The latest version of the Apple MacBook Pro is distinguished by its unibody casing that is machined from a single piece of aluminium metal. The new styling brought about by this manufacturing process closely follows that of the iMac and the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro is now slightly slimmer than its plastic bodied predecessor and has a glass coated LED backlit screen that provides a brighter, clearer image coupled with much improved contrast performance thanks to the LED technology used. The only issue here might be with reflections, but a non-glass option is offered on some models.
Other updates to the range include the peripheral ports being moved to the left side of the casing and an SD card slot being added for the first time on a Mac laptop. Please note that the 17-inch machine features an ExpressCard slot instead of the SD reader. The optical drive has been moved to the right and the DVI port has been replaced with a Mini DisplayPort connection. The FireWire 400 port is now deleted, although the FireWire 800 port is still present. The wireless technology is unchanged with built in wire free MacBook Pro internet access.
In terms of usability, the trackpad has been enlarged with the buttons being incorporated into the pad giving the user more room for scrolling and multi-touch gestures which now imitate those that can be used on the iPhone touch-screen. The keyboard is the standard Apple affair with separated backlit keys.
MacBook Pro models
The MacBook Pro model range is based around three screen sizes of 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch. Each of the models can be tailored with varying specifications of processor speed, memory size and hard drive capacity. A high performance solid state hard drive (SSD) can also be specified as an extra. For those not liking the reflective nature of the glass screen, an anti-glare matte screen can be specified on the 15″ and 17″ models.
MacBook Battery Life
All MacBook Pro models employ a non-user serviceable sealed in battery that uses lithium-ion polymer cell technology. This innovation has allowed Apple to use batteries with non-rounded cells that can use all the free space inside the MacBook Pro chassis. The downside of this is that it prevents the user removing and replacing the battery in the event of failure. The use of this technology provides the range with superb battery life with the 13-inch and 15-inch models giving up to seven hours on a single charge. The larger body of the 17-inch mac allows a massive eight hours to be squeezed out of a single charge.
The batteries in MacBook Pro models are claimed to last for around 1000 charge cycles whist still retaining 80 percent of their capacity. This would provide a lifespan of about five years for an average user.
MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air
Whether a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air is the better laptop depends on the users specific requirements. Both are very stylish machines and the Pro model isn’t exactly large or heavy, especially if you go for the smallest 13″ version. A business user needing long battery life and a full range of features such as a DVD drive, multiple USB ports and a FireWire connection would be better off choosing a Pro model. One further consideration is that the Air is only available with the 13″ screen size, so if you need any bigger, then the Pro is the only one to go for.
The aluminum, uni-body construction of the casing is something they all seem to like. The multi-tasking Mac OS and overall design of the laptop offers impressive features over some of the other laptops on the market. Many think that the Apple MacBook Pro MB990LL is designed as quite an attractive laptop, compared to other brands and models. Stylish appearance doesn’t impress all consumers, however and it is possible to get more memory, storage and features in other laptops that cost less money in other brands.
The surface of this laptop is glossy, which has pros and cons. It has been noted that you get superior viewing if lighting circumstances are good, but when lighting conditions were normal, the reflection was too much and created glare. The normal sized keyboard has no number pad. The other complaint was regarding the non-removable battery.
It can’t be denied that other laptops don’t offer the superior Mac OS, which is noted for the multi-tasking abilities. While this model is an improvement over previous aluminum 13″ MacBooks that were launched and the price was reduced by $100, reviews were still mixed, although these were items that some consumers were impressed with.
The battery life on the MacBook Pro is definitely an upgrade. However, a consumer did notice he got six hours from the battery rather than the seven he expected. The MacBook Pro’s battery is not easy to take out. The power cord is noticeably short and this means you have to be seated near to an outlet. It is felt the SD card should not stick out as it does.
There were high expectations for this laptop and consumers who are disappointed feel it doesn’t quite live up to the original hype surrounding the launch of the MacBook Pro. Unrealistically high expectations could be partially to blame, but some also criticized the cursor control, which was difficult to maneuver and the fact that dialog books were too many.
If there was one feature that all consumers found to be impressive it was the uni-body enclosure. Multiple parts are used to construct notebooks. However, the MacBook Pro is made of a single part. This is completely unique and considered as groundbreaking. In other words, the uni-body is one piece of aluminum. The manufacturer shapes and works this piece into the uni-body with its incorporated keyboard.
Finally, we are left with an enclosure that is unbelievably thin and lightweight. It’s preloaded with Apple Mac’s Leopard OS. iTunes, iLife 09, Garageband, iPhoto and iMovie are already there. The Apple MacBook Pro is durable enough to be utilized inside or outside. You can carry an Apple MacBook Pro anywhere.
While Macintosh computers have not exceeded the popularity of PCs, they continue to have their own solid niche in the compute market. Mac fans may be fewer in number but they make up for it with enthusiasm to the point of zealousness. Interview any Mac user and get ready to listen to a litany of the Mac’s best qualities, namely: dependability, the use of ergonomics, screen clarity, and usability. But don’t be surprised if you find a few fans who chose the Macs merely to be different. It’s arguable that Macs, despite their vast difference in price, don’t really have that much of an advantage over the PCs.
Usually, laptop makers create another version of a model if sales are low. However, the MacBook 13″ was a certified hit among customers. When the entry of the MacBook Pro was announced, there were some who questioned the need for the new model and whether it just might prove to be a wrong move. Upon closer look, buyers had raised complaints regarding the 13-inch MacBook’s lack of FireWire and its insufficient battery life.
So that’s the quick story of why the MacBook Pro 13″ came to be. This MacBook had been fitted with FireWire plus an array of new features and at a cheaper price.
It’s a good thing that what fans loved about the MacBook 13″ remained. The unibody aluminum construction was kept, making the unit rigid as well as giving it an exceptional design.
Apple also made sure to lengthen its battery life to 7 hours of operation. A SecureDigital (SD) slot was added. Offering improved color reproduction and clearer images was the new LED-backlit screen.
Apple worked on improving the processing speed, from 2.13GHz to at least 2.26GHz. The “Pro” designation also means that it now has an illuminated keyboard.
With regards to flaws, there are a few. Since it doesn’t have a discrete graphics processor, it depends on integrated graphics and some users just can’t be contented with the result. A Doom 3 frame-rate test was conducted and we found that it shifted nearly 40 frames a second when on the highest video settings. There’s no sense hoping for what wasn’t meant to be but it would have made a huge difference if they made the choice to put in discrete graphics.
SPECS - AVAILABLE OPTIONS (From Apple’s website)
CPU - 2.26GHz or 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed
RAM - 2GB up to 4GB
Screen Size - 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
Operating System - OS X Leopard 10.5.7
Battery Life - 7 hours (manufacturer’s estimate)
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor
Pros
Let’s start with why all Macs are loved by so many - it’s easy to use. For those who are clumsy or accident-prone, the fact that it is made with unibody aluminum construction is a huge relief. We appreciate Apple’s effort to lengthen the battery life to about 7 hours. Its design makes it more accessible. Loading applications, even several of them at the same time, is done quickly.
Cons
Discrete graphics is a sore issue with us so we would like to restate it here. We would like to grumble about the price because despite its excellent features, it’s still not justified.
Conclusions
The 13-inch MacBook became a hit for a good reason. Despite its shortcomings, users tended to overlook them because its performance and design made up for it. Now that Apple has corrected those flaws, it’s becoming quite difficult for its rivals to steal a chunk of its market. The MacBook Pro 13″ is a good buy despite our issues with its price. If you can afford it, go for it and be a happy and contented laptop user.
Specifications: The Apple MacBook Pro MB990LL/A is a 13″ laptop that is powered by a 2.26GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It comes with 2GB of DDR3 RAM that can be updated to 8GB. For storage, it has a 160GB hard drive. The 13-inch display is a glossy screen that displays videos and images at a 1280 x 800 resolution.
Evaluation: At the time of writing, the Apple MacBook Pro MB990LL/A costs around $1170 each. If you just love the uni-body aluminum casing, the multitask gestures, the overall design, and the Mac OS, then these may be good enough reasons for you to get one of these. But if you an impartial buyer and you are in the market for a practical laptop, be aware that you can get much more for that price tag.
For the same price, the Sony VAIO VGN-SR220J/B comes with a 2GHZ processor, 4GM of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. If you wish to really stretch your dollar, for just $750, you can get the HP Pavilion DV3-1075US laptop that has a 2.1GHZ processor, 4GB of RAM and 320 GB in storage. Apple has never fared really well when it comes to the price-to-specs ratio.
The Apple MacBook Pro MB990LL/A has a very glossy screen surface. The glossy surface may provide a great viewing experience under optimum lighting conditions but under regular lighting conditions, it just reflects too much light. The battery on this Apple notebook is not removable and although it has a full-sized keyboard, it doesn’t come with a number pad.
Overall: Apple computers and laptops are in truth, in my opinion, novelty devices. I personally think that it is overpriced and doesn’t give you good value for the money that you pay (unless you consider the design and aesthetics good value). Despite all that, Apple computers do fare better in certain computing demands. Thanks to the structure of the Mac OS, the multitasking performance on Apple laptops is much better than regular laptops. All in all, unless you have a really good reason for getting an Apple notebook, you should stick to regular laptops to get the most out of your money.
If you are someone who often uses your desktop for running graphics intensive and large applications, the Apple Mac Pro MB871LL/A desktop is for you. It has some of the best specs a desktop can have and to top it off, has a very nice design. Adding one of these desktops to your desk would instantly up the ante of ‘coolness’ of any space.
The Apple Mac Pro MB871LL/A has a very powerful 2.66Ghz Intel Quad Core processor and 3GB of RAM. If you need to get more computing power out of this model, you can upgrade it to a maximum of 8GB. For storage, there is a 640GB hard drive. For graphics, this model uses the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics card. Connectivity wise, this model comes with 5 USB ports, 4 Firewire ports, optical digital connectors and also Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity.
Currently, the Apple Mac Pro MB871LL/A is price at around $2299 per unit, which is a little more expensive than usual for its specs. But then again this is an Apple machine. Thanks to the Mac OS and probably its built-in systems, Apple computers perform much better than Windows based systems (of the same specs) in many aspects (especially for multitasking and running large programs). There are also plenty expansion slots in the CPU unit if you ever decide to upgrade it. This model ships with a keyboard, mouse, power cable, keyboard extension cable and manuals. If you can afford the slightly hefty price tag, the Apple Mac Pro MB871LL/A desktop would definitely be a good buy.
