Apple ships MacBook Pro with speedier chips

Apple Computer is officially shipping its first notebooks with Intel processors, and it has thrown in faster versions of those chips at no charge.

Starting this week, the MacBook Pro will ship to Apple retail stores and customers who ordered the notebook online, said David Moody, vice president of Mac hardware product marketing. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs first unveiled the MacBook Pro at the Macworld Expo in January, but the notebooks have undergone a slight change since then.

Two models were originally announced--one for $1,999 with Intel's 1.67GHz Core Duo processor and one for $2,499 with Intel's 1.83GHz processor. Apple will now include a 1.83GHz processor with the $1,999 system, and the $2,499 system will come with Intel's 2GHz Core Duo processor, Moody said. Customers will also be able to select a 2.16GHz processor for the $2,499 system for an additional $300, according to Apple's Web site.

Moody said Apple was already excited about the long-awaited redesign and upgrade of its notebook line with the Core Duo processors, "but we were just able to make it faster." He declined to comment on whether Intel or Apple will absorb the extra cost of those faster processors.

The 1.83GHz Core Duo processor costs $53 more than the 1.67GHz chip, and the 2GHz costs $129 more than the 1.83GHz chip, according to Intel's pricing page. But the 2.16GHz chip costs only $214 more than the 2.0GHz chip, as compared to the $300 Apple is charging for that upgrade option. Those prices reflect orders in quantities of 1,000 chips, and large Intel partners tend to negotiate their own pricing deals.

An order placed today on Apple's Web store will still take three to four weeks to ship. The $2,499 system will begin shipping with the new processors this week, while the $1,999 system will begin shipping next week, Moody said. Detailed configurations are available on Apple's Web site.

Intel has repeatedly said it has been very happy with the early returns from its Core Duo chip. The company was able to accelerate the launch date of the processor based on the health of its new 65-nanometer manufacturing technology, which caused PC vendors to scramble to get their designs ready on the new schedule.

Apple has likewise seen a surge in demand for the new notebooks, which were announced about six months ahead of the time frame for the switch to Intel's chips, outlined by Jobs last year.

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook recently warned that the company might not be able to keep up with demand for the notebooks in the first quarter, coming off a quarter in which the company believed its customers held off on purchasing older Mac systems in anticipation of the new Macs with Intel's chips.

[hawaiiinsomniac]

Cool...

Thank you Apple... Now if FedEx can get it here to Hawaii... :)

[hawaiiinsomniac]

Cool...

Thank you Apple... Now if FedEx can get it here to Hawaii... :)

[jwmoreland]

Yipeee!

Thank you Apple!

[jwmoreland]

Yipeee!

Thank you Apple!

[d.roque]

pissed...

i have a $2499 model on order, ships in 2 weeks, and i am not able to upgrade to the 2.16 unless I cancel my order and wait for it to ship 4 weeks after that.
This sucks.

[NeverFade]

you're pissed over 2 weeks?

if it ships in 2 weeks, and you cancel it now, put in a difernet order
and that arrives in 4 weeks, that's a difference of 2 weeks.

I'd say 'No Big Deal'. I know, you want to play around with it, but
dude - it's only 2 weeks.

4 weeks isn't all that bad either.

[ewestby]

Seriously?

You're angry even though Apple automatically upgraded all existing
orders, including yours? Apple is selling you a faster machine than
you ordered, at the same price, but you're angry because you have
to wait four weeks to buy a machine that is faster still--a machine
that didn't even exist until today? This seems to be a case of seeing
the glass 1/10 empty when it's really 9/10 full....

[Earl Benser]

Is the relatively minor speed boost....

... worth all the flap you're making? Do you think that you will ever
really notice the difference?

[d.roque]

pissed...

i have a $2499 model on order, ships in 2 weeks, and i am not able to upgrade to the 2.16 unless I cancel my order and wait for it to ship 4 weeks after that.
This sucks.

[NeverFade]

you're pissed over 2 weeks?

if it ships in 2 weeks, and you cancel it now, put in a difernet order
and that arrives in 4 weeks, that's a difference of 2 weeks.

I'd say 'No Big Deal'. I know, you want to play around with it, but
dude - it's only 2 weeks.

4 weeks isn't all that bad either.

[ewestby]

Seriously?

You're angry even though Apple automatically upgraded all existing
orders, including yours? Apple is selling you a faster machine than
you ordered, at the same price, but you're angry because you have
to wait four weeks to buy a machine that is faster still--a machine
that didn't even exist until today? This seems to be a case of seeing
the glass 1/10 empty when it's really 9/10 full....

[Earl Benser]

Is the relatively minor speed boost....

... worth all the flap you're making? Do you think that you will ever
really notice the difference?

[mfurdyk]

Sad

COOL, but now they kicked my shipping date back from tommorow to Feb 28 :(

[mfurdyk]

Sad

COOL, but now they kicked my shipping date back from tommorow to Feb 28 :(

[J.G.]

A valentine from Apple

This is wonderful. Rarely does a business give away something it
could have held and sold at a profit. Yet, there are the inevitable
grumblers. Human nature needs improving more than computers
do.

[J.G.]

A valentine from Apple

This is wonderful. Rarely does a business give away something it
could have held and sold at a profit. Yet, there are the inevitable
grumblers. Human nature needs improving more than computers
do.

[rpbell]

It had to be...

With Dell's very aggressive discount pricing on the Intel dual core processors, Apple was in a pinch to pull of the HUGE difference in perceived value.

What impresses me is the "turn on a dime" way in which this upgrade was made and announced. Traditionally, that kind of market flexibility has been reflected only by Dell (and to a lesser degree, HP), but this may well be where Apple nails the marketplace.

Just like their rapid release of new and upgraded models of iPod and their far more rapid-than-Windows release of OSX upgrades, this could be a real feather in their hat--if they can pull it off, consistently.

Sure, those who get machines just before a major upgrade are going to mitch and woan about it, but they would do the same thing if there was 6 months between upgrades.

Apple may have just redefined the marketplace...

rb

[rpbell]

It had to be...

With Dell's very aggressive discount pricing on the Intel dual core processors, Apple was in a pinch to pull of the HUGE difference in perceived value.

What impresses me is the "turn on a dime" way in which this upgrade was made and announced. Traditionally, that kind of market flexibility has been reflected only by Dell (and to a lesser degree, HP), but this may well be where Apple nails the marketplace.

Just like their rapid release of new and upgraded models of iPod and their far more rapid-than-Windows release of OSX upgrades, this could be a real feather in their hat--if they can pull it off, consistently.

Sure, those who get machines just before a major upgrade are going to mitch and woan about it, but they would do the same thing if there was 6 months between upgrades.

Apple may have just redefined the marketplace...

rb

Waiting....

for Firewire 800 and 17 inch screen. Then I'll buy.

[J.G.]

MacBook meant to be different

Then you will not be buying. Firewire 800 turned out to be a bit
of dud, mainly useful with camcorders. Firewire 400 is
adequate for just about everything people prefer to do with
Firewire. USB2 is even more flexible. So, Firewire 800 will not
be coming to a MacBook Pro near you.

Other changes to the Mactel laptop have also been well thought
out. There will be critics of losing the internal modem and the
reversion to a smaller optical drive, but these are tradeoffs for
size and form factor.

We will wait and see what happens regarding whether there will
be a desktop replacement MacBook Pro.

Waiting....

for Firewire 800 and 17 inch screen. Then I'll buy.

[J.G.]

MacBook meant to be different

Then you will not be buying. Firewire 800 turned out to be a bit
of dud, mainly useful with camcorders. Firewire 400 is
adequate for just about everything people prefer to do with
Firewire. USB2 is even more flexible. So, Firewire 800 will not
be coming to a MacBook Pro near you.

Other changes to the Mactel laptop have also been well thought
out. There will be critics of losing the internal modem and the
reversion to a smaller optical drive, but these are tradeoffs for
size and form factor.

We will wait and see what happens regarding whether there will
be a desktop replacement MacBook Pro.

[visionik]

A bit of misdirection...

What Apple did not make clear is:

1. Everyone is getting an upgrade... but,

2. Everyone is also now waiting two weeks longer for their
MacBook, despite the fact they announced yesterday that they
are shipping this week.

I called Apple and they confirmed - all MacBook orders are now
delayed two weeks, and won't arrive until March 28th.

Sounds like they used a CPU upgrade to mask the fact that they
are shipping later than they announced just yesterday.

[J.G.]

Weird interpretation

I don't see a conspiracy. The value of the faster processor makes
waiting an extra week or two worth it. If you truly are desperate
for a MacBook Pro now, perhaps you can talk Apple into sending
you one with the original specs.

Also, it is not 'everyone.' High speed MacBook Pros will be
chipping sooner, rather than later. It is the new lower speed units
that are a bit delayed.

[visionik]

A bit of misdirection...

What Apple did not make clear is:

1. Everyone is getting an upgrade... but,

2. Everyone is also now waiting two weeks longer for their
MacBook, despite the fact they announced yesterday that they
are shipping this week.

I called Apple and they confirmed - all MacBook orders are now
delayed two weeks, and won't arrive until March 28th.

Sounds like they used a CPU upgrade to mask the fact that they
are shipping later than they announced just yesterday.

[J.G.]

Weird interpretation

I don't see a conspiracy. The value of the faster processor makes
waiting an extra week or two worth it. If you truly are desperate
for a MacBook Pro now, perhaps you can talk Apple into sending
you one with the original specs.

Also, it is not 'everyone.' High speed MacBook Pros will be
chipping sooner, rather than later. It is the new lower speed units
that are a bit delayed.

[muntz]

awwww

awwww...poor affluent person won't get his/her computer quick
enough, even though it'll be faster

[muntz]

awwww

awwww...poor affluent person won't get his/her computer quick
enough, even though it'll be faster

[micah356]

Why not the iMac

If they could do this in the MBP, why not have the optional 2.16er in the iMac as well?

[J.G.]

iMac could get boost

Apple may raise processor speed on Mactel iMacs. But, the first
iterations were manufactured before the faster chips became
available. However, there should remain a difference between the
iMac, a journeyman desktop, and the professional level desktop
Mactel, whatever it will be called.

I don't think iMac users have a gripe. They got their computers
earlier than laptop users.

[micah356]

Why not the iMac

If they could do this in the MBP, why not have the optional 2.16er in the iMac as well?

[J.G.]

iMac could get boost

Apple may raise processor speed on Mactel iMacs. But, the first
iterations were manufactured before the faster chips became
available. However, there should remain a difference between the
iMac, a journeyman desktop, and the professional level desktop
Mactel, whatever it will be called.

I don't think iMac users have a gripe. They got their computers
earlier than laptop users.