Customer Reviews

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an able computer, but the so called value additions that make this model $300 more expensive than the standard Macbook Pro 13 are hardly worth it. If you're thinking about buying this version of the 13 inch Macbook Pro, please consider taking a look at the standard Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop.

The only difference between this $1499 MBP 13 and the $1199 MBP 13 are processor speed and hard drive space - this MBP 13 has a 2.66ghz processor and 320 gb hard drive while the standard MBP 13 has a 2.4 ghz processor and 250 gb hard drive.

So you're paying $300 more (20% of the cost of the $1499 MBP 13 or 25% of the cost of the standard $1199 MBP 13) and getting only 70 gb more hard drive space and a processor faster by 266 mhz (Approximately 10%). Whether that's worth a $300 price difference over the standard MPB 13 is questionable.

Everything else is IDENTICAL in both MPB 13's - Superdrive, backlit keyboard, multi-touch trackpad, screen (1280 x 800 resolution Glossy LED backlit screen), iSight camera, Nvidia Geforce 320m integrated graphics, speakers, amount of ram (4gb - good for multitasking),number of ports(1 Firewire 800 port,2 USB 2.0 ports), SD Card slot, wireless capabilities (802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible, Bluetooth 2.1 and Gigabit Ethernet -10/100/1000). THE SAME EVERYTHING.

The software included is also the same - OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and the iLife 09 suite of content creation tools. A 1 year warranty on parts and 90 day telephone technical support is also standard on both models

Let's consider a situation where you choose to buy the standard MBP 13 instead of this model. You'd save $300.

You could then put it towards purchasing a 500 gb hard drive (for approximately $80 on Amazon) and install it yourself. That's a bigger hard drive than the one included in this $1499 model. The installation instructions are included in the MBP 13 manual and it doesn't void the warranty. You'll need a Philips #00 screwdriver. Installation videos are also available online.

You'd also have $220 left with which,(if you decide to) you could buy Applecare or Squaretrade and protect your machine for 2 more years after the first year limited warranty runs out.

If you're interested in using your money optimally, do consider the standard Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop It's 99% identical in terms of hardware and capability in comparison to this $1499 MBP 13 and is in all aspects, a much better value for money buy.

Hope this helps!

Length:: 5:06 Mins

I mentioned it in the video portion of the review, but the first step to purchasing a Mac is to determine if you are ready to make the leap from the world of the PCs. Personally, for my day-to-day use (and creating video reviews for Amazon.com) I love using Macs. They are very intuitive - and importantly- they always seem to work. Rarely do programs randomly close down or does the computer just completely freeze.

Now that is out of the way - why should you consider the 2.66GhZ MacBook Pro? Is it really worth the extra cost versus the Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop and the Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop? For me the answer was a (pretty) easy, yes. I love the increased speed in Video editing provided by the 4G of RAM (compared to the 2G on the standard Macbook) and the 2.66GHz Processor.

A run down of the things I like about this model

- The display is awesome - the LED screen is very crisp and uses less power.
- Firewire port -
- SD card reader - it comes in more handy than you might expect
- 10 hours of battery life
- The 4G of Ram helps with video processor and other memory intensive activities
- Super Fast... programs open almost instantly.
- I was able to load all of my old programs using Time Machine
- Aluminum frame - I had some issues with the plastic on our previous Macbook
- Very lightweight
- The wireless N card seems to work much faster than the N card on our older Mac ...in truth, it seems like it help to expand the range of the router Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Simultaneous Dual-Band) (MC340LL/A)
- I really do like the backlit keyboard - I know it seems like a minor thing, but we really do like it.
- I do recommend purchasing the Apple Care. It is expensive but Apple customer service can not be matched.

Final Verdict- While the Macbook Pros are more expensive than comparable laptops to me it does't make much of a difference - the Macbook Pros are worth it. They work perfectly out of the box and offer great performance. I really couldn't be happier

5 Stars - No Second Thoughts on this Purchase

I programme a lot and use my laptop for both intensive work and sometimes for games too. It handles both supremely well - and has a very crisp screen that's easy on the eyes. I got the 256 SSD harddisk and it's bloody quick! I changed over from my IBM thinkpad basically for the ascetics of the new macs (and the fact that I found out there are two programmable mouse buttons on it!)

Battery life is around 4-5 hours with normal use I'd say. With careful and low level stuff, I think maybe 6-7 hours is possible doing reasonable things... If you do almost nothing but use a text editor with everything else off one may well get 10hrs out but I've never tried it.

I got the 13 inch because I prefer something portable and sleek, which the mbp certainly is! The only thing I have against it is that the resolution for the 13" is very low for a high end laptop these days and you can't fit as much information on one screen as I would like. Typically at work I have to plug in an external monitor (non-apple, which displays to the full capabilities of the screen without fault or hassle).

Otherwise the computer sometimes runs a little hot (though nowhere near as hot as my old ibm).

It is in summary a very good laptop - the best I've ever owned. It also helps that it's thin and gorgeous.

This is my first Mac ever, and I absolutely love it. The only downside is the high price, but this laptop is certainly worth the price you pay. The trackpad is amazing, and the aluminum unibody is so nice. The keyboard feels so good to type on, and the backlit keys look awesome. I won't get into the software too much, but Mac OSX is so user-friendly and the programs that come on it are fantastic.

I'm in a small Production Company so we work with Mac's. My old Macbook Pro a 15" video card finally died was an issue with my model but lasted 3yrs of heavy use. Our Company owns several Macbook Pros and just recently bought the small 13" 2.4ghz to data manage footage from our RED cameras. After My MBP broke I started using the 13" for other tasks since it was just sitting there and was very surprised by how much I really liked the small form factor I was allowed to take it home for a weekend and liked it so much that I just ordered the 2.66ghz version to replace my downed machine.

I just got my new Macbook Pro MC375LL and I'm loving it, though if you're a Mac user you definitely have better review than mine as I just switched to Mac from Windows, now I really wonder why have I been using Windows all these years, for more than twenty years I've been switching laptops and desktop computers every 3-6 months, not because I like doing that (it sure hurt my pocket) but I really can't stand a slow machine and every single laptop (from HP, Toshiba, Dell, Sony and the last one I was using before switching to this one was IBM Thinkpad T61 with powerful CPU (or that's what I thought until it started crawling everytime I ask to run an App.) have to wait for 15 min to have full start up with few items in startup line, here, I only touch the power button and wait for 30 Sec!
anyway, as I said, I can't give a great technical and detailed review since I'm new to this machine but my advice to Windows users! switch to Mac today and don't waste your time and money upgrading your Windows laptop,

if you buy this laptop you better get the Case Shell just to keep it Scratch and Dent free!

Between using the Macs and PCs, it's always been Macs, hands down. From the Powerbook G3 Pismos to the Powerbook G4s and the Macbook Pros (pre-Unibody), they've been reliable and lasted me a while. One 15" Powerbook lasted me 5 years.

This Macbook Pro 13 2.66 is no different; but man, it is so much faster and compact than my 15" Macbook Pro (now my "desktop"). I've been able to edit and output videos quickly for work with such ease and portability, no matter where I am.

The only downside is 1) non-replaceable battery which is good between 4-5 hours (never believe the 10-hour hype) 2) the SD card slot (how useless is that for a vid pro?) and 3) the super glossy screen (hard to see in the daytime while trying to edit an hour-long doc). Otherwise, they are minor cons compared to the pros.

Yes, they are pricey, but are worth the money. I paid the extra $$$ for the extra speed (also added the 8gb ram as well as a 500gb 7200rpm drive) but it definitely saves me time when using intense apps like Photoshop and rendering on Compressor. The quality and reliability of these machines definitely pays for itself.

I bought this computer about a month ago to replace my black MacBook (Another fantastic computer), and I'd say that this machine has exceeded my expectations. I love the multi-touch trackpad, and it's noticeably lighter than my old MacBook. When it comes to laptops, I will never use anything but a Mac for as long as I live.

I purchased this item based on the financing offer of 12 months compared to the 2011 models that are only for 6 months. It is easier to pay off, and I compared the new model to this 2.66 version which loads just as fast as the 2011 level. It is also 350GB space like the 2011 version and the 2.66GHZ speed is great! Even if the new model has Intel 5, it doesn't really matter because the 2011 macbook has a sucky-sucky graphics card compared to the great Nvidia which has crisp bright colors that are just breathtaking! Yes It only has one processor but I am absolutely amazed how fast this laptop is. You have to see it for yourself and video editing is so easy and so smooth! Well Of course all Macbooks are made in the premium line of laptops and this was a great purchase for me! Way lower price and great deal on amazon + great financing offer + discount promotion! = Happy Customer!

It's quite a change from a PC to an Apple but Apple has lots of tutorials to help. IF you ignore the tutorials you'll probably still figure most everything out - but it is a culture change. The computer itself is small, handy, and waaay faster than my PC which has the same memory but more hard drive space. I have installed Microsoft Word for Mac and some of the features I've grown used to aren't there, but all the important stuff works. Apple is a much better computer if you start with it, so you don't have to unlearn so much. I wish I had never had anything else!