The 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Singapore has just been redefined again with the release of the latest model MD313LL/A on October 24, 2011. To do justice to this MacBook Pro review, let us first begin by tracing the birth of this 13-inch laptop. Formerly under the regular MacBook series that was first released back in 2006 alongside its bigger 15-inch and 17-inch brothers under the MacBook Pro range, the 13-inch laptop got its first upgrade to the MacBook Pro range 3 years later in June 2009. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is the smallest size of the MacBook Pro series to emerge, and is known for its unibody design that gives the MacBook Pro its trademark stylish and desirable looks.
With the earlier 13-inch MacBook series recently discontinued in July 2011, the latest model MD313LL/A is now the 4th generation release of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Sporting a resolution of 1280 x 800 on its 13.3-inch LED-backlit display, this MacBook Pro is constructed out of an aluminium unibody enclosure, measures less than 1 inch thin, and weighs just 4.5 pounds. Feeling highly portable yet equally durable, the glass touchpad does not even have any buttons on it, since it features Apple trademark Multi-Touch technology. This design also provides a larger tracking area which is suitable for more rapid scrolling around of the mouse pointer.
Currently priced at SGD$1,648, this latest model features Intel 2.4GHz 2nd generation i5 dual-core processor, a spacious 500GB hard drive, and 4GB of memory, the latest 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM variant. For only $400 more at SGD$2,048, you can get the upgraded model MD314LL/A which features a boost in specs to the fastest i7 dual-core processor at 2.8GHz, and a larger 750GB hard disk. Speed-wise, the latest i5 processor outperforms its earlier generation by being up to 2 times faster in the common benchmark tests. With some cool features like Appleís unique single-chip microarchitecture, Turbo Boost 2.0, Hyper-Threading, an integrated memory controller, and energy-efficient graphics, this added speed would do great justice in helping you do everything faster, be it playing games like Starcraft 2, or even designing on AutoCAD or editing HD video.
Packed with integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB DDR3 SDRAM, graphics are handled decently thanks to the upgraded processors, though itís a pity that it does not have the dedicated graphics card of its earlier models, which saw the Nvidia GeForce 9400 in 2009, and the Nvidia GeForce 320M in 2010. Purely in terms of graphics benchmarks, the current Intel HD Graphics 3000 seems to be a slight step backwards, though this is more than compensated for by the new i5 and i7 dual-core processors that excel in heavy multitasking. It would be good to see the 13-inch model inheriting a dedicated graphics card once again such as the AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 6770M in its larger 15-inch and 17-inch counterparts, though this might jack up its price as well.
In terms of connectivity, the 13-inch MacBook Pro comes complete with the new Thunderbolt port, two USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio port, an SDXC card slot, a Kensington lock slot, the MagSafe p
ower port, Gigabit Ethernet port, and the FireWire 800 port. The new Thunderbolt port allows the fastest data transfer rate at up to 10Gbps, over 12 times faster that the 800Mbps of FireWire and 20 times faster than the 480Mbps of USB 2.0. With Appleís trademark DisplayPort technology, you can connect the large, hi-res Apple LED Cinema Display or other Mini DisplayPort peripherals directly, while there is also support for VGA, DVI, and HDMI adapters.
Interestingly, the 13-inch MacBook Pro also comes with a FaceTime HD camera, which allows you to make 720p HD calls to other members of the Apple family including the iPhone 4/4S, iPod Touch, iPad 2, and other Macs. With a multi-touch trackpad, this is Apple importing their trademark multi-touch technology from their touchscreen devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Though the MacBook Pro does not yet have a touchscreen, at least the trackpad is responsive to multi-touch gestures ranging from scrolling, pinching, swiping, to multi-finger recognition, and is the closest equivalent at this point.
With full 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, the MacBook Pro can even access the internet from tethered 3G data connections from the iPhone 4/4S. The long battery life of 7 hours trounces many other laptops that can barely last 2-3 hours given similar specs. With a 8x SuperDrive DVD burner, this works great with apps such as iMovie and iDVD for movie editing and burning. It is a pity that Apple does not support Blu-ray drives to date, which would be a great addition in the future.
Overall in summing up this MacBook Pro review, all latest Macs now run the latest OS X Lion, which is highly intuitive and tactile in supporting Multi-Touch gestures to conveniently access well-arranged apps via Launchpad. With access to the Mac App Store that mirrors the App Store on the iPhone and iPad, even playing Angry Birds on the MacBook Pro is great fun for a change.
Apple also provides you the best of both worlds by providing access to both Mac OS and Windows via Parallel Desktops, something which no PC can do, while being much less prone to viruses than PCs too. This latest 13-inch MacBook Pro model MD313LL/A is a top performer in its class, blending power, portability, and long battery life, and is strongly recommended as a great buy, considering its price is worthwhile for Apple quality.