With a solid array of components, a terrific set of features, and the lightest weight of any laptop its size, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is a power user's dream; its base price is also much higher than the 17-inch PC competition's.

Apple has added a 17-inch version of the MacBook Pro to its lineup, replacing the 17-inch PowerBook G4. The second Apple laptop to feature Intel's Core Duo processor, the 17-inch MacBook Pro looks very similar to the 15.4-inch model, save for a bigger display and a few additional ports.

Upside
With roughly the same specs as the 15.4-inch model, we can already predict much about how the 17-inch MacBook Pro will perform. The Intel Core Duo processor should deliver performance that's on a par with the fastest PC laptops, and we can expect the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 GPU to handle graphics better than the PowerBooks' ever did. The MacBook Pro's physical dimensions are virtually identical to those of the 17-inch PowerBook G4; at 3.1kg, it's the lightest laptop of its size on the market. Here's a full rundown of the specs:

• 17-inch wide-screen display (1,680x1,050 native resolution)


• 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo


• 1GB DDR2 (2x512MB) RAM (standard); 2GB DDR RAM ($400 upgrade)


• 667MHz frontside bus and main memory


• PCI Express architecture


• 100GB 7,200rpm or 120GB 5,400rpm SATA hard drive (same price)


• ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with up to 256MB memory


• ExpressCard/34 slot


• Dual-link DVI, VGA adapter included


• One FireWire 800 port, one FireWire 400 port, three USB 2.0 ports


• Optical digital and analog audio I/O, built-in microphone and stereo speakers


• Slot-loading 8X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVDÃ,±RW/CD-RW)


• Illuminated keyboard, scrolling TrackPad


• Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and Gigabit Ethernet


• MagSafe power adapter


• Mac OS X Tiger with iLife '06 featuring iWeb


• Though it doesn't appear that the Boot Camp utility comes preinstalled, you can still download it from Apple's site to run Windows XP on the MacBook Pro

Downside
The Intel processor gives Apple the potential to match the performance capabilities of its Windows-based competition, but as demonstrated with the 15.4-inch model and the iMac Core Duo, we've witnessed the growing pains Apple is experiencing in switching to the new platform. For now, beware: If you use Photoshop or other apps that are not native to the Mac OS, you will see diminished performance, forced as they are to run through Apple's stopgap Rosetta translation utility. You can read more about the ins and outs of the Intel Macs in our full reviews of the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro and iMac Core Duo.

Outlook
The base configuration of the 17-inch MacBook Pro costs AU$4,599 -- the same as the 15.4-inch model when configured with a 2.16GHz processor. We still think that's a tad expensive, but it's definitely a better deal than the 17-inch PowerBook G4 was. Apple says units will begin to ship in the next 7 to 10 days; our full review will appear shortly.

Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo)
Company: Apple
Price: AU$4,599