17" MacBook Pro Review

So, Apple released a new top-of-the-line laptop computer. And they're touting the battery as its outstanding feature! I guess that either shows that they are running out of areas to innovate within or they are betting super-power-users really care about that.

If you go here, you can see an interesting video about the battery and its advantages. If you don't want to watch the video, here are the highlights: it has an 8-hour charge life, 3 times the lifespan of a regular laptop battery and is not user-replaceable. There was no mention of how much the replacement cost is when it finally dies. My guess is that if you can afford the laptop, you can afford the replacement of its battery. (Update: it costs $179 in the U.S. and £139 in the UK.)

The lowest entry point is $2800. Options include a $900 256 gb solid state hard drive. Or if you want an old-style anti-glare display, that is now an option for an extra $50. Finally, a screaming 2.93 ghz dual-processor is now available (at a mere extra $900).

My buddy Jim is a 17" user. He and his wife have two. I know what he wants for his birthday. But 17" is just too big for me. I love the 15" size, so I'll just have to stick with my old MacBook Pro and my home-use external monitor. Sigh.

On another Apple tech note: iLife '09 has an incredible feature - iMovie has an image stabilization feature! That is completely amazing to me - and well worth the $79 price of admission.

Amazon is selling them for about $100 off.

And finally, go here for a hilarious look at Apple's even newer laptop.