On February 26, 2008, the MacBook Pro line was again updated. LED backlighting was added as an option for the 17-inch model. Processors were updated to "Penryn" cores, which are built on the 45 nanometer process (65 nanometer "Merom" cores were previously used), and hard drive and memory capacities were increased. Multi-touch capabilities, first introduced with the MacBook Air earlier that year, were brought over to the MacBook Pro's trackpad. At the time of the introduction of the 15-inch unibody MacBook Pro on October 14, 2008, the discrete model with the same screen size was discontinued, while the 17-inch discrete model continued to be sold. The discrete model was discontinued on January 6, 2009, when the 17-inch MacBook Pro was also updated with unibody construction.
At the MacWorld Expo keynote on January 6, 2009, Phil Schiller announced a 17-inch MacBook Pro with unibody construction. This version diverged from its 15-inch sibling with an anti-glare "matte" screen option and a non user-removable lithium polymer battery. Apple affirmed the battery's design was unlike any existing notebook battery. Instead of traditional round cells inside the casing, the lithium-ion polymer batteries are shaped and fitted into each laptop without wasting space. Adaptive charging extends battery life, which uses a chip to optimize the charge flow to reduce wear and tear. Compared to the previous iteration, battery life for the 17" version is quoted at eight hours, with 80 percent of this charge remaining after 1,000 charge-discharge cycles. This battery is not intended to be user-removable.
At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 8, 2009, it was announced that the 13-inch unibody MacBook would be upgraded and re-branded as a MacBook Pro, leaving only the white polycarbonate MacBook in the MacBook line. It was also announced that the entire MacBook Pro line would use the non user-removable battery inherited from the 17-inch MacBook Pro. The updated MacBook Pro 13- and the 15-inch would each have up to a claimed seven hours of battery life, while the 17-inch would keep its eight-hour capacity. Some sources even reported up to eight hours of battery life for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros during casual use, while others reported around six hours. Like the 17-inch MacBook Pro, Apple claims that they will last around 1,000 charge cycles while still containing 80 percent of their capacity. Graphics card options stayed the same from the previous release, although the 13-inch, and the base model 15-inch, came with only the GeForce 9400M GPU. The screens were also improved, gaining a claimed 60 percent greater color gamut. All of these mid 2009 models also included a FireWire 800 port and all except the 17-inch models would receive an SD card slot. The 17-inch model would retain its ExpressCard/34 slot. For the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Kensington lock slot was moved to the right side of computer body.
On April 13, 2010, the MacBook Pro saw another update. Intel Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs were introduced in the 15- and 17-inch models, while the 13-inch retained the Core 2 Duo with a speed increase. The power brick was redesigned and a high-resolution display (of 1,680 × 1,050) was announced as an option for the 15-inch models. For video cards, the 13-inch gained an integrated Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processing unit (GPU) with 256 MB of shared memory, while the 15- and 17-inch models were upgraded to the GeForce GT 330M, with either 256 or 512 MB of dedicated memory. The 15" and 17" models also have an integrated Intel GPU that is built into the Core i5 and i7 processors. The 15-inch model also gained 0.1 pounds (0.045 kg). Save for a third USB 2.0 slot, all the ports on the 17-inch MacBook Pro are the same in type and number as on the 15-inch version. All models come with 4 GB of system memory that is upgradeable to 8 GB across the board. Battery life was also extended further in this update, to an estimated ten hours for the 13-inch and 8–9 hours on the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros. This was achieved through greater power efficiency and adding more battery capacity. Through actual use, reviewers reported anywhere from six (in the 15-inch) to eight (in the 13-inch) hours of battery life.
The line was most recently updated on February 24, 2011 with the introduction of Intel Thunderbolt technology and dual core Intel Core i5 and i7 (on 13-inch model) or quad-core i7 (on 15- and 17-inch models) Sandy Bridge processors as well as a high definition FaceTime camera. Intel HD Graphics 3000 come integrated with the CPU, while the 15- and 17-inch models also utilize discrete graphics cards from AMD, the Radeon HD 6490M and Radeon HD 6750M models. The 2011 models also debuted Intel's Thunderbolt serial bus platform that can achieve speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s, which is up to twice as fast as the USB 3.0 specification, 20 times faster than the USB 2.0 specification, and up to 12 times faster than FireWire 800. Apple says that it can be used to drive displays or to transfer large quantities of data in a short amount of time.
Related articles :
- MacBook Pro
- MacBook Pro Discrete
- MacBook Pro Reception
- MacBook Pro Unibody & Design
- MacBook Pro Software and Operating Systems
References :
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