Quick: which Apple has a Core 2 Duo?

Apple gave the official "you all know it's coming, but now we can talk about it" announcement this morning: the Apple MacBook Pro is getting refreshed with Intel's Core 2 Duo processor. Shipping starts next week directly through the Apple cart store. Expect to drop from $1,999 to $2,799 depending on CPU (2.16 or 2.33 GHz) and size; 15- or 17-inch. The 17-inch MacBook Pro will only be available with the faster 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

Prices might seem high for newcomers to the Apple orchard, but these notebooks are packed with a bushel of high-end specs, which vary of course by model:

• 1 or 2 GB of 667 MHz RAM standard; upgradeable to 3 GB
• 120 or 160 GB 5200 RPM drives
• PCI-E ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 or 256 MB of GDDR3 memory
• Integrated iSight camera
• DVI-out for true digital video output (even to a high-def display)
• SXGA+ or WSXGA+ resolution, which is 1400 x 1050 (my personal fave) or 1680 x 1050 resolution to you and me
• Two Firewire ports; one at 400 and 800

Full specs and pricing deets are in the Apple press release; I see that Apple indicates these MacBook Pros are "up to 39 percent faster than the previous 2.16 GHz MacBook Pro" which should make for a killer Mac OS X / XP / Vista machine.

Comments

[Warner Crocker]

I hear you get a free Windows virus thrown in for the bargain!

[Tax Man (aka Bill)]

Gee! Kevin. Isn't this what you were waiting for? I use my Q1 as my main machine in my CPA practice now. Sure, I have lots of other computers around, but this is my goto device for carrying around. Still, I just love macs! I'm a true fan-boy. This looks like a pretty solid upgrade. If you add another 512MB RAM to the black macbook and opt for the 120GB HD, you only have a $200 price jump to go to the low-end MBP, which is pretty good to go without upgrades.

[Kevin C. Tofel]

Yes, this was a package I have been waiting for as I have no Macs in my stable. The ability to run multiple OS's makes this a very compelling notebook for me, but I can't give Steve & co $2,000 right now. Maybe I'll write a letter to Santa now.... :) I'd probably opt for the MBPro over the MB simply for the Core 2 Duo benefits of performance and less power consumption....it would be worth the extra money for me.