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Fri, 26 Jun 2009 MacBook Pro 2.26GHz (13-inch, Mid 2009)

The 13in MacBook gets a Pro moniker and FireWire returns

James Galbraith

MacBook Pro 2.26GHz (13-inch, late 2009)

Manufacturer: Apple
Pros: Has FireWire 800 port; improved battery life; high quality display; bootable SD card slot; entry-level price tag.
Cons: No matte screen option; no video adapters or Apple Remote included; no CPU or 7,200 rpm upgrade options available
Price: £899
Star rating:

When we last reviewed the aluminium MacBooks, back in October 2008, the differences between what was then the MacBook and MacBook Pro boiled down to features.

With the new MacBook Pro lineup, the features on Apple's latest 13-inch aluminium laptops have been brought up to equal those found on the new 15-inch MacBook Pros. And the unit has been renamed MacBook Pro accordingly.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro has three features that were not found in the aluminium MacBooks that have been replaced. First, the new 13-inch laptops use a longer-lasting, non-removable battery, similar to the one first unveiled in the 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Second, Apple has re-implemented the 13-inch’s FireWire connectivity in the form of a single backwards-compatible FireWire 800 port. Hallelujah!

And finally, the new 13-inch MacBook Pros now feature a Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot. Having an internal SD card reader is obviously handy for photographers and videographers whose cameras record to the popular SD format, but that’s not its only function – it can be used as a startup disk. After using OS X’s Disk Utility to format and create a GUID partition on a 8GB card, we installed Leopard on the card and were able to use it as a startup disk.

NEXT: The new 13-inch MacBook specs

Continued...
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | NEXT >

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Fri, 26 Jun 2009 MacBook Pro 2.26GHz (13-inch, Mid 2009)

The 13in MacBook gets a Pro moniker and FireWire returns

NEXT: The new 13-inch MacBook specs

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