I just upgraded to the latest model of the 13" MacBook Pro as a replacement for my 2007 15" MacBook Pro. The major push for the move was a really nice computer bag that I fell in love with, but is too small for the 15" screen. We had recently purchased a 13" at the office for someone that decided not to stay on, so I hijacked the machine.
The Unibody construction really makes a huge difference in the overall feel of the machine. It really is much more solid than the 15" and blows away the Sonys in the office in build quality (not to mention the issue regarding the Intel VT for virtualisation). On top of that, it makes getting at the innards much easier. I did a hard drive swap from the old machine so I had both of them open on the table side by side and the difference is striking. Taking apart the two machines was done following the excellent videos from Other World Computing (via Front Row on the Mini connected to the TV). The 15" has 3 or 4 different types of screws and requires a spudger to separate the keyboard from the base. The Unibody hardly required instructions - unscrew all the screws on the bottom (and only the bottom) and you’re in. There are two types of screws: really short ones and three really long ones so it’s easy to keep track of what goes where. Swapping the drive and adding memory couldn’t be easier.
From a commuting standpoint, I really like the fact that this is a lighter machine, plus the new computer bag is also lighter. The other thing that I hadn’t counted on is that while I’ve gone almost 100% iPhone for my daily train commute, I have a much higher tendency to pull out the 13". Being smaller it’s less cramped when you’re using it on your lap in a crowded train. The 15" was just a little bit too big to make this a comfortable operation.
I thought I would miss the extra screen real estate by moving down to the smaller screen, but it’s turning out to be less of an issue than I thought. One unexpected bonus is the pervasive zoom in/out abilities of the trackpad. I find this especially useful for running through PDF documentation. It can be a bit of a problem since I still have a hold over physical habit of leaving my thumb touching the bottom of the trackpad where the button used to be, so some finger movements produce a zoom or rotate interaction, but I’m learning to hold it just a tiny bit higher than before. The fact that this is so pervasive the lack of screen real estate becomes less of a problem than I anticipated.
One thing I’m not a fan of (although I’m sure this more to do with habits than anything else) is the positioning of all external connection slots along the left edge. Every single day, I automatically reach for the USB port on the right hand side to plug in the iPhone at the office and then stop myself and search for the port on the left. Yet another example where habits define the experience and changing them takes time and effort. Of course when I change to another model where everything is along the right edge, I’ll be complaining about that when it happens. Shades of the keyboard discussion (physical vs software) all over again. What you’re used to counts for a lot more than you think.
Speaking of keyboards, I find the chiclets quite nice to work with although it’s emphasizing the fact that I really need to trim my nails right now.
It’s definitely a step up in performance. I’m not sure if it’s the graphics card or the CPU, but the PDF navigation and zooming is so incredibly fluid that the finger movements really feel like an extension of your will. There are benchmarks out there so I’m not going to bother with that, but I can safely say that the perceived performance difference is truly remarkable.
I’m less happy about the glossy screen but I’m getting used to it. Surprisingly it does remain readable even in fairly strong sunlight but the reflections make for a fairly important visual distraction, but as long as your remember to keep your eyes focussed on the screen contents and not the dust or the reflection it’s OK. However, in a muted lighting environment, the glossy screen really is very nice to work on. A somewhat silly design point is that the black border gives an entirely different feel to the environment. The 3D dock really seems like an extension of the physical border, sliding out from underneath.
The LED backlighting is a joy to work with and the minimum setting even gives enough light to work in the train with the sunlight streaming through the window which is a major change. Working on the 15" required full illumation which sucked down the battery at a horrific rate.
I went out and picked up a Mini Display Port to VGA adaptor since I’m giving training courses this week and it works flawlessly. I do find that the ports are really really tightly packed but it’s manageable.
As long as you don’t have an absolute requirement for pixels (working with huge spreadsheets etc.) I’d say that this is a very worthy replacement for the 15" model.
A few little things…If you’re upgrading to a new machine and are swapping out the hard drive (I suspect this may also happen if you use a disk cloning solution) is that there are a number of services that appear to be tied to the MAC address of the internal ethernet card. The most notable one for me was my MobileMe synchronization services, including the iDisk. For some reason, your password is retained, but you’ll need to reactivate the different data synchronization services. Time Machine backups are also affected.
Update - here’s a pic of the bag.Technically, it’s not necessarily a laptop bag, but it fits my needs perfectly. One pocket for the computer itself (either in a sleeve for a bit of extra protection, or with a foam liner in the bottom), one for all of the miscellany that life brings. On the side, a pocket for a couple of external disks and the power brick. The phone slot is reserved for my FastMac IV external battery for the iPhone.And the umbrella closed the deal.