I'll start off by saying that I do not own a MacBook Pro. Normally, that would be enough to make almost any review suspect, however I actually did buy one, use it for a few days, and then return it before buying my 15" PowerBook G4. This might seem like the ultimate downgrade or perhaps make me look like a technophobe, but the truth is, for the applications that I actually use, the PowerBook G4, despite being two-generations old in terms of processor design, is faster.

To get things straight from the beginning, the Intel CoreDuo processor in the MacBook Pro (I tested the 2.0 GHz model) is significantly faster than the PowerPC G4 in the PowerBook. Not only is the processor faster, but so are all of the other many components that make up a laptop computer, from the bus (667MHz in the MacBook Pro compared to 167MHz in the PowerBook G4) to the video card and hard drive architectures (PCI-express and Serial ATA in the MacBook compared to AGP and Parallel ATA in the PowerBook). Each and every system of the MacBook Pro is a more modern and faster design, not to mention the fact that the MacBook Pro, through Apple's Boot Camp software can even boot and run Windows natively, and the entire world of Windows software.

No, its not the hardware or even the Mac OS, which surprisingly seems even better optimized for the Intel platform than it is for the PowerPC that its run on exclusively since its inception. Rather, the deciding factor is the suite of applications that I use, right now, to run my business. Microsoft Office, QuickBooks Pro and Immigration Pro (legal forms) are all optimized for the PowerPC processor and all run only in emulation, using Apple's Rosetta technology, to run on the MacBook Pro's Intel processor.

Now Rosetta is actually pretty good. Good enough that I seriously considered keeping the MacBook Pro and running these applications in Apple's emulation. This is nothing like the emulation for old 68K code from the mid 1990s when Apple moved from the old Motorola 680x0 series processors to the original PowerPCs. Back then, any time old 68K code was run, an otherwise fast computer would slow to a crawl, making even an 5-year-old 68K machine seem fast. Worse, since the operating system itself was largely 68K code, the whole system felt sluggish, not just those older applications. Today's OSX Tiger is entirely universal, meaning it is optimized for both the Intel and PowerPC chips, and actually runs faster on Intel hardware.

Still, open an older program and the incredible speed of the Intel CoreDuo is replaced by performance that feels very 3-year-old iBook. Now a 3-year-old iBook remains a very capable and useful computer and has more than enough power for everything that I do, but its certainly not a performance that is worth spending a "new tech" premium for. Currently a refurbished PowerBook G4 15" costs just over half the price of the newer model, and on older applications, is noticeably faster.

There are four applications that I use on a daily basis that do benefit from the speed bump on the new machine, and those are Mail, Safari (internet browser), DVD player and iTunes. All of these Apple applications launch in roughly half the time, but once open, behave much the same as before. To me, this just isn't a very big deal, and makes the $900 cost difference into the deciding factor between the MacBook Pro and the PowerBook G4. Lastely, the MacBook Pro has a built-in iSight camera, and besides being built-into the display bezel (its quite tiny), it actually has double the resolution of the external iSight cameras I bought two-years-ago and use when I travel now. There are two negatives on the camera. One, it uses the computer's tiny microphone, which can pick up fan and hard drive noise (I'll get to MacBook Pro noise in a bit) and second, which I mentioned in my PowerBook review, the camera may prevent the MacBook Pro from entering some federal buildings and courthouses. For most people, I think the convenience of the built-in camera outweighs the drawbacks, but for those who iChat a lot and value sound quality more than that last bit of video resolution (iChat with the old iSight is already excellent quality), the older camera may be better for you.

Of course, the built-in camera is paired with Apple's photobooth software that allows you to take a picture of each user and make that their user icon, as well as allowing you to manipulate those photos in creative and interesting ways that while not particularly useful, are rather fun.

The MacBook Pro also includes a remote control and Apple's Frontrow software, which is their equivalent to Microsoft's Media Center. Apple's version has less power, but is far better conceived and more useful, though honestly, while such software makes sense on a computer like the Mac Mini that will be hooked up to a large TV or a large screen iMac, I just can't see people sitting far enough away from a laptop to need remote control, especially for video.

Finally, the power adapter is a thing of genius. The connector is magnetic, and if you or someone else should trip on your power cord, rather than pull the laptop across the room, the connector tip will just pop out of the magnetic port. I can't believe that this wasn't thought of years ago, though of course it means that if you already have a few spare AC adapters from your older PowerBooks or iBooks, they won't work on the new MacBook Pro ((I keep an AC adapter at my home desk, another at bedside and another at my office desk).

In all, the MacBook Pro offers an unbeatable combination of speed (with universal applications) and features, but there is one niggling annoyance beyond the speed hit taken on older apps, which I could probably tolerate while waiting for those applications to be updated. That annoyance is noise. The MacBook Pro that I used, while fairly quiet under light load, got quite noisy whenever it was taxed. Sadly, that means when running non-demanding, but PowerPC optimized programs, as these all run in emulation and emulation is very processor-intensive business. There is a lot of fan noise, but also a whine that comes from somewhere near the screen. Its not deafening, but it did annoy me when working, and would likely annoy your sleeping spouse if you try to use the MacBook Pro in bed.

In the end, the MacBook Pro is an amazing marvel of engineering, and a very promising first step. I've heard that Apple has quietly replaced the original motherboard design with a revised version, which while not higher in specification, hopefully addresses the noise issues. If that is the case, than the MacBook Pro would really be the very best laptop on the planet today. With the noise of my tester, however, it is just a very promising first step into the new world that is Intel OSX.