2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM
250GB hard drive
DVD±RW
13 inches (1,280x800 native resolution)
Integrated Nvidia GeForce 320M (256MB shared)
4.5 pounds
1x12.8x8.9 inches
Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
4GB RAM
250GB hard drive
DVD±RW
13 inches (1,280x800 native resolution)
Integrated Nvidia GeForce 320M (256MB shared)
4.5 pounds
1x12.8x8.9 inches
Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
At first glance, you may not notice anything different about Apple’s latest line of MacBook Pros, introduced in April 2010. The new models, which feature 13-, 15- and 17-inch screens, sport the same sleek, minimalist design, the same keyboard, and the same touch pad as the previous iteration. Even the ports haven’t changed. To tell the difference, you really have to get down and dirty and actually start using one of these new members of the MacBook Pro family. Once you do, you’ll see advancements in performance in a line of laptops that was already well ahead of much of its market, and battery life that blows the competition out of the park.
We got our hands on an entry-level $1,199 MacBook Pro, built around a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 250GB hard drive, and a 13-inch screen. This is the base model of the group. For $200 more, you can bump up your processor to 2.66GHz and your hard drive to 320GB. The 15-inch models start at $1,799, and the 17-inchers at $2,199. The 15-inch and 17-inch models now come standard with Core i5 processors (you can upgrade to Core i7) and advanced switchable graphics technology. The 13-inch offers only Core 2 Duo CPUs and integrated Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics in both its models. Take note: With this generation of MacBook Pros, the base price of the 15-inch model has increased by $100; the 17-inch base price has decreased by $200; and the 13-inch base price stays the same.
On the outside, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is almost exactly the same as the previous version. Design-wise, we think Apple was smart to approach the new line with the attitude that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. The previous line of MacBook Pros was as stunning as it was stark, and the new line carries that torch onward. The silver case, dominated by an aluminum shell with just one seam around the underside, feels plenty solid. Nothing much mars the design of the MacBook’s body: On the top of the lid is a simple white Apple logo that lights up when the laptop is in use. And, well, that’s about it. The case snaps shut with a magnetic latch, making opening the lid easy without compromising the durability of the body.
Like the previous version, the ports are located on the left side of the chassis and include an Ethernet jack, a FireWire 800 port (backward-compatible with FireWire 400, 200, and 100), a mini-DisplayPort connector (for attaching an external display), two USB 2.0 ports, an SD-card slot, and a headphone jack. Toward the front left of the chassis are indicator lights that allow for a quick look at remaining battery power. On the right side of the body are a security-lock slot and the opening for the slot-loading optical drive, which is a dual-layer DVD burner. As with previous MacBook lines, it doesn’t support Blu-ray discs.
Once you open the lid, you’ll also notice that little has changed in the design of the keyboard and touch pad (which Apple terms its "trackpad"). The full-size keyboard comes with backlit keys, and it remains perfectly spaced and nicely responsive to the touch. An ambient-light sensor adjusts the key backlighting according to the brightness of the area where you’re working.
On the keyboard deck is the generously sized, buttonless multi-touch trackpad, which has a glass surface. Instead of the two-button pad you’ll find on most other laptops, the entire pad on the MacBook Pro acts as a button, allowing you to press anywhere to enact a function; you use two fingers to right-click. One new feature related to it is that if you swipe up or down on the pad with two fingers, you’ll continue to scroll through the page until it reaches the top or bottom, just as an iPad or iPhone works. We appreciate these touches that Apple keeps adding to further bridge its products together. We also discovered that you can even toggle in and out of full-screen mode when watching a DVD by pinching and pulling on the touch pad, a nice enhancement. We found the trackpad very easy to get used to, especially since it functions much like the touch screen on an iPad or iPhone.
As with previous MacBook Pros, the pad also allows you to use a four-finger swipe to show your desktop, view all open windows, or change programs. Of course, the now-requisite multi-touch functionality is built in here as well. (This is the same as the touch features on an Apple iPhone or iPad, allowing you to zoom, rotate, and slide images around with two fingers.)
