Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A Review:

Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 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. Apple MacBook Pro 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.

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 Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 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 Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 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 Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 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.

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.

Other Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 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)

Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A User Said:

I have had no problems whatsoever, and it has met or exceeded all demands I have placed at its feet. This a powerful and well designed laptop in every regard.

Operating System: #1 Reason to buy an Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A. I run Windows and Linux on my desktop, but for a laptop there is no reason not to go with Apple. OSX is better in every aspect than Windows, and getting Linux to work well on most laptops is a pain in the @%$.

Screen - #1 Reason to get a MBP over a MB. Get the matte screen. It is simply the best laptop screen on the market. Hands down. I have received compliments on the actual screen from people sitting next to me. When you see a Dell or even a Lenovo next to the MBP, their screen just looks incredibly sad, dull and washed out while the the LED backlit matte MBP is very bright and crisp.

Size/Weight: Weighs the same as the normal MB, but slightly larger. Five pounds is actually quite light for a laptop of this caliber. I would prefer a 13″ form factor but the MBP wins in other regards, and the larger screen is certainly welcome. If SIZE is a major issue, you might want to consider the MB, if WEIGHT is the main issue, consider the MBA. If you carry around a bunch of other heavy stuff or need to travel ultra-light, this may not be the laptop for you. However, if all you carry around is a laptop, a (paper) notebook, and some papers or a book, it’s not an even an issue. I carry this laptop a few miles walking almost every day and I don’t even notice it.

Quality: Top notch. Feels solid, unlike many PC manufacturers Apple uses top quality components for ram, motherboard, power supply, etc. If anything fails, Apple support has always been refreshingly helpful and accommodating.

Metal Case: If it wasn’t for the white plastic case, I might have bought the regular Macbook. I think the metal case is more professional, but this may just be personal taste. Realistically, the plastic MB is probably more durable and alledgedly gets better WiFi reception.

Power: Used for extensive coding, video editing, photoshop, video playback, running Matlab simulations, etc. Hasn’t failed me yet.

Battery: Decent battery life, nothing amazing.

In conclusion, if you need ultra-light, get a Macbook Air. For all-around use or students, I think the Macbook is the best bet. This is because I slightly prefer the Macbook keyboard, mag-latch, and form factor. But for the pro user that wants power, expandability, an amazing screen and a professional look, the Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A is the best laptop on the market.
By Thomas W. Meagher

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