Hands On: Apple MacBook Pro 17-Inch (Aluminum)

The new MacBook Pro 17-inch (Aluminum) boasts a graphics upgrade, but its new chassis design (non-removable battery, what?) will cause a stir among Mac fans.

San Francisco, Calif.—So the (underwhelming) hardware story from today's Macworld Expo 2009 was the introduction of the Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch (Aluminum) with the same unibody construction as the 15-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Here's the stats: 17-inch screen with 1,920 by 1,200 resolution (true HD); 2.66-GHz or 2.93-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; 1066-MHz Front Side Bus; 4GB of 1066-MHz DDR3 SDRAM standard (up to 8GB supported); 320GB 5400rpm or 7200rpm spinning hard drive; optional 128GB or 256GB solid-state drive (SSD); and DVD DL +/-RW SuperDrive. There's the switchable Nvidia GeForce 9400M/9600M GT graphics found in the 15-inch version, with the same 512MB discrete/256MB shared memory configuration for the graphics. Like the Mac Pro desktop, the MacBook Pro 17-inch (Aluminum) is sold as a single configuration, with a whole bunch of upgrade options.

The MacBook Pro 17-inch (Aluminum) is obviously a bit bigger than the 15-inch model, but given that the chassis proportions are so similar, you'd never realize that from a distance, unless they were sitting next to each other. The giveaway when you get up close is that the speaker grilles next to the keyboard are just a bit wider. Looking at the bottom of the 17-inch, I get a sense of design déjà-vu. It's a seamless case, like that of the MacBook Air, iPhone, and iPods. The 8-hour (95Whr), 1,000-charge cycle battery is sealed in the case.

Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller said in his keynote address at Macworld that Apple saved weight and space for battery cells by omitting the removal hardware, but I'm sure there will be a backlash from the Apple faithful for the omission.

Another omission due to the sealed chassis: You're not going to easily be able to upgrade the memory or hard drive either. I was told by an Apple rep that, as with the iPod and iPhone, the battery will be an Apple Service item.

The MacBook Pro 17-inch (Aluminum) will be available with an anti-glare (matte) screen for a $50 fee, but I wish it were a no-cost option. There are a whole lot of users out that don't like the glare shining off of a glossy screen (check out the slideshow for the flash reflection off of the 17-inch MacBook Pro on the show floor). The screen is bright, but you better hope your eyeglass prescription is up to date—text can look real small on the 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution screen. On the other hand, HD video looks great on the screen, and can be displayed at the full 1,920 by 1,080 resolution. It's a pity that the optical drive is (still) the dual-layer DVD-burning SuperDrive. And no Blu-ray options from Apple. I guess the company wants you to buy all your HD video from the iTunes store.

The keyboard and trackpad are the same as that on the current 15-inch MacBook Pro; the button-less trackpad feels the same with the four-finger multitouch feature. All the other features mimic the current 15-inch: Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, 85W MagSafe AC adapter with breakaway connector, ExpressCard/34 slot, FireWire 800 port, Mini DisplayPort, and wired Gigabit Ethernet jack. The 17-inch has an additional USB 2.0 port for a total of three. (full Story)