MacBook Pro 15inch 2.4GHz (Intel Core i5, 4Gb RAM, 320Gb HDD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256 MB, SD card slot, Intel HD Graphics, up to 9 hour battery life)

I bought a MacBook Pro to replace my old but fantastically reliable iMac G4. I'd purchased that particular machine over 5 years ago and it's never let me down so I knew I could buy Apple again with confidence. Okay, the high end macbook pro is more expensive than a windows laptop but the user experience is just infinitely better and I have faith that it will stand the test of time. I'm no computer expert - the macbook pro does heaps of stuff that I'll probably never use - but I do know that it's a wonderful piece of kit and the Intel i5 processor lets me do multiple tasks at lightening speeds.

Out of the box it feels strong and solid and the 15.4" screen is crisp and clear, just as you'd expect. I almost went for the 13" model but I'm glad I spent a little bit extra. You might as well if you're forking out this kind of money. My only gripe is regarding the 9hr battery life. I use mine mostly for movies and playing music and I don't think I've had anything like 9hrs from a full charge yet so beware of this if you take it on a long journey. This may be a little unfair as the screen is bound to sap more power if you're watching iplayer as opposed to writing an email but even so, I think 9hrs is unrealistic. That's basically the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars.

In brief, if you want a powerful, sleek and reliable laptop that you (hopefully!) won't need to upgrade for a long time, you can't go wrong with this. It's a cracker.

I went from a Core2Duo Macbook Pro to this. They are both considered to be the entry level models for the year that they were built in. The performance on this one is a bit faster for some programs and considerably faster for others. The construction however is MUCH better than the one on the previous. This is basically the sturdiest laptop that you can find and this does include the old Thinkpads that used to be indestructible. The computer seems a lot thinner than it actually is and there are quite a few little improvements that put a smile on my face. For one the ambient light sensor has been moved to the top of the screen which basically means that now it actually works a lot better and certain lighting conditions do not make my screen flicker. The Apple logo on the back now has been covered so that when you have bright sunlight at the back of the screen it does now show on the front of your screen as well. The audio port no longer has a slight hiss to it and the list goes on. There are some things to get used to, like the lack of a physical button and the fact that the touchpad is so huge that every once in a while you manage to touch without realizing. The inertial scrolling is very nice and works much better than the software hacks out there. For one you don't have to calibrate this one because it simply works perfectly.
One though, the battery is NOT 77.5 watt hours but rather 69 watt hrs. It does not really last for 8-9 hours unless you are watching video's the whole time. It does however last about 5-6 hours and that is really good since we are talking 5-6 hours of regular work. The notebook is also much cooler than the one that it replaced and this one you can actually keep on your bare legs. The camera is also improved and works quite well even when the lighting in the room is pretty bad. I must say that this is probably the best built in camera that I have seen. The power cord is also made from a new rougher material and should make it last a bit longer. Also the laptop takes less time to charge the battery (about 2 hours for a full recharge).
The Amazon price is simply unbeatable and makes the computer quite reasonably priced considering the quality that you get. I would greatly recommend this to anyone who has a Macbook older than an year and 1/2 and has the spare cash. It is a well worth upgrade and unibody is really something else. The only negative thing is that the edges are quite sharp and it takes a couple of days to get used to feeling on your hands. But you do get used to it and it stops hurting your arms. You could also get a shell (Speck) which will make it feel much like the older notebooks.

Firstly this is a great machine, but it's pointless buying the 500gb version, and I'll tell you why. Also I have a cautionary tale.

Why Buy The 500Gb Version?
This is simple. The specs are identical for 320gb vs 500gb machines except for the hard drive and processor. The speed differences between them are so small in my mind the additional money is not worth it, but the bigger hard drive is. It is so easy to install hard drives in these unibody macs that you are much better off buying an internal 2.5" 500Gb drive from Amazon Toshiba MK5055GSX 500GB 2.5-Inch Internal SATA HDD - I suggest this simply because I know it works. If you are worried about if you have the skills to do this read on - it's easy! (see vs non uni-body pros section)

Cautionary Tale:
I was the proud owner (technically still am) of a dual core 2.4ghz macbook pro, but after just 3 years of daily use the motherboard was fried. Sadly this is not uncommon, and a friend of mine, also owning a similar spec pro, recently had the same problem. The problem with them, and with this mac as well, is that they are not great at re-distributing the heat they generate. There are no vents to push hot air out, and if you use your mac in clam-shell mode this is compounded, as the only open space on a unibody mac is the speaker grills. It is worth bearing this in mind when buying one, and I would suggest if you can find applecare at a competitive price (shop around as there are sellers offering deals) it is worth it. A new mother board is a lot of money. So I no longer take the Pro to watch iPlayer in bed, as the Duvet acts as a warmer which clearly something this machine does not need. I also religiously use a laptop stand with cooler fans - just not having the whole back of the mac in contact with a wooden desk seems to help too.

Why it's Awesome:
Clearly these machines must be awesome as despite this I've just bought another. Even though my last Pro had a much shorter life than I expected, it was a much more pleasant experience than my previous foul-mouthed PC days. Unlike PC's which fill me with rage every time I get near them, the mac is simply bliss. Although I'm always left wondering if I could have made-do with macbook rather than the macbook pro - but I use a lot of photo editing software simultaneously with things like dreamweaver and many others, so probably need the power. The software is great, and the performance fantastic, and they are gorgeous - what more could you ask for?

VS non Unibody Pros:
The unibody design is a thing of beauty and practicality. It feels so much more robust than my old machine and also significantly thinner. It also means that it is difficult for dust to get inside the machine. So whilst it causes some heat issues, it reduces the likely hood of dust causing component failure. It also means that when you are taking it out and about with you, it is better equipped at dealing with the harsher treatment a laptop inevitably gets. The new track-pad is great, but I must admit I prefer the old layout with the trackpad and the buttons - although the gesture control is handy (no pun intended).

The best thing, in my mind, about the unibody design is how simply they have made it to add and to remove a new hard drive (as mentioned earlier). If you tighten and loosen a screw then basically you can install a hard drive. They even give you the instructions on how to do it the owners manual. I already had a 500gb drive from a previous machine so I simply took it out and popped it in the new Pro. Thus I now also have a handy 320GB spare drive. All you do is take the back off by loosening a handful of screws and then you are looking at the hard drive. Take off the black restraining bar on the side by unscrewing two screws and lift it off. Simply disconnect the SATA lead from the top of it and lift it out. Take off the four screws on the sides of the hard drive you removed, add them to your 500Gb drive and follow the steps in reverse. Simple.

The only down side, and reason for 4 stars is that you can no longer replace the battery yourself. If it goes you will have to take it into an authorised centre and get a new one put in. On the plus side I get about twice as much time on new mac vs the old one, although no where near the 9hours.