Apple - MacBook Pro® - 13" Display - Intel Core i5 - 8 GB Memory - 128GB Flash Storage - Space Gray

I am a longtime Windows fan, with Windows 10 being my favorite OS to date. In summary, I have seen the light. The MacBook Pro is the best laptop I have ever owned or used. Gaming aside, this is the best laptop you can get. Period. For gaming, Windows 10 or a console are the way to go. I have a gaming PC and that is not going to change anytime soon. For personal use, however, my MacBook Pro is now my computer of choice. I bought a MacBook Air for my wife during Best Buy's $799 Black Friday promotion. She loves it for casual email and web surfing. I tried it out and it grew on me. Fast forward a few weeks and I decided to trade in my iPad Air and Apple Watch 1 and I initially tried a Surface Laptop. I returned it less than 24 hours later due to wifi issues and instead picked up this MacBook Pro at the holiday special price of $1149. I have used it extensively for about a month and here are the Pros and Cons. Pros: -Drop dead gorgeous screen, Retina cannot be beaten -Fast, the Core i5 CPU has no trouble keeping up -Good battery life, I generally can go 8-10 hours of hard use between charges -Wakes up quickly, just as fast as your iPhone or iPad -OSX has grown on me, its very intuitive once you get the hang of it -Oversized trackpad is cool, as is the haptic feedback you get when you press it -Laptop is very high quality, the aluminum feels and looks great, nothing feels cheap -Speakers are the best you can get on a laptop, plenty of volume and depth and even some bass -Not too heavy, it was in my backpack for a recent trip I took and it was fine as far as weight -Most content I used on my iPad is available on the Mac, including Zinio, iTunes movies and shows and Outlook app -Getting and sending text messages and making and receiving telephone calls on the MacBook is very handy, works so long as the iPhone is nearby -Did I mention the gorgeous Retina screen? Cons: -Keyboard travel is very short, it takes some time to get used to it -No Netflix app for Mac - whats up with that, they have an app for Windows 10 -Power supply is big and buying a second one for your backpack for trips is expensive -Limited connectivity options, this model only has two Thunderbolt USB-C ports and a headphone jack -More powerful models can get pricey

I want to start off by stating I teetered on returning this computer for days. It wasn't a bad performing machine, but I wasn't sure the value was there, and I say that as someone with 10 Apple devices attached to my id. I'm no stranger to the Apple tax, but I just didn't feel this computer was as deserving. Its also important to note that I purchased this laptop when it was on sale for $1049. Above this price and it gets even harder to justify. The truth is, however, what choice do you have if you want a MacBook these days? The MacBook Air is priced lower, but is an aged design dogged mostly by its pitiful screen. The MacBook pros with touch bars are wildly more expensive for their gimmick feature that has been a quantitative failure. These more expensive models also needle$$ly hold the extra ports and higher clock speeds hostage from the non Touch Bar models. I'm a touch typing software developer, I like having the row of physical function keys. There's also the 'Macbook' but its generally the same price for vastly less CPU power in exchange for high base storage space. I really considered that model but the 'Pro' was on sale at the time, 128GB is in my opinion ridiculous for a 'Pro' computer. I'm getting by on it, but this laptop is, for me, not my primary machine, I use it on the go, and then work mostly on an iMac at home. I dunno, its just not a great time for apple laptops at the moment. The USB-C revolution hasn't arrived yet. None of the iPhones can even connect to a MacBook without a separate cable purchase. The pricing seems high, even for Apple. The MacBook lineup is central in an unexpectedly, currently, disjointed ecosystem for Apple. I'm going to say 'Yes' to the recommend to a friend question, but the truth is it would seriously depend. I think most non-power users would be better served by the 'MacBook'. I think that the Air is past its time and the Touch Bar models are a gimmick, and if this is your only computer don't even bother with the 128GB model.

This is my first MacBook. Prior to this I spent a lifetime on Windows and Linux computers. Those who raise the question of price (I did as well) should look at all the indicators, licensing renewals, longevity, resale value, etc. Here's what I can offer. - They keys are lower profile than my Dell Precision M3800 which threw me off at first, but now that I've put in about 40 hours of time, I'm typing faster and with less movement. - The batter lasts a long time. If I charge it fully and show up at the office at 8AM, I won't even think about charging it all day. I still bring my adapter every morning to work but I never take it out of my bag. I expect that from my Chromebook, but from a laptop with such a nice display, with rich colors, contrast and resolution, yea... I'm very impressed. I've been typing on this thing for the last 4 hours non-stop and it's currently at 88% capacity. - Updates! I already got the latest version of Mac's operating system that was released. Something I didn't realize, upgrades are included. If they come out with a new version of MacOS, I just install it, I don't have to buy it again. If I want to upgrade my Dell, I'd have to pay at least $100 for Windows 10. - The touchpad is not a button at all. It's just a flat piece of glass, but as soon as you turn it on, it acts as though it is a button. The main benefit is that there are no 'dead zones' on the pad. No matter where you press, it gives your fingers the same response. - The operating system is paired really well with iPhones. I keep finding more and more integration between my phone and MacBook, and in the most sensible places. - Macs include "Boot Camp", a program that will walk you through installing Microsoft Windows 10 right along side Mac's OSX. I did that right away just to see how it would go. It was flawless and windows ran rather nicely on the Mac. So now I have the best of both worlds, mainly using Windows for games like Lego Worlds. - The sound system is solid. Lots of bass, clarity, and full volume without vibrations or buzzing. I don't use my speakers much, but it cuts through the room when you're trying to listen to something in a noisy environment. - The webcam is solid as well. I was expecting a much taller walled garden, but what I see is a really good marriage of hardware and software, something that I think any company would want if they could pull it off. When I turn my MacBook off I miss it already. Maybe it's the Apple logo, or it's wonderful display, intuitive applications and features. I honestly don't know, but something about this MacBook just makes me really happy and no regret. And for the many Windows computers I've owned, I've never felt as content.

This review is really intriguing to me because this MacBook “Pro” is amazing for me and people like me that have a desk job like I have. I put the PRO in Quotation marks not because it is not a pro machine; but because pro has been confiscated by many to mean video/photo editing at 5K and 7K raw files. I call this mac a pro computer because professional means so much more than that. This computer is pro partly due to the fact that when combined with the rest of the Apple ecosystem everything from sending/sharing files to having all of your contacts and Apple products just work without fuss. Now, I know that the hero there is the software not the hardware; however, when combined, this computer can not be beat. When it comes to the hardware, the screen is gorgeous, the weight is perfect and the aluminum construction is top notch; but to mention that the keyboard is a pleasure to type on. Why does this matter to me; well it matters because my job requires a great deal of typing and interacting with docs of all kinds. The typing experience on this computer is simply amazing and puts it over the 12 inch MacBook in my opinion. This is where software and hardware come together to form something special. I have the base model which is up to the task with everything I have thrown at it so far. Everything even includes the one time I had to edit a 4K video at 60 fps. The major issue people point to with this computer is the inclusion of only 2 USB-C ports. I for one have not had to live the dongle life as almost everything I do happens with iCloud. Once the doc is saved on my computer, it is automatically saved to all of my other Apple products! I did purchase a USB-C docking station that has all types of ports in the back and connects my laptop to a 4K display, all with just one cable! In other words, I never find myself needing an SD card, Ethernet connection, USB port or Video Out port while out on the road. I only need those things while in the office and the docking station works great for that. In my opinion this is the best MacBook Pro for office professionals! Super glad that I have it.

Ideal User for this product: This product can be used by a large variety of different individuals, ranging from a middle school student to a big business executive. Especially individuals who currently already own other Apple products such as an I-Phone or I-Pad. It has everyday features like access to the internet, apps, games, I tunes, I movie, etc. While also having more advance features for school, or even a professional career. Such as, being compatible with Microsoft programs like excel, power point, and word. Evaluation Criteria: Over the years I have used a number of different computers including both PC’s, and MacBook’s. I have learned that the key features to make a computer stand out are the display, processor, storage, and design. Pros: The MacBook Pro has many unique aspects that separate it from other computers on the market. The 2017 MacBook pro is equipped with a 256 GB SSD which allows plentiful space to store my projects, music, movies, games, and photos. Also, the computer has one of the fastest processors on the market saving those precious seconds on a busy school day. The most unique feature on the MacBook Pro is its sleek sophisticated design. The computer is very thin and light; while also, feeling sturdy. In fact, it is so light sometimes when I’m walking to class I actually get worried I forgot my laptop at home. Cons: The biggest road block I faced in my decision to purchase a new MacBook pro was the price. There are many other cheaper alternatives on the market. Although these cheaper versions of the product don’t offer the same features, compatibility, and sleekness of a 2017 MacBook Pro. In order for the mac book to get the elegant updated 2017 design, the designers decided to not add a disk drive to the product. One other annoying factor is that the New Mac Book is not compatible with Apples new headphones. Which have been out since November 2016, when the I-Phone 7 released. Overall: I Think the MacBook Pro is a well built, and well-designed product that really sticks out from the competition. I would 10/10 recommend anyone whom already owns an apple phone, too also purchase the MacBook Pro. The compatibility between the devices will help day to day life be more organized. The reason I gave the product only four stars was the issue with the headphone jack. One of the biggest pros of the owning a MacBook is the compatibility with the I-phone. In the future, I would hope to see them add another headphone jack that can be used with the apple headphones.

In a nutshell. the best premium laptops on the market currently are this and the Microsoft Surface laptop (although long reliability is still questionable as of yet for the Surface laptop), with that said, I leaning towards the Surface since I'm more familiar with Windows but based on research that showed how easy it is to convert to OS X (Apple Migrant Software) and Windows software like Google Drive, OneDrive and Office 365 works perfect on a Mac. This was a no brainer especially with sale and students discount, since I mainly work in the cloud the small 128 gig SSD was not an issue and currently have 90 gigs of space open with all the apps I need for school and work installed. I been through many Windows laptop over the years and can tell you even some of other top ones like the Dell XPS, HP 360, Asus Zenbook will have some issues with quality over time, check the support forums. This is the main reason I joined the dark side and finally got an Apple product. How do I know this? Because I write long term reviews on my blog and YouTube, I post that info but I'm sure BB would not allow that shameless plug :)

I've used MacBooks for a little over a decade. This is the 4th I've owned, and my least favorite so far. What I love: I use my Pro primarily for photo processing. I love the retina display, reliability, processing power, and battery life. It's why I own a MacBook Pro. Specific to this version, I love that the speakers are now on right on top, and that the new charger does not use magnets. However, I don't want to give Apple a lot of credit for simply fixing their own bad designs. What I find annoying: This pro has two USB-C ports and a an aux port. That's it. No USB ports, no SD card, no DisplayPort or Thunderbolt Port. I thought I could live with it, but it's absolutely aggravating. I need a $30 adaptor to pull images off my SD card, another $30 adaptor to transfer them to my external hard drive, and once those two are plugged in, I'm out of ports. I can't even charge my computer while transferring images but that uses one of the USB-C ports. What I hate: The keyboard and trackpad. You use them for everything you do - and I hate them. The keys are difficult to press, too big, too flat, too close together - something. I can't tell you exactly what it is about them, but I hate them. And I hate the noise they make. Similarly, I hate the trackpad. I can't tell you what it is specifically about the Force Touch trackpad that makes me hate it so much, but I absolutely do hate it. At this point, I don't care if the machine is beautiful or powerful, it is almost too annoying to use, and that makes it fairly useless to me.

I wanted to buy a new laptop for professional programming, and since Windows is too annoying (it does all sorts of things in the background without telling you) I decided to buy a mac. After some research I found out that this 8GB-RAM 128GB-Storage Macbook Pro is already good enough for me. First, some extra stats that are not listed in the specs, if you want to do the research: Resolution: 2560 x 1600 Storage taken by OS: 28GB Pro: 1. Good CPU & 8GB-RAM is very powerful for a laptop used for work. 2. SSD means super fast loading time. Opening a project with JetBrains IDEs (include: start IDE, load project, finish background tasks) used to take around a minute on my old laptop, but now it only takes a few seconds. I even tried loading a game (Stellaris) and the loading time is probably 5 ~ 10 times less than before. 3. Retina display gives a very good resolution for a 13 inch screen. Cons: 1. 13 inch is kind of small. Although Retina gives you a good resolution, the small font size is not ideal if you want to protect your eyesight. (I'm planning to get a secondary monitor; will update then) 2. There are only 2 USB-C ports, and you need to buy adapters for USB/HDMI or other kinds of ports. I bought a multiport adapter which costed $69. (see pic) 3. The bottom of the laptop is completely sealed, and there are only two small air outlets on the far side (see pic). The laptop got really hot during my test run with Stellaris. But since I will only use this laptop for work it won't be a problem for me - just something for you to consider.