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Apple MacBook Pro Laptop Computer
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Product Description
You've seen improvements in notebook performance before - but never on this scale. The Intel Core Duo powering MacBook Pro is actually two processors built into a single chip. This, combined with myriad other engineering leaps, boosts performance up to four times higher than the PowerBook G4. With this awesome power, it's a breeze to render complex 3D models, enjoy smooth playback of HD video, or host a four-way video conference. Intel Core Duo is the first chip built using Intel's groundbreaking 65-nanometer process - resulting in transistors so small, you could fit a hundred inside a single human cell. With smaller distances for electrons to travel, and two processors designed to share resources and conserve power, Intel Core Duo achieves higher levels of performance as it uses fewer watts. Which is what makes it possible to design a super-powerful MacBook Pro that's only one inch thin. When Mac technology makes something easy, it's hardly news. So here's more non-news for MacBook Pro owners: software just works. If you see the Universal logo on a new application, that means it will run on Intel- and PowerPC-based Mac computers. For most existing applications, you simply do what you've always done: double-click them. Thanks to the Rosetta technology in Mac OS X, they look and feel just like they did before.
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Average User Rating:
4.5
out of
5
Number of Ratings:
518
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User Reviews for
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop Computer
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Fabulous machine
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Reviewed
May 1 2006 7:33:48 PM
167
out of
193
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Incredibly fast, wireless solid and very fast, runs many operating systems, excellent value for price. |
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Cons:
None. Dell needs to be very afraid. This machine can blow any laptop I have tried out of the water with no problem. I cannot believe how fast it is. The thing can boot from either Mac OS X or Windows XP (and soon various UNIX). Of course, Mac OS X is far superior to any Microsoft OS, but if you need it you can still boot from it. Also, using cheap third party software, you can now run Windows applications concurrently while in Mac OS X, and very soon will be able to run UNIX the same way. Remember, there are tens of thousands of virus and spyware problems for Microsoft systems and NONE for Mac machines. Even if a few show up in the future, it is not even comparable to any Microsoft system.
The wireless Airport Extreme is tremendously fast and always very solid. In fact, as usual Apple has all the "extras" already built in compared to the normal PC laptop. In the end, the total cost of ownership is much lower than with other laptops. Also, the quality is far above what you may be used to finding with Dell, etc. Further, if you do need service, Apple is the world leader.
This machine is so far advanced compared to standard PC laptops that it shouldn't even be in the same category.
The only drawback I can see is that Apple and the software developers are moving so fast that you can hardly keep up with them. Microsoft is completely stuck in the mire of "Vista," also known as XP Service Pack 3. Of course, there are lots of IT people who are now scared to death of loosing their jobs because if you are using Apple computers, you don't need their "services."
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Best Machine I have had
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Reviewed
August 21 2006 3:27:48 PM
102
out of
121
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
lighted keyboard, it just works, Video Chat |
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Cons:
cost, I bought a Macbook Pro for my daughter to take to college. She wanted a Windows machine but I could not get the battle I had with some viruses out of my head and imagined her grades suffering because she lost files due to a virus at an expensive university!
I went with the Macbook Pro partly because of the back-lit keyboard. She can work in a dark dorm room and still see her keys.
At school I set up an airport express to ensure her printing and internet remained wireless, while I was at it I hooked up the express to her stereo so she can play her itunes to her receiver. It's very cool.
Last night we had a breif video conference on I-chat and she was able to say good night to her 3 year old brother.
It's expensive, but considering what a huge part of her education this will be over the next 4 years it's seems small. Spend the extra money and get the extended warranty, and don't be a stupid computer user-BUY AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE TO BACK UP YOUR FILES! It's the best $130 bucks you will ever spend!
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Best value due to included software.
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Reviewed
August 22 2006 10:40:32 PM
74
out of
84
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Brillant screen, included camera, fast processor, large hard drive, decent graphics and smart design. |
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Cons:
AppleCare of only One year, 90 day phone support. What sets the MacBook Pro from other notebooks is its software. The stability of OS X and the lovely iLife. Most software you need is already provided and are nearly perfect themselves. Oh yeah, if you need to, this thing runs Windows also.
But lets talk about the hardware. This machine has a smart design. All the ports are located all on one side, so you don't have to search all over for ports. This also keeps from having multiple things plugged in at all sides. There are smooth rounded corners with no latches for anything to catch on.
The integrated iSight has a better picture quality than all other integrated cameras. The keyboard is firm and has a quick response. The screen is brilliant and is perfect for working on videos or photos, which color definition is key.
Then there is the fact that it is made out of aluminum, not cheap plastic. Plastic can look nice, but wouldn't have something made out of a more studier material? Even as it is made out of aluminum, this notebook is relatively thin. Other notebooks of the same features are almost twice as thick. This just gives the MacBook Pro more versatility in mobility.
Of course the only downfall is Apple's support of only one year. With many other vendors, of lesser computers, having much longer support of three years.
But then again... If you can get a Hyundai with a long warranty, or a Toyota for just a little more with a lesser warranty, which would you get?
Still, if they just increased the support, it would make this machine even more near perfect.
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Mac Pro Book 2.0
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Reviewed
July 26 2006 2:30:39 AM
52
out of
75
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Extremely Fast, Sleek, Lightweight |
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| Cons:
Can't run some software I am very satified with my pro book, but it will not run certain programs I have such as Avid Express Pro, Adobe After Effects 7.0 until someone puts out fixes for these 2 very important programs it doesnt do me very much good
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Great Laptop
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Reviewed
May 1 2006 8:28:31 AM
48
out of
68
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Very nice laptop - only one to run OS X and Windows (if needed) |
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Cons:
Could be a little less expensive Very nice laptop. Pretty darn speedy compared to what else is out there. Can run Macintosh OS X, which is a very stable, virus-free OS. Also can run Windows if necessary.
Check it out!
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New MacBook Pro
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Reviewed
January 27 2007 8:32:27 AM
19
out of
20
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Weight, thickness, features galore |
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Cons:
A little spendy I have been an avid PC user for years, but I have grown tired of the constant need to down load patches for XP. When it came time to buy a new lap top I compared many models. Eventually I settled on the MacBook Pro 17".
The price was a little high. After using it I totally understand the price. What i don't understand is why Apple doesn't advertise ALL of the features this thing has over its competition. In a way there is really no good way to compare it to its competition because it has features I've never seen anywhere else. For instance,
The screen auto darkens when the lights go out so you don't strain your eyes.
The wireless card automatically links with any available network without your input or having to fiddle with it.
The keyboard has a soft back light which makes the keys glow when the room gets dark.
The screen auto changes the colors of the screen to match the type of light you are under so colors are always presented to the best clairty on screen.
The batter pack has a small button you can push to check battery level without having to turn the thing on.
Slot load superdrive, no dumb tray that ejects.
It can load and operate basically any operating system you give it. With parallels (a program) you can load Windows XP. When you press the apple button and the option button the screen switches to XP. Not a fake copy of XP but a real version; I'm running Windows XP Pro on it.
The screen magnetically locks to the keyboard so you don't have to fumble around when trying to leave a class or meeting trying to close it and make sure it latches shut.
The best part, the power cord connects magnetically to the lap top so if someone walks by and trips on your power cord it simply falls off instead of taking the laptop with it. This has saved my computer more times that i can explain!!!!
Even the power cord has little features. Like, it has a built in prongs that allow you to neatly and safetly wrap the cord around the wall plug so you don't have a tangled mess of cables to deal with.
And best of all, when you buy the thing there is no loading software. You just press the power button and away you go.
I really wish I had ditched XP sooner than I did. I also wish I had some negative things to say about this machine. After reading my post it sounds a little too good to be true. But it's been 6 months and I've yet to find a problem. I will post a comment if or when I do run across something though.
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Mac Attack
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Reviewed
August 26 2006 1:17:32 PM
21
out of
31
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
3
out of 5
Pros:
Very fast, sharp looking, wasy wirless setup |
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Cons:
Gets very hot, mouse button I've always been a hardcore PC guy, and the only experience I've previously had with Macs were old, clunky ones I had to use back in high school when I worked on publications. Since everyone says that once you go Mac, you don't go back, I checked one out to try for a week.
My first impressions were very positive. Superficially, the machine looks slick. It has a sleek design and is very thin. The screen seemed bright and dandy. I thought that the OS took a bit of time to boot, but having no experience at all with OS X, my guess is that it's normal. When I wanted to connect to my wireless internet connection, it was quick and painless. OS X definitely seems a bit more user-friendly than Windows.
Continued use throughout the week, however, brought some irritations. My first major one was that this machine gets HOT. I had it on my lab while I was sitting on a couch, and the thing burned me when I shifted around and the bottom of the machine came into contact with my bare knee. I've had some PC laptops (Pentium 4 and a Celeron M) that got warm, but nothing compared to the heat getting pumped out by this MacBook. I don't know, this might be a concern, depending on where you plan to use it most.
Another irritation I ran into was not having the option of a second mouse button. I know I know ... I can hook up a USB mouse and get two-button functionality. However, when I'm on-the-go, I don't have a mouse with me, and am then stuck with the single button that the MacBook offers. Personally, I think it's time for Mac to give up the one-button idea because the second button adds so much functionality.
Besides what I mentioned, nothing else really made a huge impression on me. Sure the Mac offered some neat looking transitions when screens were minimized, etc, but really, who cares about that? Software seemed to load very quickly. I didn't really get a chance to test drive some of the iLife software, but it seemed to offer some good options.
In summary, I guess I had an overall good impression of the MacBook, but nothing really wowed me to the point where I'd spend 2-3 times more on a Mac than a PC. This is a fine machine with some very nice capabilities, but I think I can safely say it is not for me.
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My first and probably last apple
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Reviewed
November 4 2006 4:26:42 AM
18
out of
27
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
2
out of 5
Pros:
Looks good, thin and lightweight |
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Cons:
Mine was a dud I decided to make the switch to a Mac because of all the great reviews and all the features they include. My case is probably one of the isolated few but this is what happen after ording my MacBook pro. First fedEx didn't keep the tracking info up to date, i called and they told me when it would arrive, it arrived a day early but no one was there to sign for the package so they left my $2000 laptop on the front porch. I called apple and they didn't seem to care. The first time i turned my MacBook on it crashes and i spend 2 hours reinstalling the Mac Operating system and it finally starts to work. After installing the software i find the the included Microsoft Office for Mac is only a 30 day trial not the full version. This was after i asked their online sales chat if it came with a full version and i was told the full version was included. I also checked the web site to see that they have changed the website and it now states the Office for Mac is a trial version. I called apple and they told me that i misunderstood what was included and offered me $75 of the $300 Office for Mac Software.
That was just my software problems, the third day i had my MacBook pro it began locking up and then telling me i had to restart. Then i found that if i turned off the laptop when i turned it back on it would lock up while loading and tell me to restart. After contacting apple for 3 strait days about the issue they tell me that most likely it was a problem with the Ram and because i upgraded mine from 512mb to 1gb that was most likely the issue and that i could send my laptop back for repair or replacement. I told them i wanted a refund and after a couple of phone calls they finally agreed.
And just as a last note when looking at the box my MacBookPro came in i noticed that it says Assembled in China, and so while yes you can upgrade the memory and hard drive and lots of other options i don't believe these are custom made computers. i would have been better off going to CompUsa (there is no apple store were i live and i ordered mine online)
As i said mine is probaly a isolated case but my MacBookPro was a horrible, slow laptop. I hate to not give another MacBookPro and chance but the experince with apple was horrible and after i get done writting this review i will be boxing it up and shipping it back to them for my refund.
I may give Apple another chance down the line becuase they are very attractive and supossedly very fast computer and the creative software really is amazing but they are about $500 higher than similar Gateway or Dell laptops and if i pay that much for a computer i want nice customer service that doesn't lie to me.
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Awesome Quality
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Reviewed
November 1 2006 12:06:10 PM
11
out of
14
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Build quality |
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| Cons:
Hard to find windows equivalent programs but there are out there. PC's are way behind in build quality. The one thing apple has is great build quality and MAC OS X never crashes, at least mine has never crashed and gave me the dreaded "send or don't send" message box. I was a hard core PC user. my card reader doesn't work under windows for whatever reason, but I hooked it up to the MAC and it worked perfectly in seconds. It's a gemplus secure ID card reader and I can't get it to work under windows. MAC OS is more stable than Windows. I can do my picture and AV better under MAC. The only complaint is the upgrading the hardware can be time consuming. The hard drive is buried under everything. memery upgrade was easy. Under bootcamp I can run windows XP and battlefield 2 runs at medium settings. Which is really the only game I do play. Overall the MACbook is great but expensive I think I paid around 2100 for the intel dual 2 @ 2.33 Ghz on sale otherwise it would have been 2400 for all the option I got.
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Absolutly great computer
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Reviewed
October 25 2006 5:28:52 PM
9
out of
10
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Outstanding battery life, Great Graphics, Extremely powerful processor, Built in webcam |
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Cons:
None I have had this computer seince it came out and I love the hell out of it. It is as fast as you could ever want it to run and it comes loaded with software that you will use. One of the things that sold me on it was that it can run windows also. I dont really like windows that much for everyday stuff such as word processing and other tasks but some of the games that I play will only work on the windows side so that is a plus.
A lot of people think that there isent that much software our for the mac yet but that is a complete misconception. Almost every single program that you would use in windows has either the same software or something that does exactly the same thing out there for a Mac.
One of the great things that isent that big but I absolutly love the MacBook Pro is that it has the built in iSight (webcam) that allows you to use iChat (AIM) to chat with another one of your buddys, coworkers, or boss like you were there.
If you ever need anyhelp with your Mac (which I doubt that you ever will) you can always go to the Apple Store and someone there will be more than willing to help you figure out what your problem is.
If I were you the MacBook, MacBook Pro, or anyother Mac would be on the top of my list for a new computer.
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