It has been three years and countless hours logged on my PowerBook G4. It has been sluggish, to say the least, for the last year or so. I have been in the market for a new machine for a while now, but I knew that the MacBook was next in line for an update, so I waited. I visited Mac Rumors everyday until one Monday not so long ago they predicted the launch to be the next day. I could hardly sleep, it was like Christmas. I woke up at 6am to check my iPhone and sure enough they were right. On the Apple homepage they had launched the the updated laptops. I rushed up stairs to my office and went to the site on my real computer for a closer look. I was so excited and started to purchase one on the spot, when I noticed the picture of the new machine looked no different than the previous MacBook or even my old PowerBook G4! I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I mean they just launched the MacBook Air with its sleek styling, sharp edges, etc. Couldn't they at least improve the exterior design a bit??

Well, as soon as I got over my initial superficial judgments, I immediately started to customize one for myself, because I couldn't take another day on my PowerBook. I added every upgrade I could, 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, 200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm, 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display, and of course Apple Care! As I ended the checkout process and the total price reached as much as some small cars, I looked at the ship date. 2 days! Wow I was stoked!

Well 2 days was a bit optimistic on the part of the Apple website... a week and a half later I received it. BUT... I have to say, so far, it was worth the Wait!

This laptop screams! It almost does stuff as fast as I think it. I know some of you are saying, "That is not that fast." But I have been really impressed with its capabilities so far. I push my computers pretty hard, and so far this is the only computer I have ever used that keeps up and is ready for more.

If you are wondering "what's changed?," here are some things that stood out to me:

There are increases in the processor speed, new chipsets and increases to the RAM and hard disk sizes. The main improvement is the introduction of Multi-Touch - the gesturing interface that we first saw in the iPod touch and then in the MacBook Air. They also changed the keyboard layout a bit. There are new buttons for Spaces and Dashboard. And surprisingly the Apple logo on the Command button has disappeared.

All in all, even though it still looks good, I did want an exterior update. But I have to give the new MacBook Pro a 9 overall due to what really matters, performance.


Travis McElroy MANAGING PARTNER