Thursday, February 24, 2011 10:49:30 AM
by Chris Rawson (RSS feed) on Feb 24th 2011 at 8:53AM
As expected, Apple has updated the MacBook Pro and given the lineup some significant upgrades. In brief, the lineup has seen significant processor updates, with Intel's new "Sandy Bridge" processors standard throughout the lineup, including 13.3 model. AMD's Radeon HD GPU has replaced the NVIDIA GeForce GT GPUs that powered the last-gen MacBook Pros; it will be interesting to see how this affects graphics performance once benchmarks come out.
The MacBook Pro does not have the rumored 16 GB SSD "boot drive" as a standard option. All models come with a traditional HDD in 320 or 500 GB size for the 13.3-inch model, 500 or 750 GB for the 15.4-inch and 750 GB for the 17-inch model. All HDDs are 5400 RPM drives. SSD drives are available as an option.
Thunderbolt, a new connection technology based on Intel's "Light Peak," has debuted in the MacBook Pro, the first notebook to feature this next-generation technology. Thunderbolt is a multi-purpose connector designed to produce transfer speeds well in excess of those offered by either FireWire or USB; Thunderbolt will transfer data at up to 10 Gbps, more than 12 times faster than FireWire 800.
In addition to these major updates, the MacBook Pro has seen some minor enhancements, too: the entire lineup has dropped in weight, and all models feature a slightly larger trackpad than before, and they include a 'FaceTime HD' camera versus the iSight of previous models. In all, the MacBook Pro's updates have turned it into even more of a powerhouse than it was before. If you've been waiting for an update before pulling the trigger on your credit card, wait no longer. Pricing and tech specs are in the second half of this post.
13" MacBook Pro:
CPU: 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with a 3 MB shared L3 cache or 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache
Display: 13.3-inch LED-Backlit with 1280x800 resolution; Glossy only
RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2x2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
HDD: 320 or 500 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB DDR3 SDRAM shared memory
Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDXC, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
Price: Starting at $1199
15" MacBook Pro:
CPU: 2.0 or 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 6 MB L3 Cache; optional 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
Display: 15.4-inch LED-Backlit with 1440 x 900 resolution; Glossy or Anti-Glare
RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2x2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
HDD: 500 or 750 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 750GB 5400-rpm hard drive, 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive, or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6490M with 256 MB GDDR5 RAM or AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000
Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDXC, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
Price: Starting at $1,799
17" MacBook Pro:
CPU: 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 6 MB L3 Cache; optional 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
Display: 17-inch LED-Backlit with 1920 x 1200 resolution; Glossy or Anti-Glare
RAM: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2x2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
HDD: 750 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 500GB 7200-rpm hard drive or 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 1 GB GDDR5 RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000
Other features: FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, ExpressCard/34 slot, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
Price: Starting at $2,499
Recent AAPL News
- Robinhood Shares Surge 3.3% on Stock Buyback Announcement; Anglo Declines BHP Deadline Extension, and More News • IH Market News • 05/29/2024 11:34:18 AM
- iPhone Sales Skyrocket in China, Nvidia Surges in Pre-Market Following xAI Fundraising, and More News • IH Market News • 05/28/2024 11:37:48 AM
- Nvidia Profits Set to Challenge Historic High Market; GE Aerospace Announces New Hires, and More News • IH Market News • 05/22/2024 10:37:09 AM
- Apple and Île-de-France Mobilités introduce Navigo card for iPhone and Apple Watch • Business Wire • 05/21/2024 03:30:00 PM
- CalPERS to Oppose Exxon Mobil Directors; Microsoft Unveils Copilot+ PCs with AI Focus, and More News • IH Market News • 05/21/2024 11:18:35 AM
- Li Auto Stocks Drop Post Earnings; Calhoun Re-elected to Boeing Board, and More News • IH Market News • 05/20/2024 11:03:22 AM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 05/17/2024 10:30:33 PM
- Chubb Stock Soars 9% with Berkshire Acquisition, AST SpaceMobile jumps 37% on AT&T deal, and More News • IH Market News • 05/16/2024 11:27:07 AM
- Apple announces new accessibility features, including Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, and Vocal Shortcuts • Business Wire • 05/15/2024 02:00:00 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 05/14/2024 10:30:21 PM
- Walmart Corporate Job Cuts and Office Centralization, GameStop and AMC Surge, and More News • IH Market News • 05/14/2024 11:26:02 AM
- Apple Music celebrates the greatest records ever made with the launch of inaugural 100 Best Albums list • Business Wire • 05/13/2024 01:00:00 PM
- Arm Sets 2025 Target for AI Chip Development, Amazon and Microsoft Commit Billions to French Investments, and More • IH Market News • 05/13/2024 11:16:03 AM
- Weekly Surge for Render and Toncoin, US Bancorp Expands Bitcoin ETF Investments, and More in Crypto • IH Market News • 05/10/2024 07:32:06 PM
- Novavax Surges 57% Post $1.4 Billion Sanofi Deal; Apple Boosts Data Centers with AI and Internal Chips, and More News • IH Market News • 05/10/2024 12:02:56 PM
- Bain Capital in Talks to Acquire PowerSchool; Blackstone Emerges Victorious in Hipgnosis Bidding War, and More News • IH Market News • 05/09/2024 11:53:19 AM
- Meta Platforms Expands AI Ads, Apple Boosts iPhone Shipments, and More Highlights • IH Market News • 05/08/2024 12:27:48 PM
- Apple unveils stunning new iPad Pro with the world’s most advanced display, M4 chip, and Apple Pencil Pro • Business Wire • 05/07/2024 02:37:00 PM
- Apple unveils the redesigned 11-inch and all-new 13-inch iPad Air, supercharged by the M2 chip • Business Wire • 05/07/2024 02:37:00 PM
- Apple introduces M4 chip • Business Wire • 05/07/2024 02:37:00 PM
- Final Cut Pro transforms video creation with Live Multicam on iPad and new AI features on Mac • Business Wire • 05/07/2024 02:37:00 PM
- Logic Pro takes music-making to the next level with new AI features • Business Wire • 05/07/2024 02:37:00 PM
- Tesla’s April Sales Down 18% in China, Amazon’s Multi-Billion Dollar Cloud Expansion in Singapore, and More News • IH Market News • 05/07/2024 11:44:00 AM
- Index Futures Point to Strong Monday Opening, Building on Last Week’s Gains; Oil Prices Rise • IH Market News • 05/06/2024 12:09:15 PM
- Perficient Stock Soars 52.9% Post-Acquisition; Luminar Declines 10% Amid Workforce Cutbacks, and Other News • IH Market News • 05/06/2024 12:09:00 PM
North Bay Resources Reports Assays up to >25% Mg, 0.1% Ni, 0.1% Cu, 0.01% Co, 0.3 ppm Pt at Tulameen Platinum Project, British Columbia • NBRI • May 29, 2024 9:03 AM
One World Products, Inc. Issues Shareholder Update • OWPC • May 29, 2024 8:20 AM
Green Leaf Innovations, Inc. Engages Olayinka Oyebola & Co for Two-Year Audit • GRLF • May 28, 2024 8:30 AM
HealthLynked Introduces AI-Powered Chat Function to Enhance Healthcare Accessibility • HLYK • May 28, 2024 8:00 AM
Avant Technologies Engages Wired4Tech to Evaluate the Performance of Next Generation AI Server Technology • AVAI • May 23, 2024 8:00 AM
Branded Legacy, Inc. Unveils Collaboration with Celebrity Tattoo Artist Kat Tat for New Tattoo Aftercare Product • BLEG • May 22, 2024 8:30 AM