Apple MacBook Pro Review (pics, specs) Discussion

The MacBook Pro is Apple's latest notebook and their first with Intel's new attempt at notebook dominance, the Core Duo. It represents the near peak of current notebook technology in terms of power, making only a few compromises for the sake of a slim profile and a better battery life.

Read the full content of this Article: Apple MacBook Pro Review (pics, specs)

 

Nice review, glad to finally have a good thorough one here rather than just previews. ^^

I especially like how you added in the Boot Camp feature and how well it performs.

 

Thanks! If anyone (perhaps sitting on the fence on this one) has any questions I'll be checking this thread for the next couple of days.

 

Thanks for the review. I'm trying to decide between this MBP and the Acer right now. What do you think about Parallels? Have any plans to use it?

 

Apple's generally have better Quality machines than Acers as I've seen so I'd go for the Apple.

You may benefit from filling out the FAQ and posting it in the "What notebook should I buy?" forum.

 

hope that you will enjoy the os as much as i do. get used to it as its great.

 

Thanks CG! Very nice review - I'm one of those sitting on the fence. This will be an ideal purchase for me on 2 fronts: going back to MBA school and working on my graphics design business.

Your review have alleviated the battery & heat issue and confirm the underclocked GPU.

Quick ? - How much RAM did you get? 1GB or 2?

 

Superb review! Too bad it scores bad in 3d marks compared to Acer...

Charlie-Peru

 

Hey, great review.
How is the gaming performance under windows, and can you use the optical audio connections in windows as well.

Cheers

 

Wow, nice review!, awsome, you can run windows on bootcamp.

This is one kool lappy, i think i saw one in my university, some guy had it, but i din't ask .

Gotta love the dimensions and wieght!! wow.

i'm not sure if you know, but the MBP is getting refreshed to address the heat issues and other problems. Something along the lines of return your MBP and get a new one with better stuff in it to cool it...etc etc.

So check that out.

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

MysticGolem is right, check dailytech.com they have a quick news blurb that lists serial number revisions that address the heat issues or are supposed to. By the way what is your serial number.

Funny you had the same laptops in your short list that I do (minus Sony SZ120/160). By the way W3J is only like 35 pixels on width smaller than the Apple at comparable resolution due to W3J being 14.1" screen versus 15.4" on Apple.

Nice review and glad to hear comments from a PC user, and here was deciding on W3J, now I need to revisit that decision, LOL.

 

I just bought the stock model that comes with 1GB. I am kind of curious to see how 3DMark05 is affected by 2GB. I really appreciate that Apple at least has the decency to give you just one stick instead of two 512s. I'll be uprgrading when my bank account recovers. As far as parallels is concerned, I hear that it actually has really good performance, but I really don't have a problem dual booting as I will be spending most of my time in OS X and only going Windows when I need (for games or what not). I just can't accept that compatibility and performance will ever be as good as a dedicated boot into the OS needed.
As far as Apple replacing the current model with a new one, I don't think they will be doing that any time soon. They already replaced the logic on early models which was causing a minor hiss. I don't think the heat is going away any time soon. It really is only hot if the laptop is plugged in, and if it is plugged in then I am probably not using it on my lap. Even when it is plugged in the keyboard and palmrests are still quite cool.

 

Sonic - I probably would have been happy with the W3J, but that ship has sailed. I do like the extra 1.3" screen space, the slimmer notebook, all for the same weight. I'm not around my notebook at the moment, but I'll get that serial number for you when I do.

 

Man I should try and read everything before replying .

Tomy - I think gaming under windows is pretty dang nice. Apart from the lack of being able to use headphones (which work but don't mute the audio form the speakers) it works like a champ. Keep in mind this isn't an emulator, it's windows running on intel hardware...it's nothing these games haven't had to work with before.

 

carzyguy, forgot to mention. I believe I saw on Apples support forum . That there is a workaround for the audio issue. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2089975�
check the tiny url.

Definitely check on Serial, because from what I read Apple really is replacing laptops at peoples request.

Also keep in mind MacDrive can read OSX partition so use NTFS for windows partition and buy MacDrive, which is an awesome program anyways. NTFS has too many advantages over fat32 not to use.

 

yeah... mac's become just ordinary laptops - design is cool, but design is not everything...

 

Apples go for style, the design is very nice.

There are better build notebooks out there though.

 

does anybody know if Apple ever has any intention of putting a high res screen in their notebooks? no WUXGA is a total dealbreaker. if they had that option, i'd be about 90+% ready to buy one.

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question, especially from one thats never used macs, but how do you use Windows with the Macbook's only one mouse button? I know in OSX, you hold down a certain key and press the one button to emulate a second button but what about for windows?

 

Possibly the same... Or se a regular mouse with it. Then the Mighty mouse has 2 mouse buttons.

 

Just out of curiousity what resolution is it set on when you run windows on it?

 

Ins't 3h15 of battery life on half brightness a bit low ?

Can you tell what voltage+mah is the battery of that laptop ?

 

If your primarly using Windows XP(or plan on Windows Vista or Linux) and have little intrested in OSX; there are better solutions then the overpriced MBP.

 

You can also run OSX on a windows based notebook. But lets not get off topic.

 

Yes you can, but its considerably harder than getting XP to run on a Macbook am I right?

Wonder when the Macbooks will get Intel's Merom processors and it would be quite interesting to see em with AMDs processors as well.

 

Yeah, but I have a friend running it fine. He thinks it's easy.

Mac with an AMD would be odd =X

Just thinking about it makes you think it's not going to happen..

 

Apple specs for the MacBook Pro say it's a 60Wh Lithium Polymer battery. I'd say 3:15 hours is decent depending on how bright half brightness actually is since the screen can go up to 300nits. The Acer 8204 gets about the same battery life even with a huge ~90Wh battery and the screen's max brightness is only 185nits (with the Samsung panel).

crazyguy, would it be possible to take a pic of the MacBook Pro on a desk with an AA battery as a height comparison?

 

I believe the work around is to hold down the control button... or an external mouse.

 

single button touchpad is a major bummer for a notebook.

 

I would like to know why is it good to have a non-glare type lcd on the MacBook? I thought glare type is an advantage.

 

Depends, non-glare is generally easier on the eyes but glossy sharpens the colours significantly.

 

Glare-type screens sharpen the color a lot. Contrast is better too. Normally the contrast is lower and there is kind of a "dull" look to the screen. However, you get annoying reflections from any light source in the room. I was saying that the screen on the MBP is one of the brightest screens with rich colors on a non-glare type screen that I have seen. This is with the added benefit of no glare.

 

chopstick - It runs at the native panel resolution just like in OS X
A note on battery life...
The battery life is great for this laptop. Other laptops without dedicated graphics will of course have better battery life, but try playing a game on them. Considering the hardware, and how small the battery actually is (60Wh compared to 90Wh on other laptops of this size) and you can appreciate how good it is. A smaller batter keeps the weight down and is one of the reasons that this lappy is only 1" thick. I'm plugged in 95% of the time so anything over 3 hours is great for me. For comparison, my old roommate's 17" gateway wieghed almost 10lbs and it barely got 90 minutes.

 

Terrific review!

Would you mind posting the first five digits of your serial number, so we can see which "revision" you've got?

 

several people requested it so here you go:
My serial number begins: W8614....
So that means the 14th week of 2006, which means I am on revision D of the logic board. (Certain problems were addressed during week 12 of production)

 

Week 14 is pretty recent...How do u know its revision D? Where does it say? Or could it be revision E by now?

 

yeah i did some more checking and found out that it is revision E...dont' know what they changed

 

^^Where abouts did you check? I'm getting mine soon, so I'd like to know how I can find out what revision it is!

 

I too share your addiction to the WoW crack, but I very much enjoy the experience I get on my roomate's Apple iBook and iMac. How are your expriences with WoW on your MBP? I've got a 2800+, 1GB ram & X800 Pro on my desktop so I'm curious to see a comparison. I know you said it was similiar, but better? And what graphics options on..?

I'm thinking of getting a MBP within the next year and am curious if anyone knows if waiting til December will see improved stats, cheaper cost, or any other features Apple might add to a major revision (like faster speed, more memory etc). Or do you think the MBP is gonna stay the way it is for a while?

Also, is the $500 difference justified with the faster processor, 1GB memory, and 128MB more VRAM? I plan on bootcamping and gaming, possibly in both operating systems.


PS. Those are lovely nails you have

 

MBP isn't a gaming laptop by anyone's standard. Especially with the 3DMark05 Results that are less then half of that of a similar speced Acer 8204. A 2866 3D Mark for such an expensive PC is sad. Your desktop would by far outperform( x800 pro) a underclocked X1600. It would probaly get around 4000-4500 3D Marks.

 

well considering my needs, as far as gaming is concerned, to be simply playing one game, I'm most interested in how that one game performs. Futuremark wrote 3D Mark with no intention that it would be ran on a Macintosh, so it doesn't surprise me that the 3D Mark scores are dismall. Basically what I need is a powerbook that can game when I've got time to kill. I'll likely still use my desktop for the latest PC Gaming, but I'd like the option to raid with my guild while on the road.

I like the Macs. I like the way they look, feel, perform, and just the overall user experience. I've held off for so long because of gaming and certain other Windows only software packages, but I think this Macbook offers exactly what I need. The only question to me is, when to buy it?

Also, how did you get a 2.0 GHz 128MB Video model? Can't seem to find those...

 

Why do you blame Futuremark for Apple's poor design? It is obiviously has to do with the underclocked X1600 due to heat issues.

 

i personally don't care about graphics benchmarking. to me they mean nothing. If it does what i want, then its great. I still use an old geforce 200 mx in my desktop. It handles what i use just fine. So anything newer is blazingly fast to me. I think people are putting too much emphasis on these graphics benchmarks. benchmarks mean absolute possible performance, not what you will get.

 

Well, people like knowing what they're getting - you don't want to be shelling out big bucks for a machine that has a poor GPU. I think most just want a GPU that can play games/do renderings/run business apps. decently.

 

which is exactly what it does, even if it is underclocked a bit.

 

those are my wife's nails

 

That stat in the review is an error. My system actually has 256MB of video ram.
If all you want to do is run WoW you could probably get by just fine on the $500 cheaper system. I would add another 512MB of ram to it, but that is pretty cheap.
In response to this being expensive considering the 3DMark 05 score I will say that this machine does exactly what I want it to better than another notebook on the market. You get what you pay for. The heat generated by the X1600 and the 667MHz ram is tragic yes. The underclocked GPU is also sad. However, going back over my positives, I will point out that form factor and wieght are even more important to me. I also love the fact that I can run OS X and WinXP. The fact is that I can run WoW at 30fps+ with all graphics turned on maximum. Considering that this is about how fast my desktop (AMD 3000XP with x800PRO) runs it, that's not too shabby. If you want a 20lb notebook that has two GeForce 7800s in it and a 19" screen you can go that route. I wanted a pimp, slim, quiet (oh so quiet), extremely fast ( 2.0 Core Duo takes care of that) machine that plays the games I like to play. I still wouldn't trade my MacBook for an 8204 if I could. You can take your 1000 3DMark points and i'll take my MacBook Pro.

 

A normal PC can also run OSX, Windows XP- along with Windows XP 64, the upcoming Windows Vista, and Linux. You have been drinking too much Apple kool-aid if you believe that the MBP is the more flexible system.

Asus builds machines in a similar factors/size/weight except their cheaper and don't come with a underclocked GPU and heat problems.

 

except that you have to get a hacked and therefore unofficial version of OS X to install it on a non-mac machine. The intel macs are the only way to legally have all operation systems on one machine.

 

I'm not real sure why you're posting here lol .. you seem to have a complete disdain for Apple.

If you can come up with a PC that offers the same form factor, interoperability, silent operation, performance, aesthetic appeal, and battery life as the MBP then by all means offer your suggestions. If I wanted a PC that could game I would just upgrade my desktop. I wouldn't be purchasing the MBP to be my sole gamign platform, instead I'd like to have something that I can sit on the couch with, browse the internet, maybe play a few games, instead of being glued to my desk and chair as I would be sitting in front of my desktop. Something about just plugging in the DVI cable to my HD and using my wireless keyboard and mouse to have a 30" widescreen experience just sounds cool. Apple offers the experience, both from an application and gaming standpoint, as well as quality necessary to fulfill my needs. Sure if I wanted shear gaming performance and 3d benchmarks that would make anyone envy I'd opt for an Alienware or Dell, but they weigh almost twice as much, cost more, and offer two-thirds the battery life.


I never did get an answer to my question tho. Will waiting til December change my options availible in MBP? I know they intend to offer a 17" version, which is too big IMO, as well as a standard Macbook to replace the iBook, but I'm wondering if anyone thinks they'll be upgrading the 15" MBP by years end.

[edit]Nevermind. Seems I was able to answer my own question by reading the following article which talks about the reduction in price of the dual-core processors.

http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2006Apr/bch20060413035791.htm[/edit]