My MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz) Review

[ftbps]

Hello All,

There are several reviews floating everywhere for the new macbook pro. Also i have read people complaining about glass display, fan noise, ...etc.

I will give you my experience and I am sure it will help you in making buying decisions.

I was having an early gen 2008 MBP, which I gave back to Apple and purchased this new one. The box had two seals on it, seems like it was reopened by Apple for some reason. The inside plastic was sealed. The power cord plastic was loose.

Opened my laptop and before turning ON, looked at each detail. My keys on the keyboard are not crooked. The display had no dust inside it. It was nice and clear. My first impression: I was not much impressed to look at such a big change as compared to the earlier generation. Also all the reviews made me think negative.

Then I turned the Laptop ON, registered it and immediately made a decision that I am returning this because it looks ugly and the screen is glossy and i am not impressed because i see reflections.

All this was because of the bad reviews that are floating everywhere. After using it for a while I started liking the glossy display. This is not like the cheap gloss display on all the PCs we find now a days. This is totally different. I do not even feel that it it glass. Just looks like the matte with brighter colors.

Keyboard: I do not have any problems with this new style keyboard. But personally like the old keyboard better. I also think that the old MBP looked more professional than this one. This notebook looks a bit like PCs now. The original attraction is gone. Looks like Apple designed this to save some money. But it is strong built though, so do not get me wrong.

Trackpad: For me the new trackpad is a total disaster. Very hard to use in Bootcamp, little easy on mac. The hard click only works in the lower half of the trackpad and not in the upper half. Do now know what Apple was thinking while designing this trackpad. I think apple fans are just accepting this because they like apple and the computer is great in general. Overall will give 0 out of 10

Glass Display: Glass display is just simply great. But the Lcd is certainly a little bit lower quality than the previous generation MBP. Thats because some dark videos that were very clear on the earlier MBP are not as clear. But overall I am happy with this display. Will give 9 out of 10.

Unibody: After looking at the Apple video of the design of the unibody, I am impressed. But I a neutral on this design. Still like the silver keyboard and silver border. Black is just not professional.

Fan Noise: Fans are quiet most of the time just like the old MBP. Did hear some wierd fan noise once. Will be neutral this one

Heat: Heat factor has greatly improved. Old 2008 MBP had more heat problems. Will give 10 out of 10

XP on Parallels and bootcamp: Runs perfect with no driver issues or any other problems. The fan runs at extremely high speeds on bootcamp for first 2 mins after startup, but gets slow after that. Trackpad is the worst thing in bootcamp. One has to use three fingers for right click. But again this is a MAC and not a PC.


Speed: Havent done any benchmarks. But seems to be running quiet faster than the 2.5GHz earlier MBP. Will give 10 out of 10

Sound: Neutral on this one

LCD hinges: The LCD is a bit loose. It can automatically move just by its weight. But does not create any issues with normal operation.

Hardisk/Battery cover: It is a bit difficult to put the cover back as it should be. I am a good teck guy and it took me some efforts to put it back in. Do not open if not needed.

Conclusion: Nice notebook and worth the price. Will buy it anytime. But would not even mind paying few hundred extra just to get the old MBP style back. For some reason this is not the PRO look. They are upto something on this one.

Please get back if you have any questions.

 

[kntgsp]

Keyboard: I do not have any problems with this new style keyboard. But personally like the old keyboard better. I also think that the old MBP looked more professional than this one. This notebook looks a bit like PCs now. The original attraction is gone. Looks like Apple designed this to save some money. But it is strong built though, so do not get me wrong.

They went with the new keyboard because in surveys it's overwhelmingly favored. They had a lot of the MBP users asking for the MB keyboard. Personally I like it better than the same keyboard that's been on the MBP's all the way back to the G4 PB's. The concave keys were easier to slip off of.

These keys make less noise, and are spaced apart so you aren't as likely to hit the wrong key. The black keys with white backlight makes them much easier to read as well for the "hunt and peck" typers and people trying to see what Function key does what.

Trackpad: For me the new trackpad is a total disaster. Very hard to use in Bootcamp, little easy on mac. The hard click only works in the lower half of the trackpad and not in the upper half. Do now know what Apple was thinking while designing this trackpad. I think apple fans are just accepting this because they like apple and the computer is great in general. Overall will give 0 out of 10

0/10 is harsh. It takes a little getting used to. I'm far, farrrr from an Apple apologist (if you haven't seen some of my criticising posts), but I really think it was a good idea. It's more a superficial change than a substantive one. The only other way I could have seen them going is adopting the Air style touchpad with the slim button at the bottom.

And when you really think about it, it's basically just visual. After a few minutes I didn't even notice it was different as my thumb rests at the bottom where the clicker used to be while my index finger does the scrolling. I think it's mostly a mental thing getting used to.

I certainly can't speak for everyone, but having easy right-click access is something that I adore. The option to have the corner clicks act as right clicks is so much simpler. With regards to the XP issue about having to use the three finger click for right-click, that's a driver/software issue. I'm sure there will be a fix in due time.

Personally, I think it's an improvement. It's not perfect, but I like it better than the old trackpad setup. But then again, it's a personal preference and how quick you can adjust to new things. It'll probably be a split between those who like it and those who don't, the same way as with the glossy vs. matte screen crowd.

Glass Display: Glass display is just simply great. But the Lcd is certainly a little bit lower quality than the previous generation MBP. Thats because some dark videos that were very clear on the earlier MBP are not as clear. But overall I am happy with this display. Will give 9 out of 10.

I had the last Merom MBP revision with the LED screen. The new ones are much brighter. Almost blindingly so at their fullest. The glass and updated LED screen give you deeper blacks and much whiter whites than before. My biggest complaint is resolution. I want something higher than 1440x900 on the high end 15" model. However I'd likely give it the same rating.

Unibody: After looking at the Apple video of the design of the unibody, I am impressed. But I a neutral on this design. Still like the silver keyboard and silver border. Black is just not professional.

In terms of style vs. the old bodies, I'm somewhat neutral as well. I think they are both really slick machines. However in terms of what each design lends to function, I split differently. The glossy screen helps give you darker blacks and I'm a big fan of the macbook keyboard.

Fan Noise: Fans are quiet most of the time just like the old MBP. Did hear some wierd fan noise once. Will be neutral this one

I didn't update to Penryn with the last MBP I had, so I notice a very large difference in fan noise and heat output. And thanks to being able to use integrated graphics (9400m), it can output even less heat.

Coming from Penryn MBPs, people likely won't notice much of a difference since the last MBPs already had the 45nm chips. And the reduced heat out put by the updated graphics chipset is offset by the smaller enclosure. So between the Penryn MBPs and the new alu/glass MBPs, I think it's likely the same.

Heat: Heat factor has greatly improved. Old 2008 MBP had more heat problems. Will give 10 out of 10

Agreed

XP on Parallels and bootcamp: Runs perfect with no driver issues or any other problems. The fan runs at extremely high speeds on bootcamp for first 2 mins after startup, but gets slow after that. Trackpad is the worst thing in bootcamp. One has to use three fingers for right click. But again this is a MAC and not a PC.

Noticed that too with the fanspeed, it's drivers, so at least it's fixable. Trackpad right click is the same as in OSX, but if you didn't like it there you obviously won't like it in XP.

Speed: Havent done any benchmarks. But seems to be running quiet faster than the 2.5GHz earlier MBP. Will give 10 out of 10

These are higher binned chips than the previous generation Penryns, so you might see some advantage in performance/heat/power draw. The biggest difference is the FSB speeds and the use of DDR3. It isn't so much the chip clock speed as it is the FSB and the memory that makes the difference. Also of note, DDR3 runs much, much cooler than DDR2.

Sound: Neutral on this one

Pretty much the same. I noticed the audio was better with a DVD though, but only slightly.

LCD hinges: The LCD is a bit loose. It can automatically move just by its weight. But does not create any issues with normal operation.

This is my only major gripe and it stems from the weight of the screen. Thanks to the aluminum and glass, the laptop is rather top heavy. But that comes as a tradeoff to stability. I messed with a few Vaio Z's before picking up the new MBP and while they have those wafer thin, very attractive LED screens, they are nerve-rackingly flimsy. Almost like you could snap them.

The only time the screen move under the weight is if you're moving it around. I found once it's stationary in my lap, on a desk, whatever, that it stays in place.

Hardisk/Battery cover: It is a bit difficult to put the cover back as it should be. I am a good teck guy and it took me some efforts to put it back in. Do not open if not needed.

Not to crap thread, but I think it's the easiest cover ever in the history of laptops. Period. Flip the latch, pull it off. Put it back, snap it in.



Just my $0.02

 

[OBL]

They went with the new keyboard because in surveys it's overwhelmingly favored. They had a lot of the MBP users asking for the MB keyboard. Personally I like it better than the same keyboard that's been on the MBP's all the way back to the G4 PB's. The concave keys were easier to slip off of.

These keys make less noise, and are spaced apart so you aren't as likely to hit the wrong key. The black keys with white backlight makes them much easier to read as well for the "hunt and peck" typers and people trying to see what Function key does what.




0/10 is harsh. It takes a little getting used to. I'm far, farrrr from an Apple apologist (if you haven't seen some of my criticising posts), but I really think it was a good idea. It's more a superficial change than a substantive one. The only other way I could have seen them going is adopting the Air style touchpad with the slim button at the bottom.

And when you really think about it, it's basically just visual. After a few minutes I didn't even notice it was different as my thumb rests at the bottom where the clicker used to be while my index finger does the scrolling. I think it's mostly a mental thing getting used to.

I certainly can't speak for everyone, but having easy right-click access is something that I adore. The option to have the corner clicks act as right clicks is so much simpler. With regards to the XP issue about having to use the three finger click for right-click, that's a driver/software issue. I'm sure there will be a fix in due time.

Personally, I think it's an improvement. It's not perfect, but I like it better than the old trackpad setup. But then again, it's a personal preference and how quick you can adjust to new things. It'll probably be a split between those who like it and those who don't, the same way as with the glossy vs. matte screen crowd.



I had the last Merom MBP revision with the LED screen. The new ones are much brighter. Almost blindingly so at their fullest. The glass and updated LED screen give you deeper blacks and much whiter whites than before. My biggest complaint is resolution. I want something higher than 1440x900 on the high end 15" model. However I'd likely give it the same rating.



In terms of style vs. the old bodies, I'm somewhat neutral as well. I think they are both really slick machines. However in terms of what each design lends to function, I split differently. The glossy screen helps give you darker blacks and I'm a big fan of the macbook keyboard.



I didn't update to Penryn with the last MBP I had, so I notice a very large difference in fan noise and heat output. And thanks to being able to use integrated graphics (9400m), it can output even less heat.

Coming from Penryn MBPs, people likely won't notice much of a difference since the last MBPs already had the 45nm chips. And the reduced heat out put by the updated graphics chipset is offset by the smaller enclosure. So between the Penryn MBPs and the new alu/glass MBPs, I think it's likely the same.



Agreed



Noticed that too with the fanspeed, it's drivers, so at least it's fixable. Trackpad right click is the same as in OSX, but if you didn't like it there you obviously won't like it in XP.



These are higher binned chips than the previous generation Penryns, so you might see some advantage in performance/heat/power draw. The biggest difference is the FSB speeds and the use of DDR3. It isn't so much the chip clock speed as it is the FSB and the memory that makes the difference. Also of note, DDR3 runs much, much cooler than DDR2.



Pretty much the same. I noticed the audio was better with a DVD though, but only slightly.



This is my only major gripe and it stems from the weight of the screen. Thanks to the aluminum and glass, the laptop is rather top heavy. But that comes as a tradeoff to stability. I messed with a few Vaio Z's before picking up the new MBP and while they have those wafer thin, very attractive LED screens, they are nerve-rackingly flimsy. Almost like you could snap them.

The only time the screen move under the weight is if you're moving it around. I found once it's stationary in my lap, on a desk, whatever, that it stays in place.



Not to crap thread, but I think it's the easiest cover ever in the history of laptops. Period. Flip the latch, pull it off. Put it back, snap it in.



Just my $0.02

Interesting review and comment. I am glad I dont regret having order it already! XD
Looking forward to th 7th November (delivery date).
Thankk you for the review. and thank you for the comments.
Hope to be able to writte one soon.

 

[bbplayer5]

This might be the worst review ive ever seen. The only thing I really agreed on was the trackpad in bootcamp, which is simply a driver issue.

 

[eddy64]

I just got my 2.53 MBP! Its So Beautiful and perfect!!!!

 

[ftbps]

This might be the worst review ive ever seen. The only thing I really agreed on was the trackpad in bootcamp, which is simply a driver issue.

This review will only make sense if one has used the previous generation MBP.

 

[YouArentJ]

waah.

 

[rowlands]

Pleased to hear that the heat is less, I have a 2006 rev A MBP and the heat from it is too much in my opinion. Really uncomfortable to use on my lap.