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It’s official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt

By | February 24, 2011, 7:19am PST

Summary: The new high-end MacBook Pros mark several firsts, including: the first implementation of Thunderbolt (nee Light Peak) and the first quad-core processor in a notebook.

Apple today announced new MacBook Pros which were overdue and widely anticipated.

Gallery: Apple speeds up MacBook Pros

The new high-end Apple notebooks mark several firsts for the company, including: the first implementation of Thunderbolt (nee Light Peak) high-speed I/O technology (also announced today by Intel) and the first quad-core processor in an Apple notebook. The new MBPs use Intel’s Sandy Bridge processor and also come with a new AMD Radeon GPU.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two configurations:

  • 2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 320GB HD starting at $1,199
  • 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 500GB HD starting at $1,499

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in two configurations:

  • 2.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6490M, 500GB HD starting at $1,799
  • 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M, 750GB HD starting at $2,199

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro features:

  • 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M, 750GB hard drive is $2,499

The new MacBook Pros don’t appear to have any of the design queues from the MacBook as had been rumored. In fact, they look almost exactly like the current MacBook Pros, which is a bit of a bummer. But whatever.

What’s your take on the new MBPs? You buying?

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Topics

Quad-core, Apple MacBook, Apple MacBook Pro, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Jason D. O'Grady

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve

    • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 11th Oct
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
mcfant 24th Feb 2011
Way to catch up with the rest of the world Apple....
Your first Quad Core I am so proud. Now if you could run mine sweeper we would be set....
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Rick_K 24th Feb 2011
@mcfant
Are you saying that Windows based computers need a Quad Core processor just to play a simple game like Mine Sweeper? Maybe Microsoft needs to cut down on the overhead in Windows.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
mcfant 24th Feb 2011
@Rick_K
Yes I am... But we also have hexacores if we want to do something else at the same time. Last I checked there were no Apple machines on top of any of the bench mark sites.
Well maybe they will come out with a hexacore featured product in the next 5 years.....
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Rick_K 24th Feb 2011
@mcfant
Yes I am... But we also have hexacores if we want to do something else at the same time.
I guess you?re a little late to the hexacore party then. Since Mac Pro?s have had those since last year (July 27, 2010 to was when they were first offered for sale)
http://www.apple.com/macpro/
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_pro/stats/mac-pro-twelve-core-2.66-mid-2010-westmere-specs.html
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Minesweeper on Mac
use_what_works_4_U 24th Feb 2011
@mcfant
I've been playing it for years on my Mac just like on my PC. Here's a link (look actual support for my argument!) to a current iteration:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/minesweeper/id410759890?mt=12
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Ho Hum....
thofts 24th Feb 2011
...and just want percentage of users have a REAL need for quad core processors?? 1%? 2% Be realistic about it.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
scH4MMER 25th Feb 2011
@thofts

Try it... you'll like it. Virus scanners alone use up about 5 cores. wink Frankly, 8 cores is not so silly for the large population of users who rip music while listening to other music at the same time while chatting over webcam, surfing the web, and running multiple adware/spyware apps in the background.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
nix_hed Updated - 25th Feb 2011
@scH4MMER What takes 8 cores in Windows Vista or 6 cores in Windows 7 only requires 2 in Mac OS X and 1 in Linux.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Unusual1 24th Feb 2011
I'm confused - according to Intel's web site there is no 2.0 GHz quad-core mobile processor. There's only the 2.2 GHz 2720QM and the 2.3 GHz 2820QM. What is Apple really putting in their Macbook Pro - are they not using a mobile processor?
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Ben_E 24th Feb 2011
And yet still no Blu-Ray. Optical tech isn't going away anytime soon and I still cannot for the life of me understand why Apple continue to refuse to put it in their laptops.

Oh I know all the stuff behind iTunes etc. but let's get real, most people still get their 'content' as we call it now on physical media when it comes to films. Plus, those such as myself who enjoy commentaries, extras etc. alongside the movie itself have to pick from the limited iTunes Extra selection in order to get HD + extras when we are away on business for example. Add on top of that the huge chunk of disk space...

Sorry, but they really need to pull their fingers out on this one. I love my mid '08 MBP but it is highly likely that when I start looking for a new laptop in 6-9 months time it will be a Windows one so I can play my large collection of Blu-Rays. And also so that a lot of my non-iTunes digital content can be streamed over my network via DLNA to my home cinema.

Mind you, they've only just gone quad core, and those processors were becoming prevalent a couple of years before Blu-Rays won the format war and started mass market penetration!
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do you not have a BlueRay player??
doctorSpoc 24th Feb 2011
@Ben_E ..
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
bobiroc 24th Feb 2011
@doctorSpoc

He probably does but some like to play them on the go with their laptops. I just use the digital copy feature and save them to easier to travel with media like a flash drive anyway.

However I can understand his point because some people actually do digital production on their computers and if they want to author a blu-ray they cannot on a Mac. Now that blank (single layer) media is about a $1.25 and burners are about $99 for some it has become affordable to do so. I haven't tried but can you even Author Blu-Ray on a Mac? I mean I am pretty sure they lack a compatible player for MacOS X. I attribute this move by Apple as it conflicts with their iTunes set up and they know people will spend less purchasing movies through iTunes if they could watch the actual movie on the computer. I have been asked several times how to play blu-ray movies on a Mac or how to get the digital copy feature to work which I also believe is not MacOS compatible. I mean why would they make it MacOS compatible when Macs do not choose to offer a Blu-Ray option despite customer demand. Is MacOS that limited they cannot make it compatible with Modern Technology which is why Apple is behind the other OEMs when it comes to using modern processors and chipsets in their computers?
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@bobiroc
fr_gough Updated - 24th Feb 2011
Is the only way to author a blu-ray disk in Windows is by using an internally installed drive? If so, I can excuse you not know the fact that on a Mac you can plug in an external drive and author to your heart's content.
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RE: external Blu-Ray on Mac
bobiroc 24th Feb 2011
@frgough@...

Oh I know you can plug in a blu-ray drive to a Mac via USB but my question was since there was no software to play Authored Blu-Ray movies that have been advertised can you actually author the HD movie to a blu-ray and burn it and play it to see that it works. Everything that I can find searching the net suggests to install Windows.

Maybe there is something so if you know of something please share. I use Adobe encore at home and have authored a couple blu-ray movies myself. I have the Adobe Creative Suite for MacOS too through work but my Macbook lacks the power to run it since it was lower end (for a Macbook) 5 years ago. Hence why I am looking to see if work can replace both my laptops with 1 more powerful Macbook Pro.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Rick_K 24th Feb 2011
@bobiroc
However I can understand his point because some people actually do digital production on their computers and if they want to author a blu-ray they cannot on a Mac
Are you sure? As far as I know there is Digital authoring software available for OS X. Being that Windows 7 odes not natively support Blu-Ray (hence then need for third party software to burn a Blu-Ray disk), how can it be a knock on OS X? Just because Apple does not see fit to pay the license fees on Blu-Ray burners, that does not mean you can attach one via USB2, FireWire 800, or even Thunderbolt ports. So having an internal burner is not really that big of a deal. The iTunes angle is nothing more than a load of crap losers on too much Hateraide. If any company would be trying to lock people into their file formats, it would not be Apple.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
bobiroc 24th Feb 2011
@dRick_K

Yes you need Authoring software on either platform but I do believe that Windows 7 can burn to a blu-ray disc when it comes to data and burn ISOs of blu-rays but I have not tested it. If you get a computer with a Blu-Ray or buy a drive separately you get the ability to play with the drive but the software is only for Windows. Maybe MacOS can burn data and ISOs to Blu-Ray too. I haven't tried so I could be wrong on that but unless I am missing something there is nothing available to play back a blu-ray movie on a Mac so if you can even use a software piece to make the blu-ray disc you have to hunt down a blu-ray player or a windows computer to test it.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Ben_E 25th Feb 2011
@doctorSpoc Yes I do, but not on my laptop.

First of all, Blu-Rays are gaining in popularity, and whilst I understand that the tech minded amongst us have already moved on to streaming etc. this is not always a viable option. Secondly, the space requirement for HD content is large, and the iTunes Extra content I mentioned can take a fair amount of space too, sometimes over half a gigabyte. Now, if you only have a 250Gb drive in your MBP the first place, and you want to take some HD content on the road with you, you may have to delete/move something off the HDD.

Several people have said on this forum that you can get external drives and plug them in - true, they're pretty much sub-?100 these days. But why should I have to lug an external drive + cables (+ power supply sometimes) around with me? They're not exactly small are they? And you can't play back the discs on the Mac anyway due to lack of software. There are options for HD content in the DVD Player app which makes me think that they were going to offer it at one stage, but have sunce decided against it.

I know that Apple prefers that all content go through iTunes and that sticking a Blu-Ray drive in stops a line of purchasing through iTunes, but these are supposed to be MacBook PROs, emphasis on the Pro! A simple MacBook with only the so-called "SuperDrive" I can understand. But why are they faffing around with this Thunderbolt thing (for which there are very few if any peripherals going to be available for some time) when they can't even get a simple piece of tech, that is now the de-facto standard for the physical distribution of HD content and has been for a couple of years at least, into their 'premium' laptops?

Of course, one of the arguments would be that Windows doesn't natively play Blu-Rays either, that in fact you still need third party software. Much the same as the situation with DVDs and Windows XP. All it means is that in a few years time, maybe even Windows 8, native support will be baked into the OS.

I'm sorry for ranting, it just stuns me that Apple, which is a very consumer oriented and content focussed company in terms of the ease of use of their products and how they market everything, is consistently dropping the ball on this one.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
nix_hed 25th Feb 2011
@Ben_E You do realize that playing back a Blu-Ray movie while on the go will kill a 9 cell battery in about 2.5 hours, right? Optical drive spindles use more energy than hard drive spindles, which are still spinning when playing a BRD or DVD, meaning that "digital" content is going to give you more battery life anyway.
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I must be living in the FUTURE!!!
Scubajrr 24th Feb 2011
Dell notebook I'm typing on right now has an i7 quad core and I've been using it for over a year and a half. But since Apple just announced it's releasing "the first quad-core processor in a notebook." I guess I must be writing to you from 2012. So Merry Christmas 2012. Sorry! Gotta go now. Their yessing something about a giant tidal wave comming ou....................
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Right. Because we all know that the only thing
fr_gough 24th Feb 2011
that makes a computer a computer is the CPU and chipset. Yep. Keep singing that to yourself while banging away on your cheap piece of plastic.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Scubajrr 24th Feb 2011
@frgough@... And you keep paying triple the cost for your "2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750M, 750GB hard drive is $2,499."
I'll stick with my $740, 17" Dell with the 2.7ghz i7, Nvidia Quadro FX2800 and the 500G drive. I'll even admit that you have a bigger harddrive for that extra $1759.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Rick_K 24th Feb 2011
@Scubajrr
Or you could simply be lying, like you normally do. I'll stick with my $740, 17" Dell with the 2.7ghz i7, Nvidia Quadro FX2800 and the 500G drive.
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It's about time Apple put out a MabBook worth the money they charge
Will Farrell Updated - 24th Feb 2011
it seems they are catching up with the rest of the world.

Finally.
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Yes that "catching up" thing is working
James Quinn 24th Feb 2011
@Will Farrell
so very well for Apple I kind of hope they never actually do. I can't imagine Apple making more money than they already do... It's very close to being obscene as it stands:)

Pagan jim
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
doh123 24th Feb 2011
horrible update...

faster CPU.. sure... slower graphics... yes. Only the 2200+ 15" and 17" have a better graphics card then before, all the rest are actually worse... how stupid.
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Quad Core?: Yes, but more critical is the question
Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate 24th Feb 2011
Can it fry eggs?

I'll take an Atom any day over quad.
Tired of overheating chips defective heat sinks.

Be gone Quad!
Ah, welcome Atom Netbooks!
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Not saying cause I admit it is very possible
James Quinn 24th Feb 2011
@Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate A new quad core chip set coud run hot especially a first gen of such. However I also admit I've not had a chance to see for myself if they do or not. Have you? Have you put a new Macbook Pro to the test or is this just speculation on your part?

Pagan jim
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Seriously, what are you planning on doing with a Quad-core?
Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate 25th Feb 2011
@James Quinn

Let me guess: Four times as much work/productivity.

Sure sure.

Make sure you've got that Asbestos mat between the lappy and your Family Jewels.

I've torn apart a laptop or two with dual-core heating issues and quite honestly, everything I did on them, I am doing with a Netbook, so what am I gaining?

Most users are not improving their work habits regardless of the speed improvement and so are not any more productive with or without a Quad.

Put it in the server for SMP loads and you can argue about potential productivity gains.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
bobiroc 24th Feb 2011
@Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate

Wrong as usual. Both Intel and AMD make very cool and quiet mobile and desktop processors and unless you over-clock them they cool very well. Last time I saw a chip overheat outside of a heatsink fan failing was when Intel tried to cram the Pentium 4 into a laptop and call it mobile. Overall processors today are very efficient and cool.

You can have your atom processor with the performance of processors of 5+ years ago. They are low energy but that is about it.

But I suspect that you are used to using substandard computing because of your proclaimed advocation of Linux being superior.
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A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate 25th Feb 2011
@bobiroc
When are you going to learn?
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
bobiroc 25th Feb 2011
@Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate

"When are you going to learn?"

I learned a long time ago that you have no idea what you are talking about but it is still fun to point that out to you.

You can have your netbook processor and limited computing and I will take one that can mult-task and run everything I can throw at it efficiently.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Pete "athynz" Athens 25th Feb 2011
@Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate Is that because Linux can't run on a quad core system? Actually that is a serious question because I do not know if it can and I refuse to go into the Linux forums to find out because one of those frothing at the mouth fanbois will start something with me, I'll have to show him up, and I'll get banned because he'll whine to one of the admins... again.
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Yes Linux runs on multi-core processors
Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate Updated - 26th Feb 2011
@athynz
To take advantage, you'll need to get a compile with SMP support.
If you want to see how well, try Fedora 14 x86_64 bit Linux.

Install virt-manager and take kvm for a spin.
kvm is a true type 1 hypervisor and comes standard with Linux, and all its goodness - for free.

But for general Desktop use, you might not notice any difference between dual and quad, when doing basic tasks.

But when harnessed, these multi-core chips can do some heavy duty work when put to the task.

It's just overkill for day to day use.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
Jesster 3rd Mar 2011
I have burned BluRay Discs on my circa 2001 Mac DP-800 using Toast 10 Pro. It seems to work flawlessly, but a dual processor 800mhz from 10 years ago was not made to do the data throughput and it seems to take forever. This was the second commercially available machine to burn DVDs and the first that actually did it as advertised.
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RE: It's official: new MacBook Pros arrive with quad-core, Thunderbolt
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 11th Oct
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