9to5Mac reports that it has obtained details on the configurations of the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro to be released later today, with specifics on a number of accessories also appearing. The list is not complete, however, as it does not include details on the thinner Retina-display notebook, which is believed to be coming as a third member of the MacBook family, or the MacBook Air.
Oddly, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 is the stock graphics card included on the current, nearly two-year old Mac Pro. Apple would be expected to use a much newer graphics card option in its revised machines.- Normal configuration: 3.2GHz quad-core processor, 6GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and the ATI Radeon 5770 graphics chip.
- Normal configuration: 2.4GHz 12-core processor, 12GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and the ATI Radeon 5770 graphics chip.
- Server configuration: 3.2GHz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, Two 1TB hard drives
On the MacBook Pro side, the report points to four stock models, two each in 13.3-inch and 15.4-inch sizes. These machines are thought to be upgraded versions of the existing design, lacking a Retina display. Photos of what is claimed to be the graphics hardware on the logic board of the 15-inch MacBook Pro appeared just a short time ago, showing an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics chip with 1 GB GDDR5 graphics memory.
The report notes that the thinner "MacBook Pro" models with a Retina display are still expected to be introduced, with an analyst report from a few days ago having specifically claimed that they would be arriving alongside the existing MacBook Pro form factor for the time being. Details on the new Retina-capable notebook do, however, remain unknown. The MacBook Air is also expected to be gaining an update later today, and details on those models are not yet available either.- 13.3 inch: 2.5GHz dual core processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive
- 13.3 inch: 2.9GHz dual core processor, 8GB of RAM, 750GB hard drive
- 15.4 inch: 2.3GHz quad core processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive
- 15.4 inch: 2.6GHz quad core processor, 8GB of RAM, 750GB hard drive (BTO upgrades to 2.7GHz quad core and 1TB HD will be available)
Apple will also be releasing a number of new accessories today, and the report indicates that these will include an updated AirPort Express, new USB SuperDrive, and a Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter. Apple may also be revising its MagSafe power connection standard, with new accessories related to that change making an appearance.
Update: As several readers have noted, not only is the inclusion of an old graphics card on the Mac Pro a strange detail, but the listed processors do not even exist at the appropriate price and performance points in the Sandy Bridge E Xeon E5 line of Intel processors Apple is expected to use. 9to5Mac's pre-launch spec sources have generally been very accurate in recent years, but they appear to be off this time on at least the Mac Pro models.
Article Link: Details on New Mac Pro and MacBook Pro Specs Surface, Retina Notebook Still Under Wraps [Updated]