After a few years in which the 13-inch MacBook Pro saw a reduction in ports, the port selection now feels very adequate: two USB 3.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, an SD card slot, an Ethernet jack, and a high-speed Thunderbolt I/O port for video output and peripherals. The Thunderbolt port can work as a Mini DisplayPort, and adapters can convert video to VGA, HDMI, DVI, or DisplayPort. Still, even a year later, Thunderbolt peripherals are high-priced and not all that common. The addition of USB 3.0 is a boon as an alternative. Still, the 13-inch Pro lacks a dedicated HDMI port.
Upgrade options on the 13-inch MacBook Pro are, sadly, surprisingly limited. The base $1,199 version, which we reviewed, has a 2.5GHz dual-core third-gen Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a regular 500GB, 5,400rpm hard drive. The step-up $1,499 13-inch Pro has a 2.9GHz dual-core third-gen Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 750GB, 5,400rpm hard drive. The $300 bump-up does get you a larger hard drive, twice the RAM, and a faster processor, but after that there's not much left. Going from 4GB to 8GB of RAM costs $100; the 750GB hard drive on its own as an upgrade costs $100, or SSDs are available from 128GB ($200) to 512GB ($1,000). No discrete graphics, no quad-core processor options; basically, there's no way to turn your 13-inch MacBook Pro into anything close to the 15-inch Pro, which comes with a quad-core CPU and Nvidia graphics standard. Even if it had been expensive, I would have welcomed the option.
The shift to a third-gen Intel Ivy Bridge 2.5GHz Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost-able to 3.1GHz) means boosted performance over last year, but nowhere near the dramatic increase the 2011 13-inch Pro showed over the 2010 model. It outperformed the 13-inch MacBook Air, but by a margin so narrow that the two systems feel practically identical. In the base $1,199 configurations, the 13-inch Pro and Air provide equivalent experiences as far as everyday tasks go. At the higher-end $1,499 configurations, you're likely to see significant performance gains in the Pro.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
For most people, the 13-inch Pro offers plenty of computing power; that's not the point. For its starting price, we'd expect at least a bumped-up graphics option; instead, this laptop uses Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics, which are admittedly improved over last year's Intel HD 3000. Call of Duty 4 ran at 41.8 frames per second at native 1,280x800-pixel resolution and no antialiasing, compared with 31.7fps on the February 2011 13-inch MacBook Pro. Many mainstream games, including Diablo III, will be very playable, but some may require lower graphics settings. The 13-inch Pro isn't stellar at playing games, but it does the job most people would expect perfectly well.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Apple's laptops have gotten progressively better in battery life with every year that passes. This year, the gains leveled off. In our video-playback battery drain test, our entry-level Pro ran for 6 hours and 57 minutes. The February 2011 version ran for 6 hours and 42 minutes. Apple claims the same 7 hours of battery life as for last year's Pros; our results got even closer to that claim this time. This is too close to be called a true increase, but the important point is that this is an excellent amount of battery life for a good day's work. However, other competitors are catching up to these lofty numbers.
Service and support from Apple have always been a bit of a mixed bag. Apple includes a one-year parts and labor warranty, but only 90 days of telephone support. Upgrading to a full three-year plan under AppleCare will cost an extra $249, and is pretty much a must-buy, considering the proprietary nature of Apple products and their sealed bodies. Support is also accessible through a well-stocked online knowledge base, video tutorials, and e-mail with customer service, or through in-person visits to Apple's retail store Genius Bars, which, in our personal experience, have always been fairly efficient, frustration-free encounters.
Here's the rub with the 13-inch MacBook Pro: it's a little better than last year's model for the same price, but given the lack of dramatic improvements or any price cuts, especially in light of a less-expensive MacBook Air and a bold, thinner 15-inch MacBook Pro, it fades into the background. Those who want a more customizable Mac only have these thicker Pros as their final bastion, but this 13-incher is too limited in its upgrade options to be of much use. The torch has been passed to the MacBook Air at the portable end, while the MacBook Pro with Retina Display has stolen the spotlight at the top end. This MacBook's lost in the middle.
System configurations
Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch (Summer 2012)
OS X 10.7.4 Lion; 1.8GHz Intel Core i5; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 384MB (Shared) Intel HD 4000; 128GB Apple SSD
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Winter 2011 - Core i5)
OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard; 2.3GHz Intel Core i5; 4,096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 384MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000; 320GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch w/ Retina Display (June 2012)
OS X 10.7.4 Lion; 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 650M + 512MB Intel HD 4000; 256GB Apple SSD
Sony Vaio T13112FXS
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 4000; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Lenovo ThinkPad X230
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.6GHz Intel Core i5-3320M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Shared) Intel HD 4000; 320GB Hitachi 7,200rpm
Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-inch (Summer 2012)
OS X 10.7.4 Lion; 2.5GHz Intel Core i5; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 384MB (Shared) Intel HD 4000; 500GB Toshiba 5,400rpm
