The Lowdown For The MacBook Pro Winter 2011 Launch

The MacBook Pro had been first released in 2006, replacing the PowerBook G4. These top of the line notebook computers have been constantly improved since their launch. The most recent release, named the Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011, signifies a significant improvement in a number of important characteristics.

What's Good About Them

Speed has been increased tremendously by using the new "Sandy Bridge" generation of Intel Core i processors. The 13-inch model was given a significant processor upgrade going from the old Core 2 Duo processor to a quite fast Intel Core i5 2620M. The real breakthrough however, will be the quad core processor which will drive the 15-inch and 17-inch models, loved by Final Cut Pro users. The memory continues to be the same at 4 GB but that can now expand to 16 GB of RAM. Graphics is the most demanding use of these kinds of systems, and the AMD Radeon HD 6490M allows them to set new speed records. For the most demanding users, the Radeon HD 6750M may be included as an alternative. Switchable graphics is still available so the life of the computer's battery for normal usage is still lengthy as it uses the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000. By upgrading the new models Apple is once more leading the laptop field in all the performance benchmarks truly worth measuring.

Another considerable change lies in the Mini DisplayPort which is usually used for hooking up an Apple LED Cinema Display or another supported models. With the Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011 notebook, a new technology by Intel called Thunderbolt has been applied which makes the port far more flexible. Along with speeds up to 12 times faster as opposed to the old FireWare 800 interface, high capacity hard drives will finally have the performance boosts that they depend on for professionals to transfer considerable amounts of data. Thunderbolt contains the added benefit of supporting a number of devices in a daisy chain while maintaining optimum performance.

The new MacBook Pros even come with a brand new style of built in webcam, the FaceTime HD camera. This enables video phone calls to be made with those supported devices in decent 720p quality.

Disadvantages

Just one major element that has not been improved however, is the battery, meaning it will now last less time between charges. Still, with up to 7 hours of electrical power while the wireless is switched on, it is actually tough for competing multimedia laptop computers to match Apple's battery life. The MacBook Pro 13-inch also gets a minor downgrade as it makes use of the Intel integrated graphics without an AMD or NVIDIA counterpart. However, the Intel graphics is way better than previous versions, with only avid gamers likely to notice the minimal decrease in speed.

Summary

Apple has once again taken a commanding lead within the coveted professional laptop computer category along with their newest line of MacBook Pros, the Winter 2011 edition. These new 2011 models are definitely ready for next generation applications in addition to next generation hardware should the new Thunderbolt interface takes off.