Apple announced 15 and 17 inch MacBook Pro notebooks with Core 2 Duo processors. The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in 2.16GHz and 2.33GHz varieties. The 17-incher comes with a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo. With the new core 2 duo chips, Apple estimates that the 2.33GHz dual-core model is up to 39 percent speedier than the previous MacBook Pro with a 2.16GHz Intel Duo processor–and seven times faster than the older PowerBook G4 laptop with a 1.67GHz IBM PowerPC processor.

In addition, a new FireWire 800 port now complements the existing FireWire 400 port so that MacBook Pro users can connect to higher-end peripheral devices.

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops, which Apple said are available Tuesday, cost $1,999 for the 2.16GHz model and $2,499 for the 2.33GHz version. The 17-inch MacBook Pro is set for release next week at $2,799.

Only one inch thin and 5.6 and 6.8 pounds, respectively, the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros are amongst the thinnest, lightest notebooks in their display class

15-inch MacBook Pro quick specs:

* 15.4-inch display
* 2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 5.6 pounds
* 6x double-layer-burning SuperDrive
* One FireWire 400
* One FireWire 800
* Two USB
* ExpressCard/34
* Up to 200GB hard drive
* Gigabit Ethernet
* ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
* Built-in AirPort Extreme
* Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
* Illuminated keyboard
* Scrolling trackpad
* MagSafe Power Adapter

17-inch MacBook Pro quick specs:

* 17-inch display
* 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 6.8 pounds
* 8x double-layer-burning SuperDrive
* One FireWire 400
* One FireWire 800
* Three USB
* ExpressCard/34
* Up to 200GB hard drive
* Gigabit Ethernet
* ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
* Built-in AirPort Extreme
* Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
* Illuminated keyboard
* Scrolling trackpad
* MagSafe Power Adapter

Reviews of the Apple MacBook Pro

CNET: Reviewing Apple’s high-end 17-inch MacBook Pro (core 2 duo), CNET gives it 7.4 out of 10 rating (very good) and writes, “The 13.3-inch Apple MacBook and 15.4-inch MacBook Pro, both featuring Intel Core 2 Duo processors, impressed us by mixing Apple’s lauded industrial design and user-friendly operating system with the kind of high-end hardware usually seen only on the PC side–not to mention the ability to run Windows XP through Boot Camp. The high-end 17-inch MacBook Pro adds some hard drive space and screen real estate over the 15-inch MacBook Pro, boosting the base price by $300. The $2,799 system (our $3,374 review unit was tricked out with extra RAM) is very light for a 17-inch laptop, and it’s a good choice for anyone needing an easily transportable big-screen laptop, although most users will be just as happy with the excellent 15-inch version.

While the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro significantly outperforms the older Core Duo version, the performance of the 15- and 17-inch Core 2 Duo models was essentially identical–which is to be expected, as they share identical processors, RAM, and hard drives (although the default configurations call for a smaller hard drive in the 15-inch model). We did see a significant boost over the non-Pro version of the MacBook, which includes a slower 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, in both the Photoshop CS2 and the iTunes encoding tests. As with any current Core 2 Duo laptop, the MacBook Pro is more than powerful enough for running productivity and multimedia applications and tackling basic photo and video editing, as well.

The ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 GPU, the same one found in the previous generation of Core Duo MacBook Pros, isn’t going to make this a blazingly fast gaming laptop, but in Quake 4 running at a resolution of 1,280×1,024, we got a very playable frame rate of 32.8fps. Gaming is not the first thing that springs to mind when one thinks of Macs, but thanks to Boot Camp, the utility that allows users to run a partitioned installation of Windows XP on their Intel Macs, you’ll be able to play many popular PC games on this hardware.

In our DVD battery-drain test, we got 3 hours, 2 minutes of battery life from the MacBook Pro. Three hours for a laptop with a 17-inch screen is excellent, especially since the battery is not an extended model that sticks out from the back of the system. The battery is larger, however, than the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s, which explains why both systems had nearly identical battery life even though the 17-inch model has a larger display to power.

The good: Lightest 17-inch laptop we’ve seen; has a built-in Webcam and a remote control; can run Windows XP via Boot Camp; adds FireWire 800 support.

The bad: Lacks media card reader; comes with only 90 days of toll-free technical support.

The bottom line: Apple’s Core 2 Duo 17-inch MacBook Pro is especially thin and light for a desktop replacement, making it an attractive choice for multimedia users on the go. ”

Reviewed unit quick specs:

Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo (17-inch 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)
OS X 10.4.8; Core 2 Duo 2.3GHz; 3GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 256MB; 160GB Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 5,400rpm

Laptop Magazine: Reviewing 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo), Laptop Magazine gives it 3.5 out of 5 stars rating and writes, “There’s a new dream machine for Apple fans: The MacBook Pro has been updated with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, along with more RAM and hard drive storage. We got our hands on this top-of-the-line 15-inch model, a thing of beauty clad in sleek aluminum. It didn’t post the performance numbers we expected, but we suspect it will still be snapped up by devoted creative professionals.

Still only one-inch thin, the MacBook Pro remains one of the lightest notebooks with a 15.4-inch widescreen display. This 5.6-pound notebook is excellent for home and office use but is portable and compact enough to take on the road.

Using the MacBook Pro is a pleasure, and it didn’t take us long to fall in love with the screen, whose optional glossy treatment is perfect for watching movies. The notebook comes with an infrared, six-button remote, so you can enjoy flicks from across the room. Our only complaint is that the system became uncomfortably warm after it was on our lap for longer than 15 minutes.

We like the MagSafe Power Adapter, which disconnects from the notebook if you trip over the cord. For this model, Apple added the MagSafe Airline Adapter, which uses the same concept but connects to an in-seat power port (a $59 option, not included in our tested configuration price). The MacBook Pro’s illuminated keyboard and motion-sensor technology for protecting the hard drive help make this a solid pick for business travelers.

Apple’s computers have long been RAM weaklings, with standard configurations that paled next to their Windows counterparts, but the company appears to be correcting that. The 2.33-GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with 2GB of 667-MHz DDR2 SDRAM standard, twice that of the previous version. Ours came maxed out with 3GB of RAM for an extra $575. That’s overkill for everyone but the most demanding power users.

We tested the MacBook Pro using MobileMark 2005 and the free Boot Camp download, which enables Macs to run Windows XP. Productivity performance was decent, with a score of 204 but below the average score of 231. We suspect this may be because Windows uses only a small partition of the MacBook Pro’s hard drive (although you can set it to use more) and that Boot Camp itself has some performance overhead.

Overall, the Core 2 Duo-enabled MacBook Pro isn’t the dramatic improvement we were hoping for. However, it provides more than enough performance for both productivity and entertainment and does so with style-and with lots of thoughtful amenities that Windows-based machines just don’t offer.

PROS & CONS of the MacBook Pro

• Elegant design
• Double the RAM of previous version
• Includes remote and built-in camera
• Excellent software bundle
• Core 2 Duo processor not dramatically faster
• Runs warm
• Mediocre wireless strength

This entry was posted on October 24, 2006 and is filed under Apple, News.