Apple MacBook Pro Review ~ Technology And Information

Apple has always been unique in the tech world. For one thing, few companies command routine block-busting lines around their retail stores on launch days. As much as their users love Apple, some despise the brand for its mere existence. We tried to approach the subject from a neutral angle to give you our honest opinion of how this machine stacks up against the competition. It turned out finding the proper place for the MacBook Pro on our business laptop comparison chart was no easy task.

Once you lift the fog that swamps Apple products, you realize the main difference between the MacBook Pro and the other business laptops on our lineup is its operating system. Differences in price point, compatibility, features and performance all stem from Apple’s proprietary operating system.

The MacBook Pro is among the most highly customizable business laptops available. Therefore, it’s difficult to get an exact measure of its true faculties. For the purposes of this review, we relied on the specs and performance of their out-of-the-box, entry-level model.

Features:

The MacBook Pro’s display measures 13 inches, and it looks great. The display is actual glass rather than some of the synthetic plastic mesh offered by some of its competitors. The resolution on this model of business laptop maxes out at 1280 by 800 pixels.

As previously stated, the biggest difference between a MacBook Pro and other business laptops is the operating system, OSX. This is where it gets a little complicated; in fact, some IT professionals groan in pain when you bring a Mac into their building. That’s because a lot of legacy business software isn’t compatible with OSX. However, there are Windows emulators available for said software.

OSX has some unique business software worth mentioning. The iWork suite is the equivalent of Microsoft’s Office suite. Here is a quick run-down of which programs offer similar functionality. Pages = Word, Keynote = PowerPoint, Numbers = Excel. All these applications are capable of saving documents in formats compatible with their Windows counterparts. If you don’t want to deal with all that, you can purchase Microsoft Office for Mac. Compatibility problem solved.

Performance:

No one knows their own hardware better than Apple. Over the years, they’ve managed to tailor their software specifically to each processor and transistor in their business laptops. The results are some of the fastest and smoothest machines on the market.

The processor in this review’s model is a core i5 Sandy Bridge processor running at a speed of 2.4GHz. The graphics on the MacBook Pro run through an AMD Radeon HD graphics processor. This not only makes easy work of any business program; you’re also able to run graphic-heavy applications such as Apple’s video editing program – Final Cut Pro.

Memory/Storage:

The base MacBook Pro model has 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive installed. And that's for the base model. Some of the business laptops in our lineup have a smaller hard drive on their top tier. Even if you stay at just 320, that’s enough storage to go a few years before you wander into the danger zone.

Connectivity:

Connectivity ports on this business laptop are somewhat limited. You only get two USB jacks, an Ethernet connection and a FireWire port. Those have been on the MacBook Pro for years.

The new kid on the block is the Thunderbolt port. This is the culmination of Intel’s Light Peak technology. It’s an all-in-one port to connect you to anything from external hard drives to additional displays, cameras and so forth. The Thunderbolt Port takes the place of the old mini display jack.

Support:

This business laptop comes with a limited one-year warranty. You can purchase additional coverage through the Apple Care program. Apple also has support available on their website, or you can just take your business laptop in to any Apple retail store and they’ll be happy to take care of you.

Summary:

In the nearly 30 years since 1984, Apple has moved from the little computer company that could to an unmatched powerhouse in the tech world. They wouldn’t be there if their products weren’t high-quality, versatile and powerful machines. The MacBook Pro is no exception – it's an excellent choice for a business laptop.(tenreview)