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Leo Laporte A technology journalist, author and broadcast personality. His specialties lie in computers, the Web, video games, digital music and consumer electronics. |
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Amber MacArthur An experienced Web content and usability strategist, Amber is also a tech journalist who specializes in Internet, software, and gadget trends and tips. |
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MacBook Pro
www.apple.com/macbookpro
$1,999 (15-inch, 2 GHz, 80 GB hard drive)
$2,499 (15-inch, 2.16 GHz, 100 GB hard drive)
$2,799 (17-inch, 2.16 GHz, 120 GB hard drive)
The MacBook Pro was the first of the new Intel notebooks out of the chute, with promises that the computer was up to 5x as fast as the PowerBook line. That was good news to power users — the PowerBook line was getting a bit creaky with the old G4 processor onboard, especially when it came to the PowerBook's ability to run the pro apps, with their ever-escalating hardware requirements.
At a quick glance, the new MacBook Pro doesn't look hugely different from the PowerBook, with the same silver casing and general form factor. It's the small things that make a difference here, though: there's an iSight camera built right into the top of the screen, the PC Card slot has been replaced by the newer and smaller ExpressCard slot, and the old power connector replaced by the MagSafe. The MacBook Pro also features a remote control for those times you want to use it from across the desk.
The downside for pros is that the 12-inch model has been eliminated altogether.
MacBook 13-inch
www.apple.com/macbook
$1,099 (white, 1.83 GHz, 60 GB hard drive)
$1,299 (white, 2 GHz, 60 GB hard drive)
$1,499 (black, 2 GHz, 80 GB hard drive)
There was some speculation as to whether the iBook's replacement would be saddled with the slower Core Solo processor, like one of the Mac Mini models. Luckily, Apple decided to give all MacBook models the new dual-core processor instead, making it almost as fast as the MacBook Pro models processor-wise—the other internal components (they key one being the video component) are a bit weaker than the MacBook Pro counterparts, dragging speed back down again. All of the current MacBook models feature a 13-inch screen, splitting the difference between the 12 and 14-inch models available in the iBook line.
The biggest thing that iBook fans will notice is the redesigned keyboard—first off, the keys have more space between them, which may take a bit of getting used to. More importantly, the keys sunken further into the body of the notebook, which means that they won't rub right up against the screen, as with the iBook.
