MacBook Pro Index

15″ MacBook Pro (Penryn)

Overview

Multitouch. Introduced with the iPhone, brought to the Mac with the MacBook Air, it now makes its debut on the MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, Apple is doing it using the same trackpad, not a larger one like the MBA has.

Apple has refreshed the 15" MacBook Pro in almost every aspect - except for its looks, which is the same time tested design introduced with the first aluminum 15" PowerBooks.

15" MacBook ProThe new model comes in 2.4 GHz and 2.5 GHz versions, along with a 2.6 GHz build-to-order option. These are the Penryn version of Intel's Core 2 CPU: the 2.4 GHz chip has a 3 MB L2 cache (smaller than before), while the faster chips have 6 MB (50% more than before), and the new chips have an enhanced SSE4 vector engine.

Apple has also updated its notebook keyboards, which no longer have an embedded numeric keypad and have an Option key on the right side, replacing the old Enter key.

The 2008 models use the same Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor, but with twice as much VRAM as the 2007 model. 200 and 250 GB hard drives are standard. 2 GB of RAM is standard, with a 6 GB ceiling.

Note that the built-in display is only capable of 18-bit color, not the full 24-bit color you might expect.

Unlike pre-2007 models, where every USB port could provide 500 mA of power, only a single high-powered device can be attached to the USB ports, and software will enable one of its downstream ports to supply 500 mA of power. If a second high-powered device is attached, it will behave like a normal bus-powered hub and only provide 100 mA per downstream port.

The Apple Remote, which had been included with previous models, is now a US$20 option.

Closed Lid Mode: All Intel 'Books support "lid closed" (or clamshell) mode, which leaves the built-in display off and dedicates all video RAM to an external display. To used closed lid mode, your 'Book must be plugged into the AC adapter and connected to an external display and a USB or Bluetooth mouse and keyboard (you might also want to consider external speakers). Power up your 'Book until the desktop appears on the external display and then close the lid. Your 'Book will go to sleep, but you can wake it by moving the mouse or using the keyboard. The built-in display will remain off, and the external monitor will become your only display.

To resume use of the internal display, you need to disconnect the external display, put the computer to sleep, and then open the lid. This will wake up your 'Book and restore use of the built-in display.

Intel-based Macs use a partitioning scheme known as GPT. Only Macintel models can boot from GPT hard drives. Both PowerPC and Intel Macs can boot from APM (Apple's old partitioning scheme) hard drives, which is the format you must use to create a universal boot drive in Leopard. Power PC Macs running any version of the Mac OS prior to 10.4.2 cannot mount GPT volumes. PowerPC Macs won't let you install OS X to a USB drive or choose it as your startup volume, although there is a work around for that.

Battery life is expected to be 30-60 minutes longer than on earlier MacBook Pro models.

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