The Macbook Pro is the more traditional notebook lineup from Apple. Carved from aluminum slabs, these notebooks come in two flavors: 13" and 15", starting at $1,199 and $1,799, respectively. Both models are .95", but the 15" model is wider and deeper. Weight is a different story, however, with the 13" model being four-and-a-half pounds compared to the 5.6lbs of the 15". Remember to factor that in before purchasing; every extra bit of weight in your backpack or briefcase counts.

Though heavier than the Air, these machines feature a full complement of ports and features, including an 8x SuperDrive (capable of reading/writing CDs and DVDs), an SDXC card slot, Thunderbolt, a couple of USB 3 ports, MagSafe power connection, FireWire 800, and gigabit Ethernet. Wireless-N and Bluetooth 4.0 round out the wireless connectivity. Also included: FaceTime camera, backlit keyboard, and 4GB of memory. The low end 13" MacBook Pro comes with 2.5GHz Core i5; the 15" model: 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7.

The hard drives included on the MacBook Pros start at 500GB, but they are that of the 5400-RPM variety. This hard drive actually affects the performance of the computer, and I recommend upgrading it. There are third party SSD drives available that will greatly speed things up if you're not willing to pay Apple's upgrade prices.

Considering the feature set and price range of the MacBook Pro models, I imagine this is where most people will settle; I'm actually using the 15" MBP to write this. When configured with the proper amount of memory (I recommend at least 8GB) and an SSD drive, these MacBook Pros are a portable powerhouse; just be mindful of your budget!

Wider variety of ports compared to Air and Retina MBP; optical drive support; solid feel; large trackpad with multitouch gesture support; backlit keyboard