MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo Is Here

Just like that, and without fanfare, Apple dropped MacBook Pros with Core 2 Duo processors today. A lot of people have been waiting for these lovelies to come out, and they don't disappoint, offering a 39 percent speed boost double memory and a FireWire 800 port in the same one-inch shell.

There are two 15-inch models that are available today weighing-in at 5.6 lbs. One is a 2.16 GHz and sells for $1,999, then there is a 2.33 GHz for $2,499. The 17-inch MacBook Pro (6.8 lbs) is available starting next week for $2,799.

The highlights:
* Clock Speed up to 2.33 GHz
* 7x faster than the PowerMac G4 notebooks released one year ago
* Hard drive starts at 120GB — this is where the current MacBooks top out — and is configurable for up to 200GB

Battery life is the same on the 17-inch model, but the 15-incher takes a slight hit (shaving 30 minutes off of your wireless productivity versus the current models).

What took them so long? Just interviewed an Apple exec who responded: "Our last updates were less than six months ago." Dude, that's centuries in laptop time.

The 2.16 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

-- 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
-- 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
-- 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
-- 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
-- a slot-load 6x SuperDrive(TM) with double-layer support (DVD+R
DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
-- PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
-- DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
-- built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
­­-- built-in iSight video camera;
-- Gigabit Ethernet port;
-- built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
-- ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
-- two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
-- one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical
digital audio;
-- Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
-- the infrared Apple Remote; and
-- 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.33 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

-- 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
-- 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2Duo processor;
-- 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
-- 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
-- a slot-load 6x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/
CD-RW) optical drive;
-- PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
-- DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
-- built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
-- built-in iSight video camera;
-- Gigabit Ethernet port;
-- built-in Airport Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
-- ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
-- two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
-- one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical
digital audio;
-- Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
-- the infrared Apple Remote; and
-- 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

The 2.33 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:
-- 17-inch widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
-- 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
-- 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 3GB;
-- 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
-- a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD+/-RW/
CD-RW) optical drive;
-- PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
-- DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
-- built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
-- built-in iSight video camera;
-- Gigabit Ethernet port;
-- built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
-- ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
-- three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
-- one audio line in and one headphone out port, each supporting optical
digital audio;
-- Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor;
-- the infrared Apple Remote; and
-- 85 Watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.