Review: June 2009 Macbook Pro
As I posted a few days ago, my beloved 2006 Core Duo MBP was stolen off a train in Lausanne. I guess it couldn’t have happened at a better time, since Apple just released updated versions of the Macbook Pros (as well as a price drop) in early June.
After spending a little time with my new machine (15″, 2.53 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 9400M), here are some general impressions. I also got the MiniDisplay Port to VGA adapter.
Build: The unibodies really are a lot more solid than the “classic” Macbook Pros. I remember stability issues with the Classic models, especially on the palm rest and the plastic edges. The buttonless, glass trackpad also feels very solid, and while the absence of a dedicated mouse button takes a little getting used to, it’s not that much different and increases trackpad area for multi-touch gestures.
I do have complaints, starting with the edge of the top case. You’d think after all the complaints about the original Macbook’s sharp edges that Apple would chamfer the edges of their unibodies even just a little bit to make it a little more comfortable if you are the kind of typer that rests their wrists in contact with them. The edges are quite sharp, as are the points created by the cutout that allows you to open the magnetically fastened lid.
While I understand the need to move all of the ports to the side, this is quite annoying (and I guess for those who have their cables on the left side of their Mac, it’s amazing). I find the unibody case to be a bit too thick on the sides- the MiniDisplay Port is particularly hard to remove without yanking on it forcefully, something that is very bad for cables. Unfortunately I don’t see any way around it since Apple’s obsession with smooth, shiny plastic and tiny plugs makes it impossible to remove properly. One would think that Apple could think of some inventive compromise between the current plugs and their MagSafe plugs to make this less of an issue. The edges of the ports are not chamfered either, which means that I expect the silver powder coating there to get brutalized sooner or later. Oh well. If the MDP port is too deep, the headphone jack is too shallow, and feels much less sturdy than that on the Classic model. I’m not really sure why this is, but there is a fair amount of “wiggle room” on my unibody where the connection on my Classic was always as rock-solid as one could expect from a 1/8″ plug.
Audio: The speakers on the unibody are crap. Tinny, virtually no bass at all, and overblown treble. And yes, I’ve tried tweaking iTunes’ equalizer to try and make up for it to no avail. Big disappointment, but I guess that’s why I have good headphones in the first place.
Screen: The LED-backlit screen is brighter and more responsive than the Classic. The glassy face is easier to clean since it is not inlaid in the bezel (of course this makes a screen repair more of a screen replacement). My only complaint is that the hinge is significantly looser than the Classic’s; several times I’ve picked up the machine and accelerated it upwards too quickly, only to have the lid flop down. This never happened with the Classic, on which it was actually rather difficult to adjust the screen precisely with just one hand.
My take on glassy vs. matte: I think this issue is blown way out of proportion. If you calibrate your screen you’re going to get accurate colors if you’re using matte or glassy. Furthermore, matte screens are clearly not in Apple’s future plans, so those who maintain that they will never buy anything other than a matte screen are going to have to either adjust or find a new platform.
Heat: Before I had the original logic board replaced on my old Classic, I recall idle temperatures of around 60 C (with fans running at ~2000 rpm). After I got it replaced, idle temperatures dropped to around 45. My new unibody is currently running BBEdit, iTunes (no music playing), and FF 3.5 at 52 C. While the idle temperatures might compare, the machine actually feels cooler. I’m not as familiar with the internals of the unibodies as I want to be at the moment, but I remember on my Classic that the screen-side bottom of the machine would get burning hot. Not the case here, and even if temperatures increase past 70 C I don’t really find it uncomfortable to handle the chassis.
I have notice that the fans momentarily spin up every time the machine powers on or wakes from sleep, which is a little strange but ultimately inconsequential.
Battery: This was my biggest concern about the new models, as I had two extra batteries that I swapped out regularly during the work day if I had to be away from a power source secure that this option would always be available. I was not pleased that Apple decided otherwise, but couldn’t wait very long to get a new machine.
I’m happy to say that my fears were unfounded, and the new batteries are, quite frankly, amazing. The other day I got 9 hours out of mine with the screen at half brightness and browsing the web on and off (I use Caffeine to prevent my display from going to sleep). While that’s certainly not typical (I usually get 6-7 hours), it’s certainly an improvement over the 2 hours I was getting from the Classic batteries. They don’t take significantly longer to charge either; I drained my battery last night with the intent of calibrating it today and it topped off in about 2.5 hours.
While some might gawk at the prospect of needing to take your machine into Apple for a mere battery replacement, they claim that it is same-day service with a Genius Bar appointment. The cost is $129 for the 13″ and 15″ models, $179 for the 17″ model.
Speed: I could run some tests to see how the new machine performs, but I have no basis for comparison. Applications seem to launch quicker, boot time is not noticeably improved, Time Machine and Spotlight indexing still take forever. For the average user, the processor upgrade won’t matter at all besides the “future-proofing” factor.
Other issues: The black keys seem to become noticeably dirty even after light use. I’m sure the same thing happened on the aluminum keys of the Classic, but aesthetically it’s a little gross to see your keys covered in who knows what. The low-end Macbook Pro now ships with a 60W MagSafe Adapter instead of an 85W adapter (the 2.66 and 2.8 GHz models ship with 85W adapters). The power button has been relegated further into the top-right corner of the machine and is less satisfying to press than the old shiny silver button of the Classics. The SD card sticks out of the machine when inserted into the reader, but I never use SD anyways so that doesn’t particularly matter to me. The screws that secure the bottom plate to the chassis are tapped at a slight angle to account for the curve of the piece. This makes unfastening these screws more difficult than if the holes had been tapped vertically. The sudden motion sensor seems overly sensitive, parking the hard drive heads even if I gently lift up the machine off my desk.
Overall the new Macbook Pros are very nice machines. The battery life extends their portability significantly, and while the numerous minor problems can raise eyebrows, overall they aren’t enough to negate the advantages of upgrading or making it your first Mac.
Full technical specifications can be found here: Technical Specifications
You can buy a Macbook Pro from the Apple Online Store or from Amazon:
13″ Macbook Pro
15″ Macbook Pro
17″ Macbook Pro
Do you own a unibody? What are your impressions?
tags]Macbook Pro, Apple, MiniDisplay, SD card, notebook, laptop, computer, glossy, glassy, chamfer, headphone, USB, MagSafe, optical drive, review, trackpad, multi touch, internal battery, unibody[/tags]
