Expert Review Products

Apple MacBook Pro MA897LL/A 17" Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)

Technical Details

2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB shared L2 cache, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
2 GB RAM (two SO-DIMM) 677 MHz DDR2 SD-RAM (PC2-5300), 160 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, slot load 8x Super Drive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
1 FireWire 400 port, 1 FireWire 800 port, 3 USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard/34 slot, DVI output with support for VGA
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11n); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
17-inch (diagonal), 1680 by 1050 resolution, TFT widescreen display with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor

Product Description

Stylishly and intelligently designed for mobile professionals, Apple's MacBook Pro gets a serious speed bump with the new, powerful Intel chipset (dubbed Santa Rosa), which provides a faster Core 2 Duo processor, longer battery life, and native support for 802.11n wireless connectivity. This model (MA897LL/A) also includes a TFT display measuring 17 inches and a state-of-the art NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card for more realistic graphics for animation and gaming. This MacBook Pro is powered by the new 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo T7700 processor and 2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 memory--the fastest portable computer memory currently on the market (June 2007). But some things haven't changed: the trademark stunning aluminum enclosure that's is just one-inch thin, built-in iSight video camera, and Apple's magnetically connected MagSafe power adapter, which safely disconnects when under strain.

Apple Innovations
The MacBook Pro is the culmination of years of refining hardware and software design to an integrated art. One of Apple's most celebrated innovations is the MagSafe power adapter connector with offers a magnetic connection instead of a physical one. So, if you happen to trip over a power cord, you won't send MacBook Pro flying off a table or desk--the cord simply disconnects, without damage to either the cord or the system. As an added nicety, this means less wear on the connectors.

The trackpad can tell if you've got one finger on the pedal, or two. With two, you can easily scroll around your documents or open contextual menus. When you need right-click functionality, simply open ÒKeyboard and MouseÓ in System Preferences and enable the secondary click preference.

The MacBook Pro has battery life that rivals most notebooks in its class. If you'd like to make that battery last even longer, Mac OS X has a few tricks up its sleeve. Go to System Preferences, click Energy Saver, and change battery optimization from Normal to Better Battery Life. Or tell MacBook Pro to reduce its screen brightness and give yourself a little more time untethered.

And with the included Apple Remote and Front Row software, you can show off your latest photos and access your iTunes music and playlists from across the room. You can also use it to watch downloaded movies and TV episodes as well as control playback of DVD movies. The Apple Remote features a minimalist six buttons--just press the Menu button to activate Front Row and begin to navigate through your media. You can even use the remote to control Keynote.

Other Features

Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, ExpressCard/34 slot
DVI output port; VGA output using included DVI to VGA adapter
8x slot-loading SuperDrive with the following write speeds: : 8x DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW; 6x DVD-RW; 4x DVD-R DL (double layer), DVD+R DL (double layer); 24x CD-R; 16x CD-RW
Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors for automatic adjustment of keyboard illumination and screen brightness
Internal omnidirectional microphone and built-in speakers
Combined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack)
Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)
68-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5.75 hours of battery life
Kensington cable lock slot
Measures 15.4 x 10.4 x 1 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 6.8 pounds (including battery)

Apple MacBook Pro MA897LL/A 17" Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)

Technical Details

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