Apple MacBook Pro Review

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been four years since I made the switch to a Mac. My first Mac was an Apple MacBook Pro 15 Core 2 Duo (read my review here) and it served me well. Recently I was given the opportunity to upgrade my hardware to the latest and greatest version of the Apple MacBook Pro 15” Unibody and I took it.

So how does an already great laptop become even better?
The most obvious improvement is processor speed, but that can be said about any laptop. Yes my new laptop is graced with a 3.06 GHz dual core Intel processor, but more importantly, the latest generation of MacBook Pros support 8GB of RAM. My recommendation for anyone running Mac OSX is to get at least 4GB of memory and if you can afford it, max it out at 8GB. Let’s face it, the less you have to access a hard disk to get things done the better and 8GB of RAM goes a long way - especially for Adobe Photoshop users.

The body of the MacBook Pro is a testament to both industrial design and a manufacturing process that is second to none. Fit and finish, to use a car manufacturing term, is perfect, in fact astounding at times. The main body is machined out of a single block of aluminum. This gives he chassis a rigidity that can’t be achieved otherwise and allows for a thinner profile. The astounding part is just how precise it is. There is a LED located on the front of the chassis that slowly throbs when the laptop is asleep, but when the laptop is in use the LED is off...that’s when you notice that the LED disappears—the LED is in fact behind a thin veil of aluminum, that has microscopic holes that are invisible to the naked eye. The attention to detail is phenomenal. The other advantage of using an aluminum body is that it dissipates heat very well and when the laptop reaches the end of its life it will be easy to recycle.

Speaking of heat, the Apple MacBook Pro 15” Unibody seems to have solved the roasting lap issue that has dogged Apple and other laptop manufacturers for some time. Sure it gets warm—but not hot.

Next up is battery life.
How many computers can make the claim that they can run up to 7 hours running the latest generation of Intel’s powerful CoreDuo processors without loading down the laptop with secondary multi-cell batteries that add weight to the machine and make it look like it’s sprouted tumors. The Apple MacBook Pro keeps it simple. The battery is built in, it lasts longer than any other souped up laptop and has an expected lifetime of over 1000 charging cycles (that’s about double to triple the lifespan of most laptop batteries). If and when you have to replace the battery, the cost of installation is included in the cost of the battery.

The best trackpad in the industry.
When Apple introduced gestures on the track pad in the previous generation of it introduced a much more user friendly and intuitive way to interface with a computer’s UI (user interface). A gesture is a combination of one to four fingers placed on the trackpad  along with a movement. For example, if you are looking at a web page, and wish to scroll the page, you simply place two fingers on the track page and drag in the direction you wish to scroll. If you wish to right click (i.e. right mouse button), place two fingers on the track pad and click. Oh, did I mention there is no track pad button per se—the whole  track pad is a button. I know that when I first about that, my first concern was that you would be constantly clicking the trackpad while swiping across it. Not the case. In fact it ends up being quite intuitive. I’m used to using my thumb for clicking and the feel of the click is very similar if not identical to having one large button at the base of the trackpad as on the previous generation of MacBook Pros. The only real difference is that I have a lot more usable area for sliding my finger tips around without running out of track pad. Other useful gestures include: zoom - using two fingers in a spread or pinch motion, four finger swipe to switch program, and tap to select text. Bottom line—the Apple MacBook Pro track pad is the best in the industry. Once I used it, I found all other track pads severely lacking.

The screen...the screen.
Overall the colors are bright and vivid on the screen, but it is also the reason the MacBook Pro gets a 4 star instead of a 5 star rating. I have a hard time with glossy screens and this one is no exception. Sitting outside or with a window behind you, the reflections in the screen are very distracting. Why Apple decided to remove the option for a matte screen is beyond me—especially on a pro grade machine. That option is available on the 17” model but not on the 13” or 15” models. I am actively looking at products to make my screen matte, but I know that it will be a compromise solution. I hope Apple brings back the matte option in the next update to the MacBook Pro. Otherwise the LED back lighting is great—it both reduces battery consumption and is more environmentally friendly to the environment.

Other observations
The Apple MacBook Pro 15” comes with a number of external connection options. They include an ethernet jack, 2 USB ports, a FireWire 800 port, mini displayport, audio input and output and a new addition to the mix—a SD card reader slot! The card reader slot replaces the Express32 slot that remained for completely unused on my previous MacBook Pro. Now I have a quick way to transfer photos from my digital camera without  having to break out any cables - love it!

On the other hand, the introduction of the mini display port for hooking up an external monitor opens the door to dongle hell, since there is only one monitor on the market that comes with a mini display port connector—Apple’s own 24” monitor—every other monitor requires a converter dongle, which can be had from Apple at extra cost.

The keyboard is first rate and comes with back lighting. It’s a pleasure to type on.

Overall
Overall, I’m very pleased with the Apple MacBook Pro 15” Unibody. It is definitely the best laptop on the market. My only reservation is the glossy screen. Without a doubt it’s not cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for and in this case you get a lot. Not only is the hardware first rate, so is the software that is included: OSX, the iLife suite (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand). If you’re a Windows user, remove some stress in your life and switch to a Mac. I heartily recommend this laptop to any professional looking to get a great machine. If you’re a student or looking for a home machine, take a look at the 13” versions of the Apple MacBook.