Laptop computers

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Most helpful customer reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
Fastest Laptop I have ever Owned
By Janice Edwards
The MacBook Pro line is, of course, at the top of Apple products. The setup of this machine was smooth. I was able to transfer all of the data and applications from my previous MacBook Pro to this new gadget without any issues at all. At setup it asked if I had another Mac I wanted to use to load documents, etc, from and it gave me an option for methods of doing so.

The picture quality is simply incredible, I love that the keyboard is backlit, and the touchpad is so streamlined it actually makes it easier to use. It is faster. It has more memory. It's, without a doubt, the best laptop I've ever owned. I'm constantly on the go, so the thin size of the laptop is also a huge plus. I should of bought a laptop sleeve when I first bought my Mac, my only regret. After spending over a grand on this amazing device, I'm doing like everything I can to protect it.

I highly recommend getting some type of laptop sleeve with it, Laptop Sleeve 15 inch Neoprene Surf Art Style, there's something about this particular design that I just love. Makes such a difference now that I use it daily. Besides the actual case being lightweight and tough, it fits my Mac like a glove, I recommend it. In summary, the Apple Macbook Pro is second to none. The speed of the processor alone is worth the purchase price, my internet speed literally tripled when I first got online with my Mac. Highly Recommended!

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
No More Windows for Me!
By J. Ferris
I waited a month before writing this review to make sure my initial impression would hold up & it did.

MacBook Pro's -

1. Track Pad (Fantastic!)
2. No Trial Software (everything installed is fully functional - no more nag screens)
3. Battery Life (I get around 5 or 6 hours on a charge)
4. Incremental Backups with Time Machine (You can use almost any external HD instead Apple's expensive Time Capsule)
5. Support is Awesome (Nuff said)
6. It's Just Plain Sexy (No more Windows bricks for me...)

MacBook Con's -

1. No HDMI out
2. USB Ports too close together
3. Steve Jobs is Dead

If you're a long time Windows user; ask yourself if this story sounds familiar?

You've got a girlfriend/boyfriend who annoys you on a daily basis, but you stick with her/him year after year because you don't want to spend the time learning the ins & outs of a new one?

Then one day, a sleek, sexy chick/dude catches your eye & you start hanging out with her/him & pretty soon you're kicking that old broad/bum out on the street.

That's me & Microsoft.

I started; decades ago, as a DOS user with an 8088 machine & continued all the way up to Windows 7.

I've got a new girlfriend now & she blows the old one away.
The old one just blows.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
MacBook Pro: Think Different
By John Williamson
Steve Jobs had returned to Apple, which had been a struggling company, and it was time to align it once again with world of creative users. In 1997 an ad was run with actor Richard Dreyfuss reading the voiceover, which began with: "Here's to the Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently." Think Different... that was the 1997 slogan and theme for Apple's comeback to the world of serious computing after the return of Steve Jobs, and perhaps it was a cynical reference to IBM's famous "Think" slogan. Whatever it was, this was the ad campaign that restored Apple's reputation under the leadership of the late Steve Jobs.

Take this MacBook Pro review as one from a dedicated Windows PC user who made the switch awhile ago, with time enough to put it through its paces, to do side-by-side comparisons. I've owned a Mac before, back in the day of the Macintosh SE, and though I found it to be extremely useful for desktop publishing in the days when Aldus PageMaker reigned supreme in that area, I saw things blend as Microsoft slowly got its act together, for the most part. When it came time to upgrade back then, I stuck with the Windows PCs... until recently, when I found the need to diversify a bit.

To make this easy for those who just want to get to the facts quickly, I'll list the positive and negative points that I've personally found with the MacBook Pro first, then elaborate with details a bit further on. Please also remember that these are coming from a satisfied Windows 7 PC user, and one with multiple computers.

MacBook Pro Positives:

* Well thought-out packaging, easy out of the box setup
* Excellent build quality, unparalleled detail in workmanship
* Superb aluminum unibody chassis construction, has a good solid feel
* Sharp 13.3-Inch backlit display, first-rate 1280-by-800 Resolution
* Screen display has excellent color resolution and contrast for photos
* First class backlit keyboard, easy to use in low-light situations
* Very fast boot up even with password protection enabled
* Proven Mac OS X operating system; based on UNIX (like a server)
* Built-in SD card slot; great for transferring photos to computer
* Responsive ergonomic multi-touch trackpad; no buttons, excellent cursor control
* Well-engineered 60W power adapter with decent cable management system
* Automated incremental backups with Time Machine, works with almost any external HDD

In Between:

* Claimed 7 hour battery life; 3-4 hours is more like it

Negatives:

* No built-in HDMI or VGA output, adapters must be purchased separately
* Only 2 USB 2.0 ports, and they are too close together

The Details:

We each have our reasons for the computers that we own. Mine were primarily to have a compact yet sturdy platform for word processing, accessing the Internet, and digital photo processing. That stated, there's little to not like about this MacBook Pro. The Intel Dual-Core Processor is fast and efficient, and even better than the Pentium Dual-Core 2.20GHz processor on my Windows 7 notebook PC. It's one thing to see it in the store, but when one gets it home and takes it out of the well-designed box, it's apparent that this is a better grade computer than might have been anticipated. The first thing that is noticed once it's unwrapped is the workmanship. The unibody main enclosure, constructed from a single block of aluminum, is proof of this attention to detail and it helps add to its durability.

The 13-inch backlit LCD display is sharp, and has the excellent color resolution and contrast that I need, especially when working with photos. The glossy screen actually helps to see images with their full clarity. Using both Adobe software apps and Nikon Capture NX 2, having clear and sharp resolution is an absolute necessity, and this MacBook Pro offers that. The backlit keyboard is a pleasure to use, and quite functional in low-light mobile locations. I'm also very impressed with the quick boot up, even with the password startup screen enabled, a security necessity when at some mobile locations.

It's hard to fault OS X in any way. This operating system is UNIX-based, and therein lays its strength, along with its ability to run 64-bit applications. It works right out of the box without fiddling or tweaking. It's far better than Mac OS 9 and its predecessors, and the security while on the `Net is reassuring.

The tiny built-in SD card slot has proven itself to be good for transferring photos from the digital cameras to the computer. I've also used it to transfer other media files and documents between computers in a pinch. It took awhile to get used to the trackpad, with its so-called "multi-touch gestures," but once mastered it's easy to use. Must admit that I do revert to using a mouse when using the computer at home... call it years of conditioning.

This computer really shines with the inclusion of the Time Machine application, and I was happy to find that I could use a reasonable priced off-the-shelf hard drive to do automated incremental backups. I have a Toshiba 500 GB USB Portable Hard Drive, and all I did was reformat it to HFS+ Journaled file system to use the Time Machine backup software. It works like a champ.

The external 60W power adapter is well engineered and keeps my computer running cooler than PC notebooks with internal power supplies. I appreciate the magnetic DC connector as it pops off easily if some klutz trips on the cord, necessitating a costly repair as I found out when someone did that to one of my PC notebooks. The LED in the connector head helps: amber it's charging, green it's charged; very simple and effective.

Other Notes:

The battery life being less than advertised I can live with. I would have expected HDMI and/or VGA output to be built-ins with a computer of this quality. But I have yet to buy the adapters. But to have only two built-in USB 2.0 ports is irritating, and those are too close together. Problem solved with an external 4-port ISB adapter, so that issue is closed.

I have had issues with laptop carrying bags in the past, and now carry my MacBook Pro in a ThinkTank Artificial Intelligence 15 V. 2.0 Laptop Bag. I picked this one over many others from heavy experience with photo gear, and know that Think Tank makes exceptionally good pro gear. It protects my computer from the elements quite well, holds more gear than I can explain here (I have reviewed it), and can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to protect their MacBook with the kind of case that it really deserves.

Browser note: I've used the included Safari browser, but my de-facto standard remains Google Chrome. Safari is a decent browser, but because I find it necessary to synchronize my email on the Mac, the PCs and even one older Linux-based notebook (it's a geek/support thing), Chromes just works better, and I find it faster. Your experiences may differ, so try whichever works for you.

I'm running Office for Mac 2011 and have found its interface to be even better than Microsoft Office 2010 or 2007 on the PC. Didn't know if the implementation of Outlook for Mac 2011 would be better than Entourage, which was buggy, but Outlook turned out to be excellent, and it's become my mainstay over the PC version.

Heat is an issue that I had heard of by some, yet I have not experienced. The heat level is better than my old HP, Compaq or Dell, and far better than my VAIO (which was very bad). The only one that has been better heat-wise is my current ASUS notebook running Windows 7, but not by much. Had been tempted to get a keyboard skin for general protection in the field, but heard that these interfere with the ventilation, so that idea has been tabled for the present.

Future:

I may upgrade to 8 GB of RAM, which has been recommended by a number of people if and when system performance issues arise. The RAM upgrades are quite reasonable, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it runs with the standard 4 GB at this point.

In Conclusion...

I could say more, but the best advice that I can offer is that if you get one, take it out of the box, plug it in and charge it. After that, turn it on and see how easy it can be... the MacBook Pro just works, as you'll see. Think Different is a reality, and this one proves it.