Expert's Rating
Pros
- Classic design
- Runs Universal applications quickly
- Integrated iSight camera
- Bright screen
- Improved wireless range
- Comes with Front Row application and remote
- Innovative MagSafe power connector
Cons
- Screen slightly shorter than the PowerBook’s
- Non-native apps can run slowly
- Intermittent processor noise on some systems
- Optical drive inferior to that of the PowerBook G4
- No FireWire 800 port
Our Verdict
The first Mac laptop to feature an Intel processor — two processors, actually, thanks to the chip’s dual-core architecture — the MacBook Pro features some significant departures from the PowerBook line. The MacBook Pro features a 4X DVD-burning SuperDrive (as opposed to the 8X SuperDrive in the PowerBook); it lacks an S-Video port and a built-in modem. However, the MacBook Pro’s screen is brighter, it boasts a faster bus speed and faster memory, and a new MagSafe Connector for hooking up the laptop to its power supply. Originally announced at 1.67GHz, this laptop’s processor was bumped to 1.83GHz when it shipped in February 2006.
A worthy successor to the PowerBook G4, the MacBook Pro is particularly attractive if most of the applications you use are available in Universal versions, or are relatively low-power programs running in Rosetta. However, if you rely on programs that won’t run in Rosetta or you rely on resource-intensive software, you should delay your purchase until Universal versions of those programs become available.