Apple MackBook Pro is Apple’s first laptop with an Inel Centrio Core Duo processor. The new ultra-portable laptop is only 1 inch thick, weights 5.6 pounds and it is the thinnest and lightest notebook out there. Featuring a 15.4 inch diagonal, and one of the greatest designs, the Apple MacBook Pro targets video editors, graphic designers, educators and business people.

Configuration: 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM, an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics card with 128MB of VRAM, and an 80GB 5,400rpm hard drive.

Best features:

• unique aluminum casing
• the AC adapter connects magnetically to the notebook so that whenever you stumble over the cord, it automatically disconnects
• a tiny built-in iSight camera on top of the Mac screen
• big keyboard with wide keys, making it very comfortable to type
• the touch pad gives you the possibility to scroll long documents and webpages by dragging two fingers over the pad
• dual-layer DVD burner that allows you to burn up to 8.5 GB of data
• a 15.4 inch widescreen with a 1440 x 900 pixels resolution, which is a lot lighter than other models

The MacBook Pro also features a Firewire 400 port that offers high-speed communication with digital audio and video equipment, an ExpressCard Slot, DVI and VGA ports that are used to connecting a notebook to a digital monitor, a Bluetooth and a 802.11g Wi-Fi radio and Gigabit Ethernet that enables your laptop to connect to the internet.

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According to MacScoop, Apple is soon to release a new 12 inch MacBook Pro.

The ultra-portable notebook, which is thinner and lighter than other Mac laptops, will feature a 12 inch display, a built-in optical drive and a dual core CPU.

Rumor has it that the new 12 inch MacMook is not to be available any sooner than February 2007 and its cost is estimated to be $1800.

Over 300.000 Core 2 Duo based MacBooks are expected to be shipped this month, says the Chinese-language Commercial Times. It seems that Apple may be delivering a higher than expected number of MacBook Pro units. According to the Times, Asustek (Apple’s Taiwanese manufacturing) will distribute over 700.000 notebooks, including its own brand of systems.

Apple’s decision to upgrade its MacBooks to the Core 2 Duo processors lead to a drop in October’s shipments and 150.000-200.000 notebooks haven’t been shipped.

One of the reasons for Apple to incorporate Blue-ray is to offer Macintosh’s users high definition videos and to compete with Windows Vista, which supposedly has support for HD DVD. On Vista, the native support requires no additional software to work as opposed to blue-ray discs, which require additional programs to be installed, for playback and other actions.

One advantage of having Blue-ray is that the user is able to watch movies at a 1920×1080 resolution with Dolby Digital audio, while the single-layer DVD could only offer a 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576(PAL) resolution. Another advantage is that the new discs can store up to 27GB on a single layer and up to 50GB on two layers. The downside: it costs too much to produce.

According to ThinkSecret the first Blue-ray drives are scheduled for February 2007.

A few days ago Apple introduced the new line of MacBook notebooks which are upgraded to Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

Characteristics:

• one-inch thin
• aluminum enclosure
• available in 13,15 and 17 inch model
• 3 models: white 1.83 GHz, white MackBook 2.0 GHz, MacBook black 2.0 Ghz

Performance

• up to 25 percent faster than the previous generation
• double the memory
• greater storage capacity

New features

• built-in iSight® video camera for on-the-go video conferencing
• Apple’s MagSafe™ Power Adapter that magnetically connects the power cord to the MacBook and safely disconnects under strain, preventing the notebook from falling off its work surface
• iLife® ‘06, Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications - makes it super-easy to create amazing websites with photos, blogs and podcasts and publish them
• Apple’s Sudden Motion Sensor – protects the HDD in case of fall
• built-in AirPort Extreme® and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) – take and use your laptop anywhere, office, classroom, etc..

Suggested retail price:

• White 1.83 GHz : $1,099
• White MackBook 2.0 GHz: $1,299
• Black MacBook 2.0 Ghz: $1,499

802.11n wireless connectivity is the latest upgrade introduced by Apple for MackBook and MacBook Pros notebooks.

What’s new:

• the new chip contains three antennas (which could provide better reception, or different frequencies)
• comes in 2 variants: the 2.4/5 GHz AR5008E-3NX and the 2.4GHz AR5008E-3NG
• The card should be 650% faster (speeds of approximately 200Mbits/sec) and cover more distance (~160 feet) compared to 802.11g

According to ZDNet, the final 802.11n specification is projected to be released in December 2006 but that could slip as far back as 2008.