Filed under: Hardware, Portables, Macbook Pro
New MacBook Pro adds power, graphics might
Almost eight years ago, Apple introduced the Titanium PowerBook, and with it the company ushered in a wave of industrial laptop design that in many ways, is still unmatched. Although the 2003 and 2006 refreshes to the lineup changed the material (from titanium to aluminum) and processor (from PowerPC to Intel), the basic design has remained essentially the same.
It's time for a change. Last night we got a tip showing off the new design (a design that closely mirrors the leaked Deutsche Telekom images from last month), now we finally have the hardware details. Apple did mention that the rumored "Brick" manufacturing process is, in fact, what they are using for the new notebooks.
15" MacBook Pro
Price: $1999
Specs:
- 15.4" LED-backlit display
- 2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo (with 3MBs of L2 cache)
- 2GBs of DDR3 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB
- 250 GB hard drive
- Slot-loading Super Drive
15" MacBook Pro
Price: $2400
Specs:
- 15.4" LED-backlit display
- 2.53 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo (with 6MBs of L2 cache)
- 4GBs of DDR3 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 512MB
- 320 GB hard drive
- Slot-loading Super Drive
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
b said 2:11PM on 10-14-2008
hey not sure if anyone noticed this yet, but according to apple's store, the new LED display is solely for laptops! this is what's stated:
Compatibility
Compatible with MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro systems with Mini DisplayPort
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jmv290 said 2:11PM on 10-14-2008
I wonder how much I can pawn my current MBP(Early Sept '07) off for and pick one of these up.
The upgrade in harddrive space and a graphics card should help a bit.
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Abe said 2:17PM on 10-14-2008
No graphics chip update on the 17"
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ds said 2:14PM on 10-14-2008
Something is getting lost in translation... it's my understanding that the Pro include BOTH 9400 and the 9600 (at the same time), that gives you the option of power/batterylife.
I don't know if no one else it catching that, or if I am just crazy.
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Michael Rose said 2:16PM on 10-14-2008
Our typo -- they DO have both cards -- post fix in progress.
kent said 3:52PM on 10-14-2008
wowzers. the new macbooks seem kinda pricey.
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freefone said 2:20PM on 10-14-2008
apple store site totally bogged down. lost my shopping cart three times ... looks like there is some pent up demand. refurbished MBP's have come down a ton. decisions, decisions, ...
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JPT1 said 2:17PM on 10-14-2008
Express Card.....?
Just a little nuts that they ditched the express card slot... I have a AT&T 3G card that is indispensable on the road and a 32gig SSD that is awesome for backups.
What is apple thinking here?
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Matt said 2:18PM on 10-14-2008
17 inch retains old design? wtf?
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doug said 2:28PM on 10-14-2008
i think that is actually good. however, I am sure they will catch up the 17 to match these. it could be they can't build the new enclosure for a 17 yet.
eric f. said 2:20PM on 10-14-2008
The Pros have dropped FW400 too. :(
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Galley said 2:36PM on 10-14-2008
Perhaps they will include an adapter in the box.
Lee said 2:26PM on 10-14-2008
At the exchange rate us Brits are expected to pay 25% more for the same notebook.
I see zero reason to upgrade just for style reasons, i paid 1599 11 months and 20 days ago and i'm not paying the same again for a nicer case.
See the market is as disappointed as the rest of us. Apple shares down $3.50
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clint Johnson said 2:30PM on 10-14-2008
It's way more than just a cosmetics upgrade.
Balls said 2:35PM on 10-14-2008
Historically, Apple shares tend to drop after apple events.
doug said 2:26PM on 10-14-2008
no matte screen option...
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Ruaridh said 2:27PM on 10-14-2008
The loss of FW400 is a bit of a downside ... Although I've never used my one, I've always used the FW800 port.
Although I love the look of the new high end 15.4". :)
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TLittle said 2:26PM on 10-14-2008
I was really hoping for an update on the 17" MBP. They said in the Q&A it was getting a refresh too, but Apple's site has no mention of it on the MBP page. It only shows the 17 in the store.
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EA said 2:34PM on 10-14-2008
The DVI adapter is no longer included in the box. The standard one costs $29, and the Dual-DVI is $100!!! Very frustrating.
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Balls said 2:36PM on 10-14-2008
Yes, that totally, totally sucks.
I could have lived without the bluray, but asking me to pay $100 to run a dedicated display on a $2500 laptop is absurd.