This isn't to say that the trackpad is a bad thing -- it just means you may need to retrain your clicker thumb. As an acknowledgment of the trackpad's growing importance, Apple has given the device its own system preference (until now, it was grouped in with the preferences for the keyboard and mouse). To help new users understand how the trackpad works, Apple has included videos in the system preference pane to demonstrate what each finger swipe can do. It's definitely worth reviewing if you find odd things happening while using the trackpad.

Other changes

The unibody laptop chassis, graphics cards and trackpad aren't the only new features. As noted earlier, the keyboard now uses chiclet keys, and they're black, not aluminum-colored. Personally, I liked the uniform look of having the keys and the computer the same color -- but others may like the two-tone look. And the new keyboard does at least match the shiny black border that surrounds the LED screen.

Speaking of that screen, it's the same 1440- by 900-pixel resolution as before. And it's extremely bright. Anyone who uses a MacBook Pro outdoors in full sun shouldn't have any problem seeing the screen.

With this model, Apple also made it fairly easy to access some of the internal hardware, which should please IT shops that may be eyeing the MacBook Pro. Flip a latch to take off part of the back cover, and the hard drive is staring you in the face. To the right of it is the easily-removable battery. And after removing eight screws that hold the other part of the bottom case in place, you have access to the RAM.