Pros
- Superb battery life
- Fast overall performance
- Sturdy, luxurious design
- Excellent keyboard and touchpad
- Robust software package
Cons
- Less graphics performance than predecessor
- Lower resolution than 13-inch MacBook Air
- Bottom torward the rear gets very warm
Bottom Line
The most well-rounded 13-inch notebook gets a serious speed boost and lasts even longer on a charge than its predecessor.
Detailed Review
Apple has won two 13-inch Portable Hard buyers, and one of them is now much stronger. During the 13-inch MacBook ($ 1299) focuses on portability and instant gratificaiton flash memory, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro ($ 1,199) is the resistance of the speed and the extra length. The latest version has many new features and components, including a second generation of Intel Core i5, connectivity FaceTime Web-camera high definition and high speed of the beam. The aluminum monocoque chassis is preferable, with illuminated keypad and crystal earrings touchpad, all for the same price. So how better 13-inch MacBook Pro than its predecessor, and what you give up?
Design
The 13-inch MacBook Pro 2011 is virtually identical to its predecessor. Slim curve with its iconic cover, aluminum monocoque chassis, superior quality construction shines from all angles. Measuring 12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inch and weighs 4.6 pounds, the new machine has the same dimensions as above, but only a fraction heavier (0.2 pounds). Of course, makes the 13-inch MacBook Air (0.7 cm thick, 2.9 pounds) of Pro compared heavy, but 13 inches is the bag to slide easily and is very easy to wear.
Users can also be found in the same style black keyboard and touchpad Iceland large multi-touch than previous models have leaf. Legacy of a single block of metal, the MacBook Pro very difficult. A disadvantage is that the MacBook Pro battery is not replaceable, at least not without the support of Apple technology. In addition, the chassis can be easily removed when subjected to sharp objects, so a custom-made coverage is a wise investment.
Heat
Despite its metal construction, the MacBook Pro usually kept the nerves in our hot tests. After watching a video of Hulu in full screen mode for 15 minutes, measuring a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the keyboard, while the bottom of the laptop again the same reading. The touchpad is colder than 80 degrees. The lower end of the rear of the 13-inch MacBook Pro has burned out, recording a temperature of 109 degrees, it is over 100 degrees of interest considered.
Keyboard and touchpad
Know your people know that the MacBook Pro keyboard is one of the best. Square key consumer notebooks with a smooth surface and are arranged in an island atmosphere and spacious. They make as little noise as you type, however, provide a single click. Equipped with an ambient light sensor, keyboard backlight, thus, an advantage of 13-inch MacBook Pro more than 13 centimeters of air.
Like the MacBook Pro before, the current version has a large 4.1 inch touch screen x button 3 also serves as ground. Frankly, it is the gold standard, let your fingers glide through them with minimal friction and press down to the intuitive selection. He never lost the absence of a mouse button or two discreet.
The full range of multitouch gestures family are also here. It is easy, with two fingers to scroll up and down web pages and zoom in and out of photos and documents. With four figures pushed all the windows in the middle of a clear vision of the workplace, and three fingers swiped the way from one application to another.
Display and Audio
The MacBook Pro 13.3-inch screen offers a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and is very bright. However, we had the same resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels and 13-inch MacBook Air watching episodes of Fringe and Hulu 30 Rock, the colors were saturated with a nice rich, deep blacks. Unfortunately, the surface brightness of the screen vulnerable to reflection so that images displayed Councillor in dark environments. Viewing angles are average, with image quality allows you to tilt the screen away from the center forward or moves from left to right.
Audio stereo speakers, the MacBook is available for each case based upon reading "Living in America" with Dom Slacker, but in no doubt about that. However, the voices were high and clear and we find the fidelity to be very good.
Thunderbolts and Ports
New to the 13-inch MacBook Pro is Intel-Ray, formerly known as Pico de la Luz. Enjoy the same physical connection, such as DisplayPort (which is now a symbol of lightning at his side) offers a theoretical throughput of 10 Gbps storms. The port is also able to power devices such as external hard drives without using an additional power source because it can take up to 10 watts of juice.
The new service will also allow users to chain up to six devices, which means you connect a large screen with multiple hard drives with high speed connection in the daisy. Sure, video editors please. There is no device, the Flash application, but the products are expected this summer. Apple has to copy a 4.42GB folder in about 10 seconds, showed impressive speed of 452.6 MB / sec.
In addition to Ray, leaving the ports 13-inch MacBook Pro impart the same as in previous versions. Along the left edge, two USB ports, one FireWire 800 is fast backup speed of the system (Time Machine) and an SD card slot. There are also Ethernet, headphone jack and power connector magnetic bearings (MagSafe) that keep the MacBook Pro will fly your desk if someone trips over the cord. On the left side of the notebook is the burner slot-loading DVD slot and a Kensington lock.
FaceTime and High-Dfinition Camera
Thank you to a new HD camera face time the new MacBook Pro 13-inch is now compatible with 720p HD video calls. Cam pair with a newly installed application, FaceTime is the first four on the iPhone debuted, and have a powerful video-chat tool. In our tests, we asked someone who was with the new MacBook Pro 15 inch from FaceTime and found the bright colors, like life. The image quality was also strong and movement was smooth. The default is portrait mode, can switch to face from time to landscape mode or full screen. Note that the application only transmits a video stream high-definition, if the hardware can handle, on the other side.
Performance
Under the hood of the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2.3GHz CPU is an Intel Core i5 - a big improvement on the basis of last year 2 Duo - and 4 GB of RAM. Accordingly, we have seen much better performance in our benchmarks. The new MacBook Pro 13 "was 5534 in PCMark Vantage, up nearly 1,400 points. Also is 643 points above the average for notebooks and lightweight enough for best U36Jc Asus (2.53 5008-CPU-core i5-460M) and Sony VAIO S (4950, 2.26 GHz Intel i5 CPU 430). However, not the MacBook with the HP Envy 14 (6129, 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5-470), the graph is facing AMD. The MacBook Pro Geekbench score of 6446, an increase of 35 percent over the previous model (4164), and met more than twice the 13-inch MacBook Air, 1, 86 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 2976th
Implementation of Snow Leopard, 13-inch MacBook Pro starts fast 41 seconds, 24 seconds faster than the average of the current category, consisting mostly of Windows PCs. However, given the 13-inch MacBook Air on the road in less than 15 seconds with the flash memory. The 320-GB, 5400 rpm, a speed file transfer of 28.1 Mbps, an average of 3 Mbps, as thin and light, but given a bit below the rate of 29.1 MB / s previous MacBook Pro.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro transcodes only 47 seconds to 5 minutes in MPEG-4 AVI with Windows Media Encoder Oxelon (with bootcamp). The average light thin and lasts about 15 seconds to perform this task. The MacBook Pro has 1080 turns a 5 minute HD video files to iPod Touch Media espresso in 27 seconds, one of the best times we've seen.
Graphics
Apple has decided to replace the Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics in the previous MacBook Pro 13-inch with Intel integrated HD 3000th The result was a score of 3DMark06 4509, the 245 points lower than in the previous model. nevertheless shows the MBP is much higher than the current average thin, lightweight and 3069th Also won the other 13 "notebooks such as Asus U36Jc (3518 with GeForce 310M). Of course, HP Envy 14 (with ATI Mobility Radeon 6876 HD 5650), MacBook Pro 13-inch Pro in comparison is not up to it. You want to stage a 15-inch MacBook Pro, if you're serious graphics muscle.
Also true, the 13-inch MacBook Pro does not match its predecessor in our tests with a gaming laptop, the management of 21 fps in Far Cry 2 in the optimal configuration and a resolution of 1024 x 768 resolution, which last year generated MBP 47 fps. It has worsened in the original resolution (1280 x 800) with the new 13-inch MacBook cough with only 13 frames per second faster than the previous MacBook Pro, 19 fps. In comparison, the Asus U33JC scored 22 fps at 1024 x 768th Envy The HP 14 is at 75 fps at 1024 x 768 resolution and 27 frames per second at a high resolution of 1600 x 900 native.
The best results in World of Warcraft, with the MacBook Pro for only 74 fps in 1280 x 800 in sensing mode. The milling system 28 fps with all effects of the game in its entirety. These two results are slightly below average for the category (99.3 and 31.5 fps fps, respectively), but still a good game experience.
With discrete graphics, the old MacBook Pro 13-inch scored a 124 fps and 50 fps, or to be fair also, WOW became graphically demanding with his latest update. The 13-inch MacBook Air, which also Nvidia 320M graphics, average 17 fps at its native resolution and highest settings.
Battery
We look forward scored very happy 13-inch MacBook Pro last year, a very long period of operation of 7:48, but the new version takes longer to load. The laptop held out for a 8:33 marathon, as in our laptop battery test (surfing via Wi-Fi). It's about three hours longer than the current average thinner and lighter and better than the Asus U36Jc (6:24), Alienware M11x (7.14) and HP Envy 14 (4:26). also exceeds the battery life of 7 hours Apple states. Also exceeded the 13-inch MacBook Air for two hours.
Long battery life is still to be sure that you can not replace the batteries on the fly, as you can with most other phones. Apple says the MacBook Pro Lithium-polymer battery is good for 1000 expenses (about 3 years depending on usage). Jumping for a new battery cost $ 129 and installed in the Apple stores or by mail on the laptop, all for the service. Like most laptops batteries cost about the same price and take a few years ago, the only drawback is that you can not replace, the device itself
Software and warranty
Apple offers perhaps the best software in the industry. In addition to the Snow Leopard OS, MacBook Pro comes with iLife '11 suite excellent (iPhoto, iWeb, iMovie and GarageBand), Front Row, Photo Booth, and the backup software Time Machine. We wish it was a word processing program installed has a capacity of just over TextEdit, iWork costs $ 49 more. If you want to buy software that makes the Mac App Store to find what you're looking for and installed with one click.
Apple offers the same security standard as the MacBook Pro last one year parts and labor and 90 days without charge, telephone support 24 / 7 The Apple Care Protection Plan, which covers three years, each party coverage and labor and costs $ 249 Hotline To see how Apple has been using our confrontation, please click here.
Test Results / Compare
Image Gallery
Settings
In addition to the basic configuration of $ 1,199 could be considered, consumers can also become a $ 1,499 version, plus 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 has 4 GB of RAM and an upgraded 500GB hard drive. Customization options include 8 GB of RAM ($ 200), mechanical hard drives up to 750GB in size ($ 150) or solid state drives of 128 GB ($ 250) to 256 GB ($ 650) (1,250 $) to 512 GB.
Specifications:
Judgement
Apple has once again drawn to win a book. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is significantly faster than its predecessor, but takes more than 8 hours on one battery charge. We also like the new time face-HD camera and waited for Ray enabled devices that take advantage of the new port. Players and others who want to do more graphics performance, look elsewhere. And 13-inch MacBook Pro offers a higher resolution screen in a package considerably thinner and lighter. But if you have a need for speed and endurance epic, meet 13-inch MacBook Pro certainly.
SOURCE: LaptopMag
