News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

October 29, 2008

hardware

The new MacBook Pro: four likes, three dislikes

Posted Oct. 29, ’08, 10:30 AM PT by Scott McNulty
Category | Hardware

macbookpro15.jpgYou might not know this, but Apple recently redesigned both of their MacBook lines. I’m lucky enough to be typing this on a shiny new 15-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 4 gigs of RAM. This is, without a doubt, my favorite Mac ever (of course the same can be said of every new Mac I buy) but there are a few things that I miss about my old first-generation MacBook Pro.

In the spirit of not typing up yet another MacBook Pro review allow me to present you with two lists: things I love about the new design after living with it for a few days, and the things I don’t like.

Read on for all the gory details.

Likes:

  1. The keyboard: Ever since the first MacBook came out I’ve been in love with the so called ‘Chiclet keyboard,’ and I am very happy to see it finally come to the MacBook Pro.

  2. The battery indicator: Moving the battery from the bottom of the MacBook Pro to the lefthand side is a stroke of genius. No longer do I have to poke at my MacBook’s bottom (unless I really want to).

  3. The screen: It’s bright, glossy and, thanks to the black bezel, it seems to float above the keyboard. I know the glossy-only option has caused some controversy, but I’ve always liked glossy screens and all those extra lumens packed into the LED screen overcome any reflections that you might encounter.

  4. Easily replaceable hard drive: Another innovation that premiered with the MacBook that’s finally made it into the Pro line. Swapping out the hard drive on a new MacBook Pro is so easy even a blogger can do it.

Nothing in this life is perfect, though, and the MacBook Pro is no exception. Here are some things that drive me a little batty about my new MacBook Pro:

  1. The trackpad: The multitouch capabilities of the trackpad are great, and it feels very nice to the touch. Sadly, this trackpad is buttonless…or should I say the trackpad itself is a button. A loud button. A very loud button. If you need to click on something just press down on the trackpad and it clicks (loudly) and sometimes, if you’re lucky, that click is registered. The trick, it seems, is to enable ‘Tap to Click,’ which works like a charm.

  2. The monitor hinge: This might just be my MacBook Pro but the monitor hinge isn’t that stiff. I was holding my new MacBook Pro whilst in the process of settling down onto the sofa in my living-room the other day. As I sat down I raised the MacBook Pro about level with my head, my nose nearly touching the keyboard. This is something, while odd, I have done many times with my old MacBook Pro with no ill effects. The new MacBook Pro isn’t suited for this particular maneuver, though, since to my surprise I felt the monitor (which is made of glass I’ll remind you) slam into the back of my head as I sat down. Lesson learned.

  3. The USB ports: The new MacBook Pro, like many MacBook Pros and PowerBooks before it, has two USB ports. It isn’t the ports themselves that is at issue, but their placement. Previous generations of MacBook Pro had a USB port on either side: one on the left, one on the right. This was great because it ruled out any chance of having a particularly bulky USB connector block your other USB port. Sadly, Apple decided to move all the ports on the new MacBook Pro to the left side, meaning that both USB ports are right next to one another. I would suggest investing in a good USB hub (which is a good idea when your computer only has two USB ports anyway) to rule out any USB port blockage that might occur with regular use.

Overall, my gripes with my new MacBook Pro are very minor and I wouldn’t hesitate recommending this Mac to anyone (in fact I would suggest that for most folks this machine is the perfect desktop replacement, if you’re into that kind of thing).


7 Comments

James Grinter said:

My gripes:

1. the battery indicator - now you can only tell if a battery has charge by plugging it into the laptop (maybe a third party will come up with a useful charging station that duplicates the lights? Apple don't seem interested in such things.)

2. the USB connectors both on the left hand side are inconvenient for anyone right-handed who wants to plug in a mouse.

October 29, 2008 11:15 AM
Chris said:

I agree with most of that. I just picked up the 2.53GHz with 4GB of RAM and I'm more than pleased. It easily toasts my old 2.16GHz MBP that I was using at work. Everything feels so much more solid and the computer certainly seems faster.

The trackpad is taking me longer to get used to than I anticipated. Sometimes I try to use my other hand to "click" like I did with the old trackpad but if 2 fingers touch the surface at anytime it changes the behavior. Plus I keep forgetting about the gestures. They're awesome when I remember but I've been using CMD+Tab for so long I just resort back to that.

I love the screen. I love the unibody design. And I'm 100% with you on the keyboard. After using the MacBook keyboard I couldn't stand using the softer keyboard of the previous MBP.

October 29, 2008 11:57 AM
jsk said:

Nice to see the battery indicator back where it belongs - where you can actually see it. This is not a new feature, though. Wallstreet, Lombard, and Pismo PowerBook G3s all had their battery indicators on the side (you could also side the battery out without turning the laptop upside down too). I was always a little mystified by Apple's move to put the indicator on the bottom - where nobody can see it.

October 29, 2008 12:03 PM
Darren said:

OTOH, 2 USB ports side by side make it easier to plug in portable hard drives using the power sucking double-dongles... I have a horrible time using mine on my current MBP...

October 29, 2008 3:10 PM
John Scott said:

I never like buying something new that has less features then the old one. Especially when these features are still being used. I can except partially the Firewire being removed. Even though Apple seemed to have now admitted that it was not accepted as much as they once thought. The fact they gave us no third or forth USB port in place of it was cheap.Almost as bad as the MacBook Air.

October 29, 2008 4:45 PM
spiderbat said:

Nice article: the point of view of the final user is what matters in the end.
I couldn't agree more with you about the two contiguous USB ports: this solution has many disadvantages.

I'm pretty worried about the trackpad functionality, since I'm committed to the laptop as my main computer and prefer not relying on a mouse.

About displays you wrote:
"I know the glossy-only option has caused some controversy, but I’ve always liked glossy screens and all those extra lumens packed into the LED screen overcome any reflections that you might encounter."
This is mainly an issue of personal preference, but I'd like to point out that reflections should be avoided before they occur, rather than be defeated by increased screen luminosity: staring for hours everyday at an intense light source is all but healthy for one's sight.

I defer any judgement until I'll have the occasion to test the MBP by myself, but, all in all, I feel that the ideal laptop for me would be still my present PB 15" with revamped internal organs (processor, graphic card, RAM) but with the same external arrangement, i.e., ports (including FireWire 400 and 800; one could improve on the PB by adding digital audio in/out and an analog input capable to work with microphones), matte display, no pesky camera pointed at my ugly face...

October 30, 2008 1:33 AM
mare Author Profile Page said:

I never look at the battery indicator when the battery is *in* my MacBook Pro. There is a menu bar widget for that. However I use it quite often to see how much juice is left in my spare battery. Can't do that anymore with the new battery packs...

O and I have a Apple mouse that has only a 2 ft cable. No way I can use that in the left USB port without using (yet another) adapter cable.

October 30, 2008 7:13 AM

Leave a comment

 



Visit other IDG sites: