I now know how to predict when Apple will update their MacBook Pro notebooks. It seems as soon as I upgrade to a larger hard drive in my MacBook Pro, Apple then goes ahead and announce a new model with the same or similar large drive that I just upgraded to (250GB @ 5400rpms) as an option on a newer, faster model that can hold more RAM. That’s exactly what they just did today! However, the 250GB drive that they offer as an option only spins at 4200 rpms and the Western Digital drive I just upgraded to is at 5400 rpms. So no envy here.
Other envious enhancements include: Intel Santa Rosa based Core 2 Duo processors up to 2.4 GHz on the 17 inch model, LED-backlit displays which are power efficient and contain no mercury, the ability to go up to a native resolution of 1920-by-1200 pixels on the the 17" model (High Def?) via the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT card which has a Dual-Link DVI port, and of course now being able to upgrade to 4GB of RAM on both the 15 inch and 17 inch models. This should be one smokin’ notebook!
Here are the complete specs:
Quoted from http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/06/05mbp.html:
Pricing & Availability
The new MacBook Pro models are now shipping and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.The 2.2 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:
- 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440-by-900 LCD display;
- 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
- 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
- 120GB 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;
- NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
- DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
- built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
- built-in iSight video camera;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
- ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
- two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
- one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
- Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
- the infrared Apple Remote; and
- 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.
The 2.4 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:
- 15.4-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1440-by-900 LCD display;
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
- 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
- 160GB 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;
- NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
- DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
- built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
- built-in iSight video camera;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
- ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
- two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
- one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
- Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
- the infrared Apple Remote; and
- 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.
The 2.4 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:
- 17-inch widescreen 1680-by-1050 LCD display;
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
- 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
- 160GB 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;
- NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
- DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
- built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
- built-in iSight video camera;
- Gigabit Ethernet port;
- built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
- ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
- three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
- one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
- Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
- the infrared Apple Remote; and
- 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.
Additional build-to-order options for the MacBook Pro include the ability to upgrade to a 160GB (5400 rpm), 160GB (7200 rpm), 200GB (4200 rpm) or a 250GB (4200 rpm) hard drive, up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple USB Modem, glossy widescreen display, 17-inch 1920-by-1200 high-resolution display and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
Another way to tell Apple is about to update any of their computers: I buy one after waiting for them to announce, and they don’t, so I buy a tower or laptop. Within a month, they start shipping their newest, latest, greatest, most advanced computers ever.
I have proof! I just bought a new 15 inch MacBook Pro.
Is the LED-backlit display only for the 15″? If so, why?
I’d like to see the MacBook Pro with TWO Expresscard slots (for two high-traffic streams at once), and a Blu-Ray/DVD-R/CD-R drive when available.
Arrakian, The LED-Backlit Display is on BOTH the 15″ and 17″ models. Apple will like build Blu-ray drives in whenever they see fit. So you probably won’t see two Express Card Slots (at least not for that purpose).
Terry… Is there a big difference between the Mac Book Pro 17-inch High Resolution Widescreen Display and the Glossy Display..? If so which do u recomend?..
Eugene,
I personally prefer the Glossy screen. However, this is definitely something that is a very “personal” preference. You need to go look at them with your own eyes to see which one YOU like best.