Battery life is good, although squeezing out the Apple-advertised five hours of use is easier said than done. With the screen brightness turned all the way up, the graphics and energy-saver settings set to best performance, and Wi-Fi on, I managed three hours of use doing routine Web surfing and text editing. Turning down the brightness and tweaking the energy-saver settings will easily extend that time.

Conclusions

All in all, Apple's new MacBook Pro represents a definitive leap in design, and a more modest advance in technology. The combination of the two, however, makes this a major update to what has become an increasingly important product for Apple's bottom line.

More important, with almost everyone looking to stretch their dollars as far as possible, Apple's new laptop lineup -- including the new MacBook -- should stand the test of time, offering good value for years to come.