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The best alternatives to the late, great 17-inch MacBook Pro

The sudden disappearance of Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro laptop after yesterday's WWDC keynote provoked split opinions on CNET. Photographers and videographers will weep, some said. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display has more pixels and will be a great replacement, said others.

Whichever way you slice it, potential suitors of the 17-inch Pro suddenly find themselves looking for a new partner. Alas, here's what you'll soon discover: most 17-inch laptops on the Windows side are "gaming laptops," built clunky, bulky, and leaning toward power over battery life.

(Note: yes, commenters, I agree. Of all Windows laptops, the HP Envy 17 would probably be the closest match. HP still sells the 17-inch version, and it costs as little as $1,249 on HP's website. However, we haven't reviewed the current 17-incher: for the closest equivalent, see our review of the HP Envy 15.)

Here are the closest equivalents we've reviewed at CNET, but you'll rapidly realize that none of them perfectly match what the Pro offered.… Read more

Should Apple kill the 17-inch MacBook Pro?

Apple (the modern version of the company, anyway) is known for its product lineup minimalism, producing only a handful of versions in key categories.

Several days ago, an analyst note led to widespread speculation that the company was going to discontinue the 17-inch version of the MacBook Pro. The comments from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (reported by MacRumors and others), indicated that hybrid products combining the slim design of the MacBook Air with the power of the Pro line were the way forward for Apple, and the 17-inch Pro was a possible casualty of that shift. … Read more

Toshiba announces new Satellite P700 laptop, smaller 17-inch Qosmio, both with 3D option

We've often commented on Toshiba Satellites becoming a confusing galaxy of letter-based lines that share similar looks. Today's announcement of the back-to-school Satellite P700 series should help in this regard, since it's effectively replacing the Satellite A660 and M640 lines, both of which we've reviewed in a variety of versions at CNET.

The P700 isn't anything truly new chassis-wise: it's available in 14-, 15-, and 17-inch variations, and share a Fusion X2 finish we've seen on many models. These laptops do, however, offer the newly announced AMD A6-3400M processor with discrete Radeon graphics, … Read more

Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011 (2.2 GHz Core i7, 17-inch)

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro comes with the same specs as the highest-end 15-inch model: 2.2 GHz Core i7 processor, AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics, and a 750GB hard drive. There are a few small differences: an ExpressCard/34 slot instead of an SD card slot, and, of course, the added benefit of a large 1,900x1,200 display.

For related information, read our review of the 15-inch 2.2 GHz Core i7 MacBook Pro.

The new Apple LED Cinema display: Same as the old? (photos)

We received the Apple Cinema display yesterday and noticed it looks a lot like the iMac 27-inch, but you know, without all that disk drive, keyboard, and silver lower bezel stuff.

Actually, it looks more like a larger version of the Apple LED Cinema Display 24-inch, released in 2008. You know, this thing looks so much like the 24-inch version that I probably could have just used the pics I shot from that monitor two years ago. Maybe then I could have actually done something other than that yesterday. Oh well. All in the name of timely and relevant.

Look … Read more

First Take: Apple MacBook Pro spring 2010 (17-inch)

The 17-inch MacBook Pro has always been the domain for a special subset of people: desktop-replacement connoisseurs, fans of higher-res screens, and graphic designers in particular. The spring 2010 17-inch MacBook Pro retains nearly all of the design features from the 2009 version, but the internal components have at last received a significant boost.

As we had expected and hoped, Apple's new 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros have made the shift to Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, matching a move that the rest of the industry has rapidly made. The 17-inch Pro comes in a single 2.53GHz … Read more

Get a 17-inch Toshiba laptop for $350

If you missed out on Walmart's recent $348 Toshiba laptop, fear not: Buy.com has an almost identical Toshiba Satellite L355-S7905 for $349.95, with free shipping.

That's a pretty jaw-dropping price, but there are a couple caveats. First, the out-the-door price is $399.95; you'll have to wait 8 weeks or so on a $50 mail-in rebate [PDF].

Second, this is a refurbished system, so the warranty expires after 90 days. You can extend it to one year for $60, but at that point you might be better off with a new model.

Finally, I don'… Read more

MSI's supercheap 16-inch laptop includes Blu-ray

The 2009 budget train continues, as MSI has just announced a back-to-school lineup of 16- and 17-inch additions to the Classic C Series notebook line, promising starting prices as low as $549. What's new and notable here is that the 17.3-inch models all have 1600x900 resolutions, which is a nice upgrade from the 1366x768 we're used to seeing on budget machines. Even more intriguingly, the 16-inch CR600-017 includes a Blu-ray/DVD drive for hi-def movie watching (but sadly and quizzically, only a 1366x768 resolution on that one). But this is the kicker: it only costs $649.

All … Read more