So after seeing the new MacBook Pros get released last year, waiting for Apple to eventually release a new 17-inch version, and then waiting for my order, I have now finally got myself a new 17-inch MacBook Pro.
I have already talked about the new features of the 17-inch MacBook Pro before so no need to bore anyone with that again, instead I will let you know about my initial impressions of the new machine.
For starters it is quite shiny and nice, the new unibody design seems very sturdy. I have already noticed that the new model does not seem to get as hot (to touch) as the previous version (which gets very hot).
In my previous post I mentioned my desire to get the antiglare screen option for the 17-inch MacBook Pro. Well after reading reviews of the new screen I opted to stick with the glossy option. Not that I read anything bad about the screen itself, but the reason why I decided to go for the standard glossy option was because of how the screen is incorporated into the laptop. I love the flat glass display for the glossy screen, that extends over a black background that edges the screen. The antiglare option pretty much looks like the screen in the older MacBook Pro and is surrounded by a silver aluminum edge. So after reading about how nice the glossy screen was and my own love of the glass over black construction I went with glossy. So far so good; sure it can be a bit of mirror in some lights and with dark backgrounds, but so far it has been good to work on.
The multi-touch trackpad is pretty awesome too, I especially love that they have added a right-click ability - simply click with 2 fingers. And the new style keyboard is nice to type on. I did not think that I would like the black keys, but they actually look quite nice and provide good contrast with the backlighting.
I haven’t done anything really graphics intense yet so I can’t comment on the new graphics cards.
Now for a couple of negatives. My new laptop came with a tiny little scratch on the lid and the laptop lid makes a squeaking sound when it is opened and closed. Sure these are not terribly noticeable and not really that big of a deal, but when you pay this much for a laptop you do expect it to be in pristine condition.
While I do like that all of the connections have been moved to the left hand side, the space between the USB connections is pretty limited. With 2 USB cables plugged in I was not able to plug a USB thumb drive into the third slot because the casing on the thumb drive made it too big. Also, the use of only 9-pin firewire is a bit limited. I went to a few different stores on the weekend to find a new firewire cable and while they all stocked the 6 and 4 pin versions no one had 9 pin. I’m sure they will become more readily available with time, but pretty much your best bet is to shop online.
So to summarize my review:
Good things about the new 17-inch MacBook Pro
- Unibody design
- Flat glass glossy widescreen display
- Multi-touch trackpad
- Larger Hard drive
- Does not get as hot as previous model
- Very nice keyboard - aesthetically and practically
Problems with the new 17-inch MacBook Pro
- USB connections are too close together
- 9-pin firewire is hard to find
- A few minor construction blemishes with my machine
Overall though the new 17-inch MacBook Pro is a very nice machine.
