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Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch Reviewed

by , 2:55 PM EST, January 30th, 2007

The Apple MacBook Pro, 17-inch, 2.33 GHz was given a thorough, balanced review by C|Net UK on Monday.

The review was notable in that it appeared to be written by someone well familiar with Apple notebook computers. This is not always the case with publications that are not Apple specfic. It presented the facts and made useful comparisons to other Apple models. The review also cited various options and their prices. (All prices are in pounds.)

A great feature of the review was the complexity of the document. The review itself was one tab. Other tabs were: overview, images, comparison to other PC notebooks, and a forum for user opinions. There were also buttons to print the review or e-mail it to someone else.

Despite the balance, the author also properly pointed out the huge cost penalty in going from a system with 2 GB of RAM to 3 GB.

The review went on to evaluate the battery life, conducted some benchmarks, and gave a performance number for Quake 4 running in 1280 x 1024 mode. (Nearly 33 fps.) In the iTunes benchmark, an informative comparison was made to an HP Pavillion dv6000t. Adobe CS2 and CineBench performance results were also provided.

This review was a model of professionalism, clarity, even-handedness, and completeness. Anyone considering the purchase of a MacBook Pro should read it.

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Observer Comments

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View Name:Guest
Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:08 pm Subject: Useful and Balanced
Close Name:Bosco Posts: 999 Joined: 03 Jun 2002
Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:24 pm Subject: Great UK commercials

The UK version of Mac and PC was on that page. These are hilarious. See more here.

Also, the 17 incher is probably great for DJing, film editing, and other things where portability is needed, but it's too big for a lapper. I swapped by 17 inch G4 for my Mom's 15 inch G4 last year and I couldn't be happier. Mom, on the other hand, looks like she's lugging a plasma TV around .


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Close Name:WetcoastBob Posts: 78 Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:55 am Subject: Are You Joking?

That is about the lamest review I have ever read!
The real power of the Mac is in its software. I have had a MacBook Pro since April '06 and I have come to love the operating system and all the great software. I find iWork'06 is fabulous. It sounds like the new Word from MS is definately borrowing some of the features. iCal is hands down easier to use than Outlook. I also have Aperture which, it looks like Adobe has copied with it's Light Table. The real test of work flow is how you work with the machine and this depends largely on the software.
Anyway if you really want to be retarded there is always Boot Camp.


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Close Name:gslusher Posts: 2043 Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:40 pm Subject: A comparison

Quote
Bosco wrote:
The UK version of Mac and PC was on that page. These are hilarious. See more here.

Also, the 17 incher is probably great for DJing, film editing, and other things where portability is needed, but it's too big for a lapper. I swapped by 17 inch G4 for my Mom's 15 inch G4 last year and I couldn't be happier. Mom, on the other hand, looks like she's lugging a plasma TV around .


Here's an interesting comparison:

MacBook Pro 17": 15.4" x 10.4" x 1" (160.2 ci) 6.8 lbs

Original iBook: 13.5" x 11.6" x 1.8" (281.9 ci) 6.7 lbs

So, the 17" MacBook Pro isn't all THAT big.


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