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"Could not ask for a better mac!!! This is it, folks" on by dinjin201
Pros: Really nice 2.2Ghz Core i7 Processor
I got the high end 15" model with the Radeon HD 6750M and 1 GB of GDDR5
8GB of 1333Mhz DDR3 Memory
750 GB HDD - while its a slower hard drive (at 5400 RPM) space is a must for me
I got the high res glossy displayCons: While I have no real complaints to make about this mac, I will say that the price is a lot to pay. I also feel like thier AppleCare should come standard with each and every mac. (not for an extra $250 After the education discount).
Summary: This Macbook Pro is a great machine, and is my first macboook, but my third mac. I really really love it. One thing that really sold me was Time Machine. Time machine comes standard on any mac, and all you have to do is plug in an external hard drive and click "Use drive with Time Machine" Once you do that, the mac will do an initial backup, completely hassle free. After this, If you make any changes to the system, the files you changed are backed up, along with any older versions. Time Machine has its own interface that lets you view your computer as it was on a certain date so if you need a particular verison of a file, or if you want to work with an older copy, it lets you do so quite effectively. The best part is that you can back things up at your own liesure. If you're working on something extremely important, you can leave your drive plugged in, and the mac performs backups on a 1 hour interval. At the same time, you can remove the drive and plug it in later and it will do the backup of that moment. One last thing to note is that you can set up time machine for multiple drives, letting you maintain onsite and offsite backups with ease.
Guys, this is just a troll who didn't buy the actual product, and reserves no right to review it.
Another thing about the Mac OS is its significantly easy to use management of everything. almost anything is 1-2 clicks away. Even files buried in the deepest folders ever can be accessed through spotlight. The dock makes launching applications easier, and always stays there, so you can launch applications without ever having to leave what you were doing. This simplifies workflow.
On the hardware side, I cannot wait to see where Thunderbolt will go. Intel announced that the fiber optic version of thunderbolt would run on the current macs because the laser emitters will soon be included in the cables. This ensures that I will not have to worry about issues down the line when Thunderbolt goes totally Optical.
What I do on my Mac:
I edit HD video. Lots of it.
I play some casual games in windows through bootcamp
I have many many apps running at once, including CS4, Photoshop, and Final Cut.
I do a little graphics design, some CAD as a hobby... etc.
Web browsing and working with documents, spreadsheets and keynote presentations.
I also store all my photos on this mac - iPhoto is great for organizing those, and is a very flexible program.
Finally, I highly recommend this notebook to anyone who considers themselves a power user. If you're on the fence about switching to the mac, now is a great time to dive right in. It took me about a week to get totally used to the Mac OS (not very long, to be honest).
Once you go mac, you never go back :)
Updated on Mar 22, 2011
Updated on Mar 22, 2011Show me even a windows laptop with the specs you just asked for. Show me. Next time, before you post bogus reviews, please buy the machine OR at least test drive it for yourself.
Updated on Nov 14, 2011PS: To those of you claiming that I don't have the machine, I can email you some pictures, or a video or myself using the machine. I'm not a troll nor am I stupid. I actually have the machine in front of me and I'm typing on it right now. -
"A Real Competitor from Apple" on by punchwalk
Pros: 2nd-gen i7 Quad-Core processors, Unibody design is still as good as it gets, brilliant display panel, battery life is a cut above the competition. Thunderbolt, if it lives up to its potential.
Cons: Price, No USB 3.0, no HDMI out, AppleCare should be cheaper considering the exorbitant price of this notebook
Summary: In past years, I always passed on Apple computers despite my interest because I couldn't reconcile the idea of paying the premium for specs that were severely outdated. I think Apple actually made a significant stride towards being more competitive and "with the times" with their latest MBP refresh. The new CPU offerings are only a couple months on the market, which was unheard of for previous MBP lines. True, it's lacking a few other things that a PC labeled as "Pro" and sold in 2011 probably should have (GPU could be a bit better [though I assume the nVIDIA/Intel debacle played a role in that], USB 3.0, cheaper 8GB RAM option, HDMI port, etc), but nothing about it is so archaic as to cause the price point to be downright offensive as it was in years past.
I was on the fence about buying my first Mac for a few years and this refresh convinced me to finally pull the trigger. So far I'm absolutely loving it. On one hand, $2000 is a bit high for a 15" laptop. On the other hand, I bought a 15" HP dv6t Quad Edition back in January, fully spec-ed out (i7-2820QM, 8GB RAM, 1GB ATI 6570 I think, etc) for $1300 (got a discount, so really I spent a little less but the retail price was $1400) and it was the worst laptop I've ever used. I sent it back in less that two weeks. Given the vast difference in quality of user experience, components, and design, I think the $700 difference between the two is well worth it.
Side Note: I'm hoping the latest refresh is a sign of a permanent shift in Apple's release strategy for MBP such that future refresh dates will be in reasonably close proximity to Intel arch. updates from now on.
For users who feel an attachment to Windows, be advised that, through BootCamp, the MacBook Pro runs Windows as well as any other notebook I've used (though, it's worth mentioning that you won't enjoy nearly the same battery longevity when running Windows through BootCamp as you do in OS X, which is a real drag). -
"Same Classy Design, Spec update that puts it in front" on by epicdesign
Pros: Thunderbolt, New intel i series quad core processors, amazing screen, only laptop with built in HD camera, best operating system about to get better
Cons: Non enough peripherals for Thunderbolt (YET)
Summary: Apple stayed with the same classy design externally but went crazy on the inside, everything from the processor to the camera has been updated. This laptop won't be matched for at least a year or so, and with Lion coming out, its going to be a hell of a lot better. I've had several MacBook Pros in the past and they are reliable computers that last longer than any other computer.
The price you pay for the computer is well worth it, since it holds it resale value more than any other computer, and for business people if your switching from PC, the time your saving not waiting around for the computer to do something will pay for the computer in a matter in months.
Most of all, MACS DON'T GET VIRUSES, if you manage to get one you deserve an award ;) -
"Replaced June 2009 MBP. Couldn't pass up the quadcore!" on by rmignano
Pros: Very similar to my older MBP. So I guess that's a good thing. Sold sweet machine. Fast but not wildly faster than former MBP. I did add a Seagate Hybrid Drive and bumped to 8GB Ram. Waiting to see the effect of the Hybrid after time.
Cons: Not the major restyle I was hoping for. Not thinner, lighter or with the SSD boot drive and Standard drive combo. Thunderbolt? Well we need to have something to connect to, but that will come.
Summary: It's the best laptop you can buy. basically the same price I paid 21 months ago for more specs.
If you happen to be running a second monitor using a USB adapter, go to the DisplayLink site to download the latest Mac Driver. I had an older one from Kensington and it said it didn't recognize the Intel Processor. THe new Displaylink driver works fine. Also If you go with the Hybrid drive (an easy swap) make sure to update the firmware to SD24. Easy and available on the Seagate Site. -
"Super fast, bright, and crisp with very few issues" on by gmcfalls
Pros: Speed and graphics performance is awesome, overall design is still amongst the best available, battery life is 3x my previous Core 2 duo laptop, designed for the designer - it works incredibly well with Adobe CS5, FCS, Aperture, etc...
Cons: Not a huge fan of the keyboard. I type pretty fast so my fingers stay close to the keys. I find myself rubbing against the keys too much as they are separated. Some applications are crashing frequently like Blender and Premiere Pro.
Summary: Outstanding laptop and definitely worth $2200 if you are into a lot of design work. The thing is blazing fast. Compared to my previous 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo, Aperture is 5x faster, FCS is 7x faster, and Maya is amazing at up to 20x faster because of the 8 virtual cores and dedicated graphics processor. Applications like Maya really tap the power of the system. It's great that I feel like I have a laptop that's geared to the next generation of multicore designed applications. The Facetime app is fantastic and works very smoothly with the new HD camera. I can't wait for the next update to the OS X Lion which should bring improvements to Mail and iCal as well. It runs much, much cooler than my previous model - this is a definite improvement.
Some of the downsides I've noticed are that the system seems a little more unstable for certain apps. Specifically, Blender and Premiere Pro are giving me a lot of problems with stability. They either crash or behave oddly. For example, in Blender, when I go to rotate a model, the model clips and then disappears. A few seconds later the app crashes. This is frustrating. The keyboard is can be a little annoying at times as my fingers are sliding against the sides of the keys when I type. It just feels weird.
One feature that I really can't comment on is the Thunderbolt, or Light Peak, port. Nothing uses this. I've seen demos where people are transferring something ridiculous like 500 MB/s. But where is the support for this? I feel like I have a Ferrari without a gas tank. Looks great and sounds great - but missing a key thing to get it going.
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