This is not my first Mac computer, and certainly will not be my last. Before I begin, I will say that I am not like a good percentage of the people that will end up writing a review on this computer - I am not an Apple fanboy. I have owned many PC computers as well, and like them too. I currently own a Lenovo laptop as well as my new MacBook Pro, and each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

To start with the strengths:
1. OSX Lion is a great performer..extremely fast and reliable. I have it installed on my iMac desktop computer as well and love it. Not to mention this comes with a free upgrade to Mountain Lion, which is very nice.
2. Screen looks great. Even though it is not the Retina display you can get on the 15.4 inch model, the screen is fantastic. Very bright and crystal clear with excellent color.
3. Quietest laptop I have ever owned. Keeps quiet even when the computer is under a heavy load.
4. First computer I have owned with USB 3.0. I bought an external hard drive when I purchased this laptop as well so I could utilize the USB 3.0. I got the hard drive yesterday and transferred all of my files from my old laptop to the new hard drive so I could put them on my MacBook. It took about 1/5th of the time it did with USB 2.0.
5. My Lenovo laptop does not have an illuminated keyboard, so the keyboard on this laptop is a big plus in my opinion. Excellent for people that like to work or surf the web while their significant other is sleeping.
6. The trackpad - can't even compare it to any trackpad I have seen on any other laptop computer.
7. Excellent battery life while being a very fast performer. It definitely has the best of both worlds. I average about 6 hours on a charge. My Lenovo (with similar graphics, processor, etc. and same use) only lasts about 4 or 5 hours on a full charge.
8. Typical Apple simplistic styling. I love the look of the Apple products. Simple and clean.
9. Many, many more...but those are the most notable ones to me.

Now, for the weaknesses.
1. The only thing I dislike about this laptop are the rubber pads found on the bottom of the computer for grip. They may get softer and more sticky as time goes by, but right now they are far from that. The pads on the bottom of my Lenovo are definitely much better and don't allow the computer to slide around while I am using the computer on a glass topped desk.
2. Price - it's a bit pricey for the performance you get, but the added perks of Mac OSX and the durability and support of Apple products makes up for it. For the same price, you can get a PC with more memory, larger hard drive, better graphics, and a faster processor, but then you remember you're running Windows 7, which isn't nearly as well built as Mac OSX.

In conclusion - this is a great laptop. Although it is a little pricey, it is well worth the extra money. So far, the only issue I have with it (rubber pads) is a very small problem that does not change how this laptop performs in any way.

If you are thinking about getting a MacBook Pro laptop but do not want to spend a huge amount of money for one, this is definitely the way to go. It may be considered the "base model" MacBook Pro, but it still an excellent computer. The size and battery life of this computer makes it excellent for people that need a laptop that is very mobile. Between work and college classes, I needed a lightweight yet durable computer and this definitely fits that criteria.

Protip: Upgrade with Crucial 256 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT256M4SSD2 and Komputerbay 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz SODIMM 204-Pin Laptop Memory 10-10-10-27 with Black Heatspreaders to make your MBP perform faster than you can think.

I transitioned from PC all through high school to a white MacBook in 2006 for college. Added an iMac about 2 years later. Then, switched back to primarily PC for work on a HP Envy 14. I also took some time to build a sweet gaming PC rig. And now, after selling the iMac (not really used since college), the gaming PC and the HP Envy 14, I have hopped back onto this MacBook Pro 13 inch.

I'm very glad to be back on an Apple product. Having used PCs exclusively for the last 2 years, I can identify a few specific reasons why I wanted to get back to Mac.

1) Mouse mechanics - there is really nothing in the PC market that compares to the Mac trackpad. The closest alternative to its smooth, accurate and conveniently place functionality is the Lenovo ThinkPad's red nipple. Since I work often where having to pull out a separate mouse would be inconvenient, this was an important point for me.

2) Battery life - even new, the HP Envy only hits 3 hours or so on a full charge. I can squeeze close to 6 hours out of the MBP. Trips on the road make the doubled battery life very useful.

3) Lion productivity features - I remember having to use a second monitor on my PC setups just for the real estate. i can honestly say that I am fine without that now when able to swipe between desktops with 3 finger motions on this trackpad. Having a second monitor anyway is a bonus now that lets me just keep iTunes or Outlook open on the side.

4) Speed - Lion and the upgrades I've added to this MBP (listed above) have made this computer incredibly fast. I can crunch through 500,000 row Excel spreadsheets, update my iPhone firmware, and watch a 720p YouTube without any noticeable hitches. Startup takes less than 10 seconds, waking from start is instantaneous (so awesome and useful!), install speeds are zippy.

5) Prettiness - beautiful work machines can inspire better and more creative work. It does more than just make me want to use the MBP more - it's a constant reminder of how careful planning, bold design choices, good engineering, and hard work make inspirational products.

Clearly I'm a fan. Still, I'm going to deduct a star for three reasons:

1) Price - it's expensive for the components inside. The price essentially values the Lion OS X and integrated software/hardware at something like $200 over similar Windows systems.

2) Fragile aesthetics - the aluminum frame scratches a little too easily and the glossy screen picks up fingerprints/oil. I'm babying the hell out of this MBP, which means taking off my aircraft aluminum watch before using it and wiping its screen down about once every other day.

3) Glossy screen - screen glare makes working in sunlight basically impossible.

After owning my MacBook for a month I finally feel ready to review it accurately. Let me start off by saying that I was highly reluctant to spend so much money on a laptop. I've always been a Windows guy so I've known that you can buy laptops with equivalent specs to Macs for a good deal cheaper. Though after comparing different laptops I was not able to find one that had a satisfactory build quality. The closest I could find were laptops made by Asus, but even then I read of too many build quality issues that made me uneasy. Ultrabooks made by other companies had good quality, but by then they cost just as much as the MacBook but with lower specs. So I decided to take the plunge with this MacBook after demoing it in a Apple Store. Here are the things that made me confident with my purchase:

Build Quality - Seriously, you can't beat a unibody construction. While other laptops creak when you pick them up due to the various plastic components screwed together, the Macbook feels firm. The only thing that initially concerned me was that the lid would slightly creak when you closed it. Running waxed dental floss through the hinges solved this.

Trackpad and Keyboard- This extra large trackpad is heavenly to use. Having the whole trackpad function as a giant button is a lot more comfortable to use. Plus two finger clicking as a replacement for the right click button is surprisingly intuitive. The keyboard keys are well spaced and the led backlighting is very cool.

Power System - I regularly get around 6 hours from the battery, which I am more than satisfied with. The magsafe plugin system is more handy than I thought it would be, and there is a neat led battery indicator on the side of the notebook that makes checking the battery level with the computer off easy.

OS X - Mine initially came with Lion, but after upgrading to Mountain Lion I am even more satisfied. Everything runs fast and animations are fluid. I love the multi touch features, which again is something I initially didn't think I would really need. It took me a little time to get used to using finder after being accustomed to windows explorer, but I am confident now in my ability to navigate through files just as quickly as in Windows.

Dual Booting - I have a few engineering programs that only run on Windows so I decided to install Windows 7 through bootcamp. Because it boots natively from the hard drive, it runs just as smoothly as any other Windows laptop. Remember folks, this computer doesn't have any magical internal components. The Intel Chipset is the same used in any other laptop and thus Windows runs just the same with the proper drivers installed.

Chipset - The Intel Core i5 runs very fast with minimal heat. The Intel Graphics 4000 is more than adequate for most applications.
I could even run Portal 2 on maximum graphics settings and play 1080p video without it breaking a sweat. The fan almost never revs up to an audible level. This is in part to the aluminum body being a giant heat sink. So yes, the laptop body can get warm at times. But it is never uncomfortably warm when I use it on my lap. Ill probably upgrade the RAM and the harddrive to an SSD in the future, but for now they are fine.

So all in all I am very happy with my purchase. I am officially a Mac convert and will use this laptop for a very long time.

Also, all the Windows "gamers" who are trashing Macs need to gain some perspective. Yes, I can get a Core i7 laptop with a dedicated graphics card for a lot cheaper than the MacBook. But I decided to spend the extra money to get a better engineered laptop with some nifty extra features.

I have been a PC user for most of my life. I used windows XP, windows Vista, and Windows 7 extensively. Most recently, I put Windows 8 on my old Dell laptop in an attempt to breathe new life into it. This plan ended when the hinge holding the screen on finally gave out. I purchased this computer from Amazon during the Black Friday sale, and got a much better deal than Apple was offering. Though the computer ships with Lion instead of the current Mountain Lion OS, the free upgrade that Amazon describes was processed and approved by Apple within about 10 minutes. The computer arrived very well packaged and in perfect condition.

Hardware: The Macbook pro's physical form is wonderful. Not only is it beautiful, but it feels really solid. Screen is bright and gorgeous. Trackpad is nothing short of dazzling when compared to competing Windows systems. Wake up time is very short. Sound from concealed speakers perfectly adequate for normal listening.

Software: Though I was excited to try Mac, I was a little apprehensive. I have been a PC person for many years and feel really comfortable navigating Windows to accomplish tasks. Not only is Mac different, but Mac programs (in my experience) typically expect you to think in a slightly different way when trying to figure out how to do something new. I was a bit worried that I would experience some frustration. My fears, however, were unfounded. The system is amazingly intuitive, and, after a short learning curve, you begin to feel like Mac is a big improvement over Windows 7, and that Windows 8 is an unsuccessful attempt to recreate Mac successes. For example, I feel like the new Start screen is analogous to the Launchpad, but more cluttered and a bit clunky. Anyway, the transition is not difficult, and the experience trumps Windows easily.

WHY THE MACBOOK PRO, WHY NOT THE AIR? I did consider purchasing the Air instead of the Pro. I was attracted to the all flash architecture of the air. Solid state drives don't wear out, even after 5+ years of operation. Also, lugging around a heavy computer just in case I need it is a peeve of mine, with the result that I often don't have my computer when I need it. The Pro is by no means a heavy computer, but the Air is remarkably light. I don't really believe I would have ever missed the optical drive, as I still have a desktop that I can use to burn CDs/DVDs and to store massive files that would overwhelm the relatively small solid state storage of the Air. Why, then, did I get the Pro? Longevity for one. I expect a laptop to last around 5 years at this point. While the base Pro and Air have similar performance ratings, in two years I can open the bottom of the Pro and easily and cheaply upgrade the RAM. I also plan to put in a solid state drive at that time. This can all be done more cheaply than paying Apple for the upgrade right now. Also, though I understand why it may be reasonable to make the Air without an Ethernet cable, my office at the university does not have Wifi. There are no plans to expand coverage to my office and I am not permitted to expand the network on my own. This means I am restricted to ethernet connection. I realize that there are USB and Thunderbolt adapters for this, but I would need to use this adapter literally every day. In the end, I don't think it would be worth the hassle. Also, some users report issues with getting the Air to use these adapters, a situation which would be extremely negative for my work situation even on a short-term basis. In the end, these reasons led me to get the Pro over the Air, and I am highly satisfied with my decision. The relatively greater mass of the Pro is not an issue, as the computer is still highly portable, and not having to mess with the ethernet adapter is a pro that I am already grateful for.

Overall, my experience with this computer has been great. I would highly recommend the switch, and I will not be returning to the Windows platform for the foreseeable future.