So I have the macbook pro older version. My LED screen broke in the sense that half the lights don't work sometimes, and there's a high-pitched noise sometimes, etc, that's for another post.
I went to the largest Apple store in the country and thought that maybe, just maybe, I might come home with one. But I didn't. Here are my random observations. I consider myself picky when it comes to screens and keyboards and touchpads. I don't like alot of 'play' in keyboards, like loose where the key doesn't feel solid when you press it, and I don't like poor screens. I do not care about scratchability and finger prints and things like that.
1. The Aluminum Macbook screen, without question, is inferior to the Macbook Air screen and to the Macbook Pro screen of all generations. If I had to put a number on it (take it or leave it), I'd say it's about 30% worse.
2. The Aluminum Macbook screen is, without question, better than the previous plastic Macbook screen.
3. Had I never seen a macbook pro or not been currently using a macbook pro for the past year, I *probably* would not complain. I think it's a case of the macbook pro screen /macbook air screen being that good rather than the aluminum macbook's screen being bad. I consider the macbook pro screen (both old and aluminum version) to be the best screens that I've ever seen in a laptop.
4. The new models are unbelievably thin. They do the bevel thing, so they look so thin from a distance, but in actuality they are only 0.05 inches thinner.
5. The speakers in the new macbook are better than the plastic macbook's. The speakers in the new macbook pro are definitely better than the new macbook's. The speakers in the new macbook pro appear to be about the same as the old macbook pro, but it was CRAZY noisy in there.
6. The keyboard in the macbooks and macbook pros vary. I read that many of the macbook pro keyboards are "clackety" and have a different tactile feel than the macbook keyboards. I would agree with that in general. The sample size is small, but there were probably ten macbooks and macbook pros that I tried back to back. All ten macbooks had the "desirable" perfect action just like the macbook air. I'd say 5/10 of the macbook pros had a similar action; the other five seemed to have mildly loose keys or the feel was just different. I feel confident that the keyboard manufacturer must be different in those 5 macbook pros. Why this would be the case I have no idea, but the way the keyboard feels is absolutely different in half the macbook pros and can't be due to wear and tear since they are all brand new.
7. The glass touchpad is fine and I think and improvement. It is so silky smooth, and your fingers really do glide on it. What I am intrigued by is the possibility of right-clicking once while in boot camp just like on a windows machine. Before, you had to tap with two fingers and then tap the single trackpad button, which was an extra step that adds up over time.
8. The glass reflections were more significant than on the macbook air. Meaning, the macbook air has a glossy screen, which probably bothers some people. If that's you, the glass reflections are worse on the new ones. However, you can overcome it with a bright screen setting. My issue with glare, and I don't usually care that much about glare, is that at half brightness, the glare becomes more of a problem.
9. The screen does not appear to be covered in glass. To me it seems like hard plastic. I don't really care that much.
10. The unibody design is definitely sturdy, and given its thinness, is definitely a step up. I am quite impressed by the engineering.
In the end, I agree with most people. The macbook pro is a lateral upgrade (in other words, not really better or worse, just new), while the aluminum macbook vs the plastic one is definitely an upgrade, absolutely (albeit at a higher cost).
All things considered, picking up a new 'old' macbook pro unquestionably has to be the best bang for your buck right now in all of apple land.
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