By Justin Jaffe
06/03/2006
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,39097524p,00.htm

Editors' note : As of May 2006, Apple has bumped up the processor speed of its base model to 2.0GHz and the high-end unit to 2.16GHz.

Apple's first laptop since the company switched to Intel processors, the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro features a Centrino Core Duo processor and, in doing so, ushers in a new era of Apple computing. Replacing the 15-inch PowerBook in the company's lineup, the MacBook Pro delivers many familiar and beloved features (a scrolling track pad, the Sudden Motion Sensor, an excellent software package) along with a few new ones. While the Intel partnership gives Apple the potential to match the performance capabilities of its Windows-based competition, the first MacBook Pro, like the iMac Core Duo, shows signs of the growing pains Apple faces in switching to the new platform. We expect the company to work out these kinks as it transitions the remainder of its laptops to Intel but for now, if you use Photoshop or other nonnative applications, wait or look at a Windows-based laptop. The HP Pavilion dv1000t and the Acer TravelMate 8200 offer superior performance and many of the same features for a lower or equal price. That said, if performance and battery life aren't a huge concern (and the 12-inch PowerBook is too small for you), the MacBook Pro delivers the goods better than any other Apple laptop.

Design
With the MacBook Pro, Apple's hasn't radically redesigned the PowerBook form factor--it has just made a few refinements to it. As such, the sleek aluminum MacBook Pro looks very similar to the 15-inch PowerBook G4--just a tad wider to accommodate the slightly larger 15.4-inch display and a few millimeters thinner. Striking a successful compromise between portability and usability, the MacBook Pro weighs 2.54kg--less than the PowerBook and toward the upper end of the thin-and-light category. The MacBook's AC adapter, which is larger and heavier than the PowerBook's, brings the total package to 2.81kg. One awesome innovation: The MacBook's AC adapter connects magnetically to the laptop so if you accidentally trip over the cord, it will simply detach instead of sending your MacBook flying or tearing out the laptop's innards.

Underneath the lid, the MacBook Pro extends the tradition of the PowerBook's minimalist design. The MacBook Pro has just a power button, a big, keyboard framed by stereo speakers, a very large touch pad with a single mouse button and one new feature: A handy built-in iSight camera that sits above the display. Though the keys are a bit shallow, they're wide and we found them comfortable to type on. We also love the keyboard's backlighting feature which adjusts to changes in ambient light levels. The touch pad lets you scroll through long documents, Web pages and spreadsheets by dragging two fingers down or across the pad: A terrific feature that's unique to Apple laptops. The MacBook Pro's 15.4-inch widescreen display features a fine 1,440 x 900 native resolution and looks noticeably brighter than the 15-inch PowerBook's display and about as bright as the average PC laptop display.

Features
Apple updates some of the PowerBook's ports and connections with the MacBook Pro while scaling back a few others. Overall, we think the MacBook Pro comes up a bit short of what you'll find on similarly priced PC laptops such as the TravelMate 8200 and the Pavilion dv1000t. That said, the MacBook Pro features two USB 2.0 ports (fewer than most comparably sized PC laptops); a FireWire 400 port; an ExpressCard slot; DVI and VGA ports for connecting to an external monitor. It's also equipped with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (enhanced data rate) and you can access the Internet via 802.11g Wi-Fi radio or Gigabit Ethernet. As with the PowerBook, the MacBook Pro features a slot-loading SuperDrive that plays and burns DVDs and CDs. One new extra is a small remote control, which looks like an iPod Shuffle, that controls the included Front Row multimedia player. We wish the MacBook had a storage slot for it (like the Pavilion dv1000t has for its remote). Unlike most PC laptops, however, the MacBook Pro lacks a built-in media reader for flash memory cards. Also, there's no S-Video output, composite-video connection, FireWire 800 port or built-in modem--all of which the PowerBook had.

The MacBook Pro ships with Mac OS X Tiger which include the incredibly cool Spotlight search utility and the customizable Dashboard--a collection of handy desktop tools. Also included is the robust iLife '06 software suite and a handful of other applications; an equivalent batch of PC software could easily run hundreds of dollars.

Performance And Battery Life
The MacBook Pro comes in two standard configurations, each running Intel's new Core Duo processor: a 1.83GHz model for S$3,688 and a 2.0GHz model for S$4,588 (which you can upgrade to 2.16GHz for S$535.50 more). We tested the base 1.83GHz version, which was equipped with 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM, an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics card with 128MB of VRAM and an 80GB 5,400rpm hard drive. In testing the MacBook Pro, we compared it against a number of older Apple laptops running the PowerPC processor, as well as a group of Windows-based laptops running Intel's Core Duo processor. As with the iMac Core Duo, which we tested in January, the results were mixed.

Apple has prepared its own software, such as iLife, to run with the new Intel processor and has developed a translation program called Rosetta to help the Intel Macs run older applications for the Mac. Not every software vendor has completed the necessary reprogramming to ensure full performance on the Intel Macs. So some applications which include Photoshop and Sorenson Squeeze, ran significantly slower--slower than on the lowest-end iBook.

That said, the MacBook Pro runs native applications such as iTunes considerably faster than previous Apple laptops and working within the OS just feels faster. We also found that applications that have been patched for Apple-Intel machines, such as Unreal Tournament 2004, show serious speed gains. In UT2004, the MacBook turned in about twice as many frames per second as the 17-inch PowerBook G4, making it the first Apple laptop possibly worth gaming on.

It's only a matter of time until the software catches up and most major vendors have committed to the transition. We do recommend looking into your favorite applications--especially if you use them for work--to see how the compatibility is shaping up before making a purchase. CNET's iMac Core Duo review contains many more details about Rosetta, universal binary, and other issues related to application performance on the new Intel-powered Macs.

For such a portable laptop, it's a shame that the MacBook Pro's battery life comes up short. In our DVD battery-drain test, the MacBook Pro lasted for 2.9 hours--a bit more than the 15-inch PowerBook we tested, but still inferior to the PC competition. The TravelMate 8200 lasted for almost 3.5 hours and the Pavilion dv1000t just shy of 4 hours.

System configurations
Acer TravelMate 8200
Windows XP Professional; 2GHz Pentium M-T2500 Core Duo; 2GB PC 4300 DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 512MB (256MB shared); Seagate Momentus 5400.2 120GB 5,400rpm

Apple iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 12-inch)
OS X 10.4.2; PowerPC G4 1.33GHz; 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 32MB; Fujitsu MHV2040AT 40GB 4,200rpm

Apple iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 14-inch)
OS X 10.3.8; PowerPC G4 1.33GHz; 256MB PC2100 266MHz DDR SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 32MB; Fujitsu MHT2060AT 60GB 4,200rpm

Apple MacBook Pro (1.83GHz Core Duo, 15.4-inch)
OS X 10.4.5; Core Duo 1.83GHz; 512MB PC4200 333MHz DDR2 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 128MB; Fujitsu MHT2060AT 60GB 4,200rpm

Apple PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz, 12-inch)
OS X 10.4.2; PowerPC G4 1.5GHz; 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM; Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 64MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 80GB 5,400rpm

Apple PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 15-inch)
OS X 10.4.1; PowerPC G4 1.67GHz; 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 64MB; Fujitsu MHT2080AH 80GB 5,400rpm

Apple PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 17-inch)
OS X 10.4.2; PowerPC G4 1.67GHz; 512MB PC4200 333MHz DDR2 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB; Seagate Momentus 5400.2 120GB 5,400rpm

HP Pavilion dv1000t
Windows XP Home; 1.5GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME up to 64MB; Fujitsu MHT2080AT PL 80GB 4m200rpm

Service And Support
Apple backs the MacBook Pro with an industry-standard one-year warranty that covers parts and labor, but toll-free telephone support is limited to a mere 90 days--well short of what you'll typically find on the PC side--unless you purchase the S$618.45 AppleCare Protection Plan, which extends phone support and repair coverage to three years. Apple does offer online troubleshooting, and its Web forums are a good resource to get tips from other users and download the product's printed manual.