Apple MacBook Pro 17″
The 17 inch Apple MacBook Pro is a brilliant piece of equipment, almost exactly the same as the 15 inch MacBook Pro but…well…bigger. It’s large, crystal-clear display is a joy to use and the processing power is lightning fast, with a processor 2.8 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo (which can be upgraded to a 3.06 Ghz for an extra £240). It also has the incredible aesthetics of the other MacBook Pros, with an body cut from just one sheet of aluminium – resulting in an incredibly durable, highly impressive machine.
The downside of the 17 inch MacBook Pro, though, is that it’s huge. I know that sounds obvious, being a 17 inch laptop, but for all it’s awesome features and incredible design it does mean that it’s nowhere near as portable as the 15 inch or 13 inch MacBook Pros. It’s not impossible to take with you, but it’s hardly a laptop that you can happily sling into your bag along with a load of other accessories.
On the plus side though, you’re unlikely to need to take a laptop charger with you – it’s battery life can last up to 8 hours (although it’s more like 5-6 hours if you have the display up to its regular brightness). Even with intensive programmes running, and the brightness cranked right up, that’s still an impressive battery life. 
Speaking of the display, it’s beautiful. An incredible, high resolution screen with incredibly bright, clear colours – it’s a hard screen to rival. The standard screen is glossy, which is brilliant for web design, gaming or anything else that’s improved with sharp contrast images. The downside to this glossy screen, though, is that it can be highly reflective – particularly outside in the sunshine. If you’re planning on using this outside, it might be worth considering the anti-glare screen (which will cost you an extra £40 – but could well be worth it). If you’re not planning on using this outside though (and at 17 inches, that’s entirely possible) then the glossy screen may well be the screen for you.
The beautiful 17 inch MacBook Pro is an excellent desktop replacement – if you’re looking for a high performance laptop that you can store away easily (and so save space) then this is excellent for you. If you’re planning on taking it with you though, then you should certainly consider either the 15 inch MacBook Pro or the Dell XPS M1530 instead – both are very, very similar but the 15 inch laptops are much easier to take with you.
