Quick take: Apple 17-inch MacBook Pro
Pre-Macworld buzz suggested that both a new Mac Mini and a 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro laptop were in the offing from Apple Tuesday on the hardware front.
It seems that the moldy old Mac Mini will stick around for at least a little longer, but the 17-inch MacBook Pro did indeed receive an update to the new all-aluminum chassis Apple debuted on its smaller 13-inch MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro this past October.
Along with the new chassis, an improved display, and a glass trackpad (all things we've seen before), Apple has brought a few other changes to its highest-end laptop:
The 17-inch MacBook Pro gets a new chassis with improved display technology.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks)Glossy and matte display options
The new 15-inch MacBook Pro came with a glossy screen that many people found too reflective. Apple will now offer a $50 matte finish option for the 17-inch MacBook Pro, for those who'd rather do without all of that extra light. We're happy about this option, and we expect that many others will be as well.
Integrated battery design
Similar to the MacBook Air, the battery in the new MacBook Pro is non-user-accessible. Cited benefits include space savings, a new "adaptive" recharging technology, eight hours of battery life, and up to 1,000 recharges, which Apple says is three times the industry standard.
We can't vouch for the battery life without testing, but as we mentioned in our review of the MacBook Air, if you can't swap the battery out, you can't pop in a spare for extended use. If Apple's eight-hour claim holds up, that's closer to a full day of work than the five-ish hours you get from the MacBook Air, but you'll still run out of juice on longer flights.
Depending on graphics usage, the battery in the new 17-inch MacBook Pro is designed to last up to eight hours.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks)New hardware, same price
Like the old 17-inch MacBook Pro, the new model will also cost $2,799. For that price, you get 4GB of RAM, a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (not a quad-core chip, as some speculated), a 320GB hard drive, and both integrated and discrete Nvidia graphics chips that can work in tandem when the graphics tasks become more demanding.
That's a faster CPU, more hard drive space, and a better GPU solution than the older model, for the same price. Upgrade options get you up to 8GB of RAM ($1,200), a 256GB solid-state hard drive ($900), and a faster (though still dual-core) 2.93GHz CPU ($300).
Apple is currently taking preorders for the new 17-inch MacBook Pro, and it indicates three to four weeks for shipping. With luck, we'll have our full review posted in the meantime.
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Rich Brown reviews desktops and various other components and peripherals for CNET. E-mail Rich.
And all of this assumes it's really 8 hours as well - how often do an OEM's battery claims hold up in the real world? Seems more likely you won't even make it through an SF to NY flight after the first few months of ownership, though I'll be curious to see real world testing results.
As far as the battery goes, perhaps they could have used a giant battery plate on the bottom so that you could simply not carry it if you're on plugged power, and could still swap batteries! Or a hundred other solutions - instead, this seems like a way to generate more service and parts revenue down the road. Oh well. Buy AppleCare folks - when that battery is lasting half as long in a year or two, you're really going to want it replaced...
Now, on a serious note, dude, be real. If you have to work the length of the flight and your wait, then you would have a replacement battery, they only last 2-3 hours like your original crappy battery, that 4-6 hrs combined. A smart traveller uses an extended run capacity battery that slaps on the laptop or uses a removable bay, that way you have n+ 3 hours to work. Give Apple their props for doing it 1st and doing it right. You know good n darn well, most business travelers dont have frequent 8+ hour flights and even using n + x batteries they will die before you need to plug into something.
Who knows, maybe it'll be great, in fact I'm sure it will for some people.
For my part, I was planning on buying a new 17 if not for this and now I'm bummed - I have 4 batteries for my current machine and actually use them, for example, sitting in court all day, or going to clients or opposing party sites in older buildings that do not have a lot of outlets (I'm a lawyer). Not everyone has easy access to power all the time, I know I don't, and external battery solutions are heavy and comparatively unappealing.
The macbook pro has a dedicated graphic card (nvidia 9600) and an integrated one (nvidia 9400). The integrated one gives 8 hours of battery life the dedicated one gives 7 hours. Considering that on previous cnet battery tests the battery life was very close (within 15 minutes) of what apple said. My white macbook was rated for 4 1/2 hours of battery life. But when I use my settings I get 5 1/2 to 6 hours ( 1/3 brightness and better battery life mode)
But I fear that if you're not at low brightness, throttled CPU, GPU off, and wireless off, it may not be as great as people hope, esp. after 200 charge cycles - let alone let having extra stuff like a 3G modem plugged in. We'll see! (I'd love it if it was really 7 hours at normal settings with the GPU and wireless on - I just have a hard time believing it.)
Love - A Poor Mac User
fanboi...
For those of us who actually need the runtime of a second battery, not much point in making the laptop lighter if you make the actual travel weight much heavier...
I refuse to buy a laptop or any monitor with a glossy screen that forces me to constantly move my head around to see if that's a reflection I'm looking at or what... ?!?!? Especially if I'm touching up photos etc.
I've bought them and swiftly returned them. No thanks.
What? Does this save a nickel on the production line?
-- Rant off --
STOP IT!!!!!
Hahahaha.
"Apple Computers of California is not responsible for damages that this computer will cause such as Cancer or decreased sperm count. Also, EPA, we dont care!!!!"
they charge way too much for the hardware your getting. When Ubuntu is giving it away for free
LOL!
OTOH, my 17" MBP is only 11 months old and I'm afraid it's going to be sold to offset the cost of a new unibody 17" MBP. You can bet that I won't be posting on cnet about how terribly expensive it is, either. Save that for the Linux fanboys.
I like my 13" black Macbook more with every announcement.
Charge extra for a matte display? Not in this economy!
Remember when apple used events and media buzz to innovate and release world changing products?
You know its a recession when Apple is breaking news with a laptop that should have been released months ago. No news is boring.
Didn't trick me
[CNET editors' note: Offensive content deleted]
12" laptops are a much better choice for a traveler. A 17" laptop is really meant to be a desktop replacement or a portable system, not as a frequently carried lightweight laptop.
But then again, if you are traveling first class, then there won't be any problem at all. That's the real solution- just fly first class.
Check Dell, it has 3 17" laptops (that I can find). All 8.5 lbs. - one even uses a 210 watt power adaptor! Better bring a heavy duty extension cord with that one.
Changing batteries is old school. Who wants to buy an extra, keep it charged, and lug it around.
If I needed a machine this powerful, the non-swapable battery would not be a concern.
Apple is upfront on its design trade, non-swapable battery, gives room for a bigger battery and keeps the machine small and light. If that doesn't work for you, get the 15" MacBook Pro, or go to Windows . . .
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by trd1282
January 7, 2009 12:51 AM PST
- Right on man. Let the status quo complain complain complain.
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