Apple is no stranger to making great portable computers. Even before they adopted Intel processors and prior still to the success of the iPod, Apple's then equivalent product, the PowerBook Pro had a dedicated following and a reputation for excellent industrial design.

While Apple's MacBook range is aimed at capturing the 'everyman' user, the 'MacBook Pro' range is aimed at its namesake, professionals. Our test model, providing only a pound change from £1,800, is a serious investment for most. Can such a significant outlay be justified?

It is clear that Apple wants users to feel they have purchased a quality product. Every element of the product, right through to the packaging is exquisitely designed. Out of the box, the unit initially appears a little strange.

The keyboard, flanked by speaker grills, seems to sit oddly balanced against empty space (save the track-pad) below. Ports punctuate either side of the inch-thick chassis, while a slot loading optical drive is positioned on the front right. The MagSafe power port is in the far left corner.

Thankfully, initial reservations are largely dispelled through use. The aforementioned space around the keyboard, for instance, serves as a great ergonomic rest for the hands while typing.

Having speaker grills either side of the keyboard, as opposed to mounted in the screen section, ensures speaker direction remains constant, regardless of screen angle. Similar foresight is evident throughout.

Apple design

The MacBook Pro is packed with design triumphs: the screen hinge that swivels effortlessly through its arc, the screen clasps that reveal themselves mere millimetres from the locators when shutting the unit and the backlit keyboard that responds to ambient lighting.

All MacBook Pro's ship with 2GB of memory; this is perfectly adequate for video work. Hard-drive size is a little miserly at 160GB. We feel, given the flagship nature of this model, it should ship with either a 7200rpm 160GB drive or a 250GB as standard, rather than charge £100 for the upgrade.

Alternatively, it may be prudent of Apple to design a modular bay for future MacBook Pro models. Users could then sacrifice the optical drive when needed for a secondary hard drive.

Our review model shipped with the standard 1680 by 1050 resolution screen but for video work we recommend paying the extra £70 for the 1920 x 1200 'high resolution' model.

More positively, the MacBook Pro enjoys quality integrated speakers, a backlit keyboard, a clear display, built-in camera, plenty of ports and the fantastic MagSafe power connector, all housed in a high-quality, relatively rugged enclosure. The only real omission is any type of media card reader.

Battery life on this model (around five hours), especially given the screen size and backlit keyboard, is excellent. The built-in iSight camera works a treat proving genuinely useful beyond the remit of mere video conferencing. The trackpad and single button were a cause for concern until we learnt the innovative way it works.

Simply allow 'two-fingered' tracking in System Preferences and scrolling web pages and documents becomes a breeze. Place two fingers on the trackpad instead of one and you can scroll and zoom as you please just by dragging. It's a beautifully simplistic and effective function that truly has to be used to be fully appreciated.

The MacBook Pro is an excellent, if expensive, tool. Besides the wish for a modular drive (perhaps specific to our application) there is little we would change on this model.

The ability to run an external display up to 2560 by 1600 resolution makes it perfect for timeline based applications and innovative features like the MagSafe adapter can also pay for themselves in a single absent-minded 'walk through the power lead' moment.

The iSight camera proved a real bonus, used for simple snaps, quick 'vodcast' entries as well as video chat and conferencing.

With the faster or larger hard drive and high-resolution screen this MacBook doesn't leave much change from £2,000. That investment must be weighed against the fact that this model is the fastest OSX-based portable available.

Therefore, somewhat surprisingly, given its speed pedigree and unique ability to run OSX and Final Cut Studio, the MacBook Pro offers for some, a worthy investment.