| | Location: Home » MacBook Family » Laptop Computers » Portable Apple MacBook Pro MA896LL/A 15-inch Notebook PC (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive) | |
|
|
| Portable Apple MacBook Pro MA896LL/A 15-inch Notebook PC (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive) | 
 enlarge
| Brand: Apple
Category: Personal Computer
Buy New: $1,998.60
New (1) Used (3) from $1,574.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  105 reviews
Sales Rank: 616
Color: black
Media: Personal Computers
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.4
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Processors: 2
System Bus Speed: 800
System Memory: 2000
Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive Size: 160
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Graphics RAM: 256
Native Resolution: 15.4
Modem: None
Display Size: 15.4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 20
Dimensions (in): 19.6 x 19.4 x 5.5
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: MA896LL
Model: MA896LLA
UPC: 885909176304
EAN: 0885909176304
Release Date: June 5, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 101-105 of 105 | | « PREV 1 ... | | |
 Wonderful laptop, and it's hot (in every sense). July 9, 2007
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
Ok, so there are plenty of detailed reviews by now, here is my main observation after 2+ weeks of use:
- It is HOT (the 2.2 GHz version), both as in beautiful product and as a... portable coffee maker: I managed to get processor temp up to 94C/201F running Photoshop CS3. And that was during normal use, not specific tests. The area just above the keyboard gets so hot, I am affraid to close the lid untill it cools down a bit. Average CPU working temp is about 54C. But it's FAST, so I suppose it's a fair tradeoff.
Other than that, it works like a charm, fast, stable, elegant. Oh, and It now supports external display rotation by default (with the newest software update). I use a 19" pivot display and the rotation menu is visible all the time in the display preferences pannel. Still no automatic pivot suppor though.
Best laptop in the market. Finally a trouble free machine that i like to use it everyday. June 29, 2007
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I bought this laptop on the 2nd day after it release. I am happy user until now although it cost more than other PC laptop. But there are many advantages that makes Macbook Pro be the top machine today.
Pro:
Fast Speed - I am a photoshop user. This machine runs very fast. Almost as good as the mac pro. I run WindowXP and OS X at the same time, very smooth. Some people complaint heat of the old MBP, I haven't experience heat problem at all. I believe Apple fix the problem in this new MBP.
Beautiful screen - I have the Matte screen, very bright, nice color. Very good view angle.
Operating System
OS X - very stable and user friendly. Can't wait for the Leopard release.
Battery life
last upto 5-6 hours depends on how you used it. For movies, expect 3 -4 hours.
Parallels support
I didn't miss the Window at all. SupportXP/Vista. Window Xp runs even faster and stable on MBP than the PC.
Slim design, weight
Only 5.3lbs, lighter than another 15.4 laptop.
Web cam, bluetooth, Isync, build in Mic. Apple just make very thing user friendly, they know what user looking for.
At the end, I Iike the touch of the keyboard.
Con: Pricey. But worth every penny
Great product, only tiny flaws June 25, 2007
91 out of 95 found this review helpful
My previous (non-Windows) laptop was a trusty 12" G4 ("titanium"). I loved it, as it was (and still is) of an almost perfect size, and capable to do almost everything I needed to do on the road. But it *was* getting old, and when Apple came out with the slightly speedbumped MacBook Pro (a name I still don't like), I ordered it. I'm reviewing the 15", 2.4 GHz, 2 GB, 200 GB hard drive version.
The first thing that strikes you is how thin it is. My good old G4 was already slim, and the envy of almost every other passenger next to me. However, due to the increased screen size, the new MacBook Pro seems even slimmer (it actually *is* slightly slimmer than the G4 in case you wonder). What is really impressive is that the 12" G4 weights nearly the same as the much larger (and newer) 15" - that's progress! And the 12" G4 is a lot lighter than my Wintel laptop.
The next thing you notice is when you turn it on: the screen's brightness. I've purchased the matte screen, as I'm not really fond of glossy screens (reflections). Still, the (now LED backlit) screen is astonishingly bright, and bright enough to use outdoors on almost any occasion (except in direct sunlight on a sunny summer day). Contrast is good (even exceptional compared to my G4). The screen's resolution (1440x900) is great, and more than enough for most presentation, spreadsheet and word processing work. Since it's 16:9 aspect ratio, it is also great for most image processing (lots of space for your palettes). It is less well suited for coding, as it is not wide enough for two 'real' code windows side by side. Then again, the MacBook Pro comes with a graphics card that can drive an external (additional) 21" monitor without breaking a sweat, and that *is* enough for most coding needs. I should note that Apple chose to make the video connector DVI (luckily a standard connector this time, unlike in my G4, where it is a proprietary connector), and omits a standard 'VGA' style connector. This means that, if you plan on giving a presentation, you should always bring along the DVI to VGA adapter (that Apple thankfully includes in the box).
What I really enjoy about the MacBook Pro is it's selection interfaces. I have rather large amounts of data that I have to move in and out of it (from our production machines that do most of the heavy lifting), and having a FireWire 800 port is a godsend. Using Firewire networking, I can move gigabytes in minutes (limited, it seems, more by the laptop's hard drive than bandwidth). In addition to that, it sports a USB 2.0 (for connecting all those Wintel things, plus iPods), a FireWire 400 port (can be used with older Macs, and many HandyCams), and 802.11 ("Airport") connectivity (b/g/n). Since the 'n' part of the 802.11 is not yet officially ratified, there aren't many hotspots that support it (unless you are lucky enough to be close to a new Apple Basestation).
Sadly, it does not have a slot for memory cards (CF, SD, whatever), but since readers are really cheap today, that's not an issue. On the upside, it also comes with self-sensing Gigabit Ethernet, wich is something that is really important when you want to quickly connect the laptop to a wired high-speed network.
The MacBook Pro also comes with a front-loading trayless DVD (DL) writer. It's not really fast, but it integrates nicely into the laptop, and is decidedly much, much cooler than those flimsy contraptions that I see sliding out of so many other laptops (my Dell included). I know that there are faster writers, but then again, if I want to write large amounts of data, I usually transfer them to a big box that can write at four times the speed.
Temperature-wise the MacBook Pro shares the same problem as most recent laptops: it gets uncomfortably warm for something that is supposedly be used on your lap. I didn't get burned, but did not enjoy the sensation either. So, whenever possible, use a surface you can put it on instead of using it directly on your lap. Speaking of using it - the keyboard is very similar to the one built into my G4. It's OK, but nothing much to write home about (sorry, couldn't resist that pun). The keys are, however, backlit, which is a definite improvement (and looks really, really great). I still have mimxed feelings with regard to the trackpad. It supports the 'two-finger clicks' to simulate a two-button mouse and to implement scrolling, but I havn't much used it, opting for a small two-button mouse instead (purchased separately, and not from Apple).
There are some other things that come with the MacBook, most notably the built-in iSight (which can't be physically disabled short of voiding your warranty), and a tiny remote. I don't plan to use either. Looking for some freebies on the disk, I discovered that Apple, too, had succumbed to pre-installing demo versions of (thankfully few) applications: MS Office, Aperture and iWork (Keynote and Pages). Freebies are Comic Life, iLife (iMovie, iTunes, iDVD, iWeb, Garageband), and Omni Outliner.
It took me roughly 2 hours to completely configure the new laptop the way I wanted it (most of the time taken up by installing Parallels (with Windows XP taking 45 minutes), Final Cut Studio, XCode, Office, Aperture, Freeway, and iWork). I did not take advantage of the 'transfer from other Mac' feature (which I know to work well), because I wanted a freshly set up Mac. Still, compared to the time it took me to install and configure my last (Wintel) laptop, that is next to nothing. Network and Internet setup was a snap, and didn't require much more beyond adding it to our Firewall's 'good guy' list. I then took it on a road trip over the week-end.
I'm happy to say that it passed the trip-test easily. The 'mag-safe' power adapter is definitely more than just a gadget, but also definitely less than revolutionary. It came off twice during the week-end, but both times a normal power adapter would not have snapped. The second time it came off I only noticed because the screen dimmed immediately (to conserve power, as per energy settings).
I never worked with it off the normal power for longer than two hours, so I don't know how realistic Apple's figures are. The battery pack does come with one of those cool green LED charge meters, and after two hours they indicated about 50% charge left (as did the on-screen meter). Working with the MacBook Pro was always good, with all applications being very responsive (except, of course MS Office, as my version is not Universal. It was responsive enough for serious work, though). The wireless antenna seems slightly more sensitive than that from my old G4, but still can't hold a candle against reception in most PC laptops with low-cost (and sometimes drop-dead ugly) WiFi adapters. This may be caused by the metallic casing. BlueTooth reception, on the other hand, is good, and proved no problem with any of the bluetooth devices I tried (well -- I only have two: my phone, and my car).
All in all I'm very happy with my new laptop, prefer it immensely over my Windows-based laptop (which, now that I have an Intel-based Mac, I can safely store in the attic and return it for the regular company-sponsored upgrades), and only feel slightly guilty of purchasing over my old (but still working) G4. The screen size and brightness, the connectivity, and the incredible slickness of the form factor make this a great laptop. It's really a hot laptop. The only downside is that it is also literally a hot laptop, but not more than my Windows-based laptop from Dell. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a slick, high-end laptop.
 I'm not worried about the review... June 10, 2007
3 out of 115 found this review helpful
I think Richard's review is just fine, and I thank him for taking the time.
My concern is, that he has a hand growing out of his shoulder. I hope he can have it removed soon...
A very nice update to the MacBook Pro June 5, 2007
263 out of 278 found this review helpful
I had been wanting to switch to Mac for a little while now and was just waiting for the best timing for me. When Apple updated the MacBook Pros with a better processor, better graphics, more system ram and led-backlighting, shortly after the birth of our daughter (the selling point to my wife was that I would be better able to edit videos and whatnot of the kiddo), the timing was just right. I've been a longtime DOS/Windows user - and now I feel like some kind of refugee - fleeing PC for a Mac OS X world and I couldn't be happier - although it's not without its adjustments.
I originally wrote this review for the 15", 2.4 gHz, middle of the line MacBook Pro. However, Amazon has set this review to appear for all three models in the line, which can make it confusing. I've tried to edit it some to make it clear what the differences are between the models. Also, now that Amazon has actually added extensive product information for the MBP, I'll try to take out some of my initial information on specs that is now redundant.
There remain three models in the line and the price points for each of those models has remained the same from the previous generation.
- 15" models now have an LED backlit screen, 17" models do NOT (as of yet). Some folks think you have a better rendition of black in the screen - I'm not sure if it is better or not, but it is gorgeous. In the store, it appeared to me that the new screen (as viewed on the 15") was brighter than the older screen type (which is still on the 17"). The LED screen initially appeared washed out in the lighting of the Apple store, but I then realized that at full brightness, it can have that effect - turning down the brightness (who ever heard of that) - took away the washed out look.
- Apple says that using LED's (instead of flourescent tubes) uses less power, generates less heat, provides more range of brightness and more even lighting. This would appear to be true in practice as well as theory. Battery life is good and the lighting of the screen (as noted above) is quite bright and appears to be very even. As for heat, I really haven't checked the screen temps, but the computer itself does not run as hot as I thought it would (based on reviews of prior generations). It is warm, but not at all uncomfortable to have on my lap (with the caveat that I have not done a lot of processor intensive work as of yet). Oddly enough, Apple states above that the display is mercury-free, but the box label says that the screen contains mercury - it may well just be a label update glitch.
- These models are MATTE screen. If you want GLOSSY you'll need to order from Apple or pick one up at their store (I did). I have heard that the glossy is actually more readable outdoors than the matte, but I have yet to confirm this for myself. That said, I've had no viewability issues in widely varied lighting conditions of my office (which is pretty bright, with overhead lighting and lots of exterior light) and my house (which is largely the opposite).
- The system runs well (or so it seems) with 2 GB, but I am upgrading to 4 GB (the sticks are on their way - but not from Apple - way overpriced).
- the 17" and higher-end 15" get 256 MB of video ram, 128 MB in the lower-end 15" model - most folks are probably fine with 128 MB as it is the change in the graphics processor here that is truly the big news in performance. On the other hand, the extra video ram may give you the feeling of being a little bit more future-proofed and may be more helpful for hardcore gamers and people who are driving large external displays. I opted for the 256 MB.
- hard drive is a very nice 160GB, 5400 RPM Fujitsu drive in the 17" and higher-end 15". The lower-end MacBook Pro hard drive is a 120GB, 5400RPM Drive - this, oddly, is smaller than the 160 GB drive that is in the top line MacBook that is several hundred dollars less. I'll probably add an external Firewire 800 drive for the video work I want to do.
- processor speed gets a minor upgrade to 2.4 gHz (from 2.33, or to 2.2 from 2.16 for the lower-end 15" model - but this is the new Santa Rosa processor - with a faster bus speed of 800 mHz (although the memory speed remains at a max of 667 mHz).
For $500 less, the lower-end 15" model has 128 MB of video ram (instead of 256), a 2.2 gHz Santa Rosa processor (.2 slower) and a 120 GB hard drive. However, it still retains the other upgrades, including the 4 GB maximum system memory and the LED backlit screen and seems to be an excellent bargain as most of the differences appear reasonably nominal. That said, I chose to go with the higher end 15" version - I probably don't need it, but I plan to do a fair amount of video editing and perhaps some high resolution projection - warranting the slightly faster processor and more video ram) - and I'm also somewhat neurotic and unlikely to second guess having made the higher end choice. At least I can admit it.
A friend of mine asked why I didn't get the MacBook for a thousand dollars less. For me, the screen-size was not so much an issue, but I feel that twice the maximum ram, the separate graphics processing unit, the Firewire 800, the ExpressCard slot (if I wanted to add a CDMA or GSM-based wireless connection card) and the LED screen was well worth the difference.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but the computer itself seems well-built and well-engineered - but it's all relative and it's not hard to be a better, more integrated product than most windows-based pc's. The MBP replaces an older Toshiba laptop for me - and there's really no point in even trying to make a comparison, it's a joke. The Mac O/S is a bit of a learning curve for me - but more like I am trying to unlearn "bad habits" from Windows - things now make sense in an operational and functional manner. Overall, it's an attention to detail that I really appreciate on both the hardware and the software side - little things like a backlit, auto-dimming keyboard or the magnetic power connector. I have to admit though, that after initially being impressed by the light-sensing, auto-dimming screen - I am annoyed by the fact that the sensor is apparently in the keyboard and, in a bright room, certain hand movements cause the screen brightness to change back and forth. I'll probably turn off the feature because of this.
|
|
|
| |
|
