The New MacBook Pro.

[xune]

Up to 2x faster processors and 3x faster graphics.

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor ? now included across the MacBook*Pro lineup ? handles the things you do every day. It encodes video quickly, making HD video calls with FaceTime possible. And it decodes efficiently, so you get long playback time for DVDs and iTunes*movies.

For graphics-intensive applications, the 15- and 17-inch MacBook*Pro models automatically switch to new high-performance AMD Radeon graphics processors. With up to 3x the performance of the previous models,3 they let you see more frames per second in 3D games, or work on HD video projects with more speed and responsiveness than before.

But we couldn?t leave fast enough alone. The new 15- and 17-inch models bring quad-core power to almost everything you do. The available 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor ? with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.4GHz and up to 8MB of shared L3 cache ? enables these MacBook Pro models to run applications up to twice as fast as their top-of-the-line predecessors.2

Introducing Thunderbolt.
The fastest, most versatile I/O ever in a notebook.

Imagine accessing multiple streams of uncompressed HD video ? from your notebook ? at speeds that let you edit an HD feature film in real time. That?s how Thunderbolt technology will connect the next generation of high-performance peripherals to the next generation of computers ? starting with MacBook*Pro. Ultrafast and ultraflexible, the Thunderbolt pipeline is more than 12 times faster than FireWire 800 and up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0, and it offers unprecedented expansion capabilities. It changes what you can do on a notebook.

The new FaceTime HD camera. The difference is clear.

Get more of your friends in the picture with crisp, widescreen HD video. The new FaceTime HD camera gives you three times the resolution of the previous camera ? perfect for the brilliant LED-backlit display ? along with improved low-light performance. You and your friends can make 720p HD calls from one new MacBook*Pro to another. You can also make video calls to other Intel-based Mac computers,4 iPhone 4, or the new iPod touch.

Ports with possibility.

With the new Thunderbolt port, you can daisy-chain as many as six devices, including your display, to create a full-fledged workstation. Two USB 2.0 ports (three on the 17-inch MacBook Pro) and a FireWire 800 port let you connect your iPad, iPod, iPhone, digital cameras, and external hard drives.

The new SDXC card slot on the 13- and 15-inch MacBook*Pro models supports up to 64GB cards and makes it a snap to transfer all those photos to and from your MacBook*Pro, so you can edit and share them on the spot. And the ExpressCard/34 slot on the 17-inch MacBook*Pro is perfect for an eSATA adapter ? or even a 3G wireless card for times when no Wi-Fi network is available.


Apple - MacBook Pro - A notebook full of innovations.

Apple - MacBook Pro - The new MacBook Pro. Huge leaps in performance.

Want.

 

[Superbike81]

Glad to see they updated the 13" finally with some good hardware.

Sad to see they are up to their usual crap and are being anti-USB 3.0 now just so they can push their "Thunderbolt" port. I understand it's business, but adding USB 3.0 is cheap now, so they wouldn't even have had to change anything really. Too bad they are so stubborn. I'll stick with my Core2Duo for now I guess, maybe I'll look into a new 13" MBP next year.

 

[Hasty]

Lol Get a grip Biker. Usbs are legacy ports now!
Far sadder is the fact it doesn't have a SSD boot drive. Now that would have been sweet.

 

[Superbike81]

USB 3.0 is legacy? LOL whatever you say. It's on about every new high end motherboard on the market.

 

[DaveSt]

Lol Get a grip Biker. Usbs are legacy ports now!
Far sadder is the fact it doesn't have a SSD boot drive. Now that would have been sweet.

I agree with the SSD comment. I was really expecting that to be included this time around honestly. It sure does look like a sweet setup regardless. If I wasn't getting ready to write my annual check to Uncle Sam I might even consider one.

 

[Superbike81]

Install your own SSD. That is what I did to my 13" MBP. Now it boots faster than my iPad.

 

[DaveSt]

Install your own SSD. That is what I did to my 13" MBP. Now it boots faster than my iPad.

I know, but holy crap look at the price these things are at. Seems like a SSD could have been included. They look like awesome laptops, but man they should be!

 

[Superbike81]

I got hooked on SSD when I did my most recent computer build. I decided to go with SSD, even with the minor negative stuff I've read about them, and it was an excellent decision. I went ahead upgraded my HTPC to SSD and my MBP. Now when I use a regular computer, waiting for the bootup makes me want to throw it out the window.

I guess that makes me a SSD fanboy. LOL.

 

[DaveSt]

From a cost standpoint I can see SSD not being the default configuration, but Apple is still putting 5400 RPM hard drives in these things? The cost difference between 5400 and 7200 is a few dollars these days. Nothing like pairing a cutting edge processor with 10 year old hard drive technology.

 

[xune]

New MacBook Pros fastest laptops ever tested, Engadget

^ even with the "slow" 5400 RPM drives, the new MacBook Pro's are the fastest laptops Engadget's ever tested:

MacBook Pro review (early 2011) -- Engadget

.. the raw CPU score is so high you'd have to step to a Mac Pro and Xeon processors to get anything faster, as far as we can tell.

As Engadget said.. Not too shabby!

Want to make Engadget's fastest tested laptop even faster? Add an SSD. That's like adding a turbo to a Ferrari.

 

[Seadog]

The fail rate is higher with 7200 rpm units.

 

[xune]

The fail rate is higher with 7200 rpm units.

Exactly correct. Not only that, they consume more power, have more NVH, and most people will not experience a speed difference for what they normally use their computer for. Apple is smart to leave the 7200RPM drives as an option. If one were to upgrade anyways, SSD is the way to go.

 

[DaveSt]

The fail rate is higher with 7200 rpm units.

I would have to see some real numbers on that one. We researched reliability numbers of a boatload of hard drives at my place of employment and the numbers between 5400 and 7200 RPM drives are almost identical if you are dealing with quality drives. When you start getting into high spindle speed drives (15,000 RPM) then the failure numbers start showing shorter life expectancy. I can see the difference between 5400 and 7200 and so could my wife when I swapped her hard drive out. It isn't night and day but you can certainly feel it.

You do get better battery life and less heat with slower drives, so perhaps the trade off is acceptable in laptop applications. Of course a nice SSD gives you the best of both worlds.

 

[pastorsteve]

Well Dave, to me, real numbers don't mean anything. What counts is how it feels (seat of the pants) when in operation. I sold my three-year-old MBP15 and picked up my new one last week. They do great. Very quick on the boot up and equally quick shutting down. They are really nice.