Apple MacBook Pro MB471LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop (2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Slot Loading SuperDrive)

Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 1:52 pm

Manufacturer: Apple Computer
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List Price: $2,449.00
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Redesigned with a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, the MacBook Pro is thinner and lighter than its predecessor as well as stronger and more durable. But Apple didn't stop innovating with the body's design. The MacBook Pro also includes a new 15-inch, LED-backlit glass display (instead of an LCD panel) and a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) and features includes Apple's Multi-Touch technology.

The redesigned MacBook Pro (see larger version).

Under the hood, the MacBook Pro is powered by a powerful 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (with 6 MB L2 cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus), which runs applications faster and more efficiently as well as helps to reduce power requirements and save on battery life. And the MacBook Pro includes two video processors for ultimate flexibility: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics for great everyday performance and NVIDIA 9600M GT discrete graphics for fast, smooth video--perfect for 3D gaming.

It's pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which enables easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications--including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes--and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser. Other hardware features include a 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB of installed RAM (maximum capacity), an 8x combo Superdrive (for burning dual-layer DVDs as well as CDs), built-in Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), FireWire 800 port, Mini DisplayPort video output (for DVI and VGA connections), and an ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot for expansion solutions such as 3G wireless networking.

The New MacBook Pro Design
Traditionally notebooks are made from multiple parts. With the new MacBook all of those parts with just one part--the breakthrough unibody enclosure. Every MacBook Pro starts its life as a single block of aluminum, which is precisely machined into the basic unibody design. Another pass and the unibody takes shape. Another, and the integrated keyboard emerges. When you pick up a new MacBook Pro, you immediately notice the entire enclosure is thinner and lighter. And it feels strong and durable--perfect for life inside (and outside) your briefcase or backpack.

The standard aluminum electro-static trackpad has been replaced with a new glass Multi-Touch trackpad, which provides 40 percent more tracking area than before. Use two fingers to scroll up and down a page. Pinch to zoom in and out. Rotate an image with your fingertips. Swipe with three fingers to flip through your photo libraries. Swipe with four fingers to show your desktop, view all open windows, or switch applications. The entire trackpad surface is also a button, allowing you to both track and click virtually anywhere on the trackpad. And you can easily enable multiple virtual buttons in software, such as right-clicking.

The keyboard has also been improved, with the rigid aluminum keyboard webbing cut precisely to hold the keys, which are curved to perfectly fit fingers. And it's illuminated, so when you're in low-light settings, such as airplanes or conference rooms, you can always see what you're typing.

The 15-inch display is made of edge-to-edge, uninterrupted glass for a smooth, seamless surface and features LED backlighting for brilliant instant-on performance that uses up to 30 percent less energy than its predecessor. The ultra-thin displays provide crisp images and vivid colors which are ideal for viewing photos and movies

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Experience improved energy efficiency, expanded wireless connectivity, and amazing battery life with the 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which has a super-fast 1066 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and an extra-large 6 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

The new hafnium-infused circuitry--which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors--conserves even more energy, giving you more time away from the wall outlet. With 6 MB of shared L2 cache, data and instructions can be kept close to the two processor cores, greatly increasing performance and allowing the entire system to work more efficiently. And, because the processor cores share the L2 cache, either can use the entire amount if the other happens to be idle.

Video Processing & Output
The new MacBook Pro combines the efficiency of an integrated graphics processor with the desktop-class performance of a discrete graphics processor thanks to the inclusion of both. Out of the box, it runs the integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M processor, which provides plenty of performance for everyday use with up to 5 hours of battery life. But when you need turbocharged performance for the most graphically intensive tasks, the discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT processor delivers--such as for demanding 3D games like Quake, Call of Duty, and Spore. And thanks to a new graphics architecture, it's easy to switch between these two processors. The 9400M graphics processor shares 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM with main memory, while the 9600M provides 512 MB of dedicated GDDR3 video memory.

The MacBook Pro includes a next generation Mini DisplayPort, which delivers a pure digital signal that can drive up to a 30-inch widescreen display. The Mini DisplayPort is ultra-compact at just 10 percent the size of a full DVI connector, and is compatible with Apple's 24-inch Cinema Display. Adapters are also available for using VGA, DVI/HDMI and Dual-Link DVI displays

Hard Drive and Memory
The 320 GB Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive (5400 RPM) quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. The 4 GB of PC3-8500 DDR2 RAM (two SO-DIMMs of 1024 MB) has an industry-leading 1066 MHz speed, and it maximizes capacity for this notebook.

Wireless Connectivity
The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works seamlessly with the new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n. Use the built-in Bluetooth wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone, synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as well as quickly share files with a colleague.

Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight
Artfully placed in the glass display is an iSight camera, which enables easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of yourself and create video podcasts. Using the iChat AV application, video conferencing is integrated into your iChat buddy list, so initiating a video conference is a breeze. iChat also lets you hold audio chats with up to 10 people and provides high-quality audio compression and full-duplex sound so conversation can flow naturally. For video podcasting, you can record a short clip using the iSight camera, then use iWeb to create a video blog entry or post your GarageBand-recorded podcast.

Other Features

Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800, ExpressCard/34 slot
Mini DisplayPort compatible with DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI connectors (all optional)
8x slot-loading SuperDrive with the following write speeds: 8x DVD±R; 4x DVD±R DL (double layer); 4x DVD±RW; 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW
Built-in full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted "T" arrangement)
Internal omnidirectional microphone and built-in speakers
Combined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack)
Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)
50-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery providing up to 5 hours of battery life using 9400M graphics (up to 4 hours using 9600M graphics)
Kensington lock slot
Measures 14.35 x 9.82 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 5.5 pounds (including battery)

Environtmental Considerations
The entire new MacBook family meets stringent Energy Star 4.0, EPEAT Gold and RoHS environmental standards, and leads the industry in the elimination of toxic chemicals by containing no brominated flame retardants, using only PVC-free internal cables and components, and using energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass.

Preloaded with Leopard and iLife '08
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including:

Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
Major enhancements to Mail and iChat

Preloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks).

Leopard's new desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, a new way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click. Leopard automatically places web, email and other downloads in a Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and you can instantly fan the contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock. The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network.

Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file.

The MacBook also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in one click with iWeb.

Included Software
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools)

iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)

What's in the Box
MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, lithium-polymer battery, 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation

Redesigned MacBook with thin, strong aluminum unibody frame and 15-inch LED-backlit glass display
New glass trackpad with 40 percent more tracking area and supports more Multi-Touch gestures
2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB RAM (max), DVD/CD SuperDrive
Dual NVIDIA graphics (integraed and discrete); Draft-N Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 2.1; Gigabit Ethernet; Mini DisplayPort video output
Preloaded with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system and iLife '08 suite of applications

Very Impressive

Review Date: December 10, 2008

Reviewer: R. Layne, St. Louis, MO USA

I'm not a gamer so this review may not be helpful to those who want a computer to play games.

I have worked as a professional software developer/architect for 17 years. I started with MSDOS 2.0 and have ridden the Microsoft wave all the way through Vista 64 and I had a few years with UNIX. I have personally owned or worked with computers from Dell, HP, Compaq, IBM. I have heard of Apple products but for the most part dismissed them as more toy than tool. (I was not alone in this perspective.) I like Microsoft but after working with it for the better part of 20 year I decided to look at something different.

I never thought I would purchase an Apple yet here it is. I am impressed to say the least and I see Apple as a serious tool that also makes a cool toy.

Pros:
Lightweight - Probably the lightest laptop I've ever worked with or owned

Solid - Normally when you get laptops at 15.4 or larger, chassis flex becomes evident as you can see them bend and they creak. Yet because of its single piece construction and light weight aluminum the MacBook feels good when you need to move it. I doesn't creak and there is no noticeable bend when lifted.

Battery Life - It just keeps going, and going, and going... Actually I am seeing up to 4 hours life on the fully charged battery. My previous computer never surpassed 1.75 hours.

Size - It is very thin and carrying it around is very comfortable. I had a 17" and while I like the large display its uncomfortable to carry like a book.

Magnetic Clasp - When closing the lid the owner is rewarded with a very solid thump instead of a "creak" "clack" that you hear from so many other laptops that use a plastic display and mechanical clasp. Opening the monitor is equally a pleasing. You place you thumb under the lip and lift. The laptop may slide a little on smooth surfaces but the lid comes up smooth and controlled.

Keyboard - This is a great piece of work. Does it have "Home", "Page Up", "Page Down", the legendary "Any" key? No. Doesn't need it. A little research and practice and you will find that these "missing" keys are functions of the keyboard and I don't miss them at all. Secondly the keyboard "key-float" (that rattle you hear when you lightly stroke your finger back and forth over a laptop keyboard) is almost completely non-existent. So when you're typing it doesn't sound like your wadding up crinkly plastic and you don't annoy your neighbors. The key throw is short but very pleasant. Another thing I like about the keyboard is that you don't feel like you will break the keyboard if your touch is a little heavy.

Display - The display is a work of art. No only does it look good, but flex has been reduced to almost nothing. It feels very solid and you don't feel you need to worry about tilting the screen from the corner. The glass cover over the LED lit LCD display is awesome. You can actually clean the screen without LCD screen colors distorting. Not to mention that is automatically dims in low light and the key board lights up in the same low light conditions. that's a nice touch. The display brightness is every bit as bright as my desktop LCD display in strong light.

Touch Pad - Any who has tried to use the touch pads on other computers (I hate them generally) will love this touch pad. It works like the iPhone (except scrolling is reversed for obvious reasons - you're not actually touching the screen). The touch is light and very smooth. Making the entire touch pad the button is brilliant, it took me almost no time to get use to it and now I nearly push a hole through the Dell touch pad before I realize I have to click the buttons. I have no trouble with inadvertent touch that moves my cursor away from where I'm typing.

Quiet - I have yet to hear the fans. It makes me wonder if they ever work.

DVD Superdrive - Finally! No cup holder comes sliding out of the side of my laptop. Just simply slide the disc in and your done. It operates like the CD player in a car. It is easy to eject from the screen or a key on the keyboard.

Fit and Finish - The best I've ever seen. The only thing I've seen is a very slight misalignment of the Express Card/34 slot door. But you really have to look close to see it.

Operating System - WOW. Fast, no anti-virus, stable: it just works. I won't get too much into the OS but I will say that once I understood how Apple likes things done OS X is very appealing. Not to mention that it sleeps and wakes up faster than anything I have ever worked with. Open the monitor and it's sitting there saying "come on, I'm tired of waiting for you".

Built-in Accelerometers - Not sure what they're good for, but they're cool. Like the iPhone the MacBook Pro has three accelerometers. There is an Stanford Laptop Orchestra uses MacBook Pros to make music using these accelerometers.

No Fresh Air Openings - I really dislike fresh air ports on the bottom of laptops. They are easily plugged and they suck fuzz and dust into the heat sinks. With my previous computers the fresh air ports were placed underneath the computer right where it sets on your legs. The result was you ran a big risk overheating the computer. The MacBook Pro pulls the cooling air through the keyboard and therefore has a smooth bottom making it far better to place on you lap.

CONS:
Chassis - While it is a brilliant piece of engineering there are a couple very minor issues.

One: Always pick the computer up with both hands. While this is true of all laptops you want to last, it's a little more important with this one. The metal around the ethernet port has been machined very thin which was necessary to fit the large jack in the rather narrow side of the laptop. So if you have the monitor open and grab the laptop with you left hand and your thumb over that jack you could dent the metal around it. It doesn't warp or twist the whole chassis, it's too strong but you could see a small indention in a otherwise straight piece of metal.

Two: The metal in the Battery/Hard Drive Cover is very thin and sometime appears to hang below lip of the chassis. You really have to look to see it and it isn't all the time. I don't think is is warped or bent, but just the natural flexibility of aluminum.

Touch Pad Click - While I absolutely love the touch pad (in fact I only use a mouse anymore when I am programming on it because of the nature of the software). If you try to click at the top of the pad (nearest the screen) the force required to click goes up quite a bit.

Price? - Not really a Con. Some have complained about the price. Three and half years ago I paid $5700 for a Dell 9100 laptop (All the bells and whistles, Window XP Pro, Office Pro, the works). It has been a great computer that has been put to pasture and my family uses it. I've only had two problems with it. The dreaded mexican jumping keys (a key flies off the keyboard after you press it down while typing; AKA broken key) Dell replaced the keyboard without any trouble and the hard drive crashed and needed to be replaced. The Dell computer when new cost more than twice the MacBook Pro does today and the only thing it has over the Mac (old age and technology not withstanding) is it's 1920 x 1200 pixel display compared to the Mac's 1440 x 900 display. If I were to order the most power 15.4 laptop Apple sells today, I would still pay half the price of the Dell and the Apple does much more and has better quality overall.

To summarize this is an accomplishment that the engineers, designers, and developers should feel proud. There is some room for improvement but these improvements are at a level that other laptops have to improve a great deal just to achieve Apple's shortcomings.

I could go on further but I think this is enough. Apple has truly developed a great product in both hardware and software and I recommend it highly.

PC to Mac Convert and lovin' it!

Review Date: December 1, 2008

Reviewer: OPsDad, Greater Baton Rouge, LA

I am a long-time IT professional with enough certifications (mostly Microsoft) to make a large can of alphabet soup, and this is my first Mac. I had played with a few of them here and there years ago, and never saw what people liked about them. The closest I ever came was back in the late '90s when I was tempted to run Windows on a PPC, but just about the time I was going to do that, Microsoft pulled their support for it from Windows, and that ended that.
So, I was anti-Mac for quite a few years. All that has changed. I began to believe in the OS when Apple began to base it on Unix. A solid, time proven technology that I trust. The big thing that changed it all for me is VMWare. For 70 dollars, I have the ability to run Vista Ultimate, XP, and Ubuntu Linux on OSX. My Vista Ultimate is my previous Dell (not a slouchy box, either). It's a complete clone of my old computer. Windows still shows it being a Dell! Spooky. Windows had it a 3.6 rating, and a retest of the VM on my Mac shows a 3.6 rating. That alone earns 4 of the stars I give this machine.
Now, here's another reason why I'm so happy. I put Office 2008 on the MBP, and I seldom have any reason to even start the Vista VM anymore. The last two times I did, it was only because I miss the great Vista solitaire game. That earns the fifth star -- I'm not "homesick" in the least. I think I'll be staying right here on planet Mac. As a matter of fact, I got a MacBook for my wife, I liked this MBPro MB471LL/A so much! Bought her the MB403LL/A.
I use it with an external monitor about 90 percent of the time, so the glare of the glossy screen hasn't been an issue for me. The built in screen is gorgeous, and I've not been in a situation where glare became an issue.
This machine is truly desktop horsepower in a gorgeous carved aluminum notebook chassis. I'm a very happy camper.

Excellent

Review Date: November 30, 2008

Reviewer: Rus Healy, Canadice, New York

In more more than 25 years as a computer "power user," this is the first Mac I have ever owned. I had never considered Macs to be relevant to me in several key ways, including the proprietary, non-Intel hardware and lots of "funky things" about the old Mac OS. However, I had also become dog-tired of the Wintel boondoggle--machines needing to be rebuilt on a regular basis, blue screens, virus hassles, etc, etc. Supporting family computers was even more of a pain. "Dad, what does this error message mean?!" Clearly Macs are now a viable alternative for technical business users (okay, they have been for a while), so I took the leap even though the hardware is very pricey, competitively speaking.

I'm absolutely delighted with this purchase. Everything just works. Although I'm still finding my way around in some areas, I am reveling in the joy of a human-use-oriented user interface. I installed VMware fusion based on my comparisons between it and Parallels, and on my experience with VMware on other platforms. I exported my work machine with VMware Converter and imported it into Fusion. Works great. Performance is at least as good as it was on the old machine (2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM)--and stability is much better. Integration of Windows apps into OS X is excellent using Fusion's Unity mode. I have not had to revert to my work-issued HP laptop even once since making the jump.

The only challenge I had, and it was minor, was installing the RAM upgrade. I bought 4 GB RAM at the same time as the machine because I wanted to have the full memory capacity, especially for business apps and VMware Fusion. The upgrade isn't difficult (unlike the Mac Mini!), but it does take some care and two sizes of small screwdrivers to complete. Eight screws have to come out, and four of them are quite small. Take care to keep from dropping any of the smaller screws into the machine when you're reinstalling them. Cover alignment is also important to get just right, or the battery/HDD hatch doesn't close properly. As with any project, put all the screws in before tightening any of them.

Unlike other reviewers, I have not found the high-glare, glass display to be a big problem. Glare is sometimes an issue but reorienting the machine slightly minimizes the inconvenience. The display is gorgeous, very much in keeping with the overall product design and quality. The glass trackpad is excellent, with intuitive, tunable multitouch features. The MacBook Pro runs much cooler, and quieter, than any laptop I've used over the last 5 or 6 years as well. The milled aluminum case is both rugged and attractive, as well as providing a great heat sink for the high-heat components.

In the wish-list department, I would appreciate having more than two built-in USB ports, although I can migrate at least one device to FireWire to take advantage of that port. Also, the front edge of the base is slightly uncomfortably sharp for resting my hands or wrists. Lastly, I find it annoying to have to buy a $20+ adapter cable to connect an external VGA monitor. The adapter cable is also too short--but this isn't a review of the cable. All that said, these issues are not enough to drop my rating below five stars. This is an outstanding laptop. I like OS X enough that I have already added a Mac Mini as the family machine, to rave reviews among its three primary users. How can you beat that?

Go With The Pro!

Review Date: November 11, 2008

Reviewer: Brandie Woodward, Amagansett, New York

I just purchased the pro yesterday at my local Apple Store. I have had it for less then 24hrs so far, and I love it. I was going to get the high end Macbook, and then at the last minute decided on the low end Pro upgraded with 4GB of Memory. I am so glad I did. It is so fast, and powerful. The display is what made me make the final choice. It is still very portable. It weighs the same as my black macbook, and is thin. It would be very easy to just to throw in my backpack and be on my way. Also the firewire. It was going to be the easiest way to transfer all my data from my old black macbook to the pro. It only took and hour and a half, and I have all my information. I didn't have to do anything, just started it up and began to play. I didn't have Leopard on my old one, and I love it so far. It is easy and the graphics and set up are great. I love the stacks options, and the lighted keyboard. I also love how the controls for the dashboard, screen brightness, keyboard brightness, and dvd controls, are right on the keyboard. I was in between which laptop to get also because I am a casual gamer. However, the salesman did tell me that I could still play some of the games on the Macbook. The display alone is what I am enjoying the most. It is definitely worth the extra money to get the pro. Highly Recommended!
I didn't get it from Amazon, or order it. I wanted to look at the computer before I purchased it. From reading all the horror stories on the web about people receiving damaged, or broken laptops from both the Apple Store and other retail stores. I would also recommend if you are going to get a mac, go to the Apple Store itself and get one if possible. They are so helpful, and usually give you some kind of deal when purchasing one. They will also set it up for you, but transferring all your information to your new computer is very easy to do by yourself.

Switching From a PC to a 17" MacBook Z0G5 128GB SSD

Review Date: April 27, 2009

Reviewer: John Robertson, Phoenix, AZ

As of this writing, I've noticed that Amazon is mixing all MacBook Pro reviews together, regardless of the model you searched on to get here. This is for the Z0G5, which is really just the 2.66GHz MB604LL 17" with the 128GB Solid State Drive option. Although I have used Apple/Mac products over the years, this is the first time an Apple has been my number 1 computing device. I'm including details for those used to the PC environment, so those already familiar with Apple, please be patient, as I wanted to help weigh the pros and cons of switching from Windows.

SUMMARY
=======
This, quite simply, is the nicest computer I have ever owned or used since starting with them in 1979. It is not for everybody, if only because of price, but if there is something you are used to doing on Windows XP or Vista, this will probably do it, and do it faster and more reliably.

GOOD
====

* Bootup/shutdown times - benchmarks are somewhat relative, but my 6 year old HP ze5400 P4, and 5 month old dv7-1130 core-duo, both will boot XP Pro to a usable state in just over 4 minutes, including effects of anti-virus software and initial browser launch. Using the same licensed copy of XP Pro for this MBP, it boots in an incredible 25 seconds, every time. This latter time is a full boot-up -- no hour glasses to wait through. Shutdowns average around 4 seconds on the MBP, compared to around 30 to 45 seconds on the above mentioned Windows laptops. You can also run Vista32/64, Linux, Unix, Sun and other OS using VMware Fusion, which runs within the Leopard OS -- this is absolutely terrific software, and if you set it to full screen, you will be hard pressed to tell if you are running a pure Windows OS, although Fusion will only devote one of the two Intel cores to Windows. This latter point is quite amazing, when you read about how fast Vista boots on other MBP's (see other Amazon reviews in April 2009). You can allocate the majority of the included 4GB of RAM and almost as much as the hard drive/SSD to these guest OS' as you want. For just Leopard, the native OS, boot and shutdown times are comparable, and of course, that's for just that OS -- it has nothing to do with Fusion or guest OS's.

* Screen - having just come from a near-new HP dv7-1130us, which also has a glossy 17" screen, well, there is simply no comparison. I'm not being an "Apple snob" here. The MBP offers a much sharper and more colorful image. Personally, the occasional glare is a worthwhile trade-off for the image quality, but I spent almost 2 hours in a local Apple store comparing the glossy vs. anti-glare side-by-side, and I almost picked the anti-glare, extra $[...] cost notwithstanding. Unless you are really concerned about the final few pixels of 130dpi resolution which the glossy screen seems to bring out, or the pop-out color of the glossy, the anti-glare is just as good, and almost fully eliminates any trace of glare. I could have been happy with either. Also, when running XP in VMware Fusion, you can set the screen resolution to a ridiculous 5210 x 3200 ! (not native of course, but the even the 1920x1200 is better than any WSXGA+ screen I'm aware of)

* Battery power - I've only run on battery for 4 hours at a time, but I would estimate usable power for up to 6 hours, with occasional wifi use and uninterrupted word processing. I do think it's POSSIBLE to get the 8 hr time, particularly if you get the flash hard drive and 2.66GHz processor, but you have to allow all power saving options, reduce screen brightness to absolute minimum, etc, so that practically, this is just a laboratory spec. However, I have never owned a laptop that did better than 3 hours -- so this doubled that.

* Keyboard - I have come to really like the keyboard in only two weeks, although I do miss having a backspace key. Apple die-hards may know something I don't, but without backspace or an 'end' key, I find I am re-positioning the cursor a lot. However, the track pad almost compensates for this. When set for single-tap, this is the best track pad I've ever used. I never accidentally select or click items anymore. Right click is done with two-fingers, and is less effort than actual 'right-clicking'. Windows hotkeys, such as alt-tab, ctrl c, ctrl v, etc. work when running XP. I dislike the sharp edge towards the front of the laptop, and I'm a little surprised that Apple picked form over razor-blade-function by not beveling this. But, this thing is a MacBook Air wannabe - it is very thin, and the pressure on the wrists still isn't as bad as other laptops I have used. Too bad they didn't round it like the bottom edge.

* SSD speed and response - currently, going to the Solid State Drive (NAND flash memory) is a $[...] premium to a 7200RPM hard drive, and that only gets you 128GB, of which you will have around 93 usable GB after getting your Mac with Leopard, iLife (included) and in my case, iWork loaded on it. I keep photos and large files on a couple of external HDD's, and use an online backup service for really important business files, so trading off speed to lower capacity was very worthwhile. In fact, I'm getting in the bad habit of not shutting down, but just putting the MBP to sleep and stuffing it in my bag while it's saving files -- it doesn't matter with SSD. I've read about benchmarking SSD to HDD, small files vs big files, etc, etc. Frankly, it was all meaningless once using it for real. It's expensive now, but in 5 years, we will all be using SSD.

* iWork and TextEdit - these will open .doc, .xls, .xlsx, etc. You may not be able to edit all the features of Windows productivity software using Apple's own versions on their own, but you can still do many things with iWork, and you can always view any Microsoft-format files. I was stunned at some of iWork's templates in Pages and Numbers.

* You can share files between the Leopard and Windows OS (or any other guest OS) using shared folders. You can also select to share files between different users or not. This reminded me of using LAN shares.

* Blue screen? What's that?? Cheekiness aside, I can lock a Mac if I really try, but I have not done so yet on this or it's guest XP Pro OS. Just a pleasure to use.

NOT AS GOOD
===========
* 2.66GHz vs 2.93GHz for an extra $[...] - I'm being a little less than objective here, but looking at bench marks for the MacPro desktop, and talking with Apple Genius reps, I concluded the 2.93GHz processor only adds about 5 to 7% more usable processing power. Feel free to offer your opinion.

* Occasional lag - this has happened 3 times in two weeks - I think this is due to the guest OS and tear-down of memory ranges. It's not that obtrusive, but after getting used to the normal speed of the laptop, it's a bit of a surprise when it does happen.

* Trash bin - no restore. I have researched this and as incredible as it will sound to Windows users, you must manually restore unintended deletions yourself to whatever folder it came from -- not very helpful if you were typing/swiping quickly and didn't see where you unintentionally deleted something, or you are unfamiliar with Mac directory trees. I have read some borderline-snob opinions about this, but it's a serious oversight that should not be joked about. Most of us can identify with your hands tiring and inadvertently dragging a file or folder to the Trash. Or sometimes small creatures known as children get a-hold of your treasured, $[...] device and use it as a Fisher-Price xylophone set. I've been around some very brainy, Product Development Engineering-Fellow-types for years, and they are sometimes guilty of convincing themselves that removing features like this are explainable, acceptable, and only weak or stupid people would ever complain. I guess I'm weak and stupid. Frankly, I don't care. Stupid people still seem to have a lot of money, (more than average, I have observed) so unless Apple likes perpetual 12% market-share, they should and will have to match certain, select attributes offered by competitors. Again, if I'm wrong, I'd welcome being set straight on the issue.

* Caution: Slippery When Dry - dry hands may not always grasp the super clean, smooth aluminum case, such as when going through airport X-ray security with hundreds of people jostling you. I purchased the 3 year warranty because of this (although damage in such circumstances still may not be covered).

* Warranty - at $[...], it's a little expensive. I didn't know this when purchasing, but if you buy a 24" monitor with the MBP on the same invoice, then the warranty also covers the monitor. Except that, by definition, if you don't buy a monitor, then you're overpaying for a warranty that was priced to include one.

* You may need new hardware and/or software - much of it which is not cheap. One reason why VMware Fusion is so wonderful is you can load Window-based apps like Office and use your existing license. Apple currently throws in iLife, and if using only Leopard, you don't typically need anti-virus software. Some Apple hardware, like RAM, is designed only for Apple computers and does cost more -- even if you buy it from a third-party retailer.

* ExpressCard 34 port - I really will need an eSATA port. Unfortunately, reading some Apple reviews indicate that many commonly-available Express34 eSATA adapter drivers currently do not work reliably with the MBP. I normally don't put too much into a few bad reviews here and there, but this does seem to be a genuine problem with the MBP as of late April 2009. Driver updates may correct.

* Price - it has to be said: This is still just a computer. Once you add truly comparable hardware, the price difference is not quite as disparate as many believe...perhaps $[...] for a premium, all-flash, all-day-battery Windows laptop to a $[...] MBP. It's easy to fall into a trap of just counting USB ports, of how much DDR3 RAM you get, but I'm also referring to native screen resolution for a portable device, or color balance, stability, security vulnerability, etc. If the MBP advantages are worth it to you, chances are you already know. I just broke the TFT display on my 5 month old HP dv7-1130us laptop, which also had a dual-core, 4GB DDR3 RAM, etc., which lead to this MBP purchase, but believe me -- and I'm not trying to jump onto an anti-Vista kick here -- the PC was painful to use. Slow, alarmingly buggy, and poor legacy support. Even after downgrading it to XP and upgrading to a 7200RPM HDD, performance was still slow slow - slower than an old single core, P4 with 1GB DDR RAM. Specs aren't going to show you how fast this MBP boots.

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS
===================
Use the MacBook Pro a little bit, and it grows on you all the more. It seems different, but familiar hot keys, print screen, display and wifi settings, etc. are all still there.

Apple still reminds me of how computers used to be in the 1980's -- things are already laid-out for you, and you do it the Apple way, and if you don't like it, get used to it. PC, which really was a semi-open standard that began with Microsoft OS running of IBM PC's and PC clones, could be configured many ways. Like so many things, what makes it open also makes it complicated, with clashing interpretations of standards. Testing keeps systems reliable, but it is always the most expensive part of developing anything (I know, I can thank my career for it). As a result, testing is usually where cost-cutting must be performed. Next time you curse Vista, remember, Microsoft engineers cannot solve issues due to third-party designers. They will always be in reactive mode because Windows is relatively open.

Apple chose to make the day-to-day settings for you, and telling many peripheral designers "here's how your printer WILL talk to our computers", etc. It's potentially less flexible, and will slow third-party software and hardware development because it is more expensive to design and test with Apple. Ironically, this is disorienting to us Windows users. We are so used to controlling and setting everything, that an Apple computer seems too simple, and even that control is lost. This really isn't the case though. Virtually everything you can set in Windows can be manually set in a Mac. But what I've found over the last 2 weeks is, why would you want to keep adjusting anymore? I know it's their current slogan, so apologies, but the Apple really "just works". There's no need to get into setup menus -- set once and forget.

The last time I used iMac G3's or the original MacIntosh, I enjoyed them and remembered a few of my former PC-peers who said they would never switch back to a PC. I'm not quite sure I'm ready to say that yet, but the MacBook Pro 17" is the first Apple computer I'm willing to test that notion on.

UPDATE: Sept 15, 2009
======================
This is just a fantastic computer. This is what impresses me almost daily:

* Speed. Same boot-up/turn-off times. It does not gradually slow down with use like Windows. Leopard and now Snow Leopard respond very fast. Running XP in the virtual is awesome because I almost never shut-down....I just suspend it. In doing so, XP basically restarts in seconds.

* Display -- Love using screen capture (command, shift, 4) -- much better than Print Screen.

* RapidWeaver, Pages, Numbers - awesome templates. Nice alternatives to the familiar ones we've seen for 10 years.

* Ease of updates - fast, automatic and they do not bog machine down while loading. They also are not co-dependent or prerequisite. They just all download and install at once.

* Battery life. On just Leopard, 1/2 brightness screen, working on say a website while listening to iTunes, I get an honest 6 hours. You probably could get 8 hours as I once got 7, but that's the dimmest setting and running only 1 app. Still, I never take my adapter for the day. The batteries outlast me.

* Time machine is actually pretty cool. I quite a back-up hound, and had just done what I always did with manual dragging of files to an external drive but TM works very well.

Occasionally, there are problems, though in all honesty they do not cause much grief...but in the interest of disclosure, here's what I've found:

* About 1 or 2 times per month, I have to Force Quit something. Problem is usually seems due to a 3rd party driver or app.

* Creating a new folder places it at the root of the directory tree, not in a subfolder you've highlighted.

* No FW400 port. I'm not sure...maybe there's an FW800-to-400 adapter. But I could have used this a few times now.

* Could not find a way to reverse the data series on a Numbers graph. Geniuses at Mac store couldn't figure it out either. There might be a way (in fact, it's there buy greyed-out...why??).

* I dont' like iTunes lack of Realplayer-format support like .ra and .rmj, and greatly wish I could just see a directory tree of songs that I can shift-right-click and select.

I don't know how Windows 7 will compare yet. While it's still important for me to have the legacy support of XP on VM Fusion, I find that I'm using it less and less, almost completely relying on speedy Snow Leopard, Numbers, Word, TextEdit and Preview. Dialog boxes are also rare (mercifully). If you are really watching money (which would include 99% of us), obviously you'll have to wonder about those $[...] HP laptop blowouts you see. However, after just playing around with the dv7 or my friend's HP d8000, I would really recommend you try a small MBP 13.3 or 15" and at least compare, although it still does take time to learn certain keystrokes and features if you're only a Windows person. Personally, though, I'm hooked. I don't think I could go back to a plastic, bendable and slow laptop again.

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