Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive) Review

Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)
Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)
Brand : Apple Model : MB133LL/A

Overall Rating :
From : 163 Reviews
Color : / Size :


Technical Details
  • 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
  • 2 GB RAM (two SO-DIMM) 677 MHz DDR2 SD-RAM (PC2-5300), 200 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, slot load 8x Super Drive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
  • One FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, two USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/34 slot
  • Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
  • 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 by 900 resolution, matte TFT LED widescreen display with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory and dual-link DVI

Product Description

MacBook Pro is even more powerful with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Up to 200GB of storage(2) and 2GB of RAM make the MacBook Pro bigger on the inside and faster than ever. Next-generation NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics and 802.11n-based AirPort Extreme wireless capabilities(3) keep it on the cutting edge. And now Multi-Touch technology comes to the MacBook Pro in an advanced trackpad. Encased in lightweight aluminum and one inch thin, the MacBook Pro packs astounding performance into a stunning design. (1) Wireless Internet access requires a base station or other wireless access point and Internet access; fees may apply. Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort Extreme. 21GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less. (3) Based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification. Wireless Internet access requires a base station or other wireless access point and Internet access; fees may apply. Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort Extreme. (4) Based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification. Wireless Internet access requires a base station or other wireless access point and Internet access; fees may apply. Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort Extreme. Actual performance will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network, and other factors. Range will vary with site conditions.

Stylishly and intelligently designed for mobile professionals, Apple's MacBook Pro now includes Apple's Multi-Touch technology (which debuted with the MacBook Air), allowing you to pinch, swipe, or rotate to enlarge text, advance through photos, or adjust an image. And it gets a serious speed bump from Intel's latest 2.4 GHz 45-nanometer Penryn series Core 2 Duo processor, which also helps to reduce power requirements and save on battery life. This model (MB133LL/A ) also has a mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display measuring 15.4 inches and a state-of-the art NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card with 256 MB of GDDR3 video RAM.



The 15-inch MacBook Pro offers a mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display with an antiglare finish that's perfect for color-minded professionals.
Meticulously designed and encased in sleek and sturdy aluminum, the MacBook Pro measures just 1 inch thin and weighs 5.4 pounds. Your hands have room to spread out on the full-size keyboard with crisp, responsive keys, and the MacBook Pro has a built-in ambient light sensor that adjusts the keyboard and display brightness so it’s easy to work in low-light settings. Other standard Apple "extras" includes a built-in iSight video camera and Apple's magnetically connected MagSafe power adapter, which safely disconnects when under strain.

It's pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which enables easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications--including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes--and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser. Other hardware features include a 200 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (which can be upgraded to 4 GB), an 8x combo Superdrive (for burning dual-layer DVDs as well as CDs), built-in Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), FireWire 400 and 800 ports, DVI video output, and an ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot for expansion solutions such as 3G wireless networking.

Apple Innovations
The MacBook Pro is the culmination of years of refining hardware and software design to an integrated art, and Apple's Multi-Touch technology is just the latest innovation to be added to it. The advanced trackpad now allows you to flip through photos, enlarge text, and adjust an image using just your fingers. It also comes with a MagSafe power adapter connector, which offers a magnetic connection instead of a physical one. So, if you happen to trip over a power cord, you won't send MacBook Pro flying off a table or desk--the cord simply disconnects, without damage to either the cord or the system.



The magnetically connected MagSafe power adapter breaks cleanly away, without damage to either the cord or the MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Pro has battery life that rivals most notebooks in its class. If you'd like to make that battery last even longer, Mac OS X has a few tricks up its sleeve. Go to System Preferences, click Energy Saver, and change battery optimization from Normal to Better Battery Life. Or tell MacBook Pro to reduce its screen brightness and give yourself a little more time untethered.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Experience improved energy efficiency, expanded wireless connectivity, and amazing battery life with the 45nm Penryn series Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor, which has a 2.40 GHz processor speed, super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and a large 3 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

The new hafnium-infused circuitry--which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors--conserves even more energy, giving you more time away from the wall outlet. With a substantial 3 MB of shared L2 cache, data and instructions can be kept close to the two processor cores, greatly increasing performance and allowing the entire system to work more efficiently. And, because the processor cores share the L2 cache, either can use the entire amount if the other happens to be idle.



Your hands have room to spread out on the full-size keyboard with crisp, responsive keys.
Hard Drive and Memory
The 200 GB Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive (5400 RPM) quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. The 2 GB of PC5300 DDR2 RAM (two SO-DIMMs of 1024 MB) have an industry-leading 667 MHz speed, and the RAM capacity can be increased to 4 GB.

Wireless Connectivity
The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works seamlessly with the new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n. Use the built-in Bluetooth wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone, synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as well as quickly share files with a colleague.

Display and Graphics
The 15.4-inch widescreen TFT display offers a native resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels and an antiglare widescreen display that's perfect for color-minded professionals. The display is backlit by light emitting diodes (LEDs), which gives it a lighter weight and more power efficiency than the cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) which most notebooks employ. It's also better for the environment, thanks to its new mercury-free display.

Video and graphics are powered by the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT card, which is boosted by 256 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM. GDDR3 (Graphics Double Data Rate, version 3) is a graphics card-specific memory technology that's better able to deliver fluid frame rates for even the most advanced games and applications. The GeForce 8600M GT brings a new level of realism to the MacBook Pro with its 16-lane PCI Express architecture, 16x full screen anti-aliasing, 128-bit High Dynamic Range rendering, and a texture fill rate of up to 8.2 billion per second.

Video Conferencing with Built-in iSight
Artfully placed in the display bezel is an iSight camera, which enables easy video conferencing as well as allows you to snap pictures of yourself and create video podcasts. Using the iChat AV application, video conferencing is integrated into your iChat buddy list, so initiating a video conference is a breeze. iChat also lets you hold audio chats with up to 10 people and provides high-quality audio compression and full-duplex sound so conversation can flow naturally. For video podcasting, you can record a short clip using the iSight camera, then use iWeb to create a video blog entry or post your GarageBand-recorded podcast.



Connect to your network, a desktop monitor and all your peripherals with two USB 2.0, one FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, one DVI video output, and one Gigabit Ethernet.
Other Features

  • Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, ExpressCard/34 slot
  • DVI output port; VGA output using included DVI to VGA adapter
  • 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with the following write speeds: 8x DVD±R; 4x DVD±R DL (double layer); 4x DVD±RW; 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW
  • Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors for automatic adjustment of keyboard illumination and screen brightness
  • Internal omnidirectional microphone and built-in speakers
  • Combined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack)
  • Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)
  • 60-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 6 hours of battery life
  • Kensington cable lock slot
  • Measures 14.1 x 9.6 x 1 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 5.4 pounds (including battery)



Preloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the redesigned 3-D Dock with Stacks).
Preloaded with Leopard and iLife '08
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including:

  • Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
  • A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
  • Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
  • Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
  • A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
  • Major enhancements to Mail and iChat
Leopard's new desktop includes the redesigned 3-D Dock with Stacks, a new way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click. Leopard automatically places web, e-mail and other downloads in a Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and you can instantly fan the contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock. The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network.

Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file.

The MacBook also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an e-mail address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in one click with iWeb.

Included Software
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand); Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive; iWork '08 (30-day trial)

What's in the Box
MacBook Pro, 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, and power cord, lithium-polymer battery, DVI to VGA adapter, display cleaning cloth, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation



Customer Reviews (see all-reviews)

T. Son
Cool laptop, but over-priced
Mac is a good OS with better user interface and integration than Windows. Better tech support than some of the larger sellers like Dell, Lenovo and HP. Smaller target from worm/virus attacks compared to Windows (this doesn't make Mac more secure, by the way). Better multimedia apps which are already part of the OS. Nice and hip design. I can see why so many people gravitate toward Apple products these days. Personally, though, I can't justify the extra cost for having a "cool" laptop. And those extra features I mentioned are not enough to sway many seasoned PC users away from Mac unless one has money to burn....so to speak.

I recently bought Dell Studio XPS16 with following configuration for my wife: 15.4-in screen, 2.53 ghz w/ 1033 FSB, 4 GB memory, 500 gb hard drive @7200 rpm, ATI graphic card with dedicated 512 mb memory. I paid about $1250 including tax (free shipping). My wife needs a solid performance to run memory-guzzling applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, AutoCAD and Autodesk Ravit.

Similar MacBook pro on Apple website (with smaller hard drive and integrated graphic card) comes out to about $1860 with tax (based on CA sales tax). One listed here on Amazon.com has lesser hardware specs than current one listed on Apple website, but is still selling for $1500. You can do the math. Cool design matters, but not for extra $250 to $600.

Apple makes good products and made mundane computing products into something fashionable. And it also knows people will pay premium to get it. I may decide to get Mac one day, but definitely not at its current pricing. It's simply overpriced for what it actually delivers.
......................................................

Rishi Agrawal ( San Diego, CA )
MacBook Pro - beautiful computer in every way
I have owned one of these computers for two years now. As a student that is working and stressing for an average of 17 hours a day, this computer is amazing.

It's entirely dependable, and even after two years, it doesnt feel like it has slowed down at all. The computer looks great, performs great, and the constant updates and enthusiastic fan community really make sure that every aspect of the computer is great.

Before purchasing this computer, I had two main concerns, cost and compatibility.

Compatibility - As an intensive user of Microsoft Office, I was concerned with the fact that the Mac version seems very crippled. Turns out that with the proper software (I like VMWARE), you can install a Windows system and run the windows version of Office. It's a great solution, and the computer will not slow down much. As for all the other Mac programs, I love all of them. When I first started using my Mac, I couldnt get over how integrated everything is; it really feels like it's YOUR computer.

Cost - at $1200 (the price this laptop is listed at), it's a bargain. If the laptop cost any more, I'd definitely still consider a PC because there are some pretty inexpensive computing alternates.
......................................................

FoReigNeR
Don't hesitate
The price may be a bit daunting for some but it's well worth it. Even so, Apple has recently announced price cuts on Macbooks, Macbook Pro's and Macbook Air. Also, the OSX 10.6 named "Snow Leopard" will only cost existing OSX 10.5 owners $29 for the upgrade when it's available in Oct. 2009.
Very high quality all around. I can't say enough good things that haven't already been said. Go get it. You know you want it.
......................................................

Wyndell W. Williams
Last years Apple Macbook Pro computer
The computer that I purchased from you on Feb. 20th, 2009 is very nice & the price was definitely what convinced me to buy the Macbook Pro over the regular Macbook. I did not need the more deluxe computer for my needs, but figured for only $300 more, it was worth it. I was very surprised to find that the computer you sent me was last years model & that is why the computer was cheaper. I did not read in your advertisement that the computer was last years model. I am disappointed & have had trouble with warranty issues as Apple shows the computer being sold in 2008. It took three attempts to convince Apple that I purchased the computer in February 2009.

I would have definitely purchased the standard Macbook for $1,299.00 through my retail apple store & had the new model with everything I need & the convenience of saying I purchased the computer from them, which is always a plus when needing service or help with troubleshooting or any problems.

I hope you will make this more evident in your advertisements in the future so people will be sure of what they are getting.

Sincerely,

Wyndell Williams,
(206) 937-0550 - H
(202) 903-7720 - M
......................................................

Emily Gordon ( Boston, MA )
Switching from a PC is worth it
As a longtime PC user I was hesitant to make the switch. After 6 months with this machine, I'm glad I did. It's stable, fast, and everything just works. I thought it would take a long time for me to get used to the "mac way of doing things" but it really just took about a week. Now I'm hooked.
......................................................


Accessories

Similar

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

Thank for your comment about MacBook.