It's been a long time coming, but Apple has today finally refreshed its line of high-end MacBook Pro notebooks to include Intel's 32nm Core i5 and Core i7 processors.
At the top of the range, Apple's 17in model is available with a 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 processor and both an Intel HD Graphics IGP and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU - both of which toggle seamlessly through the use of "Apple’s new automatic graphics switching technology," which to us smells a lot like NVIDIA Optimus technology.
The 15in MacBook Pro could be even more potent, with Apple offering a choice of either 2.4Ghz or 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 processors, or a more powerful 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 part. Your choice of CPU is again paired with Intel HD graphics and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU, and Apple reckons the system will deliver between eight and nine hours of battery life from a single charge.
Whilst the 15in and 17in models get an Intel Westmere makeover, the smaller 13in alternative continues to make do with Intel's Core 2 Duo - albeit at higher speeds of up to 2.66GHz. That's joined by a GeForce 320M GPU, an entry-level £999 price tag and a built-in battery that Apple reckons is capable of providing 10 hours of use.
All three systems come equipped with Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system, and feature a glass multi-touch trackpad that now offers support for inertial scrolling. Traditional hard drives remain the standard choice for storage, but solid-state drives are available as optional extras in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities - though, the latter will add another £1,040 to the bill.
Interested? All three MacBook Pros are available now in six pre-defined configurations from the Apple Store, with UK prices starting at £999 for a 13in model, £1,499 for a 15in model and £1,899 for the 17in model.
Apple details the base configurations as follows:
The 2.4 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of £999 (inc VAT), includes:
- 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
- 1066 MHz front-side bus;
- 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
- NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
- 250GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
- a slot-load 8X SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
- Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
- AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- iSight® video camera;
- two USB 2.0 ports;
- one FireWire® 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
- SD card slot;
- combined headphone/line in (analogue/digital);
- glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
- built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
- 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
The 2.66 GHz, 13-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of £1,249 (inc VAT), includes:
- 13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
- 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
- 1066 MHz front-side bus;
- 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
- NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics;
- 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
- a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
- Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
- AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- iSight video camera;
- two USB 2.0 ports;
- one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
- SD card slot;
- combined headphone/line in (analogue/digital);
- glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
- built-in, 63.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
- 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
Build-to-order options for the 13-inch MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 320GB 5400 rpm or a 500GB 5400 rpm hard drive, a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of £1,499 (inc VAT), includes:
- 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
- 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
- integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
- 320GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
- a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
- Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
- AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- iSight video camera;
- two USB 2.0 ports;
- one FireWire 800 port;
- SD card slot;
- audio line in (analogue/digital);
- audio line out/headphone (analogue/digital);
- glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
- built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
- 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
The 2.53 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of £1,649 (inc VAT), includes:
- 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
- 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
- 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
- integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 256MB of VRAM;
- 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
- a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
- Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
- AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- iSight video camera;
- two USB 2.0 ports;
- one FireWire 800 port;
- SD card slot;
- audio line in (analogue/digital);
- audio line out/headphone (analogue/digital);
- glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
- built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
- 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
The 2.66 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of £1,799 (inc VAT), includes:
- 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440 x 900 glossy display;
- 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 with 4MB shared L3 cache;
- 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
- integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
- 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
- a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
- Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
- AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- iSight video camera;
- two USB 2.0 ports;
- one FireWire 800 port;
- SD card slot;
- audio line in (analogue/digital);
- audio line out/headphone (analogue/digital);
- glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
- built-in, 77.5WHr lithium polymer battery; and
- 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
Build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a high resolution 15-inch 1680 x 1050 display in glossy and antiglare, a 500GB 5400 rpm or 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB solid state drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
The 2.53 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of £1,899 (inc VAT), includes:
- 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200, glossy display;
- 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 with 3MB shared L3 cache;
- 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 8GB;
- integrated Intel HD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics with 512MB of VRAM;
- 500GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
- a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
- Mini DisplayPort (VGA, DVI and HDMI adapters sold separately);
- AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- iSight video camera;
- three USB 2.0 ports;
- one FireWire 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
- ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
- audio line in (analogue/digital);
- audio line out/headphone (analogue/digital);
- glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
- built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and
- 85 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
Build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include a 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 500GB 5400 rpm or 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB solid state drive, antiglare display, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
