REVIEWED Apple MacBook Pro
Apple MacBook Pro 2Ghz2GB RAM, 100GB HD£1779/$2449On Friday I received one of the first 15.4in MacBook Pros to be given to any journalist. I've been b
Apple MacBook Pro 2Ghz
2GB RAM, 100GB HD
£1779/$2449
On Friday I received one of the first 15.4in MacBook Pros to be given to any journalist. I’ve been buzzing ever since.
First thing I did after unpacking the new laptop was compare it to the previous 15in Powerbook. Unsurprisingly the two computers are very similar in size, but the old Powerbook is slightly thicker. Open the two up and you notice two significant differences: the brightness of the MacBook’s 15.4in screen (Apple claim its 67% brighter) and the new addition, just above the screen, of a webcam.
The 1440×900-pixel screen is particularly impressive: it looks brighter than my G5 iMac’s LCD, although to get the best out of it you need to be seated directly in front of the display. It’s not that the viewing angle is awful; it’s just much dimmer when you’re viewing from the side or above. Still, as I type this I’m working in direct sunlight without any problem.
02/03/06 update: Another userful change from my previous Powerbook is that you can now use the trackpad to scroll around windows simply by using two fingers instead of one. It’s really intuitive, and makes up for the lack of a right-click trackpad button (the new Mac mouse has right-click, after all). [NEXT PAGE]
Part 1: Intro
