PC Magazine hands-on with Apple’s new 17-inch MacBook Pro
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 03:33 PM ESTApple yesterday introduced "the MacBook Pro 17-inch (Aluminum) with the same unibody construction as the 15-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air," Joel Santo Domingo reports for PC Magazine.
"The MacBook Pro 17-inch (Aluminum) is obviously a bit bigger than the 15-inch model, but given that the chassis proportions are so similar, you'd never realize that from a distance, unless they were sitting next to each other. The giveaway when you get up close is that the speaker grilles next to the keyboard are just a bit wider. Looking at the bottom of the 17-inch, I get a sense of design déjà-vu. It's a seamless case, like that of the MacBook Air, iPhone, and iPods. The 8-hour (95Whr), 1,000-charge cycle battery is sealed in the case," Santo Domingo reports. "I was told by an Apple rep that, as with the iPod and iPhone, the battery will be an Apple Service item."
"HD video looks great on the screen, and can be displayed at the full 1,920 by 1,080 resolution," Santo Domingo reports. "All in all, it's a good update to the MacBook Pro line, and an 'about time' refresh for the 17-inch MacBook users out there who were waiting for a graphics and chassis update. We're looking forward to getting one in to PC Labs for a full tear-down test (look for that soon)."
MacDailyNews Take: So that he can complain about the lack of a built-in card reader, as usual (see related articles below). Forget about pucks, PC Magazine doesn't even have a pair of skates.
Full article here.


You can put a card reader in the express card slot. Of course, I got an eye-fi card instead so my photos automatically load wirelessly to my Mac as I'm taking them. But the express card slot is great if you are into nostalgia and antiques.