Apple MacBook Pro 17 in. (APPMA092LLA) Notebook

It's been ten years since I was a regular Macintosh computer user. I switched to Windows when Microsoft announced it would no longer develop its Project business application for the Macintosh OS. It was a sad day for me and a league of project management professionals. I became a PC user and migrated from Windows 95 through 98 to NT and finally XP. In the meantime, I had nearly forgotten the Mac OS experience. However, a series of fortunate events has led me back to Apple. Today I'm a Mac user, specifically, I'm rocking with a Macintosh MacBook Pro laptop with a 17-inch monitor.

It's nice to be back.

Among those fortunate events I mention includes embarking on a new career I'm the operations guy in a startup in a brand new industry. I'm no longer bound by any (seemingly DOS retentive) IT requirements. My only needs are a reliable tool that will run all the software I use including the entire major Microsoft business applications. And that tool has to be dependable, affordable, easy to use and allows me to leverage any skills I've developed in the last ten years of computer use. I considered a few Windows based laptops but a quick demo of the Mac OS convinced me immediately that Mac was the way to go.

Other requirements made it critical that my machine needed to be powerful with a screen of sufficient quality and fidelity enough to handle professional video editing. I needed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built-in and I wanted high integration among the system and the software. Those requirements are readily met by the Macbook.

Apple introduced the Macbook Pro earlier in 2006 at the National Association of Broadcasters. This was an appropriate forum for the announcement as members of the NAB are among the most demanding and critical of portable computing platforms. Attendees were highly impressed with the power and speed of the laptop which processed high end editing tools such as Final Cut Pro at levels never achieved on a laptop before. Moreover, the glossy version of the monitor produces the most luscious images ever seen on a laptop. The demand for the 17-inch was immediate and months later, the supply of the laptops continue to be short.

For those who need specifications, the MacBook Pro runs a Intel Core Duo at 2.16 GHz and includes a gigabyte of RAM with a single slot for additional RAM. My laptop includes the maximum 2 gigabytes. The current version comes with Mac OS v10.4.7. For those who use memory intensive applications, the 667 MHz frontside bus will impress. The 120 GB Serial-ATA hard drive is fast enough for most uses but a 7200 RPM version is available for those needing to capture high definition video in real time. Gamers and graphics artists will approve of the ATI Radion X1600 graphics circuitry with its 256 MB of dedicated VRAM.

Around the perimeter includes a comprehensive array of useful ports including DVI out, Ethernet, two firewire (1394) ports at 400 and 800 speed. There are three high-speed USB ports (no more hubs needed!) and audio in and out jacks. This is the first Apple laptop to include a full sized PCI Express slot for additional capability.
Of note is the Magsafe power adaptor. This ingenious power connector uses magnetism rather than mechanical friction to attach the power cord to the laptop. This clever arrangement has already saved me grief. I was using the laptop at a coffee shop when an unwary customer walked by and kicked the power cord connected to an AC outlet on the floor. Instead of flinging my laptop off the table onto the unyielding floor, the cord simply detached from my laptop unceremoniously and without expensive results. This is typical of Apple's innovation and attention to detail.

Inside is a 8X Super Drive slot loading optical media reader/writer. It's nice to be able to burn not just CDs but DVDs when you have many and large video and photo files. The Airport Extreme wireless (802.11g) capability is remarkable in that it is far more sensitive than any Windows laptop I've used (and I've used many high end laptops) and can be used at far greater distances to wireless routers than is typical.

In use I find the full sized keyboard very enjoyable. The audible and tactile feedback suits me perfectly. One gripe, the arrow keys are half sized and are not as convenient to use as on a regular keyboard. A sensor detects light levels and backlights the keys accordingly. Use in dark rooms is no longer a guessing game. The track pad includes a neat feature -- two finger scrolling. When two fingers are placed on the pad moving them scrolls the live window. This takes about 30 seconds to learn and you'll wonder why no one has thought of this before. A single click button is located below the pad.

The built-in iSight camera is nearly invisible. It is located in the monitor bezel in the middle and just above the monitor. It produces an amazingly good image for such a small aperture. A green LED to the camera's side illuminates when in use. The camera, along with the Mac's iChat application makes video conferencing a snap. I enjoy speaking with colleagues in Hawaii and in New York simultaneously while seeing their live video images in real time. And while we're talking about images, I believe that many prospective buyers will be sold simply by seeing a full spectrum photo or video image on the screen. Without question, the MacBook 17-inch glossy version of the monitor provides the highest quality image I have ever seen on any laptop, period. It is only when I'm seated with bright specular lighting behind me that the glossy screen reflects annoyingly. A slight rotation of the laptop is usually all it take to cure that as the screen can be viewed comfortably even at acute angles.

The built-in stereo speakers produce better than average sound. The fidelity and volume is very good and stereo separation is nicely executed. Certainly not up to your full-on home stereo system, you'll not be disappointed as you cycle through your iTunes.

Construction and materials are Apple typical which to most folks mean nearly perfect. The matte aluminum enclosure provides solid protection and appears impervious to scuffing. The fit of

I think I've made it clear that from a physical feature standpoint, the MacBook is quite a machine. But all that would mean little if not substantiated with a smart operating system, and enjoyable user experience. And that's what the Macintosh experience is all about. After being away for a decade, and skipping over systems 8 and 9, I found System 10 to be nearly entirely intuitive in use. I immediately appreciated the integration of the included software tools. I found the find feature, Spotlight, to be highly valuable in finding all my files by keywords. The customizable Widget tools provide instant access to information such as weather reports, stock prices, and available Wi-Fi access points nearby -- great information for a business traveler.

And what about that project management software I couldn't use in the Mac OS? Almost magically, I have the ability to run my Mac as a Windows machine. Because the MacBook uses the Intel Core Duo processor chip, with the use of a beta version of Apple's Boot Camp installation software and a copy of Windows XP, I can boot my laptop not as a Window emulation computer but as a full-fledged Windows machine. In fact, my Mac runs Windows FASTER than any Windows laptop I'6ve ever used and faster than the 3 GHz Dell Dimension desktop computer I have. In that environment I've loaded Windows only versions of Microsoft Project, Photoshop Elements and Garmin's Mapsource mapping software. While some hard core Mac faithful gag at the sight of the Windows XP splashscreen flags appearing, I take a more pragmatic attitude -- I use the tools I need. Unfortunately, I can't simply switch from one OS to the other. Rather I need to reboot. Not a bad compromise considering my typical workflow.

As one who was using a "Mac" since 1983 (Oh yes, I was a regular Lisa user), I'm pleased to have returned to Macintosh. The MacBook Pro 17-inch and the Mac OS 10 made that an easy decision.