Apple, a name which nobody in this present world fails to recognise, not only the fruit, but also the company, because Apple Inc Ltd has given birth to a lot of revolutionary products, right from its iPhones and iPods to the laptops. Though there are many so called competitors for Apple, it is quite obvious that the Apple notebooks are at some unreachable height in terms of quality. In the array of proudly owned laptops and notebooks, the Macbook Pro is one which was developed few years back and now has got its latest upgrade. The Macbook Pro is known for its ultimate Unibody design, amazing subtlety and the good comfort that it renders to the users.

The Macbook Pro found its latest upgrade in the Spring of 2010 and the recent upgrades of this product are the inclusion of the excellent graphics, Nvidia’s new GeForce 320M processor, the capability of the Mini-Display port to output both audio and video and the inertial scrolling feature in the trackpad. Other than this, the other “industry-first” features, as Apple puts it, remain the same as the last upgrade. To study in detail about the complete assets of this notebook, travel on.

Apple Macbook Pro 13-inch Notebook

Design:

The 13″ Macbook Pro Notebook has a uniqueness which most of the notebooks these days do not wear, it is the “Unibody Design”. The Macbook Pro has been made from a single piece of Aluminium and this single piece brings the title Unibody and the main benefit of this is that it is more durable. Apple requires a good applause since it has taken good efforts to accomplish this arduous task of designing a notebook from an aluminium piece while most other counterparts prefer to assemble the separately made parts. The Unibody design gives the notebook a seamless texture and look which can be felt while handling the notebook. The notebook has a polished look, the credit of which goes to the aluminium chassis. The users can definitely “Feel the difference”. To facilitate easy opening of the notebook, Apple has provided the thumbscoop. Upon opening the notebook, the glaring display screen comes in view. The screen has a glass cover which enhances its professionalism. The glass cover has one disadvantage, the glare, and this notebook does not have an antiglare. The highly reflective glass screen makes it difficult for the users to view the contents of the screen when viewed at particular angles.

The resolution of the screen is 1280 x 800p which is good for a 13” notebook. The pictures and videos look great and precise because of the colour gamut. This notebook has a thin top part and a sturdy base part. The width of the notebook is about 12.8 inches while the depth is about 8.9 inches. The height of this device is a mere 1 inch. With these dimensions and a weight of about 4.5 pounds, it would be clear that the device is easily portable.

Keyboard:

Most of the notebooks these days come with the chiclet or the island-style keyboard and so does this Macbook Pro. The keys are quite comfortable to type and do not trouble the novice users much. The power button is present of the right extreme of the keyboard. The keyboard also has some of the control keys like the brightness keys, keyboard illumination keys, mute and volume keys. Designed with the ergonomics in mind, the keys are good sized. The main advantage of this keyboard is that it is backlit which means that typing in dark rooms will not be tough at all but will be a total bliss.

Functionality of the Glass etched “Multi Touch” Touchpad:

The trackpad is one of the greatest positive assets of the Macbook Pro. This notebook has the largest touchpad one would ever find in a notebook of 13 inches. Moreover, it is a single large surface with no separate mouse or scrolling buttons and it is etched with glass. It is a click pad where the entire surface area can be used to perform any options like clicking, selecting, dragging and so on. An interesting piece of news is that there is the “Inertial scrolling” included in the functionality of the touchpad. This will be a “Déjà vu” for regular apple users because, yes, it is a feature that is common in other Apple Products like the iPad or iPhones, and you will be at ease while using this feature. For novice Apple product users, you will love this inertial scrolling. With this feature, the users can easily view the long web pages because Physics finds its application here. When the user swipes using the two fingers, the momentum continues till it gradually becomes zero. It is a great feature that has been implemented in this Macbook Pro.

The multi-touch gestures are excellently working in this model without any flaw. The users can set a zone on the left and right corners at the bottom of the pad so that they can use their single finger to do the left and right mouse operations. Another choice is the use of two fingers over the entire surface to do the above operations. The choice can be made by selecting the required from the Track Pad Preferences. Overall, the touchpad is the biggest success of this notebook. With bigger size and wide area, it has achieved its medal.

Indicator Lights:

Apple has focussed on few indicator lights which comes in handy for the users. There is the battery indicator light on the left side of the notebook which indicates the current status of the battery. Clicking on the button would indicate the amount of charge available in the battery. If all the tiny lights glow, it means that the battery is completely charged while the less number of tiny lights obviously depict lesser amount of charge. This can be very useful for the users. Also, on the front side there is a “Sleep Indicator Light”. The users can easily identify that the notebook is put to sleep, from the white pulses.

Microphone, Camera and Speaker:

The microphone takes its position right above the Esc Key on the keyboard. The Apple Macbook Pro 13″ Notebook has a built-in iSight Camera which has an indicator light beside it and this indicator glows when the camera is in use. With the iSight camera combined with iChat, the users can have a lot of entertainment since video chatting is truly possible. The 13” Pro has built-in stereo speakers on both sides of the notebook with good output and now the users can listen to any song they like or watch any video with crystal clear audio output.

Available Ports:

The Macbook Pro 13″ Laptop Notebook has a good number of ports and most of these are on the left side of the device. The ports that are present are, MagSafe Power Adaptor, Ethernet, FireWire 800 port, MiniDisplay Port, 2 USB 2.0, an SD Card Slot, an audio out port and finally battery indicator lights. On the right side there is the security slot and the 8x super-fast Optical drive. In the front side, there is the sleep indicator light and also an IR receiver.

The MagSafe Power Adaptor consumes 60W of power and the main plus point in this is that the connector gets connected or rather stuck to the port by magnetism. The magnetic bonding between the connector and the port is really comfortable and since the adaptor is quite sleek in design it reduces the space occupied. The power adaptor has an indicator light which glows in two colours. The amber light indicates that the battery is charging while the green light indicates that the battery is completely charged. The Ethernet port is used for the wired connection to the Internet while the FireWire 800 port is used to connect the devices like the digital camera to the notebook. It is quite disappointing that Apple failed to provide the HDMI port. The replacement has been provided though, it is the Mini Display port. This port is used to connect to the TV and luckily it gives both audio and video output and so this actually lessens the drawback. There are only 2 USB ports and still some wish that the number could have been higher. In 2009, when the Macbook was upgraded there was this great news, the inclusion of an SD slot. It is indeed a great news since the data, for instance, the photos from the camera and the like can be easily transferred within seconds to the notebook. To protect the data from being stolen, Apple has provided the security slot. The optical drive is ultra fast and so data can be easily written or read within few seconds. The Apple Macbook Pro thus has a good number of ports. It would have been better if the ports were spaced out a little because the presence of two USB 2.0 ports together actually hinders the simultaneous usage of the two ports. Otherwise the design and the ports are awesome.

Apple Macbook Pro Folded View

Apple Remote:

The apple remote is an Infrared receiver which can be bought separately if the user wishes to have one. This remote reduces the work of the touchpad when he is not close to the notebook. If you are anywhere within 30 feet from the notebook, the remote would be quite comfortable to you to control the front row and the keynote. For instance, the user can easily control the music, videos and the like easily using this remote. But then, since extra cost has to be invested on the already costly notebook, some would not prefer to use it.

Connectivity:

The Apple Macbook Pro Notebook supports both wired and wireless connectivity. The wired ethernet connection might not come in handy all times. So, it has become vital for notebooks to support the wireless network. When the people are out in the world, it can not be expected to have a plugged in internet connection. In Airports and café, the wireless network comes as an aid and the protocol is 802.11bgn. The AirPort is the wireless network connection and it searches for all the available networks. It actually consumes high amount of power and it is advisable to turn it off while not at use. To turn the AirPort menu on or off, the AirPort status in the menu bar.

Heat:

Metals are good conductors of heat and this is the basic chemistry that students learn in chemistry. True to this law, aluminium, being a metal, conducts heat. While under normal usage the quantity of heat liberated might not be high or noticeable. But when the notebook does a lot of strenuous jobs, the heat liberated might be felt because the aluminium notebook might become warm or hot, depending on the usage. Heat is a small issue with the 13” Macbook Pro.

Memory and Processor:

The Macbook Pro 13-inch Notebook Computer comes with 4GB RAM basically but it can be extended to a generous 8GB. The RAM is DDR3 type and as usual it is placed at the bottom part of the notebook. The hard disk drive capacity is about 250GB and this memory capacity is sufficient enough for all the users. The processor used here is the Intel Core 2 Duo with a processor speed of 2.4 GHz. There is also another choice, the Core 2 Duo with a processor speed of 2.66 GHz. Though the processor does not have any complaints, it would have been a cheerful news if it had been upgraded to core i5 and i7 processors. When the 15” and 17” have been upgraded, it is quite upsetting that the 13” notebook has been left behind. Most of the notebooks these days, like the HP Envy 14 or the Lenovo, have taken their leaps while the Macbook Pro still has not. It is not a necessity, yet recommended.

Battery:

The Li-ion battery of the Macbook Pro scores the highest of all the other features. The longevity or the sustenance time of the battery is utterly amazing and great delight. The book works well with the Mac OS X software while does not maintain its standard when switched over to the Windows OS. When the MAC OS Leopard is under use, the notebook lasts for nearly 10 hours under idle. Of course, the idle mode is not practical and so moving on to the life time that it manages to surpass without the help of charging, it is nearly 7 or 8 hours when it is under light usage. But then, it seems like the Macbook Pro is not a favourite of the Windows operating system. The battery life drastically reduces when it is operated with the Microsoft windows. Since majority of the users would prefer the Mac OS, given the comfort and also use-friendly nature, there would not be much trouble with the battery. The users need not worry at all when they have to go on travel for hours.

Performance:

The performance of the Macbook Pro is exceptional in few ways like the degree of comfort obtained while using the touchpad and the keyboard as well. The new higher grade graphics also is a great boon and the colour of the pictures or videos on the screen are pretty good. The real problem actually arises between the Mac OS and the Windows. While the Mac operating system does an exceptionally good job in being user friendly as well as performing well, the windows lags behind in performance. This is the only noticeable mistake. Overall, the performance is good.

Warranty:

1 year is the time period of warranty for the 13” Macbook Pro and this time includes the services for the parts and labour.

Verdict:

Apple announced its upgrade in the Macbook Pro and has made few changes for the good. The Unibody chassis, the design of the keyboard and the touchpad are the biggest assets of this notebook. Most of the hardware and software functioning are good. The device is good for gaming too. There might be few errors and complaints here and there but that does not affect the product to a large extent. The engineering that has been involved in the development of this Macbook Pro is astounding. The notebook is a sign of good internal and external architecture. When Apple has every reason to boast of its production, then you too have every right to be the proud owners of the 13” Macbook Pro, (provided your) conditions apply!!

Apple Macbook Pro 13-inch Notebook – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Apple
Model Name Apple Macbook Pro
Dimensions: (W x D x H) 12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inches
Weight 4.5 pounds
Type Notebook
Display
Screen Size 13 inch
Screen Type LED backlit widescreen
Screen Resolution 1280 x 800
Internal Components
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4GHz,2.66 GHz)
RAM 4GB DDR3 (Extendable up to 8 GB)
Hard drive 250GB
Keypad Easy to work ergonomic backlit keyboard
Touchpad Yes with Multi touch facilities
Multimedia
Graphics Intel Nvidia’s new GeForce 320M processor
Speakers Built-in stereo speakers
Communication Setup
Wireless support WLAN 802.11 BGN
Memory card slot SD slot built-in
Connectivity 2 USB 2.0 ports, Audio line out,1 MiniDisplay Port, 1 Ethernet port
1 FireWire 800 port
Warranty 1 Year complete warranty

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