Yes, MacBooks Pro. “MacBook Pros” sounds horrible to my ears.
Yesterday morning, Apple announced an update to their MacBook Pro line of professional portable computers. A processor upgrade means that all models are faster, and can now address 4 GB of RAM. Previous models were limited to addressing 3 GB of RAM (which was a suboptimal amount of RAM, due to the mismatched DIMM sizes). The 15.4 inch MacBook Pro now uses an LED-backlit screen. It is brighter, uses less energy, and is more environmentally friendly. The 17 inch MacBook Pro doesn’t have an LED-backlit screen yet, but don’t worry, it gets its own perk: an optional $100 upgrade to a 1920 by 1200 pixel screen. That’s the same resolution as the 23 inch Apple Cinema display. The ability to take that many pixels on the road is going to be very appealing to certain content producers, especially those doing HD video editing. 1920 by 1200 is more than full HD resolution, so HD content can be shown without being scaled down.
Both sizes of MacBook come with draft 802.11N WiFi capabilities. I hope that when that standard is ratified there will be a firmware update that allows for full compatibility with the standard. Also included is an upgraded video card.
I’ve been in the market for an upgrade for a while, so these machines are tempting me quite a bit. I’ve promised myself I wouldn’t buy a new machine until Leopard ships pre-installed, so it’s going to be a long couple of months. Which machine I get is still up in the air. It all comes down to which I like more: the LED-backlit screen of the 15 inch model, or the incredible resolution of the 17 inch model. Right now it’s about a $400 difference.
One note: it is cheaper to get a MacBook Pro with 2 GB of RAM (1 GB x 2), throw that RAM away, and go buy 4 GB (2 GB x 2) from a third party than it is to buy a MacBook Pro with 4 GB of RAM pre-installed. You’ll save $200-$300 by doing that… and even more if you manage to sell the RAM that came with the system.