The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers by Apple Inc.

First introduced in January 2006 at the Macworld Conference & Expo alongside the iMac Intel-based iMac, the MacBook Pro replaced the PowerBook G4 and was the second computer to be announced in the Apple Intel transition. Positioned at the high end of the MacBook family, the MacBook Pro is aimed at the professional and power user market.

There have been two designs for the MacBook Pro, both using aluminum. The first design was largely a carry-over from the PowerBook G4. The second design is a more tapered design with most of the casing made from a single block of aluminum.


Discrete-construction MacBook Pro


The original 15" MacBook Pro was announced on January 10, 2006 at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. The 17" model was later introduced on April 24, 2006. When first introduced, the MacBook Pro was noted for being lacking in ports and slightly lacking in screen resolution in comparison to its predecessor. Also, FireWire 800 and S-Video ports were not available. Other changes included the introduction of MagSafe, a magnetic power connector designed to detach easily when yanked to prevent the laptop from being pulled off a surface.

Industrial Design

Aside from the addition of an iSight camera to the display bezel, the changes in connectivity options, and a relocation of the AirPort antenna, the early MacBook Pro's appearance was virtually unchanged from that of the PowerBook G4. Much of the features remain the same as well, including the ambient light sensor, back-lit keyboard, and sudden motion sensor. A multi-touch trackpad was made available on the Early 2008 revision.

When the MacBook was announced, a glossy screen option was added.

Quality Problems

It has been suggested that some of the information in this article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) be merged into other sections to achieve a more neutral presentation. (Discuss)


Users have reported numerous issues with some of the MacBook Pro Core Duo and Core 2 Duo laptops. These include:

1. Apple has reported that some of these laptops contain faulty Nvidia graphics chips that seriously distort or fail to produce video. Apple seems to be repairing affected models at no charge, and refunding individuals who have already paid for repairs.
2. A hissing noise often described as a whine, was found to be caused by an idle processor. Software workarounds and the effect of screen position and power source on the issue have been reported. As of July 2006, Apple acknowledged the problem[4], and a replacement mainboard has fixed the "whine" issue for some users.
3. A claim of excessive heat generation, which was initially speculated to be caused by the application of excessive quantities of thermal grease on the processor during manufacturing. As of August 28, 2007, that problem has been resolved.
4. Some early models (serial numbers starting below W8610) had a screen hum emitting from the right side of the machine present when display brightness was set "somewhere between maximum and minimum brightness."
5. In some early models the supplied battery is faulty, and may eventually start swelling while losing capacity. Due to very limited clearance above the battery this can cause permanent damage to the touch pad if left unfixed. Apple eventually addressed the problem and issued a recall of the batteries that were used in certain models of the 15" MacBook Pro. The batteries did not pose a safety risk and were recalled due to the failure to meet Apple's "high standards for battery performance."
6. In May 2007, Apple released Battery Update 1.2, which was designed to improve battery life. In conjunction with this update, Apple created a repair extension program to extend the replacement coverage of batteries that exhibited some specific failure symptoms that were not corrected by the new update.
7. Although no formal test results have been published, many users are reporting that some of these issues were fixed in later models (week 11 and onwards).
8. There have been complaints about the MagSafe power adaptor breaking at its magnetic connector head, and in some instances melting while the wire is exposed.
9. Apple quickly addressed an issue after the June 5 revision involving occasional problems with "Display Hot Swapping", resulting in one or both screens temporarily dimming or blanking completely.
10. Apple has been accused of supplying sub-standard LCD display hardware with their MacBook Pros. While Apple marketing claims that the display is capable of 8-bit RGB with millions (16,777,216, or 224) of colors, they are using 6-bit LCD screens that only provide 262,144 (218) colors natively with dithering to simulate millions of colors. This is a fairly common process for laptop manufacturers. However, a problem has been noticed with their dithering routine that can create artifacts during the display of gradients in images, which is inconvenient for graphic artists. The problem manifests only on the internal LCD display and not on external monitors. There is a class action law suit underway.
11. A small number of users have noticed that the audio-out jack on the 2007 revision MacBook Pro puts out varying amounts of hiss, static, and whine. This issue affects all 2007 revision MacBook Pro models and appears to be a design flaw of the computer's logic board. The issue has not been acknowledged by Apple or resolved as of the February 2008 revision.