Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
With its lower price , the return of FireWire , farseeing battery life , better look display and a new built - in SD Card expansion slot that you could reboot from , the newest member of the MacBook Pro fellowship shit an telling first appearance .
When we reviewed the atomic number 13 MacBook back in October 2008 , those MacBooks posted carrying out scores that were very standardised to the 15 - inch MacBook Pro that was also released in October 2008 . At that time , the differences between the MacBook and MacBook Pro boiled down to lineament . Now , with the new MacBook Pro card , the features onApple ’s previous 13 - inch aluminum laptopshave been brought up to equal those find on the novel 15 - in MacBook Pros .
Turning pro
unveil at Apple ’s annual Worldwide Developer ’s Conference , the newfangled 13 - in MacBook Pro has three unexampled features that were not found in the atomic number 13 MacBooks that have been replaced . First , the Modern 13 - inch laptops employ a longer - lasting , non - obliterable barrage , like to the one first unveil in the 17 - inch MacBook Pro .
13 - inch MacBook Pro
secondly , Apple re - implement the 13 - inch ’s FireWire connectivity in the phase of a individual backward - compatible FireWire 800 port . Hallelujah !
13-inch MacBook Pro
And finally , the new 13 - column inch MacBook Pros now have a Secure Digital ( SD ) remembering bill slot . Having an internal Coyote State circuit card reader is obviously ready to hand for photographers and videographers whose cameras record to the popular SD data formatting , but that ’s not its only function — it can be used as a startup disc . After using OS X ’s Disk Utility to arrange and create a GUID sectionalisation on a 8 GB card , we installed Leopard on the card and were able-bodied to utilise it as a inauguration disc .
Two models
The new 13 - inch MacBook Pros is usable in two standard shape . The $ 1,199 modeling has a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor , 2 GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 RAM , and a 160 GB 5,400 rpm punishing drive . The $ 1,499 simulation features a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor , 4 GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 RAM , and a 250 GB 5,400 rev laborious drive . Both example transport with the same Nvidia GeForce 9400 M graphic chip ( which was used in the aluminum unibody MacBook ) that share 256 MB of main memory .
The new laptops look nearly indistinguishable to the aluminum MacBooks they interchange . They have the same precision - crafted aluminum unibody blueprint as the aluminium MacBook , an iSight camera , and a shining widescreen with a 1,280 by 800 pixel resolution . Apple claim that improvements made to the show and backlight have increased the semblance gamut by 60 percent . Looking at a batch of photos on the new 13 - inch MacBook Pro model and the older 13 - inch aluminum MacBook , bright colouring like redness and oranges really support out on the new laptops , hold the previous display front a little muted in comparison . Interestingly , the consider angle seemed a little better on the older projection screen , though only at fairly uttermost angle . In routine usage , its hard to imagine the new system ’s viewing slant being a job . regrettably , there is n’t an anti - glare screen option for the 13 - inch MacBook Pro .
On the left hand side , the novel 13 - inch MacBook Pros have a MagSafe power connector , Gigabit Ethernet port , Mini DisplayPort , two USB 2.0 ports , and the antecedently mentioned FireWire 800 port ( Amen ! ) and SD bill of fare one-armed bandit . These two additions do come at the cost of separate audio in and audio out interface , which are supercede with a blend optic digital output signal / headphone out port that can be switched to be an analog audio line in ( it works with theApple Stereo Headsetthat hail with the iPhone ) . Also , the Kensington lock slot has move to the right side , next to the time slot load 8x SuperDrive .
Longer bars are better. Blue bars in italics represent reference systems. Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith, Blair Hanley Frank, Chris Holt, and Helen Williamson.
New 13-inch MacBook Pros: Speedmark performance
tenacious bars are better . Blue stripe in italics present reference systems . Macworld research laboratory testing by James Galbraith , Blair Hanley Frank , Chris Holt , and Helen Williamson .
We tested the two Modern 13 - in MacBook Pros using our overall organization execution test tool , Speedmark 5 . compare to each other , the unexampled 13 - inch 2.53GHz MacBook Pro was just over 12 percent faster overall than the 13 - inch 2.26GHz MacBook Pro . The 2.53GHz laptop was about 21 per centum quicker at Photoshop and Cinema 4D.
There ’s a major dispute in the amount of RAM installed in the standard configurations of these two laptops ; the 2.53GHz exemplar comes with 4 GB of RAM , while the 2.26GHz model has 2 GB of RAM . We level the playing field by adding 2GBs of memory to the 2.26GHz model , play it up to 4 G . Most of our tests , which are endure one at a time , do n’t benefit much from additional RAM , and the underwhelming two - point improvement in the Speedmark score bears that out . The openhanded public presentation difference with the additional RAM was in our Photoshop suite times , which amend the 2.26GHz MacBook Pro ’s mark by about 10 per centum .
When compared to the aluminum 2GHz MacBook , the new 13 - column inch 2.26GHz MacBook Pro is about 12 percent faster overall in our Speedmark test , as well as swiftness improvements across the instrument panel in our other program trial .
Looking at the performance remainder between the unexampled 13 - in 2.26GHz MacBook Pro and the low priced Mac laptop , the $ 999 2.13GHz white MacBook , we find oneself a Speedmark advance of 7.5 percentage with the 2.26GHz MacBook Pro . The 2.26GHz model also had effective frame rates in 3 - five hundred games , thanks to the immobile remembering that the MacBook Pro use ; the bloodless MacBook uses 800MHz DDR2 memory , while the 2.26GHz MacBook Pro uses 1,066MHz DDR3 RAM .
The most interesting benchmark compare is between the 13 - inch 2.53GHz MacBook Pro and the 15 - column inch 2.53GHz MacBook Pro . These laptops had a less than one percentage divergence with their Speedmark scores ; the specification for these two laptop are nearly superposable . The $ 200 price difference between the two bribe you nothing more than an additional two inches aslope of screen real the three estates .
Benchmarks: 13-inch MacBook Pros
Best results inbold . For Speedmark , Quake 4 , and Call of Duty 4 in high spirits scores are better . All other tests are time answer where lower times are ripe . denotation system initalics .
Speedmark 5 scores are proportional to those of a 1.5GHz Core Solo Mac miniskirt , which is assigned a scotch of 100 . Adobe Photoshop , Cinema 4D XL , iMovie , iTunes , and Finder scores are in minute : seconds . The lily-white MacBook and the MacBook Pros were running Mac OS X 10.5.7 . The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 scripted undertaking using a 50 Bachelor of Medicine file . Photoshop ’s memory was set to 70 percent and History was pose to Minimum . We recorded how long it took to render a aspect in Cinema 4D XL . We used Compressor to encode a 6minute:26second DV file using the videodisc : Fastest Encode 120 minutes – 4:3 setting . In iMovie , we applied the ripened Film Effect from the Video FX menu to a one minute movie . We converted 45 mo of AAC audio files to MP3 using iTunes ’ High Quality circumstance . We used Quake ’s average - frames - per - second score ; we tested at a resolving of 1,024 - by-768 pixels at the Maximum stage setting with both audio and graphics enabled . We duplicate a 1 GB pamphlet , created a Zip archive in the Finder from the two 1 GB file and then Unzipped it.—Macworld research lab examination by James Galbraith , Blair Hanley Frank , Chris Holt , and Helen Williamson .
Battery life
You ca n’t swap out the raw built - in Li polymer assault and battery , but Apple ’s hoping you never need to — our tests show that the fresh battery live longer per armorial bearing than the removable battery found in the old propagation of MacBooks .
In our assault and battery life test , we play on a uninterrupted loop a movie rip from a videodisk and preserve to the inner hard drive . The motion picture is played at full screen and full luminance , with the keyboard miniature turned all the way down and AirPort twist off . The new 13 - in MacBooks lasted about 48 second longer than the former Al MacBook , and about 10 minutes longer than the current 2.13GHz white MacBook .
If you compare the battery animation of the 13 - inch MacBook Pro to that of its 15 - column inch sibling , you ’ll find that the turgid batteries in the 15 - inch example give the laptop computer 30 more minutes of playback power .
Upgrade options
The new 13 - inch MacBook Pro models can palm up to 8 GB of memory . To advance the RAM in the 2.26GHz model , which comes with just 2 GB of RAM in its received shape , Apple charges an extra $ 100 for 4 GB ( a dyad of 2 GB modules ) and $ 1,100 for 8 GB ( a pair of 4 GB modules ) . The 2.53GHz model , which ships with 4 GB of RAM can be purchased with the optional 8 GB of memory for an additional $ 1,000 . Third - company society will sell you compatible computer storage for less;OWC , for example , sells a 8 GB outfit for $ 635 , but you have to set up the RAM yourself .
Unfortunately , Apple wo n’t sell a MacBook Pro without RAM , or even let you configure a 2.53GHz laptop with less than 4 sarin , so if you do decide to habituate after - grocery computer memory , know that you ’ll cease up supplant the stock remembering with the ascent , and you ’ll have two extra of sticks of Aries . OWC has a retentiveness deal - in program that will help a little to set off the cost of the ascent .
you may also configure your MacBook Pro with a unlike laborious ride . For an additional $ 50 , you’re able to equip the 2.26GHz modelling with a 250 GB laborious drive . A 320 GB drive is $ 100 , and a 500 GB ride costs $ 200 . ( All of the hard drive rise tailspin at 5,400 rpm . )
Apple also offers two solid - body politic drive ( SSD ) options and commove $ 400 for a 128 GB SSD or $ 850 for a 256 GB SSD . Each option cost $ 50 less on the 2.53GHz role model .
Processor upgrades are not an alternative on the 13 - inch MacBook Pros , and Apple only put up optional 7,200 rpm hard drives on the 15- and 17 - inch Macbook Pro models . Apple considers the remembering and hard drive as user serviceable part , so there ’s nothing stopping you from buying one from a third party and instal it yourself .
Macworld’s buying advice
With its lower price , the return of FireWire ( woo - hoo ! ) , longer battery life , better looking display and a new build up - in SD add-in slot that you could reboot from , the New fellow member of the MacBook Pro makes an telling debut .
[ James Galbraith is Macworld ’s science lab director . ]
This review was edited at 2:18 p.m. PT to objurgate a typographical error in the product reexamination boxful regarding the speed of the hard drive raise pick unavailable to the 13 - inch MacBook Pro models .
