I finally made the decision to get rid of my two laptops (an HP envy, and a 13" macbook pro) in favor of this 17" macbook pro with a dual boot setup using Boot Camp. Initial impressions: The best choice I've ever made. Here's the whole thing broken down:
THE SIZE
This thing is pretty beastly, but it's not unwieldy. You definitely feel its size the second you pick one up, or move it around, but you'll quickly get over that once you open it up and turn it on. The keyboard is super expansive, the screen is unbelievable (more on that later) and you can still stay mobile with this thing if you really need to. It's not something you can easily move around with 1 hand from room to room, but if you're like me, and do most of your work at a desk, then this is a great choice to make. (Note: I also own an iPad, which is a fantastic pair with this thing, since it does about 90% of what I do on-the-go as far as mobile computing goes.)
THE SCREEN
So I mentioned already that you'll most likely fall in love with this thing like I did when you open it up and turn it on. It has the highest PPI (pixels per inch) of all the apple laptops they sell and it shows. I actually am considering not even hooking this up to my external monitor anymore, because of how brilliantly sharp it is. Colors really pop and text is easy to read. Also, since it's 17", you get a better-than-HD 1920x1200 resolution. My work is in development, so this is really a major selling point for me. I need to be able to manage all my windows in Xcode and Interface builder without tons of overlap and clicking between browsers, my chat windows and my code.
THE KEYBOARD
If you've used a macbook pro keyboard in the past year or so, you'll feel right at home with this thing. I will say this as a negative, however: It's not super comfortable on your arms right past your wrist, because the sharp edges of the laptop dig into your skin after a while.
THE PERFORMANCE
I copied over my entire OS/settings to this new macbook pro and ran some field tests to see how fast this thing is in comparison to my old macbook pro--and it screams. An iPhone/iPad project that takes 5-10 seconds to build on my old machine (core 2 duo) takes a fraction of that time here. The i5 is most definitely a step up from previous core 2 duos. I finally have a laptop I can stick Windows 7 on that is as good as a dedicated Windows machine can do. (Being able to have this 1 comp to run both environments is great!)
BATTERY LIFE
I will have to come back and update on battery life, but I can tell you that it's worlds better than my HP. That was similarly spec'ed and barely worked 2 hours on the go. This one so far is looking like 6 hours with wifi and full brightness. They have it rated at 8-9 hours, but I'm sure that's with brightness turned down and not full use the whole time. Truthfully, anything better than 2 hours with this kind of power is great for me.
TOUCHPAD
Again, if you've used a recent MacBook Pro, this is essentially identical. The biggest change here is that you can now use "inertial" scrolling, so that you can just flick your fingers to scroll long pages, and it will keep scrolling until it slows to a stop. This is very similar to the iPhone scrolling of long pages, or if you've used a Magic Mouse, it does the same thing.
Also, of note, is that of all the new copy cat glass track pads, I haven't used one that works as well as these. Even inside Windows, it performs real well and you feel productive with it. I've used other PC's with the no-button glass touchpad, and it makes me want to throw them across the room after a few minutes..
OTHER THOUGHTS/CONCERNS
While I'll keep this at 5 stars, this isn't necessarily a perfect computer. I have a few gripes with it, but they aren't really deal breakers and all the other pros make up for them so well that I'm okay with it. For starters, this has three USB ports (the 15 and 13 model only have 2) but unfortunately they are literally all lined up next to each other. If you have any kind of a fat usb device, you're out of luck for placing anything next to it.
Also, you'll most likely need to buy the mini-display port to HDMI converter because while Apple loves mini-display port, the rest of the world is just now using HDMI as its standard. You can find one here on amazon for real cheap ( Mac Converts):
Lighter than all but the lightest PCs, netbooks, etc.
The specs in the machine are pretty strong, yet it maintains a solid battery life of up to 9 hours (real world, you'll get around 7 or so with casual use, maybe 5 with some development work, a little less for VMs and so on).
The screen is sharp and vibrant, but not too difficult to read. Snow Leopard includes all sorts of zooming options so you're not constantly straining to read the text on the screen.
Once you've used a MacBook trackpad you won't want to go back to a standard one. It is a bit of a pain to have to map a right click function instead of keeping the two buttons for converts, but you'll get used to it once you find a option for you. The inertial scrolling is a keeper though.
At first, the battery life is going to take some getting used to, especially if you're used to laptops that have up to 3 hours of battery life in ideal situations.
Realizing that the MacBook Pro never needs to be shut down will also be a bit of a culture shock.
Some bullet points to consider (smaller MacBooks to the 17"):
You should expect comparable, but not identical, battery life out of the 17" from what you're used to. The only exception is the 2010 13", which has a staggering 10 hour max battery life. For that crowd, you'll want to adjust to a smaller battery life, definitely.
You can change the resolution down to something else, but know that Snow Leopard will get fuzzy. Screen resolution optimization is not a Snow Leopard strong point.
The difference between the high resolution 15" and the 17" is a matter of opinion. For me, I couldn't justify paying the price for the HR 15" when it was a few bucks less than the 17" which had a better resolution to it AND a stronger processor.
You can see from the pictures how much bigger the 17" is than the 13". For purposes of carrying, the 17" feels about as heavy as a decent sized book. It's probably not the most practical in a school classroom; for that I would lean towards the 13" as it's the most space friendly. But if you're a developer, writer, gamer, or anyone else who needs to do a lot with a little, the 17" will blow your mind.
Strictly my opinion...get AppleCare if you buy this laptop. Reason being: At its current price, it's really hard to justify, but replacing it out of warranty will be even more of a pain if something goes wrong.
Add a Solid State Drive or a 7200 RPM drive at least. You'll appreciate the added performance.
So...is it recommended? If you're one of the roles above AND can accept that there is a premium on this laptop, absolutely. It's overpriced. I'm not going to lie to you. The components in the laptop don't add up to the price Apple's asking. But it's still a solid machine and well worth a look if you want the top of the MacBook Pro line.
This is my 2nd Macbook Pro. I average a 4 year replacement cycle since features I need determine my upgrades rather than what ever latest changes may bring. I had a Powerbook g4 1gig, then the MBP C2d, and now the MBP Core i5. I should have opted for the i7, but didn't want to push it when work was picking up the tab this time. This machine can do it all. I run bootcamp, and parallels for instructing in the use of PC and the occasional PC game that needs all the processing power/Ram it can muster.
I teach and extensively use digital photography and videography. The machine is the brain of a floor full of f800's LaCie externals connected via daisy chain. When I need flat out performance using external I use the express card 34 slot for eSATA (Now Bootable via express card port) lightening fast transfers and editing. The better performance comes with the upgraded internal 7200RPM 500GB, and the 8Gigs of RAM. The full HD display is very nice with the super bright LED backlight. You can push performance with an SMC fan control download to allow you to run full fan speed before it gets to the point that it needs cooling to preserve performance.
The new trackpad gesture controls make for faster post work. The cool black keys harken back to my Powerbook days. The super fast graphics are amazing. The battery life is unbelievable when you are not tethered to drives and don't need to be wired down, it is really nice to go all day without needing to be plugged to power.
There isn't much more that I can say that hasn't already been covered by Conrad, Samer, and others. Keep it protected as there is no idiot insurance with Apple Care Protection Plan. I have been very pleased with the Pelican 1495 Air Tight/ Water Proof case at only $130.00.
The drawbacks from the previous model as mentioned in other comments are the sharper edges of the unibody that while it looks cool, it is painful if you don't put a cloth over it. I have lines in my arms from resting on the edges. The current lack of fully updated 64bit and quad core coded apps to take advantage of the new configuration will come in time. I love my Mac! Still not putting a sticker on my car though:-)
Buy Apple MacBook Pro MC024LL/A 17-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Now
Update after 2 months of use.
I am very happy. The extra screen estate is fantastic and there is no way I could go back to a 15" for my type of use (see below). I generally get about 5 hours of battery life in constant use.
Whenever we visit family now we take the laptop and do slide show or video presentations of family photos and video. The screen is just the best for this. I do not find weight to be an issue. But I am more careful and always put the laptop in a sleeve and carry it very carefully. It is so sleek I could imagine it slipping out of my fingers! But I no longer find it bulky or heavy.
For my business use I have not needed an external screen at all. I may eventually buy a cheaper Dell screen for my office.
The only con I found before buying it is that the higher resolution make menus and text small. The fixes I found have worked (see below) and for the few programs that I have not found a fix for, I just zoom the screen. Not ideal, but this is only a small portion of my working time. The ability to have two or three programs open at once to do your work is such a huge plus. The 17" really suits me as I move from office to office and from office to home. If I was a student using it in classrooms it might be too big. In airports the computer is the same size as the trays they use which makes it hard to get the computer out of the tray you need two hands so the computer always goes through first. A small thing.
I have not found it hard to use while sitting on my lap on the couch. If anything the bigger size makes it more stable. I hate to say it, but I now like to do some of my work while sitting on the couch.
And I have to say it again the screen is gorgeous. Everyone is blown away by it!
Here is the original review below.....
When considering to replace my 15" Powerbook G4 that I used with an aging cinema display I thought to have the same setup again. A 15" Macbook Pro and a 24" display. But my big complaint about my 15" was always that there was never enough real estate to do my work. Yes I could surf the web and it could sit on my lap. But for any meaningful work (and I normally need to coordinate between two or three programs) I just could not fit my work on the screen. For that reason I started to consider the 17".
FYI I run a midsize business from my home office and often travel to satellite offices. At home I prefer to work in the lounge in the evening to be close to the family. On the road I try to spend less time on the computer and more time with my clients. And I often make presentations.
I spent a lot of time demoing the 15" and 17" at the Apple Store and talking to friends in the computer industry whom I respected. They all gave me the same advice. Get a 15" and a cinema display. But I really found that with my 15", it spent the vast majority of its productive time hooked to a monitor and I wanted to get away from an external monitor.
The biggest issue I found with the 17" is that the screen resolution is so high that all text becomes very small. This is a major issue with a lot of programs such as mail unless you want to send all your messages as 18 high font. Mail and Calender are two important programs from me. I found a hack for mail that allowed me to increase the appearance of mail by 25% ( go to terminal and type in defaults write com.apple.mail AppleDisplayScaleFactor 1.25 and for calender I switched to BusyCal. With most other programs such as final cut pro and Aperture most of my time is spent focusing on the images on screen and the controls are second nature. Work and Excel allow you to zoom. Quicken is a problem and for this I just zoom the screen which looses some resolution, but I am not on the program forever. I may buy a cheap external monitor later.
So we have all read the negatives about the 17", that it is heavy and hard to move around. Well, that is true. If I was a student moving from class to class then the 15" or 13" would be appropriate. And if I was a road warrior constantly on the move, making presentations and using a projector then a 15" would be appropriate. If I did 80% of my work in one spot and another 20% on the move then I would consider the 13" and external monitor. But if you are semi mobile and looking for a laptop that allows you to fully and easily do your work anywhere, then the 17" is in a class of its own. I love being in my office during the day and if I do not finish my work I take my laptop home and finish in the evening. My wife is not upset because I am still near the family and I am happy as I can still do meaningful work.
Another issue raised is airplane use. Unfortunately in this day and age the seats are so close together that it is hard to open any computer. Unless I fly business class my 15" stays closed. If you fly a lot and in economy and need to work then the 13" does make sense.
The 17" is big, heavy, and bulky compared to the 15" but You do get used to it. And when not in use I keep it in the protective sleeve. I never did this with the 15". The 15" was my going into battle computer. The 17" feels like I am taking fine art to work and I want to take care of it.
The three best things about the 17"
1) The display is gorgeous. Aperture and Final Cut Pro are a joy to use with the 17". Forget hotel TV's if you want to watch a movie. And again in a hotel room I can do my business without compromise.
2} All my friends who advised getting the 15" are now really jealous. I think the real reason that more people do not opt for the 17" is that they are afraid to go to the extreme.
3) I was able to dispense with an external monitor and I actually feel more mobile as I never have to plug into a monitor.
If you are reading this then you are probably trying to make up your mind as to which laptop to buy. I think the choice is simple. The 17" is actually cheaper as you can dispense with an external monitor. The 15" without an external monitor is a compromise. If you are highly mobile or highly stationary then definitely the 15" is better (or even 13"). If you are semi-mobile then the 17" is just amazing and you will love yourself for having it every time you turn it on.
Read Best Reviews of Apple MacBook Pro MC024LL/A 17-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION) Here
1. Bus Speed is 800Mhz. In the laptop world, this would be right between slow and fast. If you a casual user (watch youtube while checking your e-mail and writing a report), this will be sufficient.
