Apple Macbook Pro Notebook 17-INCH 2.16ghz Intel Core DUO T2600

Not Much RAM for Multitasking
The more RAM your laptop has, the faster programs will run and the greater number of windows you can work in at one time. If your needs are simple and you rarely do more than two things at once on your PC, the relatively modest amount of memory that comes installed in inexpensive laptops will be enough. Today the standard amount of RAM shipped in most PCs is 2GB. If you like to multitask--say, you want to launch a search for a file and start backing up data to a disc while you watch a news video--you need more memory.
Designed to Replace Your Desktop
With its expansive screen and keyboard, large hard drive, and fast processor, this portable qualifies as a desktop replacement. As the moniker suggests, this laptop could take the place of your desktop PC, as it offers most of the features that people look for in a computer. The screen is spacious enough for you to work on it all day without eyestrain, and the keyboard's roominess rivals that of a desktop's. It has only one optical drive, but ports aplenty. Even so, this machine is still portable, light enough to unplug from the wall and easily move to another room--or to a meeting across the country on your next business trip.
Dedicated Graphics Card Improves Video and Gaming
A laptop equipped with a dedicated graphics card does a better job of playing videos--and video games--than a portable lacking a discrete board does. That's because video cards come with their own memory to make images look good on the screen; you get 128MB of video memory on a lower-cost card, and 256MB, 512MB, or 1GB on better ones. Without a dedicated card, your laptop has to borrow video memory from the main store of memory that the system uses to run other programs. As a result, everything slows down, but 3D games in particular will stutter, look bad, or not run at all. A good-quality graphics card in your laptop ensures that you'll be able to play any type of video, without adversely affecting other programs.
Supports DVD Burning
This laptop is equipped with a DVD burner, a slightly older type of optical drive. If you don't need the ultrahigh recording capacity of a new Blu-ray optical drive, and you don't care about watching high-definition movies on your laptop, a DVD burner should suit you fine. It can read and burn data, music, or video discs up to 8.5GB in capacity. A DVD burner is, of course, backward-compatible with CDs, but it cannot play the newer Blu-ray media because the two types of optical-disc technology use different lasers. In a couple of years, Blu-ray will completely replace the DVD disc format.
Expand Memory and Multimedia Through the ExpressCard Slot
The built-in ExpressCard slot on this laptop lets you easily expand the memory, wireless communications, multimedia, or security of the system. There are two types of ExpressCards: the ExpressCard/34, which measures 34mm by 75mm and is shaped like a stick of chewing gum, and the wider ExpressCard/54, which is 54mm by 75mm. The ExpressCard/54 slot, which accepts either type of card, opens up a wider world of expandability, including SmartCard readers, CompactFlash readers, and 1.8-inch disk drives. Few new laptops come equipped with the old PC Card slot that preceded ExpressCard, but if yours does, you can buy an adapter that lets you use ExpressCards in the PC Card slot.
Connect Peripherals With Bluetooth Technology
This short-range wireless technology is everywhere. Whether you activate it on a laptop by way of an external on/off switch or through software, the small internal Bluetooth card automatically detects other Bluetooth-equipped devices within 30 feet and sends and receives radio signals over an ad-hoc "piconet," or personal wireless network. Bluetooth is an especially convenient way to add external peripherals or partner the laptop with other devices, such as a cell phone, printer, or digital camera. Bluetooth works only over short distances to connect devices around your home or office, sending small chunks of data at a leisurely 1 megabit per second.
Connect to the Net Via Ethernet Port
Even though Wi-Fi is all the rage, an ethernet connection for wired networking is still a nice thing to have. Ethernet jacks allow for instant connections to the Internet, e-mail, and applications over a fast, secure wired network. Ethernet comes in three speeds: the all-but-obsolete traditional ethernet, limited to 10 megabits per second; fast ethernet, which works at up to 100 megabits per second; and gigabit ethernet, which operates at up to a gigabit per second. If your laptop is equipped with the still-common fast ethernet, it won't be able to take full advantage of the performance that a gigabit-ethernet network has to offer. But more and more laptops now come with gigabit ethernet, in which case you're covered for access to the fastest type of wired network.
Mac OS
Although Apple computers account for a small percentage of machines sold every year, the graphical look of the Mac operating system was the inspiration for Windows. Mac aficionados praise its clean design and powerful multimedia tools. However, since the Mac versions of Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel are not as full featured, many users opt to add Windows to their Apple system and flip between the two OSs. The newest Mac OS, Leopard, features a revamped interface highlighted by a row of customizable "stacks" of frequently used files at the bottom of the screen. The new file-preview function, Cover Flow, allows you to flip through a document's pages without opening it. Spotlight lets you search across a network of Macs and PCs, and a smart backup system called Time Machine graphically rolls back changes made to a folder so you can find a lost file.
Be Wary of Battery Life Specs
Take the battery life you see advertised for any laptop with a grain of salt. Why? A few vendors still use unrealistic testing parameters in order to report the longest battery life possible. For example, a "tested" laptop simply might be turned on, with the screen brightness lowered to the darkest level, and allowed to run down without anyone touching it. When the laptop undergoes typical, everyday use--say, with the screen brightness turned up to a readable level and with the user working in several applications or playing a CD or DVD movie--its battery life could be much shorter than a vendor's claims.
User Reviews for Apple Macbook Pro Notebook 17-INCH 2.16ghz Intel Core DUO T2600
Reviewed by: MrSparkles
timestamp(1171267200000,'dateTime')
Feb 12, 2007 1:00 pm
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: All metal construction, back-lit keyboard, 1" when closed, decent screen, 2.5-3 hour battery time, can run windows and mac OSuX.
Weaknesses: Keyboard isn't all that great, drivers are flakey in boot camp, system is more flakey in windows than any other PC since windows 95.
Overall Evaluation: I like the build and feel of this notebook. It isn't cheap and plastic like most other notebooks out there. Plus I can run OSuX and WinXP, the only problem is that bootcamp is still in beta and it is pretty glitchy. It crashes windows often and the mouse (via touchpad) goes in and out of working when ever it feels like it. Other than that it is a pretty good product and I purchased it new for $1580. I would not say it is worth $2600 though, but $1580, sure.
Reviewed by: ramuman
timestamp(1171094400000,'dateTime')
Feb 10, 2007 1:00 pm
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Form factor, design, performance
Weaknesses: Screen (see below), a few other minor quibbles, battery life
Overall Evaluation: This is probably the best Apple laptop I've used in some time. It's fast, and flies in Vista or OS X (though I believe certain aspects of OS X feel slower than Vista like Safari vs. IE). I upgraded to 2GB of RAM. The HD is probably the only thing that's 'slow' on this computer. I didn't get the chance to upgrade that when I bought it, and having owned a couple of 15" MB Pros with the 7200 RPM HD, I wish I could easily upgrade it now. It has an elegant, if dated by Apple standards, design. FW, FW800, USB and Ethernet ports all around with a DVI port and DVI-VGA adapter included. Out of the box, this has everything you would need. Sure there is Apple's stubborn 1 button trackpad, but an external mouse fixes that. It's pretty quiet and very fast, so what are my problems? It has a good screen resolution, but the lighting uniformity is the worst of any Apple laptop I've had in the past 2 years, and this seems common among all the 17" MB Pros. It's usable, but dim around all four sides. Second, battery life is pretty bad. In energy saver mode with the screen dimmed, I get around 3 hours with wireless on doing nothing more than typing and surfing. Watching a longer movie may in cases be pushing it and if you're cruching numbers with the battery, you are in for the short haul. I am happy with it and I think its the perfect size for me, but that will be upto you to decide.