Apple announces MacBook Pro 17-inch gets Unibody and other upgrades
January 6th, 2009Phil Schiller replaces Steve Jobs as Keynote anchorman and had a list of ‘3 new things’ for the assembled Macolytes. Software updates aside the big hardware launch of the day was the new 17-inch MacBook Pro which finally gets the Unibody treatment.
The 17-inch is the most popular laptop sold in the US and now it’s the World’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch laptop weighing in at only 6.6 pounds.
The screen is a glossy 1920 x 1200 pixels and backlit and has a viewing angle of 140° and 120° height and width viewing angle respectively. There’s a $50 anti-glare option.
Contrast ratio is 700:1 with a 60% greater colour gamut than the previous model.
Ports include:
- FireWire 800
- 3 USB ports
- An ExpressCard 34 slot
- Ethernet
- Mini DisplayPort
The trackpad is the new glass variety as on the other Unibody models.
Other specs include:
- CPU: 2.66 GHz Core 2 duo
- Memory: 8GB (max) 1066 MHz DDR RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 9400M and GeForce 9600MT
- Hard Drive: 320 GB or up to 356GB SSD
- Keyboard: backlit
- Other features: iSight camera, magnetic latch, works with new DisplayPort Cinema Display
Phil tells us that the new 17 inch MacBook Pro will have the longest lasting battery ever (3x industry standard or about eight hours) even while keeping the machine less than an inch thick. Apple is using this performance/size issue to justify using a non-removable battery since a removable batery would consume much more space. The new battery also boasts a longer overall life (1000 charges – about five years) thanks to ‘adaptive charging’ that reduces wear and tear as the battery recharges.
A sour note is that the MacBook Pro doesn’t seem to have an access panel on its underside which may mean that RAM and HD upgrades will not be possible.
The new 17-inch MacBook Pro will be available as a standard configuration for $2,799 or built to order. Available late January.
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Tags: 17 inch, 9400m, 9600m, aluminium, aluminum, Apple, battery, battery life, geforce, laptop, macbook, notebook, nvidia, pro, unibody,
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