“I have spent a week getting to know Apple’s newest 17-in. MacBook Pro — the 2.6-GHz model with LED backlighting, to be specific — and I’m still not sure it’s the perfect machine for me. Much like the ultraslim MacBook Air isn’t for everyone, neither is the biggest of the MacBook Pros. But it is one incredibly impressive laptop, and it doesn’t seem as bulky as I’d always thought,” Ryan Faas reports for Computerworld.
“Though it is approximately twice the weight of the MacBook Air, I can’t really say that the 17-in. MacBook Pro is overly heavy. Despite my assumptions about its bulk, at 6.6 lb., it is actually lighter than I expected. That makes it just over a pound heavier than the 15-in. MacBook Pro and about a pound and a half heavier than the 13-in. MacBook,” Faas reports.
“The LED screen is new to the 17-in. line with this model. I’d seen this technology on the MacBook Air and thought it was impressive then in terms of screen brightness, but on the MacBook Pro, it is simply stunning,” Faas reports. “The LED backlighting is the one you want: It’s bright, crisp and at full power immediately. With the glossy screen — an option for MacBook Pro displays — the brightness and color brilliance is out of this world. It has to be seen in person to be appreciated.”
“Without a doubt, the 17-in. MacBook Pro is an impressive machine, both in terms of performance and the new LED screen… You may decide that it’s still bigger than you need. Or you may find, as I did, that your assumptions about size and weight pale in comparison to the solid design, stunning screen and ample processing power available on Apple’s biggest laptop,” Faas reports.
Much more in the full review here.
Okay, let’s here the complaints about glossy screens.
lets not, there is a choice
No complaint here, though I do prefer matte. The author raises a question for me – Are glossy screens appreciably brighter than matte? This could alter my preference. I guess I’ll need to see them side-by-side at my local Apple store.
Yeah, let’s hear/here/hire/heri those compliants/complaints.
I was trying to click on “ultraslim” to view in Dictionary (thank god, it’s not a word) and the DELL “pop-under” ad obfuscated it.
FatMac. You cap. DELL and not God? Oh dear. What about HELL?
So what is the perfect machine for you, Ryan?
I purchased mine in December. I use it mostly for watching TV shows and movies from iTunes, and gaming when I am on the road.
Battery life on this system is outstanding. I once watched two movies on DVD, Alien and Aliens, and the battery did not die.
The reviewers complaint about “bulk” is just silly. This is the least bulky of the 17″ laptops. At 1″ thick and 6.6 pounds, it is not bulky at all.
The laptop gets very hot while gaming and can overheat if not placed on a solid surface. I purchased a Zalman ZM-NC2000 notebook cooler and it is perfect for this laptop. It is super quiet and the laptop never comes close to overheating.
His comments on the display are spot on. I have the hi res glossy and it is perfect for watching movies. It is even better than my 30″ and 23″ Cinema Displays.
I have used a lot of laptops over the years and this is by far the best laptop there is. I would even go so far as to say that it is the best system that Apple has.
“I’m still not sure it’s the perfect machine for me.” Still can’t leave the dark side. He doesn’t say or doesn’t know why it is not “the perfect machine for me.”
How bad does Windows have to be for these people to give it up. Ballmer said it was a work in progress and to look for Windows 7 in a few years. No one can really defend Windows any more. They just feel that they can tolerate it a little longer.
I found a simple solution to laptop heating. I set a pair of little rubber feet – the sort that might be found on furniture – on my table and use them to prop up the back of the laptop. (It’s an old G3 Powerbook Pismo.) It improves ventilation on the bottom, and gives the keyboard a useful tilt. No need for fancy stands.
wun dei wen i gro up i wan to llurn ho too spel propirlee…
i am such a looser ya here?!
spilchik dusnt wurk ….
17-inch MacBook, what happens when the MBA grows up.
Don’t they have a new MacBook Pro line coming out soon? Anyone?
@M@c:
yeah i find it kind of funny how people are still reviewing the Macbook pro, 2 years after the fact.
Yea, I agree. I much prefer the Pro’s keyboard over the MacBook’s though. Hopefully Apple will keep it. I know a keyboard design is a silly thing to pick one laptop over another, but you just dont get that nice feedback from the new keyboard designs that Apple is going with.