Specification

Exciting as the 20 per cent market share marker is - for a group thats so often observed as a destined insignificance - its not the finest one. That figure wraps Apples split of the market as calculated by the amount of boxes transferred. Look at the proceeds acquired as a substitute, and Apples market share leaps to 35 per cent. This happens at a time when notebook computers have never been looked out as cheaper. It not only justifies Apples line of attack of first-rate pricing but also recommends that the company has certainly profited from a repercussion against Windows Vista.

Macbook Pro 17-Inch Unibody

The Macbook Pro has long defined itself as the premier notebook in style features and performance. And while it has not been one of the cheapest notebooks, it still gets high praise for its keen adherence to design and performance.

Design & Performance

The design of the new Unibody MacBook Pro is one more of refinement then innovation.

For starters the system is now housed in a shell made from a single sheet of aluminum (hence the name unibody). According to Apple this allows the system to be more environmental friendly (a big issue with Apple these days) as well as providing easier access to parts and components.

The screen has now been embellished with a new edge to edge glass screen which results in significant glare in highly lit rooms. Ironically Apple offers an anti-glare option for a cool $50. (yeah we know). Clearly Apple is aiming this laptop at photographers and graphics designers as it touts the high color gamet of the screen (something regular users would not be interested in).

The keyboard has also been reworked and has been given the spaced click-it keyboard that has been in the MacBook 13-inch for years. We have noticed that while they look the same, the feel is above average for the MacBook Pro and feels a lot more refined.

The touch pad has also been reworked. In all the single button has been removed and instead has been replaced with a multi-touch pad that can accept one, two and four finger gestures. The whole thing has been turned into a giant click pad which does get some getting used to but is totally worth it.

Youve probably heard about the integrated battery. This has been our major problem with the new system. Although it does perform nicely (and lasts for 1000 charges according to Apple) it still falls short for those who would be tempted to use this computer for more then six hours without charging it or an extended battery.

In terms of specs: the system can take up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM (equivalent to 16GB of DDR2), up to 500GB HDD and or 128GB SSD, NVIDIA integrated and discrete graphics as well as 3 USB ports Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n.

We just wish Apple would have given a little thought to putting a card reader into the thing and a Blu-Ray option.

Performance
Performance was a little disappointing to us. Mainly because we had tested the MacBook Pro 15-inch and was expecting a little more for $3400.

Although the system did not disappoint performance wise, it was not a great step up from the 15-inch model.

As we said before, this system is mainly intended for those who want a 15-inch system with a little more screen real estate.

The system was able to do basic tasks such as word processing and web surfing just as good as the MacBook but totally blew it away when it comes to graphic performance.

Well just note that this is not a gaming system so if youre looking to play Crysis or COD4 you should probably look else ware. But it can handle most mid range games with decent graphics.

The SSD option really boosts hard drive performance and if you have the money its something you should invest in.



Conclusion
The new 17-inch MacBook Pro is a prize winner (just not in price), and if you have the dough you will not be disappointed. However we cannot justify the premium price for such a little upgrade over the 15-inch model. But if you want the best of the best, then this is your call.

Dell is eager to generate an open setting that will thump iTunes down a few notches. Dell, now having taken over Zing, is aspiring to obtain iTunes on cranium first. With Zing came previous Apple employee Tim Bucher, who has assembled a team of 120 to generate a system for many dissimilar gadgets - mp3 players, radios, cell phones, and PDAs, to name a few. The arrangement, they expect, will sketch in all the chief players in the marketplace and present an unfasten space where users can be gratis with the substance they purchase. The software is anticipated to initiate by the end of the year, while the 1st players wont come around until some time the preceding year.

Although you have to fork over $1300 for Apples new entry level MacBooks you still have the option of getting last years model for $999. Only problem (until three days ago) was that it was a little underpowered.

But thanks to a recent update on the Apple Store, looks like Apple might be deciding to keep its sub $1000 notebook just a little while longer. The new updates to the system do not include a reworked design like the new MacBooks but you do get a lot of the hardware performance upgrades such as the new 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor that comes with 1066MHz frontend bus, 2GB DDR2-SDRAM (previously 1GB) and of course that integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card that Apple has been making such a stink about in recent months.

Other than that the specs stay the same with the exception of Bluetooth 2.1 which has been updated from the previous 2.0 mark. Anyone interested?

For the amount of rumors we have heard about a possible Apple tablet computer, it would be impossible for this not to be true. As to when it will launch is something we are not sure of but if we are to believe news coming from AppleInsider today, Steve Jobs has finally gotten a prototype he is happy with and has given the go ahead to actually build the device.

More importantly we’re being told that it will be packing a 10-inch screen (rumored earlier), 3G and will be running on “the network.” Furthermore, we’re hearing that the purchase of P.A Semi is related to this device because it is running an in house chip instead of the Atom that was being pondered earlier.

So what do you think? Does it make sense or is it too far fetched? Let us know below.