Why I buy this one ?
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
- 2 GB RAM (two SO-DIMM) 677 MHz DDR2 SD-RAM (PC2-5300), 200 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, slot load 8x Super Drive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, two USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/34 slot
- Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
- 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 by 900 resolution, matte TFT LED widescreen display with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory and dual-link DVI

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What our customer's say!

"Mac is great!", After a big divorce with Win XP, I'm happy again. I never imagine computing could be this much fun.

"I Got My Baby Back", Sometimes you do really stupid stuff. And sometimes you do it because you're never satisfied. I've always been the kind of person who was on the lookout for something better. A laptop smaller, faster than the one I have. A zoom, wider, longer, lighter than the one I have. A better iPod, better speakers, lighter, studier Nikes. Newer, better, faster Photoshop. There's always something better coming out just before Christmas. I'm looking at a Blu-ray video player. That new Tamron 18-270 is looking mighty sweet. That new MacBook, really the cat's meow that was.

As soon as I saw Steve Jobs' presentation I began to think my MacBook was getting long in the tooth. How silly I was. I didn't know that then, I know it now. I mean this beautiful machine had a 320 gig hard drive, 4 gigs of ram, a gorgeous matte screen you could look at and love forever, connected right up to my really, really gorgeous 23 inch Apple Cinema display. It ran Photoshop at almost the speed of light. Lightroom too, it blazed through. Excel, it opened those files before you could blink. I had Vista installed on a Bootcamp partition and it ran XP and Ubuntu via VMWare's fusion at almost native speeds. I had XP skinned, running in Unity, so all my windows programs looked just like they were running natively in OS X.

I had over two hundred gigs of music in my iTunes library. Hundreds of hours of Bob Dylan live, George Harrison and John Lennon too. This was a rock and roll machine that loved to do the blues. My MacBook loved and played Billie Holiday. Family photos, travel photos, work photos, all there to be seen on that wonderful screen.

And I threw it all away for that new machine Steve Jobs was touting, because I'm never satisfied, because I'm always looking for something better. I was so stupid.

I sold my baby on eBay, got the new machine, hated the glossy screen and it seemed heaver too. I wanted my baby back, oh how I wanted my baby back.

I called the guy who won my baby on eBay and I swapped him my new MacBook for my old one. He was more than happy to do it.

Apple had a winner with this machine. I truly believe it's the best laptop ever made. Better than its replacement, better than anything out there today. I'm going to keep this machine for a long, long time. I've learned a lesson, a real lesson. No more replacing those Nikes until their worn out. New lenses do not a better photographer make. Blu-ray not yet, I've got a very nice 43 inch Sony Bravia, which shows beautiful movies on my hundred dollar Costco Panasonic combo VHS/DVD player. Adobe just came out with CS4, but I won't be upgrading, not this time.

I've been well and truly blessed. I've got a lot and I've finally learned to be satisfied with what I've got.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sane


"Better value than new unibody MacBook Pro", Background:
I wanted to buy the new unibody MacBook Pro.
Tried it at the Apple store and here are my findings and opinions,
and comparisons with the March 2008 model (MB134LL/A - the one I bought and am reviewing).

Display on unibody model is super glossy and very reflective - and has no option for matte finish.
Keyboard on unibody model did not feel as nice as the March 2008 model.
Unibody model is slightly larger - bezel width is more than the March 2008 Model.
Also, the March 2008 model is a lot cheaper (about $700),
and there is an additional $150 rebate from Amazon.
Meaningful specs difference:
2.5 GHz versus 2.53 GHz CPU in the new high end one,
2 Gigs of RAM versus 4 Gigs of faster RAM in the new high end (I upgraded to 4GB myself for $60),
8600M GT 512MB versus 9600M GT 512MB in the new high end (20-30% faster),
250GB 5400RPM versus 320GB 5400RPM in the new one (more on this below),
The new one also has dual graphics (use the lower power one for more battery),
but I'd always use the higher one, which would lead to less battery life
than the March model.

Display:
Like I said, I prefer matte finish (or a glossy that is not like a mirror).
The default colors were a little dull, so I went to System Preferences/Display/Color/Calibrate and
tweaked around and saved a new color profile. It is MUCH improved now - much better saturation
and has the contrast of glossy without the reflections.

Usage:
In less than 5 minutes, I upgraded to 4 Gigs RAM - bought that for about $60 from Amazon.
I am keeping my two original 1 Gig sticks in case I need them in the future.
I have VMWare Fusion running Windows XP Professional for some of my
must-have Windows apps. I have given the VM 1 Gig of RAM and 40 Gigs of disk.
Performance of Mac apps and Windows apps is superb.
I am using a WD Passport 320GB USB drive for backups with Time Machine.

Battery:
Last about 2.5-3 hours with almost constant usage. The best thing is when I close the lid,
it goes to sleep instantly, and wakes up instantly when I need it again, with no loss of
battery regardless of how long it sleeps. That is VERY DIFFERENT from my experience with
Windows laptops that lose battery even when sleeping. No idea why.

Storage:
It came with a 5400RPM 250GB HD. I bought a WD 7200RPM 320GB with a big buffer from
Newegg - I plan to swap out the HD - that requires "minor surgery" so I am doing my research
before I do it this weekend. The new disk will be a lot faster, although the it comes with
seems to be pretty fast already. I am swapping as I like doing stuff like that.
UPDATE: I swapped the hard drive and did a full restore from Time Machine - it now is exactly
the same as my las back-up with all apps and settings, except with a bigger and faster hard drive.
This "surgery" is t for the faint of heart. :-) And is probably totally unnecessary for most folks.

Mac OS X:
So simple. After using Windows PCs and laptops for over 15 years, I am amazed how easy
and intuitive it was to use a new OS. I know Mac OS X is very powerful and I am just beginning
to learn the advanced features to play with. Being able to run Windows XP in a VM with such a small
load on the system is very nice. I use software apps that are either not available on the Mac yet,
or have much older versions on the Mac. This is not specifically about the MacBook Pro but the
fact that the MacBook Pro has enough juice to do this is what is worth noting.

Boot Times:
When I shutdown and restart, it comes up in 30 seconds or so. Much faster than my experience
with Windows laptops. Here's the best part - if I put the Windows VM to sleep in my Mac,
it comes back up in seconds! Much faster than Windows used to wake up on a Windows laptop!
So for a portable laptop, the MacBook Pro is quite powerful and fast.

Overall:
I am glad I bought this model instead of the new Unibody model. This is by far the best portable computer
I have ever owned. I've always felt that the MacBook Pro carries a price premium over "equivalent" or
more feature rich Windows laptops, but now I know why. They are better.

"Great laptop.. but there is one huge issue I wish I had known about before buying. ", I love my new macbook pro.. but I wish I had known that the nvidia 8600m GT gpu is faulty, and has a very high chance of failing. Apple has added an extra year to the standard warranty to cover faulty gpu issues, but I probably would have gone for the new glossy macbook if I had known.

For what it's worth, nvidia are at fault, not apple.
Google the gpu. Every laptop from every manufacturer (dell, hp, and others) with that series is affected.

"Mac is way better than windows", switching to mac is the best thing that could happen to any person in the world of technology. Its pretty, reliable, user friendly and I love it. Seriously do people love their computer or its a source of pain to them but they have to cope with it? you have the choice to enter the mac world and explore the most fun experience in your whole life.
Another thing, mac dont crash. I own it for more than a year and I cant remember it crashes on me. Plus, you dont have to worry about viruses, malware, spywares, worms, trujans... etc. Many mac owner says this sentence and I say it all the time "I cant imagine life without mac"

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Nothing wrong at all", I can go on and on about how well this porduct works or sum it up into a few sentences. 100% satisfied and highly recommend this product. I work in 3D Architecture and this baby runs like a charm and never faulters.

It just works.

"2-month old MacBook Pro dead", I typically don't write reviews, especially the low-score one, but I felt I have the obligation to tell this to everyone.

It's a nightmare, my 2-month old MacBook pro dead. I used to have IBM thnkpad T-series notebook (now Lenovo) and it was great compare to this Mac in terms of reliability. I can carry the IBM thinkpad to work in the morning and bring it back to home in the evening without power down for SEVERAL weeks, there was no issue at all. I thought I was little rough to the thinkpad so I power down this Mac everyday after the work, carefully carry it around, well, when it happens, it happens, all the sudden, it dies. I'm in the process to recover the data, I'm mad. I'll update the review later for the service experience, so far not very good either.

Another issus is you can't fold down the screen compeletedly outwards, it will break it. Bad design, image accidentaly you push down the screen for better view angle and you could break it and that's not covered by warranties.

Regardless how great the MacBook is, it's a great pain when your working computer dies, you need get it repaired, resintall the application, recover the data if possible, and re-do all your work if data is lost, what about the photos you took for the special moment yesterday that haven't upload yet... too bad.

No, I don't want anything fancy, I just need a reliable PC to do my things (paper, dissertation, spreadsheet, make movies), which all PCs on the market can do.

"A PC Convert!", I've had this computer for almost a year (mine has smaller hard drive) After much deliberation I finally decided to convert to Mac after over a decade of using PCs. I remember when windows 95 first came out and how bad Macs sucked back then. However times change. The main thing that did it for me was that I could have both windows and OSX on the same machine using boot disk. The verdict, I am now a Mac man. And no I don't have the little apple sticker on the back of my car window in case you are wondering.

Boot Disk works flawlessly and when I boot up windows (mainly for work) it is like I have a PC, (a really bad a** PC). When I first got it I thought I would be spending most of my time in windows using OSX for "fun" however after a week I realized that OS X Leopard blows windows out of the water. Every aspect is better. Let me say that again: EVERY aspect of Leopard is better than windows XP. I haven't found one thing in windows that I like better that what Leopard has. Apple simply has the best user interface engineers on the planet working for them. Now to be fair I haven't yet used Vista (haven't felt compelled at all so far based on what I have seen) so I don't have a basis for direct comparison to MS newest product.

Wireless works great, bluetooth works flawlessly. OH and the DVI out is amazing! I can plug the DVI out to my receiver and watch full screen HD video on the plasma! I tried this with my old PC, even bought a new video card to do it, but frankly it couldn't hold a candle to the mac. Macbook pro also has Optical audio out for connection to the receiver, very nice. Speakers on the machine are better than average for a laptop but still not anything approaching audiophile quality.

The machine comes packed with software that is actually useful, fun and has no crap on it. ILife is great and easy to use. The display is crisp, clear, vivid, etc, etc. The best screen in the business.

If I had to pick a con, I'd be price, though in comparison it is really not but a couple hundred bucks more than the equivalent PC. What you get for that extra cash is a better user interface, better styling, smoother operation, faster performance. Personally I'd rather spend a few hundred bucks more and get more enjoyment, more functionality, and in the end more usefulness from the computer than to worry about saving $200 and end up with something that feels like it is just some "tool". Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

"Apple for now, Linux in my future??", This is a good product as laptops for this price range go. I have the 2.2 ghz model.
Pros:
1) Backlit keyboard is awesome
2) Apple software works seamlessly with 3rd party applications - MS is still trying to catch up. I have no trouble downloading/installing software.
3) Unix available at the command line level
4) Free iLife 08 including useful appls like iTunes, iPhoto iMovie, and GarageBand
5) Safari is a v. good browser
Cons:
1) Screen does not display color as well as a PC (color dithering scam on its notebook displays). If you don't believe this - compare a PC and Mac notebook side by side. Ever wonder why Apple products are segregated from others (e.g. at B. Buy)?
Scrolling in some windows may have glitches (see inet forums for details)
Ditto dragging in the mouse pad.
2) Leopard plug-ins/updates are still not all complete from some popular application programs. Fortunately I have 2 mac notebooks and the old one has Tiger on it. Tiger runs everything.
3) Battery is still not as efficient as other laptops but my Dell 700 is even worse...
4) Apple is almost as bad as MS at being proprietary about their software.
a) The Apple educational discounts have become progressively lower over the past 5 years. The Apple discounts on software are nowhere near as good as many others.
I can buy Lightroom 2 for a lot less than Aperture 2 via educational store
b) Upgrading is also pricier.
5) Apple phone support is really sucking recently and stay out of Apple retail stores- their 'geniuses' in support are not even marginally intelligent in the 2 stores in my area.
6) Apple quality control from the 'golden' days is nonexistent today. Just see the web forums for all the problems that users are having with ALL Apple products.
7) Bluetooth keyboards do not have powered USB ports. Why not??

Bottom Line: Still a cool product but it could definitely be better.

"The Computer", This was always my dream computer. It is the perfect laptop in many ways.

Things I love about this laptop: First of all, it is Apple's "pro" laptop. There's a certain prestige-factor associated with the Pro. The aluminum casing is attractive. This Mac is fast (but this is relative) and I like the response from the keys when I press them. I prefer thet way they feel over my company-provided Lenovo Thinkpad T61.

Its a Mac. It runs both OS X and Windows XP/Vista. I don't see myself ever needing to run Windows on my Macbook Pro, but I have the option and that is nice. The features of the trackpad are awesome as well...two finger scrolling, right-click with two fingers, etc. These are useful features I wish I had elsewhere on other laptops computers.

What I don't like: The aluminum casing smudges and shows fingerprints way too easily. I also do not like how diffeicult it is to replace the hard drive. Check out [...] for guides on how to do this. Why Apple would make it so easy with the Macbook and so difficult with the Macbook Pro is beyond me. Perhaps with the upcoming inevitable revamp of the Pro line (rumors and spyshots are all over the web), they will change this. Upgrading the ram is easy enough on this laptop.

Overall, I am a Mac fan and consider this to be my primary computer. As I said, there's a certain prestige-factor associated with the Pro, but...If I were to buy another laptop today, it would be a Macbook instead of the Macbook Pro. I like the ease of replacing the hard drive. This is critical to me, as it is easy to run out of space.

If you are looking for dedicated graphics to play games or to want to offload some processing to the video card (which Adobe Photshop CS4 is rumored to do by default), then go with the Pro. Just be sure to get yourself a large external drive and to max out the internal hard drive space (if your Pro is custom configured).