Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch (LED)

Apple MacBook Pro fanatics know the drill. Every six months or so, their eyes gleam in anticipation of earth shattering upgrades. With Intel's launch of its Santa Rosa platform, the foregone conclusion was that the MacBook Pros would get the added speed from a component transplant. But what about other desired features?

Would the MacBook Pro have built in Wireless WAN? A Blue-ray drive? An LED display? Well, one out of three isn't bad. The Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch (LED) embeds a new display technology called LED back lighting, not to mention an array of processing parts that range from a new Intel Core 2 Duo processor to a new graphics core from nVidia.

You won't notice much of a visual difference with the LED screen, but the performance enhancements may be enough to make MacBook Pro owners out of some who had been undecided. Upgrading from a current MacBook Pro is probably not worth the expense, but Apple put enough into the MacBook Pro 15-inch (LED) for mainstream laptops.

When the Apple Macbook 13 inch (Core 2 Duo T7200) launched without the Santa Rosa components, my initial reaction was, "Boy, the MacBook Pros or this will be a serious blow to Apple." But creating more separation between the MacBooks and MacBook Pros makes a lot of sense and sure enough, Apple gave the MacBook Pros the Santa Rosa advantage.

The overall look and dimensions of the 15 inch model remain unchanged. The MacBook Pro 15 inch (LED), like its predecessors, puts an aluminum alloy over the frame. The weight has been reduced by a tenth of a pound, to 5.3 pounds.

Although this weight reduction is barely noticeable, the system itself is a treat for commuters looking for a 15.4 inch screen. It's the lightest 15 inch laptop on the market. Only Sony comes within striking distance, with its VAIO FZ Series, but even that weighs around 5.8 pounds.