Complete Details on the Longer-Lasting (And Cheaper) MacBook Pro Family
June 8th, 2009 by Dana Wollman 
This morning at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WDC), Apple announced that the 15-inch MacBook Pro will get the same Unibody design as the 17-inch, as well as a non-removable battery that promises up to 7.5 hours of battery life on a charge (along with a life cycle of 1,000 charges). Moreover, Apple rebranded the aluminum 13-inch MacBook as a MacBook Pro (the white plastic version is still called a MacBook, however). Across the board, the 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pros all have LED backlit displays with more robust color gamuts, and SD card readers (Ed. note: It’s about time!); the 17-inch version also has an ExpressCard slot. Prices start at $1,199, $1,699, and $2,499 for the 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pros, respectively. Apple also refreshed the MacBook Air’s specs, and gave it a new starting price of $1,499.They’re all available now, but they won’t ship with the Snow Leopard OS until September. After the jump, check out a comprehensive breakdown of specs for each model.
13-inch MacBook Pro
Common specs: 13.3-inch display; 1280 x 800 resolution; integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics; iSight webcam; multi-touch trackpad; SD card slot; 2 USB 2.0 ports, Mini DisplayPort, FireWire 800, headphone and mic ports; slot-loading 8X DVD burner; 802.11n; and Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR. Configuration Options: 250GB, 320GB, or 500GB hard drives; 128GB or 256 GB solid-state drives. $1,119
- 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 2GB RAM
- 160GB hard drive
$1,499
- 2.53-GHz intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB RAM
- 250GB hard drive
15-inch MacBook Pro
Common specs: 15.4-inch display; 1440 x 900 resolution; integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics; iSight webcam; multi-touch trackpad; SD card slot; 2 USB 2.0 ports, Mini DisplayPort, FireWire 800, headphone and mic ports; slot-loading 8X DVD burner; 802.11n; and Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR. Configuration Options: 3.06-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU; up to 8GB of RAM; 320GB (5,400 rpm) and 500GB (5,400 rpm or 7,200 rpm) hard drives; 128GB or 256GB solid-state drives. $1,699
- 2.53-GHz intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB RAM
- 250GB hard drive
$1,999
- 2.66-GHz intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB RAM
- 320GB hard drive
$2,229
- 2.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB RAM
- 500GB hard drive
17-inch MacBook Pro ($2,499)
- 17-inch display, 1920 x 1200 resolution
- 2.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB RAM
- 500GB hard drive
- Switchable graphics (integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M and discrete Nvidia GeForce 9600M with 512MB dedicated memory)
- 3 USB 2.0 ports, SD and Express Card slots, FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort, headphone and mic ports
Configuration Options: 3.06-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU; up to 8GB of RAM; 500GB 7,200 rpm hard drive; 128GB or 256GB solid-state drives.
MacBook Air
Common Specs: 13.3-inch display (1280 x 800 resolution); integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics; iSight webcam; 1 USB 2.0 port; 1 Mini DisplayPort; one audio out port; 802.11n; Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR. $1,499
- 1.86-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 2GB RAM
- 120GB hard drive
$1,799
- 2.13-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2GB RAM
- 128GB solid-state drive
Our Related Content
- Consumer Reports: Macs Are Best. Take Our Word For It!
- Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2009) Review
- Hands-On with the New 15-inch MacBook Pro: More Bang for the Buck
From Other Sites
- MacBook Pro 2012 model release tipped by price drop (SlashGear)
- The New MacBook Pro from Apple: New Rumors & More (Netbook News)
- Apple to unveil thinner MacBook Pros at WWDC (SlashGear)
Related Deals
- Apple MacBook Pro 13.3" Core i7 MD314LL/A Laptop $1,419.95 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)
- MacBook Air 13.3" 1.7GHz Core i5 MC965LL/A [256GB SSD $1498] $1,219.99 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)
- Apple MacBook Pro 17" 2.4GHz Quad Core i7 MD311LL/A Laptop (newest model) $2,259 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)
- Dell Latitude E6520 15.6" Core i3 Business Laptop + Free $100 Gift Card $619 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)
- Dell Latitude E5520 15.6" Core i5 Business Laptop w/ $100 Gift Card $719 FREE SHIPPING (via LogicBUY)
June 11th, 2009 at 3:15 am
I’d like to make a correction to this article. The 13-inch MacBook Pro does not have separate headphone and mic ports. Instead it has one port that is used for digital/analog audio output by default but can be switched to an analog audio input in System Preferences. This means that one cannot connect an audio input and headphones at the same time. It also means there is no digital audio input.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:03 am
So I didn’t really get the comment about the non-removable battery in the macbook. I am not a MAC person but am interested in what they have to offer. So when the battery dies in the macbook you just toss the whole thing in the garbage? Or is there a way to crack it open and replace it?
June 20th, 2009 at 9:21 am
@Mike McDermott: No, you can have Apple replace it for somewhere between $129-$179. Buying a ‘user replaceable’ battery from them sets you back $129 for the older model 15.4″ MBP anyway, so there’s no difference in price. They say at an Apple retail store they’ll replace the same day (I had a keyboard cover replaced recently and it took less than an hour).
Also, with the new non-user replaceable batteries, they are supposed to last 3x as long (1,000 charges total, rather than the 300 for the older style user-replaceable batteries).
Overall, given the longer life, and larger number of charges, looks like Apple did the right thing this time for users.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:21 am
PS Here’s the Apple store location for battery replacement (forgot to paste it in the above comment): http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/service/battery/