MacBook Pro Review

Posted on January 15th, 2008. Written by Rico.

Over the weekend, we at Technograph put a MacBook Pro through its paces. Apple’s flagship portable line has a lot of strengths that make an appealing high-end option for buyers.

We reviewed a 15.4″ model, running on a 1.83 Ghz Core Duo processor with a 80GB hard disk. Graphics were powered by an ATI Radeon X1600 Mobility, and there was 1GB of RAM to work with. The first thing we noticed about the MacBook Pro was its compact size. Despite the screen size, the unit’s thin profile made it easy to move around. The laptop is still heavy at 5.4 pounds, but the lack of bulk made it easy to cram the portable into small backpacks.

Even though we used a low-end MacBook Pro, there was more than enough power to run almost everything quickly. Using Final Cut Pro, a demanding video-editing program, proved to be a responsive experience. The 80GB of hard disk space is a bit too small for contemporary needs though.

It’s the integrated audio that make the MacBook Pro really stand out. The built-in iSight is barely decent at 640×480 pixel image quality, but the speakers are definitely better than many other laptops.

Another strength of the MacBook Pro is it’s relative resistance to scratching and wrist-rest darkening. The matte metallic casing doesn’t suffer the same propensity towards fingerprints and cringe-worthy scratches as the iPod.

The MacBook Pro isn’t perfect, and some of its shortcomings may prove to be deal-breakers for prospective buyers. An obvious one is the different OS; long-time Windows users need some time getting used to the new, less keyboard-centric control scheme (though installing BootCamp, a program that lets Mac OS X users run Windows, solves this problem somewhat).

We also had a harder time connecting to Wi-Fi hotsposts. It seems that the MacBook Pro’s Wi-Fi antenna has a harder time catching signals through walls and doors, at least compared to the Windows laptops we’ve tried. There’s also nothing special about the battery life, which lasts for about two-and-a-half hours on a signal charge, under normal usage, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth left on.

But by far the biggest con of the MacBook Pro is the price. Despite the relatively low-end specs, even second-hand MacBook Pros will fetch quite a steep price. There are simply more affordable pre-owned options out there. Nevertheless, a MacBook Pro supported by an equally pricey AppleCare service plan represents hours of trouble-free computing.

Longbeard carries some MacBook Pro at surprisingly low prices.

Rico

Rico Mossesgeld is the founding editor of Technograph. Learn more about him at rico.mossesgeld.com/about.

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