Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (mid 2009) User Review

Apple updated its line of Macbooks sony vgp-bps9 and Macbook Pros on the 8th of June 2009 with faster processors, SD card slots, increased battery life, and improved displays. This review looks at the standard top end 15-inch Macbook Pro purchased in the United Kingdom (model number MB986B/A), how it performs compared to other computers and Macbooks, and the advantages and disadvantages of these new changes. The standard top end Macbook Pro sony vgp-bps8 has the following hardware specifications: CPU: Intel T9600 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo (6MB cache, 1066MHz FSB) Memory: 4GB (2x2GB) PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM (1066MHz) GPU: nVidia Geforce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR3 SDRAM (dedicated) AND nVidia Geforce 9400M with 256MB DDR3 SDRAM (shared) Display: 15.4” glossy LED-backlit TFT active-matrix (1440x900) HDD: Hitachi 500GB 5400rpm SATA II Battery: Integrated 73 W/Hr Lithium Polymer battery (up to 7 hours) Optical Drive: 8x DL slot-loading “SuperDrive” (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) Keyboard: Full size backlit keyboard (UK) Mouse: Multi-touch trackpad Case: Aluminium unibody case with catch-less magnetic latch Ports: Gigabit Ethernet port; FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps); Mini DisplayPort (up to 2560x1600); 2xUSB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps); SD card slot; Audio line in; Audio line out (Intel HD Audio); Kensington Lock slot Wi-Fi: AirPort Extreme (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Webcam: built-in iSight webcam Dimensions: 0.95in x 14.35in x 9.82in (2.41cm x 36.4cm x 24.9cm) Weight: 5.5lbs (2.49kg) OS: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Warranty: 1-year worldwide AppleCare Build and Design Since their introduction in October 2008, the unibody Macbook Pros have been manufactured from one single sheet of aluminium. Apple sony vgp-bps9a/b has improved on this design with the latest Macbook Pros, by removing the battery panel from the underside of the laptop. This results in a perfectly smooth finish on the bottom of the Macbook, but at the same time removes the ability for the user to remove the battery sony vgp-bps9/s battery . Build and Design Since their introduction in October 2008, the unibody Macbook Pros have been manufactured from one single sheet of aluminium. Apple has improved on this design with the latest Macbook Pros, by removing the battery panel from the underside of the laptop. This results in a perfectly smooth finish on the bottom of the Macbook, but at the same time removes the ability for the user to remove the battery sony vgp-bps9/b battery . Manufacturing the entire laptop from one single sheet of aluminium results in a rigid chassis void of joins. This means that there is less chance of fractures or breaks developing on the case. Also, given the properties of aluminium, the laptop is very unlikely to crack or break. However, aluminium is a relatively soft metal, so it might deform should heavy pressures be applied to it, such as physically sitting on the laptop Dell latitude d630 battery . Aluminium is also a conductive material, so the heat is spread through the entire computer, providing more effective cooling, but also making the entire computer mildly warm to the touch after long periods of intensive processing. This is especially noticeable when running Windows Of course, the Macbook Pro display still falls short when compared to a stand-alone MVA, PVA, or IPS display. But for a laptop, it is definitely one of the best in the market to date. One particularly nifty feature of the Macbook Pro is how it adjusts the brightness of the display depending on the brightness of the environment. This feature has been available in Macbooks since Apple lenovo t61 battery released the unibody models, and can be turned off in the System Preferences. The speakers in the Macbook Pros, like speakers in most notebook models, haven’t improved much over the years. They are louder than their 13” counterparts, but a pair of decent stereo headphones or dedicated speakers will sound much better. Keyboard and Touchpad The 15” Macbook Pro has a full size backlit Chiclet keyboard. I personally greatly enjoy the Chiclet design, and find it very easy and quiet to type on. Of course, the Macbook Pro display still falls short when compared to a stand-alone MVA, PVA, or IPS display. But for a laptop, it is definitely one of the best in the market to date. One particularly nifty feature of the Macbook Pro lenovo r61 battery is how it adjusts the brightness of the display depending on the brightness of the environment. This feature has been available in Macbooks since Apple released the unibody models, and can be turned off in the System Preferences. The speakers in the Macbook Pros, like speakers in most notebook models, haven’t improved much over the years. They are louder than their 13” counterparts, but a pair of decent stereo headphones or dedicated speakers will sound much better. Keyboard and Touchpad The 15” Macbook Pro lenovo r60 battery has a full size backlit Chiclet keyboard. I personally greatly enjoy the Chiclet design, and find it very easy and quiet to type on. Having been a user of Apple keyboards for several years, I have overcome all the initial difficulties I had when I first switched. But, some users might need to get used to the narrower “Return” or “Enter” key, as well as the lack of a dedicated forwards delete key. However, once new users realise that the Command key should be pressed with the thumb instead of their little finger, they should have no difficulties in adjusting to the Macbook lenovo t60 battery Pro’s keyboard. The backlighting on the keyboard is activated automatically in low light conditions, illuminating the entire keyboard. Just like the automatic adjusting of the display’s backlight, the automatic illuminating of the keyboard can be disabled in System Preferences, and the brightness of the illumination can be adjusted with the keyboard on the fly. Having been a user of Apple keyboards for several years, I have overcome all the initial difficulties I had when I first switched. But, some users might need to get used to the narrower “Return” or “Enter” key, as well as the lack of a dedicated forwards delete key. However, once new users realise that the Command key should be pressed with the thumb instead of their little finger, they should have no difficulties in adjusting to the Macbook Pro’s keyboard. The backlighting on the keyboard is activated automatically in low light conditions, illuminating the entire keyboard. Just like the automatic adjusting of the display’s backlight, the automatic illuminating of the keyboard can be disabled in System Preferences, and the brightness of the illumination can be adjusted with the keyboard on the fly. The multi touch trackpad on the 15” Macbook Pro has no physical buttons. This is because the bottom part of the trackpad can be pushed down, acting like a physical button. This design, which was introduced with the unibody Macbooks dell inspiron e1505 battery , has received mixed feelings from users, some praising it while others find it impossible to use. I personally find it not too different from the conventional trackpad with physical buttons, and think it is a very good way of achieving the aesthetically pleasing design without compromising on functionality. In terms of performance, the trackpad works flawlessly in Mac OS X. There is also an array of options for performing a right click, from tapping the trackpad with two fingers, to physically pressing down on different areas of the trackpad. dell inspiron 1501 battery In Microsoft Windows however, it is a totally different story. The default Boot Camp drivers offer very limited configurations and customisations for the trackpad, and the sensitivity of the trackpad is slightly oversensitive, making it flimsy to operate. This issue might be fixed with the release of Snow Leopard and new Boot Camp drivers, but in the meantime, I can only recommend users to get an external two-button mouse for use in Windows. Heat and Noise The Macbook Pro dell xps m1330 battery has excellent temperature management in OS X. It will remain silent almost all the time, and will cool down rapidly once idling. It is a very different story in Windows however, where the laptop runs noticeably warmer even when idling, and it takes longer to cool down. Still, the two fans in the Macbook Pro are very quiet, as is the default 500GB Hitachi hard drive. Apple has included a SD card slot in their Macbook dell inspiron 1525 battery models. This is very welcoming for users who have been requesting the feature for many years, but the slot is not multi-purpose and only supports full size SD cards. On the 15” Macbook Pro models, Apple has removed the Expresscard slot. This has infuriated many users who rely on Expresscard devices for expansion. The Firewire port on the Macbook models have also been changed from Firewire 400 to Firewire 800. The increase in speed is a welcome change, but the Firewire 800 port is not directly backwards compatible with Firewire 400 devices. An additional converter is required to connect Firewire 400 devices to a Firewire 800 port, and this has received strong criticism from many users. The Mini DisplayPort port on the Macbook Pro fujitsu lifebook t4220 battery supports external displays up to 2560x1600. This means that it is possible to connect the 30” Apple Cinema Display to the Macbook Pro and run it at full resolution. However, Mini DisplayPort is licensed by Apple, and therefore requires an additional adaptor to convert it to other more mainstream display connectors, such as VGA, DVI, and HDMI. All Macbooks and Macbook Pros have slot loading optical drives, meaning that mini-discs cannot be used on the Macbooks as they will become stuck in the drive. The battery indicator at the side of the laptop is an entertaining feature, although its usefulness is rather limited. Both USB ports on the 15” Macbook Pro are located on the left side of the laptop fujitsu lifebook t5010 battery , which would significantly handicap users who require the port in a more convenient location on the laptop, such as right handed users of the Apple wired Mighty Mouse. The only area in terms of ports where the 15” Macbook Pro improves on the 13” Macbook Pro is the presence of separate Audio-In and Audio-Out ports. At home, I personally have my Macbook connected to my gigabit Ethernet network, hooked up to a 24” monitor which has a built in USB hub, and wired up to a 2.1 sound system. In that respect, having all ports on one side is useful. However, those with slightly different requirements than mine might experience difficulties and limitations when expanding their Macbook Pro with peripherals

Was this helpful? 0 0 Comments

You're reading Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro (mid 2009) User Review.