To develop something truly different, you have to work in a way that is truly different. The designers and engineers collaborate Apple at every stage of product development. This partnership enables innovation. And that’s exactly how the new MacBook Pro has been created. With its unibody innovative new features and its design-friendly environment, it marks a revolution in how notebooks are made.

Until now, all notebooks were designed in the same way: by assembling multiple pieces to create a single enclosure. But the integration of all parts needed increased dimensions, weight, complexity and risks of failure. Solving this problem required a more gradual change. It required a breakthrough. To create the new MacBook Pro, the design teams and engineering have devised a way to replace these multiple pieces by one. This unique piece is called the unibody. This is a case in one piece, cut from a single block of aluminum.

The development of a unique piece generates its own set of difficulties. With multiple components related to each other, it is not necessary to obtain a perfect tolerance. There may be loose, in every sense of the term. But when the same piece has a number of functions, it is essential that this piece is manufactured with absolute precision, to Micron. Every time. Millions of times.

There was only one way to achieve this level of precision: it had cut the unibody from a solid block of aluminum using CNC (Computer Numerical Control for CNC machines), the type used by the aerospace industry to make strategic components of spacecraft.

The thickness of a notebook depends on the technology that integrates: LCDs typically use cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) to create a light source and projecting an image on a screen. But that poses two problems. First, these lamps require more space, so the screen can not win with finesse.

Secondly, like the fluorescent lights in your home or office, those that fit a screen backlight CCFL take time to warm up before reaching their full luminosity. In sum, a lose-lose situation. That’s why Apple engineers chose the technology with LED backlight for the new MacBook.

But where’s the button? The amazing new trackpad also serves button: press anywhere and feel that you have clicked. The lack of a separate button allows you to identify 39 percent more space: much space to walk your fingers won on the glass surface to soft. Now that Multi-Touch manipulation can be performed on a MacBook, you have all the functions at your fingertips. Use two fingers to scroll a page vertically.

Pinch the screen to enlarge or reduce the elements. Swipe with three fingers to flip through your photo libraries and rotate an image with your fingertips. With the new handling of four-finger swipe, swipe vertically to switch between your open applications. If you come from a world ruled by right-clicking, you can even configure a right click area to access shortcut menus. The more you use the Multi-Touch trackpad, the more you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.

Simply wonderful. The screen LED-backlit MacBook does not shine only by its superb design seamless, a remarkable finesse. Open your MacBook and you are instantly greeted by a wonderful light from the screen. The aluminum enclosure is perfectly integrated into the glass screen, so that the image of perfect clarity, appears larger and more striking than ever. Everything you look, including the glossy widescreen display itself, proves spectacular. The backlit LED operates more energy, which translates to greater autonomy. And since it contains no mercury or arsenic, it is greener than ever.

The new darling of Apple fans arrived in our offices: the MacBook Air . And we must recognize that leaves no one indifferent. Even the fiercest critics of the Apple brand will be forced to recognize that Mr. Jobs has struck a blow. 1.94 cm thick! It is THE feature that distinguishes this from other laptop models. As shown so advertising on television, he holds a kraft envelope. Consequently, its weight is equally minimalist: 1.36 Kg With such measurements, it fits easily into any pocket or bag, wrap himself the trouble of a large suitcase dedicated to mobile phones. The finish is no exception, since the same design all-aluminum MacBook Pro. The keyboard offers backlit keys, not only is beautiful, but this appears to be especially handy when you need to work in low-light conditions. A part of the case must surely be the radiator to cool the internal components.

Of course, such a compact requires restricting connections. It is equally minimalist dimensions: a small pivoting door to discover the jack audio connector for an external monitor (with DVI and VGA adapters supplied), and the single USB port. No Ethernet jack, or Firewire. A USB to Ethernet adapter is optional, but lost a good portion of the flow of Ethernet as to meet the 802.11n WiFi team that this notebook. It supports 802.11 a, b and g, and with the preliminary version of n (which is still not finalized at present). It goes without saying that it is primarily the single USB to us grieve. A second would have been welcome.

Note however that the webcam is integrated into the frame of the screen. The latter offers a definition of 1280 x 800 points on 13.3-inch, is the same format as previous phones brand. The MacBook Air that we have received is equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz. An optional version is available with a 1.8GHz processor. A little gain, but this adds a finishing disc SDS (flash memory), which pushed the bill of 1167 euros. To assess the overall performance of this little laptop, we face up to two processors Macs with the same generation: an iMac and a new iMac.Crash! This time it’s gadin. The slow hard disk is its small size: 1.8 inches, 2.5 inches cons for a standard portable, and 3.5 inches for desktops. The linear velocity of the end plate is smaller than on larger disks, thus reducing the transfer rate. Moreover, its speed limited to 4200 rpm is far from those of larger discs (5400 and 7200 rpm). This does not feel slow at loading Mac OS X, and during the startup of software that takes a little longer than usual, but nothing insurmountable.



Last, its autonomy. It is announced at 5:00 and has actually been measured at 2:20 during our tests. Note that our protocol test measures the self while playing a DVD. So we have shuttered the optional external drive, which represents an additional energy consumption. In addition, this use is much more greedy than office use. In the latter case, autonomy is around 4 to 5 hours. A great performance for a laptop so small.

We know Apple users we would at stake for such heresy. However, to compare the performance of some tests with PCs, we had no choice. For Photoshop CS3, Adobe sent us a dedicated Mac version of MacBook Pro 13 . Unfortunately, we could not install because of an incompatibility with the type of hard disk volume. So we had to fall back on the PC version on Vista. One never tires of saying, designated by Mac computers are beautiful. Whether you’re addicted to the Apple brand or not, is undeniable. The keyboard of the machine has no numeric keypad. The navigation keys are superimposed multimedia keys F7 through F12 (only work on Mac OS X, not Vista). Compared to a conventional PC keyboard, missing a few keys handy as screen printing, del, insertion. However, their smaller number offers a set airy and is very pleasing. The large and tactile pad out of a bar left click only. To right click on Vista, you must press two fingers on the pad and click.

The connection interfaces are proposed: one FireWire 400, two USB, one Gigabit and one mini-DVI out (without sound). A final point on the ergonomics of the product: making connection to the current magnet. The force exerted by the magnetic field is large enough that it does not come off permanently. However, if someone were to walk on the wire, it disconnects and avoids sending the laptop to land: ingenious.

The performance of the Apple machine are particularly penalized by a DVD very slow. The software installations are up to two times longer than the fastest PCs in the field. The maximum speed transfer files, read from our Western Digital external hard drive, was achieved via USB for large files (26MB / s) and FireWire for medium sized files (25 MB / s). For part writing, FireWire is the head of the two types of files using 25.5 and 14.5 Mb / s. Here, the absence of entry e-SATA is particularly acute. The maximum transfer rate (26MB / s) is almost two times lower than that Fujitsu-Siemens (Amilo Si 2636 model) proposes. The performance of the memory card reader could not be measured because it does not. In the middle of the screen on top, is a webcam. The image suggested by this device has not fully convinced. The image is noisy and tends to give you a very red skin tones. Feel free to drop a notch saturation of the image. The sound is much better however.



The autonomy of the portable MacBook Pro 13 has lived up to our expectations. With two hours and 51 minutes of continuous reading of films, he takes the helm of our chart.
The choice between a PC and a Mac is played sometimes little things. Here are 10 good reasons to succumb to the apple:
1 – Mac OS X
2 – Aesthetics (timeless)
Three – Ergonomics
4 – The ease of use of Apple applications (unless you are trained in the PC. In this case, the ease of use is inversely proportional)
5 – iLife’08 suite (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, etc.).
6 – The certainty of compatibility between Apple products
7 – The absence of virus
8 – The stability of the machine
9 – The ease of installation of Vista with the application Boot Camp
10 – You can read a PC hard drive on Mac, the reverse is not possible.

Apple has accustomed us to laptops very well finished. The 17-inch MacBook Pro is no exception to the rule. The design is still remarkable and all-aluminum (except the keyboard). A material which makes it robust, clean and pleasant to the touch. Whether you love Apple or not, we must recognize that the MacBook Pro is near flawless. The model we received is equipped with a mat slab, unlike other MacBook. This is an option charged 45 euros. In practice, it changes the appearance of the machine because there is more glass plate that covers the entire screen. The edges are aluminum, like the rest of the machine and the slab is slightly indented. The aesthetic result is good, although it is a matter of personal taste. We tend to prefer the convenience of the floor mat. This makes it possible to avoid glare and fingerprints. The closure of the magnetic screen is very well maintained and the machine closed.

The keyboard is very comfortable. Although it could be broader and include a keypad, the keys are still of good size (15 x 15 mm) and it quickly finds its mark. Typing is smooth and quiet. All keys are backlit and the brightness can be adjusted through 16 levels of intensity. The default setting is automatic and the intensity of the backlight (keyboard and screen) adapts according to ambient brightness. The touchpad is now what is the best on the market. Multi-touch (zoom, rotate, scroll to several fingers, etc..) Wide, clickable on more than half (lower) of its surface, it offers a very smooth glide, comfortable and precise. It regrets, however, the clicking noise that does not pass unnoticed. It is preferable to enable the click by touch when you’re in public.

Apple MacBook Pro 17 webcamlive webcam is very good. Fluidity is the appointment, as the contrast and sharpness. In the darkness, we continue to see clear enough, although the white balance is a bit of trouble with the artificial lights. Despite a processor clocked at 3.06 GHz, 2 graphics cards and a large fine, the MacBook Pro 17 inch is very quiet. Any breakdown occurs at the hinge of the screen (intake and exhaust). This is very convenient for the use on the lap without fear of overheating. Thank you to the aluminum shell that evacuates heat well. The fan speeds during heavy treatments (video encoding, 3D, advanced photo editing, etc.) without becoming really noisy either. The breakdown is audible, although quite tolerable. Like other Apple laptops, the connection remains the poor relation of the MacBook Pro. There are still three USB 2.0 ports, 1 RJ45, 1 FireWire 800, 1 ExpressCard, 1 headphone (with S / PDIF) and a microphone. The video output is provided by a mini DisplayPort, and therefore requires the purchase of an adapter if you want to connect to a DVI or HDMI screen. All these ports are located on the left edge of the machine, next to the magnetic power plug (always handy to avoid breaking the record). We would have liked to see more a memory card reader, an e-SATA port and an HDMI. Right side, we find that the connector lock and the DVD slot-in type (snap disc). It is very well integrated but unfortunately a lot of noise when loading discs and during software installations.



Effect of hull “unibody” there is no direct opening in the machine, including the battery is removable. However, it is still possible to dismantle the entire bottom, simply by removing eight small screws (our colleagues at iFixit have dismantled all).

You can start a section on the ergonomics of laptops Apple bypassing aesthetics. Once again, Apple hits hard: the laptop is very nice. The stars out of eyes, we can get down to business. The keyboard is spaced and comfortable to use. The buttons are large and quiet.
The touchpad is unique for 2 reasons. It is very large, clickable on almost all of its surface. He is not here to pat the area but to click by tapping. If you use regular notebook, you’ll be surprised originally laid. However, you’ll quickly fold. A video of use is available on the product page. Find the box entitled “A New Multi-Touch trackpad.

The interfaces available around the machine, unfortunately after the minimalist aspect of the whole: 2 USB, 1 FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort output 1 and 2 mini-jacks. If you are not the happy possessor of a DisplayPort monitor, do not throw straight away your old monitor. Apple offers an option on its website Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter or DVI to 29 euros each. What connect your “old” 24 inch DVI monitor bought at exorbitant prices on the Apple store last year. Finally, to customize your machine, Apple also includes a port Express Card. The major absentees are the HDMI output, memory card reader and making e-SATA. Note the power port is magnetized. No risk of twisting the plug if you accidentally walk on the wire.
Sockets
DVD Recorder
Battery Indicator
Very large touchpad
The integrated speakers are of good quality. The sound does not cut the proposed low and the maximum volume is very comfortable to use for several people (watch out for glare if you look from the side). Keep still a helmet under his elbow, to really enjoy the soundtrack and do not disturb your neighbors train. The benchmark is the counterpart to XBench FutureMark tests for Apple notebooks. We used and compared the results with previous Apple products tested with 13-inch MacBook and the MacBook Air.

Compared to the MacBook 13-inch white, this model is distinguished by its real 3D capability. On all other tests, but before he finished a short head. Caution, this may hide another. Photoshop, from version CS4 uses the graphics card to accelerate calculations. For more information on this section, you can view the news Macworld between old and new MacBook and MacBook Pro. Do not miss it either, the news flow on the FireWire 800 compared to the USB interface which, abandoned by Apple Pro models not reached speeds equivalent to e-SATA read. The chipset and graphics card integrated into the notebook are two very good signs to start the game Thurs As mentioned in the news soon laptops 1st prize talent for gaming, Nvidia chipset provides more real and makes it possible the game on a machine with only this component. Here, it is not necessary since it is supported by a 9600 M GT. This card provides the power needed to run the latest 3D games in native resolution. Caution, do not expect to push all the graphics options to maximum. Another difficulty is that all games are not translated into Apple version. For the titles available, you can go to Games page for your Mac from the Apple store.



We’ve already touted the MacBook Pro independently in the news Test MacBook Pro: autonomy under Mac OS X and Vista. Mac OS X, laptop reached 199 minutes (3:19). This is an excellent score for a notebook. Now, we can not help but ogle for netbooks on this part.