Free MacBook Pro

The latest MacBook Pro was released on 14 October 2008 and features a new unibody casing machined from a single piece of aluminium. The new styling largely follows that of the iMac and the MacBook Air and is slightly slimmer than its predecessor. The screen is now LED backlit and glass coated which gives a brighter, clearer image than its predecessor coupled with much improved contrast performance. The new MacBook Pro's ports were moved to the left side of the case and the current versions now feature an SD card slot for the first time (an ExpressCard slot is used on the 17" machine). Other changes involve moving the optical drive slot to the right side and the DVI port being replaced with a Mini DisplayPort connection. Although the FireWire 400 port was deleted the FireWire 800 port is retained.

The previous generation white polycarbonate shelled MacBook is still available as the only non-pro MacBook. The black version is no longer available.

MacBook Pro versions

At the time of writing there are various specifications of MacBook Pro available, all based around the three screen sizes of 13", 15" and 17". Each of these models can be customised with varying specifications of memory size, processor speed and hard drive size. For the ultimate in performance a solid state (SSD) SATA hard drive can also be specified. An anti-glare matte screen is available on the 15" and 17" versions.

MacBook Battery Life

All free MacBook Pro models now employ a non-user removable 'sealed in' battery featuring lithium-ion polymer technology. Although this prevents to user being able to easily remove and replace the battery, it has allowed Apple to introduce batteries with unique 'non-rounded' cells which can use every bit of free space inside the MacBook Pro casing. This gives all of the range fantastic battery life with the 13-inch and 15-inch versions providing up to seven hours use on a single charge. The increased size of the 17-inch mac allows this performance to be stretched even further to a whopping eight hours.

The batteries in all MacBook Pro models are expected to last approximately 1000 charge cycles whist still containing 80% of their capacity. This would give them a lifespan of about five years.

Usability

The MacBook Pro trackpad has been enlarged with the whole pad now being the physical button. This revision allows the user more room for scrolling and multi-touch gestures which non mimic those of the iPhone and iPod Touch. The keyboard is Apple's now-standard sunken keyboard with separated keys, which are now backlit on all models.

MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air

This is a tough question and would depend on the users requirements. A business user wanting the full range of features along with maximum battery life would be well placed to choose one of the Pro models. The more casual user wanting a stylish machine with which to impress their friends will probably want to go for a free MacBook Air. You sacrifice luxuries such as a DVD drive, FireWire port and card reader but gain one of the thinnest, most stylish notebook computers ever released.

Step 1

Click your free Apple Mac product from the selection above. You will be taken to the sign up page where you need to enter your email address and choose a password – please don’t worry, your details are safe. Please note you can only choose one item.

Step 3

Get a few of your friend to also sign up and complete an offer using your referral link (provided when you sign up in step one). If you need some tips on how to get people to sign up or have any other questions about your free Mac please see our FAQ.

Step 2

Choose and complete one of the available offers. Some are free (such as Lovefilm), whilst others such as Coral and Gala Bingo cost just £5. Make sure you complete your chosen offer as described on the offer page, otherwise it won’t count.