Filed under: Hardware, Macbook Pro
MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo notes
Laurie just covered the release of the new Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros, which tout an impressive 39% speedboost (or so Apple claims). But some of the best new tidbits are hidden inside the press release:- All MacBook Pro models now include a FireWire 800 port -- meaning we can all rest assured in the belief that Apple isn't slowly abandoning FireWire after all. Also great news for everyone who purchased FireWire 800 hard drives during the PowerBook G4 reign.
- The MacBook Pros also support more memory -- up to 3GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM.
- Storage capacity has increased, too -- you can get a 200GB HD via Apple's online store.
- All MacBook Pros also now come standard with a double-layer SuperDrive (I don't remember specifically if these were included in the previously-updated MBP models -- if not, they are now!)
Update: Interestingly, Apple also released a MagSafe airline adapter. From Apple: "With a MagSafe Airline Power Adapter, you'll never again worry about losing power while traveling. Just plug it into your airline seat power port and keep your MacBook or MacBook Pro powered up for the entire flight." It comes with two different connectors (EmPower and a 20mm adapter) and costs $59.00.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jarland Donnell said 9:34AM on 10-24-2006
Well, I'd have to say that it was a significant upgrade. I thought they might just quitely slip out the C2D, then in January come up with a better upgrade. With this in mind, I don't think we'll be seeing another update anytime soon. I'm glad they did it now, it's not keynote worthy, but it is a really nice set up. I'm excited about 200GB hard drives! I know they're a bit slow, but Apple was awesome to even offer us that.
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Ruben said 9:45AM on 10-24-2006
what a wonderfull way to wake up c2d MBP out might have to pay a little visit to the apple store :D
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John from Buffalo said 9:41AM on 10-24-2006
Refurb'd bin is going to be more attractive now, since the Pro line has been upgraded to Core 2 Duo. This means a 15.4" Pro before on the low end would be something like 1599.99, I think it'll be more like 1399-1499.00 once the new units make it through the supply chain. Nice.
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Olly said 9:42AM on 10-24-2006
So no ipod shuffles shipping. And the XServe has been completely removes from apples website. Is apple having trouble getting such anawesome machine in a 1U enclsure. I really wanted the macbook to be upgraded as well as the MBP. O well looks like im gonna wait till macworld.
Darn you apple for putting a shared graphics card in the Macbook. My favourite game needs 64mb unshared in XP.
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Peter said 6:42PM on 10-24-2006
I still don't understand the 3gig cap, what can you do to get 3gig that you can't to get 4gig in there? Is a stick built in? Doesn't look like it, so why not 4?
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tripdragon said 9:44AM on 10-24-2006
Ugh,, now how much can I get for a first gen mbp 15inch :(
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fvquicke said 10:50AM on 10-24-2006
On the intel core 2 duo specifications page on apple.com, bars are indicating the application performance between the core duo and the newer core 2 duo. but the length of the bars are not correct: the 45% faster bar is almost twice as long as the baseline bar of the older mac book pro.
In the source code:
for the core 2 duo: class="bar4" style="width: 95%;" 45% faster
fot the core duo: class="bar3" style="width: 50%;" Baseline
Thus Apple thinks that 45% faster leads to a 90% faster performance...
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Rick said 10:18AM on 10-24-2006
I see apple abandoned the 7200rpm drives. I'm sure it was because of battery life.
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Adam said 10:19AM on 10-24-2006
All MacBook Pros also now come standard with a double-layer SuperDrive (I don't remember specifically if these were included in the previously-updated MBP models -- if not, they are now!)
Previously, the 15" MBP had a single layer DVD burner, while the 17" was available with a dual layer.
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Steve said 10:30AM on 10-24-2006
Any word/rumors about whether they've fixed the MBP's thermal issues as well?
Also, have you noticed that the add-on plug for the Airline Power Adapter looks a lot like a cigarette lighter adapter? I wonder if it will work in a car as well...
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Thomas Deliduka said 10:33AM on 10-24-2006
I guess my 17" MacBook Pro is now obsolete in less than a year. :-( excuse me while I cry in the corner.
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Karl said 10:37AM on 10-24-2006
Anybody else getting the "?" for images on the new pages advertising these on apple's website?
I am using the latest Safari, and all that jazz...
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dulcie said 10:43AM on 10-24-2006
IE6 is showing them fine on my lovely NT4 workstation. It must be all that jazz, Karl ;-)
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Leonard Nimrod said 10:46AM on 10-24-2006
To Steve:
It will NOT work in your car cigarette lighter "The MagSafe Airline Power Adapter is not compatible with automobile power ports."
To Thomas Deliduka:
Is a 2006 automobile OBSOLETE because the 2007 models are slightly better designed and have a couple more options than the previous year's model. Of course not! So why is your 17" MBP obsolete? Does it still run OS X? Will it run Leopard when it arrives? The one great thing about buying a Mac is that the high-end hardware (e.g.:Gigabit Ethernet, ExpressCard) will still be a usable, viable machine machine --with a good reale value-- long after an equivalent Windows PC has seen it's last bluescreen.
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Yuri said 10:54AM on 10-24-2006
Nice upgrade but it would be really cool if they could pack it in 13 inch (Macbook size) casing. 15 inch is tooo big and heavy to carry with you.
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Woz said 10:59AM on 10-24-2006
Just ordered my 17" 3Gb Ram 160Gb HD MBP. Hope the glossy screen was the right choice.
Couldn't quite stop myself adding a 30" Cinema Display too. Anyone want a 1.67GHz 2Gb Powerbook and a 23" Cinema Display? :-)
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Blair Robinson said 11:05AM on 10-24-2006
To fvquicke:
Thats pretty common in graphs, especially with computer performance. It so you can more easily see the difference. Think if they were comparing something that was 1000 vs. something that was 950, they'd make the graph start at 900 or so, and 1000 would look twice the size of 950. It might be a little dishonest, but its a common practice.
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Alasdair Allan said 12:01PM on 10-24-2006
I must admit I think the release of the airline adaptor is actually quite significant. Laptop users break down into two core demographics,
http://www.babilim.co.uk/blog/2006/01/future-for-apple-powerbook.html
but this is something designed for the road warrior, the people that were out buying 12-inch Powerbooks. The MacBook won't cut it as a replacement for these people, it's a bit on the big side, and it isn't really powerful enough. So who is this widget aimed at? Not the people buying 17-inch MacBook Pros, these people are looking for something a little bit more compact.
What would I like to see? A wide-screen, slim line, light weight, version of the 12" Powerbook with a multiple mouse button trackpad, since they've already done that with the Mighty Mouse. Get rid of the optical drive entirely, reduce the weight. Maybe even drop the hardrive and go with an instant-on flash based notebook.
http://www.babilim.co.uk/blog/2005/11/no-hard-drive-means-instant-on.html
The people buying that sort of product are looking for a an airline power adaptor, so maybe, just maybe?
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ozzie said 12:31PM on 10-24-2006
@Thomas Deliduka
At least you have a fast proc. I have a 1.83ghz mbp, some macbooks are faster than mine.... ( i bought it a week before they upgraded it to 2.0ghz)
oh well.....
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dave said 12:36PM on 10-24-2006
um, if i go with the 2.16 and just upgrade to 2gigs ram i save over 200 bucks...is the 2.33 that much faster on the same 2gigs? anybody?
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