Apple has updated its MacBook Pro range with faster processors, Thunderbolt I/O technology, and new high definition FaceTime cameras.
‘The new MacBook Pro brings next generation dual and quad Core processors, high performance graphics, Thunderbolt technology and FaceTime HD to the great design loved by our pro customers,’ said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. ‘Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro.’
The 13in MacBook Pros have dual-core Core i5 and i7 processors running at up to 2.7GHz and Intel HD Graphics 3000. There’s no discrete graphics chip, however. The 15in and 17in models have quad-core Core i7 processors running at up to 2.3GHz and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors with up to 1GB of Ram.
The Thunderbolt technology, Apple’s name for Intel’s Light Peak, has two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to 10Gbps each. According to Apple, Thunderbolt ‘delivers PCI Express directly to external high performance peripherals such as RAID arrays, and can support FireWire and USB consumer devices and Gigabit Ethernet networks via adapters.’ It also supports DisplayPort and works with existing adaptors for HDMI, DVI, and VGA displays.
The new MacBook Pros also have FaceTime HD video cameras which have three times as many pixels as older FAceTime and iSight cameras, according to Apple. The FaceTime app is pre-installed on the new MacBook Pros and is available for 59p from the App Store for other Intel Macs.
The 13in MacBook Pro comes in two configurations. There’s a 2.3GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 model with a 320GB hard drive for £999; and a 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 model with a 500GB hard drive for £1299.
The 15in MacBook Pro also comes in two configurations: a 2GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 machine with AMD Radeon HD 6490M and 500GB hard drive for £1549; and a 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 model with AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive costing £1849.
The 17in MacBook Pro has a 2.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive. It costs £2099. All models have 4GB Ram.
Apple also released a Developer Preview of Mac OS X Lion, the next version of the Mac OS, which draws on features from the iPad. ‘The iPad has inspired a new generation of innovative features in Lion,’ said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. ‘Developers are going to love Mission Control and Launchpad, and can now start adding great new Lion features like full screen, gestures, Versions and Auto Save to their own apps.’
Previously unannounced new features include a new version of Mail with a widescreen layout inspired by the iPad Mail app; AirDrop, a tool for easily copying files wirelessly from one Mac to another; Versions, a version control system, Auto Save, and Resume, which re-instates applications as they were left when a Mac is restarted or the application re-launched.
