The Santa Rosa MacBook Pro, named for the Intel Core 2 Duo chip set used in the notebook, became available in June, but I wasn't prepared to issue a final judgment until now. I got stung by my last MacBook Pro review, which went to press before the unit started showing problems with build quality and durability. 

The Bottom Line Apple MacBook Pro Apple, apple.com Excellent  8.9 criteria score weight Configuration 9 25% Ease-of-use 9 25% Battery life 8 15% Build quality 9 15% Performance 9 10% Value 9 10% Cost: Starts at $1,999 with 2.2GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 120GB (5,400-rpm) hard drive, and 15-inch display; $4,049 fully loaded with 2.6GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, 200GB (7,200-rpm) hard drive, and 17-inch glossy widescreen display. Platforms: OS X Tiger release 10.4.4 or later Bottom Line: The Santa Rosa MacBook Pro surpasses all notebooks in both usability and build quality. The glossy LED screen is a revelation. A dedicated graphics processor ensures that the system is always responsive. The sole blemish, inflexible power management, should not deter any power user -- even a power Windows user -- from adopting this notebook as his or her everyday machine. About our Reviews and Scoring Methodology

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After six months of intensive, daily use of the machine, I can state now that today's MacBook Pro stands head and shoulders above Apple's prior flagship Intel notebooks, and sets a standard for performance, features, durability, eco-responsibility, and quality that any PC vendor will find difficult to approach for a similar price.

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The Santa Rosa MacBook Pro has earned its stripes. If this notebook had a frequent flier account of its own, it would have racked up enough travel miles in my carry-on bag to qualify for Gold status. I figure that this is a fitting milestone for writing this review, because by this point, most notebooks, including some from Apple, would be showing their age. This machine looks, feels, and runs like it did when it came out of the box. Considering how sweet it was when new, that's saying something.

High points
Apple has transcended PC notebooks. The Santa Rosa MacBook Pro doesn't look or feel like any notebook you've ever driven, even if your present notebook is a Mac.

With its thick aluminum armor and unusually sturdy construction, MacBook Pro begs to be used in demanding conditions, like on a film set, in a photo studio, in a radiologist's lab, in an elite developer's lap, or in the field for on-site news edits and Webcasts. Considering all of this, the seat-back tray and the carry on bag pose little challenge.

The Magsafe power cable connector is no mere gimmick. It replaces the friction-fit barrel connector standard in other notebooks with a rectangular magnetic latch. You can't plug the Magsafe connector upside down, and you can unplug it in the most irresponsible of ways: by pulling on the cord.

With any notebook built to please professionals of all breeds, the display, keyboard and pointing device can outstrip many other criteria. Apple has always managed the trick of making the ultra-thin lid rigid; MacBook Pro's LCD panel doesn't show rainbows when you press on it from the front or the back, and this model flexes less than preceding Mac notebooks models have. The 15.4-inch, 1440-by-900 widescreen LCD panel (a 17-inch model is available) is bright and has high contrast. It's easy on your eyes for long periods of continuous work. The display is perfectly matched with OS X's font smoothing and switchable color profiles.

MacBook Pro's LED display, seen first in this Santa Rosa model, is remarkable in a number of ways. Unlike standard notebook displays' fluorescent backlighting, MacBook Pro's LED backlight is white; this notebook's display is capable of paper white. When you choose the glossy display, black shows not even the slightest hint of gray. The LED backlight consumes less power at lower brightness, which lends to MacBook Pro's battery life edge over PC models. Last but by no means least, the LED backlight cuts way back on the level of hazardous materials used in manufacturing. Lead is already out, and Apple's got mercury on the run.