Monday 01 May 2006
- platform Mac
- price £1,216 (base model) ;£1,693 (reviewed unit)
- company Apple
- pros Small, light, and pretty. Optimized software gives improved performance over previous Mac laptops. Innovative power connector.
- cons Poor performance in standard applications such as Adobe tools. High price. Screen not ‘X-black’. Low real-time 3D power.
- rating
Apple’s first laptop since the move from Motorola to Intel processors isn’t the groundbreaking machine that many were expecting. If anything, the move has made the mobile Mac more ordinary, and the chip switch will put off anyone reliant on Adobe applications.
The 15.4-inch MacBook Pro is of a similar size to the 15-inch PowerBook G4 it replaces – and is still as slim and sexy next to the majority of Windows-based laptops. Its resolution is mediocre – many 15-inch models have 1,680-x-1,050-pixel screens – and it’s not as good as ‘X-black’-type screens.
All of the PowerBook’s innovations – such as the illuminated keyboard, the scrolling trackpad, and the stylish, slot-loading DVD±RW drive – are still intact.
This latest model adds a magnetic power connector – so that you don’t trash your laptop if you trip over the lead while getting up to make a cuppa – but most of the new features are aimed at consumers. These include the iSight Web cam, the Front Row living-room media player software, and the remote control, though this can control Keynote too.
Click image for larger version
Specifications
Processor: Intel Core Duo T2500 (2GHz)
RAM: 2GB
Max RAM: 2GB
Screen: 15.4-inch
Resolution: 1,440-x-900
Graphics chip: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
RAM: 256MB
Hard drive type: Serial ATA
Size: 100GB
Speed: 5,400rpm
Removable media drive: dual layer DVD±RW drive (16x)
Size: 357-x-243-x-26mm
Weight: 2.5kg
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