“Part media center, part workstation, the Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch has been revered over the years by a nation of professional photographers and film editors, not to mention average media folks who can’t get enough of this thin-bodied cinematic wonder,” Cisco Cheng reports for PC Magazine.
“The Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch (Unibody) ($2,799 direct) is still the lightest and the prettiest media center laptop to house a maximum-resolution screen, and the changes are significant,” Cheng reports.
“No other media center can even come close to this system’s thinness. Its dimensions of 15.5 by 10.5 by 0.98 inches (HWD) make it seem half as thick as either the HP HDX18t or the Sony VAIO VGN-AW190. Apple’s unibody aluminum enclosure has gained wide attention. Without question, the MacBook Pro 17-inch (Unibody)’s design is jaw-dropping; what makes it even more impressive is the sense of security its rigid frame provides. Yet Apple has still managed to produce the lightest laptop in its class. At 6.6 pounds, this system is’ roughly 2 pounds lighter than the HDX18t (8.7 pounds) and the AW190 (8.4 pounds) and lighter even than the Dell Studio XPS 16 (6.9 pounds), which has a smaller widescreen,” Cheng reports.
“I love it when a screen fills the lid’s entire ‘canvas,’ leaving barely detectable strips as borders. The 17-inch widescreen is magnificent; it’s about as close to an edge-to-edge screen as one can get,” Cheng reports. “It’s a brighter, more sophisticated panel than the one in the previous 17-inch MacBook, more in line with Apple’s desktop Cinema displays. Apple offers both glossy and matte (antiglare) screen options. Along with the wider color gamut, an antiglare screen is an important selling point for the MacBook’s target audience, especially for professional photographers who need to judge colors on the fly. Though there’s only one resolution, it’s the highest possible for such a display: 1,920 by 1,200.”
“The Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch (Unibody) is an easy recommendation for professional photographers, video editors, and sophisticated media enthusiasts. It was inconceivable that a design as attractive as the previous version could be outdone, but Apple somehow pulled it off, as the 17-inch is sexier and still the lightest in its class. Any doubts about the redesigned keyboard, the touchpad, and the non-removable battery can be put to rest, as their addition has only improved the user experience,” Cheng reports.
Full review, in which Cheng – more laughably with each passing review – once again complains about the lack of a built-in memory card reader, here.
Related articles:
The New Zealand Herald: Apple’s 17-inch MacBook Pro a lighter, thinner, seriously capable machine – January 11, 2009
PC Magazine hands-on with Apple’s new 17-inch MacBook Pro – January 07, 2009
Apple posts TV ad for new 17-inch MacBook Pro with revolutionary 8-hour battery (with video) – January 06, 2009
Hands-on with Apple’s new unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro – January 06, 2009
Apple debuts 17-inch MacBook Pro with built-in battery delivers 8 hours of use and 1,000 recharges – January 06, 2009
