I recently purchased the Macbook Pro 15" 2.4GHz i5 2010 edition to replace an aged 2006 Sony VAIO. I had previously owned a Macintosh around 15 years ago, so I had a working knowledge of what I was getting into. Above all, the Macbook Pro sold me on its unibody aluminum design, long-lasting battery life and a change from the Windows operating system. I have owned the Macbook Pro for about a month and it is truly one of the most fantastic computers I have owned (and I've owned many in past years, all Windows). I've broken down some aspects of the computer below:
Construction & Design:
The Macbook Pro is a unibody design that is cut from a solid piece of aluminum. This means there are not any battery compartments, memory compartments or openings as you find on most laptops. While this means you cannot change the battery on the fly, the computer is solid and doesn't buckle (or feel like it may buckle). The aluminum also helps to keep the computer cool by rapidly dissipating heat across the entire body; in fact, the metal exterior can be cool to the touch despite running for hours.
Display & Graphics:
There seems to be some debate over the glossy blacklight LED display of the Macbook Pro line, especially in terms of glare. There is a distinct reflection from the monitor if viewing something dark. Under normal conditions I did not find this to be an issue whatsoever, especially if you turn up the monitor brightness. The display does look fantastic and images have an extra "pop" as Apple spokespeople claim. Take a look at one in an Apple Store or Best Buy if you want to see it in person. As far as the high-resolution and matte upgrades, the average consumer won't gain much benefit versus a professional photographer, graphic designer or film editor.
Trackpad & Keyboard:
The Macbook trackpad is phenomenal and is truly sets apart the Macbook line from PCs. The trackpad utilizes multi-touch allowing the user to scroll through pages using only two fingers. Swipe back and forth to quickly navigate webpages or pinch and pull to adjust text size or zoom functions. The trackpad itself is massive allowing for a great deal of hand movement compared to most laptops. Still, you'll probably want to invest in a regular mouse, especially if you are Windows inclined for right click features. The keyboard has backlighting which means the keys light up in dark conditions, but I find this to be more of a novelty feature that I never use. The keys have a soft plastic feel and they are easy to type on even for hours at a time.
Power & Performance:
The battery life of the Macbook is unbelievable. Then again, I came from a laptop that could only hold two hours of battery life, this Macbook averages 8 to 9. Not quite the levels advertised, but far beyond what I need for a typical day. With the i5 chip, I find that everything is snappy and responsive. Startup takes less than 30 seconds. The only downside is the default hard drive installed, it runs at only 5400 RPM. This is noticeable to the point that the processor easily outperforms the hard drive to the point of creating a bottleneck. But there's always the option to upgrade the hard drive to 7200 RPM or an SSD.
Cons:
Relatively slow hard drive compared to processor speed & price of the machine
Two USB ports placed very close to one another, one can be easily blocked and inaccessible
Overall:
The Macbook Pro 2010 is a five star product. As a dominant Windows user, I found the OS to be highly intuitive and easy to use from the beginning. Even activating the Apple one year limited warranty was a breeze given most PC manufacturers. The only downside I see with the machine is the hard drive as I touched on above; it is a shame that such an expensive and well-built machine is limited by the speed of the HDD to the point that the user can notice the problem. Aside from this and the minor USB issue, the computer is a fantastic purchase that is well worth the extra dollars. If you're concerned about buying from Amazon or Apple directly, Amazon sells only the base units and only Apple can officially customize the machine. That said, the base unit is more than enough for most users and only a few will seek 8GB of RAM, high-resolution matte display or iWork pre-installed. If you're in search of a laptop, the Macbook Pro is a great option.Get more detail about Apple MacBook Pro MC371LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop.
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