Apple MacBook Pro 13" Review

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 
- separate 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. 
- new Snow Leopard Operating System comes pre-installed! Same great ease of use with much faster performance! 
- 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 
- aluminum outer casing does dent easily if dropped. (buy a soft case for it!) 
- power cord is 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!