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Review: Apple 15” MacBook Pro (early 2011 model)
For the last few years, I’ve had pretty consistent advice for friends and family members shopping for a laptop: unless you’re a hardcore photo or video editor, you don’t need anything bigger than a 13-inch model. And unless you’re Richie Rich or a competitive video game player or graphic designer, avoid the expensive high-end Apple MacBook Pros.
After spending a month with a 15-inch MacBook Pro on loan from Apple and running it through the torture test of covering South by Southwest Interactive, I’m prepared to admit that my advice has changed.
The new MacBook Pros, refreshed in late February to add speedier processors, more advanced graphics capabilities (especially in the 15- and 17-inch models) and Thunderbolt, a new high-speed data transfer interface, are fast. Very fast. In fact, the 15-inch model I tested is among the fastest laptops you can buy at the moment.
The model I tested includes an Intel i7 quad-core processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM and AMD’s Radeon HD 6750M graphics card (in addition to Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics).
For the first few days, the laptop didn’t seem that much faster than my 3-year-old 13-inch Macbook, a computer that’s been reliable and fast enough. But during the crunch of covering SXSW, I came to rely on the MBP’s fast start-up times, its long battery life (as long as I wasn’t continually running Tweetdeck, or other Adobe Flash/Air apps that are a huge drain) and its durability. The MBP was stained, clicked against beer bottles, dropped (accidentally, I swear!) and jostled around in a laptop bag for days. A few wipes with a cloth and the aluminum-bodied machine looked brand new.
By the end of the festival, when I needed to edit some photos using Aperture (sold separately; I used my own copy) and edit videos with iMovie, the machine’s speed became much more apparent. Those apps are functional, but sometimes balky on my old machine. On the MacBook Pro, they were a breeze to use and lightning fast in rendering video or adjusting photo settings. Video games I later downloaded via Valve’s Steam service ran as fast or faster than on my Windows 7 desktop machine, which I primarily use for gaming and video editing.
The new Thunderbolt port, which offers much faster transfer speeds than USB or Firewire, is a moot point at the moment. There aren’t devices out there that use it yet, but a raft of external drives and other peripherals are due out by summer. And the MacBook Pro now has an HD-quality webcam built in, useful for the video chat FaceTime app that’s included.
One quibble with the hardware: the glass trackpad, which is one big unit with no buttons (it clicks with you press on it) seems almost too large. I constantly found myself changing the size of web pages and accidentally making other unintentional multitouch gestures in normal use. You can disable those gestures in the computer’s settings.
After a month of near-constant use, on the eve of sending the MacBook Pro back to Apple, I went back to the old Macbook and suffered a pang of upgrader’s remorse. My beloved machine now seemed sluggish and small by comparison. I’d gotten used to the MacBook Pro’s roomier display (though I’m not a fan of its high-glare glossy screen; there’s an anti-glare option available an extra fee). Sure, it’s a little heavier (it’s no MacBook Air, that’s for sure), but if I could make it through seven days of SXSW coverage with the machine strapped to my shoulder, it wasn’t an unreasonable amount of weight.
For the first time in my life, I’m considering buying a laptop that starts in price at $1,799. (As configured in the review unit it would be closer to $2,199). It seems like a ridiculous expense, an extravagance, really. But for those who spend a lot of time on their machines and don’t own a powerful desktop machine, it may be wise to go top-of-the-line. People who bought high-end MacBook Pros two years ago are missing a hardware feature or two, but they’ve still got fast, capable machines that can run all the latest Mac OS X updates and software.
There are cheaper options, of course. The 13-inch MacBook Pros start at $1,199. But they don’t have the processing power or 3-D gaming capabilities of the 15- and 17-inch models. Why not reach for the stars?
Maybe I’m just rationalizing. It’s hard not to when you’ve been test driving the fastest car on the lot and can suddenly imagine yourself permanently in the driver’s seat.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: Computers, Gadgets, Shopping
Comments
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By j bush
April 16, 2011 8:04 PM | Link to this
Buy one. Enjoy it! You deserve it!!!
[put a SSD inside it and watch it fly]
(I enjoy your reports on NPR!!!)
By Brett
April 15, 2011 10:07 PM | Link to this
@ US Commerce
Which "Made in the Good Old USA" laptop do you recommend?
By the way, I'm pretty sure Apple has the means and the will to aggressively defend its patents.
By US Commerce
April 15, 2011 12:34 PM | Link to this
Consider:
1. the US taxes that Apple avoids due to off shore corporate loop holes
2. the US jobs lost to cheap Chinese labor
3. the US intellectual capital lost to China (aka patents)
---Apple is just NOT WORTH the HIDDEN PRICE