Due to the untimely demise of my Mid 2009 MacBook Pro, I needed to get a replacement. After looking at both the current version of MacBook Pro that just died, and the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, I settled on the former. It’s a design that hasn’t really changed since it was introduced in 2009. But it is a design that still works and looks cutting edge. This particular iteration of the MacBook Pro now has a pair of USB 3.0 ports on it along with a Thunderbolt port which handles high speed I/O as well as external video. Still present is the SuperDrive which I use to create video DVDs and the FireWire 800 port which is important to me as I use it to connect with DV camcorders to download video. One thing to note is that the design of the SuperDrive slot hasn’t changed, so the potential for this to happen to me or anyone else still exists. There’s also the audio in and out ports along with an SD card slot. Also present and accounted for are Gigabit Ethernet along with 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Now one thing that sets this version of the MacBook Pro apart from the Retina display model is the fact that there’s the option for a matte display. I went for this as after spending ten minutes in the Apple Store trying to use the Retina display model. To make a long story short, neither my wife nor use truly could deal with the glare from the Retina display model. The bonus is that when you go for the matte display, you get a resolution bump from 1440 x 900 to 1680 x 1050. Now you can also get a glossy display with the same resolution if you’re so inclined. Either way, it’s a $100 CDN option. My advice, take the matte display. You will thank me for it. One thing to note about this display is that it has a silver border around it that is just over 0.5″ rather than the edge-to-edge glass the stock display has. I’m not a fan of the silver border personally but it’s not a deal breaker for me. It also has a 720p FaceTime camera which will show the best, or perhaps worst of you when you FaceTime with someone.
Under the hood is a 2.3 Ghz Core i7 processor with quad cores (versus the 2.66 Ghz Core2Duo dual core processor that came with my Mid-2009) that can spool up to 3.3Ghz when needed. It comes with 4GB of RAM but you can bump it up to 8GB of RAM for an extra $100 CDN (which I did and I recommend that you do as well) and it comes with two graphics processors. One is an Intel HD Graphics 4000 which gives you good performance while saving power. The other is a NVidia GeForce GT 650M with 512 MB of graphics RAM for those situations when you’d need more graphics power. The graphics processors switch automatically when the situation demands which is a feature that my previous MacBook Pro did not have. If you do word processing or surf the Internet, you’ll use the Intel HD 4000 processor. Anything else will use the GeForce GT 650M. In terms of overall speed, it is noticeable. For example, my Windows 7 virtual machine Windows Experience Rating jumped from 4.6 on my Mid 2009 MacBook Pro to 5.1. Not a bad speed bump. If somehow this all isn’t fast enough for you, Apple has upgrade options up to 2.7 Ghz for the processor and 1GB of video RAM for the NVidia GeForce GT 650M. As for storage, I left the stock hard drive which was a 500GB 5400 RPM drive. That’s plenty for me. But if that’s not enough for you, you can get up to a terabyte in disk space (at 5400 RPMs), a 750 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, or a 512 GB solid state drive if you happen to have a lot of cash with nothing to do as that solid state drive is a $700 CDN option. In terms of weight, it feels slightly lighter (and my wife confirmed that) than my Mid 2009 MacBook Pro, but the specs indicate that it weights 5.6 pounds which is what is listed as the weight for the Mid 2009.
One minor annoyance is that Apple has redesigned the MagSafe connector on the supplied power adapter so that it is thinner and is L-shaped rather than T-shaped. Though it will work regardless of how it is plugged in, putting it in the wrong way (in other words, having the power cable facing towards the front rather than the rear) will block access to some of the ports. Having said that, my old MagSafe connectors still work on this MacBook Pro. As for battery life, I’m getting over 6 hours while using the Internet, playing videos, and using Microsoft Word which isn’t too shabby. One thing I did note is this iteration is cooler than the Mid 2009 MacBook Pro that this MacBook Pro is replacing. That’s a welcome touch. My lap will be thankful.
So, why wouldn’t you get this MacBook Pro? Weight is one reason. It’s not a big deal to me as I’ve been carrying a notebook of this weight for years. Someone who wants something lighter than this should look at the MacBook Pro with Retina Display as it is slim and light because it doesn’t have the SuperDrive, Gigabit Ethernet port or Firewire 800 ports (all of which are external add-ons via USB or Thunderbolt). If you want a solid state drive out of the box, the Retina model should be your choice as well. Then there’s the Retina display itself which is incredibly sharp and vivid. Having said all of that, this MacBook Pro should be your choice if you want a feature complete notebook that doesn’t compromise in any way. Plus if you want a matte display, this is your only choice. Plus at a starting price of $1799 CDN, it’s a good value. The design might not be as cool as the one found in the MacBook Pro with Retina display or the MacBook Air, but it’s very serviceable and still better than most things in the PC universe. If you buy it, you will not be disappointed with your purchase.
