A closer look: Apple upgrades laptops and adds 13-inch MacBook Pro
San Francisco -- Apple's laptop computers got a lot more professional today.
The company showed off its updated line of MacBooks at the Worldwide Developers Conference that included a new 13-inch Pro model. Of course, the new Pro is really just the old MacBook with a few but important new features crammed in.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro has the same design as the current 13-inch MacBooks with their "unibody" casing made from a single sheet of aluminum, but with an SD memory card slot and a FireWire high-speed connection, bringing it in line with the upgraded 15-inch MacBook Pros that were also presented at Moscone Center today.
Perhaps the most enticing addition for portable users is the new lithium-polymer battery in the Pro models, which runs for seven hours -- two hours more than the previous MacBook Pro.
Add to that the ...
... high-speed processor and Nvidia graphics chip, and the white, plastic MacBook begins to look pretty stale.
Apple offers custom builds of all of its computers, and the MacBooks are no exception. If you so choose, these new models can cram in some really high-tech stuff, including a massive 500-gigabyte hard drive and a whopping 8 gigabytes of RAM -- all without increasing the thickness of the machine. It will, however, decrease the thickness of your wallet.
But for most users, the standard configurations should pack plenty of power. The 13-inch MacBook Pro costs $1,199 for the 2.26-gigahertz version, and the 15-inch laptop is $1,699 for the 2.53-gigahertz model. The super-powered 17-inch computer received an upgrade, too, and a $300 price drop -- to $2,499.
Apple also announced upgrades to its MacBook Air, the less popular, ultra-thin laptop that doesn't include a DVD drive. No, the company didn't add a disc reader, but it did drop the price to $1,499 for the 1.86-gigahertz version.
-- Mark Milian
I just picked up a 13 inch unibody 4 months ago. So I'm a little upset that they updated so soon. I love Apple but I'll never early adopt again. They just released the unibodys last October.
Ugh I don't know I'm just a little mad.
Posted by: DeShaun | June 08, 2009 at 09:51 PM
Same here DeShaun! I bought my macbook two months ago (for 990 on ebay) and now I'm upset about the update....I want 8 gigs of RAM! And I definately wouldn't mind a 7 hour battery. It's a nice boost, but I'll stick with my macbook for now. It isn't worth selling my already maxed out macbook for the 13-inch pro.
Posted by: Devon | June 09, 2009 at 07:54 AM
i just got my macbook 13inch last week so im within the 14 days and i intend to swap it tomorow under their no quibble refund policy- hopefully will be ok!
Posted by: lisa m | June 09, 2009 at 08:29 AM
Hey guys, take heart and do what I do. Sell your Macbook on ebay within a year of purchase. I always manage to recoup at least 75% of my original purchase price, which I just put towards the newest. The way I see it, I am paying ~$300 a year to have a snazzy new Apple laptop at all times. I never let them get more than a year old and they have great resale value.
Posted by: KC | June 09, 2009 at 02:26 PM