I recently made the switch from PC to Mac, and I can say that I'm not sure why I waited so long. Considering that I have only had my computer a few weeks I can't say much about the durability and longevity of the hardware, but I can say that the operating system (mine shipped with Lion) and software is top notch.I labored for a long time trying to decide whether the 13" MacBook Pro (MBP) or MacBook Air was the right choice for me. I liked the form factor, screen resolution and weight of the Air, but couldn't get comfortable with the comparatively small hard drive and the RAM fixed at 4GB. Considering these factors along with the significant price premium for an Air, I decided that the MBP was right for me.
I also thought long and hard about whether to go with the base model with the 2.4Ghz i5 processor and 500 GB HDD or the 2.8Ghz i7 processor with the 750GB HDD. after looking at reviews and benchmark tests I decided that for my uses, the less expensive model would be perfect and that the incremental added performance of the more expensive model is not worth the additional cost. When large solid state drives become more affordable I will probably switch my HDD out, but until then 500GB should provide plenty of storage.
I opted to get my computer locally, but purchased the Crucial 8GB Kit (4GBx2), 204-pin SODIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 Memory Module (CT2KIT51264BC1339) from Amazon for a great price. Once I got my computer home I installed the RAM in 10 minutes, start to finish. If you are planning this upgrade just be sure that you have the right Phillips head screwdriver.
After using this computer for the past few weeks and carrying it on weekly business trips I am very pleased with my choice of computers. It handles the Microsoft office suite flawlessly, and the added ram allows me to open and view very large pdf files without any lag. I have done minor video and photo editing on this computer and it performed very well. The added weight compared to the
Air hasn't proven to be too noticeable, but I am a big guy at 6'4" and 210 pounds.
So far I am pleased with this computer and my Mac experience overall. The process of learning a new OS and overall user interface was daunting at first, but Apple has done a great job creating a system that is intuitive and easy to learn.
I would recommend this computer to anyone looking for a new laptop that they expect to have for awhile and would like to be able to customize to fit their needs.
UPDATE 5/29/12: I have been using my MBP for six months now and couldn't be happier with it. I may have been lucky enough to get a great unit, but during the time that I have owned my MBP I have NEVER needed to contact technical support. I use my Mac for my primary business computer every day and have traveled extensively with it.
Aside from its performance and reliability the feature that I like most about my Mac is the multi-touch trackpad. By using gestures on the trackpad I can be very efficient, and I'm not sure that I will ever be able to go back to a regular mouse or trackball.
One addition that I made was to get the Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter MB570Z/A to attach a second monitor when I'm at the office. This allows me to use both my MBP monitor and an external, which provides me with much more area when using Excel or other programs and also allows me to keep my mailbox visible when working on other things.
Considering how pleased I am with my Mac, I have a feeling that I will be buying a lot more Apple products in the future.
The MD314LL/A features a 2.8 GHz i7 processor, integrated Intel 3000 graphics and a 750 GB hard drive. I've never owned an Apple laptop before, so there was a little bit of a learning curve. Now that I'm getting the hang of it, I'm beginning to like OSX Lion better than Windows. Programs can be run on separate virtual desktops, and the computer never misses a beat when several programs are active. Switching between different desktops or open programs can be done by merely sliding three fingers forward on the large touchpad. Control-clicking on words or phrases in Safari brings up a context sensitive menu which allows the user to select to view a dictionary, Wikipedia, or do a Google search in a pop-up window in the browser. You can also ask the computer to speak the word or phrase, if you have any doubts about pronunciation. Safari also includes links to a library of plug-ins at extensions.apple.com, which includes a plug-in for Flash, so you can now watch free Hulu videos and other videos online. The network preferences window makes it far easier than Windows to set up a list of public DNS servers to bypass the sometimes slow, glitchy ISP servers.
This computer is completely silent. I wasn't even sure it had a cooling fan until I downloaded a utility to monitor the fan speed. This computer is super fast, and the base plate never gets more than lukewarm. The light weight, small footprint, lighted keyboard, crisp screen and speed really make this computer shine.
The attention to detail is really outstanding. The cooling vents on the back of the base are completely covered by a sliding plate when the lid is closed, keeping dust out of the innards. The power supply has flip out legs for winding the cord for storage and the prongs can be removed so it can be used as a brick type supply with the supplied AC cord. The computer also has a green LED battery status gauge built into the left side of the base, which is activated by a flush button. The lid snaps shut quietly even though there are no cheesy stick-on rubber bumpers, and it is held closed by magnets. The built in light sensor shuts off the keyboard backlighting and brightens the display in bright ambient light. The computer also has a 3 axis accelerometer to protect the hard drive from damage. The attention to detail is why Macs are more expensive than the various PC clones.
Buy Apple MacBook Pro MD314LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Now
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.
Read Best Reviews of Apple MacBook Pro MD314LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Here
Packaging:Very impressed with the packaging. I was very impressed how well this thing was packaged. A well thought-out design protects the content and minimizes customer dissatisfaction.
First impression:
I am sure everyone who are interested to buy this product, has gone to best buy and played with it a bit. well, the new MBP right out of the box is 90% more impressive and attractive than that of the store. It is a good looking piece of machine.
It came with a charger, extension cord for the charger, instruction book, screen wipe, and nothing more that I needed. I took the cord out, and started charging it. A full charging is highly recommended before use. after a few setup screens, I am up and running.
Upgrade time:(Make sure you shut down your machine first)
I ordered this machine with a 8GB memory upgrade (DDR3-1333) from Crucial. I did not want to pay a premium for the apple upgrade. Instead, I bought a dual channel kit separately for $39.00. I highly recommended Crucial brand as they use Samsung memory chips and for one more reason I am telling you next. I will not go through how to change the memory(a lot of youtube videos available). when I took out the existing memory out of the MBP, guess what chips they use on the memory sticks? yes, guessed it right, samsung.And I also have reasons to believe that the RAMs are OEM version of crucial memory judging by physical similarities. but, that is just my opinion, not a fact.
User Experience:
After the upgrade, turned on the machine and few beeps and clunks later, it started flying. I repeat, it is flying and my machine is currently running over 600 threads without any sign of slowing down. virtual box? NO PROBLEMO! this little beauty is a little beast in performance. I have installed over 50 applications, running dozens simultaneously, 10 more browser windows open, and it just happy. I can't say enough about the multi-touch gestures. No other laptop I have ever used that had such ease of switching between applications, scrolling, searching, sliding and navigating. I have never used Mac OS before(not more than a few minutes of playing around at best buy), and I felt it was very intuitive to use and learned fairly quickly. I still don't know a lot about the OS, but it has not stopped me from doing what I need to do.
What could be better:
Not that I cared much, but the standard power cord is a little short. I bought a sleeve to keep it safe, and it does not allow room for the extension cord that comes with it(big and bulky).
It has good speakers that play nice sounding beats. But the 15" plays them better.
The outer shell is aluminium, but don't think you can't scratch it. I spent a sleepless night just cause it put a small scratch under it by accident. But, I am over it now.
Advice to the people who wants to take the plunge:
I felt like it was the best $1100 I spent on a laptop. I could not justify it before using it as I always thought that Mac is more style than performance and usefulness. I admit that I was wrong. This machine offers more features and performance per dollar than I thought. This is a well-built machine that would serve me longer than any other laptop ever has for me. I have half a dozen windows machines in my house including a 990X extreme desktop that I built 4 months ago. I love windows, but I have learned that I can like both (Macbook pro and PC).
Want Apple MacBook Pro MD314LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Discount?
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; 5-6 hours is more like it, depending on the apps that you're running
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.
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