Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch)

Full Review

Unveiled at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro has three new features that were not found in the aluminum MacBooks that have been replaced. First, the new 13-inch laptops use a longer-lasting, non-removable battery, similar to the one first unveiled in the 17-inch MacBook Pro. Second, Apple re-implemented the 13-inch’s FireWire connectivity in the form of a single backwards-compatible FireWire 800 port. And finally, the new 13-inch MacBook Pros now feature a Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot. Having an internal SD card reader is obviously handy for photographers and videographers whose cameras record to the popular SD format.

Features and Design

The MacBook Pro's aluminum design is akin to the MacBook Air. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two standard configurations. We reviewed the high-end model that features a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 RAM, and a 250GB 5,400 rpm hard drive. Both models ship with the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphic chip that share 256MB of main memory. The new laptops look nearly identical to the aluminum MacBooks they replaced. They have the same precision-crafted aluminum unibody design, an iSight camera, and a glossy widescreen with a 1280x800 pixel resolution. Looking at a batch of photos on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro models and the older 13-inch aluminum MacBook, bright colors like reds and oranges really stand out on the new laptops, making the previous display look a little muted in comparison. Unfortunately, there isn't an anti-glare screen option for the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pros have a MagSafe power connector, Gigabit Ethernet port, Mini DisplayPort, two USB 2.0 ports, and the previously mentioned FireWire 800 port and SD card slot on the left. These two additions do come at the cost of separate audio in and audio out ports, which are replaced with a combined optical digital output/headphone out port that can be switched to be an analog audio line in. Also, the Kensington lock slot has moved to the right side, next to the slot loading 8x dual-layered DVD writer. The whole unit weighs in at 2.3-kg, which is about the same as the older MacBook.

Performance
You can’t swap out the new built-in lithium polymer battery, but Apple’s hoping you never need to--our tests show that the new battery lasts longer per charge than the removable battery found in the previous generation of MacBooks.

In our battery test, we looped a DVD movie at full screen brightness and 50% volume; in another instance browsing the Web with Wi-Fi on, and listening to iTunes with 50% volume, we were able to extract 4 hours 15 minutes out of it--pretty impressive. The new 13-inch MacBooks lasted about 48 minutes longer than the older aluminum MacBook, and about 10 minutes longer than the current 2.13GHz white MacBook. Throughout our various benchmarks, we found the new MacBook to be faster than the older one by 12-15%.

Buy the MacBook Pro 13-inch if you have a bit more money to splurge, otherwise settle for the entry-level 13-inch White MacBook.

Bottom Line

As with all Apple products, cool design and high performance comes at a price--in this case Rs. 85,000--and it isn't for the faint of heart. You can easily find a better value for money laptop in our Top 5 Mainstream Laptop recommendations, but none compare to the charm and allure of a MacBook. However, with the return of FireWire, longer battery life, better looking display and a new built-in SD Card slot that you can boot from, the newest member of the MacBook Pro makes an impressive debut.