A long time coming

A redesign of the MacBook Pro—Apple's professional level notebook—has been a long time coming. The machine's physical design has not changed at all since the MacBook Pro was originally introduced in early 2006 (which, in itself, was barely different than the PowerBook G4 before it), and its internals have only evolved over time. But as of last week's special launch event, Apple has finally answered the call for an updated MacBook Pro, giving its flagship mobile an overhaul on both the outside and the inside.

And boy, are there a lot of changes. A single unibody enclosure. An expanded, button-free trackpad. Multiple GPU units. Oh my! In this two-part review, we'll take a look at the new MacBook Pro in usage scenarios that range from professional to casual to entertainment. Part I of the review focuses on the new features of Apple's latest and greatest, while Part II will focus entirely on benchmarks and performance. (Look for Part II.)

Out of the box



Consistent with Apple's latest efforts to reduce the amount of waste it blasts into the environment, Apple has shrunken the MacBook Pro's packaging to be more compact and similar to that of the MacBook. That's fine, because the unboxing experience is just as streamlined as it has ever been.



Smaller packaging = happy environment Smaller packaging = happy environment

Contained within the retail box is the MacBook Pro, a power brick, a power brick extension cord, and a packet of restore discs. Pretty sparse, but also pretty standard. Do you really need much else anyway?

Tech specs



With the new MacBook Pro, you get the option of choosing between a 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz model (the two standard offerings) if you're going for the 15" model. As of this writing, the 17" MacBook Pro has only been "refreshed" and has not received the same updates as the 15" MacBook Pro.

$1999 $2499 Processor Intel Core 2 Duo Intel Core 2 Duo Clock speed 2.4Ghz 2.53Ghz Memory 2GB DDR3 RAM 4GB DDR3 RAM Hard drive 250GB SATA @ 5400rpm 320GB SATA @ 5400rpm GPU NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 512MB Dimensions Height: 0.95 inches, Width: 14.35 inches, Depth: 9.82 inches Weight 5.5 pounds (2.49kg)

4GB is the max amount of RAM that either machine can support. The hard drives in both can be upgraded to faster and higher-capacity drives, or to a 128GB solid-state drive. Apple has completely eliminated 4200RPM drives across the MacBook Pro line, and all drive sizes are available in up to 7200RPM. The higher-end model's processor can also be upgraded to a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for an extra $300.

The MacBook Pro that we're reviewing is the stock $2,499 model. Now, on to what makes this new MacBook Pro so special.