Apple MacBook Pro 13 "2010: A review, compared to its predecessor and operating experience

This is the second month, as the head of a small family of my favorite Apple-gadget has changed. Served faithfully for nearly a year 13-inch MacBook Pro went to a new owner, and his It took place exactly the same appearance, but few changed inside MacBook Pro 13 "" spill "in 2010 of the year. In this article I will talk about his experience of operation, unlike the previous model, and to spend the beginning of the unboxing.

A upakovochka something more was

I got the unit, we can say with the heat-the heat of the first "white" that is, the official party of new MacBook Pro, arrived in the country. In his example, I, by the way, for the first time saw a packed Apple equipment for transportation around the world. After all, every buyer of expensive devices raises the question of how and whether normally Has reached its Technology, whether it careless porters on the road is not kicked that may affect the operation of the product in the future t. d. Still, despite its compact and stylish glamorous packaging Apple laptops, it is unlikely to be able to well protect a laptop in the fall. In the end, it turned out, nothing to worry about. "Apple" company perfectly prepare their products for shipment. It is the most glamorous and compact box with a laptop is hidden in plastic and hidden in a much larger box of rigid cardboard, inside which it is placed on the damping parts. It looks safe.

Let me remind you that among the new 13-inch "Proshek" There are two models that, to put it mildly, different little: processor speed (2.4GHz, against 2.66 GHz) and a hard disk volume (250 vs. 320 GB GB). The rest of the device are identical, and the price difference in our reality - about $ 600. That is a lot for such a small difference, respectively myself I took a younger model.

I surprised to the fact that the box, which lies a new laptop, turned out to be larger than the previous generation model, but it is due to this fact simply. Old MacBook Pro - is a model for the US market with more compact fork, new same - it unit with European plug and to hold all accessories, packaging dimensions have increase. Added the narrow box in which all the extra and hidden cable and nozzle with a European plug.

external differences

Like the MacBook Pro 15 "in new models ( http://macradar.ru/hardware/macbook-pro-core-i5-review/), the novelty upgraded power supply, or rather, the MagSafe connector. He became aluminum, rounded and when it is connected to the notebook wire extends parallel to the side face (either goes up). The whole construction became stronger and in most cases the cable is conveniently located, it is less creased.

The rest of the gadgets are identical except for the keyboard, but in this case the difference is due to the orientation of the devices to different markets: the US and Europe. Keyboard MacBook Pro «white» of the last generation is the same as that of a beginner. By the way, the keyboard were incidents (used to engraved the US), but about them later.

Getting Started

Here's what I extremely like Mac OS X, in addition to a host of other qualities, so it is easy to move to a new version of the operating system or the new Mac computers. Updating the backup using Time Machine, I quietly went to work for his old laptop, while on the new transfer all my data. Naturally, the pre-I set all conceivable update to the device, after which it began for the transfer of personal workspace.

In general, everything went well. Data, settings, and programs easily transported. I had just set up a couple of applications (among them Little Snitch - a capricious programmentsiya, each time it is necessary to re-adjust when moving). Although the evening showed a glitch that made me even sweat. iTunes refused to recognize personal iPhone 3GS and iPad. And the system, they saw, and through the "Image Capture" can be saved photos are available in the memory of the gadgets, but mediakombayn them to focus not recognize. Immediately having second thoughts about Apple's anti-jailbreak, and other unpleasant foreboding. Search Network gave nothing, no one complained about this problem. Actually, it could simply decide - again downloaded and installed on top the iTunes - it worked.

Impressions and operating experience

The first thing I noticed was mistaken for active work with the device - a scroll with inertia. That is, a list of two fingers twisted and he continues to flip through after the fingers removed from the touch pad, gradually slowing. The advantage of this option is simply impossible to overestimate the person for me. At one time, when I started to use a Mac, I try to work with Smart Scroll third-party utility to implement inertial scrolling. The result was not very pleased: sometimes there were freezes, not always correctly determined scroll zone, and in general somehow crooked the whole system to work. As a result, he abandoned it until better times and now these have come. I do not know - whether it is implemented in hardware or software, but works just fine inertial scrolling. Personally, I was more comfortable to use all sorts of web admin panel with lots of drop-down lists, with iTines, and generally pleasing to the eye, this effect.

Also slightly improved overall system performance, and it was visible to the naked eye. Faster run some applications, open documents, process images in Pixelmator, and so on. D. Do not forget about the increased graphics performance. Videochip GeForce 320M (aka frustrated NVIDIA Ion 2) on average, half productive precursor GeForce 9400, and occasionally three times. While in the game on a laptop, I particularly do not play except in kazualki, and much of a difference the speed of their work is not noticed. They are so bad functioning in older laptop (Zuma 2, Braid, Peggle and t. D.).

He noted that the new device is heated slightly less than the previous one. If the average temperature of the processor in my standard duty cycle was 52-55 °, then the newcomer, she usually does not rise above 50 °. Low noise, both laptops are the same - or rather, the two are quiet.

A couple of weeks it took to get used to the slightly altered keyboard. The Enter key has become longer, but took two rows, and the tilde (~) has moved out of Ecape button to the left shift, which, by the way, because it has already become. Also a little worried when unable usual combination (cmd + ~) to switch between windows within the program. It turned out that the button is moved, we had to get used to. But, I'm a lot more like actual keyboard engraving. English and Russian lettering large, are on the edges of keys, plus there are no superfluous for me Ukrainian symbols. Now I use the keyboard to a new laptop with the same dexterity as before in the old.

He drew attention to the less rigid hinge of the display unit. The MB990 was just too tight. At first, the old MacBook Pro 15 "is even liked after flimsy hinge, but over time, start to strain somewhat. Now on sovey stiffness he resembles a cross between the old 15 th, the predecessor of the 13th.

Speakers sound a little louder and balance in sound, but it may well be that the Mac OS X 10.6.4 built-in sound system of the old laptop also began to sound better. Just among the bug fixes in the release notes and solve speakers in MB990 / 991.

I can not mention, and increased battery life. When the system is only loaded, nothing more is not hanging in it, and the battery is charged to capacity, you will see a staggering length of battery life at 11 hours and 25 minutes. Netbooks and laptops CULV-sobbing in a corner crying. However, this is too optimistic figure. In my usual duty cycle, when the two are used browser (Firefox and Safari), Pages, Numbers, Pixelmator, Textmate, Mail, Crossover c running MS Word 2003 (for the spelling and grammar check) the device worked for about seven hours, lot. Previous MacBook Pro 13 "for more than five hours to issue could not in this mode. However, the new laptop I once spent battery calibration ( http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html? path = Mac / 10.5 / ru / 9036.html), which in the old never done. Perhaps it gave some gains in autonomy, but mostly thanks to cost more energy efficient chipset and a little increase in the battery capacity.

By the way, do I calibrate spodvig one unpleasant incident. One morning I habitually connected to the laptop power supply, and the status LED on the connector is not I fired up the usual bright green or orange, and gave only a dim, barely noticeable orange glow. When I opened the lid of the laptop, I saw that it works from the power supply, but the battery is not charged. He made cold clammy sweat, and a little mischief nerves, but after an hour, as if nothing had happened, began to re-charge the battery. This happened once a couple of weeks ago, then nothing like this has not happened to notice, and do not want to be honest. Perhaps there was some nekontakt in MagSafe or something. Although I connector to connect and disconnect several times and even rebooted the laptop. In general, the copied event at the poltergeist.

The bottom

Am I happy with the upgrade? Yes, definitely, and spent money on it is not a pity. Even if I was only inertial scrolling - this alone would be enough. But there are other nice buns described above. Can I recommend the readers to change their MB990 / 991 for the novelty? If you are satisfied in your laptop, the upgrade does not make sense. It is better to wait for the next generation. Maybe, Apple will replace it in the design. I just have a special case. Like the official guarantee, something new, and its staff managed to profitably sell. On the whole, pleased with the novelty, but want to see the next generation of MacBook Pro 13 "Apple is something fundamentally changed. For example, proposed a new design, applied to the display IPS-matrix made thinner frame around the screen - I wish a lot actually, but some of them will be performed in the following product - foresee impossible.