Apple MacBook Pro 17 inch review

The Apple MacBook Pro comes in three different sizes: 13, 15 or 17 inch versions. They are all essentially the same laptop. Therefore the review you read will be, essentially, the same as it would be for the other two versions on pc-site.

Apple has recently upgraded its MacBook range and as far as we know, has no plans to release any newer models in the near future. However, you might want to check our news page as that’s where you’ll get to hear any news the moment any rumours start to happen.

What we like best

The chassis is made from a single piece of (recyclable) all-in-one moulded aluminium which gives it a smooth and attractive finish that design buffs will love.

The aluminium has a practical purpose. You will notice that it gets warm quite quickly, this is because the body conducts heat, with its metal shell allowing the heat to dissipate quickly so it never gets uncomfortably hot.

Not only is it cool, but the 17 inch version is the most powerful of the bunch. Weighing in at just 2.99 kg it is still fairly light and functions well under either of the i5 and i7 Core processor options.

Apple claims that the new displays show up to 60 per cent more of the colour gamut (the range of colours the screen can show).  It’s tricky to quantify but the resolution certainly seems sharper and the colours more vibrant. It’s also easier view to from an angle.

The signature keyboard is backlit and gorgeous. It is exceptionally comfortable for typing on.

What we like least

New users might struggle with the narrow return key and lack of forward delete button and getting used to the trackpad is slightly trickier. It has no buttons, though the bottom of the pad can be pushed down like a button, and took us a while to master.

The design of the model, being made from one single piece of aluminium means that you can’t take out the battery yourself, making upgrades more difficult.

The Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with automatic graphics switching and 512Mb GDDR3 is better than the 13 and 15 inch models, but it still no match for Call of Duty on max settings.

Where the MacBook Pro falls down is with some of the external hardware. The SD card reader is a nice addition but it only supports full size SD memory card. The Firewire 800 port is far faster than USB, but previous generation Firewire 400 devices are not directly connectable and an adaptor is required. Finally only two USB sockets is a little bit limiting.