Click to see the Apple Macbook Pro 13-inch on Amazon!
Design
The 2011 13-inch MacBook Pro is virtually identical to its predecessor. Slim with its iconic curved lid, the aluminium unibody chassis exudes premium build quality from all angles. Measuring 12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inches, and weighing 4.6 pounds, the new machine has the same dimensions as before but is a fraction heavier (0.2 pounds).
One drawback is that the MacBook Pro’s battery is not replaceable, at least not without Apple tech support. Also, the chassis can scratch easily if exposed to sharp objects, making a custom-fit cover a smart investment.
Folks familiar with the MacBook Pro know that its keyboard is one of the best around.
On the outside, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is almost exactly the same as the previous version.
Build quality is excellent thanks to the very strong and rigid unibody chassis that is machined out a solid block of aluminum. Unless you were going to clamp the MacBook Pro in a vise and try to bend it, you can’t really find any flex anywhere on the main half of the notebook.
Features
New to the 13-inch MacBook Pro is Intel’s Thunderbolt technology.. ThunderBolt offers a theoretical throughput speed of 10 Gbps.
No peripherals exist yet that use ThunderBolt, but products are expected to arrive this summer. Apple has demonstrated a 4.42GB folder being copied in about 10 seconds, a blazing data rate of 452.6 MBps.
Thanks to a new FaceTime HD camera, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro now supports 720p HD video calls. Couple the cam with a newly installed FaceTime app that first debuted on the iPhone 4, and you’ve got a powerful video chat tool.
- LaptopMag.com
The 13.3-inch glossy screen on the model we tested has a native resolution of 1,280×800 and is not upgradable.
- ComputerShopper.com
In order to partake in Intel’s Core technology, the MacBook Pro 13-inch had to part ways with Nvidia.. ..And this new integrated graphics environment—the Intel HD Graphics 3000— is almost as powerful as the GeForce 320M. Thing is, it’s more of a lateral move—or even a downgrade— than stellar upgrade.
The size of the battery hasn’t changed since the previous iteration; it’s still a 63.5Wh capacity. We ran the battery down in Windows 7 (via Bootcamp) with a test called MobileMark 2007, which the 13-inch (Thunderbolt) finished in 3 hours, 58 minutes. That’s about an hour less than the previous 13-inch (5:05). Now, the battery is under extreme duress because the parts are running at full throttle in Windows 7. Power consumption is better managed in Mac OS 10, and a video rundown test bears that out. The 13-inch lasted 4 hours, 53 minutes, though it’s still about 30 minutes less than its predecessor (5:18). It should easily reach the 7 hour mark with just web surfing and word processing.
Overall Pros/Cons
Pros
- Great battery life
- Beautiful screen
- Very sold – well built
- Glass touchpad is great
- Speedy processor upgrade
Cons
- Can run very hot
- Not so ergonomic
- No upgrade in graphical performance
- Sub-par resolution
Buy Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch
