MacBook Pro (mid 2009) in-depth impressions
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jun 18th 2009 1:00PM
posted Jun 18th 2009 1:00PM
So while this isn't going to be a full-on review, we think just slightly more than just our usual bullet-pointed impressions are in order -- and we think it's important to actually break things down by model. How do Apple's latest laptops stack up? Read on for more.
13-inch MacBook Pro
We thought the unibody 13-inch MacBook was a fine machine when we first reviewed it back in October 2008, and the upgrades it's been given during its Pro makeover are entirely welcome and positive -- unlike the 15-inch model, things have mostly been added here instead of taken away. Let's run 'em down:
The screen's way nicer. Apple lists the specific improvement as a 60 percent higher color gamut, but unless you're getting in there with a colorimeter and a monocle what you'll really notice is that Apple's finally shipping a mainstream 13-inch laptop with a viewing angle wider than a pencil. Compared to the disappointing MacBook screens we've seen in the past, the 13-inch Pro display is quite impressive -- we'd say it's roughly equivalent to the panel in the 15, and slightly better than the panel in the first-gen MacBook Air we have on hand. Of course, you're still stuck with that mirror-like gloss finish, but at this size and price point you don't have a lot of matte options regardless of manufacturer.
The dedicated audio-in jack has been pushed aside in favor of an SD card slot and FireWire 800 (hallelujah!). In its stead remains a single multifunction 3.5-inch audio jack which can be used with the iPhone headset for voice calls and also be set as an standard input -- you won't be able to record and monitor at the same time without a USB audio interface, but we doubt most people will care.
Speaking of the SD card slot, well -- there's an SD card slot. Hard to imagine it's taken Apple this long to put one in a consumer machine, but we're happy to finally have it. SD cards just show up as standard USB mass storage, so you can use 'em any which way you want -- hell, you can even boot from one in a pinch.
Lastly, there's the newly sealed-in battery, which is where we think the distinction between consumers and professionals is drawn into sharpest relief: we're not personally thrilled about it, but on the whole we have no doubt it'll be a win for the average person who buys this machine. In our rough testing of general use (web browsing, image and document editing, media playback) we tended to get between four and five hours of action, which is more or less twice what we're used to getting out of our black plastic MacBook, and an hour or so more than the removable battery in the original unibody machines. Considering we've never met a single person who's purchased a spare MacBook battery, that doesn't seem like a terrible tradeoff. Apple says the battery is designed to last five years, longer than most people will keep the machine, but if you do need a new one for some reason, it'll cost the same $129 as the replaceable, including service and disposal. If you happen to find a cheaper replacement elsewhere, you can install it yourself without concern -- not only does it appear to be pretty easy, but Apple says replacing the battery on any of the MacBook Pros won't void the warranty unless you break something. Sure, it doesn't completely ease the sting, but unless there's a sizable contingent of battery-swapping consumers out there we don't know about, we're guessing most people will happily accept longer life off the plug.
All in all, it's a solid revision of an already-popular machine, and we're honestly left wondering why the $999 white plastic MacBook continues to exist -- for $200 more you get a dramatically better screen, a faster processor on a speedier bus, an SD card slot, longer battery life, and rock-solid unibody construction. In fact, Apple told us they consider the $1,199 13-inch MBP configuration an entry-level machine, which we think signals a change: "Pro" no longer means "professional," but rather "aluminum." It's a semantic difference, to be sure, but it's easy to see how it blurs the line between Apple's consumer and professional machines -- just take a look at the $1,699 15-inch MacBook Pro that lacks a discrete graphics chip. It's anarchy, we tell you. Anarchy!
Don't get us wrong, all this line-blurring is great for consumers, who are now getting pro-grade features like that much-improved display at lower prices, but we don't think it works as well in reverse -- it feels a bit like Apple's forcing consumer-oriented design decisions on its professional customers.
15-inch MacBook Pro
We'll admit to being extremely wary whenever Apple makes changes to the 15-inch MacBook Pro. 15-inch MBPs running all manner of operating systems are pervasive in the Engadget ranks, and when we hit the road at events like CES and E3 we tend to standardize on them so we can do things like... share batteries. So it's fair to say we went into testing somewhat skeptical, and after a week with the midrange $1,999 configuration we're only slightly less ambivalent about Apple's latest revision of its most popular pro machine -- it's still solid, but we just don't think mobile professionals will be as pleased with Apple's design choices as the general consumer. It's an interesting dichotomy: the exact same changes that we view positively on the 13-inch MBP seem like negatives on the 15, because on the larger machine Apple's traded features instead of simply adding them. For example, instead of just adding an SD reader, Apple's replaced the ExpressCard slot -- they told us research indicated only a small percentage of MBP owners ever used it, and those that did generally inserted an SD card reader. But where that sort of statistics-driven design decision makes sense on a consumer machine, it only serves to alienate the small number of mobile users who depend on ExpressCards to actually get work done -- yes, it's a tiny minority, but as of now your only option if you need a new Mac laptop with ExpressCard is the 17-inch MBP, which is larger and heavier than the 15 and starts at $2,499. We'll be fine switching to USB 3G sticks from our ExpressCard modems, but we just can't argue in favor of convenience over flexibility with this one -- we've heard from a lot of A/V pros who are steaming mad.
Similarly, while the sealed-in battery seems like a net win for outlet-surfing consumers buying the 13-inch machine, on the 15 it troubles us greatly, especially since we only managed to eke out four hours while we were writing this review with some light browsing here and there for research. That's only slightly more than half of what Apple claims under the same conditions, and while it's certainly good, it's not so much better than the outgoing MBP that the tradeoff seems worth it -- and keep in mind, once you drain this thing in the field, you'll need to spend around two hours tied to a wall to get fully charged up instead of just swapping a battery and taking off. Yes, we know an external battery pack like the 32-hour Sanho HyperMac is a viable solution to this problem, but we just don't see why we're being forced into accepting an hour or so of additional usage at the expense of flexibility -- did Apple get tired of selling us spare batteries?
Still, these are pretty minor changes in the grand scheme of things, and we don't think they'll deter most people from what remains an otherwise excellent machine -- we'd be willing to bet the SD reader gets used far more often than vast majority ever even pondered their ExpressCard slot, and that extra hour of battery life will likely leave quite a few pleased as punch. We're just not convinced Apple had to subtract in order to add.
Wrap-up
Here's our main takeaway from the new MacBook Pro line: Apple's made some very strong decisions about what most customers care about and followed up with equally strong design decisions across the board. Most people use SD cameras, so there's an SD slot. Most people never use audio-in and headphones at the same time, so there's just one jack on the 13. Most people never think about replacing their laptop batteries but wish they'd last longer, so a bigger cell is now sealed in. ExpressCard, who cares. It's a simple and appealing logic, and it's a great strategy in the consumer market, but we don't think it holds up as well for professionals, who require much more flexibility from their machines. Of course, you could argue that Apple's always catered to 95 percent of its users at the expense of 5, but we think that tendency has been expressed to an extreme here, and we'd like to see the pendulum swing back a bit the next time these are revved -- some matte display options would be a nice start.
That said, it's not like you have any other choices if you want a Mac laptop, and we very much doubt you'll be unhappy with any of the new MacBook Pros unless you're one of the few people dependent on ExpressCard accessories or you have a clinical aversion to external battery packs. They remain attractive, well-constructed, and high-performing, and hey -- FireWire's back.
Lil' advice:
I got my 1st 13 inch macbook like in april cuz my alienware aurora 7500 broke after like a year. now i'm gonna ask my dad to buy me a mbp cuz macs are rele just the way to go. So should i go with a 15 inch or 17 inch? Is the 17 really that much bigger? Performance wise which is better? Money really isn't an issue as i got the 3.7 GPA i promised my dad so... =]
great job reporting on half the cpu cache and the crippled sata
"you won't be able to record and monitor at the same time without a USB audio interface, but we doubt most people will care."
WTF?! Does this mean I need to get a iPhone Headset or an USB device to use Skype??? Are they sure they targeted PROs?
Glossy screen = Deal breaker! Hate it hate it hate it! I love my current MBP with a matte screen and will not buy a glossy screen ever!
I still don't understand why Apple does not at least offer the Build To Order option of an anti-glare display on the 15" MacBook Pro. I'm currently running a 17" model from 2006 but I'd like to downgrade to a 15" next time for various reasons yet the glossy display is the one aspect of the current 15" design that would prevent this because I cannot have inaccurate colours.
Aside from the display the rest of it all looks good to me. What I do find odd, however, is why battery life tests of the new machines seem to vary so much. AnandTech was reporting that they got 8-hours from the new 15" MBP battery, which is double that which Engadget saw. There may well be variations in the testing (battery life tests are hardly standardised) but even so, a 4-hour difference is huge.
I'm really in love with the internal battery concept.
Think of it:
A battery that has a small, simple connection that is not normally user serviceable versus one that's externally available. You have to waste more space on the shell of the battery, waste space on a less-efficent connection, waste space making it mold to the case computer, ect. An internal battery solves those problems, and gives you more room for a larger battery. It's the kind of little stroke of brightness I expect from Apple.
Whats up with your performance chart?
Nice to just pull numbers out of your ass like Al Gore.
As for no one using the audio in and out at the same time, that might be because the audio in isn't a microphone in. Instead it needs to be amped to be useful. Anyone coming form a PC background where headsets just work gets mighty frustrated on a mac where they need separate amplifier to get the audio in to work, or just bail and buy a usb headset. So of course it's not used, it doesn't actually do what many people actually want.
Just got one delivered yesterday and so far, it's one of the most impressive machines I've ever used (no elitism here, just saying).
It's definitely going to be great for college. :)
I'd like to have one of these...Too bad that in my country the lowest-end MacBook Pro 13" cost 2000$. Wouldn't it be great to pay 800$ less for the same product? Ahhhh...you lucky americans...
Me lik cheep pc with linux or pyratted windoze. Mac cost mony and iz bad.
That is basically every other comment on Engadget when an Apple product is mentioned.
Jealous, much?
What's wrong with this reviewer? They keep mentioning one flaw after another and follow it up with a guilty "I doubt people will mind". This happens throughout the article... ffs... Stop hiding the flaws. Any idea how biased you are sounding?
As a video/film pro, yes I am pissed about the ExpressCard port gone missing. I live on my aging 15" MBP and the port is invaluable for downloading media from CF cards and adding additional Firewire ports and eSATA. So now what, Apple? Are you going to never give us the next version of Final Cut Studio as well?
They need a screen option that doesn't have glare.. I mean, it's a laptop, I use it in all different lighting conditions. That and lack of cash are the two biggest reasons I haven't really considered getting a newer mbp.
I am so buying the 13". It looks sweet! And if Engadget says its good, its obviously good.
People naturally like to compare hardware, horsepower, speed etc, but when comparing 2 laptops of comparable stats, the software is going to make a far bigger difference in user experience over the hardware. Either you think Mac OS is worth buying, or you don't (or maybe you haven't tried it).
No comparison to my recently bought DELL Latitude XT2 12-inch A4-size multitouch convertible with day-light-viewable display which I can use outdoors.
Thanks Engadget! This article convinced me to buy a mac after I cleaned up my drool on the floor. The extra battery capacity, extended recharge cycles, and better screen (coupled with some graduation money and 25% off EPP from a friend interning at Apple) won me over to the dark side. It's great for studying when everyone has hogged the outlet, taking notes for 4-5 hours a day, painting random stuff in the middle of the day on photoshop if I ever get bored of the graduate student life, and it can play TF2!