Apple MacBook Pro 2009 (17 Inch) Review
Apple upgraded its 13 and 15 inch MacBooks last year, but forgot about the 17 inch which remained untouched. That was surprising because the upgrades did significantly add value to the smaller MacBooks and it was difficult to understand why the 17 inch model was left out. The upgraded 17 inch model was finally announced in January of this year and shipments started in February. So, now the desktop replacement MacBook gets on par with it smaller siblings.
What’s new? A “unibody” aluminum chassis, button-less track pad, and edge to edge glass on the LED backlit display.
Who is the 17 inch MacBook for? Media professionals (and those who want to be) will love the latest graphics which comes with a new Nvidia chipset and an Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics card. The display is an HD friendly 1,920 by 1,200.
The 17 inch MacBook is a little less than 1 inch thick. I don’t really see what the big deal is in having such a thin desktop replacement – its not really going to be carried around that much. But, if it makes Apple happy…… The aluminum chassis does feel very strong and resilient. It is made by carving out a solid block of aluminum making is strong and giving it a solid feel.
The glass track pad is the same as those found on the smaller models. Removing the mouse button has allowed it to have a much bigger surface. The entire track pad can be depressed just like a mouse button. The single tap PC laptop option is also available for the traditionalists.
The track pad takes a little getting used to, but once you do it, it becomes really easy and intuitive. It accepts multi touch gestures. You can hide all the open applications by sweeping 4 fingers across the pad and it is also possible to set one corner as a right click zone.
The keyboard and the rest of the laptop is the same as the earlier model and also the smaller versions.
However, what does stand out is the selectable performance option. The laptop has both a GeForce 9600 and 9400 chips. If you select the high performance mode both the 9400 and the 9600 are operational giving you amazing graphics, but at the cost of battery life. In the battery conservation made the 9600 is turned off and only the 9400 remains on. This is enough for most applications and you need go to high performance only when you want to use the MacBook’s amazing video capabilities.
Would I buy one? It’s a great notebook, but I don’t need a $2799 plus model. For the average user like me, it’s a waste. I do my work, listen to music, fool around and watch movies on my laptop. If I need a 17 inch display, there are lots of them available at lower cost. The display may be great, but so are others. If I was a media professional or a photographer or designer, buying this laptop would make sense. I could have everything I need with me all the time. But for the rest of us, unless you want to spend for the pure looks and appeal of the MacBook, it’s not really worth it. Compare this to the MacBook 2008 Review or the Apple MacBook Air Review.
Rating:
Performance – 4/5
Ease of use – 3/5
Looks – 5/5
Value for money – 2/5
[...] over the Core 2 Duo processors that are currently found in Apple’s MacBook Pros. Read the Apple MackBook Pro 17inch review over at [...]