Apple Brings Thunderbolt to MacBook Pro

With lightning fast Thunderbolt I/O technology and boasting a new FaceTime HD camera, Apple’s improved MacBook Probrings next generation processors and graphics to its customers. Using the benchmark of previous versions of the MacBook Pro, the latest edition features the most current dual-core and quad core Intel Core processing chips.

Significant value and amazing performance all this with a portable design can be had, with some models priced under $2000 for the new 13inch device. This compact design is powered by Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual processing chips giving the 13inch MacBook Pro speeds up to 2.7 GHz.

“The new MacBook Pro brings next generation dual and quad Core processors, high performance graphics, Thunderbolt technology and FaceTime HD to the great design loved by our pro customers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro.”

The revolutionary Thunderbolt I/O technology is being introduced into the notebook computer marketplace in the MacBook Pro. Thunderbolt, developed jointly by Intel with assistance from Apple, delivers capabilities not possible on previous notebooks. Being able to transfer up to 10Gps, by way of 2 bidirectional channels.

Through adapters it can operate Firewire, USB devices,a dn Gigabit Ethernet networks and by using PCI Express, Thunderbolt delivers directly to external high performance peripherals such as RAID arrays. The 15 and 17 inch includes integrated high-performance AMD Radeon graphics processor.

The MacBook Pro now includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera with triple the resolution of the previous generation for crisp, widescreen video calls. With Apple’s innovative FaceTime video calling software, the new camera allows high definition video calls between all new MacBook Pro models and supports standard resolution calls with other Intel-based Macs, iPhone® 4 and the current generation iPod touch®.

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Lab report: 2011 MacBook Pro benchmark results

Macworld - The benchmark results for Apple's latest MacBook Pros are in—and they’re impressive. In testing conducted by Macworld Lab, the laptops released Thursday turned in Speedmark scores between 13 and 53 percent faster than the systems they replace.

Apple overhauled its MacBook Pro offerings with new processors, new graphics, and a new peripheral connector. The new lineup consists of two 13-inch models, two 15-inch models (down from three in the previous generation) and one 17-inch model. The 13-inch models come with Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 3000, and either a 2.3GHz dual-core Core i5 processor and a 5400-rpm 320GB hard drive for $1199, or a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor with a 5400-rpm 500GB hard drive for $1499. Both 15-inch models come with Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 3000. The $1799 configuration sports a 2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, a 5400-rpm 500GB drive, and a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR5 video memory, while the $2199 offering features a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, a 5400-rpm 750GB drive, and a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 video memory. The $2499 17-inch model has the same specs as the $2199 15-inch model. All MacBook Pros have 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 memory.

The only external clue to any changes comes in the form of a tiny icon near what was the Mini DisplayPort connector. It’s now the Thunderbolt port, a new technology that Intel developed with input from Apple. The port looks like the Mini DisplayPort and you can still connect a LED Cinema Display or Mini DisplayPort adapter, but you’ll also be able to connect up to six peripheral devices, such as hard drives. Thunderbolt-equipped products have been announced, but they are have not started shipping, so unfortunately, we are unable to test the speed of the Thunderbolt connection in this round of testing.

What we can test is the effect the new processors and graphics have on performance. Intel Core i series processors (known by the code-name Sandy Bridge), are found inside every new MacBook Pro. With the processor, cache, graphics, and memory controller all residing on the same die, these Core i5 and Core i7 processors helped propel the new MacBook Pros well past their predecessors in CPU performance.

The integrated graphics processor in each MacBook Pro has also changed, with Intel’s HD 3000 graphics installed across the line. In the last generation of MacBook Pros, Apple used Intel’s integrated HD graphics only in the higher-end models that had a second, higher-powered GPU, the Nvidia GeForce GT 330M, for graphically intensive applications. Apple didn’t think the older Intel HD graphics were powerful enough to be the only option in those older 13-inch models, which couldn’t support two graphics chips, so the company stuck with Core 2 Duo processors and used Nvidia’s integrated GeForce 320M graphics. With the new HD Graphics 3000, Apple found the improved performance good enough to finally invite the 13-inch models into the Core i era.

Originally published on www.macworld.com. Click here to read the original story.

Peripheral makers get ready for Thunderbolt

The arrival of Apple’s latest MacBook Pro models brings a brand new peripheral-connection technology from Intel—Thunderbolt—and with it the promise of faster data transfer speeds. But if Thunderbolt’s going to deliver on that promise, peripheral makers will need to deliver products that take advantage of that technology.

A smattering of companies have already unveiled products aimed at making the most of Thunderbolt. A few other that Macworld spoke to aren’t revealing their plans just yet, though they did express interest in what the new technology has to offer.

To review, Intel developed Thunderbolt in conjunction with Apple. The connectivity technology will transfer data between host devices and external devices at speeds of up to 10Gbps. At that speed, you could transfer a full-length high-definition movie from an external storage device to your Mac in less than 30 seconds.

With Thunderbolt ports included in all new MacBook Pro models, the technology will soon be in the hands of consumers worldwide. And in a few cases, they won’t have to wait too long for Thunderbolt-ready peripherals.

Intel and Apple had barely broken the news of Thunderbolt’s arrival Thursday when RAID storage supplier Promise Technology announced its own plans for the connectivity standard. The company praised Thunderbolt’s speed and “amazing flexibility for connectivity to high-performance peripherals” when announcing its own Thunderbolt-compatible high performance hardware RAID offering, Pegasus. Set for release in the second quarter of 2011 and designed for media and entertainment customers, Pegasus will feature two Thunderbolt ports and will be available in 4-bay and 6-bay aluminum enclosures with up to 12TB of storage.

“Once we were approached [by Intel] about this, it was a no-brainer,” Promise product manager Billy Harrison told Macworld. “The performance, with 10 Gigabits, dual channel, bidirectional…that’s extremely appealing.”  Read more...

Source: http://www.macworld.com