 hours on a single charge thanks to
advanced chemistry, intelligent monitoring of the system and battery,
and Adaptive Charging technology. The battery is built right into the
computer, eliminating the space-consuming mechanisms and housings that
standard removable batteries require. This non-removable battery also
provides a longer battery lifespan of up to 1000 recharges--meaning
fewer depleted batteries and less waste, which is better for the
environment.
Giving it a lifespan of up to 1000 recharges
required breakthroughs in battery technology. Apple electro-chemists
developed advanced chemistry that maintains the battery's charging
capabilities longer than ever. And while most notebooks wear down their
batteries by charging them at a constant rate, the 13-inch MacBook Pro
takes a different approach. Using an Apple-developed technology called
Adaptive Charging, a microchip on the battery constantly communicates
with the computer to determine the optimal way to charge its cells,
adjusting the current up and down depending on a variety of conditions.
Combined, these advancements offer a dramatic improvement in battery
lifespan: more than three times the lifespan of typical notebook
batteries--up to five years.
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Experience improved energy efficiency, expanded wireless connectivity,
and amazing battery life with the 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor,
which has a super-fast 1066 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and an large 3 MB
L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a
larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB
carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will
deliver better overall performance.)
The hafnium-infused
circuitry--which reduces electrical current leakage in
transistors--conserves even more energy, giving you more time away from
the wall outlet. With 3 MB of shared L2 cache, data and instructions
can be kept close to the two processor cores, greatly increasing
performance and allowing the entire system to work more efficiently.
And, because the processor cores share the L2 cache, either can use the
entire amount if the other happens to be idle.
Video Processing & Output
The MacBook Pro delivers both powerful graphics performance and long
battery life via the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics
processor, which provides an outstanding everyday graphics experience
with up to a 5x performance boost. Power your way through the latest 3D
games--including Call of Duty and Quake--and enjoy improved graphics
performance with iWork '09, iLife '09, and everything you do in Mac OS
X. The power-saving NVIDIA integrated graphics processor also keeps you
up and running throughout the day, with up to 7 hours of battery life. The
MacBook Pro includes a next generation Mini DisplayPort, which delivers
a pure digital signal that can drive up to a 30-inch widescreen
display. The Mini DisplayPort is ultra-compact at just 10 percent the
size of a full DVI connector, and is compatible with Apple's 24-inch
Cinema Display. Adapters are also available for using VGA, DVI/HDMI and
Dual-Link DVI displays
Hard Drive and Memory
The 160 GB Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive (5400 RPM) quickens the pace
with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to USB 2.0. The 2 GB of
PC3-8500 DDR3 RAM (two SO-DIMMs of 1024 MB) has an industry-leading
1066 MHz speed, and the RAM capacity can be increased to 8 GB.
Wireless Connectivity
The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the
performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also
backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to
communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works
seamlessly with the new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n. Use the built-in
Bluetooth wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone,
synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You
can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as
well as quickly share files with a colleague.
Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight
Artfully placed in the glass display is an iSight camera, which enables
easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of
yourself and create video podcasts. Using the iChat AV application,
video conferencing is integrated into your iChat buddy list, so
initiating a video conference is a breeze. iChat also lets you hold
audio chats with up to 10 people and provides high-quality audio
compression and full-duplex sound so conversation can flow naturally.
For video podcasting, you can record a short clip using the iSight
camera, then use iWeb to create a video blog entry or post your
GarageBand-recorded podcast.
Other Features
- Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps), one FireWire 800 (up to 800 Mbps), SD card slot
- Mini DisplayPort compatible with DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI connectors (all optional)
- Dual
display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native
resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an
external display, both at millions of colors
- 8x slot-loading
SuperDrive with the following write speeds: 8x DVD±R; 4x DVD±R DL
(double layer); 4x DVD±RW; 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW
- Built-in
full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including
12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement)
- Internal omnidirectional microphone and built-in speakers
- Combined optical digital output/headphone out with selectable analog audio line in (minijack)
- Kensington lock slot
- Measures 12.78 x 8.94 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 4.5 pounds (including battery)
Environmental Considerations
Apple has worked hard to eliminate many of the toxins that are a common
part of computer manufacturing. Apple engineers removed the majority of
brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from
circuit boards, internal cables, connectors, insulators, adhesives, and
more in the MacBook Pro. Because Apple makes both the hardware
and the software for the MacBook, they're designed to work together to
produce a smarter product that uses less electricity. For instance, to
reduce energy consumption, the hard drive spins down automatically when
inactive. MacBook Air also decides which processor--CPU or GPU--is best
suited to efficiently perform a task. The LED-backlit display in the
MacBook Pro is another feature that plays an important part in
conserving energy, consuming 30 percent less power than conventional
LCD displays. And the display is designed to dim when you enter a
darkened room.
The MacBook Pro meets the stringent low power
requirements set by the EPA, giving it ENERGY STAR certification.
MacBook also meets the latest efficiency requirements of ENERGY STAR
Version 5.0 Specification for Computers before its July 2009 effective
date.
The MacBook Pro has also earned the highest rating of
EPEAT Gold. The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or
EPEAT, evaluates the environmental impact of a product based on how
recyclable it is, how much energy it uses, and how it's designed and
manufactured.
Preloaded
with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a
clutter-free desktop (thanks to the the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks). |
Preloaded with Leopard and iLife '09
This MacBook Air is pre-loaded with the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating
system--and it's ready to run the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating
system, which is scheduled to be released in September, 2009. Mac OS X
10.5 Leopard introduced a bevy of innovations--over 300 new
features--including:
- Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
- A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
- Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
- Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
- A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
- Major enhancements to Mail and iChat
Leopard's desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, a new
way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click.
Leopard automatically places web, email and other downloads in a
Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and you can
instantly fan the contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc
right from the Dock. The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new
sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and
copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network. Time Machine
lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files
and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a
one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of
everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back
through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other
digital media and then instantly restore the file.
It also comes
with the iLife '09 suite of applications that make it easy to live the
digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with
anyone who's got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts
with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then
take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in
one click with iWeb.
Included Software
Mac
OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces,
Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime,
iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools)
iLife '09 (includes iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)
What's in the Box
MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 60W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall
plug, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic
documentation
Customer Reviews
Macbook graduates to PRO status!
Well I must say I am very happy i did not buy apple's first
iteration of the 13" aluminum macbook last year b/c they really got it
right the second time around upgrading it to a macbook pro! Its nice to
have that "pro" stamp on a 13" now! Apple has listened to their
customers adding almost everything we have asked for and more, and
managed to reduce the price! Thanks Apple!
CHANGES FROM LAST YEAR
- $100 less
- 13" aluminum macbooks became macbook pros
- 2.53Ghz up from 2.4GHz dual core
- 4GB RAM up from 2GB
- led display has 60% greater color gamut than previous model
- new advanced built-in battery that lasts up to 7 hours vs 4hrs
- FireWire is back (after all the complaints of first model)
- SD card slot (replaces express card slot)
- new models now come with iLife '09
- digital audio input is gone
- new model uses the same integrated mic and headphone port as the iPhone
PROS
- finally a price cut with a performance upgrade! i knew apple
could do it. i was tired of paying for aesthetics and not performance.
- upcoming Snow Leopard OS upgrade in September will be free +
$9.95 shipping to anyone purchasing a mac from 6/9 til December! nice
perk!
- much better lcd screen! inline with the pro models...still glossy and still some glare but much nicer!
- backlight keyboard on all 13" models now! ( i really enjoy this as it can be controlled from low to high)
- battery life is significantly better than last year.( i get about 6 hours w/ regular use not the 7hrs that is reported)
- the computer is designed beautifully truly a head turner.
- iLife 09 suite is superb for pictures, movies, and music. Good software really does sell hardware.
- SD card slot accepts SDHC, which goes up to 32GB and works like a charm. (can boot from SD card as well)
CONS
- none really but a few minor ones
- power cord is really short and does not reach as many places as I would like...must sit very close to power outlet.
- battery can't be removed easily
- SD card sticks about half way out of slot. eye sore.
- blu-ray option would have been nice but understandable given
licensing fees. (many blurays are offering digital copies which help)
Taking into consideration all the great improvements over last year
with a nice price cut I can now truly recommend this near perfect
Macbook Pro!
STUDENTS: If you buy this from the Apple Store you get an
additional $100 off, a new iPod Touch 8gb, and a new printer via
rebate) lasts until september!
Switched from Windows: More good than bad. Great hardware
This is my first Mac computer. My first four computers ran Win 3.1,
Windows 95, XP, and Vista (from about 1995-present). I have quite a lot
of time spent on each of them. Switching from Windows to Mac is not
difficult, but it can be a bit frustrating for a week or so. There are
Windows features that you will miss, but they are mostly overcome by
overall advantages in my opinion.
I've spent two weeks with this machine now. If I had written this
review after one day, I would have probably stated that I regretted the
switch to Mac. After getting more proficient with the machine and
realizing how well it works, I would definitely recommend it to a
friend.
This review is going to be a mix of my impressions of both the
hardware and the Mac operating system from a new Mac user perspective.
The only difference between my machine and the one on this product
page is that I ordered directly from Apple and upgraded the hard drive
to 250GB (from the 160GB base option). I am using 2gb of ram and the
lower-end processor.
My Mac OS impressions:
The biggest thing I missed from Windows at first was the task bar.
Mac uses the "dock" to replace the task bar. The dock is kind of like
the quick launch toolbar in Windows spread out across the entire bar,
with large icons. Having used windows with a task bar for the past 13
years, I missed the ability to see all open programs and switch between
them with the task bar. The dock has a tiny dot below the icon on
running-programs, but nothing else to separate it from other program
and folder icons. The dock is not nearly as useful for multitasking as
the task bar.
The saving grace that rescues the Mac from awkward app-switching
while multitasking is called expose. Expose is activated by either
pressing a key or using a multitouch gesture (four-finger swipe).
Expose uses the entire screen to display all open windows and allow you
to switch between them. It's like alt+tab on steroids. Having used the
machine for a couple weeks, I miss using expose when I use my Windows
machine. As much as I hated the dock at first, I have to give the
advantage to the Mac for managing multiple windows while multitasking.
The controls for open-windows are quite different than in
MS-Windows. In Mac, there is a resize, hide, and minimize button
instead of maximize, minimize, restore, and close. To close an app on
the mac you need to use a menu command or keyboard shortcut. The Mac
resize button kind of works like restore/maximize, only it's a bit more
awkward. A commenter here pointed out that it resizes the window for
ideal viewing without using the entire screen. I find myself resizing
windows by dragging corners more than I ever did on a Windows machine.
I really miss the ability to maximize, if for no other reason but to
avoid distractions. The green resize button may be better on an
enormous monitor, but not on a 13" notebook. When you minimize or hide
an app on the Mac, it is only available from the dock and is hidden
from expose. I'll give the window size-management advantage to Windows
in this contest. The windows system is just easier and more logical in
my opinion. It isn't a deal-breaker, but I do miss the Windows "window
controls." If you are a frequent user of the F11 key while web browsing
in Windows you'll have to kiss that feature goodbye. Neither Firefox
nor Safari will go full-screen.
Windows Explorer is "replaced" with an app called Finder. Finder is
kind of like the start menu and an explorer window all rolled up into
one. Compared with older versions of Windows, finder is adequate but
Vista's explorer is quite a bit easier and more logical to use. I
prefer Vista's preview pane to Mac's coverflow. I miss the "up folder"
button. I have found myself mostly using the view that puts files,
folders and apps into a column view for easiest computer browsing, and
it just isn't as elegant as Windows Vista. The lack of a maximize
button has caused frustration especially in the finder, because the
finder likes to stay in a very small window unless you drag the
corners.
The Safari web browser is nice and quick and has a decent security
reputation. I have been switching back and forth between Safari and
Firefox. Firefox has crashed a couple of times and I really like being
able to use multitouch gestures with Safari, so I'm leaning toward
making Safari my main web tool. Reading RSS feeds, and the bookmark
toolbar are really well done in Safari. Browsers are so personal that
it's difficult to recommend one over the other, but as a Firefox user
in Windows I think I have high standard and Safari has met or exceeded
them.
I absolutely hate the iPhoto app. Iphoto does not allow you to
organize and browse your photos in folders. It imports your pictures
and sorts them itself based on time/date stamps on the photos. This
works fine for personal vacation snapshots but it completely mixed up
the rest of my images. Folders that were neatly organized for work
projects, and fun web clippings, and adult stuff were all shuffled into
one big mess after I imported my image collection. I ended up just
deleting all of them and not using iphoto at all. Right now I'm just
using Finder to browse my photos and the preview app to view them.
Light editing work isn't possible in the preview app and I still
haven't decided what to use for a basic photo editor yet. Vista's photo
app is junk but it's still superior to iPhoto if you like to keep your
photos organized using your own folder system. I know people who love
iphoto. It comes down to whether you want the ability to organize your
collection yourself. If you have a big mess of photos, you'll love
iphoto's ability to organize them via event and face recognition.
I have not used Garage Band or iMovie yet. I'll update later when I get a chance.
The mail, calendar, and address book apps are basic but work very very well.
Everyone has an opinion about iTunes. I'm a big fan of it. It's
exactly like the windows version only it runs a bit faster without the
bugs.
Time machine is the Mac's backup app. It is amazing and very
simple. I'm using an external drive plugged into my Apple Airport
wireless router, as a backup disk. My wireless disk showed up on my
desktop instantly once I plugged it into the router. Time machine
noticed the external drive right away and went to work backing up my
files (after asking permission of course). Now my machine automatically
backs up any changes every hour as long as I'm in range of my wireless
access point. Time machine is a big load off my mind. If I ever have a
drive failure or my computer is destroyed I have an exact backup of
everything without remembering to backup my files. Vista will backup
according to a set schedule, but it lacks the ability to easily look
through backups for specific files. Time machine is wonderful and make
wireless backup effortless.
The Mac disk utility is almost as good as the one in Vista and it's
easier to use. It's far superior to the one in XP. I used it to format
my external wireless drive because the Mac router couldn't read NTFS
formating (although the computer can read NTFS drives via USB for some
reason).
The graphics control software is a joy to use. When I plug in my
external monitor it immediately extends my desktop to the new monitor.
Adjusting everything from resolution to rotation couldn't be any
easier.
Boot camp is a utility that allows you to create a partition and
install Windows as a secondary boot system (you need to own or buy a
legal single-disk 32bit copy of either Windows XP or Windows Vista).
When you start up the boot camp utility, it gives you a choice between
using either 5 or 32 GB of space for the Windows partition. I learned
the hard way that Windows XP SP3 won't fit into 5GB. You need to give
it at least the 32 GB (which left me with almost exactly 200GB on my
"250" GB drive). Installing Windows using the Boot Camp utility is very
very easy. Once you get Windows loaded, your OSX install disk makes
quick work of installing drivers for all of your laptop's hardware.
It's too bad that Nvidia and HP aren't as good at putting together easy
Windows driver packages as Apple. In order to boot into Windows, you
simply press the "option" key during bootup and it allows you to choose
which OS to run. Windows XP absolutely screams on this hardware.
The hardware:
The hardware is where this computer really shines.
The biggest advantage is stability. My last computer purchase was a
vista machine. To say that I had stability and hardware compatibility
issues with my HP Vista desktop is an understatement. The main reason I
turned to mac for this purchase was the fact that the hardware,
drivers, and software are made for each other. This machine has ran
flawlessly for the past two weeks. I did have two crashes of the
Firefox browser while watching Flash video, but only the browser went
down rather than the entire system.
I have connected an external monitor, camera, ipod, USB drive, and
router to this machine. All of the drivers were already installed and
everything has "just worked." The hardware is a joy to use when it just
works. It is difficult to put into words how happy I am with the lack
of effort in using this machine.
The speed isn't blazing-fast but it runs very well, even with many
many apps and windows running. My Vista desktop has similar specs, but
my new Mac feels slightly faster.
One outstanding productivity feature of this machine is the touch
pad. I honestly prefer it to using a mouse for office and browsing
tasks. I can't say enough good things about the multitouch gestures.
Two finger scrolling, two finger right-click, three finger forward and
back in Safari, and four finger expose make this machine feel like like
it is part of you. Having the entire surface of the touchpad as the
button is brilliant, especially for drag and drop operations. The large
size of the touchpad makes it very precise.
The keyboard is really nice. At first I thought the keys were a bit
soft and the travel was too shallow, but I quickly got used to it and
now prefer it to my more "clicky" desktop keyboard. I don't know how I
lived this long without a backlit keyboard. The backlight is far more
useful than you probably think it is.
The display is beautiful. It has a wide viewing angle and is plenty
bright for any environment. I would prefer that the screen wasn't
glass, but the reflections aren't as bad as I feared.
The DVD drive is a DVD drive. It feels slow and makes a lot of
noise. I've never owned an optical drive that I considered fast and
quiet, and this one isn't any exception. It works well, but isn't
anything special.
The battery life is incredible. I've never ran it past about 40%
but the seven hour battery life is not an exaggeration if you are using
the computer for light browsing and office apps. Expect about 4-5 hours
if you're using it to stream lots of video and heavy web browsing.
Listening to music with the display off would easily last over the
advertised 7 hours.
The size and weight are ideal for portability. 4.5lbs doesn't
exactly feel light until you compare it to similarly spec'd machines
that weigh a full pound (20%) more. I wouldn't want a much larger
machine if I had to lug it around much.
The speakers are quite good for a small light machine. The sound is
clear and the speakers are plenty loud enough to listen to podcasts or
music in a semi-quiet medium sized room or office. I won't need to pack
external speakers for use in my hotel room when I travel, like my last
laptop.
The "magsafe" power adapter is more than just a gimmick, and more
than just a way to avoid tripping and breaking your machine. The "power
brick" itself is a lot smaller than my last dell laptop. It's exactly
the same size as the USB wall adapters that used to be included with
ipods. The cord is 6ft long and the brick includes fold-out wings to
wrap the cord around. It is very well thought-out for travel. With the
cord wrapped up and the plug folded into the body, the power brick only
takes up about 2.5" x 3" x 1" in your bag. When you are using it at
home or at the office there is an included 6ft extension cord for the
power brick so you aren't as tethered to your desk.
The computer runs very cool compared to most laptops. Also, there
are no vents where super-heated air blows out. While I'm sure it uses a
fan, I've never audibly actually heard it run or felt a stream of warm
air from it. I think it may vent through ports and the keyboard but it
runs cool enough that you don't notice it.
The only drawback to the hardware compared to Windows machines is
the fact that there is no option to hibernate when closing the lid. It
sleeps when you close the lid but it still is using a small amount of
power. If you're only going to be away for a couple hours this isn't an
issue, but you must completely shut down when on battery power if
you're going to be away much longer.
This machine is a lot more expensive than similarly spec'd Windows
machines but I feel that it's worth the money. I'm a very satisfied Mac
switcher.
Not sure why all of the haters keep griping about Compact Flash...
I just got my brand new 13.3" Macbook Pro in the mail. I customized
mine with 4GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive, but with the entry-level
2.26 GHz Intel processor. I unboxed it in front of my mother and
sister, and they were both oohing and aahing about how beautiful and
thin it was. They also loved the magnetic connector on the end of the
power adapter that snaps the power cord into the computer nearly by
itself. I powered the computer up, went through the Leopard setup
screens, and within minutes was logged in. While starting up, the light
sensor powered on, the screen dimmed, and the keyboard lit-up
automatically. Everything about this computer suggests ingenious design
and engineering, with great attention to every detail. It is very
light, and since I am using this for school, I am very happy with the
size and form factor, particularly the charger. Switching from a large
Dell that sported a charger that could be used to bludgeon somebody to
death, the small white charger that is about the size of a wallet is a
breath of fresh air. This laptop will be a pleasure to travel with.
Are there things this computer lacks? Yes, there is no Blu-Ray
player, which would have been nice, but for me was not a deal-breaker.
I suspect that the next-gen MBP's will phase out the rotary hard drives
and switch to solid state as the standard, and will all have Blu-Ray
players. Until that time, this little laptop is more than sufficient.
If I had to come up with a gripe about this computer, there is
really only one- and this is true for most of Apple's products- the
iPod, iPhone, and MBP's- I wish that they would not coat portable
products with textures that are so easy to scratch. It is apparent that
after a few months of toting this to class, it is going to have some
scuffs on it. It seems like a bit of a paradox that a company that puts
so much value on aesthetics seems only to care about how the product
looks when it is taken out of the original packaging. That said, this
laptop feels extremely sturdy, and apart from normal wear and tear
marks, I am not fearful that it will fall apart, which is a whole lot
more than I can say for my previous piece of crap plastic Dell.
In reading other reviews, people seem to be unable to understand
that this qualifies as an ultra-portable laptop. It is simply not going
to have a peripheral hookup for every type of flash card and five USB
hookups. Are people serious with lambasting Apple for merging the audio
jack in/out ports into one single port? Really, who gives a rat's a$$?
This is a PORTABLE computer, not a media center. If you are a user who
favors those things, then you are free to go out and purchase the
necessary adapters, but I would rather have a lightweight computer that
I can easily tote around. If you want a laptop that is prepared for any
occasion, go buy an 8 lb. Dell desktop replacement, and have fun. I for
one think people just want a reason to moan or find something to
complain about. The fact is that for the money, you are not going to
find a better laptop than this one. It costs a bit more than competing
PC products, but I have owned Dell's and HP's, and I can tell you, you
get what you pay for. If you use your laptop for at least a couple of
hours a day, I think it is worth a couple hundred extra to get a really
high quality product that makes you happy, and that is why I upgraded
to the MBP.
