Apple MacBook Pro 15.4-inch, 100 GB — An Apple a Day Keeps Me at Play

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I promised myself that one day I will get a new laptop, and boy did I ever need one.

Since 2001 I've been using my trusty iBook. I remember the first day I got it and marveled at the craftsmanship of this beautiful machine. The white, sleek exterior made it incredibly sexy that women would flock over to me to ask my iBook out on a date. But my 12-inch monitor and 4 GB hard drive to this G3 model wasn't going to cut it anymore (I just heard the gasps across cyberspace... G3 model... 4 GB hard drive... 12-inch monitor... are you so archaic?) I like my toys but I'm also practical. I will squeeze the life out of something until I can't get anything out of it anymore. Unfortunately for me, that meant passing up all the goodies that have been coming out since my iBook purchase. Well, enough is enough, I say. It's time for me to get back into the game. It was an easy decision since the battery to my iBook finally flat lined and no one will replace it for me. So what is a guy to do?

Why, buy a new laptop, bigger and better than before. I was waiting for the right moment to purchase a MacBook and it couldn't have come at a better time. But this isn't any regular MacBook. I decided I needed something even more powerful and opted to go with a MacBook Pro. Can you say love at first sight?


What Makes This Model So Special?

My job as a graphic designer means I need to be able to handle multiple programs at the same time. It’s not uncommon for me to have Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress opened all at the same time. Let’s throw in Mozilla Firefox, iTunes and Adobe Acrobat Professional just for fun as well. Wouldn’t having all these applications slow down your computer’s speed and perhaps crashing a program or two? Normally yes. The MacBook Pro is designed so this won’t happen.

I purposely chose the middle model (2.16 GHz) with 1 GB of RAM at 667 MHz with the option to upgrade to a maximum of 2 GB of RAM. The lower model of 512 MB wasn’t going to do the trick. The maximum efficiency I would be able to get is 1 GB with the upgrade. I knew I would be in trouble if that happened. Speed is important to me as I need to be able to access and open files without a huge amount of lag time.

I also opted to stick with the 15.4-inch widescreen display (maximum resolution of 1440 x 900) instead of going all out and getting the 17-inch model (maximum resolution of 1680 x 1050). First, I don’t need something that big. A 15.4-inch screen is sufficient for me considering my iBook was only had a 12-inch monitor. That’s already a big jump. And second, I didn’t feel like getting a heavier model as well; 5.5 pounds is enough to carry around already. The 17-inch may have more bells and whistles, power, and options but the weight and size wasn’t needed.

The LCD monitor has a nice matte finish which is much better for me to see the colours properly on the screen. My old laptop had a matte finish and it really played havoc with how I was using my colours. I would always overcompensate and make things darker than it really needed to be and it proved to be a problem from time to time. Now I can properly calibrate the screen to my preference and eliminate that colour issue.

The hard drive is 100 GB with a rotation speed of 5400 RPM. My 4 GB hard drive on my iBook is embarrassing compared to this monster. And you know what? I bet this isn’t even going to be enough for me. I have a feeling I’ll be purchasing an external hard drive in the near future just to have some peace of mind for myself, and to make sure that I have a backup of all my files. There’s nothing worse than watching a grown man cry because he lost all of his digital files (I wasn’t referring to me, of course *whistling*).

The graphic processor was a key element in my decision to purchase this particular model. Included in the machine is an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory. All this means is that the photos and graphics I’ll be rendering will be crisp and sharp on the screen.


The Nooks and Crannies

The MacBook Pro 15.4-inch, 2.16 GHz comes with two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 400 port, an ExpressCard/34 expansion slot, DVI and VGA connectivity (VGA via included adaptor), optical S-P/DIF and analog sound output and inputs, gigabit ethernet plus AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless capabilities. One of the more pleasant surprises was discovering iSight, a camera built into the laptop and good for video conferencing (I feel so hi-tech now).

And what would a good Mac laptop be without its operating system. In this case Mac OS X v10.4 (the Tiger version) is a beauty to use. I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without using Mac OS X on my old laptop (I use it at work so don’t fret) because it is the easiest thing to navigate. I especially like Spotlight, the new search feature, and Dashboard, a quick way to call up your calendar, clock, calculator, and even weather with the click of a button. And in case you need to restore Tiger onto your machine for whatever reason, 2 install/restore CDs are included with this bundle.

I like how the Power Adapter is designed this time. My old one was designed like a mushroom in which the cord wrapped around this unit when not in use. What I found over the years is the wear-and-tear it suffers as a result. The wires start to fray in places and it makes charging the battery harder. On top of that if the cord was jolted ever so slightly there was a 50/50 chance that my laptop would turn off in an instant. The new Power Adapter looks sturdier and more reliable. I also like the option of adding an extended AC power cord to it (which comes with the machine) in case you need a longer extension to power your battery, a lithium ion based with 4.5 hours of life.

Another feature that I really like is the MagSafe. This is a magnetic power connector designed to detach easily when yanked to prevent the laptop from being pulled off a surface. There are been many, many times I have accidentally yanked my connection cord out of its socket and really ruined it. The MagSafe feature makes things a lot easier for safety issues.

The MacBook Pro also features a backlit keyboard and I applaud Apple for adding such a simple yet vital component. My old iBook’s keyboard would light up in the dark but everything would be illuminated. It was hard to see the characters on the keyboard. It became worse when the letters and numbers were starting to rub off. The backlit feature makes the characters light up instead of the whole keyboard. It actually looks very cool in the dark and makes it easier to type.

The 4x Optical SuperDrive built into the machine is able to read both CDs and DVDs. It can also burn onto both CDs and DVDs, a huge plus for the immense files I’m sure I will need to offload one day.

And if that wasn’t enough the machine is also bundled with Apple Remote with Front Row, Photo Booth, and iLife '06.


The New Family Member

The attraction to the new MacBook Pro is the inclusion of the Intel Core Duo processor. It will process between 2.0 and 2.16 GHz Core Duo depending on which laptop you purchase (in my case I have the 2.16 GHz). There are two execution cores built into a single chip. This, along with other performance boosters, makes the MacBook Pro up to five times higher than the PowerBook G4. All this power allows for better rendering to complex 3D models, playing a nice HD video, or even hosting a four-way video conference.

There is also that option of running Windows XP on any Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.6 or higher. What is needed is a program called Boot Camp which is still in its Beta stages. Boot Camp will allow users to install Windows XP without eliminating your Mac data; however, you need to install your own copy of Windows XP as Apple doesn’t sell or support Microsoft Windows. What this means, though, is that you can have the best of both worlds on one machine, and it switches back and forth quite naturally. A full version of Boot Camp will be included in the new Mac OS X Leopard v10.5. I’m still debating if I really need Windows XP on my Mac. I guess I won’t know until the time is right.


Home, Sweet Home

It feels good to be back in the game with my new MacBook Pro laptop. I don’t feel like a dinosaur anymore and am excited that I can finally be able to do proper work at home now. It was an even sweeter deal with all the freebies and savings I managed to get with this purchase.

One great thing about being married to a teacher is the perks that come along with it. In the case of Apple, the perks came to be plentiful. I used my wife’s status as a teacher to get the education discount. That’s $200.00 off the laptop. And because she’s an educator, Apple is also having a promotion for high school and college students, teachers, and anyone in the education system. With a purchase of a MacBook or MacBook Pro you will get a free 2 GB iPod Nano (after rebate). Since both my wife and son each have their own iPods, guess who got an early Father’s Day gift? But that wasn’t all. I also got the 3-year Apple Protection Plan and Microsoft Windows for half price and if I purchased the Apple ProCare Membership, they would throw in the .Mac account for free. I really appreciated the latter since I’m already a member and have to renew every year. I think the manager was in a good mood that day, or maybe because I came near the end of the day and she wanted to get rid of me. Whatever the reason I felt I made off like a bandit. It doesn’t hurt to wheel-and-deal if you can because you never know what goodies you might get out of it.

In my case, all I wanted was a new MacBook Pro laptop and I ended walking out with so much more. I wish they offered free stock options as well.


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Included in the box:
• MacBook Pro
• 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord
• Lithium-polymer battery
• Apple Remote
• DVI to VGA adapter
• Install/restore DVDs
• Printed and electronic documentation

Model Features:
• Full-size backlit keyboard
• Scrolling trackpad
• AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11b/g)
• Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
• ExpressCard/34 slot
• Dual-link DVI video out
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Optical digital and analog in/out

Dimesnsions:
• Width: 1 in.
• Depth: 14.1 in.
• Height: 9.6 in.
• Weight: 5.6 lb.

Specifications:
• 15.4-inch widescreen display
• 1440 x 900 resolution
• 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo
• 1 GB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• 100 GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
• 4x SuperDrive
• ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory
• One FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports