MacBook Pro CPU, GPU, Hard Drive Specs Bumped

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• ImSpartacus - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link

  I put Win7 on my MBP13'09. I am most comfortable with Windows and there was no comparable laptop on the market in the summer of 2009.
  
  In all honesty, the Macbook Pros haven't changed much since then. Performance has ballooned (mostly due to SNB) and battery life has evolved, but the Macbook Pros haven't had groundbreaking changes. Yet, they are still able to hold their own in today's market (though less so than a few years ago).
  
  So there must be something to a Macbook Pro that makes them competitive. It's more than the performance. It's more than the operating system. It's in the little things. Battery life is stellar for such high performance machines. Build quality is top-notch. The trackpad is STILL unmatched. The keyboard is satisfactory. The screen is excellent for a TN. Each quality is unremarkable by itself, but when you combine them all in a machine that's much smaller than the competition, you have a winner.

• bupkus - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link

  Another very well stated appreciation of the MBP.
  
  Thanks for avoiding even addressing the mud slingers of both camps; civility is so nice to hear.
  
  Taking different positions is fine. I like to read of different takes but abusive diatribes really is unnecessary and just plain ugly.

• KoolAidMan1 - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link

  Great post. For whatever drawbacks they may have, they get more right overall than the majority of other laptops. Lenovos and MBPs are all I consider at this point, and the price argument goes right out the window there as the machines I'd want are priced pretty closely.

• ImSpartacus - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

  Yup, you get what you pay for.
  
  I, too, considered both Thinkpads and MBPs for my first laptop. While I love the Thinkpad aesthetic, the MBP's trackpad and battery life ultimately won me over.

• Phanbot1 - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link

  Perish the thought, Lion is so much nicer than Win 7. from the moment I got it, I kicked Win 7 off my 17" MBP.

• lukarak - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link

  I will still use windows, but i don't have them installed separately, everything i need is in a couple of windows and linux VMs. And all that in a macbook pro that doesn't run hot, that you install a little piece of software to manually control the fan speed, that can run just fine at 100% with just the battery, that has the best ergonomics, the best trackpad, one of the best keyboards (at least i have the same for my desktop so it's perhaps just being used to it), a great display, and available repair parts.
  
  Lion, with the multitouch touchpad and multiple desktops has increased my productivity significantly. It's so refreshing not to have to use a key combination to switch between the 6-10 desktops i have open.

• starfalcon - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link

  It's Apple dude.......I've been outraged at their prices for a long time, but I just go get something else and let them make their money.

• KoolAidMan1 - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - link

  The prices are "ridiculous only if you compare them to garbage laptops with crap screens, keyboards, and trackpads. Comparably priced and specced Lenovos like the x220 come out around the same. HP Elitebooks and Sony Zs can be even more expensive.
  
  If you want a cheaply made notebook or one that compromises portability and battery life in any way, you can absolutely get a less expensive one. If you want to compromise on fewer things then you'll spend more whether it is from Apple or anyone else.

• damianrobertjones - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link

  Let's hope that it's not thrown on as seen via tear downs

• stm1185 - Monday, October 24, 2011 - link

  They really couldn't bump that up to 8gb at $2500!