apple macbook pro intel duo review

Have a picture of Apple Macbook Pro Intel Duo Laptop?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of Timmy.

Average Ratings
Screen Quality8.3/10
Battery Life8/10
Ease of Use8.8/10
Value for Money7.3/10
Reviewer Rating7/10
Overall Rating6.3/10 Based on 7 ratings
75% Recommended3 out of 4 Reviews

expert review of Apple Macbook Pro Intel Duo Laptop

By zharca Rank: 2nd Lieutenant on 9th Oct 2006

zharca's Ratings
Time Laptop Owned1 - 6 Months
Screen Quality8/10
Battery Life8/10
Ease of Use9/10
Value for money7/10
Overall value6/10
yes zharca's recommendation

Good Points

Easy setup
Potential performance
Looks cool for giving presentations on

Bad Points

Important Pro software hasn't caught up
Heavy to lug around
Cheaper Macbook just as useful and lighter

General Comments

Don't get me wrong, I'm writing this review on a Macbook Pro, so it must do something right, and it does. The computer has all of the usual Apple advantages - style of both software and hardware, foolproof set up and ease of use.

But it's a computer that's waiting for the industry to catch up. It's called "Pro", but in the main professional markets where Apple retains a presence, the all-important software hasn't yet been rewritten for the Intel processor. In short, Adobe CS II suite currently runs in emulation and runs like a dog. When doing real work with InDesign 4.0.4, I find the Macbook struggles at maybe half the performance of the little flat-panel RISC-processor iMacs, let alone a desktop G5. It's a problem that Apple are only too aware of, and it's noticeable that the changeover of the desktop G5's to the Intel platform has been delayed to let the software catch up.

So the only "Pro" applications that can make use of all that "Pro" processing power are severely hampered by not actually running at "Pro" speeds right now.

Does it get a recommendation? Yes, certainly if you want it for all the home computer tasks that Apple are so strong in. The iLife/iTunes/iPhoto suite may be all the software you need. One of the huge minuses to running OS X platform at home - losing the huge pool of Windows software and games - has been overcome by the ability to now run Windows as well, though actually setting that up is harder than an Apple owner might think. Best leave it to your dealer as part of the sale deal.

But for "Pro" use, in graphics, media, video or music you may see no advantage over an RISC-processor Mac until Intel-native releases of the software come along in 2007.

zharca's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!

How have you found this review?


2 Comments on Review by zharca for Apple Macbook Pro Intel Duo Laptop

  1. themaninthevan2001 Rank: Major on 19th Nov 2006

    Yeah, the Apple Macbook Pro is an outstanding notebook, and it has the best looks, a perfect finish and a great screen with a sexy design.

  2. zharca Rank: 2nd Lieutenant on 1st Dec 2006

    Hi,

    Since I wrote this, my Apple Macbook has destroyed its battery - a known issue with these.
    There's an Apple replacement programme, and one was sent to me FOC within a couple of days, but it's scary to see a battery distorted enough to break its case!



Top Laptops
Acer Aspire 6920G
Acer Aspire 8920G
Acer Aspire One Review
Acer TravelMate 5320
Apple MacBook Air
Apple MacBook Pro
Asus X51RL
Dell Inspiron 1520
Dell Inspiron 1525
Dell XPS M1530
Samsung R700 Reviews
Toshiba Satellite Pro L40-12S
Requested reviews
Acer TravelMate 5720
Alienware Area51 M9750
Asus EEE PC 900
Dell Inspiron 1720
Dell XPS M2010
Samsung P500
Samsung Q1 A100
Samsung Q45
Samsung R60
Samsung X65
Sony Vaio TZ
Toshiba Satellite A300

Would you like to see a review that's not being listed?

View 17 more

Hot Stuff in Laptops
Laptops
  1. Acer Aspire 8920G
  2. Acer Aspire One Review
  3. Apple MacBook Pro
  4. Asus EEE PC 900
  5. Dell Inspiron 1525
  6. Dell Inspiron 1720
  7. Dell XPS M1530
  8. Samsung Q1 A100
  9. Samsung Q45
  10. Samsung R700 Reviews
  11. Sony Vaio SZ

Similar Price Laptops

  1. Samsung Q1 A100 (about £1645)
  2. Sony Vaio XL201 (about £1689)
  3. Sony VGN A2157 (about £1704)
  4. Asus-Lamborghini VX1 (about £1706)
  5. Asus Lamborghini (about £1706)
  6. Sony Vaio B1XP (about £1623)
  7. Sony Vaio SZ1VP (about £1623)
  8. Asus Lamborghini VX2 (about £1715)
  9. Sony FS115B (about £1614)
  10. Sony Vaio VGN AR41L (about £1589)

Web Results
Apple - MacBook Pro
With the latest Intel processor, a bigger hard drive, more memory, and even more innovative features, the new MacBook Pro has all the power, performance and connectivity of a desktop computer. Without ...

www.apple.com
Apple (United Kingdom) - MacBook Pro
With the latest Intel processor, a bigger hard drive, more memory and even more innovative features, the new MacBook Pro has all the power, performance and connectivity of a desktop computer. Without ...

www.apple.com
Apple MacBook Pro Intel Core Duo - Lee opiniones
Lee 33 opiniones sobre Apple MacBook Pro Intel Core Duo y encuentra las mejores ofertas. ...¿Volveras a windows tras probarlo? (mejorada) Evaluación del producto Apple MacBook Pro Intel Core Duo por

www.ciao.es
Digg - Apple MacBook Pro Intel Core Duo 2 Review: an Indispensable ...
reviews.digitaltrends.com?"While the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo is aesthetically the same as the original MacBook Pro, the upgrade to the Core 2 Duo processor is more than significant.

digg.com
Apple MacBook Pro 2.33GHz Review and User Opinions. Laptops Reviews ...
The newly released MacBook Pro offers a massive increase in computing power and energy efficiency thanks to the Core 2 Duo processor by Intel.

reviews.digitaltrends.com
The Apple Store (U.S.) - MacBook Pro
Powered by the most advanced mobile processors from Intel, the Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pro is up to 74% faster than the original Core Duo-based MacBook Pro and supports up to 4GB of RAM.2...

store.apple.com
Apple releases MacBook Pro with Intel Core 2 Duo - The Unofficial ...
The Apple Store (US) is still down as I type this, but the apple.com splash page shows the MacBook Pro with Intel Core Duo, as many of us suspected was coming when the store went down this morning.

www.tuaw.com
Apple MacBook Pro (15.4-inch 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) Laptop ...
CNET's comprehensive Apple MacBook Pro (15.4-inch 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) coverage includes unbiased reviews, exclusive video footage and Laptop buying guides. Compare Apple MacBook Pro (15.4-inch 2 ...

reviews.cnet.com
Apple MacBook Pro news, reviews and downloads on CNET
Reviewed on November 15, 2006 The new MacBook, updated to Intel's Core 2 Duo CPU, compares very favorably with Apple's high-end MacBook Pro line, offering premium performance at a reasonable price.

www.cnet.com
Apple - Mac mini
Going fast. The MacBook notebook family now features Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Choose from the 13-inch MacBook model or 15- or 17-inch MacBook Pro models, all featuring built-in iSight camera, ...

apple.com