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Tag: MacBook Pro

  • Revamped 15-Inch MacBook Pro To Begin Production In April [RUMOR]

    Apple’s MacBook Pro line may be about to get a refresh, according to recent reports. Rumors suggest that revamped 15-inch MacBook Pro will go into production in April, followed by the 13-inch model in June.

    According to a report today from DigiTimes, Apple is planning to produce 100,000-150,000 units of the 15-inch Macbook Pro when mass production starts in April. The 13-inch model is expected to go into mass production in June. DigiTimes’s sources also say that Apple is placing considerably more orders for the 13-inch model. There is apparently no information about when a refreshed 17-inch MacBook will be going into production.

    Apple’s lineup of MacBook Pro notebooks is coming due for significant update. There were two minor updates to the line last year, but there has not been a major refresh to the line since 2009 when the MacBook Pro got an aluminum unibody frame and the 13-inch model was added to the lineup. At the same time the 13-inch MacBook (not Pro) got a white plastic unibody frame as well, though that model was discontinued last year.

  • MacBook Pro Getting An Update In April?

    With all the rumors and excitement zipping around about Apple’s newest iOS devices, one can almost forget sometimes that they actually make computers, too. Part of this, of course, is Apple’s fault. When was the last time you saw them sending out invitations to a major press event to unveil the latest model of iMac?

    And yet, while everyone is drooling over the latest iPad, Apple keeps right on making computers. Now it looks like their MacBook Pro line of laptops might be next in line for an update. A recent report today from DigiTimes, Apple is preparing to launch updates to the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros, with an update to the 17-inch model to come later. The new laptops are said to be thinner and lighter than their predecessors, but not quite in the range of the MacBook Air.

    According to the report, Apple is planning to launch the updates in April. Initial shipments of the two models together are expected to be around 900,000 units.

  • Macbook Pro Rumor: Big Redesign Coming This Year

    Rumor has it that Apple is readying a massive refresh of its Macbook Pro line, to make them more like the Macbook Air in design.

    The rumor comes from AppleInsider, which cites “people familiar with Apple’s roadmap”. The publication reports:

    This will include new, ultra-thin unibody enclosures that jettison yesteryear technologies like optical disk drives and traditional hard drives in favor of models with lightweight chassis that employ flash-memory based solid-state drives, instant-on capabilities, extended battery life, and rely on digital distribution for software and media.

    “They’re all going to look like MacBook Airs,” one person familiar with the new MacBook Pro designs told AppleInsider. Meanwhile, existing MacBook Pro designs are expected to be phased out over the course of the year.

    The late Steve Jobs was known for his focus on design, sometimes at the cost of functionality (see Antennagate). It sounds like design is still a vital part of Apple’s mentality under CEO Tim Cook so far.

    The iPhone and iPad might be the sexier Apple products these days, but Macs continue to sell quite well too. Apple’s Q1 earnings report indicate that Mac sales were up 26%, having sold 5.2 million Macs in the quarter. In addition to that, over 100 million apps were downloaded from the Mac App Store in less than a year.

    Interestingly, however, iOS has eclipsed Mac OS X in web market share, according to a recent study from Chitika.

  • Apple Bringing Retina Display to MacBook Pro Next Year?

    The Apple rumor mill is rumbling to life again this morning on reports that the company may be bringing its vaunted retina display, first introduced with the iPhone 4 last year, to it’s MacBook Pro line of computers. Citing sources “in the upstream supply chain,” DigiTimes is reporting that Apple is planning to launch the new line of MacBook Pros sometime in the second quarter of 2012. The display will be 2880×1800, a huge jump over the current line of notebooks, which come with either 1680×1050 or 1280×800 displays.

    This rumor follows several other reports related to Apple products lately. Last week we covered rumors that the next generation of Apple’s iPad would be releasing next year with a retina display. Meanwhile DigiTimes reported last month – again citing supply-line sources – that the MacBook Pro would be getting a thinner MacBook Air-style chassis sometime in the second quarter of 2012.

    Though this report is still just a rumor, it is true that the MacBook Pro line will be coming due for a refresh soon. Though Apple quietly updated the line in October to include more storage and memory, the computers themselves have remained unchanged for a couple of years.

    The ultra-high resolution retina display is so named because it boasts a pixel density so high that from a distance of more than just a few inches, the user’s eyes are not physically capable of distinguishing individual pixels. It made waves when it was introduced with the iPhone 4 last summer, and almost immediately speculation began on which devices would be the next to get it. To everyone’s surprise, the next device turned out to be the iPhone 4S, released just a few months ago. It was widely believed that the iPad 2 would be getting a retina display, and rumors circulated that the company would be putting it in everything from MacBooks to iMacs soon. These recent rumors – about both the MacBook Pro and the iPad 3 – may signal the beginning of this long-awaited rollout.

    [Source: DigiTimes]

  • Steve Jobs Gets a MacBook Pro Portrait

    Steve Jobs Gets a MacBook Pro Portrait

    Art is everywhere and the raw materials necessary to create art can sometimes be found in unexpected places – say the inside of a laptop?

    The folks over at Foundry, a research team at Mint Digital, decided to take one of Steve Jobs’ creations apart and make a little portrait of the icon.

    And it turned out amazing.

    Made from the innards of a MacBook Pro, the portrait features Jobs in his classic hand-on-chin pose. Check it out –

    Here’s what the team had to say about taking apart a MacBook Pro:

    We were in need of a few fans the other day for our smell dispenser prototypes. Collin kindly donated an old mac book pro to the cause and I meticulously tore it to pieces.

    It was an incredibly humbling experience. Beyond the smooth sheen of it’s outer casing, lays one of the most beautifully set out assemblage of components I have ever seen. It’s hard to imagine the amount of detail, concentration and obsession that must go into the creation of one of these machines.

    To be honest, I always thought Mac’s were a bit overpriced for what they were. Not anymore.

    It’s true that Apple devices are known for their inner beauty almost as much as their outer beauty. I don’t know about you, but I’d sure like to see more pieces created with the insides of tech devices.

    [Hat Tip to Gizmodo]

  • Apple Macbook Pro Gets Processor, Graphics, Thunderbolt I/O Update

    The Apple Macbook Pro family has been updated with new next-generation processors and graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime HD camera. 

    FaceTime has become a popular selling point of Apple’s iPhone, and the iPad 2 is expected to accommodate it as well. 

    "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 Apple SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller. "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."

    Apple Macbook Pro family gets updated

    Apple says in its announcement, "MacBook Pro is the first computer on the market to include the groundbreaking Thunderbolt I/O technology. Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, Thunderbolt enables expandability never before possible on a notebook computer. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, 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. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Freely available for implementation on systems, cables and devices, Thunderbolt technology is expected to be widely adopted as a new standard for high performance I/O."

    "With Apple’s innovative FaceTime video calling software, the new camera allows high definition video calls between all new MacBook Pro models and supports standard resolution calls with other Intel-based Macs, iPhone 4 and the current generation iPod touch," the company says. "FaceTime is included with all new MacBook Pro models and is available for other Intel-based Macs from the Mac App Store for 99 cents. The MacBook Pro lineup continues to feature its gorgeous aluminum unibody enclosure, glass Multi-Touch trackpad, LED-backlit widescreen display, illuminated full-size keyboard and 7-hour battery."

    There is a 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro model, as well as a 15-inch and a 17-inch model. The 13-inch version is available in a 2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 320GB hard drive version for $1,199, as well as a 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 and 500GB hard drive version for $1,499. The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in a 2.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6490M and 500GB hard drive version for $1,799 and a 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive version for $2,199. The new 17-inch Apple MacBook Pro comes in just one version –  2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 750GB hard drive, and is priced at $2,499.

    Apple has an event scheduled for March 2nd, where it will almost certainly unveil the iPad 2. Stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, the iPad continues to dominate tablet shipments.

  • Apple

    UPDATE: The Apple store is finally back online and it looks like the only thing added was the recently announced photography software package, Aperture 3.

    To say people aren’t pleased with Apple would be an understatment… as many were hoping for the new Core i5 and i7 MacBooks.

    Are you let down that nothing else was added to the Apple Store? Let us know.

    ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Sometimes when the Apple store goes down it’s nothing, while other times new products are added once the store finally comes back online. One good sign that it could be a new product is that the Apple Store is down globally.

    Apple Store is down

    What do you think Apple will unveil when the store comes back? Tell us.

    We’re not sure what to expect once the store does come back… but this hasn’t stopped Twitter users from speculating on what is to come. It appears that most Twitterers are hoping for a new MacBook Pro while others think that the iPad will be added to the store. No one really knows what is coming, well I guess it’s safe to say that a "Fail Whale" might be coming once the Apple Store comes back online.

    At this time, all we can do is speculate on what Apple is currently doing. In any case, be sure to check back later as we’ll update this article on the Apple Store additions.