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MacBook Pro “Revision B” Arrives

by Charles W. Moore

If you’ve been holding off upgrading to a MacBook Pro because you avoid version 1 of anything, that’s no longer a roadblock. On Tuesday, Apple announced “revision B” of the MacBook Pro - both the 15” model which will be available immediately, and the 17” top-of-the-line which is scheduled to ship next week.

The biggest change in the new MacBook Pros is that they are all powered by Intel Core 2 Duo Processors with 4MB (double the previous spec.) of shared L2 cache -running 2.16 GHz and 2.33 GHz clockspeeds in the 15-incher, and 2.33 GHz only for the big ‘un. While those represent only a modest speed bump form the former 2.0 GHz and 2.16 GHz specs. of the preceding Core Duo models, Core 2 Duo GHz are huskier than Core Duo GHz, and Apple claims performance up to 39 percent faster than the revision A 2.16 GHz MacBook Pros, and more than seven times faster than the ultimate 1.67 GHz PowerBook G4 models.

Along with the new more powerful processors, both standard memory configuration and RAM upgrade capacity have been substantially enhanced with these new ‘Books, which come with 1GB of 667 MHz of DDR2 SDRAM standard in the 2.16 GHz unit, and 2GB standard in both 2.33 GHz machine, all expandable up to an unprecedented in Apple portables 3GB (note that you will need either a 1 GB or 2 GB upgrade module to achieve the maximum and at 3 GB pairing is not supported). Rounding out the internal power is a PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor unit with up to 256MB of dedicated GDDR3 graphics memory.

Also new with the 15” models is a FireWire 800 port, which was already included with the revision A 17-incher. While the lack of FireWire 800 support was not a significant hardship for many users, it was an inconvenience for folks who had FireWire 800 peripherals All models now come with a a slot-load 6x SuperDrive with double-layer support (which is an upgrade from 4x single layer for the 15" models).

Price points remain the same, at $1,999 for the “base” 15-incher, $2,499 for the 2.33 GHz 15” model, and $2,799 for the 17” king of the hill. As before, my take is that the $1,999 15” model is a bit of a bargain, the 17” machine a very decent value considering what you get, and the $500 premium you pay for the higher end 15” unit more than a bit steep for 16 MHz more clock speed, and an extra gig of RAM.

A bunch of Build To Order options are available including upgrades to 200GB (4200 rpm) or 160GB (5400 rpm) hard drives, more RAM of course, a new $59 Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter that can connect to in-seat power ports aboard aircraft (but which doesn't work in automobiles), the Apple USB Modem (which should be standard equipment with expensive machines like these, IMHO), glossy widescreen displays, and AppleCare. YOu can also knock the 17” MacBook Pro’s price down to $2,699 by “downgrading” to a100 GB 7200 RPM hard drive.

Good stuff carried over from the revision A models includes 15.4-inch 1440 x 900 and 17-inch 1680 x 1050 widescreen displays with 300 cd/m2 brightness,10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet, built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), a FireWire 400 port to go with the FireWire 800 port, either two (15”) or three (17”) USB 2.0 ports combination analog and optical digital audio input and output ports, an ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot, a built-in iSight video camera, the infrared Apple Remote, a backlit keyboard, Apple’s Sudden Motion Sensor and Scrolling TrackPad, and a DVI video output to connect up to a 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, video mirroring with full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors, and Apple’s MagSafe Power Adapter.

As for bundled software, the MacBook Pros come with Apple’s iLife ‘06 suite of “digital lifestyle” iApps including iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb, and the current Mac OS X version 10.4.8 Tiger with Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth, all of which run natively on the Intel-based notebook.

In appearance, there are no changes. Dimensions-wise, here are the specs:

15-inch MacBook Pro
• Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
• Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm)
• Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm)
• Weight: 5.6 pounds (2.54 kg) with battery and optical drive installed

17-inch MacBook Pro
• Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
• Width: 15.4 inches (39.2 cm)
• Depth: 10.4 inches (26.5 cm)
• Weight: 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) with battery and optical drive installed

In short, it’s a solid and substantial speed bump and enhancement for the MacBook Pro, very much in the tradition of the updates Apple frequently applied to PowerBooks in October or November over the past several years.

It will be interesting to see how hot those Core 2 Duos run and if Apple and Intel have been able to make the MacBook Pros run a bit cooler. While extra power is always welcome, the older Core Duos were no slouch in the performance department, and heat management was really a more pressing concern.

“With an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, greater storage capacity and FireWire 800 connectivity, the new MacBook Pro delivers unprecedented performance and mobility in an incredibly thin and light design,” said Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing Philip Schiller in a press release. “We are thrilled that our notebook sales are growing twice as fast as the overall notebook market, and we hope these new MacBook Pro models continue that success.”

I’m pretty sure they will, and being a delightedly satisfied owner of a 17” G4 PowerBook, the 2.33 GHz 17” MacBook Pro is the model I would aspire to most. Now, will a Core 2 Duo MacBook be next? You can bet on it, but the “when” may well be next year.

For more information, visit:
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro

• 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
• 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
• 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
• 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 6x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
• DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
• built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
• ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
• two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
• one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
• Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
• the infrared Apple Remote; and
• 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

• 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
• 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2Duo processor;
• 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
• 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 6x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
• DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
• built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• built-in Airport Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
• ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
• two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
• one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
• Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
• the infrared Apple Remote; and
• 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

• 17-inch widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
• 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
• 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
• 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
• DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
• built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
• ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
• three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
• one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical digital audio;
• Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor;
• the infrared Apple Remote; and
• 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.