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Apple Refreshes MacBook Pros: Goes Sandy Bridge, Adds Thunderbolt, AMD Graphics

Well everybody, Apple today did it’s routine upgrade of the popular MacBook Pro range. So, what’s new, you might ask? A slew of typical minor upgrades to keep up with the time across two 13″, two 15″, and one 17″ model, by and large. So, instead, we’ll look at what’s notably different.

Probably biggest is the new Thunderbolt port.

Thunderbolt is a newly announced Intel thinger (convenient, right, this same day announcement stuff?) that promises to deliver high-speed data transfer and HD video output over one cable. So, for you Mac fans, it’s basically like your DisplayPort and Firewire port got hopped up on steroids and had an awesome baby.

Or, in Intel’s less colorful words:

Intel Corporation today announced the availability of Thunderbolt™ technology, a new high-speed PC connection technology that brings together high-speed data transfer and high-definition (HD) display on to a single cable. Running at 10Gbps, Thunderbolt technology can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds. This Intel-developed technology is coming to market through a technical collaboration with Apple, and is available first on Apple’s new line of MacBook Pro laptop computers.

It’s using PCI-E for the data side, and DisplayPort for the video side, if you’re curious, and it’ll support daisy-chaining as well as optical or electrical connections.

Also new is the inclusion of Sandy Bridge series processors, but, really, what was Apple going to do, upgrade their laptops and not use Intel’s newest line of consumer cores?

Lastly in the possibly big news department is a switch from NVIDIA to AMD chipsets for graphics, which the gamers among you can now argue the merits of in long-winded detail. Those of you who just use the thing to watch slideshows, browse the web, and edit photos won’t notice a thing.

Lastly, the FaceTime brand shamelessly trots its way onto laptops, simply replacing that lid mounted iSight cam with an HD one.

So then, go forth to Apple’s page, spec out the machine you want, and then email us at info@robertsimaging.com with a screenshot of exactly the glorious config you’re after, and we’ll see what we can do for you, k?



Apple Updates MacBook Pro Range (Mostly)

Well, in case you live under a rock, or otherwise hate the internet (which’d be somewhat ironic given that this is on the internet, but…), Apple finally announced some long-awaited upgrades to the MacBookPro range today.

Mostly.

I say mostly because the little brother, the 13″, saw only a meager handful of upgrades, mostly a new battery now promising up to 10 hours of battery life (versus the claimed 7 on the model I bought). It’s also been bumped to the NVIDIA GeForce 320M.

The bigger bros have new processor options, with Core i5 or Core i7 processors available for both models. The big boys also upgrade to NVIDIA GT 330M GPUs and will auto-switch between them and the integrated GPU as needed to performance and to save battery life, no longer do you need to pick one and reboot. Batteries are also beefed up on these, but don’t hit the magical 10 hours number of their little bro.

Oh, and there’s a new 1680×1050 screen resolution upgrade available on the 15″ model.

The rest of it’s mostly what it was last year. Aluminum unibodies, huge glass trackpads with 4-finger multi-gesture, LED illuminated keyboards, general all-around spiffiness. No, seriously, I’m enjoying my unibody. Never figured I’d be a Mac guy, but it’s a mighty fine laptop.

Of course, if you’re a Windows user, Bootcamp makes running Windows a mostly painless experience these days (though ym audio drivers do have the occasional problem). You won’t see those epic battery life numbers, from personal experience. Windows 7 just seems a bit more power hungry than Snow Leopard (I can only get about 2 hours in Windows on last year’s 13″ MBP, versus 5-6 on average in OSX).

Aaaaaanyway, those new Macs are available now. So, go over to Apple’s site, spec yours out, relishing the new options and such, and then get with us about what you want and watch us work that Roberts magic for you.



New Year’s Resolutions and Apple Computers

So, it’s no big secret that I’m not actually a legendary fan of Mac, despite being a visual artist, graphic designer, and web master. But, my last real impression with them was in college while OSX was still fledgling, and then later with my (admittedly) good friend who is one of the crazy fanatics who can really ruin anything for you (there are movies I still won’t watch just because of how he made a big deal about them).

But, it’s a new year now, a new decade really, and I’ve been playing around with the office’s 15″ MacBook Pro, and I have to admit, the fit and finish on these new aluminum unibodies is second to none. And, the new Snow Leopard build of OSX seems snappy and responsive, and the new multi-touch gestures with up to four finger swiping for things like the Exposé and minimize all makes multitasking on it a real pleasure finally.

So,I’m making a very strange resolution this year: I’m going to ditch my current laptop in favor of a 13″ MacBook Pro. Now, anyone who’s seen my laptop might think this is an extra strange resolve, because I currently own one of Toshiba’s high-end 17″ dual-core dual-GPU SLi gaming rigs, so a switch to the pared down 13″ Pro might seem an odd move, but let me explain.

The newest MacBook Pro, the little 13″, starts in a default config with a 2.26GHZ dual core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 160 GB HD (upgradable to 250 GB for a mere 50 bucks). My Toshiba has a 2.1 GHZ dual core (of an older generation, too), 2 GB of RAM, and dual 120 GB drives. So, really, other than the screen and the SLi, I’m upgrading even at the lowest Pro. And, I’m willing to live with the smaller screen because even 17″ isn’t really enough for Lightroom, and the cost difference between a 13″ MBP and the 17″ will buy me a 24″ widescreen display. Now that’s big enough for Lightroom.

And I know all of this because Roberts is a full Mac computer dealer. We know all this. We can tell you what your upgrade choices are, and we have fierce pricing. So, whether you want a tidy little 13″ Pro with a RAM and HD upgrade like me, or the 17″ Pro with Express Card slot and giant battery, or just a Mac Mini, one of the new, perfect for casual-use white MacBooks for kicking it about or for a son or daughter, or a Mighty Mouse or Cinedisplay, we’re the place to go. You can even check out all the base configs and other products here, but don’t forget to call us and ask about your customiation options.




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