Apple this week unveiled updates and additions to the popular MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineup of laptops. The 17-inch and 15-inch screen MacBook Pros both get a performance bump and feature additions and a new 13.3” MacBook Pro member is added to the mix. Additionally, the MacBook Air gets a performance bump.
MacBook Pro updates
Apple announced the MacBook Pro 15-inch screen laptop has the following changes:
- Faster Intel Core 2 Duo with up to 3.06GHz
- Sealed battery with up to 7-hours
- SD card slot replaces the ExpressCard slot
- Lower starting price of $1,699
The 17-inch MacBook Pro meanwhile will have the following spec bumps:
- Faster Intel Core 2 Duo with up to 2.8GHz
- Up to 8GB of RAM
- 500GB 7200 RPM hard drive available
The biggest news is that there is now a 13.3” version of the MacBook Pro that has a lower starting price than last year’s Aluminum 13.3” MacBook release, following are the key specs for this new 13.3” MacBook Pro:
- 13.3” screen 1280 x 800 resolution
- Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz – 2.53GHz processor
- 2GB – 8GB RAM
- Nvidia 9400m graphics
- Built-in sealed battery with 7-hours battery life, up to 5-years life span
- DVD SuperDrive
- Ports: MagSafe power port, Gigabit Ethernet port, One FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps), Mini DisplayPort, Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps), SD card slot, Audio in/out, Kensington lock slot
- Price: Starts at $1,199
The starting price is very reasonable, it is cheaper than what the 13.3” MacBook Aluminum started at last year when first released. The addition of an SD card slot is much welcomed and the sealed battery is a bit of a mixed bag, while it’s good that the quoted battery life of 7-hours beats the old 13.3” it does mean that you cannot easily replace the battery or carry a spare for travel.
MacBook Air Update
The 13.3” screen MacBook Air, the thinnest and lightest laptop in Apple’s lineup, also gets a spec bump with the option of a faster 2.13GHz processor. The starting price also is dropped to $1,499, though that is for a configuration with a 1.86GHz processor.
Overall this is good news from Apple as essentially we’re getting faster laptops with additional features and for a lower price. The MacBook Pros will be strong contenders for back to school laptops, especially the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the starting price of $1,199, great features and an excellent design it will be worth the investment for the four years you’d need a laptop in college.
Thanks for the useful info. It’s so interesting