MacBook Pro


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MacBook Pro

The new unibody 15" inch MacBook Pro
Developer Apple Inc.
Type Notebook
Release date February 14, 2006 (last updated October 14, 2008)
Base price USD$1,999 (as of October 14, 2008)
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4, 2.53, 2.6, 2.8 GHz)
Web site Apple - MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers by Apple Inc.. First introduced in January 2006 at the Macworld Expo alongside the Intel-based iMac, the MacBook Pro replaced the PowerBook G4 and was the second computer to be announced in the Apple Intel transition. Positioned at the high end of the MacBook Family, the MacBook Pro is aimed at the professional and power user market.

There have been two designs for the MacBook Pro, both using aluminum. The first design was largely a carry-over from the PowerBook G4. The second design is a more tapered design with most of the casing made from a single block of aluminum.

Contents

Discrete-construction MacBook Pro

The older MacBook Pro.

The original 15" MacBook Pro was announced on January 10, 2006 at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. The 17" model was later introduced on April 24, 2006. When first introduced, the MacBook Pro was noted for being lacking in ports and slightly lacking in screen resolution in comparison to its predecessor, as FireWire 800 and S-Video were missing. Other changes included the introduction of MagSafe, a magnetic power connector designed to detach easily when yanked to prevent the laptop from being pulled off a surface.

Industrial Design

Aside from the addition of an iSight camera to the display bezel, the removal and change in connectivity options, and a relocation of the AirPort antenna, the MacBook Pro's appearance is virtually unchanged from that of the PowerBook G4. Much of the features remain the same, as well, such as the ambient light sensor, back-lit keyboard, and sudden motion sensor. A multi-touch trackpad was made available on the Early 2008 revision.

When the MacBook was announced, a glossy screen option was added.

Quality Problems

 It has been suggested that some of the information in this article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) be merged into other sections to achieve a more neutral presentation. (Discuss)

Users have reported numerous issues with some of the MacBook Pro Core Duo and Core 2 Duo laptops. These include:

  • Apple has reported that some of these laptops contain faulty Nvidia graphics chips that seriously distort or fail to produce video. Apple seems to be repairing affected models at no charge, and refunding individuals who have already paid for repairs.[1]
  • A hissing noise often described as a whine, was found to be caused by an idle processor. Software workarounds and the effect of screen position and power source on the issue have been reported.[2][3] As of July 2006, Apple acknowledged the problem[4], and a replacement mainboard has fixed the "whine" issue for some users.
  • A claim of excessive heat generation, which was initially speculated to be caused by the application of excessive quantities of thermal grease on the processor during manufacturing. As of August 28, 2007, that problem has been resolved.[5]
  • Some early models (serial numbers starting below W8610) had a screen hum emitting from the right side of the machine present when display brightness was set "somewhere between maximum and minimum brightness."[2]
  • In some early models the supplied battery is faulty, and may eventually start swelling while losing capacity[6]. Due to very limited clearance above the battery this can cause permanent damage to the touch pad if left unfixed.[7] Apple eventually addressed the problem and issued a recall of the batteries that were used in certain models of the 15" MacBook Pro. The batteries did not pose a safety risk and were recalled due to the failure to meet Apple's "high standards for battery performance."[8]
  • In May 2007, Apple released Battery Update 1.2, which was designed to improve battery life. In conjunction with this update, Apple created a repair extension program to extend the replacement coverage of batteries that exhibited some specific failure symptoms that were not corrected by the new update.[9]
  • Although no formal test results have been published, many users are reporting that some of these issues were fixed in later models (week 11 and onwards).[10]
  • There have been complaints about the MagSafe power adaptor breaking at its magnetic connector head, and in some instances melting while the wire is exposed.[11]
  • Apple quickly addressed an issue after the June 5 revision involving occasional problems with "Display Hot Swapping", resulting in one or both screens temporarily dimming or blanking completely.[12]
  • Apple has been accused of supplying sub-standard LCD display hardware with their MacBook Pros. While Apple marketing claims that the display is capable of 8-bit RGB with millions (16,777,216, or 224) of colors, they are using 6-bit LCD screens that only provide 262,144 (218) colors natively with dithering to simulate millions of colors. This is a fairly common process for laptop manufacturers. However, a problem has been noticed with their dithering routine that can create artifacts during the display of gradients in images, which is inconvenient for graphic artists. The problem manifests only on the internal LCD display and not on external monitors. There is a class action law suit underway.[13]
  • A small number of users have noticed that the audio-out jack on the 2007 revision MacBook Pro puts out varying amounts of hiss, static, and whine. This issue affects all 2007 revision MacBook Pro models and appears to be a design flaw of the computer's logic board.[14] The issue has not been acknowledged by Apple or resolved as of the February 2008 revision.[citation needed]

Models

Component Intel Core Duo Intel Core 2 Duo
Model Early 2006 [1] [2] [3] Late 2006 [4] Mid 2007 [5] [6] Early 2008 [7] Late 2008 [8]
Model #s MA463LL/A or MA464LL/A; MA600LL or MA601LL MA0922LL/A MA609LL or MA610LL MA611LL/A MA895LL or MA896LL; MA895LL/A or MA896LL/A MA897LL/A MB133LL/A or MB134LL/A MB166LL/A MB766LL/A
Display
(all widescreen)		 15", matte or glossy, LCD, 1440 × 900 17", matte or glossy, LCD, 1680 × 1050 15", matte or glossy, LCD, 1440 × 900 17", matte or glossy, LCD, 1680 × 1050 15", matte or glossy, LCD, 1440 × 900
with LED backlight		 17", matte or glossy, LCD, 1680 × 1050
Optional 1920 × 1200		 15", matte or glossy, LCD, 1440 × 900
with LED backlight		 17", matte or glossy, LCD, 1680 × 1050
Optional LED-backlit 1920 × 1200		 17", matte or glossy, LED-backlit, 1920 × 1200
Graphics
with dual-link DVI		 ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB or 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM nVidia Geforce 8600M GT with 128MB or 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM nVidia Geforce 8600M GT with 256MB or 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM nVidia Geforce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
Hard drive[a] 80GB, 100GB, Serial ATA, 5400-rpm
Optional 100GB, 7200-rpm. or 120GB, 5400-rpm.		 120GB, 160GB, or 200GB Serial ATA, 5400-rpm
Optional 100GB, 7200-rpm.		 120GB or 160GB Serial ATA, 5400-rpm
Optional 250GB, 4200-rpm or 160GB, 7200-rpm.
Optional 250GB, 5400-rpm or 200GB, 7200-rpm after November 1, 2007		 200GB or 250GB Serial ATA, 5400-rpm
Optional 200GB, 7200-rpm or 300GB, 4200-rpm.		 320GB Serial ATA, 5400-rpm
Optional 320GB, 7200-rpm or 128GB SSD.
Processor 1.83GHz (T2400), 2.0GHz (T2500) or 2.16GHz (T2600) Intel Core Duo Yonah 2.16GHz (T2600) Intel Core Duo Yonah 2.16GHz (T7400) or 2.33GHz (T7600) Intel Core 2 Duo Merom 2.33GHz (T7600) Intel Core 2 Duo Merom 2.2GHz (T7500) & 2.4GHz (T7700) Intel Core 2 Duo Merom
Optional 2.6GHz (T7800) after November 1, 2007		 2.4GHz (T7700) Intel Core 2 Duo Merom
Optional 2.6GHz (T7800) after November 1, 2007		 2.4GHz (T8300) & 2.5GHz (T9300) Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn
Optional 2.6GHz (T9500)		 2.5GHz (T9300) Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn with 6MB on-chip L2 cache
Optional 2.8GHz (T9500)
Memory 512MB or 1GB of 667MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Expandable to 2GB[d]		 1GB of 667MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Expandable to 2GB[d]		 1GB or 2GB of 667MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Expandable[d] to 4GB, but only 3GB addressable[15]		 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Expandable[d] to 4GB, but only 3GB addressable		 2GB (two 1GB) of 667MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Expandable[d] to 4GB		 4GB (2x 2GB) of 667MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Expandable[d] to 4GB
AirPort Extreme Integrated 802.11a/b/g Integrated 802.11a/b/g and draft-n (n disabled by default) [b] Integrated 802.11a/b/g and draft-n (n enabled)
Internal Slot-Loading Combo drive[c] 8x DVD read, 24x CD-R and 10x CD-RW recording n/a
Internal Slot-Loading SuperDrive[c] 8x DVD-DL discs reads. 4x DVD+/-R & RW recording. 24x CD-R and 10x CD-RW recording
optional		 4x DVD+R writes, 8x DVD+/-R read, 4x DVD+/-RW writes, 24x CD-R, and 10x CD-RW recording 2.4x DVD+R DL writes, 6x DVD+/-R read, 4x DVD+/-RW writes, 24x CD-R, and 10x CD-RW recording 4x DVD+R DL writes, 8x DVD+/-R read/write, 4x DVD+/-RW writes, 24x CD-R, and 10x CD-RW recording 4x DVD+R DL writes, 8x DVD+/-R read/write, 8x DVD+RW writes, 6x DVD-RW writes, 24x CD-R, and 16x CD-RW recording
Being SATA, it can be custom-replaced with a SSD/HDD[16]

a^  Hard drives listed are configurations available from Apple.
b^  Wireless-N functionality requires the AirPort Extreme Wireless-N Router, which contains wireless-N enabler software to be installed on your MacBook. Alternatively, the enabler software may be purchased from Apple separately.[17]
c^  Quoted optical drive speeds are the maximum possible for each drive.
d^  Existing memory modules may need to be replaced.

Unibody-construction MacBook Pro

At a notebook-oriented announcement in Cupertino on October 14, 2008, Apple announced a new 15" MacBook Pro featuring a unibody construction and tapered sides similar to those of the MacBook Air. All of the MacBook Pro's ports were shifted to the left side of the case and the optical drive slot on the right side, similar to the MacBook. The FireWire 400 port was removed while the FireWire 800 port remains, and the DVI port was replaced with Apple's new Mini DisplayPort.

Industrial design

The unibody-construction MacBook Pro largely follows the styling of the iMac and the MacBook Air and is slightly thinner than its predecessor. The anti-glare matte screen option has been removed. The screen is now has a high gloss finish due to the fact is it covered by glass. The trackpad has also been enlarged with the entire pad being the physical button, allowing for more room for scrolling and multi-touch gestures. The keys, still backlit, are now that of Apple's now-standard sunken keyboard with separated keys. The hard drive is easily replaceable, whereas in the discrete-construction MacBook Pro, replacing the hard drive required a significant disassembly of the system.

Models

Component Intel Core 2 Duo
Model Late 2008 [9]
Model #s MB470LL/A or MB471LL/A
Display
(all widescreen)		 15", glossy glass covered screen, 1440 × 900
with LED backlighting
Graphics nVidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory and
nVidia GeForce 9600M GT with 256MB or 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
and mini Display-Port (supports up to 2560 by 1600 pixels in millions of colors); can switch between one or the other[18]
Hard drive[a] 250GB or 320GB Serial ATA at 5400-rpm.
Optional 250GB at 7200-rpm, 320GB at 7200-rpm or 128GB SSD.
Processor 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn with 3MB on-chip L2 cache or
2.53GHz with 6MB on-chip L2 cache (P8600/T9400)
Optional 2.8GHz
Memory 2GB (two 1GB) or 4GB (two 2GB) of 1066MHz PC3-8500 DDR3 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Expandable to 4GB[c], but 6GB addressable[19]
Front Side Bus 1066MHz
AirPort Extreme Integrated 802.11a/b/g and draft-n (n enabled)
Internal Slot-Loading SuperDrive[b] 4x DVD+R DL writes, 8x DVD+/-R read/write, 8x DVD+RW writes, 6x DVD-RW writes, 24x CD-R, and 16x CD-RW recording
Being SATA, it can be custom-replaced with a SSD/HDD[16]

a^  Hard drives listed are configurations available from Apple.
b^  Quoted optical drive speeds are the maximum possible for each drive.
c^  Existing memory modules may need to be replaced.

Timeline of the MacBook family

See also: Timeline of Macintosh models


See also

Apple Intel transition

Architecture
Universal binary
Boot Camp
Rosetta

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References

  1. ^ "Apple says some MacBook Pros affected by faulty Nvidia chips" (2008).
  2. ^ a b "MacBook Pro: Noise Problems". MacInTouch (2006).
  3. ^ Thomas Ricker (March 14, 2006). "Whining MacBook Pro? You're not alone". Engadget.
  4. ^ "MacBook Pro with noise under the keyboard". Apple (2006).
  5. ^ "Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch (Core 2 Duo T7700) PC Magazine Review".
  6. ^ "MacBook Pro battery bulge: time for a recall?". CNET.com.au (June 23, 2006).
  7. ^ Shane Stacks (June 16, 2006). "MacBook Pro woes continue with expanding batteries". Ars Technica Infinite Loop.
  8. ^ 15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Exchange Program
  9. ^ Apple - Support - MacBook and MacBook Pro Battery Update
  10. ^ MacNN |Apple quietly fixes MacBook Pro issues
  11. ^ The Apple Store (U.S.) - Welcome to the Apple Store
  12. ^ MacBook Pro display issue related to "hot-plugging"
  13. ^ DailyTech - Apple Sued for Deceptive MacBook and MacBook Pro Advertising
  14. ^ Description of audio issues
  15. ^ Inside the MacBook Pro’s 3 GB RAM limitation, Jason D. O'Grady and David Morgenstern, ZDNet, 30 October 2006.
  16. ^ a b [Lionel] (2008-10-15). "Immersion sensors in the new portable". Hardmac. Retrieved on 2008-10-18. "the optical disk is now with SATA format, which is a first for Apple and good news for us. It will become possible to take it out and put a second hard drive instead in this place :)"
  17. ^ "AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler for Mac". Apple, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
  18. ^ http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/graphics.html
  19. ^ New MacBooks and MacBook Pros Support Up to 6GB, Arnold Kim, MacRumors, 30 October 2008

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