Macbook Pro 15″ Review

Its been a while since the Macbook line got its much needed update in terms of design. Apple realized and has sent along those excluding the Macbook Pro 17” which will get its update in January at MacWorld.

Design

The design of the Macbook Pro mimics that of the Macbook 13” more closely than did the previous generations. The new Pro models get the spaced keys that were loved/hated on their siblings. They also get a new unibody design which means that the entire body is manufactured out of a single sheet of aluminum. According to Apple this provides better access to components and the ability for the system to run cooler as well as more environmental friendly.

The new design also includes an edge to edge high gloss glass screen which is bound to make you wonder whether you bought a mirror or laptop. Most users will not find this a problem, but if you do a lot of outdoor work it might be good to think twice before dropping your money on this system.

Also included is the new multitouch trackpad that is currently on the Macbook Air. Since there are no buttons the entire (glass0 touchpad is one gigantic button that can be pressed and yes it does carry right and left mouse buttons unlike the previous versions.

Other design features include a backlit keyboard, and the inclusion of a new NVIDIA GPU as well as motherboard.

Performance

Performance wise the Macbook Pro 15” is an improvement over the first generation. But it still doesn’t carry all the upgrades that would make it $800 more than the Macbook 13”. For one the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB Video RAM is not a mark improvement over that of the Macbook. When put through its paces it failed to outperform its younger sibling by a wide margin.

For those who are familiar with the Mac operating system you can be sure that it is very speedy and same thing with the Macbook Pro. If you’re interested in running Window’s Vista or XP on the system it also does a very good job of that. You should be warned that you may find that a few of your drives might not work as desired but other than that the Macbook Pro is one of the best notebooks for handling Microsoft’s system recourses intensive OS.

Battery life is also very good and much better than that of the previous generation Macbook Pro. The system is rated by Apple to carry a full 5 hours of battery life when wireless adapter is on, though in out tests we found that the system stayed more in the range of 4 hours and 45 minutes.

Conclusion

So here is the burning question. Is it worth it to spend $2,000 for a notebook? Well it all depends. If you are a Vista hater and want the power of computers such as the Sony VAIO FW series than by all means yes. But if you still choose to go with a Mac it might be a lot better to consider the Macbook 13” as it carries most of the features as the Macbook Pro 15”. As I said before there a re few features on this system that requires it to be $800 above the entry level Macbook.