Macbook Pro - Review

Design

The design of the Macbook Pro (similarly with all Apple products) is what really sets it apart from its competitors. Personally, I found designs of laptops have never been stylish, but rather dull, as you buy a computer for functionality, not for its appearance. Right?...Wrong. From my personal experiences buying computers with ours, for ours and for myself, the appearance of the laptop can be the decisive factor determining if the sale is to go ahead. Apple have "hit the nail on the head" with their entire range of products, especially the Macbook Pro, these are highly styled and amazing looking machines.

The colour is what struck me first, I thought that dark/black laptops look better and was skeptical if I would feel happy with the silver coloured Macbook Pro. That was the case, the silver case is superb and with Apple using the silver in a consistent fashion on the entire laptop, it does look like a whole, complete and polished computing unit. All the light/dark shades of the silver case compliment each other, whether that be the keyboard, trackpad, casing or screen.

The speakers are situated adjacent to the keyboard at both sides. They compliment the design well with small, grill-like holes spanning the full heigh of the keyboard, allowing for symmetry. However, for me, sound quality and intensity isn't an important feature so a reduced surface area would have given more space for a slightly larger keyboard. Similarly, the power button is integrated into the right speaker. It is approximated 2cm in diameter with the typical power symbol engraved onto the the smooth, shiny surface. Again, this supports the awesome design as well as being functional, due to the size, you do not have an issue of missing or having to maneuver your fingers to turn on a machine. Also, have to consider those beginner users (someone like my computer-illiterate gran) would not have an issue turning this machine on and trust me, I know of some people who find that a task.

Another design feature which I adore is the bevel for the screen display. Obviously on a laptop, your screen rotates to collapse onto your keyboard. On most laptops, the actual rotating mechanism is on the top of the laptop, mimicking 2 slices of bread. However, on the Macbook Pro, the bevel is integrated directly into the bottom layer of the laptop which for one, looks much more clean and also reduces the depth of the laptop itself which is always a bonus.

Screen

Likewise, the screen itself is pretty slender with only a small margin of material surrounding it. I do not have the High-definition screen but the quality is crisp. The screen itself has the simplest but best latch that I have witness on a laptop. It is small and requires minimal effort to actually open, this being a large button which you have to press lightly on the front of the machine. Due to the grip's small size, you do not have a visually displeasing site on the top of your screen, but another case of swerve design. Between the grips, is where the isight camera is situated. It is approximately 1cm in diameter and fits snug within the top of the screen within interfering with the overall design.

The screen size is 15.4 inches with a 1440 x 900 resolution which is a whole grade resolution higher than other 15" laptops. This is a huge bonus of being able to see more on your screen without compromising with exceptionally tiny icons, text and images which would defeat the object of higher resolutions.

Another awesome feature of the screen is the dynamics of its lighting, that being it adapts to the lighting of the room that you are located in. For example, if the room suddenly became dark, the screen would become brighter and vice versa. A very subtle but great feature of the Macbook Pro. The lighting can be changed manually, either in the System Preferences or on the keyboard

Keyboard

The keyboard is an important part of any laptop and so comfortability with the keyboard is an essential part of your working relationship with the Macbook Pro. The most striking part of the Macbook Pro's keyboard is the backlit keys. Basically, all the keys have lights behind them. You can adjust the lighting from the keyboard itself as well as the lights actually changing to ambient conditions where you are situated, similar to the main screen lighting.

Size is an imperative aspect that needs to be covered. Comparative to the size of the bottom layer of the Macbook Pro, the keyboard actually takes up a small percentage of the available space. The adjacent speakers and trackpad block the keyboard to the top middle. For my personal use, this is not an issue at all as for one, I do not have large fingers and the size is similar to my previous keyboard so that wasn't a large adjustment for my. The keys themselves, in respects to size could present an issue for some users. Case in point is the main enter key which is approximately half the size of any other laptop keyboard in the same competitive range. The enter key is used frequently and you may have issues using it consistently, as shown by some other user reviews. Personally, this isn't an issue, not once have I not hit it whilst typing but that could be to do with my touch typing ability. Most the keys apart from the letter keys do appear to be slightly smaller than other branded laptop keyboards but this is minimal and was easy for my to adapt. Emphasis on slightly, as the differences really are minute.

The keys themselves are in part, odd. Obviously, on the Macbook Pro(or any mac) you will have the Apple/Command keys in replace of the Windows key (if you had a PC laptop). If we are going to compare the keys to a PC keyboard, lets give some prominent examples. The most noticeable change for me was the @ and " keys being swapped as I used them on a daily basis. Similarly, the # instead of being on the right side of the main block on the keyboard, you now have to use Alt + 3 which is an inconvenience for my as I use that symbol frequently. My only other criticism of the keys are as follows.

Firstly, immediately left of the 1 key is this odd key § and ±. They appear to have no important purpose but to just fill a space on the keyboard as I have never encountered § before. Similarly, to the right of the right Command key is a small enter button. What is the purpose of 2 enter keys?...I personally find it rather pointless. In the same region of the subsidiary enter key are the arrow buttons which are fine. However, if you have the quadruple arrangement of ←, ↓, → and ↑, you would have ↑ above the other keys. This leaves 2 free key blocks to the left and right of this key, which on most keyboards is utilised. But, on the Macbook Pro, they are not used at all and are just blank, flat plastic. Lastly, the delete button is missing from the Macbook Pro as you only have a backspace key which doesn't serve the same purpose as a dedicated delete button. Basically, Apple could have utilised these pointless/blank keys for an actual purpose instead of depreciated what is, overall, a decent keyboard.

TrackPad

The TrackPad is an integral part of any Laptop and is one of those love-hate relationships amongst Laptop owners. I personally adore the trackpad and prefer it over the ordinary mouse. The trackpad on the Macbook Pro is a simple one in respects to it design. It is quite a large trackpad with dimensions of approximately 4" wide and 3" deep, a comfortable amount for use. Below the trackpad itself is a single button, same dimensions as the trackpad

As an avid trackpad user, a smooth trackpad is a principle feature which I like and the Macbook Pro delivers which means less heated friction on the fingers after extensively use. A great feature with the trackpad, is the multi-touch ability, i.e. that ability for it to distinguish between single and double finger taps. The trackpad registers 1 finger, 1 tap is left click; 2 fingers, 1 tap is right click and 2 fingers slide for scroll. This is highly intuitive which allows for even faster and more efficient use of the Macbook Pro.

The single button of the mouse has been under lots of user scrutiny. Most laptops have 2 buttons underneath the trackpad but the Macbook Pro does not. However, considering the intuitive multi-touch abilities, the 2nd button isn't exactly necessary and I find it easier to use both the button and the trackpad for left click due to its size. The only recommendation I would have, would be for Apple to enhance the hardware of it. This being, keeping the single button for left clicking but allow it to distinguish between left and right, i.e. pushing on the left side of the single button bar would be left click and vice verse. However, this would be an option only, not the only default so you can choose in System Preferences. That would make the the mouse button that much better for a greater user base of the Macbooks. The only modification that I would love to see in the Macbook Pro, is the integration of the Multi-touch gestures available in the Macbook Air, and if it was purely a firmware updates, I would download the update immediately. However, I suspect it would be a hardware update which is disappointed considering my purchase of the Macbook Pro was less than a month from when the Air was released

Optical Drive

The Optical Drive, or CD/DVD drive is one of those hardware parts that we don't really use but always expect on a machine. The Macbook Pro obviously has an Optical Drive, but nothing like you would witness of a PC laptop. There is no tray, just a slit into the front of the machine, which, when I first used was an experience. All you do is push your CD/DVD into the drive and it grabs the CD and starts processing the contents. It integrates itself into the design of the Macbook Pro extremely well and because it is not a tray, it takes up even less space which is always a plus.

Ports

The 15" Macbook Pro comes will 11 ports, situated on the left and right sides of the Macbook Pro only. That is a great design point, therefore, you do not have cables emerging from the front of the laptop and causing discomfort to your chest or lap. The best feature from the ports is the Magsafe Adapter, which is the connector for the power supply into the Macbook Pro. The adapter is magnetic which is far safety reasons, i.e. if someone trips on your cord, it will smoothly eject the cord from your Macbook Pro and not jolt your machine from your lap, a definite awesome feature.

Heat

The heat of the Macbook Pro can get quite excessive. I observed some temperature values of 60°C or 140°F, which is extremely hot (that was on A/C power supply). On battery, it was about 10° less but still very hot. Therefore, I installed an app called smcFanControl. This app allows you to control the fan speed of your Mac which is imperative for a Macbook Pro as I can keep the temperature at a tolerable level.

Power

The primary function of my Macbook Pro is a desktop, as I do not really use its mobile/portability to a great degree. Therefore, the battery isn't something that concerns me as the A/C power supply is all that I require. However, the other day I tried with the battery power only and it lasted just over 3 hours which I was impressed with considering I was working the Macbook pretty hard.