After weeks of a growing chorus of rumors, leaks, and anecdotal evidence, Apple today announced a series of updates to its popular MacBook Pro line of laptops.
The biggest changes are all under the hood, as first reported on CNET. The entire updated line now offers Intel's latest Sandy Bridge CPUs, which debuted last month.
Just as significantly, the new MacBook Pros are also the first products to feature Intel's new Thunderbolt technology (formerly known as Light Peak). The Thunderbolt tech is envisioned as a sort of unified successor to USB, FireWire, and DisplayPort, allowing peripherals to hypothetically carry data and video at 10 gigabits per second. The Thunderbolt port on the MacBook Pros looks identical to (and is backwards-compatible with) existing DisplayPort connections, and--with the proper adapter cable--should also be able to interface with HDMI connections as well. (Also, note that Intel will be hosting a press event at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET today at which it is widely expected to highlight its Thunderbolt/Light Peak technology in more detail. Join CNET for live coverage at that time.)
The third big change is in the laptops' internal graphics processor. Instead of the Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics previously found in these systems, the default graphics come from Intel's HD 3000 GPU, which is the improved, integrated graphics that come bundled with the current Sandy Bridge generation of Intel's Core i-series processors. For the larger 15- and 17-inch models that include discrete graphics, the GPUs now come from AMD instead of long-time rival Nvidia.
The new MacBook Pros also get a new higher-resolution FaceTime HD camera. As the name implies, Apple is also bringing the iPhone's FaceTime video-calling software to the Mac.
Like the previous MacBook Pro line, these new models all start with a minimum of 4GB of RAM, and the lowest-end 13-inch MacBook Pro gets a hard-drive bump from 250GB to 320GB.
The base models for the MacBook Pro line are now as follows:
13-inch MacBook Pro
$1,199
2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Intel HD Graphics 3000
320GB HDD
$1,199
2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Intel HD Graphics 3000
320GB HDD
13-inch MacBook Pro
$1,499
2.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Intel HD Graphics 3000
500GB HDD
$1,499
2.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Intel HD Graphics 3000
500GB HDD
15-inch MacBook Pro
$1,799
2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics
500GB HDD
$1,799
2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics
500GB HDD
15-inch MacBook Pro
$2,199
2.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics
750GB HDD
$2,199
2.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics
750GB HDD
17-inch MacBook Pro
$2,499
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics
750GB HDD
$2,499
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics
750GB HDD
Customized configurations offering faster CPUs, larger hard drives (up to 750GB), solid-state storage (up to 512GB), more memory (up to 8GB DDR), and better screens (antiglare/higher-resolution) are available at apple.com/macbookpro.
Stay tuned for hands-on impressions of the new MacBook Pro hardware, as well as benchmark testing and full reviews.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20034143-1.html#ixzz1Etgocao2
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