Laptops Reviews
13,665 Reviews

15in Apple MacBook Pro (summer 2009) review

£1708.02 inc VAT

Manufacturer: Apple

Our Rating: We rate this 4 out of 5

By | Computerworld US | 17 June 09

The 15in Apple MacBook Pro now comes in three varieties, all of them with 4GB of RAM - which you can double to 8GB for a massive £799 - and hard drives with between 250GB and 500GB of space, or solid-state disk drives of 128GB or 256GB.

Related Articles

The 15in Apple MacBook Pro now comes in three varieties, all of them with 4GB of RAM - which you can double to 8GB for a massive £799 - and hard drives with between 250GB and 500GB of space, or solid-state disk drives of 128GB or 256GB.

Apple MacBook Pro: built-in batteries

Less obvious is the non-removable lithium-polymer battery, which offers substantially more time on juice than earlier models. The 17in Apple MacBook Pro, which comes with the same 2.8GHz processor as the top-end 15in model, was the first in the lineup to get the integrated battery back in January 2009. Apple says it can power the 17in model for eight hours, and we easily got about 6.5 hours of use without trying very hard when reviewing that particular laptop earlier this year.

The 75 Watt-hour battery that's in the 15in version is the same one used in the new 13in Apple MacBook Pro. According to Apple, it will last up to seven hours. We've never been able to duplicate Apple's battery numbers, but we were able to use this Apple MacBook Pro for just over five hours without plugging it in, mostly while surfing the web wirelessly, text editing and watching the occasional video.

Laptops news and reviews

That's the most we've ever got out of the 15in MacBook Pro, and we didn't even turn down the screen brightness as much as Apple does when testing. Others, too, are seeing seriously better time on battery.

It's disconcerting to spend a few hours working and then notice that the battery indicator is still showing the battery half full. That's doubly true if you've used Windows machines that can run through a battery in less than two hours. It's akin to speeding down the highway and glancing at a speedometer that indicates you're doing just 20 miles an hour.

Business IT advice and reviews

Given that the battery is no longer removable, you won't be bringing extra batteries on cross-country flights. But Apple says the Apple MacBook Pro will play full-screen DVDs at maximum screen brightness - with the volume turned up to the max - for 3.5 hours. It may not get you clear across the country, but if you turn down the brightness and lower the volume, you could still squeeze in two movies.

If you're concerned about not being able to replace the battery - and one of our Mac guru buddies rushed to buy the last-generation laptop for just that reason - Apple claims the built-in battery will last for about 1,000 charge cycles and shouldn't need replacing for five years.

NEXT PAGE: hard drive options >>

15in Apple MacBook Pro summer 2009 [PC] Expert Verdict »

« previous 2 4 next »

Post Review
2.53GHz or 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB L2 cache, or 2.8GHz or 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB L2 cache
1066MHz frontside bus
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 memory, up to 8GB
15.4in LED widescreen display
MagSafe power port, Gigabit Ethernet port, One FireWire 800 port, Mini DisplayPort, 2x USB 2.0 (up to 480Mbps), SD card slot, Audio line in/line out, Kensington lock
AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi wireless networking
IEEE 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
stereo speakers
250GB, 320GB, or 500GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive, optional 320GB or 500GB 7200rpm hard drive, or 128GB or 256GB SSD
8x slot-loading SuperDrive
24.1x364x249mm
2.49kg
  • Overall: We give this item 8 of 10 overall

The 15in Apple MacBook Pro seems larger than it is. This is a good thing. Given that the overall design of the MacBook Pro is unchanged, the updates to the model line are evolutionary. It's the price cuts that, for Apple, border on the revolutionary. Ask Apple officials about that and they talk about wanting to "bring more value" to the laptop equation. That, Apple has done. At a time when the economy is soft, companies are squirreling away every IT panny they can, and consumers are leery of big, new purchases, they need every justification possible before plunking money down for a new computer. Price cuts, solid construction and innovative features, combined with a new OS that'll be just £19 in three months, might just do the trick.

There are currently no price comparisons for this product.
  • Apple MacBook 2.13GHz (white) review

    Apple MacBook 2.13GHz (white)

    If price plays a greater role in a shopper's buying decisions during tough economic times, Apple's recent updates to its entry-level laptop, the white, £749 MacBook, should help push some cost-conscious consumers over the laptop-buying fence.

  • Apple MacBook Air review

    Apple MacBook Air

    In many ways the story of the MacBook Air is the story of a series of compromises, all made in order to fit an entire Mac in a 1.3kg package that's 4mm thick at its thinnest point.

  • Apple MacBook Pro 13in (Mid-2009) review

    Apple MacBook Pro 13in (Mid-2009)

    The newest member of Apple's MacBook Pro line-up makes an impressive debut.

  • Apple MacBook 2GHz with nVidia GeForce 9400M review

    Apple MacBook 2GHz with nVidia GeForce 9400M

    With its recent internal updates, the £719 white Apple MacBook 2GHz is a better all around system than the white MacBook it replaces.

  • Apple MacBook (2.26GHz; Late 2009)

    The MacBook is the best-selling Mac model in Apple's history. So it makes a lot of sense that Apple has given its entry-level white laptop a considered makeover - UPDATED 8 JAN 2010

Share this article



Comments

Send to a friend

Email this article to a friend or colleague:

PLEASE NOTE: Your name is used only to let the recipient know who sent the story. Both your name and the recipient's name and address will not be used for any other purpose.