MacBook Pro lineup. Impressions and operating experience

For the second month now, the head of a small family of my favorite Apple gadgets has changed. The 13-inch MacBook Pro, which has served faithfully for almost a year, went to a new owner, and his place was taken by exactly the same externally, but slightly changed inside the MacBook Pro 13 "spill" of 2010. In this article I will talk about his operating experience, the differences from the previous model, and first, I will carry out unboxing.

And the package turned out to be bigger

I got the device, one might say, from the first "white", that is, the official batch of new MacBook Pros, which arrived in the country. By his example, by the way, I first saw how Apple equipment is packed for transportation around the world. After all, every buyer of an expensive device has a question about whether his equipment arrived normally, whether negligent loaders kicked it along the way, which may affect the operation of the product in the future, etc. Still, despite the compactness and style of the glamorous the packaging of Apple laptops, it is unlikely to be able to protect the laptop well if it falls. In the end, it turned out that there was nothing to worry about. The Yablochnaya company perfectly prepares its products for transportation. That very glamorous and compact box with a laptop is hidden in cellophane and hides in a much larger box made of hard cardboard, inside which it is placed on damping corners. Looks reliable.

Let me remind you that among the new 13-inch "firmware" there are two models that, to put it mildly, differ little: processor frequency (2.4 GHz versus 2.66 GHz) and hard disk capacity (250 GB versus 320 GB). The rest of the devices are completely identical, and the difference in price in our reality is about $ 600. This is a lot for such insignificant differences; accordingly, I took the younger model for myself.

I was surprised by the fact that the box in which the new laptop is hiding turned out to be larger than that of the previous generation model, but this fact is simply explained. The old MacBook Pro is a model for the American market with a more compact plug, the new one is a device with a European plug, and in order to fit all the accessories, the package dimensions had to be increased. A narrow box has been added, in which all additional cables are hidden, as well as a nozzle with a European plug.

External differences

As in the new MacBook Pro 15 ″ models (http://macradar.ru/hardware/macbook-pro-core-i5-review/), the new product has an updated power supply, or rather, the MagSafe connector. It has become aluminum, rounded, and when connected to a laptop, the wire runs parallel to the side edge (or goes up). In general, the design has become stronger and in most cases such an arrangement of the cable is more convenient, it bends less.

The rest of the gadgets are identical, with the exception of the keyboard, but in this case the difference is due to the orientation of the devices to different markets: American and European. The keyboard of the "white" MacBook Pro of the previous generation is the same as that of the newcomer. By the way, there were some incidents with the keyboard (I'm used to engraved American ones), but we'll talk about them later.

Getting started

One of the things I really love about Mac OS X, besides many other qualities, is the ease of moving to newer versions of the operating system or new Macs. After updating the backup using Time Machine, I calmly continued to work on my old laptop, while all my data was transferred to the new one. Naturally, I first installed all imaginable and inconceivable updates on the device, after which I started to transfer my personal workspace.

All in all, everything went well. Data, settings and programs migrated easily. I just had to set up a couple of applications (among them Little Snitch is a capricious program, every time you have to reconfigure it when you move). Although in the evening one glitch was discovered that even made me sweat. iTunes refused to recognize personal iPhones 3GS and iPads. Moreover, the system saw them and through the "Image Capture" it was possible to save the photos in the memory of the gadgets, but the media combine did not recognize them at point-blank range. Immediately, thoughts about Apple's struggle against jailbreak and other unpleasant premonitions arose. A web search gave nothing, no one complained about such a problem. Actually, I managed to solve it simply - I downloaded it again and installed it on top of iTunes - everything worked.

Impressions and operating experience

The first thing I noticed when I started to actively work with the device is scrolling with inertia. That is, I twisted the list with two fingers and it continues to scroll after the fingers are removed from the touchpad, gradually slowing down. The convenience of this option for me personally cannot be overestimated. At one time, when I was just starting to use the Mac, I tried to work with the third-party Smart Scroll utility to implement inertial scrolling. The result was not very pleasing: sometimes there were slowdowns, the scroll zones were not defined correctly everywhere, and in general, the whole system worked somehow crookedly. As a result, he abandoned her until better times and now such have come. I don't know if it's implemented in hardware or software, but inertial scrolling works just fine. For me personally, it has become more convenient to use all kinds of web admins with a bunch of drop-down lists, with iTines, and in general this effect pleases the eye.

Also, the performance of the system as a whole improved somewhat, and this turned out to be noticeable with the naked eye. Some applications start faster, documents open, photos are processed in Pixelmator, etc. Do not forget about the increased performance of the graphics subsystem. The video chip GeForce 320M (aka the failed NVIDIA Ion 2) is on average twice as productive as its predecessor GeForce 9400, and in some places even three times. Although, I don't really play games on a laptop, except in casual games, and I did not notice much difference in the speed of their work. They already functioned well on an old laptop (Zuma 2, Braid, Peggle, etc.).

I noticed that the new device heats up a little less than the previous one. If that average CPU temperature in my standard operating cycle was 52-55 °, then for a beginner it usually does not rise above 50 °. In terms of noise, both laptops are the same, or rather, both are quiet.

I had to spend a couple of weeks getting used to the slightly changed keyboard. The Enter key became narrower, but it took two rows, and the tilde (~) moved from under the Ecape button to the left shift, which, by the way, became narrower because of this. I also got a little worried when I could not switch between windows within the program with the usual combination (cmd + ~). It turned out that the button had moved, I had to get used to it. On the other hand, I like the current keyboard engraving much better. English and Russian inscriptions are large, located at the edges of the keys, plus there are no unnecessary Ukrainian symbols for me. Now I use the keyboard in the new laptop with the same skill as before in the old one.

I also paid attention to the less rigid hinge of the display unit. In the MB990, it was very tight. At first, after the flimsy hinge of the old MacBook Pro 15 ″, I even liked it, but over time it began to strain a little. Now, in terms of its rigidity, it resembles a cross between the old 15th, the predecessor of the 13th.

The speakers seemed a little louder and more balanced in sound, but it may well be that in Mac OS X 10.6.4 the built-in sound system of the old laptop also sounds better. Among the bug fixes in this release are the resolved speaker problems in the MB990 / 991.

I cannot fail to note the increased battery life. When the system is just loaded, nothing superfluous hangs in it, and the battery is charged to capacity, then you can see a staggering figure of the battery life of 11 hours and 25 minutes. Netbooks and CULV laptops are crying out loud on the sidelines. However, this is too optimistic. In my usual work cycle, when I use two browsers (Firefox and Safari), Pages, Numbers, Pixelmator, Textmate, Mail, Crossover with MS Word 2003 running (for checking grammar and spelling), the device worked for about seven hours, which is a lot. The previous MacBook Pro 13 ″ could not produce more than five hours in this mode. True, on a new laptop, I once calibrated the battery (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/ru/9036.html), which I never did on the old one. Perhaps this gave some increase in autonomy, but mainly thanks to the more energy-efficient chipset and a slightly increased battery capacity.

By the way, one unpleasant incident prompted me to do the calibration. One morning, out of habit, I connected the power supply to my laptop, and the status LED on the connector did not light up with the usual bright green or orange light, but gave out only a very dim, barely noticeable orange glow. When I opened the lid of the laptop, I saw that it was powered by a power supply, but the battery was not charging. Cold sticky sweat came out, and my nerves were a little naughty, but after an hour, as if nothing had happened, the battery started charging again. Such a case happened once a couple of weeks ago, after that nothing like this happened, and I don’t want to, to be honest. Perhaps there was some kind of non-contact in MagSafe or something. Although I disconnected and reconnected the connector several times and even rebooted the laptop. In general, I attributed the case to a poltergeist.

In the dry residue

Am I happy with the upgrade? Yes, definitely, and the money spent on it is not a pity. Even if I only got inertial scrolling, that would be enough. But there are other niceties described above. May I recommend readers to change their MB990 / 991 for a new one? If everything suits you in your laptop, then there is no point in upgrading. Better to wait for the next generation. Maybe Apple will redesign it. I just have a special case. I wanted an official guarantee, something new, and I managed to sell my device at a profit. In general, the novelty pleases, although I would like Apple to radically change something in the next generation of MacBook Pro 13 ″. For example, she proposed a new design, applied an IPS-matrix display, made the frame around the screen thinner - there are actually many wishes, but it is impossible to predict which of them will be fulfilled in the next product.

We tried to make the description as good as possible, so that your choice was error-free and deliberate. we may not have exploited this product, but only touched it from all sides, and after you buy it, try it in operation, your review can make this world a better place, if your review is really useful, then we will publish it and give it to you you have the opportunity to make your next purchase from us on the 2nd column.

Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2018, 4 x Thunderbolt 3) A1989 Space Gray - I wouldn't buy a good laptop but not higher than 100,000 thousand rubles.

3 Voronov Alexander Evgenievich 02-12-2018

Potential buyer opinion
Advantages:
Good performance
Disadvantages:
I think the next line of Mac beeches will be affordable

Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2017, 2 x Thunderbolt 3) A1708 Space Gray - I liked it very much

5 Pochestnev Vitaly Yurievich 17-11-2018

Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2017, 2 x Thunderbolt 3) A1708 Space Gray
Advantages:
High quality, very pleasant to use, nothing lags or glitches. It's a pleasure to use. There is nothing to say about the appearance. The battery holds for quite a long time, it is very convenient to take it with you.
Disadvantages:
An adapter is required for use, since of the connectors, only 2 usb-c and a standard headphone jack.

Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2018, 4 x Thunderbolt 3) A1989 Space Gray - Everything is super

5 Sheremetyeva Svetlana Mikhailovna 25-09-2018

It's unusual after ASUS

4 Artem Mikoyan 25-05-2015

Device Owner Assessment:
Advantages:
I think for a long time about a laptop with a stub on the lid, but it turned out to miss. In one chain store it turned out to test it. The device left only positive emotions, so I decided to take it. After the purchase, I tried to get used to the operating system, but Nak did not try and could not. The habit is a terrible force, so I installed a second Windows OS. With her, everything became generally wonderful. Working with photos, music, internet, films - everything is on top. The screen in my opinion is generally the best I've seen. The keyboard seemed to be assembled for my crooked hands.
Disadvantages:
Unusual OS.

Apple MacBook Pro 13 Retina (Early 2015) A1502 - Solid aluminum

5 Fedotov Denis 22-04-2015

Owner Assessment: Apple MacBook Pro 13 Retina (Early 2015) A1502
Advantages:
A solid piece of aluminum has been turned into a beautiful laptop. The backlit keyboard is pleasant in every way. The TouchPad is simply huge, pleases with its responsiveness and ForceTouch technology. Operating system Mac OS X Yosemite, but it is possible to install Windows 7 or 8. 5th generation Intel Core i5 processor with integrated Intel Iris Graphics 6100. Ultra-high, huge screen resolution, but only 227 dpi. Wi-Fi supports all existing standards a / b / g / n / ac. The laptop has a 256 GB SSD, and the PCIe standard, the read speed / amaze. A power supply with a magnetic connector, a very handy piece. Autonomy corresponds to the declared one, over 10 hours of surfing in the internet.

Disadvantages: Only two USB.

Apple rarely changes its lineup of laptops - once every few years. But between these significant events, several planned updates have time to occur, during which the components are changed to more recent ones. Not so long ago, one of these "mini-updates" took place - the Calpella platform replaced the Montevina platform in the MacBook Pro line.

⇡ Design and ergonomics

If you put a MacBook Pro 15 of the model of 2009 and 2010 next to it, you simply won't be able to identify which one is who. Generally. They are absolutely identical.

To distinguish the new MacBook from the old, you have to either turn it on or unscrew the bottom and look at the filling.

Identical metal cases in the same light silver color. Identical apples on the lid - equally glowing when the laptops are turned on. Identical "frameless" displays.

The same dimensions, rather modest, I must say.

Keyboards are the same too. Exactly the same ones are used in the more compact MacBook Pro 13 and in the large MacBook Pro 17. The only difference is that in the "tag" and "seed" on the sides of the keyboard speakers are placed, and in the "trinash" they are on the bottom ...

The touchpads are again identical. And, of course, they are exactly the same as in the rest of the MacBook Pro line. Huge, "buttonless" and with excellent support for gestures - no other Windows laptop has yet reached such a convenient and correct "multitouch" operation.

Even the set of ports is no different - it is equally poor. Networking, USB pair, FireWire 800, custom Mini DisplayPort monitor output, media card reader, audio jacks - that's it.

However, even a year ago there was no card reader, even as an option. So the current set of interfaces is relatively good.

⇡ Specifications

	Apple MacBook Pro 15 2009	Apple MacBook Pro 15 2010
CPU	Intel Core 2 Duo P8700: 2.53 GHz; 3 MB L2; two computing cores	Intel Core i7 620M: 2.66 GHz (3.33 GHz with Turbo Boost); 2x256 KB L2; 4 MB L3; two computing cores
Chipset	NVIDIA MCP79	Intel HM55
Graphics controller	chipset-integrated, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M	integrated into the processor, Intel GMA HD; NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 512 MB GDDR3; the ability to switch between adapters
Screen	15.4 inches, 1440x900; glossy finish, LED-backlight (LG LP154WP4-TLA1)	15.4 inches, 1440x900; glossy finish, LED backlight (Samsung LTN154BT08)
RAM	4 GB DDR3-1066 (2 + 2 GB Hynix)
HDD	250 GB SATA Rev. 2.0, 5400 rpm (Hitachi HTS545025B9SA02)	500 GB SATA Rev. 2.0, 5400 rpm (Hitachi HTS545050B9SA02)
Optical drive	DVD-RW SuperMulti: Matsushita (Panasonic) UJ-868	DVD-RW SuperMulti: Matsushita (Panasonic) UJ-898
Flash card slot	SD / MMC
Interfaces	2x USB 2.0 1x IEEE 1394 (FireWire 800) 1x Mini DisplayPort 1x RJ-45 1x headphone output (mini-jack 3.5 mm) 1x microphone input (mini-jack 3.5 mm)
Wi-Fi	802.11a / b / g / n
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR
Network adapter	10/100/1000 Mbps (NVIDIA)	10/100/1000 Mbps (Broadcom)
Sound	HDA; two speakers, microphone
Battery	Li-Pol, 73 W * h (6700 mA * h, 10.95 V)	Li-Ion, 77.5 W * h (7100 mA * h, 10.95 V)
Other	Internal keyboard backlight, ambient light sensor, remote control support, webcam
Dimensions, mm	364x249x24
Weight, kg	2,44	2,54
Operating system	Apple Mac OS X 10.6.4
Official manufacturer's warranty	12 months
approximate price	From 56 500 rub.	From 86 500 rub.

It should be borne in mind that last year's MacBook Pro was tested in a junior configuration. Whereas the updated model was tested in the oldest of the standard versions. So it would not be very correct to directly compare the hardware - after all, the prices for these configurations are seriously different.

The previous generation MacBook Pro 15 used the Core 2 Duo family of processors — most of the "P" series of processors for low power consumption. The new generation mainly uses Core i5 processors. Only in the older configuration can you find a rather rare Core i7 620M processor - the fastest of the dual-core Core i3 / i5 / i7. In addition to the increased L3 cache memory up to 4 MB, this CPU boasts extremely high operating frequencies - up to 3.33 GHz in Turbo Boost mode.

Left MacBook 2009, right - 2010

However, unlike the quad-core Core i7, this processor does not support DDR3-1333 memory. Therefore, neither the volume nor the performance of the RAM has changed in comparison with the previous generation. The old and new MacBooks have 4 GB of DDR3-1066 memory installed in two 2 GB strips.

Left MacBook Pro 2009, right - 2010

With the graphics subsystem, everything is somewhat more interesting. Whereas the 2009 MacBook Pro 15 used NVIDIA integrated graphics, the new generation dropped it in favor of Intel's built-in standard GMA HD. At the same time, the configuration with only one integrated video card disappeared. All new MacBook Pro 15 features dual graphics: Intel GMA HD + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M. The amount of memory varies from 256 MB for the low-end configurations to 512 MB for the older one, which was tested.

Left MacBook Pro 2009, right - 2010

The new MacBook Pro 15 does not use NVIDIA Optimus, but Apple proprietary. Feels like it works very similarly - the graphics switch without any inconvenience, such as rebooting or screen flickering. The only problem is that under Windows with the drivers installed, the graphics cannot be switched from the included disk (yet?), You can use only the discrete one.

Inside, the MacBook Pro has remained almost the same: the layout of the filling has not changed at all. Apparently, Apple considers it to be no less perfect than the appearance of this laptop.

FillingAppleMacBookPro 15 2009

FillingAppleMacBook2010 Pro 15: The motherboard design has changed slightly, but the overall layout remains the same

There has been little progress in the production of lithium-ion batteries over the year, allowing Apple to slightly increase the battery's capacity while maintaining its size. If earlier the energy reserve was 73 W * h, then the current batteries already offer 77.5 W * h. The increase is not that significant - about 6% - but still pleasant.

The bundled power supplies are slightly different: the new adapters are equipped with a slightly changed power connector. It is somewhat less convenient in cases where the laptop is adjacent to the wall with its back side - the wire has to be passed along the sidewall, on which the ports are concentrated.

The new connector is silver, the old one is white

The weak configuration of the 2009 MacBook Pro 15 does not need a lot of power, but the new MacBook is more power hungry: the power supplies have a capacity of 60 and 85 watts, respectively. The dimensions are close, the difference in length and width is about half a centimeter. The weight of the adapters differs more significantly: 210 and 300 grams, respectively.

Right off the bat - the MacBook Pro line from Apple has been updated relatively recently. This update is not critical - the configurations have been changed, a little there, a little here, but in the end we have before us - the fruit of a fairly serious work to improve the model range. The performance (processors, video cards) has changed significantly, the operating time has been increased, plus there are some implicit improvements. Today we will talk about the MBP 15 with an Intel Core i7 processor. Please love and respect.

Design and construction ...

Have not changed at all. All the same one-piece body, all the same impeccable assembly, all the same hemorrhoids for service workers. This is a separate topic for conversation, now I will not dwell on disassembling the device. For the umpteenth time, I experience this damn pleasant feeling when I open a packed box with a laptop. It is hidden in a film, there is a shortcut to quickly get it, a power supply unit, documents, an extension cord for a power supply unit, a plug are hidden under the MacBook. No company has ever been able to replicate Apple's packaging. Ideally. Plus this special smell. In general, if you have ever bought something "apple", you yourself understand everything perfectly. There is even something like a spacer between the display and the keyboard, some people use it afterwards.

I have nothing more to say about the design, I will dwell on the dimensions. Dimensions are 2.41 x 36.4 x 24.9 cm, weight is about 2.54 kg. At the same time, the laptop looks, and is small due to the verified shape and the absence of protruding parts. See, for example, how the legs are made. On the right side there is a button for checking the battery charge, next to an indicator. You can judge the remaining runtime by the number of bars lit.

One of the unobvious problems is self-unscrewing screws on the bottom. Especially if you will often use the laptop on your lap or on the bed. I run into this all the time on MBP 17. But although they are slightly unscrewed, none of them got lost.

Display

"The glossy 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit display delivers superb color quality (millions of colors)." These lines are taken from the official page of the model in question. But, with all due respect, the nominal resolution is only 1440 x 900 pixels. In other words, soap. When I expressed myself in this spirit on Twitter, funny jokes and taunts immediately fell on me. Like, well, there is, after all, an option with a larger resolution! What is there to write anything!

Yes, that's all true. There are so-called "custom" versions of the MBP 15 with a matte or glossy display, a resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels. Very good in my opinion. One small point: this model is very cool to buy in the US, it will cost about $ 2,400. In Russia, the price is merciless 100,000 rubles, maybe a little more or a little less. I will not comment, but the entrance ticket to the world of the matte display is insanely expensive. Honor and praise to the Russian representatives of the company, from a fairly democratic brand creating an expensive legend not for everyone.

Well, at least, there are sellers of "gray" MBPs in the world. By purchasing an American model in Russia, you can significantly save money.

To summarize: I don't like the display in a regular MBP. It's good for work, but not very good for watching movies, photos. This only confirms my idea that the only truly multimedia notebook in the company's lineup is the MBP 17 (we are talking about the basic version, without "custom").

As with any other laptop from the company, there is an automatic brightness control. If desired, the brightness can be reduced to zero, that is, the display turns black. I want to note something about the colors: black is there, it is not dark gray. The viewing angles are good horizontally, and worse vertically.

Working hours

It is necessary to erect a monument to the person who invented the power supply unit for MacBooks. When I pick up a massive "fool" for any other laptop, I am always amazed - well, is it really impossible to make one cable come out of the power supply? Or was it possible to remove it? The MBP 15 comes with an extension cable, you can use it if you want, but I like to keep it away. This white PSU is very good - small, with an original system of magnetic fastening to the connector, retractable legs for winding the cable.

I often use the phrase “like other Apple laptops”, but like other Apple laptops, the MBP 15 looks like a very strong solution in terms of runtime. The work done in the company in a couple of years is truly tremendous: even buying a fifteen-inch laptop, you can count on at least five to six hours of work. This is the minimum, the declared figures are up to 8-9 hours of battery life. In the video playback mode at full brightness, it was possible to achieve six hours of playback without interruption, the headphones were connected.

Keyboard and touchpad

An adjustable backlit keyboard, a glass touchpad with multitouch support, and that's about it. As practice shows, the characters on the keyboard are not erased with prolonged use, but the touchpad is just a fairy tale. You get used to it, like everything good, very quickly. You can read about this for a long time and persistently, but it is better to try at least once to quickly "swipe" all open programs or open a list of open applications.

Performance

In general, this is the only important difference between the MBP 15/2010 and last year's models. Three different processors are hidden in the depths of the "tag", two versions of Intel Core i5 (2.4 GHz or 2.53 GHz) and one i7 (2.66 GHz). The sample we are reviewing today is the top-end configuration among the basic, non-“custom” options. Installed 4 GB of RAM (SO-DIMM, two slots), supported up to 8 GB. Two "video cards" are used, they are NVIDIA GeForce GT330M with 512 MB of memory (256 MB for the younger models) and Intel HD Graphics. Switching happens automatically, depending on what you are doing. The enthusiasts have already written a switch program. First of all, it is needed for self-selection of a video card - thereby, you can increase the battery life.

Numbers are good. But I have a lot of experience with MBP 17 with 2.66 GHz processor, this is not an i7. Installed 4 GB of RAM, video cards NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT. In principle, a fairly fast car. You can even play games - for example, the CoD4 network mode is quite normal. You can live.

But compared to the MBP 15, the "old man" I use seems to lag behind. And you don't understand it right away. You click on the Safari icon, and the browser opens almost instantly. You create another tab - swiftly, without waiting or artifacts appearing on the display. These fractions of a second act like a drug; everything from iTunes to creating a backup copy of the iPhone happens faster. What's the point of trying to play with toys to understand a simple thing - for the MBP line, new processors have long been needed like a breath of fresh air. Where you are used to slowing down, now there is only speed.

For players - since modern games for Mac OS are practically not released - the optimal solution would be to install the Windows operating system through BootCamp and have fun there, as much as necessary. I described the process many times, here at least here:

Considering that I played Splinter Sell: Conviction on a Sony VAIO F with similar characteristics, I can predict the same pleasure for owners of MBP 17 with i7. It is possible and necessary to play "novya"; one should not only wait for miracles. In the sense that the laptop will not handle the maximum graphics values.

And right there I will advise you to even think about graphics-demanding games on the MBP 15. The fact is that this thing was not conceived at all to be a game console. The cooling system is efficient enough for quiet use; in fact, the laptop stays slightly warm during Internet surfing, typing. But as soon as I started Command & Conquer 3, the metal of the bottom turned into some kind of hellish frying pan. The MBP 15 does not make much noise, even with serious loads you will not bend from squeals and squeaks. Everything is quiet.

Everything is calm, and this makes it scary. Still, in laptops, heating, or rather overheating, is one of the most common causes of breakdowns. It's one thing to edit movies on the MBP 15 or to work with your photo library. Or watch your favorite TV show for hours. This is fine. But with games, I would advise you to be more careful, take pity on expensive equipment.

A little about the "patsanometers". I used Xbench to get started, maybe not the freshest and best slope meter, but nonetheless. As a result, MBP 17 of 2009 received 142.36 points. The result of the MBP 15 sample of 2009 is 177.73 points. And I also want to give this link, there is an interesting diagram showing the superiority of i7 processors. The results were obtained using Geekbench.

Connections

On the right side there are all kinds of connectors and ports, I will list them:

• MagSafe power connector
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• 1 FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
• Mini DisplayPort
• Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
• SD card slot
• Linear audio input
• Audio line out
• Kensington lock slot

I want to draw your attention to the slot for SD memory cards, they are inserted there halfway. This is more convenient than stuffing it whole. But there are few USB ports. I would like three. And this is not some kind of whim, but a necessity, at least my personal one.

The headphone jack is tight, I used the Apple In-Ear Headset with Mic and Remote. As practice shows, few people know about the capabilities of the accessory paired with MBP. Using the remote control, as on the iPhone, you can start or pause music playback, move from track to track. It works with QuickTime too. In Skype, you can use for conversations, adjust the volume. In short, a very, very useful thing for a laptop.

Sound

There are two nameless loudspeakers, there are no frightening inscriptions about X-bass and so on on the body, but listening to music and watching movies is pleasant. The volume is great, the sound is clear, at maximum values ​​it does not break into wheezing. It is quite possible to do without speakers.

Data transfer

There is Wi-Fi (802.11n, of course, compatible with 802.11 a / b / g), Bluetooth, profile 2.1 with EDR is supported. When you turn it on for the first time, the system prompts you to select an access point, I have an Apple Time Capsule at home, there were no problems with the connection. In Finder (something like an explorer), you can see the network drive of the access point, without any shamanism, you can send files there. Naturally, the Time machine mode is possible - creating backups for system recovery.

Memory

The model under consideration uses a 500 GB hard drive, you can install an SSD if you have a lot of money.

The DVD drive is still there, and I don't think it will disappear from the MacBook Pro for the foreseeable future. Required attribute.

conclusions

Many of my colleagues, acquaintances and friends use MBP 15 as a universal solution, primarily for work. Why? Let's take a look at the pros of a laptop:

• Speed!
• Remarkable designs, materials, dimensions and weight
• Long working time
• The use of a particular video card depending on the tasks to be solved (although it is not always clear which component is used, third-party switch programs can help)
• Small PSU, proprietary MagSafe connector
• The touchpad completely replaces the mouse, people disagree with this thesis for about a week from the start of using the MBP, then suddenly abandon the manipulator forever. In addition, the touchpad greatly simplifies the use of the laptop, so to speak, adds speed.
• Good sound quality (talking about speakers)
• SD card slot
• 802.11n support, when working with branded access points it matters
• Microphone makes it easy to chat on Skype without a headset
• Backlit keyboard

There are also disadvantages:

• Just two USB ports
• After buying an MBP, many immediately start looking for an adapter for connecting an HDMI cable, this is not a clear minus, but nevertheless
• Low display resolution for basic configurations
• Overpriced Russian dealers

Once again about the price. The US version in question will set you back $ 2,199. In Russia - about 95,000 rubles. The Central Bank rate at the time of this writing is about 31 rubles per dollar. Relatively speaking, in the USA the model costs about 68,000 rubles. The difference is almost a thousand dollars. You can buy a purebred American from my favorite "barygans" for about 80,000 rubles. Let me remind you that all you have to do is to make an engraving, and many people can do just fine without it.

I specifically pay such attention to prices, because it hurts to see the "price" metamorphosis and the transformation of MBP into a sort of object of luxury, bliss and gloss.

After all, its place is in the bag of a business person who is not ready to spend time fighting viruses, multidimensional settings, waiting for the transition to sleep mode or exit from it. With each review I try to tell something new about Apple laptops, I can't do without it today. For example, there is such a "cover effect", you get used to it very quickly - for any MBP, after closing the laptop, the system goes to sleep in a matter of seconds and is activated in a fraction of a second when you open the laptop. It is impossible to break the habit of this.

The general conclusion on MBP 17 is as follows. This is a versatile laptop for a wide range of tasks, but they will be heavily dependent on your eyes, literally. If you are corrupted by good laptop displays, then you will not like watching movies on the MBP 15 (for example). In this case, you should think about a "custom" option or pay attention to the MBP 17. Or even to a model from another manufacturer.

In any case, we got a very fast, stable, reliable and long battery life. At the same time, it is small and quiet.

An ingenious laptop - but only in the US, at a very nice price. The "elite" laptop is not for everyone in Russia.

P.S. I will immediately answer the unspoken so far typical question: is it worth changing your MBP 15 to one of the new models? I don’t think it’s worth it. The year is not over yet, and in the fall or winter we will probably have another update, perhaps even more critical. It may well be that the next "update" will change the appearance of the line, weight (although the magic will already begin here), something positive will happen to the display.

But if you are the owner of the MBP generation before last, then this is a good reason to change the instrument, for you the difference in sensations will be great. Only the display can be a little frustrating.

Sergey Kuzmin ()

Fair, not overpriced or understated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without "asterisks", it is clear and detailed, where it is technically possible - the most accurate, final.

With the availability of spare parts, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs take much less time. The website lists the approximate duration of any repairs.

Warranty and liability

Any repairs must be guaranteed. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.

Half of the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works with suppliers directly, there are always several reliable channels and your own warehouse with proven spare parts of current models so that you do not have to waste extra time.

Free diagnostics

This is very important and has already become a good form for the service center. Diagnostics is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you should not pay a dime for it, even if you do not repair the device as a result.

Repair in service and delivery

A good service values ​​your time and therefore offers free shipping. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of the service center: correctly and according to technology, it can only be done at a prepared place.

Convenient schedule

If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient so that you can catch up with before and after work. Good service works both on weekends and on holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00

The reputation of professionals consists of several points

Age and experience of the company

Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years, and it has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the SC are being restored.
We are trusted and passed on by other service centers for difficult cases.

How many masters in directions

If several engineers are always waiting for you for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken over immediately.
2. You are giving Macbook repairs to an expert in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices

Technical literacy

If you ask a question, a specialist must answer it as accurately as possible.
So that you have an idea of ​​what exactly you need.
They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, the description tells you what happened and how to fix the problem.