17" MacBook Pro

My 17" 2.93GHz MacBook Pro arrived on Friday.

A pound heavier, an inch wider, less than an inch deeper and almost exactly the same thickness as the 15" MacBook Pro it replaces, it is a beautiful piece of engineering.

The migration of 200GB of data took less than two hours, and apart from a few de- and re-authorisations of applications the transition was fuss-free.

Boasting the same pixel-count as an Apple 24" display, the 1920 x 1200 (anti-glare option) screen is the best laptop screen I have ever used. And the lack of a glass screen means that my fingermarks don't show at the top of the screen where I open it, and that there is a handy recess for my Crumpler screen protector.

In just about every other way, it is as quiet, fast and well-behaved as the 15" it replaces. The 'scrabble pieces' keyboard (I chose the U.S. option as I prefer the larger right-hand return key) takes a bit of getting used to, but I now prefer it to previous Apple keyboards.

I don't use the trackpad much, preferring to plug in a Mighty Mouse. But on the occasions I do use it, it is smooth and predictable. The lack of a 'clicker' at the bottom is initially irritating, but using the one-finger tap gestures works just fine.

I've owned a range of Mac laptops since the release of the Powerbook 540 in 1994 and, so far, the 17" MacBook Pro is my favourite.
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