We stormed the Macworld Expo '09 showroom floor immediately after the Philnote to get our hands on the only tangible product Apple announced today: the new unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro. Clearly, the built-in, longer-lasting battery technology that Apple designed for its largest notebook was the cause of its delayed release, as the rest of the notebook line was revamped in October. The new unibody structure and aesthetic that the 15-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook gained a few months ago looks great on the 17-inch, so check out a few photos and some brief first impressions.
Strangely, the 17-inch MacBook Pro almost didn't look like it was 17 inches, so we tossed an iPhone in for size comparison. Perhaps the size of the Macworld Expo hall was dwarfing the machine a bit, but the trademark wider speaker grills are still the best indicator that this is indeed Apple's largest notebook.
A side view of the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which maintains one more USB port than its smaller brethren and completes Apple's abolishment of FireWire 400 from its portables.
The 17-inch's display is thinner than ever now that the machine lost .02" in thickness overall.
The 17-inch MacBook Pro's right side almost seems barren, sporting nothing but a DVD/CD slot and a notebook locking connector.
Update: The bottom of the 17-inch MacBook Pro, sans the removable panel on the 13-inch MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro.
A comparison next to the latest 15-inch MacBook Pro, on the right, helps to put the 17-inch model into context.
One final comparison that gets down low to the bodies of both machines.
After playing with the 17-inch MacBook Pro for a couple of minutes, it pretty much feels like one would expect. Apple's new unibody construction makes the machine feel even sturdier, and its slight loss in weight is an appreciated, though hardly noticeable, bonus. Look for a much more thorough Ars review with performance tests in the near future.
