The company didn't send out invitations for an event, but this morning, Apple unveiled updates to itsentire MacBook Pro lineup, bringing faster processors, improved performance, and larger hard drives without changing prices. The unannounced upgrades have been expected since mid-September, with the faster MacBook models available in time for the 2011 Christmas shopping season.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro comes in two configurations, an entry-level configuration that sells for $1,199.00 with an Intel Core i5 processor, and a faster $1,499.00 model equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor. Both have received a slight bump in speed, as well as larger hard drives. The entry-level 13-inch gets a new 2.4-GHz processor (up from 2.3GHz), and increases its storage space from 320GB to 500GB. The faster MacBook Pro 13-inch gets a newer iteration of the Core i7, running at 2.8GHz (up from 2.7GHz) and getting a larger 750GB hard drive, increased from 500GB.
The Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch also has two configurations available ($1,799.00 and $2,199.00), both taking advantage of the quad-core Intel Core i7 processors. The two models received an increase in processor speed up to 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz, up from the 2GHz and 2.2GHz offered on the previous versions. The graphics processing hardware has been upgraded as well, with new discrete graphics cards from AMD. The $1,799 model gets upgraded to an AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB of dedicated memory, a bump up from the Radeon HD 6490M and 256MB of memory offered previously. The $2,199 model has been similarly upgraded; from the AMD Radeon HD 6750M to the 6770M, with no change to the included 1GB of dedicated RAM.
The Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch also received a refresh in processor and graphics hardware, with a new quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (2.4GHz, up from 2.2GHz), and got the same new AMD graphics found in the 15-inch, with a new AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB of memory, an upgrade from the AMD Radeon HD 6750M found in the preceding model. The 17-inch MacBook Pro is still available for $2,499. All models of the MacBook Pro line can also be purchased with 512GB of solid-state drive (SSD) storage.
The upgraded models are listed on Apple.com as being in stock, with free shipping. However, the new models may not yet be available. The five models of the MacBook Pro may only have received an incremental upgrade, but the improved performance and hardware, with no increase in price, is a significant step forward and puts Apple in a better position to compete with Windows systems that will be receiving Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors early next year.