Apple MacBook Pro user reviews (15-inch, Summer 2012)

Pros Amazing screen
Super fast
Very durable

Cons There are absolutely no cons to the laptop
except for the fact that you watch certain youtube vids

Summary All in all, I love the Macbook Pro!!

Pros - Lightning Fast Bootup with SSD
- Lightning Fast File Encoding
- Great GPU
- Improved Keyboard
- Easy access to HDD and RAM thanks to Unibody design
- Superfast charging and long battery life
- Optic bay can be modified to accommodate 2nd Drive

Cons - Display is good but native resolution could be higher
- Cooling needs improvement
- Price could be lowered after the of Retina model released alongside
- Additional USB ports on the right side are appreciated

Summary This is my 2nd MacBook Pro after my 13" 2011 model and I bought the 2.6 i7 model. Yes, I know this one doesn't come with Retina Display and Flash Drive, but this still has beefy power for almost any kind of usage.

Comparing to my 2011 model, thanks to increased memory speed, the 2012 MBP is smoother on bootup and file encoding, encoding and exporting HD videos in the new one feels so much snappier. I changed the main drive to Intel 520 Series SSD, and now bootup takes less than 10s and the OS is immediately usable after logging in. This couldn't be achieved in my 2011 MBP even with the same SSD installed in the past.

Gaming in both Windows and Mac is not bad too. Yes, this machine will never be better than an Alienware, but the GT650M GPU provided is more than adequate to run most of the new games like Need for Speed: The Run, Dirt Showdown and GTA: Sleeping Dog. I saw all can achieve at average 60 FPS with high setting. I am just a casual gamer and these results are more than enough for me.

What I think the major drawback of the legacy MBP is the cooling, due to the heat sink is placed just below the keyboard instead of directly touching the chassis as the Retina model do. The CPU and GPU would heat up very quickly and reach Temperature Junction if the cooling fans don't spin up with the temperature rise. A good fan control app is required esp. during gaming. Also for a laptop manufactured in 2012, I think the std resolution could be higher, 1680*1050 should be standard.

However I have never regretted with this purchase and I hope this MBP can keep up with years and years of intensive usage.

Updated on Dec 30, 2012

omkar23, I play those games in BootCamp. I use OSX mostly for work.

Pros Awesome Design
The Trackpad is made from magic
Fantastic keyboard
OS X
iLife
iWork
iWhateverElseSteveJobsCouldComeUpWithBesidesiTunesBecauseLetsBeHonestiTunesisBarelyAdequate
The display is vibrant

Cons Price, thats it

Summary Well, Im on my second one now and no complaints (I just felt like upgrading to the 2012 model) everything about the laptop (besides the price) is top notch. Now with USB 3.0 I can look at all of the USB 3.0 devices I dont have and wish they were USB3. The graphics card is definitely a step up. And I cant emphasize how fantastic the trackpad is, it really does feel like the OS is a part of it. If you whine about the weight then you need to go workout more. Honestly 4.5lbs is nothing. I carry this thing everyday. Other than the lack of value, this thing is utterly fantastic.

Pros - Design
- Mac OS X
- iLife
- Easy to use

Cons - AntiGlare display

Summary I have an older unibody 15" MacBook Pro. It is excellent, but I am disappointed with my AntiGlare display. It already died once and my new one is faulty too, the colors look bad and it is hard to clean compared to a glossy display. But 5 stars for the glossy version.