Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch review

Posted by Ian Osborne on Mon 29 Jun 2009

The smallest Macbook. Ever.

The users spoke. Apple listened. Back in October 2008, the Cupertino-based computing giant released a 13-inch MacBook featuring its unibody enclosure, carved from a single piece of aluminium for lightness and strength. But for some reason, they dropped the FireWire port. The Apple community was up in arms. With FireWire having been included in almost every Apple Mac for over a decade, many – perhaps most – Mac users had at least one peripheral which used FireWire, and were dismayed to find it missing on the new MacBook. Less than a year later, in the summer of 2009, Apple upgraded its entire range. The aluminium 13-inch MacBook joined the Pro range, and the FireWire port returned, alongside a brand-new built-in SD card reader. Hurrah!

But the new 13-inch MacBook Pro offers far more than new and returning expansion ports. It boasts improvements across the board, as well as a significant price drop…

The new laptop includes Apple’s revolutionary new battery, first seen early this year in the 17-inch MacBook Pro. By making it internal and non-removable, saving space previously used for hatches and connectors, Apple’s engineers were able to include a bigger, better battery without making the laptop fatter or heavier. It lasts for an incredible seven hours on a single charge. When it wears out you must get it professionally replaced (currently £99 at the Apple Store), but as it lasts three times as long as most batteries, it could well work out cheaper.

The new LED-backlit display is absolutely gorgeous. Boasting a 60% wider colour gamut, it gives a noticeably more rich and intense reproduction. Comparing Leopard’s Aurora desktop image side by side with an older Apple laptop, the gradients look so much smoother and more faithful to the original.

As you’d expect from a largely-incremental upgrade, the Intel Core 2 Duo processors have been beefed up. This 13-inch model is available in 2.26GHz and 2.53GHz configurations. The 2.53GHz model we tested here performed very well in our benchmarking tests, taking a small but significant step forward across the board. A notable exception was our iTunes Encoding test, where we see how long it takes to convert a test CD to MP3s using Apple’s digital media player app. Here it performed identically to the less powerful MacBook 2.13GHz and the higher-specced MacBook Pro 15-inch, 2.8GHz, also released this summer. It seems the optical drive is the limiting factor here, not processor speed.

All 13-inch MacBook Pros now have an illuminated keyboard, which activates automatically when light is low. Previously available only on the top-of-the-range 13-inch model and above, it’s now standard throughout the MacBook Pro range.

On the down side, the 13-inch model is the only MacBook Pro not to have a discrete graphics processor, relying on its integrated graphics to get the job done. Not that it puts in a poor performance. In our Doom 3 frame-rate test, it shifted almost 40 frames a second at the highest video settings. Even so, with the 13-inch device now part of the Pro range, the extra power offered by discrete graphics would’ve been a boon.

With all these extra features, you’d be forgiven for expecting a price rise. Instead, there’s been an across-the-board price drop, with the new models costing less than their last-generation equivalents. For example, an entry level, 13-inch MacBook Pro costs £899, down from £929. You could argue that they’re still a little pricey, especially the high-end model we reviewed here which is £1,149. Even so, a performance increase coupled with a price drop can only be welcomed.

Finally, although the next version of Apple’s OS X operating system, Snow Leopard, is due for release in September, there’s no need to put off buying a new Mac. Purchase a qualifying computer between now and then, and you can pre-order a copy of Snow Leopard for a £7.95 handling charge, See www.apple.com/uk/macosx/uptodate for details.

There really isn’t much to complain about here. Given the cost of the machine and the fact that the 13-inch model is now part of the Pro range, it would certainly benefit from discrete graphics. But given the across-the-board improvements and the drop in price, there’s never been a better time to buy a MacBook.

Links: Apple

Buy one here: Apple

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User Comments

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By MacMatte

30|06|2009 01:07

The following are quotes from http://macmatte.wordpress.com

"Those people – who point to Apple’s upward growth as vindication of the glossy-only policy – are not taking into account that most of the impetus to switch to Apple comes from other factors, namely: the window of opportunity created by Microsoft Vista’s inadequacies, the halo effect of the iPod/iPhone, and from OSX’s perceived advantages over Windows Vista/XP. All these factors combined mean that, even if a substantial number of people detest glossy screens, Apple’s sales figures would still show an upward trend – not because everyone loves glossy screens … but in spite of it."

"[A recent MacRumors poll showed that] if given freedom of choice, ... 46.16% prefer matte. ... 18.68% would not buy glossy."

This means that if Apple offered the matte option, its sales could have been even greater.

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