The Bottom Line
Apple's latest version of the MacBook Pro comes with some significant changes including the solid unibody aluminum design first debuted in the MacBook and MacBook redesign of 2008. The new design still retain the title of lightest and thinnest 17-inch laptop on the market. It also has one of the longest battery life of the market. The downside is that Apple does not have the lower access panel for access to the hard drive or battery like the MacBook Pro 15-inch. While expensive, it still is one of the best performing 17-inch systems for those needing lots of performance in a portable package.
Pros
* Thinnest and Lightest 17-inch Notebook
* Unibody Aluminum Case Very Durable and Stylish
* Very Long Battery Life
Cons
* Expensive
* Doesn't Have Access To Battery or Hard Drive Like 15-inch MacBook Pro
Description
* Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz Dual Core Mobile Processor
* 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 Memory
* 320GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
* 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
* 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) Wide Screen LCD With iSight 1.3MP Webcam
* NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT Discrete Graphics with 512MB and GeForce 9400M Integrated Graphics
* Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n Wireless, Bluetooth 2.1
* Three USB 2.0, FireWire 800, ExpressCard/34, Mini-DisplayPort
* 15.5" x 10.1" x 1" @ 6.6 lbs.
* Mac OS X 10.5, iLife '09 Suite
Guide Review - Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch Desktop Replacement Laptop PC
Apple's refresh of the MacBook Pro 17-inch laptop has finally arrived with the new solid body aluminum case design that they have put into their other models. This brings their largest and most powerful laptop up to the style and design with the rest of the product lineup. It does have some major differences though compared to its smaller version.
The big feature of the MacBook 17-inch is the new lithium-ion polymer battery that essentially takes up the lower third of the system. This massive battery is supposed to provide up to 8 hours of battery life and last for a larger number of recharges compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Apple's claims are a bit inflated, but the real world battery life of four to five hours is still some of the best in the desktop replacement world.
There is a big downside to the new battery design though. The MacBook 17-inch does not feature the lower body panel that allowed for users to easily swap out the battery pack or hard drive. This is somewhat disappointing as this was a major feature of the MacBook and MacBook Pro 15-inch models. It is still possible to access the battery by removing the entire bottom panel, but not something that many users can do easily.
Apple's MacBook Pro 17-inch is a powerful system thanks to the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the ability to use the faster DDR3 memory. In fact, the MacBook Pro 17-inch is the first of the Apple laptops to officially support up to 8GB of memory although most will find the 4GB just fine.
One complaint that many people had of Apple's new laptop designs is the exclusive use of glossy screens. The standard MacBook Pro 17-inch continues to use this glossy coating, but Apple does have an optional anti-glare model available for special order.