The 15 inch MacBook Pro is a decent notebook delivering competent performance. At $2,299, it is a bit pricey. Let’s see if it is worth the money.
Specifications of the laptop under review
Processor: Intel T9600 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo (6MB cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Memory: 4GB (2x2GB) PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM (1066MHz)
Graphics: nVidia Geforce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 SDRAM (dedicated) AND nVidia Geforce 9400M with 256MB DDR3 SDRAM (shared)
Display: 15.4” glossy LED-backlit TFT active-matrix (1440x900)
HDD: Hitachi 500GB 5400rpm SATA II
Build and Design
The Macbook Pro has an aluminum unibody case. As the chassis has no joints the notebook looks and feels very rigid. Apple has removed the battery panel from the underside of this notebook, so users will have difficulty removing the battery.
The notebook is less than 1-inch thick and weighs just under 2.5kg. At this weight and thickness it is ultraportable. Build quality is good. The notebook feels solid in the hand.
Display and Sound
The display is simply amazing. It supports a significantly wider range of colors than its previous version. Viewing angles, especially horizontal viewing angles, are excellent. Another nice feature of the display is that its brightness is automatically adjusted to the brightness of the environment.
The speakers are audible; a pair of headphones is still a good accessory.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The 15 inch Macbook Pro has a full-size backlit keyboard. The keyboard has a Chiclet design. It is comfortable to use. The backlighting is activated automatically in low-light conditions.
The trackpad has multi-touch controls. It has no physical buttons. Some users may find this lack of buttons troublesome, but it is something you can get used to. The trackpad works flawlessly in the Mac OS X, but tends to get a bit oversensitive in the Windows platform.
Heat and Noise
The fans are very quite, so is the hard drive. Heat levels are low under normal working conditions, but the machine tends to get uncomfortably warm during intensive use. On the bright side, the cooling system is very efficient.
Ports and Expansion
Port selection is average for a laptop of this size. Apple has included an SD card slot, but its functionality is limited. Actually it supports only full size SD cards. There is no Expresscard slot. There is a Firewire 800 port, but it is not compatible with Firewire 400 devices. You will need an additional converter to connect FireWire 400 devices to the port. There is a Mini DisplayPort which again isn’t universal. You will need an additional adaptor to convert it to other mainstream display connectors like VGA, DVI or HDMI. The Slot loading optical drive won’t accept mini-discs. There are only 2USB ports. Other ports include Gigabit Ethernet port, Wi-Fi, (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and built-in webcam
Battery Life
At around 7 hours, the battery life is excellent for a notebook of this size. But note that you won’t get more than 4 hours if you use the Windows Operating System.
Conclusion
The 15 Inch MacBook Pro has several advantages: it gives excellent battery life, has a silent cooling system and a great display. With a powerful processor and a discrete GPU, this machine can handle almost every task with ease. On the flip side, the port selection is pretty average. Another not-so-appealing factor is its price.
Pros:
Seamless aluminum chassis
Great display
Good battery life
Cons:
Only two USB ports
No ExpressCard slot
Pricey
