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Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, 2.4GHz) review: Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, 2.4GHz)

The Apple MacBook Pro has been refreshed and reenergised. While the looks are essentially the same as last year's model, you'll find faster processors and a new chipset, plus more memory and a larger hard drive. With more muscle under the hood, this Pro can certainly put on a show

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman

Apple's recent update of its 13-inch MacBook line was a modest one, with an incremental processor upgrade and updated default components. However, the 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro laptops have gotten a much more radical overhauling, even if they -- like the MacBooks -- look the same on the outside as previous-generation models.

8.3

Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, 2.4GHz)

The Good

Updated CPUs and graphics without an updated price; LED-backlit display for better battery life; 802.11n support.

The Bad

Minimal configuration options; only 90 days of complimentary technical support; still no media card reader.

The Bottom Line

Apple's MacBook Pro line gets a solid under-the-hood upgrade for better performance and longer battery life, allowing the MacBook Pro to put enough distance between itself and the lower-end MacBook to justify its higher price

We have reviewed the 15-inch, 2.4GHz middle child in the MacBook family, which costs £1,599. The entry-level 15-inch, 2.2GHz model starts at £1,299 and the 17-inch, 2.4GHz model sells for £1,799. Click through to read our main review.