Although they were quite scarce, I had some hands-on time with the new 17” MacBook Pro.
On first contact, it does not look that big, at least when you compare it to the way the old 17-incher compared to the old MacBook Pros... maybe it's the tapered edges, I don't know. Surprisingly, it feels heavier than it looks (those damn edges again!), and you really feel the extra pound compared to the 15" model. It also feels very rigid, thanks to the Unibody and non-removable battery.
The trackpad is the same as on the new MacBooks and Pros, although larger, and feels really natural. I hadn't tried the new monobloc trackpad before, but I actually didn't notice it at first, it just felt like the standard trackpad with button.
The overall finish is extremely smooth, and even the speaker grilles have received manic attention, as they are now level and silky smooth, a bit like the iSight ON light, which holes are laser etched: if you run your fingers on the speaker grille, you actually cannot feel it, it feels weird.
Apple is claiming that the new non removable battery (cue scandal, uproar and outcry) is worth "up to 8 hours", which, if true, would be outstanding. My main concern with non-removable batteries is not the impossibility to carry around a spare battery (at worst, there exist solutions like external juice packs), but rather the fact that batteries don't age well, especially if you use your laptop on AC most of the time (my 2 years-old MBPro battery doesn't hold more than 1 hr of charge now, which is why I had to buy a new battery for when I'm on the go): what will happen after 2 years when your 17" incher needs some Viagra to last longer? How much will Apple charge for a replacement battery?
One of the great things regarding the new 17" is the new screen, given for a 60% wider gamut than it's ancestor, which will be great for photographers. Also, Apple is finally adding an "antiglare" coating option, basically you can order a matte screen if you hate glossy displays. The models on display were all using glossy screens, so I can't say if the antiglare versions look like the old matte MacBook Pro screen or not.
The models on display at the Expo are running a custom build of Mac OSX 10.5.6, namely 9G2104.
The new 17" inches MacBook Pro starts at $2,799 for the Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz with 4GB Memory, 320GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 512MB.
Options include a 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo [Add $300.00], 8GB of RAM [add Apple RAM tax of $1,200!!!], faster 7200 RPM HD, 128 or 256 SSD [Add respectively $50, $500 or $900] and the much-asked-for matte screen finish for and extra $50
