Apple Releases Updated MacBook Pros With Core i5 and i7 Processors

[Zadillo]

Apple is cheap, we saw it with the iPhone, and we're seeing it with the Macbook Pro, and we'll probably see it with the iPad.

would it kill them to throw a new processor into the 13 inch? of course, cause it's the most popular laptop, and they wouldn't want to put a new processor into the most popular laptop and give people ANOTHER reason to buy the cheapest one.

Whoever figured out the marketing BS to make macs so trendy must be effin rich by now.

they only upgraded the two high range laptops and they jacked up the price of the cheaper 15 inch.

i'm strongly considering sticking PC machines after this miserly move from Apple.

PS. Watch a cheaper revision of the iPad come out in a few months with all the features the first one lacked.

The price of the base model 15" went up because it now features dedicated/integrated hybrid graphics by default - the previous 15" model only had a 9400M.

And as others have noted, Apple's options were more limited with the 13" model, given the oddities of Intel's chipset licensing.

 

[lilo777]

Sweet!

That 1680x1050 screen on the 15" is a wicked update!

Definitely think going to be purchasing an i7 15" with that screen. 17" is still tempting but this resolution might just make the 15" useable for music.

I will wait to see some benchmarks before upgrading my 2.4/4gb/500gig early 2009 unibody though. If it's a 50% increase, I'll go for it.

I like how the top end prices have dropped! This is almost the same price as what my midrange laptop cost me last year!

The 13" looks pitiful but the others seem to have gotten a nice upgrade. Pretty much what I expected.

Compare that to 1920 x 1080 on Sony VAIO F.

 

[troop231]

What good is 1080p going to do if your laptop is right in front of you? Most people can't tell a difference between 720p/etc. at a close distance when it comes to TVs

 

[Ironduke]

Compare that to 1920 x 1080 on Sony VAIO F.

lol text on that must be so small

 

[tdream]

i3 isn't a "pro" processor. I'd be disappointed if it was used in the regular MacBooks, frankly.

Neither is the i5. Only the i7 is a pro processor. The i5 is mainstream and i3 is budget so knowing that what is apple doing?

I think they are trying to separate the lower end pro line, which is not really pro at all as some others have said, the base price for the 15 inch has risen and the 13 inch remains stagnant. There's a $600 difference between the base core 2 duo and base i5. I see this as a move from the apple of old. The good times are over and this is a reintroduction to high pricing. Giving the value of the Pro name again. And as others have said I think the 13 inch will eventually go back to just plain ol Macbook again. So really you have to pay $600 extra to get the real pro. Yet the i5 is a mainstream processor, old Apple is well and truly back!

 

[Eidorian]

The price of the base model 15" went up because it now features dedicated/integrated hybrid graphics by default - the previous 15" model only had a 9400M.

And as others have noted, Apple's options were more limited with the 13" model, given the oddities of Intel's chipset licensing.

I haven't seen you in ages Zadillo. You should post more often.

At least we're back in a time where you can get a 15" notebook from Apple with discrete graphics under for under $1,999.

Compare that to 1920 x 1080 on Sony VAIO F.

My eyes bleed on a 15.4" at 1920 x 1200.

 

[Fishman9898]

How much faster would the 17" with the 2.66 GHz i7 processor be over the 3.06 GHz 17" Macbook Pro I bought last year?

 

[Eric S.]

so the i7s are still dual core? I thought it would be quad core....

If you were following the rumors I don't know why you would have thought that, because they all said Arrandale.

jeepers creepers! people still cant be happy?

A lot of people had unreasonable expectations for this update, and the fact that it took so long just escalated those expectations. But clearly Apple does not consider their Mac line to be "magical and revolutionary" products, any more.

 

[mwayne85]

So, I'm curious.... Is anyone gonna get a BTO 512GB SSD for only an extra $1,450 on the 13-inch?!??

 

[atomwork]

The quality of responses to this is abysmal.

If you don't like it, don't buy it.

I hardly see how having an i7 isn't cutting edge, or even a 512 gb ssd. You cant complain about 8gb of ram either, especially when you can just buy it yourself. True, the graphics situation is so-so, but its better than the previous generation, and if you're trying to do graphics-card intensive work on a laptop, you're probably stupid or cheap. A 330M with 512mb vram with auto switching > many other options, if you actually want a battery life. It seems like most people forget about this aspect, and just want the best of the best with a crappy thermal overhead and no battery life. It also seems like many people forgot about the whole integrated graphics debacle with nividia...

Prices are out of your range?
Get a job, save money, or go buy a dell, acer, or whatever else.

How can you say this, some ppl here are depending on raw power to render their jobs faster. It's not about trashing Apple, however all my life and work is build around apple. The tech is there, why not use it.

It's needed for apps like: Maya, Cinema 4d, After Effects etc... dual core i7 isn't quad core i7.

So to answer your questions: The more we can get under the hood the easier is to finish the job. I love to see a MacBook Pro Extreme.

Dual Quad Core, 32GB Ram, 1GB Video Card... Just to name the specs.

 

[btrav13]

Quick Help PLEASE

If I want to dual run windows 7 on a 15 inch model of the new MBP....is it worth paying all the way up to the biggest chip (i7) and 8GB of RAM or would the lowest chip (2.4 i5) with 4GB of RAM be sufficient? Or should I go middle ground and do the mid range 15 inch with 4 or 8 GB? Just need to know what my best option would be on a 15 inch to run both OSX and Win7. Thanks for anyone would would give me their honest opinion on how cheap I could come out of this.

 

[gatepc]

Yipee!!!! just ordered my first laptop/computer over one grand! I purchased the top end 15 inch model and spec'ed it out with 8gb's of ram and a 7200rpm 500gb drive. I also ordered a 24" cinema display to go with it! can't wait to get this thing in the mail

Note: also got higher res display

 

[rajulkabir]

To all those people saying "Why do they still include a DVD drive? or They'll be out of date soon - who uses CD's?... Just how ignorant can you get?!

Given these are 'supposed' to be Professional products, a DVD drive is the first feature you'd have on the list in terms of make-up. I study audio technology at University, and for all the countless people that have the MacBook's here, a laptop without a CD drive is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. We burn discs every week

I'm a "professional" and I haven't touched an optical disc in years (except when trying to rescue Windows machines for friends and family members). Nor have I seen anyone else touch one, except for the pirated DVDs they walk around selling at outdoor restaurants.

Everyone I know exchanges files on thumb drives. DVDs are too slow and the capacity is too limited for dealing with large files. And nine times out of ten the stuff put on them is ephemeral - in my desk I have a stack of dusty, useless discs containing obsolete data I'll never look at again but for some reason haven't had the heart to contribute to the landfill. I tried rewriting them but after sitting around for more than a few months it never seemed to work.

Even many years ago when I still did use optical discs, I never once in my entire life used one when I was traveling away from my own desk. So an external drive would have suited me fine.

Obviously I and the people I know are not the only people in the universe, nor are you and yours. But an external drive does seem like a good compromise, especially if you're burning them "every week".

 

[kiljoy616]

I don't see that the new video cards can do OpenGL 3?

So what is new then, just a CPU change?

 

[lilo777]

The price of the base model 15" went up because it now features dedicated/integrated hybrid graphics by default - the previous 15" model only had a 9400M.

And as others have noted, Apple's options were more limited with the 13" model, given the oddities of Intel's chipset licensing.

Intel oddities? Really? How about Apple oddities. Somehow"Intel oddities" do not limit options for any laptop manufacturer but Apple. Can you explain this?

 

[Poll Smoker]

Anyone who expects any real innovation from an Apple product that doesn't begin with an "i" is deluding themselves.

 

[Zadillo]

Compare that to 1920 x 1080 on Sony VAIO F.

My brother has a Sony VAIO F11....... it's not bad, but the screen quality isn't really that great, and the overall build quality of the laptop is sort of cheap - not to mention that it's very large and heavy. The touchpad is also terrible.

Specs certainly aren't bad for the price, but I think there are clear differences.

 

[praetorx]

Already ordered mine... 15" MBP i7 @2.66GHz, 500MB HDD @7200RPM, Glossy HD display @1680x1050. Can't wait to get it, went with the 2-3 day shipping. was waiting for this for a couple of months

 

[rufus247]

I went to the Apple store in Nashville and was told they would not be getting the refreshed models until tomorrow or Thursday.

I too went to the Apple Store in Nashville and they told me it would be later today. Now I'm a little peeved.

 

[antxiko]

I'd also guess that the same 90% wouldn't notice if their processor was replaced by a G4. Faster processors don't make that essay type any faster.

i'm a programmer and i'm byuing the 13" because i need a new one now and i can't aford the 15" right now. I know whats the difference. Don't say things you don't know nothing about if you can't prove it

 

[Yamcha]

Is Apple Retarded? Seriously it annoys me that entry level Macbooks are still using Core 2 Duo? These are what 4 Years old!! they are soon gonna be discontinued, infact later in 2010 they will no longer be available.. Apple is clearly ****ing with customers. This is such a disappointment.. It's no surprise that Apple is overpriced, they have a much larger profit margin.. especially when it comes to laptops.. And I don't want to hear they use premium hardware, that is far from the truth.. I should know I build computers..

Anyway.. Apple needs to get there act together.. I really hope the new iMacs have Core i3/i5's.. If you know hardware then you know Core i Series are quite a bit faster then Core 2 Duo's..

 

[Eidorian]

Intel oddities? Really? How about Apple oddities. Somehow"Intel oddities" do not limit options for any laptop manufacturer but Apple. Can you explain this?

Once again I'd like to know who green lit a 2 chip design for Apple's 13" notebooks with the idea that nVidia would be able to provide chipsets for eternity.

Core 2 Duo will have to be pried from Apple's hands.

 

[mrscrouge]

noob here. is adding hi-res worth it on the 15"? what can i expect from it?

 

[jamesryanbell]

noob here. is adding hi-res worth it on the 15"? what can i expect from it?

Yes. More screen real estate.

 

[the_wallcrawler]

For everyone ordering the anti-glare - can't you just get one of those screen covers and then have both worlds?

Do they typically have the anti-glare in stores? I don't know the difference.