New MacBook Pro revealed

Speaking at a special event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has announced the existence of a redesigned MacBook Pro. Confirming earlier reports, the notebook is being built using a new construction process, similar to the one for the MacBook Air; each system starts as a brick of solid aluminum, from which material is initially removed, rather than added to. The resulting systems are said to be simultaneously lighter and stronger.

Also present in the construction is a new, multi-touch glass trackpad, 39 percent larger than earlier ones and designed so that the entire pad works as a button, rather than simply a motion surface. The use of glass extends to the LCD display, whose output options now include a mini-DisplayPort connection.

All connections have been shifted to one side, and these also include gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800 and two USB ports. An ExpressCard slot remains present, and wireless receivers support Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

Internally the computer now has the option of an SSD drive, and comes by default with both 9400M and 9600M GT graphics chips by NVIDIA, which operate together in a hybrid SLI mode. The 9400M is integrated, and can be used as the sole source for rendering in order to run a Pro for five hours instead of the four possible with the 9600M GT.

Two models, both measuring 15.4 inches, are going on sale today: a $1,999 model comes with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a 250GB hard drive, while a $2,499 system features a 2.53GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, double the graphics memory and a 320GB hard drive.

by MacNN Staff