Apple revamped nearly the entire Mac laptop line during WWDC, leaving only the $999, entry-level white MacBook ( Macworld rated 4.5 out of 5 mice ) unchanged--and that model was revised just two weeks earlier. But while most models gained new capabilities, the 17-inch MacBook Pro was the sole Mac laptop that kept its design and feature set intact. Which isn't surprising, considering it was just a few months earlier that Apple's largest laptop joined its siblings in donning a unibody enclosure. Still, the company's largest-screen portable improved its performance and upgrade options while becoming more affordable.
What hasn't changed
The latest version of Apple's pro-est pro laptop features the same basic features as the model that debuted at January's Macworld Expo (and shipped in February). Along with its aluminum unibody enclosure and impressively long-life battery (more on that below), the laptop's flagship feature is its 17-inch, mercury-free, LED-backlit display. Sporting a 1,920 by 1,200-pixel resolution, the screen is protected behind a thin sheet of arsenic-free glossy glass. The screen seems enormous, especially if you're used to a 13- or 15-inch model, making it great for working with multiple windows or applications simultaneously.
On the other hand, the screen's high resolution means that items on the screen are quite small; I often had to enlarge the size of onscreen type, especially when browsing the Web. And while the screen produces exceptionally vivid colors and deep, dark blacks (this display uses the same 60-percent-greater-color-gamut technology Apple is touting on the smaller MacBook Pros) the frequent criticisms of glossy screens remain valid: If the laptop is positioned poorly, you end up with quite a bit of glare, and the large screen makes it that much more difficult (compared to smaller laptops) to reorient the screen to avoid that glare. For the anti-glossy folks, Apple still offers a $50 build-to-order option for an anti-glare, matte screen.
The 17-inch MacBook Pro continues to feature dual video cards: the Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 512MB of dedicated memory, and the lesser-performing Nvidia GeForce 9400M which shares 256MB of system memory; you can easily switch between them to get better performance or battery life, respectively, although switching requires you to log out and then log back in. You still get a 1,066MHz front side bus, 4GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 memory (upgradeable to 8GB), an 8x slot-loading SuperDrive, Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports, a single FireWire 800 port, AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (supporting 802.11n draft and 802.11a/b/g), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), an iSight camera, a backlit keyboard, and separate audio input and output jacks (each of which auto-switches between optical-digital and analog). The MacBook Pro also includes built-in stereo speakers, a mono microphone, Apple's MagSafe power jack, and a Kensington lock slot. All ports are located on the left-hand side of the laptop, with the optical drive slot on the right.
As with all current MacBook Pro models, the 17-inch model features Apple's large, multi-touch trackpad. The trackpad makes multi-touch gestures easy-and fun-to use, although it requires an adjustment period for people used to a traditional trackpad with separate buttons. The physical click, which requires you to depress the entire trackpad, feels especially odd. Even after using a recent 13-inch MacBook with a similar trackpad for several months, I prefer the touch-sensitive-tap approach, which you can enable in Trackpad preferences.
The MacBook Pro's Mini DisplayPort jack supports VGA, DVI, and dual-link DVI video output using the appropriate adapter. Unfortunately, no video adapters are included, not even the basic DVI version, which will cost you another $29. Similarly, you can use an Apple Remote with the 17-inch MacBook Pro, but you have to pony up another $19 to get it. These omissions feel cheap given the price you're paying for the computer.
The 17-inch model retains the same dimensions as its short-lived predecessor: 15.5 inches
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