Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (2011) Review
Apple has two strong 13-inch notebooks to beguile shoppers, and lone of them solely got a ration stronger. While the 13-inch MacBook Air ($1,299) emphasizes portability and second gratificaiton via Flash reminiscence, the extra 13-inch MacBook Pro ($1,199) is all in this area alacrity and extra-long endurance. The newest version boasts a bevy of extra components and abilities, counting a second-generation Intel Core i5 PC, a FaceTime HD webcam, and Thunderbolt high-speed connectivity. The much-loved unibody aluminum skeleton remains, along with the outstanding backlit upright and schooner touchpad, all pro the same fee. So how much better is this 13-inch MacBook Pro than its predecessor, and could you repeat that? Sort out you produce up?
Design
The 2011 13-inch MacBook Pro is effectively identical to its predecessor. Slim with its iconic curved lid, the aluminium unibody skeleton exudes premium build quality from all angles. Measuring 12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inches, and weighing 4.6 pounds, the extra apparatus has the same dimensions as previous to but is a part heavier (0.2 pounds). Of way, the 13-inch MacBook Air (0.7 inches thick, 2.9 pounds) makes the Pro look gray by comparison, but this 13-incher still slips into bags straightforwardly and is relatively straightforward to involve.
Users will furthermore discover the same black Island-style upright and generous multitouch touchpad with the intention of be inflicted with graced before models. Chiseled from a single check of metal, the MacBook Pro feels exceptionally well-built. One drawback is with the intention of the MacBook Pro's battery is not replaceable, by smallest amount not lacking Apple tech support. Also, the skeleton can scrape straightforwardly if exposed to astute objects, making a custom-fit cover a smart investment.
Heat
Despite its hard construction, the MacBook Pro primarily reserved its cool on our excitement tests. After before a live audience a Hulu record by satiated screen pro 15 minutes, we measured a warmth of 90 degrees Fahrenheit by the focal point of the upright, while the notebook's underside returned the same conception. The touchpad was cooler by 80 degrees. The underside back aim of the 13-inch MacBook Pro did make toasty, logging a warmth of 109 degrees; we consider whatever thing ended 100 degrees cause pro interest.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Folks familiar with the MacBook Pro know with the intention of its upright is lone of the preeminent around. The laptop's lofty check keys be inflicted with a soft close and are arranged in an island-style setup, offering bounty of spacing. They furthermore get on to little sound as secure, yet provide a satisfying click. Equipped with an ambient light sensor, the upright is backlit as well, lone of the advantages the 13-inch MacBook Pro has ended the 13-inch Air.
Like MacBook Pros previous to it, the current version has a vast 4.1 x 3-inch touchpad with the intention of doubles as lone massive button. Frankly, it's the gold standard; it consent to us glide our fingers across it with smallest friction and instinctively press down to get on to selections. We by no means missed the lack of a discrete mouse button, or even two.
The satiated breadth of familiar multitouch gestures are at this time as well. We straightforwardly used two fingers to scroll up and down through webpages and zoom in and made known of photos and ID. With four digits we hard-pressed all windows made known of the way pro a apparent check over of the desktop, and with three fingers swiped our way from app to app.
Display and Audio
This MacBook Pro's 13.3-inch spectacle serves up a pledge of 1280 x 800 pixels, and it gets very sharp. We fancy, though, with the intention of it had the same 1440 x 900-pixel pledge as the 13-inch MacBook Air. While watching Hulu episodes of Fringe and 30 swing, insignia were pleasantly saturated with rich, deep blacks. Unfortunately, the screen's glossy go up is prone to reflections, so viewing record in darker environments is advised. Viewing angles are furthermore mean, with image quality dropping rancid as we tilted the spectacle off-center forwards or stirred feature to feature.
Audio through the MacBook's stereo speakers was beyond doubt loud as before a live audience "Living inside America" by Dom using Slacker, but bass was certainly missing. Even so, highs and vocals were apparent and we found fidelity to be quite skilled.
Thunderbolt and Ports
New to the 13-inch MacBook Pro is Intel's Thunderbolt equipment, formerly renowned as Light Peak. Occupying the same corporal connection as the DisplayPort (which currently has a lightning bolt icon then to it), ThunderBolt offers a hypothetical throughput alacrity of 10 Gbps. The haven is furthermore able to power peripherals such as outdoor tricky drives lacking the aid of an bonus electricity source, since it can involve up to 10 watts of juice.
The extra connection will furthermore allow users to daisy-chain up to six diplomacy, importance you may possibly join a generous watch along with multiple high-speed tricky drives. That's guaranteed to please record editors. No peripherals exist yet with the intention of aid ThunderBolt, but products are probable to arrive this summer. Apple has demonstrated a 4.42GB folder being hackneyed in in this area 10 seconds, a blazing data rate of 452.6 MBps. Besides Thunderbolt, the 13-inch MacBook Pro's haven apply remains the same as on former versions. Along the missing advantage are two USB ports, a fast FireWire 800 connection pro quick logic backups (using Time Machine), and an SD license slot. There's furthermore Ethernet, earphone, and polished magnetic power jack (called MagSafe), which will keep the MacBook Pro from short rancid your desk if someone trips ended the power cord. On the laptop's missing sits the slot-loading DVD burner and a Kensington lock slot.
FaceTime and HD Camera
Thanks to a extra FaceTime HD camera, the extra 13-inch MacBook Pro currently chains 720p HD record calls. Couple the cam with a newly installed FaceTime app with the intention of initially debuted on the iPhone 4, and you've got a powerful record chat tool. Inside our tests, we called someone who was using the extra 15-inch MacBook Pro ended FaceTime and prominent sharp, life-like insignia. Image quality was furthermore astute and shift was smooth. Defaulting to likeness mode, FaceTime can be flipped ended to landscape check over or satiated screen. Keep in mind with the intention of the app will single transmit a hi-def record spill if hardware on the other aim can soubriquet it. Performance
Under the 13-inch MacBook Pro's covering is a 2.3GHz Core i5 CPU--a lofty enhancement ended continue year's Core 2 Duo chip--and 4GB of RAM. Equally a upshot we proverb much better performance on our target tests. The extra 13-inch MacBook Pro twisted in 5,534 on PCMark Vantage, a boost of almost 1,400 points. That's furthermore 643 points privileged than the current mean pro thin-and-light notebooks, and sufficient to preeminent the Asus U36Jc (5,008, 2.53-GHz Core i5-460M CPU) and Sony VAIO S (4,950, 2.26-GHz Intel Core i5-430M CPU). Still, the MacBook couldn't stomach up to the HP Envy 14 (6,129, 2.4-GHz Intel Core i5-470), which has AMD graphics. The MacBook Pro's GeekBench notch of 6,446 is a 35 percent boost ended the before develop (4,164), and more than dual the 13-inch MacBook Air, whose 1.86-GHz Core 2 Duo PC mustered 2,976.
Running blizzard Leopard, the 13-inch MacBook Pro booted in a quick 41 seconds, 24 seconds nearer than the current class mean, which consists mostly of Windows PCs. Still, the 13-inch MacBook Air starts up in a reduced amount of than 15 seconds, thankfulness to its sparkle reminiscence. The 320GB, 5,400-rpm tricky drive achieved a gather in a line conveying alacrity of 28.1 MBps, 3 MBps privileged than the thin-and-light mean, but a mane not more than the 29.1 MBps rate the before MacBook Pro managed.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro took solely 47 seconds to transcode a 5-minute MPEG-4 gather in a line to AVI using Oxelon Media Encoder in Windows (using BootCamp). The mean thin-and-light takes in this area 15 seconds longer to complete this task. The MacBook Pro furthermore crunched a 5-minute 1080p HD record gather in a line down to iPod Touch format using MediaEspresso in solely 27 seconds, lone of the fastest era we've seen.
Graphics
Apple resolute to the exchange Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics in the before 13-inch MacBook Pro with an integrated Intel HD 3000 poker chip. The upshot was a 3DMark06 notch of 4,509, which is 245 points decrease than continue year's develop. Even so, the MBP's screening is well higher than the current thin-and-light mean of 3,069. It furthermore trumped other 13-inch notebooks, such as the Asus U36Jc (3,518 with GeForce 310M). Of way, compared to HP Envy 14 (6,876 with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650), the 13-inch MacBook Pro doesn't rate up. You'll aspire to step up to the 15-inch MacBook Pro if you aspire serious graphics muscle. Similarly, this MacBook Pro 13-inch couldn't match its predecessor on our gaming tests, with the notebook administration 21 fps before a live audience Far Cry 2 by optimal settings and by 1024 x 768 pledge, everywhere continue year's MBP scored 47 fps. Things got worse by native pledge (1280 x 800) with the extra 13-inch MacBook coughing up solely 13 fps, a reduced amount of than the before MacBook Pro's 19 fps. By comparison, the Asus U33JC scored 22 fps by 1024 x 768. The HP Envy 14 scored 75 fps by 1024 x 768 and 27 fps by a privileged 1600 x 900 native pledge.
Results improved in World of Warcraft, with the MacBook Pro achieving a rational 74 fps by 1280 x 800 while in autodetect mode. The logic squeezed made known 28 fps with all the game's things fit to most. Both scores are somewhat not more than the class averages (99.3 fps and 31.5 fps, respectively) but will still provide a skilled gaming experience.
With its discrete graphics, the before MacBook Pro 13-inch serrated a privileged 124 fps and 50 fps, correspondingly, although to be rational, WOW has be converted into more graphically demanding with its newest bring up to date. The 13-inch MacBook Air, which furthermore has Nvidia 320M graphics, averaged 17 fps by its native pledge and max settings.
Battery Life
We were very satisfied as continue year's 13-inch MacBook Pro achieved a very long runtime of 7:48, but the extra version lasts even longer on a charge. The notebook persevered pro a marathon-like 8:33 on our LAPTOP Battery Test (web surfing via Wi-Fi). That's in this area three and a semi hours longer than the current thin-and-light mean, and beats the Asus U36Jc (6:24), Alienware M11x (7:14), and HP Envy 14 (4:26). It furthermore outperforms Apple's confirmed battery life of 7 hours. It even defeated the 13-inch MacBook Air by two hours.
Lengthy battery life is even more of a clear taking into account you can't swap made known a extra battery on the take wing as you can with generally other laptops. Apple says the MacBook Pro's Lithium Polymer battery is skilled pro 1,000 charges (roughly 3 years depending on usage). Springing pro a extra battery will cost $129 and can be installed in Apple supplies or by mailing the full laptop in pro service. Considering with the intention of generally notebook batteries cost around the same fee and wear made known with a link of years, the single disadvantage at this time is with the intention of you can't exchange the element physically.
Software and Warranty
Apple offers perhaps the preeminent software bundle in the industry. Inside addition to the blizzard Leopard operating logic, the MacBook Pro comes with the exceptional iLife ‘11 suite (iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, and GarageBand), Front Row, Photo Booth, and the Time Machine backup software. We solely fancy here was a word PC pre-installed with the intention of existing a hardly any more abilities than TextEdit; the the iWork suite expenditure $49 superfluous. If you aspire to supermarket pro programs, the Mac App Store makes it straightforward to discover could you repeat that? You're looking pro and install with a single click.
Apple provides the same standard warranty coverage as before MacBook Pros: One-year parts and labor and 90 days of toll-free, 24/7 phone support. The Apple Care Protection Plan, which includes three years all of parts-and-labor coverage and phone support, expenditure $249. To think it over how Apple fared in our tech support showdown
Configurations
Inside addition to the $1,199 corrupt configuration we reviewed, consumers can furthermore upgrade to a $1,499 version, which has a nearer 2.7-GHz Intel Core i7 PC, 4GB of RAM, and a better 500GB tricky drive. Customization options include 8GB of RAM ($200), mechanical tricky drives up to 750GB in size ($150), or solid state drives ranging from 128GB ($250) to 256GB ($650) to 512GB ($1,250).
Verdict
Apple has some time ago again produced a winning notebook. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is considerably nearer than its predecessor yet lasts ended 8 hours on a charge. We furthermore like the extra FaceTime HD camera and look forwards to considering Thunderbolt-enabled peripherals with the intention of take benefit of the extra haven. Gamers and other users who aspire more graphics power will aspire to look elsewhere. And the 13-inch MacBook Air offers a higher-resolution spectacle in a much thinner and lighter package. But if you be inflicted with a need pro alacrity and epic endurance, the 13-inch MacBook Pro will beyond doubt fit.
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