Quizzed about its omission, Steve Jobs blamed licensing for the high-definition format's absence while that may be a legitimate headache, the fact that most rivals have managed it nonetheless is a black mark against Apple.
Something else you won't find – either as standard or as an option – is Blu-ray. If it seemed cheap not to include at least one adapter in the MacBook box, for Apple to make the same mistake with the MacBook Pro is downright insulting. Apple's 24-inch Cinema Display, also announced at the event last week, bears the port, but anybody else will have to stump up for the adapter cables. Not, as has been accused, a proprietary technology of Apple's own making, Mini DisplayPort was added to support the new Cinema LCD line. You don't sacrifice usability to meet that record, though the keyboard is as tactile and responsive as ever, the new multitouch trackpad a clever development from the previous two-fingered gestures. To that aluminum start is added glass and backlit plastic glass for the screen, a 15-inch 1,440 x 900 panel, and the multitouch trackpad, while the Pro's keyboard takes the same design cues as that of the MacBook Air.Įven with that, the MacBook Pro comes in at 0.95-inches thick, just breaking the record set by its 1-inch predecessor. It's an alluring concept – a unibody, Apple call it, though of course there is more than one piece to the case as a whole – and a durable one, producing something more solid than just about any other normal notebook. The two new MacBooks both share a common manufacturing technique, whereby solid chunks of aluminum are pared down until scant casings remain. Apple's retort is a MacBook Air-inspired casing and dual-graphics is it enough to keep the MacBook Pro on top? It's a double-edged sword, though: since the last MacBook Pro refresh the laptop has faced fresh competition from Voodoo's slick, niche range, as well as capable (if a touch more mainstream) models from HP, Lenovo and others. With a reputation of superlative performance and style, the Pro is targeted at an audience who, to stereotype a little, has higher priorities than budget than those looking at the MacBook segment.
As Apple's flagship laptop, the MacBook Pro arguably has an easier time than the MacBook.