MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody"
Apple has modified the proposal to the consumer market by offering MacBook Pro segment, notebook solutions built with aluminum chassis, previously only distinguishing feature of the models targeted to users.
Have a look more closely under the body in order to grasp what are the characteristic features of the models of the MacBook Pro family, which include dual video processor (integrated and discrete), more processor performance and, as regards options for expansion, one FireWire 800 and a slot for express card solutions.
In particular it is the adoption of a dual solution for the management of the video industry to represent the most interesting aspect of the new MacBook Pro family of 15 as Apple wants this to the public to propose a system that may offer a high level of performance for more intensive uses.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
Packaging and Accessories
The new MacBook Pro 15 laptop is available in the market within the pack of White sufficiently compact size. The box presents the image of the product, size and has a carrying handle. Apple as usual has kept the opening of the package that is held up before taking out the laptop from a black plastic tray. A tab allows you to pull out of the box and the transparent envelope.
Below the tray portable accessory is placed like the power adapter with MagSafe connector, two interchangeable plugs (one standard and one of type Shuki put on cable) and a small cardboard box of black color collecting manuals, certificates of guarantee and DVD system. In the box there is no adapter here. Also lacks the Apple Remote.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
The laptop Design
The new generation of MacBook Pro laptops from Apple perpetuates the use of aluminum in solutions of apple notebooks for enthusiast and professional users. Although at first glance we can only grasp a new appearance, with softer lines and graceful design and a general feeling of clean style. The new MacBook Pro is built using the Unibody chassis type that Apple has used originally for the MacBook Air and it decided to clear all of the portable family.
Unibody chassis is made from a single piece of aluminum dug. The immediate advantages of this approach are its greater strength and ultimately the framework. The entire laptop and a lower use of parts in order to achieve greater longevity of the product.
The distinguishing features of design are the same model for the consumer market: tapered and rounded profiles, black frame around the display, keyboard with protruding keys. MacBook Pro 15 is achieved, as indicated by the name of the product, in form factor to 15.4 inches, the footprint is the total of 36.4 cm x 24.9 cm x 2.41 cm, while the weight comes to 2.49 kg.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
Port and battery
Even the organization of the layout is comparable with that of the MacBook 13-inch, on the left side of the laptop are all ports and input-output connectors on the system. Starting from MagSafe connector, via the network RJ45 plug and then find a IEEE port 1394b FireWire "800. Then there are the usual USB 2.0 ports, the new Mini DisplayPort, and the two mini connectors for headphones and microphone.
The MacBook Pro 15 system also features a slot to accommodate cards ExpressCard/34 (34mm wide, 26-pin) that lets you install expansion cards of various kinds, from TV tuners to sound cards, memory card reader, the replicators doors, storage solutions and so on. Can not pass unnoticed by the lack of FireWire 400, a choice certainly questionable especially in light of backwards.
The battery that Apple has chosen for the MacBook Pro units with a voltage of 10.8 V and an energy of 50Wh. Also on the left side are the LED status indicator battery, which lights up after pressing the button. In the earlier lines of laptops this indicator was located directly on the batteries, Although this change appears to be more practical.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
Keyboard and trackpad
Keyboard and trackpad are the same as that on the MacBook model. The first features a design with keys spaced and embossed with addition of the backlight system to allow an accurate typing even in low light or no environmental impact, while the second is a big button mechanic whose surface is entirely touch-sensitive, to better enable the implementation of so-called "gestures" to multiple fingers.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
Inside for Performance
In combination with Intel Core 2 Duo, Apple has decided to opt for the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset included as integrated video subsystem. The chipset supports a FSB frequency of 1066MHz, up to 8GB DDR3 1066 or DDR2 800 memory. System that have 4GB Memory DDR3 1066, or the maximum is supported by this laptop, at least as indicated by the characteristics.
One of the most innovative features of the laptop MacBook Pro 15 is represented by the presence of a second dedicated video subsystem, represented by GeForce 9600M GT NVIDIA. Apple has decided to follow the path of double-video system to allow the user to take two different profiles of use. If you want to preserve the autonomy of the battery, you can opt for the use of the subsystem and integrated 9400M, while if the first concern will be to a level of performance for the most expensive, you can select the 9600M GT GPU. To do this simply select the appropriate item in the panel "Energy Saver" in System Preferences, the user will be asked a simple log, to be carried out immediately after the confirmation date.
At the storage side, the MacBook is equipped with a mechanical hard drive type SATA 320GB capacity and rotational speed of 5400 rpm. This is a unit of Hitachi Travelstar 5K320 family, also characterized by a buffer of 8MB, the average latency time of 5.5 milliseconds and an average seek time of 12ms. The hard disk, although the specification is not mentioned, has a motion sensor for placing the heads in case of severe stress due to accidental fall. The optical drive is represented by a Superdrive, which can read and write DVD ± R DL, DVD ± RW and CD-RW
Connectivity "cable" is managed by a Gigabit Ethernet controller, whereas, as regards the wireless operations, the new MacBook Pro has an AirPort Extreme WiFi module on IEEE draft specification 802.11ne a Bluetooth 2.1 module with Enhanced Data Rate.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
Display
The new MacBook Pro laptop is equipped with an LCD display 15.4-inch backlit LED, 16:9 and native WXGA resolution of 1440x900 pixels. The screen is characterized by the presence of a panel with glossy finish and a rather thick black frame. At the top of the display was placed the little iSight camera, with resolution of 3 megapixels.
Performance analysis
The analysis of the benefits of the new Apple MacBook laptop was conducted under the operating system Mac OS X 10.5.6, comparing the results with those collected during the review of the MacBook "Unibody" 13", running to be the same tests on a MacBook Air to the first generation and a MacBook Pro 17" of the previous generation. For the performance analysis they have used the software Geek Bench and Cinebench.
Summarized in table configurations all the machines posed a comparison, including of course the MacBook Pro 15-inch object of the review.
Geek Bench
The results from analysis conducted with GeekBench show that the laptop MacBook Pro 15 is able to offer a performance level higher than the that with 13-inch MacBook previously tested and, therefore, also the best system than MacBook Pro 17 of the previous generation.
Cinebench 10
The analysis with Cinebench 10 was obviously carried out for both the GPU in the MacBook Pro 15 system. The CPU found on the confirmation of results with Geek Bench.. the level of performance of the GPU obtain as expected, comparable results between the two systems.
Luminance level
There are 16 levels for which you can adjust the backlight of the display of the new MacBook Pro and put at your disposal a very wide range that starts from the 14632 square meter candela on the first step to reach the remarkable value of about 264,232 candela square meter of the highest level of regulation of the LED back lighting.
The first five levels allow an appropriate use of the laptop just in particularly dark, but often you will use the system for adjusting the display between the sixth and the thirteenth level. The last three steps are indispensable for the use of the laptop at outdoors or in situations of very high ambient light. The change is fairly uniform for the first half of step back, after which the increase between successive levels is more pronounced.
Black level
The depth of black level is very good for the first eight levels of backlighting. Starting from the ninth level, albeit with values of all respect, the black level gradually loses depth. Its important to emphasize that even with full power of the LED backlight, the black level remains well away from the unit value of candela per square meter. The contrast ratio of the monitor stood the excellent value of 450:1.
Colorimetric analysis
The colorimetric measurements showed a rather convincing saturation, albeit lower than that described by the triangle of reference of the standard ITU-R BT.7095. All colors are suffering from a slight reduction, more marked in the case of the blue and very little for the cyan color, which shows a rather faithful correspondence to the reference value. Fairly good precession of the white point.
The empirical observation of the angle of vision has given way to find a good behavior of the panel, which shows no specific attenuation of the contrast ratio even when observed at angles particularly pronounced.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
Considerations
From a constructive handset has shown a good overall strength and soundness. The weight, as we have said throughout the review, comes to 2.5 kg which can be all within a bag for transport. Good heat dissipation, even in situations where the workload is pretty intense perceives clearly that the heating of the central zone of the system is at the bottom.
If the keyboard to apply the same solid impression, very accurate and good response to use and backlit keys particularly effective, for the trackpad, we noticed the no longer the accidental loss of a few clicks, indicating that previous problem solved through a software update.
While we appreciate the presence of FireWire 800 (also on this model was abandoned port FireWire 400) and the ability to manage ExpressCard solutions, the other one can not even praise the presence of only two USB 2.0 ports from a laptop in this range, especially if intended for an area of professional use.
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
Conclusion
High-level quality of the display, at least from the perspective of the analysis of luminance and color matching. Very good viewing angle and contrast ratio, making it possible to tackle the work of image manipulation, editing and publishing without any problem whatsoever. We hope that with the next hardware upgrades.. Apple to provide change in its policy of sale.
The presence of a discrete GPU as the GeForce 9600M GT to address both problems without use of a videogame. Much appreciated to include two video systems, depending on the user operation or performance. The transition to the integrated video subsystem can extend in any significant way as per time to use. Would have been preferable to have a system of automatic switching and / or dynamic from one to the GPU instead of having to resort to the manual. We hope, again, that future software implementations can move in this direction. We must not also forget the importance of this class of GPU in future optical, fact that the next Apple operating system, Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" will offer native support OpenCL technologies that will be used to exploit the computational capacity of the processor graph to use GP-GPU (General Purpose GPU).
The line of laptops MacBook Pro 15 is composed of two main aspects to be customized according to needs. The configuration options provide the time of the discs you can choose up to 320GB and 7200rpm, a solid state disk to 128GB and the ability to expand the memory up to 4GB (if not already present by default). For the model MacBook Pro 15 with a 2.53 GHz processor, you can also choose a more efficient processor, 2.8 GHz
Re: MacBook Pro 15 "Unibody" Apple notebook
