Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 – Super fast laptop

Sum and Substance:

Thumbs Up:

Powered by fast and efficient Core-i series processors, has new Nvidia graphics, you can switch seamlessly between discrete and integrated graphic processors

Thumbs Down:

Costly, no HDMI, 3G or Bluetooth

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 is 14.3 inches wide, 9.8 inches deep, 0.9 inches high and weighs 5.5 lbs. Processor is dual core Intel Core i5 2400 MHz with 1066 MHz data bus speed. It has L3 cache of 3 MB. The laptop has preinstalled 4 GB RAM DDR3 SD RAM at 1066 MHz. Hard disk installed is 320 GB SATA at 5400 rpm. The integrated optical drive is DVD±RW (±R DL) with read speed of 24x for CD and 8x for DVD. Write speed is 24x for CD, 8x for DVD ±R, 4x for DVD±R DL. Rewrite speed is 10x for CD, 4x for DVD±RW

The screen is 15 inches big and has a resolution of 1440×900 pixels. Graphic processor is NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M / Intel HD Graphics with memory of 256 MB GDDR3 SDRAM. Interfaces include Network – Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T – RJ-45, 2 x Hi-Speed USB – 4 pin USB Type A, Audio – SPDIF input/line-in – Mini-phone 3.5 mm / TOSLINK, EEE 1394b (FireWire 800) – 9 pin FireWire 800, Display / video – Apple mini-DisplayPort, Audio – SPDIF output/headphones – Mini-phone 3.5 mm / TOSLINK.

The laptop has Apple Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard pre installed OS and bundled software includes Front Row, Apple iChat, Photo Booth, Apple Spaces, Apple Dashboard, Apple Spotlight, Apple Quick Look, Apple Time Machine, Drivers & Utilities, Apple iCal, Apple iLife, Apple Safari, Apple iTunes, Apple QuickTime, Apple DVD Player, Apple Address Book, Apple Mac OS X Mail, Apple XCode Developer Tools.

Razzle Dazzle:

Just like Apple’s previous notebooks, this laptop too has a unbiody chassis which is made up of aluminum. For the new version, the aluminum block is carved down and it  gives the notebook a sleeker look. At the end of the day, you get a laptop that is both thin and yet feels substantial and solid.

Inside Dope:

Tech enthusiasts around the world always have an eye on what Apple is trying to do with its MacBook line ups. Apple’s experiments for its notebook computers fall mainly in two categories: a change in the outer body (like the transition to the aluminum unibody in 2008) or minor upgrades in specifications like moving to a faster processor or increase in hard disk size. This latest iteration of the Apple’s MacBook Pro falls in to the latter category. The great unibody is retained for this version and we thank Apple for that. The gorgeous glass multitouch trackpad too is still there. But the internal components have been upgraded heavily and hence we won’t call this just another ‘minor’ spec upgrade.

MacBook Pros come in three versions, 13 inch, 15 inch and 17 inch. The latter two have got Intel’s new Core-i series of processors but the 13 incher is still stuck with Core 2 Duo processor. For the other two screen sizes, there are options of both Core i5 and faster Core i7 processors. Apart from that, there is another big inclusion regarding the graphics processor. The graphic card has been upgraded and this time you get a switch to toggle between the integrated graphics and the discrete graphics card.

We got a 15 inch model in our labs for review. The hardware components of the Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 are as follows: 2.66 GHz Core i7 processor, four gigs of RAM, spacious 500 GB hard drive, and Nvidia GeForce GT330M discrete graphics card. All this will set you back by $2,199 and it is definitely costly as compared to other notebooks in the market. But if you compare it with previous Apple’s products, you will find that this laptop is cheaper than the previous high end 15 inch MacBook Pro by $100. The cheapest 15 inch model will cost you $100 more than the previous 15 inch iteration from Apple but the latter doesn’t have discrete graphics card. Apple here, is trying to keep the price steady and put in powerful components.

This laptop from Apple still doesn’t have 3G, HDMI or Blu-ray player options but on the bright side, you get blazing fast speeds with the Core i7 processor. The 13 inch model is still stuck with the slower Core 2 Duo processor and hence this 15 inch model which we got in our labs seems to be Apple’s flagship model.

We are still big fans of Apple’s glass trackpad which supports multitouch gestures. The manufacturer’s accomplishment here must be noted since no other laptop maker has managed to come even close to making such a multi touch gesture supporting trackpad.

We got the fifteen inch Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 in our labs for testing and this one has a resolution of 1440×900 pixels. It is basically the same as its predecessor. But you might think this is too small if you are a HD video enthusiast. The resolutions of digital cameras and camcorders are also growing steadily so if you are a shutter bug freak, you will yearn for more real estate on the screen. So, Apple offers a 1,680×1,050 pixel option for $100 and if you pay $50 more, you get anti-glare coating. We liked that Apple gave us an option for bigger resolution but we expected this notebook to have a bigger resolution in the first place considering the high price.

The discrete graphics card on the Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 is GeForce 330M which has options for 256 MB and 512 MB versions. This doesn’t make the computer a gaming powerhouse but it can still play any current PC game in the market. You will have to tone down the settings though. We got 34.5 fps for Call of Duty 4 when played at 1,440×900 pixels with the high end graphics options like 4XAA turned on. When put at medium settings, we got 59 fps at the same resolution.

Batteries of all the three laptops are still non user removable and Apple says that the battery life is further improved in this laptop due to Intel’s better processor architecture. We tested this laptop in our labs and it stayed alive for a little more than five hours in our battery drain tests.

Nitty Gritty:

These new laptops may look the same but they are now powered by fast processors which make them extremely powerful. All this comes a cost though, pick one up if you have plenty of money to burn and need if you yearn for speed.

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