We instantly get giddy whenever Apple decides to launch something new for its legions of devoted fans (which include us, of course). So you can imagine how excited we were when we heard about the MacBook Pro Winter 2011 for the first time. Even though there’s no Blu-ray, dedicated HDMI or other good options, we can’t say no to an Apple product that easily. We tested the laptop for a complete review and here is our take on its performance and whatnot. 1.280 x 800 display resolution
If you’ve never seen an Apple gadget, you’ve been missing out on things; at least design-wise. The new MacBook Pro Winter 2011 from Apple kept its usual precision unibody aluminum construction, which means a thin, light and solid laptop. Measurements and weight are as follows: 14.3” x 9.8” x 1” and 2.49kg. The screen is a 13.3” edge-to-edge glass still with great viewing angles and 1.280 x 800 native pixel resolution. The keyboard is backlit and it comes with no button for larger tracking area; it was very useful when we had to type when light conditions weren’t great and it gave us the possibility to perform multitouch gestures like pinching, rotating and so on. It moreover offered support for intuitive scrolling. The laptop features light sensors which control keyboard lighting and brightness. During our test we wanted to see how the palm-rest worked and we were impressed, because it offered superb depth.Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor
The left side of the MacBook Pro Winter 2011 notebook houses 2 USB 2.0, an SDXC card reader and FireWire 800.
As for processor, this device works on a second generation Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge quad-core processor. It offers users 3D gaming possibilities, digital media management and much more. It comes with two technologies: Hyper-Threading which enables each core to work on two tasks simultaneously and an updated Turbo Boost technology 2.0, which automatically enhances the processor’s speed. There’s also included 6 MB shared L3 cache. The processor of MacBook Winter 2011 is able to switch between the built-in Intel HD Graphics 3000 and AMD Radeon HD 6490M. The second of the two gave better performance than the actual Intel HD Graphics mentioned earlier when we played games, as it delivered great response and more fps than other laptops.
Thunderbolt technology
The gadget’s Thunderbolt technology has the advantage of providing 10 gigabits per second of transfer speeds in both directions. We found it very easy to transfer data via the Thunderbolt port and the product offered up to 20 times the speed.The Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011 laptop has a webcam with which users can video chat at a resolution of 720p. Its operating system is Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
Good sound quality
When it comes to memory, the laptop we tested in our labs for this review sports 4 GB installed RAM; as for storage, there’s a 500 GB Serial ATA hard drive with 5400rpm. In the networking department, the device comes with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 802.11n Wi-Fi (compatible with 802.11a/b/g) and 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet.The pair of stereo speakers had subwoofers and offered good sound quality. But, what this laptop excels in is the battery life: the product lasts 7 hours on a single charge.
Eco-friendliness is well represented here: the laptop exceeds Energy Star 5.0 guidelines.
Test and review conclusion
The new Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011 is, therefore, one of the best laptops we’ve ever reviewed and so we definitely recommend buying it. But make sure you have the necessary cash first.Technical specifications and features
| Processor |
| Intel Core i7 2.2 GHz |
| Quad-Core |
| Multi-Core Technology |
| 64-bit Computing |
| Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, Integrated memory controller, Hyper-Threading Technology |
| Cache Memory |
| L3 cache |
| Installed Size |
| 6 MB |
| Built-in Devices |
| Subwoofer, Wireless LAN antenna, Stereo speakers, Bluetooth antenna |
| Width |
| 14.3 in |
| Weight |
| 5.5 lbs |
| Height |
| 0.9 in |
| Depth |
| 9.8 in |
| Width |
| 14.3 in |
| Notebook type |
| Mid-size laptops (5-7 lbs.) |
| RAM |
| Form Factor |
| SO DIMM 204-pin |
| Technology |
| DDR3 SDRAM – 1333 MHz |
| Installed Size |
| 4 GB / 8 GB (max) |
| Configuration Features |
| 2 x 2 GB |
| Storage |
| 750 GB – Serial ATA-300 – 5400 rpm |
| Optical Storage |
| Type |
| DVD±RW (±R DL) – Integrated |
| Write Speed |
| 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL) |
| Read Speed |
| 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD) |
| Rewrite Speed |
| 10x (CD) / 4x (DVD±RW) |
| Display |
| LCD Backlight Technology |
| LED backlight |
| 15.4 in TFT active matrix |
| Max Resolution |
| 1440 x 900 ( WXGA+ ) |
| Widescreen Display |
| Yes |
| Video |
| Video Memory |
| 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM |
| Graphics Processor / Vendor |
| AMD Radeon HD 6750M / Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
| Multi-GPU Configuration |
| 1 single GPU card / integrated GPU |