MacBooks

17″ MacBook Pro (Unibody)

Overview

A lot of features in the new 17" MacBook Pro were anticipated based on the previous model and the 15" MacBook Pro introduced in October 2008: Unibody construction, dual GPUs, glass trackpad, glossy display standard, and 1920 x 1200 resolution. And losing the FireWire 400 port wasn't unexpected.

17" Unibody MacBook Pro

The first unknown was processing power: Would the new MBP have a quad-core CPU? And how fast would it run? The answer: 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo is standard, with a 2.93 GHz build-to-order option. 4 GB of RAM is standard, and this is the first Mac notebook ever to officially support up to 8 GB of RAM.

Probably the biggest surprise was the battery, which isn't removable. By using squared off cells instead of cylendrical ones and eliminating the space needed to house a removable battery, Apple was able to increase battery life by up to 60%. That translates to 8 hours with the GeForce 9400M GPU, 7 hours with the 9600M, which has 512 MB of dedicated video memory.

Although a glossy screen is standard, Apple now offers a $50 anti-glare option. The new model has a slightly bigger footprint - a small price to pay for a thinner, lighter, faster machine.

For the first time, Apple is using a true 24-bit display on one of its notebook computers. Until now, the only laptop screens available had only supported 18-bit color.

Unlike pre-2007 models, where every USB port could provide 500 mA of power, only a single high-powered device can be attached to the USB ports, and software will enable one of its downstream ports to supply 500 mA of power. If a second high-powered device is attached, it will behave like a normal bus-powered hub and only provide 100 mA per downstream port.

The Apple Remote, which had been included with earlier models, is now a US$20 option.

Closed Lid Mode: All Intel 'Books support "lid closed" (or clamshell) mode, which leaves the built-in display off and dedicates all video RAM to an external display. To used closed lid mode, your 'Book must be plugged into the AC adapter and connected to an external display and a USB or Bluetooth mouse and keyboard (you might also want to consider external speakers). Power up your 'Book until the desktop appears on the external display and then close the lid. Your 'Book will go to sleep, but you can wake it by moving the mouse or using the keyboard. The built-in display will remain off, and the external monitor will become your only display. Since all video RAM is now dedicated to the external monitor, you may have more colors available at higher resolutions. The TiBook is designed to run safely in closed lid mode, but if yours runs hot (perhaps due to overclocking or high ambient temperatures), you may want to open the lid when in closed lid mode: The screen will remain off and the computer will more readily vent heat from the CPU.

To resume use of the internal display, you need to disconnect the external display, put the computer to sleep, and then open the lid. This will wake up your 'Book and restore use of the built-in display.

Intel-based Macs use a partitioning scheme known as GPT. Only Macintel models can boot from GPT hard drives. Both PowerPC and Intel Macs can boot from APM (Apple's old partitioning scheme) hard drives, which is the format you must use to create a universal boot drive in Leopard. Power PC Macs running any version of the Mac OS prior to 10.4.2 cannot mount GPT volumes. PowerPC Macs won't let you install OS X to a USB drive or choose it as your startup volume, although there is a work around for that.

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