


The business-class Sony VAIO VPC-Z116GXS ($1,800 direct, ) has a similar footprint, but weighs just 3 pounds. A thick slab of aluminum has some drawbacks, though: at 4.5 pounds, the MacBook Pro 13-inch is one of the heaviest 13-inch laptops in the business. Others, like the mainstream laptop Editors' Choice Asus U30Jc-1A ($899 list, ) and the Asus UL80Vt-A1 ($823 list, ), use aluminum only on the top cover the rest of the chassis is made out of plastic. Similarly designed laptops like the Dell Adamo XPS ($2,000 direct, ) and HP Envy 13 ($1,899 direct, ) aren't as solidly made as the MacBook Pro. The "Unibody" frame (built from a single block of aluminum) isn't just attractive it's also tough, and its matte finish is impervious to smudges and fingerprints. The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch's design hasn't changed, and that's just fine by me. But if you're new to the MacBook Pro family, this is the ticket to portable computing bliss. If you bought the MacBook Pro 13-inch ($1,199 direct, ) last year, it isn't worth the upgrade. Updated components are all you'll get with the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz) ($1,199 direct), but they can be compelling for many.
