Apple Announced the MacBook Pro 19 Years Ago Today

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the MacBook Pro 19 years ago today at the 2006 Macworld Conference & Expo.

Jobs unveiled the MacBook Pro as the first Mac notebook to transition from PowerPC processors to Intel's Core Duo architecture. Designed to be an Intel-based replacement for the PowerBook line, the MacBook Pro took a similar aluminum chassis and added an Intel Core processor, a webcam, and the MagSafe power connector. Its display was 67% brighter than its predecessor, matching the luminance of Apple's standalone Cinema Displays.

Apple claimed that the Intel processors delivered "up to four times the performance of the PowerBook G4." The transition was supported by Rosetta, a software translation layer that allowed PowerPC applications to run on Intel-based Macs.

The original MacBook Pro came in two configurations, both with 15.4-inch widescreen displays offering 1440 x 900 resolution. The entry-level model featured a 1.67 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, and an 80GB hard drive, while the higher-end model boasted a 1.83 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 100GB hard drive. Both models included ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics cards. The 15-inch model weighed just 5.6 pounds and was only one inch thick.

It also featured two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 400 port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and an ExpressCard/34 slot for expandability. The exclusion of FireWire 800 in the initial 15-inch models drew criticism from some users, but this port was later restored in subsequent revisions. Initially only available with a 15-inch display, Apple introduced a 17-inch variant in April 2006.

Over the years, the MacBook Pro line evolved through various design and technological iterations, including the unibody construction in 2008, the Retina display in 2012, and the controversial Touch Bar in 2016. The transition from Intel to Apple Silicon in 2020 marked the end of the Intel-based MacBook Pro era, as Apple moved to its proprietary M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max chips.

Article Link: Apple Announced the MacBook Pro 19 Years Ago Today

 

[Mactech20]

The first gen MacBook pros were great. Honestly I miss them. I loved how repairable they were.

 

[FSMBP]

Look at that itty bitty baby trackpad! Though I think the current trackpads are a bit ginormous

 

[brofkand]

The first gen MacBook pros were great. Honestly I miss them. I loved how repairable they were.

They needed to be repairable because they needed frequent repairs thanks to NVIDIA.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

Where does the time go?

 

[blastdoor]

Great computer with a dumb name. PowerBook was a pretty good name, but obviously they couldn't retain it.

My dream (which I know will never happen, so no need to tell me) is for Apple to return to using the full name "Macintosh". Seeing that full name in the font that was used on 1980s Macintosh computers just seemed very classy to me. My first was the Macintosh IIsi. It's fine to use 'Mac' in conversation, but I like seeing the full "Macintosh" spelled out for the official name of the product itself.

 

[brofkand]

Great computer with a dumb name. PowerBook was a pretty good name, but obviously they couldn't retain it.

My dream (which I know will never happen, so no need to tell me) is for Apple to return to using the full name "Macintosh". Seeing that full name in the font that was used on 1980s Macintosh computers just seemed very classy to me. My first was the Macintosh IIsi. It's fine to use 'Mac' in conversation, but I like seeing the full "Macintosh" spelled out for the official name of the product itself.

For the longest time Cook would say “Macintosh” during keynotes but in recent years even he has just said “Mac”.

 

[AppleFanBoyCAN]

Wow I miss it!! Those keys were so comfortable! And I loved that design!!

 

[Blackstick]

Worked as a Lead Mac Genius in a now flagship Apple Store, 2007-2014. These pre unibody MacBook Pros were a real peach when you had to do US English > Spanish keyboard swaps for the latam market. The keyboard modules had little metal hooks to keep it retained in the top case under mylar tape that acted like razors if you caught one in the wrong direction. They could tear a hand right open.

 

[DHagan4755]

My dream (which I know will never happen, so no need to tell me) is for Apple to return to using the full name "Macintosh".

Since other companies *cough Dell* have started to pilfer Apple's naming schemes maybe Apple should shake it up by coming up with something better?

 

[vertsix]

The design aged well honestly.

 

[Xavier]

I had one and I still miss it. IT was a wonderful computer, exploded battery and all haha

 

[magicschoolbus]

Still have mine, and it still works.

 

[sw1tcher]

Great computer with a dumb name. PowerBook was a pretty good name, but obviously they couldn't retain it.

If I remember correctly, it's not so much that they couldn't, but that they didn't want to continue using the PowerBook name. Apple wanted the name of their laptops to have "Mac" in it like with their desktops (iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro/Power Mac).

 

[Bustycat]

When I firstly glanced at the title, I thought about Apple announcing the MacBook Pro 19-inch today.

 

[n-evo]

The first gen MacBook pros were great. Honestly I miss them. I loved how repairable they were.

I love even more how quickly those first gen Intels got ditched by Apple because they weren’t 64-bit.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

It was such a nice computer. Not just for it's time, but in general. A pain to work on, but completely repairable on a kitchen table, if you had enough patience.

 

[coffeemilktea]

I had one of these, the keyboard was so smooth... the laptop almost always ran a little hot though. Ah, good times.

 

[Timpetus]

They needed to be repairable because they needed frequent repairs thanks to NVIDIA.

From the article:

Both models included ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics cards.

 

[JohannesO]

There

 

[PackFan]

This was my first Mac. Hard to believe it was 19 years ago!

It seemed to last forever! Had my son using it long after I had upgraded.

 

[DrJR]

I loved my PB G4, I remember the transition well - it was a little awkward (software compatibility concerns) and exciting. I ordered a new MBP immediately and never looked back. I loved the new MBP more.

Here is a link to MacRumors the day after: https://web.archive.org/web/20060111004042/https://www.macrumors.com/

 

[SexExpert]

There

Amazing to think that back then Apple switched to Intel for performance per watt. PowerPC offered hope but was ultimately a dead end.

 

[JosephAW]

My 17” 1Ghz PowerPC Titanium PowerBook G4 was still rocking until 2018.
Was using it as an iDVD encoder burner at work. I think the thermal taste has dried out because it turns off right away, probably could be resurrected.

 

[RMo]

If I remember correctly, it's not so much that they couldn't, but that they didn't want to continue using the PowerBook name. Apple wanted the name of their laptops to have "Mac" in it like with their desktops (iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro/Power Mac).

I don't remember their reasoning (or if it was public at all), but this seems reasonable.

PowerBook was a pretty good name, but obviously they couldn't retain it.

Is the basis for this claim the association of "Power" (in "PowerBook") with "PowerPC"? The original PowerBooks still had 68k processors -- PowerPC didn't come until a few years later -- so I don't see a reason they couldn't have if they wanted to.

I don't mind it now, but I definitely agree that "MacBook" sounded weird to say for a while...