I am pretty sure that the solution for you is to use Migration Assistant.
The new Macbooks (regular and Pro) have new hardware that is unlikely to be supported by the version of the OS on your backup drive. You need to use the OS that will come with the computer (at least until a new rev of 10.5 has been pushed out (one that includes the software the new Macbooks require)).
- Boot your new Macbook (Pro) for the first time.
- When the Migration Assistant comes up, attach your backup drive and select it.
- Your settings, applications, and users will be migrated from the backup to your new computer.
Migration-via-cloning is only 100% reliable when the backed-up and the restored-to system are the same revision. Other variations are possible (restored-to system is older or newer than backed-up system), but certain restrictions apply. One of the guidelines is that the backuped-up OS should be newer than the restored-to system. This will always be prevent a restore-via-cloning to brand new system from being 100% reliable.