Apple

Product Description

The new MacBook Pro 15-inch models set all-new benchmarks for Mac notebooks. The 15-inch MacBook Pro feature Intel Core i5 processors, which boost performance up to 50 percent(1) and reach Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.33GHz. Next-generation NVIDIA graphics bring high performance to everything from 3D games to photos and videos. And the built-in battery lasts up to 10 hours (8 to 9 hours on the 15-inch models).(2) (1) Up to 50 percent faster compared with previous-generation MacBook Pro. (2) Testing conducted by Apple in March 2010 using preproduction 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo–based 13-inch MacBook Pro, 2.66GHz Intel Core i7–based 15-inch MacBook Pro, and 2.53GHz Intel Core i5–based 17-inch MacBook Pro. Battery life depends on configuration and use. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information. The wireless productivity test measures battery life by wirelessly browsing various websites and editing text in a word processing document with display brightness set to 50%.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1374 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Apple
• Model: MC371LL/A
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.82" h x .95" w x 14.35" l, 5.51 pounds
• CPU: Intel Core i5 2.4 GHz
• Memory: 4GB SODIMM
• Hard Disk: 320GB
• Graphics: GeForce GT 330M 256MB
• Processors: 2
• Native resolution: 1440 x 900
• Display size: 15.4

Features

• 2.4GHz Intel Core i5
• 4GB DDR3 RAM
• 320 GB Hard Drive, 8x DVD/CD SuperDrive
• 15.4 inch LED-backlit display, 1440-by-900 resolution, Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
• Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System

Amazon.com Product Description

The new MacBook Pro sets all-new benchmarks for Mac notebooks. This 15-inch MacBook Pro features an Intel Core i5 processor and next-generation NVIDIA graphics that bring high performance to everything from 3D games to photos and videos. Additionally, the MacBook Pro comes standard with automatic graphics switching that provides performance when you need it and energy efficiency when you don't--helping the built-in battery last up to 8-9 hours.

The 15-inch unibody MacBook Pro (see larger image).

As with previous models, the new MacBook Pro features a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, creating a thin and light mobile computing workhorse (less than 1 inch thin and just 5.6 pounds) that's also highly durable. And it includes a 15.4-inch, LED-backlit glass display as well as a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) that features Apple's Multi-Touch technology.

This version of the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro (model MC371LL/A) features a 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 320 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of installed RAM. Other features include integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity, an SD card slot, and two USB 2.0 ports (see full specifications below). It also comes with the Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system as well as the iLife software suite, which includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand.

Key Features

Automatic Graphics Switching

The MacBook Pro offers excellent graphics flexibility with two video processors--the discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M processor (with 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory) for heavier workloads and an integrated Intel HD Graphics processor for better battery life on the go. When gaming or using processor-intensive applications like Aperture or Final Cut Pro, you'll appreciate the power of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, which brings more realistic game environments and virtual worlds playing at high resolutions and fluid frame rates. And the automatic graphics switching feature determines which graphics processor an application needs and switches instantly between the processors.

The backlit keyboard--great for typing in low-light settings
(see larger image).

Intel Core i5 Processing Power

The first level in Intel's latest processor family, the dual-core Core i5 provides a fast, responsive computing experience for your everyday tasks as well as image management in iPhoto, video editing in iMovie, and enjoying your entire music and HD video collection in iTunes.

With Intel's Turbo Boost technology, the Core i5 automatically speeds up your processor when it needs extra performance--making it a great match to processor-intensive applications like Aperture 3 or Final Cut Pro. And Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking.

Buttonless Multi-Touch Trackpad

With no button on the glass trackpad, there's more room to track and click--left, right, center, and everywhere in between. Without a separate button, the trackpad gives your hands plenty of room to move on the large, silky glass surface. It also incorporates Multi-Touch gestures--including swipe, pinch, rotate, and four-finger swipe. And it also now supports inertial scrolling, an intuitive way to scroll through large photo libraries, lengthy documents and long web sites.

Key Specifications

• 15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with edge-to-edge, uninterrupted glass (1440 x 900-pixel resolution).
• 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor (3 MB shared L3 cache).
• Dual graphics processors with automatic switching between NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (with 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory) for demanding applications and integrated Intel HD Graphics (with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory) for power savings.
• 320 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
• 4 GB installed RAM (1066 MHz DDR3; supports up to 8 GB)
• 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer DVD support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

   

  

  The left (above) and right (below) sides of the MacBook Pro (see larger image).

   

  
• Built-in iSight camera for video chatting
• Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible)
• Gigabit Ethernet wired networking (10/100/1000)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for connecting with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and cell phones
• Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port
• SD card slot
• Mini DisplayPort video output with optional adapters for DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI, and HDMI output
• Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control with support for inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
• Full-size backlit keyboard
• Stereo speakers with subwoofers
• Dimensions: 14.35 x 9.82 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Up to 8-9 hours of battery life
• Meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements

What's in the Box

MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, software DVDs, printed and electronic documentation

Limited Warranty And Service

The MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a 1-year limited warranty, which can be extended to 3 years with the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Installed software

Mac OS X Snow Leopard is an even more powerful and refined version of the world's most advanced operating system. In ways big and small, it gets faster, more reliable, and easier to use. New core technologies unleash the power of today's advanced hardware technology and prepare Mac OS X for future innovation.

• Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard (includes iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools, and more)

iLife helps you do more with photos, movies, and music than you ever thought possible. In iPhoto, you can browse, edit, and share your photos in stunning new full-screen views. Create epic Hollywood-style movie trailers from your home video in iMovie. And GarageBand gives you everything you need to make a great-sounding song--including tools for keeping your song in perfect rhythm and guitar and piano lessons.

• iLife (includes iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, and iDVD)

AppleCare Protection Plan

Because Apple makes the hardware, the operating system, and many applications, the Mac is a truly integrated system. And only the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you one-stop service and support from Apple experts, so most issues can be resolved in a single call. Extend the complimentary service and support on your Mac to 3 years from the original Mac purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct telephone access to Apple experts for technical questions, and you get global repair coverage--including both parts and labor--for your Mac and select Apple peripherals.

Optional Accessories and Related Products

	Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter The Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter lets you connect an advanced digital monitor, such as the Apple Cinema Display, to your MacBook Air.
	Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter Use the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter to connect your MacBook Air to a 30-inch display that includes a DVI connector, such as the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display.
	Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter The Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter lets you connect a standard analog monitor, projector, or LCD that uses a VGA connector or cable to your MacBook Air.
	85W MagSafe Power Adapter Need an extra adapter for home or work? The MagSafe Power Adapter is held in place magnetically, so if someone trips over it, the cord disconnects harmlessly while your MacBook Pro stays put on your desk.
	MagSafe Airline Adapter With the MagSafe Airline Adapter, your MacBook Pro can go the distance no matter how long your flight. Just plug it into your airline seat power port to watch movies and stay productive from takeoff to landing.
	Apple World Travel Adapter Kit Essential for any traveler, this World Travel Adapter Kit includes the Apple USB Power Adapter, USB Cable, and six interchangeable AC adapter plugs that let you plug your Apple MagSafe Power Adapter, Portable Power Adapters, and AirPort Express into most electrical outlets around the world.
	Time Capsule Back up a lifetime's worth of memories with Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive that works seamlessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X. It's also a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station with simultaneous dual-band support. Choose from 1 TB and 2 TB models.
	AirPort Extreme Base Station Speed, range, and easy setup make AirPort Extreme the perfect wireless solution for home, school, and small business. It offers simultaneous dual-band support and lets up to 50 people share Internet access, a wireless network, a hard drive, and a printer.
	27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display The stunning 2560-by-1440 resolution, built-in camera and speakers, and easy connectivity of the 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display add up to a viewing experience unlike any other.
	Apple Magic Mouse Magic Mouse is unlike any other mouse you've ever used. The Multi-Touch surface lets you use gestures to swipe through photos and scroll down web pages. And the entire mouse is the button, so you can click anywhere.
	Apple Magic Trackpad Magic Trackpad is the first Multi-Touch trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer, and it supports a full set of gestures. Click, scroll, swipe, and rotate to control what's onscreen. Use it along with your mouse or as an alternative to one.
	MobileMe MobileMe is the service from Apple that keeps your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC in perfect sync--no docking required. MobileMe stores your mail, contacts, and calendar information in the cloud and uses push technology to keep everything in sync across all your devices (annual subscription fee and Internet access required).

111 of 118 people found the following review helpful.
Video Review: MacBook Pro i5/i7 - Hopefully this video will help
By D. Bowman
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3QEN8N7TXJS09 I hope this video helps you make up your mind.
You will not regret buying this machine.

62 of 64 people found the following review helpful.
Just as robust as my 13" with a few caveats.
By M.D.C.
For summary skip to the bottom. Video to come soon...


I already wrote a review and posted a video on the 13", so I'll spare you the pre-story. The 15" MacBook Pro (Summer 2010 version) is a step up for me. I want to go on record by saying that I did NOT opt for the high res screen, and I'll tell you why in a moment. I'm still an MCSA and an MCTS, and Microsoft is still primary in my world, but I access these resources via Apple.

First, I want to clarify why I chose to buy the 15" when I had a 13" that was sufficient. Because I run VMs a lot (I have reviews of Parallels and VMWare), the real estate of the screen was very important. The 13" handled everything I threw at it like a champ, but I needed more screen area. I also needed a stronger multitask processor to keep up with the demands I put upon it. The 2010 version of the MacBooks achieve gains in three key areas: The processor, which on the 15" and 17" models is the Core i5 and i7 models; the video cards, which again, on the 15" and 17" models are improved with newer technology; and the power management.

The previous processor was the Core 2 Duo - an older technology but not a slouch by any means. It was and is a very powerful processor, all things considered, and the 13" was able to deal with everything I threw at it, including multiple VMs at the same time and video encoding processes. Where the Core 2 Duo struggles is with multi-tasking speed; while it can handle multiple processes, it allocates resources towards the most intensive of what's running at the detriment of everything else. In other words, if you encode a video at a medium resolution, you would find that the machine was nearly unusable otherwise; not frozen or dirt slow, but slow enough to be annoying. The fan would come on and the heat would multiply, and you often would fear for the poor MacBook's life. Not so with the i5. It also does get hot - hotter, in fact, than the Core 2 Duo - but even though it's dealing with intensive processes, it never breaks stride with other applications that might be running. You could encode video, then jump over to your email and work as if nothing were going on. The laptop's fan would be going nearly full blast and the heat would be expunged at an exponential rate, but the laptop would not slow down. I consider that impressive, especially given the fact that battery life did not suffer from older years. The i7 is even more powerful than the i5; but the primary reason I could not consider that version has to do with the heat. It's so extreme it's got people online worried about cooking eggs. I know they're not exaggerating; the i5 can get quite hot, so if the i7 is as strong as I know it is, I can only imagine how hot it must get.

The video cards have been improved in the new MacBooks. They are newer versions of the NVidia cards that were released, and some of the MacBooks have the higher end Intel integrated chips. If you don't understand some of the video card technology, there are dedicated video cards and then there are integrated cards. The dedicated cards mean simply that they have their own memory and don't share the RAM of the computer. Integrated, as evident by the name, uses shared RAM to function, either in whole or in part. The integrated chips are lower cost, obviously, at the trade of a performance hit - the RAM it's sharing is inaccessible to the OS and applications, and because the RAM is always a chunk of other RAM, there is an effective tug-of-war going on when using the integrated card. It's really popular in lower end laptops because of the price point - if you paid less than $700 for your laptop chances are it's got an integrated card. All of the lower priced 13" Apples (MacBook, $1199 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air) have integrated chips. The Air might have gotten bumped to NVidia, not sure. In any case, Apple has mixed some models with integrated and dedicated chips, so that less intense processes use the integrated and higher processes switch automatically to dedicated, which is more powerful. Most casual users will think this a pointless feature; but it's good to have for battery life.

Speaking of which, the new MacBooks feature a newer version of the MagSafe power adapter. Due to fraying and melting issues with the previous models, Apple has seen fit to redesign this adapter to address the issue. It now holds a lot more solidly than before, and is partially cylindrical instead of rectangular (you can see images above, of course). The cylinder part is where the fraying most commonly occurred, so it makes sense why they did this change. The actual cable itself also feels more solid; kudos to Apple for improving this. It's also retroactively compatible, so if you buy a new adapter you'll probably get the newer version, and it should work fine for your model (assuming it's a MagSafe version and not the plug-in style from old times). The new 13" MacBook Pro claims a battery life of up to 10 hours due in part to the newer video card; the 15" that I'm reviewing here has already shown improved battery life over the older 13", even at maximum screen brightness. The usual activities will of course kill the battery: VMs, video encoding, audio recording, anything where there is a constant stream of data going one way or the other, basically.

One area of disappointment coming from the 13": The speakers. Because the 15" sports actual speaker grills instead of the embedded speaker of the 13", I somewhat expected at least slightly better audio quality. To my surprise and dismay, I did not receive it. I do a lot of audio records of songs and I use Sennheiser HD-280 Professional Headphones...but the problem is, a song can sound perfect in the headphones, but then I listen to it on the MacBook's speakers and the same song sounds absolutely terrible. I know it can't be the song that's bad, because the headphones are spot on with the way it should sound; but the MacBook's speakers just separate sound streams too much. It's hard to describe, but it's like the treble is cranked and I can't adjust with an equalizer or something. Movies are fine, but again, no appreciable improvement over the 13", where I would watch DVDs frequently with great effect.



So...do I recommend it? Well...it depends. I don't recommend it if you're just a casual user, even if you like the larger screen. Go for the 13" and if you absolutely have to have screens of a larger size get an external. I just can't justify the $300 premium for a larger MacBook unless you are actually going to use it for gaming, audio/video, or VMs. Then it makes sense. As far as the high resolution 1680 screen, recommended only if you're gaming, really. I would like to emphasize DO NOT get the antiglare from Apple. It's nice looking, it really is. It will shock you; it will tempt you; it will compel you to fork over the extra $50. Don't do it; the quality of that screen is not as good as the glossy, because the antiglare is not the full glass. Get one of the Green Onions Supply Anti-Glare AG2 Screen Protector for 15-Inch Aluminum Unibody Apple MacBook Pro and do it yourself. You'll thank me later.