Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro (Intel Dual Core i5 2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, HD Graphics 4000, OS X Lion)

We bought this MacBook for various reasons. I expect to be travelling a lot during the coming year, and needed a small laptop too take with me, and our ageing and rather heavy Acer laptop is on its last legs and will need to be replaced soon anyway. We chose a Mac because we already have an iMac desktop, and have been very impressed with it. This is our first Mac laptop. It was a toss up between the 13" MacBook Pro and the 13" MacBook Air. We chose the Pro because of the extra ports, particularly the CD/DVD slot. Yes, I know, we're a bit old fashioned like that, but it was nice to load all of my favourite CDs onto iTunes and I'm sure it will come in handy for lots of other things. I also liked the solid feel of the Pro compared with the Air, though the professionals tell me that the Air is in fact the more robust of the two because of its solid state construction and lack of moving parts. I like the keyboard and the screen. With the naked eye I can't tell the difference between the display on the Air and the Pro. The MacBook comes loaded with the latest iLife applications. The one I've use most so far is iPhoto, and this is certainly an improvement on the previous version. If you need office applications you can download the iWork suite from the excellent app store. We just transferred all of our apps and files from our iMac by following the simple instructions. This was easy, though it did take several hours for the process to complete itself. The built in speakers aren't great, but connected to external speakers or headphones the MacBook gives a good sound. The MacBook is neither as hot nor as noisy when running as I had been led to expect, though I understand that this may not be the case if you play a lot of games, which we don't. The trackpad took some getting used to, but now that I am used to it I find it better than a mouse, especially the two fingered scrolling, and you can always make changes to its functions in 'system preferences' if you want. Lastly, I just think it's a beautiful piece of kit. Is it worth the extra price? I think it is. That's it, then. Not a technical review, but even a non-techie like me can appreciate a quality product like this. And by the way, I was very impressed with the speed of the free delivery from Amazon; it arrived the next working day after ordering.

This is my first Mac after spending the last 15 years using Windows. was really worried about 1. spending nearly £1000 on a laptop and 2. switching to iOS. Why did I worry best choice I have made when picking a Laptop. The operating system takes a while to get use to but you will get the hang of it, the build quality is amazing as you would expect for a £1000 laptop. It came well packaged from Amazon so no need to worry about your laptop getting damaged in the post. I know you can get better spec laptops for less money but I don't like the new Windows 8 and to be honest this is a solid laptop that looks amazing and will last for many years to come, so if you have spare cash and are looking for a new laptop treat yourself and get this Laptop you will not regret it.

Before you read this review, two things are worth pointing out.

Firstly, before I bought this Laptop, I had only ever used a Windows computer. And secondly, the price tag is there for a reason. It's because it's worth every penny.

I used Windows to it's maximum potential, and there is nothing wrong with Windows, but for years I felt as if something was missing...And please forgive me for saying this, but I have found what was missing.

::POSITIVES::

Apple is not lying when it says that this laptop is 'not just an ordinary laptop'. It really isn't. And that is the prime difference I found with Windows, they always seemed "dull", and were often too concerned with simply getting the job done, without the experience being pleasurable for the laptop user.

Firstly, the specs speak for themselves; An Intel Dual Core i5 (Ivy Bridge), with a 2.5GHz processor, with a hefty 4GB (I upgraded to 8GB via crucial.com), and a massive 500GB HD Drive, and a beautiful display with exceptional Graphics. HD camera and an impressive 7 hour battery too. Yes it's true that you can get a Windows computer with the same specs for £350/400 cheaper, BUT, that's just for the same specs, a laptop is much more than specs ;-)

The design trumps any PC I have yet to come across. It's beautiful feel and the aluminum unibody crossed with the black keyboard and surrounding screen is easy on the eye whenever I pick it up.

The OS however is what makes the Mac. Watching Windows attempt to move towards Mac over the years (With a similar Mac dock in Windows 7) is easily understood. But Windows is far off ever competing with Lion or any MAC OS. The touchpad gestures and the ability to configure them, means that you will not need to use a mouse ever again. Simply things, such as switching from programs, or fast multi-tasking is made slick and simple. The ability to create more than one desktop is so useful too, as I can move across to it by simply swiping three fingers left or right on the touchpad.

I have had this computer for nearly 6 weeks now, and I have experienced nothing but speed, slickness, and exceptional performance all round.

Also, the free applications that come with the Mac are incredible, and something that you will never find on a Windows computer.

Finally for the positives. There so many great things about this Laptop, and I have recently upgraded to the Mountain Lion OS, and this integrates amazingly if you have an iPhone.

::NEGATIVES::

Okay, so despite the positives, the price tag still remains high. This is one negative if you are tight for cash. But as an investment, and as a much more for filling experience, I think it can be made into a positive by a stretch.

Dashboard: The Dashboard in Lion (and still Mountain Lion) is quite useless in my personal opinion. I think its a waste of RAM and space, so I got rid of it in Terminal....

MICROSOFT OFFICE: Office became a problem since the entire country uses it, so I needed it, and got it online for £40. Which again is a stretch, but that personally was the only "major" negative.

::CONCLUSION::

Despite all the negatives, and despite myself pondering whether to buy a Mac for about a year, it is a must buy if you need a new laptop which is amazing.

It's fun to use, and despite getting bored of all my windows PCs, Laptops etc, I look forward to getting on my Mac everyday.