Design

The unibody-construction MacBook Pro largely follows the styling of the original aluminum iMac and the MacBook Air and is slightly thinner than its predecessor, albeit wider and deeper due to thewidescreen display.[27] The screen is high-gloss, covered by an edge-to-edge reflective glass finish, while an anti-glare matte option is available in the 15- and 17-inch models in which the glass panel is removed.[37] The trackpad has also been enlarged, giving more room for scrolling and multi-touch gestures.[37] When the line was updated in April 2010, inertial scrolling was added, making the scrolling experience much like that of the iPhone and iPad.[43][44][46] The entire touchpad is usable, and approximately the bottom two thirds act as a clickable button.[37] The keys, still backlit, are now that of Apple's now-standard sunken keyboard with separated black keys.[43]

[edit]Reception

When first released, reviewers praised the quality of the screen and sturdy unibody build.[29] With the new unibody design came easier upgrading of internal components as compared to the discrete models.[29] Reviewers lauded the improved quietness and heat management of the unibody MacBook Pro as compared to the discrete models, which tended to run hotter than its successor.[29] The MacBook Pro's compact size for its performance range was also complimented.[29]

Reviewers lamented the loss of a matte screen option for the 2008 unibody MacBook Pro, noting the reflectiveness of the screen in sunlight, even when its brightness was turned all the way up.[29]CNET's Dan Ackerman commented of the mid-2009 models, "According to Apple, the new display offers a wider color gamut, and the screen certainly looks bright and colorful, but we wish the same matte-screen option offered on the 17-inch MacBook Pro was available across the line... While the LED screen means a thinner lid and some battery life benefits, the edge-to-edge glass covering the entire display panel grabs stray light rays with ease, making the glossy screen hard to see in some lighting conditions."[37] Furthermore, the addition of Mini DisplayPort instead of the more popularHDMI was criticized.[29] The relatively low number of ports and lower end technical specifications when compared to similarly priced laptops from other brands were also frowned upon.[29]

Laptop Magazine's Michael Prospero praised the 2010 15-inch model's display, calling it "bright and crisp". He further commented, "While reflections from the glossy display weren’t overwhelming, it’s also nice to know there’s an antiglare option—though only for the higher resolution display. Still, colors were bright, blacks were deep and dark, and viewing angles were excellent both vertically and horizontally." He also lauded the quality of the iSight webcam, the responsiveness of the touchpad, the microphone and speakers, as well as the performance of the new CPUs for the 15" and the long battery life. Complaints included the price of the laptop, the low number of USB ports, and the lack of HDMI.[44]

Of the 2010 models, CNET praised the automatic graphics switching features of the 15- and 17-inch models as well as the graphics cards themselves. Acclaim was also given to the Core i5 and i7 CPUs, the multi-touch trackpad, and the addition of audio capabilities to the Mini DisplayPort video output.[46] They also called for the addition of HDMI and the Blu-ray optical disc format, saying that most other computers in the MacBook Pro's price range possessed these features.[46] CNET also criticized the option of a higher resolution screen in the 15-inch model, saying "the higher-resolution screen should be included by default."[46]