New MacBook Pros Strike with Thunderbolt and Sandy Bridge

Making official one of the worst kept secrets in tech, Apple today lifted the nearly see-through curtain from its retooled MacBook Pro line with so many upgrades we don't know where to start. Let's begin with a little thing called Thunderbolt, which is a high-speed I/O technology better known as Light Peak that was developed by Intel in collaboration with Apple.

"Thunderbolt is a revolutionary new I/O technology that delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second and can support every important I/O standard which is ideal for the new MacBook Pro," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of WorldWide Product Marketing.


The entire 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch lineup has also been updated with Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is available in two configurations, one with a 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 320GB hard drive, and Intel HD 3000 graphics starting at $1,199, and one with a 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,499.

The updated 15-inch MacBook Pro also comes in two configurations, one with a 2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics, and 500GB hard drive starting at $1,799, and one with a 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon HD 6750 graphics, and same size hard drive starting at $2,199.

Finally, the flagship 17-inch MacBook Pro now features an Intel Core i7 quad-core 2.2GHz processor, AMD Radeon HD 6750 graphics, and a 750GB hard drive starting out at $2,499.


These is a pretty impressive overhaul compared to when Apple disappointed a good number of folks by sticking with Intel's Core 2 Duo architecture for its MacBook Air refresh not long ago. And it doesn't stop with the above upgrades. All three models sport a FaceTime HD camera with triple the resolution of the previous generation.

The Apple Store is being updated as of this writing but should be up and running before long.