Cult of Mac: a blog about the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone - and the people who love them

146 comments

I was still hesitating as I already have a 13-inch 2008 macbook unibody
but now it is sure that I am going to spend 1,200 bucks on this one.
Better screen, better battery and backlit keyboard…

Damn article…I was almost forgetting about buying one

dom, on June 14th, 2009 at 12:20 am

Cool. I’m just about to buy one. Good to hear you think it’s a great machine.

gargravarr, on June 14th, 2009 at 12:34 am

I just got mine 2 days ago & i’m loving every minute of it! It’s fast AND it looks great. It’s even making my wife jealous.

MacSheikh, on June 14th, 2009 at 2:09 am

The 13-inch MacBook (Pro) does *not* use an integrated graphics chip, ya git — it’s a dedicated Nvidia graphics chip that came out during the last refresh … Do you *really* cover the “cult” of Mac and not know that … ?!

Beezlegrunk, on June 14th, 2009 at 2:21 am

I bought a MacBook about 5 days before the upgrade and was lucky enough to get my money back to place an order for the pro with extra 90gb storage taking it to 250gb. I normally wouldn’t have bothered but it was cheaper and better than the MacBook even with extra space and a remote which took the wind out of my sails with my shiny new MacBook. Anyway, I digress, having looked at all the reviews on the net (all of which love the new pro) I have to say that your review was hands down the best. Thank you so much for the pictures, benchmarking and detail. A proper review, thank you. I am now more than ever, glad that I decided to wait until the week before the conference so I could upgrade.

George Astor, on June 14th, 2009 at 2:28 am

Clarification: The GPU is on the Nvidia-supplied motherboard, rather than the previous Intel-supplied motherboard (and sharing memory with the main RAM), so it’s not ‘integrated’ in the same sense as it was when it was using Intel’s motherboard and shite graphics chip …

Beezlegrunk, on June 14th, 2009 at 3:06 am

Not to bring you down, but I was also in love until I saw that Apple dropped the SATA II down to SATA I on the new 13″. Check it out in the System Profiler. (Hardware -> Serial ATA) : 1.5Gigabit. Bummer.

TheBrew, on June 14th, 2009 at 3:10 am

Great Review, and I do really feel the same kind of attraction with my 2.53 MBP 13″! I think it’s perfect – as much as a notebook can be perfect at all, and until now. It’s the first notebook I really can have all day out without looking out for power supply. the screen is amazing. and I’m glad FW is back, and SD in. And it’s super quiet and not too warm.

OTOH, there’s just the SATA downgrade from 3.0Gb in the unibody Macbook to 1.5Gb in the MBP. Not that it would change much, but it’s nevertheless a downgrade people care, if reading macrumors forums.

While I hope Apple will fix this SATA thing for future SSD use, I just enjoy this MBP completely!

jboyzh, on June 14th, 2009 at 3:15 am

I really had to laugh seeing the cat sitting on your MacBook. It was so familiar (my cat has the same habit)…

obil, on June 14th, 2009 at 3:31 am

They “the first unibody MacBooks” were simply stunning, and these just take it to the next level.

Thanks for the review.

Bob, on June 14th, 2009 at 3:35 am

docking for pro users? i saw a hacked version with a (dell) docking in my dreams .:) 2 x DVI/HDMI and esata….

aik, on June 14th, 2009 at 4:13 am

Are you sure those benchmark numbers are correct? As I read it the new MBP is barely faster for most tasks, and takes twice as long when converting from AAC to MP3?

Lode, on June 14th, 2009 at 5:55 am

Yeah, the numbers are correct. That they are basically the same is not surprising because it’s more or less the same hardware with a small bump in processing power. And you’re right about the MP3 encoding — for some reason it took twice as long! I think it must have been a glitch. If I had time, I’d do it again, but I’ve got to leave on vacation in about 10 minutes. I’ll check it when I get back.

Leander Kahney, on June 14th, 2009 at 7:38 am

Hello Leander,
Thanx for this great early review! While reading your article I noticed something that I had to comment on – the quality of the 13″ LCD panel. You wrote:
“Though the same res (1280×800), the improved backlit LED display has a 60% better color gamut than the previous screen. It’s the SAME primo screen used in the 15-inch MBP, but the 13” is a lot cheaper”

I definitely agree that the panel is better than the Macbook Unibody but saying that the 13″ and 15″ are the same is incorrect. Apple announced that the MBP did get a better LCD panel with 60% improvement, but never actually said that it was the 13″ that got it.

I went to an Apple store this week and kindly asked the staff to line up the laptops: Macbook, MBP 13″ and MBP 15″ next to each other.

I can tell you that the LCD panels are NOT the same on the new 13″ and 15″ MBP. The brightness, contrast and “whites” are a lot different on these two models. The 13″ was darker even though brightness was set to full and the “whites” were sort of an “off-white”. Something in between white and yellow. Both laptops were connected to AC power so it wasn’t question of power saving features.

I’m just wondering if you noticed the same thing? And what your opinion is?

Regards,
Zvon

Zvon, on June 14th, 2009 at 7:41 am

Please pardon me being a total mac idiot, but what are the advantages that the 13″ pro has over the regular white macbook that justifies the price increase?

Cheers

Matt K, on June 14th, 2009 at 8:23 am

As evident in the very nice pictures that are posted, the glare on this display is something I could not live with. Until Apple reverts back to an anti-glare (matte) display option for the 13 or 15.4″ MBPs, I will not be upgrading my 3-yr-old MBP (2.33 Core2Duo). As a developer, glare is very distracting when trying to read text/code. I can hardly read the web pages on the displays in the pictures above because of all of the glare.

DK, on June 14th, 2009 at 8:43 am

Great review, Leander, MacBook Pro 13″ is sure a killer notebook!!
Is it maybe that the double MP3 encoding time because of the SATA downgrade from 3 Gb to 1.5 Gb?
Aside of SATA and Audio In/Out “downgrade”, are there any other things that are missing from unibody MacBook to MacBook Pro 13″ as you know?

Okky Ghofoer, on June 14th, 2009 at 8:51 am

I am interested in purchasing the 13in and dropping in a 500GB HD.

I understand that you need a screwdriver to take the back off now, but–once the back is open–is the hard drive as easy to replace as on the previous unibody Macbooks/MacbookPros?

Mike, on June 14th, 2009 at 8:56 am

Damn those screens are glossy! I am dying to buy a new laptop but just cant tolerate massive reflections. My iBook cant last forver. Come on Apple!

ratty, on June 14th, 2009 at 9:22 am

Regarding, frontrow since it looks like the remote infrared port is missing in the new mbp. Do these remotes go away. I have a usb attachment from macally anyway, but was wondering if those who have been using the built in port will miss it in the new mbp?

Deals Seyner, on June 14th, 2009 at 9:24 am

Ok Someone help me out…I am loving this new MacBook Pro 13″ but with the price drop on the MacBook Air…..makes it very tempting.

Which way should I go?

Macbook Pro 13″ or MacBook Air?

Kevin E. McKenna, on June 14th, 2009 at 9:48 am

The graphics on the 13 inch (and some 15 inch models) ARE integrated.

There are two types of gfx systems: “discrete” meaning a separate card on a desktop and “integrated” meaning built onto the motherboard.

With a notebook the distinctions are slightly blurred because either way the gfx are built onto the main board. But the NVidia 9400 is an integrated chipset. It’s just a very fast integrated chipset. I’m sure that’s why Apple switched. 9400 is cheap AND fast.

IMHO it’s best to check facts before calling someone a git.

Ex2bot
Mac fanbot with built-in discrete gfx

ex2bot, on June 14th, 2009 at 11:15 am

Replaced my 3-year-old CD 1.83 white MB with a refurb 2.4GHz UMB a few months back. It shipped with 4GB of RAM when it said it had 2, so that was a nice bonus.

It has the AU Optronics B133EW04 V0 screen, which was supposedly one of the better screens for the MB’s, but a trip to the Apple store to see the new MBP’s showed that the new screens are better. They have better viewing angles and are consistent when viewing blacks across the screen. The new screen is the number one reason I would upgrade so soon.

The downgrade to 1.5 SATA Gigabit from 3 Gigabit SATA has me scratching my head. I want to see how this shakes out first as I’ve installed an Intel X25-M SSD and don’t want to lose any advantage it brings to my MB.

The SD card slot is a nice edition, although only one of my cameras uses SD, so I still need a reader for my CF cards. For a “Pro Level” machine there are still many cameras that use CF cards. The ability to make a boot drive off an SD card is a potential “save the day” option.

The return of FW is welcomed, but in my case not a deal breaker that stopped me from getting the UMB.

If I could replace the screen in my UMB with one used in the new MPB’s for the same amount of money I’d lose in selling my UMB, I would be really tempted to go that route.

Longer battery life is nice but in the three years I owned my Polycarb MB I never ran into battery time issues with that machine.

Too bad the MPB was not the machine they released the first time around — with 3 Gigabit SATA, of course.

FYI, the lower-end 15 MBP only has the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. That machine lost the 9600M GT.

jim, on June 14th, 2009 at 11:28 am

[...] via Review: 2009 MacBook Pro 13-Inch Is Freakin Awesome | Cult of Mac [...]

ParisLemon » More MacBook Battery Awesomeness, on June 14th, 2009 at 11:57 am

I bought 2 weeks ago a 2008 Unibody macbook and it’s so sexy. My first mac btw. I didn’t feel screwed by apple with the new macbook.

Juan Pablo Vásquez, on June 14th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

Jim, you better wait for Apple to respond on the SATA I problem – at the moment a lot of SSD users can’t even install Mac OS X. Don’t know if it affects the Intel SSDs though.

TheBrew, on June 14th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

you got a type I think:

“There are also complaints about the price: $1,200 is not the cheapest laptop. But it is one of the cheapest quality laptops. My brother bought an $800 Asus last year at the same time as I bought my unibody MacBook. His Asus has fallen to pieces, and now he’s inheriting my old machine.”

I believe it should say it isn’t one of the cheapest quality laptops, atleast mine doesn’t feel cheap

sean, on June 14th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

WOo!!! I can’t wait until September when Snow Leopard gets released. Then i’ll make the move and buy An MBP before Sept 8 with a free Itouch. All these goodies and not enough money to purchase them! Apple makes me happy every June and September. =)

Robert, on June 14th, 2009 at 3:07 pm

Thank you for giving such a spectacular review. I hope most buyers of the MacBook see it as you do, so I don’t have to listen to haters squawking about too much money for a weak upgrade. I think upping battery life on a portable computer is a very great upgrade. Much more useful than extra USB port or a fingerprint reader. And a battery that’s longer than the average computer lifespan is fantastic.

One of the first things I did when I got a MacBook Pro 2.33 C2D was to get an SDHC adapter to go into the Express 34 slot. So I’d prefer getting a built-in SDHC slot than an Express 34 slot. I don’t see much of a loss there.

I hope you enjoy your MacBook for many years. Those unibody Macs are a designer’s dream. I just don’t know why Wall Street is so down on a company that builds excellent quality products just because they’re not as cheap as some Dell or Acer.

Constable Odo, on June 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm

I just came home with a 17 MBP yesterday. I would have bought the old model, but they were only discounting it $200.

I love it, but I hate it….. The trackpad is the problem. I live in Texas (along with those Dell hicks!). It’s humid here. It’s virtually impossible to glide across this sticky little glass trackpad unless you keep the A/C down to 72. Anyone else have this problem or a solution?

Also, I don’t like the “whole trackpad is a button”. I can’t seem to click accurately with it. Every time I try to click, the pointer moves.

Otherwise, WOW. This machine is absolutely stunning. The batter life is amazing (9 hrs doing light surfing). The build quality is unreal. These machines are just amazing.

Justin Noel, on June 14th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

[...] UPDATE: The security lock on this device does not block the SuperDrive. See our review [...]

Design Problems With The New 13-inch MacBook Pro? UPDATED | Cult of Mac, on June 14th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

[...] UPDATE: The shield lock on that device does not block the SuperDrive. See our review [...]

Design Problems With The New 13-inch MacBook Pro? UPDATED | Technology News, on June 14th, 2009 at 6:13 pm

Leander originally wrote, “Of course, the MBP 13” has integrated graphics, and doesn’t rock a dedicated graphics card like the 15- and 17-inch MBPs.”

And ex2bot wrote, “The graphics on the 13 inch (and some 15 inch models) ARE integrated.”

The graphics card are integrated in that they aren’t separate (user replaceable) gfx cards. But both the MBP 13″ and the 2.53 Mhz 15″ models have a dedicated NVIDIA 9400M processor, and the faster 15″ models (as well as the 17″) also an additional NVIDIA 9600M processor. None of the MPBs (nor the white MB) use the intel CPU integrated graphics processor anymore (which was much slower).

Git or not, readers should always verify the technical specs on Apple’s web site.

Ed, on June 14th, 2009 at 7:11 pm

Replaced my trusty 5 year old G4 iMac 17″ with a 13 inch MacBook Pro on Friday, and am just thrilled. This little laptop has everything I have ever wanted in a computer, and made it worth the wait. I had been sitting on the fence for months about getting a MacBook, but decided to wait until WWDC, and am so happy I did.

What an amazing value for the money.

Gregg, on June 14th, 2009 at 7:25 pm

[...] testers are experiencing up to 8 hours of battery life (Apple claims 7!)! This is huge: There’s a lot to love about the MBP 13”, but the best thing is the new built-in battery. This battery lasts [...]

Revolution Under The Hood : TECH•NO•PHILE | MACMEDICS, on June 14th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

“trailing even hick Texas companies like Dell”

Hick, huh? LOOK you elitist mocha drinkin son of a bitch. just because your pimple-poppin, sister-kissing, WoW playin with half a hot pocket hanging outa your mouth tail is too threatened by the testosterone down here in Texas, doeasn’t mean you have the right to insult us. Get your nose out of the air and slide your pipe out of your ass and don’t talk down to people different from you.

This a website for Mac lovers everywhere. Texan, New Yorker, Canadian, San Franciscan, etc. Doesn’t matter. Don’t hate.

“That may sting those who coughed up for the pricier machines: there’s little to show they dropped the extra scratch.”

The 17″ is a far superior laptop than the 13″ for these 2 simple reasons: 1) 5 more inches of screen real estate, and a true high definition screen. Not to mention an express card slot. Need a couple extra USB connections? Solved.

Stephen Agnew, on June 14th, 2009 at 9:15 pm

CORRECTION:

4 more inches, not 5 more inches.

Stephen Agnew, on June 14th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

So I bought a new Macbook unibody 2008 about 22 days before the new MBP came out, but God was looking out for a poor soul like me b/c the first one I got was a bad egg. Coming from using PC’s I was terrified and took it back a week later and traded it for another Macbook. Thankfully I did that b/c tho the 2nd one worked beautifully it put me in the 14 day return window when the new MBP came out. So 13 days after I got the 2nd macbook I returned it and exchanged it for a MBP and walked out the store skipping with $200 of my money back in hand. Thank goodness that that first macbook was a bad one b/c then I would never know the joy of my MBP. So much more for a cheaper price….awesome!

Joleen, on June 14th, 2009 at 9:39 pm

Beautiful machines, but these damn mirror display keep me away from buying one.

Tice, on June 14th, 2009 at 10:15 pm

Just recieved mine this morning first thought screen to small but i was wrong to judge screen resolution is beautiful and it is very fast aswell im loving macs at the moment
it is my first time buying any sort of mac and I am right to leave the pc now I am a Mac user!

Chris, on June 15th, 2009 at 5:03 am

Same here Tice. I WONT buy Apple until they give me a matte screen option. I’ll switch back to windoze before I buy a laptop with a mirror.

ratty, on June 15th, 2009 at 5:03 am

One thing I haven’t seen in reviews of the 13″ Macbook Pro is that I believe this is finally the machine that old 12″ Powerbook G4 owners who were holding out for: a truly professional machine with a small screen. 12″ G4 owners were a prickly bunch and some are still holding onto their machines (they do run Leopard). The 12″ PB G4 had great dedicated graphics, a small footprint (10.9×8.6″) and 1.18″ thick, superdrive, FW400, and rated 5 hour battery life.

The new 13″ MBP is wider by nearly 2 inches but considering that the old 12″ variety was a 4:3 screen and the new one is a widescreen, this is understandable. The MBP is thinner (.095″) and lighter (4.5 lbs vs. 4.6 lbs). The MBP doesn’t have dedicated graphics but I think its safe to say that the MBP’s graphics run rings around the older Nvidia Go5200. Not to mention that the larger G4s of the day used a more powerful ATI 9700 chipset anyway, much like now.

The new MBP loses the old modem (not needed) and gains gigabit Ethernet. The bigger deals are that you get 802.11n wireless, a battery that lasts for 7 hours in the field, and FW800 versus the older Macbook’s no Firewire at all (unacceptable for the Pro customers). With a modern Intel chipset and Snow Leopard ready, this is new Pro machine for the small laptop customer…no excuses.

Rick, on June 15th, 2009 at 5:17 am

“That may sting those who coughed up for the pricier machines: there’s little to show they dropped the extra scratch.”

Yeah, there’s only the size of the screen: the MOST VISIBLE CHARACTERISTIC OF A LAPTOP.

daver, on June 15th, 2009 at 7:52 am

Rick, there is one excellent excuse and its call MATTE. Not EVERYONE likes glossy. As a 20 year Mac user, my time with Apple will be over once my iBook dies (assuming Apple STILL fails to offer a matte 13″ notebook).

I am not going to be forced by Apple to buy a glossy screen. The color accuracy I require simply cannot be done on glossy screens.

ratty, on June 15th, 2009 at 8:07 am

Hey FANBOY ! you said :”It’s cheap, but not cheap junk like a Netbook.”
don’t be so blind and foolish, the samsung NC10 is of excellent quality and it costs $ 400…better than the stupid cheapo white macbook and half the price…I have both…

steve, on June 15th, 2009 at 9:08 am

Ah, this review kind of makes me sad

I spent months convincing my father to purchase me a Mac and finally got my 13″ Unibody at the end of May. Just over a week later, the upgrade comes out! Ah well, it’s still a beautiful machine.

Meghann, on June 15th, 2009 at 9:08 am

“My brother bought an $800 Asus last year at the same time as I bought my unibody MacBook. His Asus has fallen to pieces, and now he’s inheriting my old machine.”

Priceless.

BTW, how in the hell do you afford to upgrade every time Apple releases a new set of Macs/iPhones/iPods? Do you get paid that much for blogging here? If so, sign me up. =D

Church of Apple, on June 15th, 2009 at 10:29 am

[...] life is reserved for iPods and mobile phones, not laptops,” gushed Leander Kahney in Wired’s Cult of Mac. “Who cares if the battery is sealed [...]

The buzz about Apple’s New Batteries. | GAby Menta, on June 15th, 2009 at 10:47 am

Has anyone tried one of the anti-glare films with their glossy screens? I do not like the glossy screens but would consider buying a MBP if this can be solved for less than $30. E.g.

http://media.macworld.com/media/vodcast/mwvodcast103.mp4

Sky, on June 15th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

welcome Chris!!
and thanks to everyone for this amazing comments that really convinced me about getting my own MiniMacbookPro..
Blessings!

antonio, on June 15th, 2009 at 2:22 pm

Dude, was the Texas comment really necessary? You can criticize Dell all day if you want, and you won’t hear any complaints from me, but c’mon. And for what it’s worth, Apple has a very large presence here in the Lone Star State.

Eye, on June 15th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

Hi Leander – just wondering how loud/clear the speakers are on the new model? I have an older MacBook and I’ve never been that impressed with the sound from it.

Cheers.

Lachlan, on June 15th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

Texas people, get over it. Even if you doubled the size of your state, it would still be #2.

Everyone else – I’m a 12″ Powerbook user, and I’ve been holding out for a long time or Apple to make a suitable replacement. I think this 13″ Macbook Pro is it. I’m not crazy about the screen format (I prefer the 4:3 style), and I HATE that it is a glossy screen (HATE, HATE, HATE it). However, I don’t think Apple is going to come out with a matte screen – and I’ve given up on them listening to their users with respect to what they want. If Snow Leopard would run on my 12″ PB, I’d keep on using it. However, one can only hang on to the past for so long. I think the inability to watch Netflix movies on-line (non-intel) and the inability to run Snow Leopard are going to put an end to my use of this machine. I’ve made arrangements to sell it for $350. I’ll put that money toward a new machine.

Bob Jones, on June 15th, 2009 at 9:53 pm

Eye:

Amen brother. To add to your comment. last time I checked, Texas is one the very few states not dying right now in the recession.

Bob Jones:

It was an insulting remark that was completely out of place in a Mac review for pete’s sake. The author went out of his way to jab southern folks. Not cool at all.

Stephen Agnew, on June 15th, 2009 at 10:44 pm

Why hasn’t Apple given the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pro the option to have a non glossy screen (like you can with a 17″)? I have 15″ MBP from the last serious with a non glossy screen… and let me let you, it makes a WORLD of difference. For me and for those standing around me when I’m trying to show them something there’s nothing better than a non glossy screen to deliver crisp picture at any viewing angle. The glossy screens are nothing short of awful. It’s a deal breaker for me until they give every MBP the feature of every other size MBP.

Rob, on June 16th, 2009 at 7:06 am

finally, someone who isn’t whining about the “limited functionality” of having an sd card slot and whining about losing the expresscard slot that very few people ever used.

firesign, on June 16th, 2009 at 7:24 am

OK, got my 13″ MBP today. Freakin’ awesome. The colors are amazing, the fit and finish is superb. Runs beautifully except for a couple of hangs in Sys Prefs. Gonna have to get used to the touchpad.

Eye, on June 16th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

My iBook was stolen and a desperately needed af new Mac, so I bought the unibody MacBook only a week before they revealed the MBP

Morwen, on June 17th, 2009 at 5:28 am

I picked up a refurbished 2.4 GHz UMB about 6 weeks before the new 13″ MBP was announced. I love my MacBook and I’m happy to see Apple take what I thought was already a perfect machine and make it even better.

I’m not disappointed that I didn’t wait, though I might have been a little irritated had I paid $1600 instead of $1300 refurbished. I spent $200 upgrading the HD (320 GB 7200 rpm) and RAM (4 GB), which puts me at about the price of the new 2.53 GHz model but with a faster/larger HD and a 250 GB external HD (the old one in a portable case). I’m OK with that since I never use FireWire and don’t have any cameras which use SD. The only thing I would really like is the longer running battery, but it’s not like I’m often hitting the limits of this 5 hour battery.

One thing I would not like is having the Kensington lock on the other side. That would be very awkward on my desk. Minor complaint, but if you’re short on desk space you will want all of your connections on one side for desktop use.

I think this review over plays the upgrade a bit, particularly the “professional” angle. My UMB replaced one Mac and two PCs and is now my sole work machine for software and database development on Mac OS and WinXP (via Fusion), as well as for my hobby, digital photography. It makes me plenty of money. Trust me, it’s a “professional” machine.

This review also lists some UMB feature firsts as if they were MBP feature firsts. But I’m nitpicking…

Regarding an earlier post: “It’s humid here. It’s virtually impossible to glide across this sticky little glass trackpad unless you keep the A/C down to 72. Anyone else have this problem or a solution?”

I notice the difference when my hands are sweaty, but it doesn’t make the pad unusable. Don’t take this the wrong way, but does washing your hands in cold water help? It did for me when I was working in a client’s warm home office one day.

“Also, I don’t like the “whole trackpad is a button”. I can’t seem to click accurately with it. Every time I try to click, the pointer moves.”

Use tap click. Or use the bottom just as if a button was there. On my old HP laptop I would sometimes move the cursor with my right hand while clicking with my left. I do this on the UMB as well and if one finger is already controlling the cursor, clicking with another at the bottom of the pad does not affect the position.

Daniel Taylor, on June 18th, 2009 at 1:05 am

Oh yes, on the topic of glossy screens: I was really worried about this until I actually got my UMB and tried it out. Photographs of notebooks show reflections you don’t actually see or notice that much head on in real use. Plus the LED back lighting over powers reflections that rendered the matte screen on my HP laptop useless. I consider this an excellent screen and the MBP screen is even better.

Daniel Taylor, on June 18th, 2009 at 1:09 am

I picked up the new 13″ unibody MBP from the local Apple store the 2nd day they were out. I had previously owned the fall 2008 unibody MB and I agree with Leander’s review 100%. This machine is awesome! I love the integrated battery, not only for the longer battery life, but because there is no longer a loose hinge or the rattling battery compartment cover. The loose battery bay cover was incessantly annoying because it rattled every time I put it down on a table. It could have been a fluke, but the quality is definitely better this time around, considering my late 2008 unibody came out of the box with a dent on the palmrest and a slightly tilted/misaligned screen lid.

Anthony, on June 18th, 2009 at 8:23 am

Isn’t Dell based in Austin, TX. Austin?!?! http://www.theonion.com/content/news/texas_constructs_u_s_border_wall?utm_source=onion_rss_daily

“The final section of the barricade, a reinforced concrete enclosure containing the city of Austin, will be finished by August 2009.”

Austin is probably more liberal than most of New England, it barely qualifies as hick. SxSW happens every year along with every other indie hispter schloozefest.

I live in New York just so you know.

Could kill for a unibody!

Quinn Hue, on June 19th, 2009 at 5:44 am

I took delivery of the previous uniblock 13″ Macbook on Friday the 5th…JUST 5 DAYS BEFORE THE NEW ONE CAME OUT!!! But, my brother said to call Apple about an exchange. Though they don’t exchange computers, I did get to return it and get an almost full refund (small restocking fee). Now, I’m counting the minutes until I get the new one. Apple to the rescue!

Mack H Duderstadt Jr, on June 21st, 2009 at 8:01 am

Great review – thank you. I have a late 2006 15 in MacBook Pro and it’s time for an upgrade. The new 13 in has really caught my eye primarily for the sake of portability – lighter and added battery life. The extra storage and the added SD slot make my current 15 in MBP look like a dinosaur – twice as many features and half the cost of what I paid in 2006! My main concern is the downsizing my screen real estate from 15 to 13 and the SATA down grade but I don’t think either will be a deal breaker for me.

Suz, on June 21st, 2009 at 1:09 pm

Nice review, thanks. I’m considering getting the same computer. I had to replace my white Macbook due to the reflections and low screen brightness. I considered getting the 15″ Macbook Pro with matte display when that was an option, but couldn’t justify the extra cost, so picked up a Thinkpad instead. However, I would like to get back to OS X and wonder if the new 13″ MBP with its brighter display would make it usable under very brightly lit conditions despite the ultra-reflective surface. If there any 13″ MBP owners using your machines next to large windows, how do you find the screen under such conditions?

Paul, on June 21st, 2009 at 8:28 pm

“There are also complaints about the price: $1,200 is not the cheapest laptop. But it is one of the cheapest quality laptops.”

I think you meant to say that it is “not one of the cheapest quality laptops.” Unless I’m reading it wrong.

zaino, on June 22nd, 2009 at 12:53 pm

Waiting with bated breath for my new Macbook Pro 13″ to arrive. Thanks for the review. Firewire had been the deal breaker in the past. Now, Apple has gone beyond my expectations. No holding back anymore. Just hopeful, the Mac doesn’t arrive with scratches and tilted screen, not that I doubt them. You see, I live all the way down in KL, Malaysia, and delivery takes, at least, 2 full weeks.

Mike, on June 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Looks good but the glossy display is so bugging! Hanging on until they get it just right for me. Will stick with my super slow to boot 5 year old 15″ Powerbook G4 until they sort that out..

Toby, on June 23rd, 2009 at 2:55 am

I think that higher/same times in aac mp3 and mp4 conversions were due to the SATA downgrade. It would be interesting to benchmark an MBP 13″ with the new firmware unleashing the full power of its HD

Stefano, on June 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 am

I am confused as to why you are under the impression that $1200 is a STARTER laptop. Seems pretty expensive to me. Nothing breakthrough here…. moving right along.

“Pro” should be reserved AT LEAST for a discrete graphics card. This is incapable of playing any decent games or rendering graphics… so it should not be called a Pro. They are diluting the line.

As well… almost nothing has changed since the late 2008 model. You are just figuring out now that it is a good laptop??

Don’t quit your day job.

Canada, on June 23rd, 2009 at 10:55 am

Excellent Review… great Product..

Prakhy, on June 24th, 2009 at 6:50 am

can we run windows xp or vista in mac pro?

carlos, on June 24th, 2009 at 1:46 pm

does it support windows files? could somebody plz suggest me..

carlos, on June 24th, 2009 at 1:49 pm

[...] Acá les dejo un review sobre este equipo (aunque es de la versión con procesador de 2.26 GHz): http://cultofmac.com/review-2009-mac…-awesome/11850 [...]

MacBook vs MacBook Pro: ¿vale la pena la diferencia? - Página 12 - psicofxp.com, on June 25th, 2009 at 7:04 am

I’m wondering about the wireless speed of the MBP 13.

I’ve got a 2Ghz Core Duo white MacBook and despite the fact that the wrist pad has been replaced 3 times and the battery has been replaced once under warranty, it’s been a pretty good machine. The one thing that stands out (besides the exhaust fan that jumps to warp when you watch YouTube) is the Wi-Fi reception, which is absolutely amazing.

Does the MBP 13 have similar reception?

makanramen, on June 25th, 2009 at 11:43 pm

Hey, can anyone tell me how much the SATA downgrade effects the MBP, in terms of speed? Thanks.

TBR, on June 27th, 2009 at 8:09 am

Which one should I buy?
The highest model of 13″ Macbook Pro or the lowest model of 15″ Macbook Pro?

Anybody please give me your advise…

Thank you.

Bursabaju.com
Indonesia

David, on June 27th, 2009 at 8:18 pm

If you can stretch the extra price, get the 15′. It gives you more viewing space, and it has better speakers. The 15′ also has seperate audio in/out and headphone jacks, while the 13′ only has one jack for both. As a musician, this is annoying because i prefer to be able to record and use headphones at the same time. Ive also heared that the 15′ gets better average battery life, and the screen is better and more vibrant. Im not sure if this is all true, however. Can anyone clarify this? Other than that, they are basically the same.
The only downside is that its about 500 Grams heavier, and therefore harder to take around.

TBR, on June 28th, 2009 at 8:09 am

TBR; Well the single jack on the 13′ works both in/out simultaneously, great for using Skype etc. When using Apple’s headphones for the iPhone you can also control iTunes like you control music on the iPhone.
I’m sure a third-party developer will make an adapter so you can use non-Apple mics and headsets simultaneously.

Author: This should be updated.

“One downside is the audio ports have been combined into one. The single jack now handles both audio in and audio out. So no recording and headphones at the same time. And while it supports both analog and digital out, there’s only analog in—no digital in. however, there’s lots of inexpensive USB audio adapters on the market.”

Noruega, on June 30th, 2009 at 1:04 am

[...] Review by cultofmac.com [...]

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2009) Review : AllLaptopReview.com, on June 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am

Like Dave, I am still at a loss to which MacBook Pro to purchase; the high end 13 inch or low end 15 inch. It’s a REALLY tough choice for me to make! I’ve been spending hours in store but still can’t decide!! It’s my first Mac and want a great experience. Hmm, decisions desicions…

Jason, on July 1st, 2009 at 4:15 am

13 VS 15
Obvious things like Screen size and cost aside..

Spoke to Apple sales person today. he said the 13″ is just a slight upgrade from the UMB, and doesn’t understand himself how they can call it a macbook pro.
I’m looking at purchasing a Macbook Pro for producing music, so i’m sure the 13 ” will be fine, as graphics aren’t such a big issue for me.
Currently I have the late 2006 15 MacBook Pro, but tempted by this 13 MBP, and starting to think i’m getting sucked into Apple’s incredibly clever hype machine, so could do with some clear and objective advise.

Could someone clarify clearly, as it has been quite confusing reading through the post, if the 13 and the lowest 15, have the same graphics set up, in that they both use intel’s memory?? I’m a bit confused on this point.

Also important to remember that the hard drive is now serial I, and not II.
I’m thinking if i get the 13 MBP, i would upgrade the hard drive from an external party..besides effecting my warranty, are there any other technical issues i should be aware of doing this?
Is it possible to purchase a sata hard drive to replace the 160gb that comes with it, say on ebay for example?

Also, does anyone know how this 13″ would compare in all technical aspects to last years lowest 15″ MBP?

Would really appreciate some advice on whether the 13 MBP, is professional enough to record using Logic, and how it compares in performance to the current lowest end 15 MBP, as well as the late 2006 MBP 2.16 15″

Any responses would be greatly appreciated

Confused London

charlie ww, on July 1st, 2009 at 4:47 pm

Charlie,

The SATA issue has been resolved by Apple.

I myself am currently deciding what laptop to buy, the high-end 13 or low-end with upgraded ram and hd. Or a windows machine, i’ve never owned a Mac before.
I still am unsure whether i want to spend 1400 euro (nearly 2000 usd) on a laptop, i mean, it’s just a luxury device, and i’m still a student. I have the money for it, but am not entirely sure it’s worth it.

Rik, on July 2nd, 2009 at 4:31 am

Charlie,

I think that the higher spec 13″ will be plenty for your needs. Keep in mind, though that it doesn’t have a digital input, so you’ll need to use USB or Firewire, which you probably do anyway.

Go to: http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?s=2637603e0982c60b1282c775df0926de&f=90 and you’ll find lots of answers to your questions, or can post your specifics.

Mike, on July 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 am

One more – Charlie here is a geekbench chart with some of the MB Pro models:
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/06/geekbenchnew.jpg

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/06/geekbenchnew.jpg[/img]

Mike, on July 3rd, 2009 at 9:39 am

I have bought the Macbook pro 13″ 2.53Ghz Saturday, and am now trying to get used to using Mac instead of Windows. It’s quite different, but i like it already.
The batterylife is indeed awesome, my sister was using her laptop as well, she constantly needed to plug in the powercable, as for me i just used it for a day, without recharging.
Once Snow Leopard is released i will receive it for free, great service!

I would recommend it to anyone that’s looking for a great laptop that’s great looking, portable, fast and easy to use.

This review contributed to my buying decision btw.

Rik, on July 6th, 2009 at 12:23 am

Planning to buy MBP 13,but what games can I play with Nvidia 9400..??
COD 5..? GTA..?

toiyur, on July 6th, 2009 at 7:10 am

whatever on the texas hick company comment… typical arrogant apple-centered, loser comment…. prob never even been to texas let alone austin.. loser.

james, on July 7th, 2009 at 9:34 am

MAcBook Pro is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!

Anonimus, on July 11th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

Awesome review and comments everyone!

I want a MacBook Pro for video editing with preferably Final Cut Pro, not Express. So I am really in doubt if the 9400M GeForce would be enough or if I should better get the one with the additional 9600 GT?

I would so much want the smallest, lighter 13″ but it doesn’t have the 9600 GT.

Since I never play games, apart from Second Life once every 3 month, I am not aware if the 9400M would be absolutely enough for Final Cut, oh and on 13″ I can’t install FCPro, does anyone know if FCPro can be installed on the 15″ or only the Express versions would work?

Also I am wondering how much better are the Solid State Drives…?

The 3.06GHz that one can order with the 15″ is also something I’d wish the 13″ would have as option…

Last but not least, I join the glare haters, is there a chance Apple will come out with a matte version in a month or two? Did they ever do that?

PS. hope you had a great vacation Leander, where did u go?

Jack Lumber, on July 14th, 2009 at 9:33 am

I’m glad you love your MBP! I got mine as an anniversary present, I enjoy every second I’m with it! This machine has converted me fully to Mac, I hardly ever touch my pc now.

chicago web design, on July 15th, 2009 at 12:06 pm

Hey Leander, thanks for the great review. I’m actually trying to decide on what laptop I should be getting, and I need your help. I think I’ve already decided to get a Macbook Pro, but I really have no idea which size I should be looking for. The 17″, I assume, would be a little too heavy, so I guess what I’m trying to say is that I need to know the differences between the 13″ and the 15″. Price considered, which laptop do you recommend? I’ve been hearing that there do exist differences between the two MBP’s.

Thomas, on July 19th, 2009 at 11:18 am

Bought a 13″ MacBook Pro after 20 years with a PC. It’s really hard work to make the change and Mac makes some easy PC tasks so difficult (and yes some things are better).

The quality of the Mac seems 1st class; very robust feel. Battery life seems great.

My only issues (besides betting used to a Mac) are:

- 2 USBs is 2 too few. I use 4 every day at the same time.
- The 2 USB’s are too close together, so if I want to use my 3G dongle (essential) then the dongle covers part of the other USB slot making it redundant.
- I now need to carry a bag of spare cables because connectivity is so poor; VGA & AVI adapter, male/female USB so I can connect my 3G, USB port replicator so I can use a keyboard, mouse and memory stick.
- I don’t need an optical drive built in; it wastes space and once the machine is set up will hardly every be used. Apple should get rid of it and give me 2 more USBs, a dedicated VGA, AVI and CF card reader for my SLR.
- Give me a home, end and delete button to make it easier to migrate form a PC.
- it’s fine not to have touch pad buttons, but make the top of the touch pad clickable.
- Sell me a docking station / port replicator so at home I can connect all my cables in a second.
- Tried the Mac office but it’s very inferior to Office ‘07 Ultimate on my PC.
- Tried Parallels but wouldn’t let me load Office (XP was fine however!). Fusion was okay though. But the image quality when running Fusion is not as good as my old PC and certain functions, like ‘ctrl v’ often doesn’t let me paste, I can’t select multiple rows in Excel by holding the Ctrl key.

So, if I were a Mac user I’d love it. As a PC user, I have 5 days to decide whether to keep it or reject it and buy another PC, and it’s 50:50 so far.

Apple, if do the above small changes you’ll get millions of people off PCs far quicker than you are doing today.

Jk, on July 22nd, 2009 at 1:39 pm

Aww Man! I also can’t tell you enough about how much I love my MBP 13 Inch! The thin profile, glossy display, back-lit KB, power and speed, they all are beautifully mixed together! I for one is a very happy camper!

J.M, on July 24th, 2009 at 2:27 am

I had an accident with my original 13inch white macbook. and now that it’s time to go back to school soon, I’ll be ordering my new 13inch pro within a week or so.. I absolutely loved the white one, but i figured it was time to upgrade a bit and i’m just psyched that it comes at such a good price… Just waiting now for the day i can order it =)

Nicole, on July 26th, 2009 at 6:27 pm

I’ve had my MacBook Pro for about 5 days now; I’m extremely impressed with the build quality. Migrated from a white MacBook, which felt kind of cheap, and was a pain to keep clean. After the palm rest started cracking (which was replaced by Apple Care), I sold it and upgraded to this machine.

I love it. Absolutely phenomenal. However, as soon as I got it, I installed Snow Leopard (the latest build, 10A421a); the speed is unbelievable. The whole OS is so responsive; I can join a wireless network within 2 seconds (literally instant), Finder is incredibly fast, it comes out of sleep INSTANTLY, and I can reboot the OS in less than 30 seconds, starting at clicking “Restart”.

I love love love love it. I can’t see how the average user would settle for anything less.

NHL Hockey Jerseys, on July 28th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

I came here to read this review since I am considering making the switch from PC to a Macbook. However, I leave insulted. Whatever feelings you may have about the state of Texas does not justify insulting readers who are proud to be from the state, not to mention insulting a company that seems to have done amazingly well for being “a hick Texas company”. Really, what makes Dell a hick company? The fact that it’s based in Texas? Funny considering it’s based near Austin, Texas, the most progressive city in the state, not to mention Austin is the hub for a number of major technology companies. There really is no need to insult an entire group of people just to prove your point about one company.

By the way, the name Leander is also the name of a town not too far from Austin. I wonder if that makes you hick.

JYR, on July 29th, 2009 at 7:04 am

I just got my new MacBook Pro on Monday, and I must say it is just plain awesome.
Apple has packed a top of the line processor, 4 gigs of uber-fast memory, an excellent GPU, and the best LCD I’ve ever seen, into a notebook that is just a little thicker and heavier than the display on my old Dell Inspiron 1501. And that’s not to mention the backlit keyboard, superdrive, webcam, auto display/keyboard brightness, huge multi-touch trackpad, firewire, SDHC reader, every type of networking I’ve ever heard of (WiFi, Bluetooth, IR, Ethernet, FireWire), and the world’s best operating system, Mac OS 10.5.

I hope to get at least 5 years of use out of this machine, and it seems tough enough to survive at least that long. The aluminum unibody is very solid and feels like it could take a serious hit before if would be damaged. I bought an Incase sleeve as well, so that it will have even more protection.

I have installed Adobe CS4 Master Collection, Aperture and Final Cut Pro. All of them run great, with no lag and under 5 second start-up time. I have yet to do any serious video editing (just a few test runs), but it looks like there will be much less lag (if there’s any at all!) than on my 2006 iMac 17″. The machine it’s self boots in 30.58 seconds exactly; something I thought was only possible with an SSD. The battery seems to last about 3.8-4.5 hours, when I am working with 3D models, browsing the web, playing with Google Earth, and listening to music. It lasts about 3.5 hours when playing DVDs. One thing no one mentions, is the battery charge time. It charges completely in about 1.5-2 hours, even while your using the computer. 802.11n is great. It seems a lot faster than g, when used with an n router. As of yet, the only thing that took a while to do was when I synchronized my iPod touch for the first time. It took forever to transfer all my apps and songs, then it took forever again to back it up. I expect that was a one time only ordeal.

Anyway, this is a great computer. It is my 5th laptop and first Apple laptop. I have used other people’s old MacBooks and MacBook Pros, though, and this one beats them all into the dust. As for my Inspiron 1501, well, this makes it look like a piece a trash I pulled out of the city dump…! Even my iMac doesn’t compare; the display is not as good, and it certainly isn’t as fast.

Comment on the “hick Texas company” thing: Ok, so we all know Dell isn’t nearly as good as Apple, but they aren’t that bad. My Inspiron might not have been the best computer of its time, but it did last 4 years and is still going strong. And I have a 8 year old Latitude that still works great too. Also, I live in Texas (don’t worry, I’m not offended!) but, I’m sure some people will be!

Final word: if you have the money, BUY A MACBOOK PRO!

d.adams, on July 29th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

@Charlie
The specs are exactly the same on everything, except the screen, in the high end MBP 13″, and the low end 15″. Graphics, processor, memory(1066MHz), front side bus(1066MHz), and hard drive. Also, you can easily replace the hard drive with any 2.5″ disk drive or SSD, as far as I know. I have talked to people who have done so, anyway.
I personally decided on the 13″, so as to be more portable. And it is really easy to carry a 13″ laptop around rather than a 15″ one. And, as I said, you have to buy the 2.66Ghz model MBP to upgrade the hardware. The 9400M GPU is very powerful by it’s self. I am not a gamer, so I don’t know how it preforms with serious games, but it runs Google Earth at maximum settings without lag. It also plays HD video full screen without a glitch, so it does everything I want.

Hope that info helps!

d.adams, on July 31st, 2009 at 4:23 pm

I’ve had mine for about a month, and I absolutely love it. The TrackPad is a joy to use. I need to have multiple Word and Excel files open simultaneously, and it’s a breeze with the TrackPad and Spaces. Syncs with my iPhone and iPod are unnervingly fast. I bought MS Office for it, and it works perfectly fine for my simple needs.

NYSpursFan, on August 3rd, 2009 at 8:27 am

I have had my new macbook pro 13, 2.53 ghz for about a week. I am pissed to find that watching movies on this really sucks lag, spinning beachball of death at almost every video I play either from hard drive or dvd. Its hard to find an honest review of products these days. No mention of hard-drive clicking ect. As far as your “hick texas” comment I was born in Texas haven’t lived their for more than 40 years but you comment leaves me hoping that you never have to pass through or you way to “elitist land” for fear that someone down there will put some south in your mouth. Nothing like beating the breaks off some smart mouth to be him back in check.

mypup, on August 4th, 2009 at 7:24 am

Can anybody help me with advice? In two months I’ll be leaving on an extended trip to the Gambia (1 year, maybe more). I know that the compound I’ll be staying on does not have wireless connection. Is there any device that I could get (something likeUSB key – I think I have seen it somewhere) that I can purchase & use it as a router? Or, any other suggestion?
Thanks for your help

Maya, on August 4th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

Wow, do texans have a sense of humor? It was a playful jab at a rival company. Yes, you’re proud of your state, that’s fantastic, but there is a difference between taking a jab at you and taking a jab at a company. Did he say everybody and everything in texas sucks? No.

Yes, dell is an ok company, some of their computers last quite a while but in my experience when I have a problem with a dell they don’t do too much to help, but when I have a mac problem, apple bends over backwards.

I’ve lived in MANY states around this country and every state has another state it makes fun of in good humor. In Ohio, it’s West Virginia; In Minnesota, it’s Iowa: In Georgia, it’s Alabama; In South Dakota, it’s North Dakota; In North Dakota it’s well….North Dakota. Not really sure which one makes fun of Texas, but if you guys are THIS sensitive about it, I guess I see why the surrounding states can’t have any fun with you guys.

Grow a funny bone folks.

ARGuck, on August 6th, 2009 at 9:07 am

Ok, Now that I’ve probably pissed off all the texans (though it wasn’t my intention), I’m looking for some advice from the rest of you.

I currently have a 13″ MB 2.0Ghz circa 2006. Well, I’m CONSTANTLY getting the ol’ “I don’t want to wake up after I go to sleep” problem (taking it to the apple store tonight), so I’m thinking of selling it on ebay. But I was looking at my new 13″ macbook options and I’m torn! Which one of these should I get?!

Unibody 2008 Macbook
2.4Ghz, 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD
$1000

Or the

2009 Macbook Pro
2.26 Ghz, 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD
$1200

What do you guys think? Is it worth an extra $200 to get a slower processer and less HDD space, but have a better screen and longer lasting battery?
Having a REALLY hard time with this one. Don’t be shy

ARGuck, on August 6th, 2009 at 9:23 am

Hey, great review. My question is about the WoW framerates, as they seem much higher than what I am experiencing. On full Ultra video settings, with shadows turned all the way down, I am still only getting an average of about 20-23 fps running around Dragonblight. Mine is the standard 13″ MBP, 2GB of RAM. I’m assuming that doubling the RAM would clear it up, but should I really have to do that considering it’s a pro? Any help you can offer would be awesome!

JD, on August 6th, 2009 at 5:07 pm

Sigh. The glossy screen might be a hinder to me buying. I hate the reflectiveness on the one I have now and it’s not even a glossy screen. That would irritate me I’m sure. But everything else looks so badass that I might live w/ it.

Sydney, on August 6th, 2009 at 7:08 pm

I’m currently awaiting the arrival of my 13.3″ 2.56Ghz MBP, and cannot sleep. My 5 year old VAIO has finally died and keeps dying even after a full reformat, but to be honest I have never been that impressed with the functionality of it even though it cost £1300 initially, so I was happy to have an excuse to upgrade. Initially I was looking at PC notebooks (not VAIO!) but eventually succumbed to the influence of the Apple PR machine and it’s many unpaid zealots. I have an iPhone and find it works so well that a laptop from the same manufacturer seems to make sense.

My only concerns are that perhaps I should have got the larger 15″ screen, but having spent a lot of time in the Apple store decided it simply wasn’t portable enough. Also, I decided to go with iWork instead of office as it was so much cheaper and I only need to do the occasional essay/presentation for work. Does anyone know if you can truly save files as .doc/.ppt/.xl files without loss of format as Apple claims?

My delivery date is a full 2 weeks after I ordered the computer, despite being despatched within 3 days. For delivery in London this seems excessive. Are they shipped direct from China? Has anyone else had a similiar issue?

What is Snow Leopard and will I get it free if i bought the computer so recently?

Many thanks

BobLoblaw, on August 9th, 2009 at 10:52 am

To be honest, there IS a world of difference between the 13″ MacBook (aluminum or not). The 13″, 15″ and 17″ screens are essentially the same.

Jon, on August 10th, 2009 at 1:02 am

Bobloblaw,

Apples new OS, Snow Leopard, will be close to free. It is coming out next month and will be a $10 upgrade for those who recently purchased their macs.

BTW, Love the screen name, nice AD reference.

ARGuck, on August 12th, 2009 at 9:09 am

Now I see that Apple has released the option for matte screens on their 15″ MBPs, so I’m probably going to hold out for a while longer than I like for that option on the 13″ MBP.

Hopefully my iBook G4, which has so faithfully served me for the last 5 and half years tolerates all the crap I throw at it.

Oh how i HATE those glossy screens!

daylight dancer, on August 13th, 2009 at 1:32 am

[qoute]My only issues (besides betting used to a Mac) are:

- 2 USBs is 2 too few. I use 4 every day at the same time.
- The 2 USB’s are too close together, so if I want to use my 3G dongle (essential) then the dongle covers part of the other USB slot making it redundant.
- I now need to carry a bag of spare cables because connectivity is so poor; VGA & AVI adapter, male/female USB so I can connect my 3G, USB port replicator so I can use a keyboard, mouse and memory stick.
- I don’t need an optical drive built in; it wastes space and once the machine is set up will hardly every be used. Apple should get rid of it and give me 2 more USBs, a dedicated VGA, AVI and CF card reader for my SLR.
- Give me a home, end and delete button to make it easier to migrate form a PC.
- it’s fine not to have touch pad buttons, but make the top of the touch pad clickable.
- Sell me a docking station / port replicator so at home I can connect all my cables in a second.
- Tried the Mac office but it’s very inferior to Office ‘07 Ultimate on my PC.
- Tried Parallels but wouldn’t let me load Office (XP was fine however!). Fusion was okay though. But the image quality when running Fusion is not as good as my old PC and certain functions, like ‘ctrl v’ often doesn’t let me paste, I can’t select multiple rows in Excel by holding the Ctrl key.[/quote]

First, use the COMMAND key on a mac, it works as the Ctrl key.

The Macbook isn’t a PC laptop, don’t expect it to be like one.

Lyle H, on August 20th, 2009 at 10:58 am

[quote]
- 2 USBs is 2 too few. I use 4 every day at the same time.
- The 2 USB’s are too close together, so if I want to use my 3G dongle (essential) then the dongle covers part of the other USB slot making it redundant.
- I now need to carry a bag of spare cables because connectivity is so poor; VGA & AVI adapter, male/female USB so I can connect my 3G, USB port replicator so I can use a keyboard, mouse and memory stick.
- I don’t need an optical drive built in; it wastes space and once the machine is set up will hardly every be used. Apple should get rid of it and give me 2 more USBs, a dedicated VGA, AVI and CF card reader for my SLR.
- Give me a home, end and delete button to make it easier to migrate form a PC.
- it’s fine not to have touch pad buttons, but make the top of the touch pad clickable.
- Sell me a docking station / port replicator so at home I can connect all my cables in a second.
- Tried the Mac office but it’s very inferior to Office ‘07 Ultimate on my PC.
- Tried Parallels but wouldn’t let me load Office (XP was fine however!). Fusion was okay though. But the image quality when running Fusion is not as good as my old PC and certain functions, like ‘ctrl v’ often doesn’t let me paste, I can’t select multiple rows in Excel by holding the Ctrl key.[/quote]

First, use the COMMAND key on a mac, it works as the Ctrl key.

The Macbook isn’t a PC laptop, don’t expect it to be like one.

Lyle H, on August 20th, 2009 at 10:59 am

[...] As reported by Electronista, Canada now has 10% share of the Canuck PC market. I know that I’ve been a loyal Mac user since the early 90’s, with my very first purchase a PowerBook 170. Since then, I’ve owned more Macs than I care to mention with my latest purchase being a Mac Book Pro 13-Inch. [...]

Canada leads the world in overall Mac users | MacVideoTraining, on August 21st, 2009 at 1:46 pm

I like this product….very good product, want to have,,,

Barda, on August 27th, 2009 at 9:13 am

Texans sound like a bunch of little whiney cry-babies. time to grow a backbone

Hugh, on August 27th, 2009 at 9:27 pm

I’m going to get one tomorrow – my first mac, I’m making the change! Hopefully I’ll get the touch as I’m a student (or deferring my entry student) too! Very excited to becoming an apple convert. I’m not too hot on specs, but I’m keen on learning.

By the way, Texans? Progressive. My arse – homosexual relationships are banned are they not? Go to Venezuela, now THAT’s progress!

Bec, on August 30th, 2009 at 7:52 pm

Leander, I enjoyed this review quite a bit. I’m a graphic designer looking to purchase a new Mac [upgrading from my tiny, yet lovable, G4 ibook] and i found mostly everything i needed to know, right here! thanks so much for the in depth review, taking the time to evaluate it and for giving us your honesty. After reading this i believe i’ve decided to go with the exact model and feel it will suit my creative interests perfectly! =]

thanks again!

J.Stoudt, on August 31st, 2009 at 6:14 am

Hi Leander,

Just a quick question, is the sound quality on the new MBP (the one with the 2 speakers running down the sides) EXTREMELY better than the MBP that came out early 2009? I sort of like the old design more. Any information would be great, thanks!

Winnie, on September 1st, 2009 at 5:02 am

Hi Leander,

Thanks for this great review! I already wanted to buy the MBP 13 inch, but now I’m absolutely convinced I won’t regret it. I don’t even have the MBP yet, but I’m already in love… Can’t wait to buy it! Thanks again.

Laura, on September 2nd, 2009 at 4:35 am

[...] I finally got the go signal to buy a 13″ Macbook Pro. I was so excited as I went inside the store to purchase it but happiness was shortlived when the [...]

Innovation - The Misadventures Of Charles Ravndal, on September 4th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

Thanks for the review a lot man!, although am kind of screwed.. I just bought the macbook pro 13″ and as I was plugging in the earphones I realized something terrifying that freaked me out! … … I usually do the same silly mistake every time, I plug the earphones in the microphone port, but this time I only saw 1 port!!

My entire work with the macbook pro 13″ will be affected as I will be using Logic studio. My main work on Logic studio will be using MIDI (Musical Instrumental Digital interface), and so I am not quite sure if this Laptop will be a great choice for me to keep. I am currently thinking of returning it for the regular Macbook, as it has an audio-in/out.

I know I will be only using Audio out for the main speakers, and MIDI interface via USB / Firewire, but still, something might come up and make it hard for me to use Audio-in by using an accoustic instrument.

Please help me take the decision, I would be very glad if you reply me with a compatible setup.

Best Regards, and thank you very much for reading this and helping me out!
Mark.

Mark Bashta, on September 5th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

Thanks for an excellent review and all the positivity about the MacBook Pro. I’m planning to buy one tomorrow and can’t wait now!

Nay, on September 7th, 2009 at 9:46 am

i live my new little macbook pro13, i will tell you its way better than i thought it would be.

i had a troublesome very 1st addition macbook, and it had to many problems …. and other issues happened.

Apple replaced my laptop with a mbp13, and now i see they have fixed all the issues that were in my macbook, i think they downgraded things so it wouldn’t get so damm hot and the fans come on.

I am convinced that the way it runs they have fixed everything in the 1st design process, that makes me feel way better.

If you looking to upgrade, buy this, you can be there will be a “whole new machine” soon but you might want to wait until they work out the bugs, i think this mbp13 is that they worked out the whole macbook bugs entirely and you will have a machine that will last many years.

thanks apple,

ps, people wonder why i have a small screen but i bought a exteranl one for $200 for at home, that WAY cool setup.

ps i wish they didn’t combine the audio ports, but if you want to do serious work you should have a audio interface anyways, i guess that what they where thinking, and there is those cheap usb imic things (perhps crap them little plastic things though) , wait that imic was a waste of cash

buy one folks, its like a perfect breast in your hand.

pj, on September 9th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

Very Interesting Writeup. The Cat on Mac Pic was humorous! Lol You really love your mac… Was thinking of getting one for my recording studio as a backup system. My Mac Pro just fried a couple of days ago. An interesting read. thanks.
Peace.
Josef Horhay
mixing engineer
http://www.acoosticzoo.com

Acoostic Zoo, on September 10th, 2009 at 1:25 am

The lack of enough USB ports is a complaint from many of our clients although the return of a firewire 800 is a bonus especially for data restores and fast transfers to existing (older) external hard drives. Why was it missing from the Macbook unibody? The LED display screen is truly gorgeous as is the aluminium casing carved from one piece. We’ve had one or two in for repair already and both times it was a magsafe or I/O board issue… and the usual accidental damage screen and liquid damage repair! All in all we think it’s a worthy addition to Apple’s MacBook Pro range…

MacEmergency Apple Mac Repairs London, on September 15th, 2009 at 12:40 am

this is one of the worst articles ive ever read about the macbooks…
first of all, you ARE clearly in love – and not thinking clearly.

how was the new macbook clearly improved? you failed to demostrate this, other then going on for a hour about the battery…
figures, a feeble minded fool writes a apple article – and everything he says is good – im not a apple hater or a fan. but heres some interesting fact for you to consider before you attempt to write another article (maybe change professions, and leave writing reviews to professionals)

the new updated battery is not user-servicable… well, Leander Kahney demonstrates his inabilty to reason and judge value… did you even call apple to see how much the new batteries cost to get replaced? ($159)- whereas i can just go buy 2 removable ones – and keep them in my backpack – they dont weigh much anyways. (and cost like $60)

The LED backlighting is the only “real” improvment. and even then, they claim to have increased thier gamut by replacing the crap LED backlighting they used before (45% NTSC), to a more advanced one, which offers a much improved colour gamut, similar to your 5 year old television set (yes, much improved). now offering 72% ntsc colour!!!! AMAZING!
you dont even mention apples testing methods – and how they managed to milk 7 hrs out of a battery real people will only get 5 hrs of use out of. (no brightness, 9400m only, disable all unused features, and idle or dvd watching)

APPLE HAS BEEN SUED OVER FALSLY ADVERTISING THIER DISPLAYS BEFORE – they settled out of court in 2007 wehn sued by 2 professional photographers for falsy advertising thier claim of 16.7m colours on thier equipment (imacs and macbook pros). they settled out of court. (all macbook pros have 6-bit displays, making thier maximum colour palette 256k colours)

SD cards can be used in expansion slot adapters. (even in usb adapters)

I mean, even in your own benchmarks the Unibody 2008 did WAY better then the FASTER 2.16ghz uMBP…. are you retarded?!

Leander Kahney has writen articles for scientific american? how does somebody who cant even comphrehend the scientific method write an article for a science journal? im going cancel my suscription…

so for the record…

no macbook pro has a 8-bit screen actually giving it 16.7m colours.
no macbook pro has a RGB backlighting, thier all LED backlite crap TN panels.

Unremovable battery costs $159 here to get changed, and the 17″ costs over $200. (I live in Canada)

solid state drives can no longer get high speeds in macbooks…
they changed thier sata interfaces to 1.5Gbps therefore halfing the maximum speed of the hard-drives… ive gotten into many arguements about this… heres the facts:

a Mechanical drive is generally limited to around 105MB/s or so, (ive tested this myself, using everst on my Core i7) – and thats your maximum. (and im using samsung spin-points with 32mb cache and 7200RPM).

I also have OCZ solid State Drives, which i run in RAID0. in testing, they can achieve linear reads of 280+ MB/s

3000Gbit/s = 300MB/s (10 bits per byte on SATA interface)
1500Gbit/s = 150MB/s
making the SSD slightly faster in the new uMBP then a mechanical hard-drive.
but nothing compared to what i get in my PC (true SSD potential).

and seeing as i can buy a 2.4ghz Macbook aluminum, i would have tested the new 2.26, old 2.4 and new 2.53 against one another –

I still cant understand how you managed to prove the old one faster in every task except a file transfer… (which it was off by 2 sec on 2.5 min)
and most importantly, the old one started up 2xs as fast..

PEOPLE NEED TO DO THIER OWN RESEARCH SO WE CAN FINANLY RID OURSELVES OF ALL THE FALSE ADVERTISING, AND MISREPRESENTATION WERE SUBJECTED TO – BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY DONT KNOW THE DIFFERANCE

x0r-lord, on September 16th, 2009 at 10:26 am

there is nothing wrong with Asus laptops, the one i have is great other than it gets hotter then hell, i would sell this thing in a heart beat and get the newer macbook pro 13inch, i still have my old white G3 ibook that i got when i graduated high school back in 01 and it still runs like the day i got it.

bag of crackberry, on September 19th, 2009 at 11:08 pm

i work for apple and i own a dell, i hate the new macbooks, they are crap

DPS, on September 20th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

@ x0r-lord

First of all, if you are going to critique someone else about their faqs and argumentative skills, then make sure yours are at least up to par.

-1st off, if you look at the chart, the new MBP beat the UMB in startup times, you got your numbers reversed (aka the bigger bar was worse for that category).

-2nd, this is a computer review and not a company review, it is not about whether or not a company got sued over some small detail, it is about the quality of a specific laptop (so poor argument choice for 1/2 your rant)

-3rd, you claimed that the reviewer mainly mentioned the battery and LED screen, however in your critique you just primarily complain about the LED court case and the hard drive issues, out of how many things the reviewer mentioned… so was it a really bad review because you couldn’t have something specific that really didn’t need to be cluttered. (I know I don’t want to read a review of a computer that is comprised primarily of a court case)

So maybe you should take your own advice and “maybe change professions, and leave writing reviews to professionals”

FYI, great review

Crazy Baboon, on September 22nd, 2009 at 11:01 am

I bought this Exact Machine and on the whole i like it. HOWEVER
I get about 3 – 4hrs out of my MBP 13 battery TOPS, and thats with just web browsing keyboard back lighting off and Screen brightness at at around 10 -20 percent. Please give me some feedback about your MBP13 battery life results, cause this 7hr claim apple makes is just wrong. or have i bought a faulty machine its 3weeks old and has done about 6 charges/dicharges. Owners please let me know how long you get from this machines battery.

Hugh, on September 23rd, 2009 at 1:28 am

Is MBP 13″ good for graphics softwares such as 3ds max, photoshop, corel draw etc ???

mack, on September 24th, 2009 at 9:22 am

The new MacBook Pro is a beautiful looking machine. However, its beauty sadly is skin deep. The performance really isn’t very good at all.

woody, on September 24th, 2009 at 12:23 pm

I really want a MacBook Pro 13 inch but i can’t afford it!!! im still a secondary school student that and i hve had a Dell laptop for 2 years and i REALLY want an upgrade to the MacBook Pro. I mean, the design is just unique and its beautiful. But i’m thinking about waiting till more of the upgrades come out and the price goes down so amybe next year although i would kill to have a MacBook Pro 13 inch NOW!!! im gonna start saving up till i have enough. Great review!

yuenmei, on October 7th, 2009 at 9:05 am

Great review!

Is it possible to change the graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M for the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, in the MBP 13?

Could the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 be enough to rock on several graphic design applications, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash? And some games like Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 (both uses 3D technologies).

Thanks

Pedro Frias, on October 9th, 2009 at 12:46 pm

I just got an entry level 13″ MBP and I am very happy with it. The speed of the processor, battery life. I was about buy to the Lenovo 2.53Ghz 500GB 4g DDR3 but changed my mind and got MBP 13″ 2.26GHz. No need to upgrade the ram as of the moment. Perhaps, this will be my laptop for the next 3 years or more…..

Daryl Abueva, on October 10th, 2009 at 10:20 am

I have it and i think it work properly

Tokobaju, on October 10th, 2009 at 9:46 pm

5 Days after I left a comment, I purchased the 2.53 13″ MBP from the online store.

Did a minor upgrade, instead of the standard 250GB HD, I opted for the 500GB so I’m likely NOT to complian about HD space in the few years

All I have to say is this machine is freakin’ awesome! I can do my design work peacefully, hot having to worry about it crashing, run multiple applications at the same time, and it’s still smooth & breezy.

Sold my iBook G4 for a decent amount, too, esp since next April, I would’ve ha that machine for 6 years!

Well, I’m just happy. This a is truly wonderful product and it’s so classy, even my sister who just inherited a 2008 Dell laptop (barely used!) from my dad was going on about how gorgeous my machine is.

The glossy screen is a minor problem; it does hurt my eyes from time to time, so I’ll probably get one of those matte screen protectors if and when necessary.

daylight dancer, on October 12th, 2009 at 8:52 pm

i have the MBP 13′, and it is a god. i absolutely love it! this is a dream computer! oh, my god! i LOVE apple and i feel so privaledged 2 have a computer like this. i switched over from windows ( i don’t like windows), and the mac is a godsend.
LOVE U APPLE!

kabir, on October 14th, 2009 at 9:19 pm

Me gustaria tener una pero no tengo dinero, soy pobre, pero me gustaria muchisimo tener una macbook, creo que nunca podré adquirir una a crédito y mucho menos al contado, quisiera que alguien de aqui si es millonario y le sobra el dinero me regalara una. me da risa decirlo pero es la verdad, sueño con tener una, mejor que un auto, pero en fin solo son sueños, sueños.

Jorge, on October 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pm

I agree that the first unibody Macbook was perhaps the most beautiful and well built notebook computer in history. The new ones do what Apple does so well: improve. I bought one of the first generation Macbooks from a life of PC laptops all the way back to ‘88 and now I understand why fanboyism is so prevalent among Mac users. Apple Macbooks totally rock. I almost want to trade up to the new model. 7 hour battery, better screen, and all those extra slots, and no battery bay makes me want one so bad. And now with Snow Leopard. A person can only pity the poor PC user with their ugly poorly built machines running Windows. Compassion is the right response.

Steven Thompson, on October 18th, 2009 at 7:48 pm

[...] wonder why I decided to order the recently discontinued Macbook Unibody instead of going for the firewire/SD-slot/7-hour battery Macbook Pro that just released?  Well, and it may come back to bite me, but I think the Macbook is on its way [...]

kenny loggins & classic spidey « stuff and things, on October 19th, 2009 at 12:01 am

HEy,

I just purchased this one as well, i’ve it about 2 days now and I LOVE IT!!! it is perfect. I coud’nt image something better:)
James

PS: I’m from The NEtherlands

James, on October 19th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

Noting that they released a new MacBook this week, do think a new MacBook Pro is imminent and it’s worth waiting to buy one? The new MacBook and MacBook Pro now are pratically the same other than casing, SD, and Firewall Port. Is it worth the extra $200 for the Pro?

KMcG, on October 23rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm

I haven’t read all the comments here but I’m wondering about the SATA I vs SATA II comments. I purchased my Macbook Pro 13″ with a 250 GB upgrade to the HD and it is a SATA II – 3 GBS transfer. Did they change it back to SATA II after the first ones came out, or is this a result of the upgrade to 250 GB?
It’s a great machine.

tc, on October 31st, 2009 at 6:59 pm

Nice Cat, I LOVE mine!

Rosalie, on November 2nd, 2009 at 12:50 am

Being a PC user till 7 days back, i decided to buy a MBP last week. Now, I am finding it hard to use my windows powered laptop as the bright screen, the back lit keypad, the massive multitouch trackpad…. now i am in love with mac… thanks for the good review…
how ever, one idiotic question, can u leave the charger connected to MBP? does it spoil the battery?

Vinod, on November 2nd, 2009 at 1:37 am

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