The One Paragraph MacBook Pro Update Report
October 24th, 2006At the top of the list of Tuesday morning’s announcement of updates to the MacBook Pro line is that dual-layer burning SuperDrives and FireWire 800 are now available through the entire product line. These are two major criticisms of the previous versions of the 15-inch models. Other changes are predictable, based on the availability of Intel’s Core 2 Duo chips, which promise up to 39% extra performance. The base MacBook Pro, which remains at $1,999, incorporates a 2.16GHz processor, and hard disk storage expands to 120MB. Standard memory is 1GB, which can be upgraded to 3GB. Still at $2,499, the high-end version adds a 2.33GHz processor, with 2GB of RAM. Graphics are enhanced with a 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon chip; the cheaper MacBook Pro has 128MB of video memory. The 17-inch MacBook Pro, at $2,799, gets a 2.33GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, the same graphics card as the top-of-the-line 15-inch model, and a 160GB drive. Rather than repeat all the specs that everyone else is posting, just go to Apple’s MacBook Pro site for all the particulars. The remaining question is whether the standard MacBook will also earn a processor upgrade in the very near future, and I suppose that depends on whether Intel has enough parts to meet the demand.
Print This Post
My real question is if they solved the cooling issue a bit better here.
Last I checked, the merom has a higher TDP than the yonah core.
I’m really surprised at the competitive pricing across the board from Apple. It seems in the past their hardware has been overpriced or at least as much as you could compare apples and oranges (PPC vs Intel).
I don’t think you can configure a Xeon workstation or high-end laptop from Dell or anyone else for that matter with these features and price points.
Anyway, as a PC software developer that occasionally needs a Mac, I’m tempted to buy a Mac Pro and (I know this seems weird to Mac people), use it primarily to run XP :-).
The new MacBook Pros look quite competitively priced. When does the MBP cost less than a MacBook? If you compare a black MacBook and the new MBP both with 2GB RAM and a 120GB hard drive. The new MBP is $25 lower and you get a faster processor, faster graphics, bigger screen, faster dual layer superdrive, FW 800 and 30 inch external display support for no additional charge with a very small weight penalty. Sign me up!