The good: New aluminum unibody construction looks good, feels solid; giant trackpad; attractive edge-to-edge glass on display; new dual graphics provide more power or more battery life.

The bad: All-clicking trackpad is a bit awkward, at least initially; the extra-glossy screen won't appeal to everyone; switching GPUs not as seamless as it should be; similar performance to the cheaper 13-inch MacBook; still no media card slot.

The bottom line: Apple's redesigned 15-inch MacBook Pro boasts a redesigned aluminum body that's stunning, thin, and sturdy; a new trackpad with expanded functionality; and a dual graphics setup for either longer battery life or better performance, but there's now less incentive to spend extra for it because its 13-inch mainstream cousin received a greater overhaul.

Read full review of the Apple MacBook Pro »

By Dan Ackerman, CNET.com
Nov 25, 2008

With the new 13-inch MacBook looking and feeling more like the more expensive 15-inch MacBook Pro line than ever, it's harder to tell the difference between the two laptops. Both models feature a "unibody" aluminum chassis, a buttonless (or more accurately, all-button) trackpad, and edge-to-edge glass on the LED backlit display. So aside from 2 inches of display space, what advantages does the MacBook Pro offer compared with the less expensive MacBook?

For starters, FireWire. The Pro is now the only current Apple laptop with a FireWire port--that connection was unceremoniously dumped from the less expensive 13-inch model with the new redesign. Conspiracy theorists may cry foul, but FireWire is becoming increasingly used only in professional applications (although it may not feel like that if you have a FireWire-only camera). One can't help feeling this move was made to push you toward the more expensive systems. But it's worth noting that the S$1,588 (US$1,128.24) basic MacBook model (essentially a less expensive version of the traditional MacBook Apple's been offering for the past couple of years) still has its FireWire port, so there is a low-cost option if FireWire is a must-have.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design

While the aluminum chassis may look the same as previous model MacBook Pros, the construction is entirely different, following the MacBook Air model of starting with a solid block of aluminum, which is carved down, rather than a thin outer shell that has had support struts added to it. The result is a lighter and thinner yet stronger chassis that feels even more solid and substantial, although the previous chassis was very roadworthy on its own. Another notable new feature is a radically redesigned trackpad. This larger trackpad still uses the multitouch gestures found on the iPhone, MacBook Air, and previous MacBook Pro, but offers a much larger surface area than before--thanks to the elimination of a separate mouse button. In fact, the entire trackpad presses like a button, although simple tapping, as on a PC laptop, will also work once you turn that option on in the settings menu.

The all-button trackpad concept is a bit hard to get used to and feels a little awkward at first, compared with a traditional fixed-position trackpad. We were always accidentally pressing the button until we learned to use a lighter touch. On the other hand, there are some useful new gestures: You can hide all your applications by sweeping four fingers up on the pad, and you can also designate one corner of the trackpad as a "right-click" zone. Most useful perhaps is sweeping four fingers left or right, which brings up the application switcher. Once you get used to that, going back to a regular trackpad would be difficult.

The wide-spaced, flat-key keyboard is an Apple standard, and we're always a fan of backlit keys, which are standard on the Pro, and also now available on the higher-end 13-inch MacBook.

The 15.4-inch widescreen display offers a 1,440 x 900-pixel native resolution, which is the same as on the old MacBook Pro and standard for upscale 15-inch screens (cheaper 15-inch models are often 1,280 x 800). The MacBook Pro's display was already using backlit LEDs, and now the 13-inch screens are as well, so that's one prior point of differentiation that no longer exists between the two lines. And both the 13- and 15-inch models now have the edge-to-edge glass we're seeing more often on multimedia systems. The colors are rich and deep, but the glass also grabs stray light rays with ease, making the glossy screen seem that much glossier--a problem if you prefer matte screen finishes.

Tags: Apple MacBook, Intel Core 2 Duo, NVidia Corp., Apple MacBook Pro, multimedia

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