Apple MacBook Pro MA601LL/A 15.4" Notebook PC (2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive,

Apple MacBook Pro - For the demanding computer user, the Apple MacBook Pro has a professional level of power and features. At it's heart is an Intel Core Duo processor. A processor with 2 separate cores. In English, that means it's like having 2 processors in one. The MacBook also features a large 15.4" widescreen display. Expanding your screen real estate to where you can easily have 2 programs open at the same time, side-by-side. You also get a 4x SuperDrive that lets you record audio, video, and data to CD & DVD media. A built-in iSight camera is a great addition to the MacBook Pro, allowing you to capture video for e-mail, or have a video conference from wherever there's an Internet connection available. I've just highlighted a fraction of the MacBook Pro's capabilities. Check out what else Apple has provided in this advanced mobile computer... Slot-Loading 4x SuperDrive Write Speeds - up to 4x DVD-R, 4x DVD+R, 4x DVD-RW, 4x DVD+RW, 24x CD-R & 10x CD-RW Read Speeds - up to 8x DVD-ROM & 24x CD-ROM ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI Built-in iSight Camera 15.4 Widescreen Display 1440x900 Native Resolution Ports - 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 1 FireWire 400, 2 USB 2.0, ExpressCard/34 slot, Combined Optical Digital Audio Input/Audio Line Input, Combined Optical Digital Audio Output/Headphone Out Built-in Stereo Speakers Built-in 54Mbps AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11g) Support Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) Module Illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor Unit Footprint - 14.1 x 9.6 Unit Thickness - 1 Unit Weight - 5.6 lbs.

Customer Reviews:

OK but with some shortcomings
I've been a Mac fan for about 20 years but have been using windows and linux laptops for the last 10 years or so because of compatibility requirements with my work. I was pretty excited to get this mac. The laptops are so beautiful and the OS is so clean that it's easy to fall in love with the machines. The good stuff everyone talks about: great OS, good keyboard feel, beautiful screen, nice power cord and connection, and generally quiet operation. But there are also ergonomic disappointments, especially compared to my old Thinkpad T41:

- The first and obvious one is the celebrated issue with the heat - the machines do get unacceptably hot under the palms near the keyboard. I'd love to ignore it, but it's irritating.

- The keyboard layout is much less efficient than the Thinkpad. There is about 4.5" of space between the front edge of the laptop and the keyboard, and the edges are quite sharp. I'm used to resting my palms on the area in front of the keyboard, but with the Macbook Pro this causes the edge to dig into the area above my wrist. The Thinkpad has much softer edges and also has a slight tilt to the base which makes typing much more comfortable.

- the keyboard feel is good but the layout is far inferior to the Thinkpad. For a company that resists a two-button mouse on the laptop because it's allegedly too complex, it's bizarre to build a keyboard that requires you to select 2 keys to do a forward delete or bring up a contextual menu, especially when the 4 modifier keys (fn, ctl, option, and apple) are all small and right next to each other.

I didn't get an appreciation for these annoyances at the store. Net net: make sure you're comfortable with the ergonomics before you plunge for $2K. As much time as you're going to spend with the machine, make sure it's comfortable.

--2006-12-05

Best computer I've ever seen!
I've switched over to mac about 2 years ago and I haven't looked back. As a matter of fact when I must use a Windows machine I dread it! I love my MacBook Pro and wouldn't trade if for anything else out there. I've had zero problems with it.

I did load bookcamp from apple (free) and installed windows for the one program I can't run in mac os x (Quickbooks) and I swear it runs windows better than any Dell I've used. I've never seen windows run so fast.

This is top of the line. You won't go wrong with this computer!
--2006-12-02

There are still bugs
I received my MacBookPro 2.33 Ghz two weeks ago. The optical drive went out on me 5 days after delivery and now it seems to just shut down without any warning - totally shut down. (I don't mean sleep either). Full battery power and it's plugged in yet it just turns off and I loose all my work. It's happened twice now - once a day. I'm afraid to call tech support because I know I'll be on the phone for hours over something so ellusive.

Just being on Apple support for something as obvious as a broken optical drive that won't mount media took over two hours of my life away on their support line and two trips to the Apple store and I have their 3 year extended support service as well. (Don't buy this thing without that - whatever you do).

I'm terribly concerned that this is a sign of more to come. I'm sick of windows and decided to switch to Mac. I love the OS, love the look and feel of the MacBookPro, but come on guys - you can't be sending out crap that makes me regret leaving the PC world - can you?
--2006-11-25

Pleased With My Product
I love my Mac. It is absolutely fantastic, but I do not know any of the specifics about it. Applecare? Anything.
--2006-11-02

Don't Buy
Don't buy the MacBook Pros. Here's my experience: I bought a MacBook Pro a few months ago and it was dead-on-arrival. I immediately had it replaced with my current MacBook Pro, which also turned out to be defective. I sent it in for repairs through my local Apple store to Apple's repair facility in Texas. Unfortunately for me, the defective part is the logic board (the motherboard on this notebook) and that part is on backorder, which I can only assume to be the case because of the demand for this part for other defective MacBook Pros. Apple's repair facility has had my notebook for more than four weeks now, and even after numerous phone calls to Apple's service center, I still don't have my notebook. My advice is to stay away from the MacBook Pros until Apple figures out why so many of them are unreliable (known problems include, but are not limited to, excessive heat and noise from the MacBook Pros). Just check Apple's official discussion forums and see for yourself.
--2006-10-05

- Apple Computer