New MacBook Pros with Core 2 Duo
updated 09:00 am EDT, Tue October 24, 2006
MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo
After months of anticipation, Apple today unveiled a significant update to its pro laptops. The new MacBook Pro uses the newer Core 2 Duo processor, which adds 64-bit support and 4MB of cache, increasing performance by as much as 39%, according to Apple's testing. The company has also addressed several concerns with the previous 15-inch model, adding a 6X dual-layer DVD rewriter, a brighter screen, and a FireWire 800 port to the existing configurations.
As before, Apple is offering two different 15-inch systems as well as a single 17-inch variant. The $1999 entry model sports a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive; upgrading to the $2499 version improves the CPU to 2.33GHz, doubles the RAM to 2GB, and doubles the video RAM to 256MB. The flagship 17-inch version primarily improves storage, increasing the DVD write speed to 8X and offering a 160GB hard drive. Apple is shipping the 15-inch models today; the 17-inch version will be available next week.
