MacBook Pro unpacking pictures rolling in

Got mine this morning. Here are the first pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewoliver/sets/72057594069503108/

Enjoy!

I've put a bunch of pics up on the web and would be willing to answer questions about my new MacBook Pro. http://blog.dcdan.com/2006/02/macbook-pro.html

So, I've had mine for most of the day, up and running. First impressions:

1. Compared to the 12 inch Powerbook I've been using for the last year, this is thing huge. It feels like a 17 inch Powerbook. Maybe that's just because I went from the 12 to the 15, but I had a 15 before the 12 and this still seems bigger. I haven't checked the specs, but I'm sure it probably says it's larger. I would have preferred something in-between my 12 and this new 15 MacBook.

2. Dang it. Not like I had a choice, but I'm bothered that all the inputs are on both the left and right. My old 15 had all the inputs along the back, which was great, except for the flap that was an occasional hassle. Plugging this into my cinema display is a bummer now, because I have cables - USB, Firewire, Power, DVI on both sides... just means more cable mess on the desk.

3. Love the backlit keyboard. I know, not new, but new to me. The 12 didn't have it.

4. The screen is awesome. Just gorgeous. Looks just like my cinema display. Here's a pic of my 12 and the new MacBook side-by-side. The 15 is much brighter, and that's not because of the angle of the 12 next to it. It is really bright.

http://www.splashblog.com/schomer/?albumid=All&pageno=1&preview=252424

5. The Home, End, and Page up/down keys are not as tall as on my 12. When I surf, I use my right hand pinky to use the arrow keys for scrolling. I know I can use the two-finger approach on the trackpad, but that doesn't allow me to jump to the very top/bottom of a page, like the arrow keys do. I use my index finger to hit the Cmd key and arrow up to jump all the way back up. Can't do that as easily now, with the smaller keys. I'm sure I'll adapt though.

6. The A/C adapter connection is sweet. It jumps right in there. Getting it back out is hard. I had to grab the cable part, which makes me worried that I'm going to detatch the wire/cable from the plug at some point. Having a weaker connection probably wouldn't be a good trade-off, as it would suck to have it come out too easily.

7. Can't comment on battery life. Have had it plugged-in, for the most part.

8. In terms of performance, the things I have noticed that are really fast are Safari - wow - really fast page drawing. Also, anything in the Finder feels fast for navigation. I have been waiting for Mail to draw lists and emails, which is odd. It doesn't immediately feel faster in Mail.

9. After using it on my lap for an hour, my lap is not on fire. My 12 got quite hot. My old 15, forget about it - way hot.

So, nothing significant that I can complain about - other than the things I had no choice on - inputs on both sides of the machine, etc.

Grabbed my Home folder from my old mac, copied it over, copied most of my apps, back in business.

There you go... raw feedback... :-)

Todd

11: Thanks. So it's an optional extension?

The big brick doesn't bother me much. I've come to expect little in the way of laptop battery. We're all going to have to wait until something radically new comes out if we want acceptable battery life.

#10: the thicker cable connects to the power brick and extends the power cord as well as allows you to connect it to a power strip using no extra space on the strip. It also has a grounded connection

All the pics show two power cable, one on the brick, and another thicker looking cable. What is that thicker cable?

the comments go on to say : the battery needs to be calibrated correctly and broken into. and the laptop needs to be configured properly

the trailing _ got cut from the link. add it

the article says it lasted 2 hours and 38 minutes

Battery life link down. I am still wanting to know the battery life, so any ideas out there?

on battery life : http://digg.com/apple/First_Test_Results_of_the_MacBook_Pro_Battery_