KEY POINTS:
Who wants a great big laptop? It kinda defeats the purpose of a laptop, you'd think, in this era of ever more popular (and often ridiculously cheap) little netbooks.
But any MacBook Pro is a serious machine, capable of editing video and audio. If it's your only machine - and your biceps are up to it - a 17-inch makes sense and besides, this new Apple MacBook Pro unibody 17 is lighter and thinner than ever before. Apple claims it's both the lightest and thinnest 17-incher on the market, in fact.
The battery life of up to eight hours makes it a seriously capable machine out on the road and away from your desk. Eight hours covers two thirds of the flight time from New Zealand to San Francisco, for example - that's a lot of productivity, or just plain high-tech, wide-screen boredom busting. A MacBook Pro 15-inch can get up to five hours' life, with wireless turned on, according to Apple, by comparison.
One of the big advantages of Apple's successes over the last few years (and in 2008 in particular) is the fact that the company's engineers have the time and money to invest in developing serious technology. Apple proudly posted videos of the unibody aluminium manufacturing process it developed for the latest MacBook series last October, and showed another process movie during Schiller';s keynote the other day. It's now available online. This has a lot to do with a more efficient, space-saving flat shape as compared to the usual series of cylinders. It also comes from the dispensing of a user-openable compartment and other space saving features, plus efficiencies in the rest of the laptop.
Of course, not being able to drop the battery out easily from an unibody case immediately begs the question - how does one replace the battery?
Apple seriously upset the general public years back when the firm refused to put battery compartments on iPods. Then it left it off the iPhone. This was interpreted, especially by tinkerers, as an 'up yours' gesture rather than as a space, cost-saving and aesthetic exercise. Despite the complaints, heartfelt at times, the success of these two device categories belies the perception that Apple was wrong on this count.
So you may have to admit that Apple has been right on this. Partly because by the time an iPod battery needs replacing, you'll probably want a new iPod anyway. This may be an indictment on our consumer society, sure, but note that local NZ entities like totallyMac and iFix both offer excellent postal iPod battery replacement services.
Further to this 'I need a new wonder-device now anyway' line of thinking, Apple has greatly promoted the life of the 17-inch MB Pro's battery by a factor of three, meaning you can charge this thing from flat a thousand times before it needs a new battery.
But then what?
Replacement batteries will be available, as it turns out, for US$179 (that's about NZ$300). You just batter your MacBook Pro 17 with a hammer until the case cracks open ... no you don't. That was lame humour, OK? Happy New Year. The battery is replaceable, but it has to be done by a professional.
For New Zealanders, the Marketing Co-ordinator for the Apple Division of
Renaissance Ltd tells me that if an Apple Premium Reseller has an Apple Authorised Service centre in-store, they can replace 17-inch MacBook Pro batteries. This is a service replacement though - has to be carried out by an Authorised Service Provider.
Ars Technica has posted a story about this. The replacement can be carried out in-store in your nearest Apple Store. Erm, that would be Sydney. What about here? No news as yet, but maybe ask when you buy a 17-incher.
Why would you buy one? The new 17-inch MBP is the thinnest and lightest laptop on the market, says Apple, and the kind of rigidity and strength engendered by the aluminium unibody case Apple designed will be most welcome for those out on the road.
And that delicious big, shiny screen ... While most users love the glossy LED screens of Apple's new generation of MacBooks, many photographers seem to prefer a matte finish to their displays. Reacting to such criticism, a matte option which includes a black bezel surround is available on this beastie. This build-to-order option, called the 'MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Antiglare Widescreen Display,' will set you back another $110 on top of the stock price of $5099.
Hey Apple - many would like this option, even as a retrofit, for their 15-inch MB Pros.
Let's compare the price of the 17 to the stock 15-inch MacBook Pro. You get a slightly smaller screen, it's more portable (smaller), it has one less USB port (just two), it's slower at 2.4GHz, has half the RAM, weighs half a kilo less and has a 250GB drive and that's $3699. Or go for the faster (2.53GHz) 4GB RAM/320GB HD option for $4599. It has a better video card, too, with twice the VRAM (512MB).
But if you're starting to get into that territory, the 17 starts looking pretty good. Unless the bank's about to step in on your mortgage, anyway.
The 17-inch is $5099 for the 2.66GHz 4GB RAM 320GB HD stock model. But if you go through and tick more options [http://store.apple.com/nz], you quickly spend a lot more. For example, the 2.93GHz 8GB RAM, 7200rpm 320GB HD (it's faster than the stock 5400rpm drive) including the $39 Apple Remote (which used to be packed with MacBooks for free), the sum for your sins will be a rather more impressive $9366.01.
But hey, Ferrari driver, it's very easy to top $10,000 - if you're - ahem - crazy, you can choose the 256GB Solid State Drive for slightly more speed. You will fork out another $1960 for the privilege - and lose 64GB of storage into the bargain!)
Still want one? Of course you do! And when you do chuck it out, it's more recyclable than the old one.
- Mark Webster mac.nz
