Thin and Light, With a Shallow Keyboard
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is extremely thin for a full-featured laptop, measuring 0.59 by 11.97 by 8.36 inches (HWD) and weighing 3.02 pounds. That's actually thinner than Apple's original and now somewhat dated ultraportable, the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Its aesthetics, however, remain identical to the previous version. Available in either Silver or the Space Gray of our test unit, this is a gorgeous machine amidst an ever-growing crop of well-designed ultrabooks. Long-time Mac users may lament that the Apple logo is no longer backlit, but the logo's new shiny silver finish will assure everyone in front of you that you're using an Apple product. Whichever color you choose, it will pervade the entire chassis and lid, which are both made of aluminum. The only departures are the keyboard and screen bezel (both black), and the glass trackpad, which takes on a slightly lighter hue compared with the body.

The backlit keyboard has butterfly switches and extremely shallow key travel, which requires a bit of acclimation if you're upgrading from an older Mac. Apple claims that its butterfly mechanism is more stable than conventional laptop keyboard switches, which resemble a pair of scissors. The sound of the keys vaguely resembles the electronic clicks you'll hear from an iOS keyboard. The typing sensation is similar, too: it requires just a little more pressure than what you'd use to type on a touchscreen. We eventually found the typing experience tolerable - not necessarily enjoyable - but the keyboard will likely meet with your instant approval if you learned to type on a smartphone instead of a PC.