It’s time to into a review of the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro. Last year, the company had redesigned some of its renowned creations, the iMac, the Mac Mini and the MacBook. The new Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch was distinguished with a unibody, sporting a seamless design. This dainty device finally reaches our desks. Visually, this creation has retained the Apple aesthetics and grace. So, read further to know if the redesigned MacBook has managed to raise the bar of the Apple devices.
This Apple machine enclosed in a neat packaging settled on our desks. Unfolding the packaging (which has been evidently cut down in size), the Apple machine was carefully wrapped and seated in a tray. Apple goes green (Green Apple!) as the tray holding the MacBook is built of recyclable paper. Besides, it was accompanied by a natty packet with the relevant software CDs and a guide.
This Mac creation looked in line with the MacBook Pro as it retains the various features. The device felt sturdy on holding with 24.1mm x 325mm x 227mm dimensions and is comparatively heavy at approximately 2Kgs. However, this doesn’t change its build material composition as polycarbonate plastic has been used. Needless to say, the lid adorns a large Apple logo which illuminates as you switch on the device. Its seamless design also flaunts rounded edges and leaves no room for removable battery that is securely placed within the Apple machine. The rubberized base that houses the battery is intact with eight screws. Apart from the base, this Mac is entirety glossy, shinning is white. One won’t need to put in a lot of effort to open or shut the lid, owing to its magnetic feature. This magnetic attraction enables easier usage and lesser exertion of pressure.
On opening the lid, the MacBook has been integrated with a 13-inch LED Backlit display centered on a white bezel. The keyboard is similar to the previous ones. The white uplifted buttons come with a grey print, surface around the keyboard is glossy white while the main power button goes on the top left. The glass trackpad looks larger and can be distinguished from the glossy white surface otherwise. The one-layer trackpad also serves as a button. Just below the screen, the bezel is printed with MacBook while above the screen and towards the centre is the iSight camera and recording indicator lamp. The left edge of the Apple device has been integrated with 8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW).
Tragically, the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch drops a few ports compared to the earlier models. It has bid goodbye to FireWire and SD card reader. The connectivity options now include two USB ports, audio port, Mini-DVI port, Kensington lock, MagSafe power port and Gigabit Ethernet port. The front edge has also dropped the Infrared (IR) receiver and shows off just the Sleep mode indicator. The 60 watts MagSafe power adapter with a compact connector works well with other Macbook models as well as 24″ LED Cinema Display. We wonder what’s it with Apple as this 13-inch LED Backlit MacBook comes minus a battery level indicator and backlit keyboard as well. So, while typing in low light conditions, one will have to simply rely on the screen’s light.
The clean desktop features the Menu at the top left and an easy access dock which could be placed at the bottom or on either sides of the screen. The main Menu includes an Apple logo that provides information of the device along with a few basic functions, the next icon displays the currently used application, followed by File, Edit, View, Go, Window and Help. On the other hand, the dock features several easy to access icons which could be changed depending upon our preferences. To name a few, Finder, Mail, iPhoto, Quick Time Player, iMovie, garage Band, iWeb, Aperture, Trash and so on. One can even tweak its magnification, size and location. Rather system preferences let one tweak the device’s various attributes.
The backlit LED upgrade attributed to this Mac brings better viewing experience while maintaining the same 1280 x 800 resolution. The glossy screen is impressive and offers better viewing angles. We watched a couple of videos that offered a great viewing experience. As expected, it has been integrated with iTunes and we could effortlessly sync our iPods. Powered by 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 2GB DDR3, the 250GB hard drive space can accommodate massive data. The integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics do their job well. Besides, we could effortlessly access Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR wireless technology and Wi-Fi wireless networking. The multi-touch trackpad gestures like pinch, swipe, rotate and so on worked smoothly.
The MacBook lets one view, edit and preview images while simple finger gestures help zoom in/out and rotate the images. Music zealots like us will be gladdened with the GarageBand that enabled us merge, mix and also record an original composition. If you are a movie buff rather than a music bug, then you may find iMovie interesting. One can form, edit clips and stitch them together to create a movie. We tried our hands at a few clips. Alas! we could never become movie makers. Apart from this, several innovative functionalities enabled the creative wizard within us. Coming to one of the important aspects, the 60 watt battery claims to power up to 7 hours of usage. With average usage we managed to easily stretch more than 7 hours. Web browsing using Safari was smooth. We also managed to download content and run a few other applications, concurrently. It let us multi-task easily and we didn’t face any lags either.
Enhanced audio experience is one particular factor that we have always been looking for in notebooks. Notebooks have been tagged with poor audio quality. Disappointingly, this Mac has also failed to deliver the desired audio performance. The audio isn’t effective but it did sound better with the headphones. Those looking for some fun filled moments may enjoy an engaging time as the plethora of applications lets one explore their wackiest side. One such application is the iSight camera along with Photo Booth. Yes, we found ourselves visiting the Eiffel tower, into a crazy roller coaster and with distorted faces using fun mirrors.
Overall, the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch carries several features of the Pro at a lower price point. The sophisticated looks along with a range of applications and efficient performance (of course ignoring a few flaws), the MacBook has managed to gain a rating of 9 on 10. It has been priced at Rs. 56,900.
