If you meander on down to the Apple store this morning, you’ll spot some nice little spec bumps to the MacBook Pro range — without any increase to the prices. For a start, you can now splash out on a faster AMD Radeon HD 6770M discrete GPU with your 15-inch or 17-inch lappie. Even better, there are some CPU improvements to be had: the 13-incher gets the option of a 2.8GHz Core i7 or a 2.4GHz Core i5 dual-core processor, instead of the previous entry-level 2.3GHz i5 (and it also gets its HDD notched up to a minimum 500GB, or max 750GB). The 15-incher now goes up to a quad-core 2.4GHz i7 — the same speedy processor that comes in the updated 17-inch variant. Oh, the cost/benefit dilemmas.

Apple MacBook Pro (late 2011) line-up gets processor and graphics boost originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Wondering what happened to that prototype 3G MacBook Pro Apple had pulled off eBay? Not too long ago, the boys in Cupertino reclaimed the specimen, along with a handful of spare parts the would-be auctioneer used to get the rig back into working order. After relinquishing of the prototype to Apple security in early September, previous owner Carl Frega petitioned the firm to return the repair parts to him. Last week, Frega finally received an unmarked FedEx package containing a notebook battery, hard drive, and two sticks of RAM. Despite the repossession, CNET reports that the outfit never gave Frega proof that the machine legally belonged to Apple, although he did say that the hardware and serial number were authentic. For more on the MacBook’s journey through Craigslist, small claims court and its 15 minutes of eBay fame, hit the second CNET link below.

Prototype MacBook Pro repair parts returned to owner, 3G antenna stays in Cook’s kitchen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

You know the rigamarole by now — product gets introduced, product takes forever to ship, and at long last, product hits the hands of a few lucky souls. And then, the fine folks over at iFixit rip said product limb from limb in the name of science. This go ’round, they found twelve larger chips and a smorgasbord of other bantam components within Apple’s first Thunderbolt cable, and they didn’t hesitate to suggest that the $50 asking price was at least somewhat justified. A Grant’s worth of dissection photos await you in the source.

Apple Thunderbolt cable gutted, a dozen other things found within originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Same ‘ole, same ‘ole? There’s no doubt that Apple’s newest MacBook Pro looks awfully similar to the models that have come before it, but the engineers in Cupertino still managed to shake a few things up on the early 2011 model. Aside from throwing an AMD GPU under the hood, pairing that with Intel’s integrated HD 3000 chipset and implementing Sandy Bridge, there’s also an entirely new I/O port: Thunderbolt. But was that really enough? For those of you who couldn’t escape the upgrade bug, we’re curious to know if you’ve been satisfied with the upgrade. If you had control of things, what would you change? Add a few more USB ports? Insist that native USB 3.0 support be added? Throw in a Blu-ray drive? Maybe add a couple of palm rest stickers? Toss your ideas out in comments below — but let’s keep it civil down there, cool?

How would you change Apple’s Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

So it’s perhaps not the most original moniker that Apple and Intel could have chosen, but it’s here just the same. After years of waiting Apple has launched its implementation of Intel’s Light Peak standard and it’s called Thunderbolt. It’s making its appearance on new MacBook Pro models and it’s promising 10Gb/second transfer rates. That’s dual-channel, too so you’ll get 10Gb/sec both to and from your devices. Apple suggests this will be useful for external RAID arrays, Gigabit Ethernet adapters, and also mentions support for “FireWire and USB consumer devices” along with HDMI, DVI, and VGA over DisplayPort. Apple expects that Thunderbolt will be “widely adopted as a new standard for high performance I/O,” but we think the USB 3.0 crew might have a thing or two to say about that. Full PR is embedded below.

Update: Intel has thrown up its page on the technology, and it looks like the Light Peak name is officially no more. Intel indicates this speed will be enough to transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds — but doesn’t indicate the bitrate of said film. Intel also reinforces that this is compatible with existing DisplayPort devices and it also uses the PCI Express protocol for enhanced compatibility. Daisy-chaining will be possible, along with bus-powered devices, and cables can be made using either optical or electrical construction.

Continue reading Apple and Intel unveil Thunderbolt I/O technology

Apple and Intel unveil Thunderbolt I/O technology originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

The rumor gears are really starting to churn with regard Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro refresh, and now we have a purported leak of the upcoming spec sheet for the new 13-inch model. The highlight is a note (and image, above) seemingly confirming that Apple will implement Intel’s Light Peak high-speed interconnect, renaming it the Thunderbolt. Yes, we know there’s an HTC handset headed to Verizon with that very same name — and we’ve checked the USPTO archives, Verizon’s the only tech company with any trademark claim filed for “Thunderbolt” — but Apple has done weirder things before. Also notable is the absence of any discrete graphics solution on the data sheet we have after the break, indicating that perhaps the new Core i5 integrated graphics from Intel are finally good enough to convince Cupertino to rely them on full time.

[Thanks, Leon]

Continue reading Apple’s Light Peak implementation called Thunderbolt, coming in new MacBook Pros?

Apple’s Light Peak implementation called Thunderbolt, coming in new MacBook Pros? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Best Buy’s laptop discovery tool is doing a slightly overzealous job this morning by listing a set of “new SKU” laptops from Apple Computer before said company has had a chance to announce them. This seems to corroborate recent rumors of a MacBook Pro refresh coming next week, as do the $1,199, $1,499, $1,799, and $2,199 price points, all of which are presently occupied by current-gen 13- and 15-inch MBP variants. There is an additional $2,499 sticker for a laptop identified only as “New SKU I,” which presumably points to an upgrade to Apple’s 17-incher. Regrettably, there’s nothing more than the pricing for us to go on, but feel free to fill your time until Best Buy populates its listings with speculation about the hot new processing, storage, and interconnect options Apple might have in store for us.

[Thanks, Michael]

Best Buy adding new Apple laptop SKUs to its systems, foreshadows MacBook Pro refresh originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Welcome back to our annual tradition of speculating on just when and how Apple will freshen up its laptop range. AppleInsider is citing multiple sources today in support of its assertion that the MacBook Pro line will be getting upgraded by Apple, potentially as soon as next week. The Mac OS vendor is reportedly briefing folks to be ready for a “significant product launch” soon, which is narrowed down to its laptop division by a couple more pieces of circumstantial evidence. Apple’s Asian online stores have shifted their promised MBP delivery times from 24 hours to “one to five days,” indicating potentially lower stock quantities, while Italian blog iSpazio has dug up five new product SKUs that could be the markers for new laptop models. None of that sets anything in stone, of course, but we’re also hearing the expected upgrade to Sandy Bridge won’t afflict Apple’s new machines with that Cougar Point chipset flaw, so whenever Apple deigns to bring us this upgrade it should be nice and pristine.

MacBook Pros may be in for an imminent refresh, about time too originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

MacBook Pros to get Sandy Bridge CPUs in March? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

We know, it’s shocking, but some people think that Apple might actually introduce some new home and mobile computers next year. DigiTimes is reporting that MacBook Pro and iMac refreshes are coming, the latter specifically getting “a new panel size and a price point for the mainstream market.” That certainly screams “smaller” and “cheaper” to us, but don’t let us rain on your desktop-crushing, 55-inch all-in-one dreams. Regarding the MacBook Pro rumor, there are said to be four or more revised models arriving with “a slight change in chassis design” and Mac OS X 10.7 Lion onboard. Both sets of revisions are said to be due sometime in the first half of next year, which won’t be “next” for very long at all.

New iMac and MacBook Pros coming in 2011? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 06:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink