MaximumPC 2008 08

Apple MacBook

Pro

Even diehard PC users will

be wowed by this portable’s

specs

We’re always a little taken aback when we

see Apple’s MacBook Pro in the hands of PC

power users. For example, we’ve seen

PC game developers typing on

MBPs at industry events.

And at trade shows,

it isn’t uncommon

to see Windows app

developers sporting

Apple’s pro-class portable. Are

we far from the day when Bill Gates is a

proud MacBook Pro convert?

Ever since Apple swallowed its pride

and embraced the x86 instruction set used

by every other PC, its computers have been

far more compelling given their ability to

run a Windows OS directly on the metal

without emulation. Of course, most MBP

users will probably go OS X, but having the

Windows fallback for gaming and appli-

cation fi delity is a comfort—no other PC

vendor can currently off er that OS combo.

Wrapped in an aluminum shell, the

MacBook Pro’s thinness is impressive next

to other notebooks in its class. Dell’s XPS

M1530 (reviewed on the next page), for

example, feels downright chubby in our

hands. We’ve seen other notebooks that

come close to the MBP in thinness, but

graphics are usually compromised to get

there. For example, we had a hard time

finding another notebook in the MBP’s class

that sports a GeForce 8600M GT with a

512MB frame buffer. Most other superslim

notebooks resort to integrated graphics—

and even Dell’s loaded-for-bear XPS has

just half the frame buffer.

The MBP’s CPU is also top-notch: Intel’s

2.5GHz Core 2 Duo T9300 chip. This 45nm-

based Penryn CPU is just a step away from

Intel’s fastest mobile CPU, the 2.6GHz C2D.

A 250GB SATA drive, slot-fed DVD burner,

and 2GB of DDR2/667 make up the rest of

the notebook’s specs.

But specs aren’t the full story. The MBP

includes some really nice extra touches,

such as a backlit keyboard that’s connected

to a light sensor. Apple sells the unit with

either a glossy or anti-glare finish to the

LCD screen. Ours came with an anti-glare

1440x900 TFT screen with LED backlight-

ing. From what we’re told, LED backlights

aren’t used in notebooks so much for power

savings (most OEMs say the reduction is

minimal), but rather ecological reasons. Do-

ing away with the fluorescent tubes in the

screen eliminates the last bit of mercury in

a notebook PC. Our screen was quite good

in high-glare environments, such as our of-

fice and outdoors, but for watching movies

or playing games, the glossy screen would

be preferable.

As slim, fast, and fashionable as the MBP

is, we do have issues with it. First, the screen

doesn’t tilt back far enough. It’s fi ne if you’re

sitting in front of it at a desk, but working

from, say, the hood of a car or a lab bench, the

off -axis angle is a minor annoyance.

Second, accessing the hard drive or opti-

cal drive is not fun, unless you’re the kind of

person who enjoys disassembling a notebook

to do something that’s quite easy with other

notebook designs. There’s also no way to add

a cellular modem to the notebook and no fac-

tory option for it either.

Apple also decided to use an Ex-

pressCard/34 slot instead of the standard

ExpressCard/54, to save space. Hey, Apple,

there’s a reason there’s a standard, and

plenty of ExpressCard/54 parts are avail-

able, so why not just support both? We’d

recommend chucking the FireWire 400 port

to make room since there’s no reason for

both a FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 port.

In the grand scheme of things, these are

fairly minor kvetches and the MacBook Pro

is a surprisingly satisfying machine. –G U

Thin and fast, the MacBook Pro has people

making the switch.

VERDICT

$2,500, http://www.apple.com^9

MACBOOK PRO

PROFESSIONAL

SPECIFICATIONS

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz)

RAM 2GB DDR2/

HARD DRIVE 250GB, 5,400rpm

SCREEN 15.4-inch TFT LED-backlit

(1440x900)

LAP/CARRY WEIGHT 5 lbs. 6 oz./6 lbs.

PC Notebooks vs. MacBooks

38 | MAXIMUMPC | AUG 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com