“The MacBook Pro was introduced earlier this year with Intel’s Core Duo processor, and now Apple’s high-end laptop gets a boost to Intel’s latest-and-greatest processor, the Core 2 Duo. Other than the updated CPU, the rest of the MacBook Pro remains largely the same, with appreciated bumps to the memory and the hard drive,” Dan Ackerman writes for CNET Reviews.
“There are two 15-inch versions that use either a 2.16GHz or a 2.33GHz CPU, as well as a 17-inch version with the 2.33GHz chip. Apple supplied us with the 2.33GHz 15-inch model, which has a base price of $2,499. Our review unit features memory and hard drive upgrades, which bring the price to $3,174. While the performance gains aren’t game-changing, anyone who recently purchased a Core Duo MacBook Pro is doubtlessly gnashing their teeth right now, but this move to Core 2 Duo removes one of the last objections some buyers felt about plunking down for a Mac laptop,” Ackerman writes.
Ackerman writes, “Apple’s minimalist school of design is well represented in the MacBook Pro. Opening the lid, you’ll find only a power button, a full-size keyboard, stereo speakers, a sizable touch pad with a single mouse button, and a built-in iSight camera that sits above the display. We’re still big fans of the keyboard’s backlighting feature and the two-finger touch pad scroll (run two fingers down the touch pad and it scrolls like a mouse wheel).”
“If you’ve been holding off on making the leap to a MacBook because of the lack of Core 2 Duo processors, this new update adds the latest Intel CPUs and provides a great overall computing experience, albeit at a premium price,” Ackerman writes.
Full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Premium price” compared to what exactly, a cut-rate PC laptop or a comparably-equipped PC laptop that can’t run Mac OS X? If the former, CNET’s point is meaningless, if the latter, please tell us which PC laptop can match or beat Apple’s MacBook Pro pricing.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Computerworld: Apple’s new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo ‘one cool customer, fastest Apple laptop ever’ – November 02, 2006
Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo dissection photos – October 30, 2006
Why MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo units are limited to 3 GB RAM – October 30, 2006
Apple redesigns, hides iSight indicator on MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models – October 28, 2006
Apple does it again: New Macbook Pros much cheaper than Dell – October 25, 2006
Yager: New Apple MacBook Pro is ‘mobile landing pad for Leopard in plenty of time for Macworld Expo’ – October 24, 2006
Apple MacBook Pro notebooks go Intel Core 2 Duo; up to 39-percent faster – October 24, 2006
Jesus! Did they upgrade EVERYTHING. The 2499 model STOCK version comes perfectly equiped. 256mb Video card and 2gb ram, i can only assume they put the 200gb HDD (which isnt recommended) and 4gb of ram which is OVERKILL. my 1gb of ram in my Core Duo 15″ is more than enough to edit 1080p DVCPRO HD from my HVX200.
Did they just happen to MISS the FireWire 800? The increased L2 Ram? The dual layer burner? I can’t believe how biased this article is…I mean, honestly, where the hell do they get off maxing out the price like that and saying that there were only modest increases in speed, but other than that the machine is basically the same? I mean the top of the line is even cheaper than it was when the MBP’s first came out, but with more speed, more ram, more hardware, more everything…it’s actually a pretty good upgrade!
CNET reeks of fear these days – and for good reason: the world is finally waking up.
How is iLife proprietary software?
Gil: Look up the word “proprietary” in the dictionary.
Cynic821
You can’t put 4GB of ram in them (well you can put it in) but it only supports 3GB
Peterson’s farts are proprietary.
To: MacDailyNews:
Get a Life!
I didnt configure one, but how would you make a 2499 model that expensive. and why would you? lol
All it takes is 3GB of ram and 160GB HD and it is $3174
Ok, you have to admit that the MacBook Pro is at a “premium price” if you consider two things: 1 – the price of the unit they tested (sheesh, they must have included every option available!) and 2 – other notebook computers such as the MacBook.
The Dell as close as possible $3643
Processor
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7600 (2.33GHz/667MHz/4MB) edit
Operating Systems
Genuine Windows® XP Professional, SP2 with Media edit
Express Upgrade to Windows Vista
No Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Selected edit
Graphics
NVIDIA® Quadro FX 1500M, 256MB (dedicated), OpenGL edit
LCD Panel Options
17 inch Wide Screen WUXGA LCD Panel edit
Memory
2 GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM edit
Hard Drives
160GB Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
Module Bay Devices
8XDVD+/-RW w/Sonic Digital Media™/CyberLink PowerDVD™ edit
Wireless LAN (802.11)
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Dual-band Mini-Card edit
Bluetooth
Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module edit
Mobile Broadband
None edit
Wireless Broadband Router
None
Everything can seem biased when you are afflicted by selective reading and comprehension. This is actually a pretty fair review with many positive things said about the MacBook Pro.
“”Premium price” compared to what exactly, a cut-rate PC laptop or a comparably-equipped PC laptop that can’t run Mac OS X? If the former, CNET’s point is meaningless, if the latter, please tell us which PC laptop can match or beat Apple’s MacBook Pro pricing.”
That’s like shooting fish in a barrel:
MacBook $1999
Equivalent Dell (Higher res screen, faster DVD burner) $1338
I wonder if this improved version ‘just works’?
You can’t get a equally configured Dell for the same price or cheaper – here is a 15.4″ Dell configured as close as possible to the Macbook Pro
The Dell is $3253 with
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7600 (2.33GHz/667MHz) Dual Core
Genuine Windows® XP Professional, SP2 with Media edit
Express Upgrade to Windows Vista
NVIDIA® Quadro FX 350M 512MB Turbocache, OpenGL
15.4 inch Wide Screen WUXGA LCD Panel
2 GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM
160GB Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio Software™ and Cyberlink Power DVD™
Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Dual-band Mini-CardMobile Broadband
The main Dell consumer and business notebook lines, comparably equipped, ARE somewhat less expensive than the MacBook Pro (even when you add in 3 years of virus protection for the Dells). I’ve done the–painstaking–comparisons for a business purchase recently. Dell’s premium laptop line, on the other hand, is more expensive, but no one has to get that.
Of course, a “comparable” Dell machine does not include OS X and the other Apple software; but only those who’ve used both Windows and OS X can appreciate the difference, and most haven’t.
That said, I’m eagerly anticipating my new $2499 15″ MacBook Pro, ordered yesterday (hope they’ve solved the Airport issues before mine ships!).
Hey Pricing – that surly isn’t an equivalent Dell
I Love how all these people in this forum say you can get an equal Dell for less – Show me the configurations? The Dell always comes up more expensive – especially with these new Macbook Pros
Well, who cares how much you pay – I only hope these models don’t have any issues. I’m so sick of buying Apple products which break down on me and require a trip to the Apple hospital for 10 days while they fix it up.
100% of my last 3 machines have required a service call.
CNET: Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo ‘provides great overall computing experience, at a premium price’
Does that mean that Dell ‘provides a crappy overall computing experience, at a premium price’?
You work hard and study and do good you get a Mac if not you are stuck with a Dell
“Hey Pricing – that surly isn’t an equivalent Dell”
It’s a E1505 configured to be equivalent to the base Macbook Pro, superior in some specs as noted where Dell has no exact match.
Look also at the 1705, it can be configured almost exactly the same as a 17″ Macbook Pro for $1993, including only the 2.16GHz processor, but the Nvidia 7900 graphics, which puts the X1600 to shame (It’s about 3 times quicker in the graphic accelerator department, perhaps a good tradeoff for $800 saving and .17MHz less on the processor speed). And if you don’t want the 667MHz ram or the fast graphics you can save even more.
The fact is except by comparing with a few premium priced PCs, you can forget price comparisons with the PC world coming out in Apple’s favor.
Comparisons already done!
http://www.systemshootouts.org/
Mouse over the links at top
Unfortunatly the PS3 now can sport a keyboard and mouse for web browsing and other things.
http://news.com.com/2300-1043_3-6131992-6.html?tag=ne.gall.pg
As you may not know the PS3 sports a Cell processor with 9 cores for only $600.
Intel is selling the Quad processor for $999 each in volume. Two (eight cores) would be $2000, then add a case and everything else from Apple. $5000.
LOL JfK
it seems to me that CNet has become less in depth and more about whats hip. not that there’s anything wrong with it…I just get better info about phones at one sight, cameras at another, pc at some others, and TVs at still another. They seem to be the Wal Mart of reviewers, which isn’t always bad, just not enough REAL info.