Editorial Review:Product Description:As the entry model to the MacBook Pro line, the MA463LL/A may not have the pace setting power of the MA464 but is still very worthy outpacing past Mac portables by far. It uses the Intel Core Duo processor. That means up to four times the speed of the PowerBook G4 up to eight times the graphics bandwidth. So even as an entry level model, it exceeds the performance of any portable Mac predecessor. The MacBook pro sets the trend by being the first to include PCI Express, a Serial ATA hard drive and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 for superfast graphics performance. Optical Drive - Slot-Loading SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) Ethernet - Built-In 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Wireless Networking - Built-In 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme, 3 Mbps Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR Ports - 1 FireWire 400, 2 USB 2.0 Graphics - ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 (PCI Express), 128 MB GDDR3 SDRAM, Dual-Link DVI Operating System - Mac OS X Version 10.4 Tiger Audio - Built-In Stereo Speakers/Microphone, Optical Digital Audio In/Out, Line In, Headphone Out Video - Built-In iSight Camera Modem - Works With Apple USB Modem, MA034Z/A (Not Included) Keyboard - Full Size, Backlit With Ambient Light Sensors Apple Remote Included Battery - 60 Watt/Hour Lithium-Polymer With Charge Indicator LEDs / Power Adapter - 85-Watt AC With MagSafe Connector Unit Size - 14.1 W x 1.0 H x 9.6 D / Weight - 5.6 lbs With Battery And Optical Drive
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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I'm never going back to Windows
At first, my dad got me an Acer laptop, which crashed within a month of my getting it. My mom, being the practical one, decided that I needed a Mac. They went to CompUSA and got a full refund for that worthless hunk of plastic. When they came home, they said that it turned out I couldn't have a laptop, then they grinned broadly and uncovered a MacBook Pro. I was delighted. I sat down and turned it on. From the moment I saw the welcome screen, I knew I had a winner on my lap. That was in 2006.
It's now 2007 and my MacBook Pro is still the best computer in the family. The only change is some additional software and a RAM upgrade to 2 GB. I love my Mac. I use it every day and whenever I show my projects to Windows users, they freak out, saying how I must have spent months reading books about how to do that stuff. I tell them that it was easy - at least with a Mac. Whenever I use a school computer, which has Windows XP, I can't believe how incredibly stupid the designers must have been. There's all sorts of programs that came with my MacBook Pro that the school AT brags about having bought for the Windows XP computers. Furthermore, those programs that came free with my MacBook Pro are much better than those that had to be added onto Windows XP and costed scores of dollars each.
I think that if you're a frustrated Windows user, but you think you can't get a Mac because of incompatibilities, you NEED to get a Mac. Trust me - I do all my schoolwork on my Mac and it comes out looking gorgeous. If I need to transfer it to a school computer, I just click the export button. For instance, I did a report on Pages. After I was done, I clicked File -> Export -> PDF -> Continue... Then I chose where to save my PDF, I waited 10 seconds, I saved it to my USB memory device, I plugged it into a school computer, and voila! Also, I love making presentations in Keynote. After I finish, I export the presentation in PowerPoint format. Finally, the DVDs you can make with iDVD are, to be blundt, absolutely gorgeous. I did a documentary for school in iMovie HD, I set up a main menu with iDVD with Play Documentary as the button you select to play my documentary, and I burned it to a DVD. When I presented it to the class, everyone gasped when they saw how professional my DVD looked. I even had credits at the end of the documentary, just like the Hollywood movies. I got an A, of course.
Here some facts about the programs that come with any Mac:
Address Book- You can import and export contacts from most email clients - very handy. Also, it is fully synced with Mail so you only type a few letters of someone's name and then Enter to make them a recipient.
Automater- If you're doing the same thing over and over again, stop that right now. Take 30 seconds, give or take, to tell Automater to do it. Wait another 30 seconds and the whole thing is done. It's like having your own little robot inside your computer.
Chess- Play chess with either the computer or a friend on the other side of the world. Mac has had this for two years now and Windows Vista, which just came out, is claiming to not have copied this feature. Right. I've used both OSs and Vista's Chess is almost identical to Mac's. Hmmm...
Comic Life- A doodler's dream. You can make your own comics and then print them out. Very professional looking and easy.
Dashboard- The definition of convenience. Read news, control iTunes, play Hangman, squeeze a whoopie cusion (my personal favorite), check the time, calculate a number, type on a virtual Post-it note, translate something into another language (very useful for me since I live in Japan and I don't speak Japanese), look up the definition of a word, etc. [Also, in Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, the next release of OS X, you can make your own dashboard widgets; this will be similar to making your own gadget on your iGoogle page]
GarageBand- Record your own music, edit it, group it into tracks, put it on iTunes for all users to download, make your own CDs, etc.
iCal- Solution to a busy person's dream. Automatically color-codes your appointments based on what category they fall into and shows events as a visual block of time, bigger for longer events, smaller for shorter events. Syncs with your iPod so you can check your calender, for instance, in Starbucks when a colleague asks what time would be best for a meeting. You can subscribe to people's calendars online so their events automatically appear in iCal. Includes a To-Do list, sorted by priority.
iChat- Social person's dream. Text-chat with anyone, and you hear a little noise when they say something so you can work while waiting for a response. Audio-chat with anyone and you can talk like you're on the speakerphone. Best of all, video-chat with anyone, go into full screen mode, and you feel like you're sitting at a very reflective table, talking to all of them. [Coming in Leopard- present Keynote presentations and other documents to people via iChat. They also see a little icon of you, narrating the presentation. Also, you can add a backdrop so it looks like you're, well, anywhere you want to be. Finally, you'll be able to use those Photo Booth special effects on yourself while video conferencing.]
iDVD- Is it Hollywood or is it not? That difference will be very tiny when you make a DVD with iDVD. You can choose what music to play in the main menu by simply dragging the song name from the media browser onto the menu. Also you can select whether to have a widescreen or standard orientation for your DVD. Finally, you'll be able to navigate the DVD's menus just like in store-bought Hollywood DVDs - with your DVD remote. All functions of a regular DVD movie are included with iDVDs. They work with any DVD player.
iMovie HD- Again, is it Hollywood or is it not? You can add high-quality special effects to your movies and you can even use your built-in iSight camera to record yourself. You can also adjust volume levels for music or narrations to play at. Add transitions between pictures and videos. Insert the perfect song. Narrate the whole thing to make a documentary. Et Cetera. The bottom line is that you'll be able to show friends a Hollywood movie and your movie and they won't be able to tell the difference.
iPhoto- A reminicer's wildest dream. Use professional tools to make your photos look simply beautiful. After you've done that, make a photo album. Design your own greeting card. Make a calendar for your kitchen. Prepare a slideshow to show on your television, via the Appple TV. Once you've done that, click Buy. Your creation gets shipped to your front door (or someone elses, if you want) and it has been printed on top-quality photo paper with the best ink availible. As simple as 1-2-3.
iSync- You can syncronize your contacts and calendar with your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Very convenient.
iTunes- Easily find and download millions of songs, albums, movies, TV shows, news report podcasts, etc. Also import music from CDs and manage your iPod.
iWeb- Your one-stop-shop for making gorgeous Web sites. For example, a Web site I spent a few hours on looks ten times better than the one our school AT has been working on for years for our school, using Windows.
Mail- Leaves Outlook in the dust. Automatically sorts your mail into different folders and lets you instantly search your entire mail history.
Photo Booth- Take pictures of yourself using one of sixteen special effects and then either email them, set them as your iChat icon, or import them into iPhoto for editing and other things.
Sherlock- Just like its namesake, it's a one-stop-shop to find ANYTHING on anything, including on your computer, a network, the Internet, or anywhere else you need to.
Stickies- Post-It notes you can leave anywhere on your screen. Variety of uses.
Activity monitor- the Apple version of the Windows Task Manager, although this can show you the current status of every hardware component of your computer, including current RAM usage and hard drive usage.
Grapher- Wonderful tool for algebra students. Type in an equation, exactly as it appears, and it graphs it for you. Save the graph as an image, find the coordinates of any point on the graph, etc. Also, you can type in data sets. Finally, you can choose from five different appearences for your graph.
Printer Setup Utility- Hub for every printing device connected to your Mac, its current jobs, its ink levels, its specifications, etc.
VoiceOver Utility- Reads whatever text you want it to. Choose from a couple dozen different voices for your Mac to read in.
When I saw the price for this laptop, I told myself that no one would buy it because it's too expensive. After an entire year of flawless performance and wonderful results, I reversed my opinion. This Mac was worth every penny, and you'll agree, too, once you push the On button.
Rating: 
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Should have got a bigger harddrive...
I ran out of harddrive just after loading the needed software and after a few heavy duty photoshoots. I cranked up the RAM and use External Harddrives to get a movie done, but tied me down to a desk. (defeats purpose of "laptop")
By the way, my battery swelled to 2" thick and literally rocked my laptop! Just before exploding, they switched it out. Then the powercord caught on fire! Hmmm...I had to go through applecare for that and they eventually believed me that I didnt do it from negligence and replaced that.
Now, in just a few months my battery is once again faulty and wont hold a charge. As soon as I unplug it, the computer shuts down with no saving then has to reboot from start.
Rosetta not kicking in either and the Mac techs at the local shop don't know how to turn it on...oh boy! I stick to ALL mac products since to load windows will leave me no space to have FUN!
Good thing I have applecare....right? THE GOOD THING: I saved $600 off retail here at Amazon! :)
Rating: -
Does everything I want it to and more!
Great computer, does exactly you expect from it! No probs with the airport, Love the keyboard and the overall slick look. The shortcuts on the Mac are getting progressively easier to use so easier to switch from a PC. Gives you great range with the kinds of programs you can use! The screen i wasnt sure at first if a 15'4 would suffice as I plan on doing video editing, but its definately a good enough size. Oh ya and the dual processors are awesome especially when dealing with the video aspect as it gives you much more room to play on other programs at the same time.
Only critiques: the use of the camera with iChat could be easier to use, sometimes depending on the interface with other users it is a little tricky and requires tweaking from both parties but works gloriously when used properly! Also it admittably only has 1/2 a gig of RAM so I plan on upgrading it because I plan on using it with Final Cut Pro. Thats seriously the only critiques I have besides the fact that everyoone knows that these things can get a little too warm on the bottom,but its not a huge problem at all.
Rating: -
Speedy, Beautiful, but too hot and whines
The MacBook pro is a trendy looking machine. Under the hood, it has all the right equipment you would want for a performance laptop. The only hardware that should be upgraded would be the ram, 512mb is a bit less. Add another gigabyte to it would be perfect. The machine is fast, whether running XP or OS X, the applications launches at amazing speed.
The downside of this machine is that it gets way too hot. If you plan on using this machine, don't use it on your laptop or any surface that might be sensitive to heat. The bottom gets to the point where it will burn your fingers when you pick it up. The keyboard area gets pretty warm, it feels like you're sweating whenever you're typing. On top of the F-Keys, just right below the screen will be just as hot as the bottom of the keyboard. The palm rest area is the least wearm. The fan does come on, and it is pretty loud. The fan will only come on when the laptop is superhot. Another is the buzz/whine noise you will hear when you're in a quite room and when the computer is idle.
[...]
The core 2 duo version is out at 11/25/06 and maybe it will improve some of the heat issues.
Rating: -
Excellent!!!! No surprise ....
I exchanged my 17 inch PowerBook for this 15 inch MacBook Pro and I am very happy with the decision. This laptop is a top product and I got it for a great price from Amazon. Would recommend to anybody (I am recommending it all the time, actually).
