Apple Macbook Pro Late 2008 Review

Apple Macbook Pro, the notebook got a complete overhaul like the Apple Macbook with the unibody and the Nvidia chipset. The Apple Macbook and Apple Macbook Pro are strikingly similar not only externally but also internally. The major difference difference between the two is of screen size and dedicated graphics card in the Macbook Pro.

Apple Macbook Pro specifications :

• Dimensions : 36.4 x 24.9 x 2.4 cm
• Weight : 2.5 Kg
• Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53 GHz
• RAM : 4GB DDR3 SDRAM – 1066 MHz
• Hard Disk : 320GB SATA-150 5400rpm
• Display : 15.4″ TFT active matrix LED-backlit
• Graphics : NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT / GeForce 9400M
• OS : Apple Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
• Battery : Lithium polymer
• Warranty : 1-year
• Approx. price : $2499

Apple Macbook Pro is exactly similar to its sibling Apple Macbook and can be considered a bumped up version. It however does have the Firewire port which has taken away from the Macbook. The Macbook Pro is made of a single block of aluminum giving it the name unibody. It also has the ExpressCard slot, missing in the Apple Macbook.

The Apple Macbook Pro ditched the Intel chipset in favor of Nvidia chipset that has powerful integrated graphics. Apple also has integrated a dedicated graphics card apart from the integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics. The Nvidia GeForce 9600GT can be switched on/off depending on your requirement but uses more battery than the integrated one.

The design and construction of the Macbook Pro is simply amazing, thanks to the unibody construction leading to a lighter, thinner but a stronger case. The Macbook Pro has a backlit LED display that is nightmare in bright light due to the glares. Otherwise it is absolute beauty to work on with great color reproduction and contrast.

The keyboard is similar to Macbook Air with each key separated which makes typing a breeze. The keyboard has a backlit making it easier to work in pitch darkness. The glass trackpad is a charm to work on with multi-finger gestures supported too.

The performance of the notebook is great with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo powering the machine along with 4GB of RAM enough to handle multi-tasking. The dedicated Nvidia 9600GT graphics card is the biggest improvement and gamers can finally hope to play modern games at good frame rates.

Pros :

• Unibody construction
• Lighter, thinner and solid
• Glass trackpad
• Backlit keyboard
• LED-backlit display
• Nvidia GeForce 9600GT graphics
• Good performance

Cons :

• Reflections on glossy screen
• GPU switch requires logout
• Overpriced

Final Thoughts

The Apple Macbook Pro is an excellent notebook for someone willing to burn extra cash for bigger screen and dedicated graphics. Otherwise Apple Macbook is more value for money than the overpriced Apple Macbook Pro.

Rating : 4/5