Hands on: The new Macbook Pro 17 'a hunk of dual-core goodness'

Computerworld - It can rightfully be said that I am an Apple laptop fan. Going back to the late 1990s, I've had a plethora of PowerBooks, including a G3-based Wallstreet, several TiBooks -- so named for their Titanium exteriors -- and almost every iteration of the aluminum-clad PowerBook line. Since I like 'em big, at one time or another I've had all but one of the 17-in. PowerBook G4s.

The missing model? That would be the last 17-in. PowerBook G4 released in October. By then, I figured I'd wait for something with an Intel chip -- even if it meant waiting a year.

My, how time flies. It's been only about seven months, and already the best laptop Apple Computer Inc. has ever churned out is sitting right here in front of me. The newest MacBook Pro models, unveiled late last month, are now arriving in owners' hands. This one came courtesy of Apple, ostensibly for review purposes but obviously designed to tempt anyone who uses it into plunking down a credit card -- no doubt, the one with the rounded edges -- and heading home with a hunk of dual-core goodness.

"That's the smallest 17-in. laptop I've ever seen," said online editorial director Scot Finnie when he spied the new MacBook Pro sitting on my desk. (No sooner had I taken a break than Finnie had taken the MacBook to his own office for a quick once-over. Yes, he's a Windows guy, but he hears the same siren song I do and will be putting this MacBook Pro through his own round of tests later this month.) But for now, it's mine.

Let's see: Stellar design? Check.

Speedy Intel Core Duo processor? Double check.

Bright, sharp screen? Oh yes.

Mac OS X? Of course.

Windows XP? As a matter of fact, yes -- thanks to a virtualization program called Parallels and my own copy of Windows.

(Editor's update: Apple's own Boot Camp software works, too, but the Mac drivers used for XP on these machines need to be updated to take advantage of the native screen resolution. While XP works fine, the resolution is stretched. XP works fine using Parallels.)

Built-in iSight webcam? Dual-layer 8x SuperDrive? New TrackPad function? Yes, yes and yes. Throw in an extra gig of RAM for 2GB total, a 7,200-rpm 100GB hard drive, standard 802.11g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and you've got about as portable a desktop as can be found these days. And it's the most stylish, bar none.

Price of admission? $2,799, although it'll cost you more if you add to the MacBook Pro's standard 1GB of RAM. (You should do that -- but save some money and buy your memory somewhere other than at Apple.)