Features
The 15.4" MacBook Pro Notebook Computer from Apple is a powerful notebook computer with an innovative aluminum unibody design. It is loaded with advanced power management features and an integrated battery, which work together to provide up to 7 hours of wireless web browsing.
You may notice an unfamiliar logo next to one of the ports on the left side of the system. This is Thunderbolt, a high-speed interface that can move data at an amazing 10Gbps, which is double that of USB 3.0. The Thunderbolt port also doubles as a display output because it shares the same physical form factor as a Mini DisplayPort. You can daisy-chain up to six devices, so you'll be able to connect high-speed external storage and an external Apple LED Cinema display via the same port!
The computer's 15.4" display features LED backlight technology and a glossy finish. Its 1400 x 900 native resolution gives you ample screen space to work with. You'll be able to output to an external display at up to 2560 x 1600 via Thunderbolt. Any Mini DisplayPort-compatible display will plug in without the need of an adapter. If you have a display with DVI, VGA or HDMI input, you'll only need to purchase an adapter cable (i.e., HDMI-to-Mini DisplayPort) for connection.
You'll be able to communicate with friends and family thanks to built-in support for FaceTime chat. The computer's FaceTime HD camera supports 720p HD video chat via the included app. You can make video calls to other Mac users with FaceTime as well as to anyone with an iPhone 4, iPhone 4S or an iPod touch model with a built-in camera.
The system is powered by a quad-core 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 processor. The computer is loaded with 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 750GB 5400rpm hard drive and a SuperDrive DVD burner. You'll be able to connect to the Internet with ease via 802.11n Wi-Fi or wired Gigabit Ethernet. The MacBook Pro also features built-in Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, which allows you to connect wireless headphones, keyboard, mice and other compatible peripherals without a hassle.
Graphics are handled by integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, which gives you the best of both worlds in regards of battery life and performance. The MacBook Pro uses integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics for everyday use, such as web browsing and word processing. It is also capable of HD video playback.
The computer features a comfortable backlit chiclet-style keyboard, which features space between each key for improved accuracy and comfort when typing. It also sports a glass Multi-Touch trackpad with a clickable design. Rather than having a separate button for mouse clicks, the entire surface of the pad is clickable. This increases the active surface area and allows you to quickly click without having to maneuver to the bottom of the trackpad.
The trackpad also fully supports Multi-touch gestures. You can tap the trackpad with one finger to click, tap with two fingers to right click, scroll through documents using two fingers, pinch to zoom, navigate through Safari or iPhoto with three-finger left and right swipes or use two fingers to rotate a photo or PDF.
iLife '11 has a complete suite of digital creativity applications. Easy enough for anyone to use, iLife '11 will help you edit your home movies, organize digital photos and compose original music. iLife '11 includes iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand.
The 64-bit Mac OS X features Time Machine backup, which automatically backs up system data to an external hard drive. It also features intuitive Cover Flow navigation, the powerful Spotlight search tool and Quick Look document preview. You'll be able to use Boot Camp to run Windows on your Mac, if needed.
Design
Strength. Lightness. Beauty. Seamlessly Integrated
The MacBook Pro is machined from a single piece of aluminum, an engineering breakthrough that replaced many parts with just one. It's called the unibody and the first time you pick up a MacBook Pro, you'll notice the difference it makes. The entire enclosure is thinner and lighter than other notebooks. It looks polished and refined yet feels strong and durable, which makes it perfect for life inside (and outside) your briefcase or backpack
A Display Full of Bright Ideas
Everything Apple designers and engineers do, they do for a reason. They chose LED backlight technology for the MacBook Pro because it makes the display instantly bright and allows it to be incredibly thin. They use edge-to-edge glass not just because it looks beautiful, but because it lends structure to the display. At the top of the screen, they hid the built-in FaceTime HD Camera so you can see your friends and family in beautiful widescreen and as little of the camera as possible. The camera is even thinner than the one found inside the iPhone 4
Multi-Touch Trackpad -- It Just Feels Right
The Multi-Touch trackpad has no button because it is the button. That means there's more room to track and more room to click left, right, center and everywhere in between. Apple designers and engineers spent countless hours considering things like sensitivity (how much pressure triggers a click?), audio feedback (what does the click sound like?) and friction over the smooth glass surface (what does it feel like?). The result is a trackpad that just makes sense to you...and your fingers
Magnetic Latch
Because the magnetic latch has no moving parts to snag, jam, or break, even opening and closing your MacBook Pro is a pleasure
Easy Access to Connections and Ports
The connections and ports on the MacBook Pro, such as the MagSafe power, Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt, USB, SDXC card reader and audio in/out, are all smartly integrated on the same side of the notebook. So your cables stay neatly organized while connecting and disconnecting your devices is easy and convenient
MagSafe Power Adapter
The power cord is held in place magnetically, so if someone should happen to trip over it, the cord disconnects harmlessly and your MacBook Pro stays put safely
ThunderBolt Port
Thunderbolt lets you connect high-performance devices and high-resolution displays to a single, compact port. It even supports Mini DisplayPort devices, such as your Apple LED Cinema Display or an HDMI adapter for your television
Designed to Make an Impact -- Just Not on the Environment
Complete control over how the MacBook Pro is designed, how it's manufactured and how it's packaged gives Apple an environmental edge. LED backlight technology preserves energy. Glass and aluminum are highly recyclable. The MacBook Pro is free of most harmful toxins and it is shipped in packaging smaller than its predecessor. That means fewer trees used for boxes and fewer planes, trains and trucks used for transport
Features
Next-Generation Quad-Core Intel Processor
The 15.4" MacBook Pro now features a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 processor. With 3.6GHz Turbo Boost support and 6MB of cache, this CPU allows the computer to perform up to twice as fast as the previous generation
The Graphics Performance You Need, When You Need It
The integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor is now included across the MacBook Pro lineup and handles the things you do every day. It encodes video quickly and makes HD video calls with FaceTime possible. It also decodes efficiently so you get long playback time for DVDs and iTunes movies
For graphics-intensive applications, the MacBook Pro automatically switches to the high-performance AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics card with 1GB of discrete memory. With up to 2x the performance of the previous generation, it lets you see more frames per second in 3D games and allows you to work on HD video projects with more speed and responsiveness
Introducing Thunderbolt
Imagine accessing multiple streams of uncompressed HD video from your notebook at speeds that let you edit an HD feature film in real time. That's how Thunderbolt technology will connect the next generation of high-performance peripherals to the next generation of computers...and it all starts with the MacBook Pro. Ultrafast and ultraflexible, the Thunderbolt pipeline is up to 12 times faster than FireWire 800 and up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0. It offers unprecedented expansion capabilities. It changes what you can do on a notebook.
The Thunderbolt port will give you plug-and-play performance with a whole new world of Thunderbolt peripherals as well as with the Apple LED Cinema Display and other Mini DisplayPort peripherals. You can daisy-chain as many as six devices, including your display. And with support for video and eight-channel audio, it's easy to connect HDMI-compatible devices, such as your TV and home stereo, using the HDMI adapter you already have. Current VGA, DVI and DisplayPort adapters are also supported
FaceTime HD Camera -- The Difference is Clear
Get more of your friends in the picture with crisp, widescreen HD video. The new FaceTime HD camera gives you three times the resolution of the previous camera, which is perfect for the brilliant LED-backlit display, along with improved low-light performance. You can make 720p HD calls from your MacBook Pro to any Mac with a FaceTime HD camera. You can also make video calls to iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch and other Intel-based Mac computers
Multi-Touch Trackpad -- Be More Hands-On
The Multi-Touch trackpad is the most natural way to interact with what's on your screen and the smooth glass surface gives you plenty of room for gestures. Pinch to zoom in and out, swipe to flip through photos, rotate to adjust an image, and much more. The buttonless design lets you click anywhere. And if you're coming from a right-click world, you can right-click with two fingers or configure a right-click area on the trackpad. The more you use the Multi-Touch trackpad, the more you'll wonder how you ever did without it
A Long-Lasting Battery -- Charge Less, Do More
The MacBook Pro delivers amazing battery life even with more powerful processors and faster graphics. An energy-efficient processor architecture with an integrated video encoder help improve battery life. So you can expect to surf the web wirelessly for up to 7 hours on a single charge. Take your entire creative studio on the road for live performances or a location shoot. Advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging give you up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles, which is nearly three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries. And because the MacBook Pro battery lasts up to five years, MacBook Pro uses just one battery in the same time a typical notebook uses three. That's better for you and for the environment.
Apple is using a new, more rigorous battery test that measures the results you can expect in the real world, such as surfing your favorite sites in a coffee shop or catching up on the latest web videos. Even using this new test, MacBook Pro delivers amazing battery life...for your real life
It's Very Well Connected
When you're out and about, the latest 802.11n wireless technology in the MacBook Pro makes it easy to get connected just about anywhere. The MacBook Pro automatically finds available networks and allows you to join them with a click. Bluetooth wireless technology is also built in so you can use your favorite wireless accessories right out of the box
Ports With Possibility
With the new Thunderbolt port, you can daisy-chain as many as six devices, including your display, to create a full-fledged workstation. 2 USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire 800 port let you connect your iPad, iPod, iPhone, digital cameras and external hard drives. The SDXC card slot on the MacBook Pro models supports up to 64GB cards and makes it a snap to transfer all those photos to and from your MacBook Pro, so you can edit and share them on the spot
Burn DVDs Superfast
After using iMovie and iDVD to edit and apply the finishing touches to your home movie, use the 8x SuperDrive on the MacBook Pro to burn it to DVD in no time. Since the SuperDrive writes to double-layer discs (DVDs with nearly 9GB of space), it's a great way to back up data as well
Performance
Quad-Core 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 CPU
The MacBook Pro uses an Intel refined chipset. It performs up to twice as fast as the previous generation. It can breeze through demanding tasks like editing HD video, compiling audio or rendering a multilayered image file. And since Mac OS X is designed to take advantage of every processor core, it captures every last bit of performance from the processor
Faster Single-Chip Microarchitecture
Whether you're watching a movie, updating your blog or editing photos, data has to travel from place to place to be processed. The latest Intel Core architecture puts the processor, cache, memory controller and graphics engine on a single chip. Since data doesn't have as far to travel, you get faster performance and greater efficiency
Turbo Boost 2.0
Say you're using a processor-intensive application like Aperture 3 or Final Cut Pro that benefits from extra power. Turbo Boost is a dynamic performance technology that automatically increases the speed of the active cores. Turbo Boost 2.0 is even more dynamic and efficient. By shifting core frequency in smaller increments than before, it allows the processor to manage performance without sacrificing efficiency. All this takes place behind the scenes, so your work just goes smoother and faster
Hyper-Threading
Hyper-Threading is now standard on every MacBook Pro. This technology allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core, so OS X recognizes eight virtual cores on a quad-core processor and four on a dual-core processor. When you're running multiple applications at once, the processor spreads tasks more evenly across a greater number of cores
Integrated Memory Controller
With faster access to memory, each core can get right to work on your data, rather than waiting for it to arrive. That's why the new Intel Core architecture uses an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333MHz memory directly to the processor. Together with up to 6MB of shared L3 cache, the integrated memory controller helps your applications run at peak performance
Energy-Efficient Graphics
Thanks to the new microarchitecture, the graphics processor is on the same chip as the central processor and has direct access to L3 cache. That proximity translates into performance. The graphics processor also automatically increases clock speeds for higher workloads. An integrated video encoder enables HD video calls with FaceTime, while an efficient decoder gives you long battery life when you're watching DVDs or iTunes movies
Thunderbolt - Lightning Fast Data Transfer
Thunderbolt technology has arrived and the MacBook Pro is the first notebook to have it. Now one connection carries both DisplayPort and PCI Express. With two 10Gbps data channels, you can transfer data more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800. And don't worry about a single drive or peripheral tying up the Thunderbolt port since you can daisy-chain as many as six devices, including your display. So with one tiny, streamlined port, you get lightning-fast transfer speeds and huge expansion capabilities
An In-Depth Look at Thunderbolt
Powerful Technology from a Powerful Collaboration.
Thunderbolt began at Intel Labs with a simple concept: create an incredibly fast input/output technology that just about anything can plug into. After close technical collaboration between Intel and Apple, Thunderbolt emerged from the lab to make its first appearance in MacBook Pro.
Intel co-invented USB and PCI Express, which have become widely adopted technologies for data transfer. Apple invented FireWire and was instrumental in popularizing USB. Their collective experience has made Thunderbolt the most powerful, most flexible I/O technology ever in a personal computer
One Small Port -- One Giant Leap in Possibilities
The MacBook Pro gives you access to a world of high-resolution displays and high-speed peripherals with one compact port. That's because Thunderbolt is based on two fundamental technologies: PCI Express and DisplayPort.
PCI Express is the technology that links all the high-performance components in a Mac. And it's built into Thunderbolt. Which means you can connect external devices like RAID arrays and video capture solutions directly to MacBook Pro -- and get PCI Express performance. That's a first for notebooks. Thunderbolt also provides 10 watts of power to peripherals, so you can tackle workstation-class projects on the go. With PCI Express technology, you can use existing USB and FireWire peripherals as well as connect to Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks using simple adapters.
And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, the video standard for high-resolution displays, any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port. To connect a DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI or VGA display, just use an existing adapter
Performance and Expansion Never Before Seen on a Notebook
With 10Gbps of throughput in both directions, Thunderbolt I/O technology lets you move data to and from peripherals up to 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 and more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800. Two 10Gbps channels on the same connector mean you can daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices and a display, without using a hub and without reducing performance
High Performance on Display
Thunderbolt I/O technology provides native support for Mini DisplayPort displays. It also supports DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, and VGA displays through the use of existing adapters. So you can connect your Apple LED Cinema Display or other existing display, along with multiple high-speed devices, all from a single port
No Project Is Too Massive
With Thunderbolt, you're just as likely to build a professional video setup around your MacBook Pro. If you're a video editor, imagine using a single port to connect high-performance storage, a high-resolution display and high-bit-rate video capture devices to handle all the post-production for a feature film. Thunderbolt I/O technology allows you to daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt peripherals, including an Apple Thunderbolt Display and the Promise Pegasus RAID or LaCie Little Big Disk. You can even add an Apple LED Cinema Display to the end of the chain.
And that's just the beginning. With Thunderbolt technology, peripheral manufacturers finally have what they need to take high-performance devices from workstations and top-of-the-line desktops to just about any computer
Software
Mac OS X
At the heart of every MacBook Pro, as well as every Mac, is Mac OS X. This operating system is both easy to use and incredibly powerful. It's built on a rock-solid UNIX foundation and engineered to take full advantage of the technologies in every Mac. So everything works together perfectly and features like Multi-Touch Control, Mission Control, Launchpad and Full-Screen Apps, let you interact with your computer in amazing and intuitive ways
Wireless Networking -- Without the Work
See a network, join a network. With a MacBook Pro, getting online via Wi-Fi is just that easy. One click of the AirPort icon in the menu bar gives you a list of available networks. Select the one you want to join, enter the password if necessary, and you're up and running
Automatic Backup with Time Machine
Backing up important data is essential. Yet you probably don't do it as often as you should. That's why your MacBook Pro bears the burden of backing up for you. Time Machine, an application that comes on every Mac, automatically backs up your entire system to your external hard drive or Time Capsule. Time Machine keeps a spare copy of every file and it also remembers how your system looked on a given day. So you can revisit your Mac as it appeared in the past
Even the Everyday Stuff Is Amazing
Unlike a lot of PC notebooks, the MacBook Pro comes with everything you need to send email, manage your calendar, organize your contacts and more. And it's ready to do all these things minutes after you take it out of the box. That's because every Mac comes with Mail for sending and receiving email, iCal for managing appointments and important events, Address Book for organizing your contacts, iTunes for all things entertainment and other fun and useful applications you'll find yourself using every day
The Mac App Store -- A Thousand More Reasons to Love a Mac
Thousands of Mac apps are a click away at the Mac App Store. Find the ones you want and simply click to download and install. No more boxes. No more disks. No more hassle. You can browse apps by category or search for something specific. And you can easily keep your apps up to date because your Mac will let you know when updates are available
FaceTime -- Now Making HD Video Calls
The MacBook Pro comes with a FaceTime HD camera and easy-to-use FaceTime for Mac software. Just click to make HD video calls from MacBook Pro to any Mac with a FaceTime HD camera. You can also make video calls to iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPod touch, and other Intel-based Mac computers.2 Your calls will start in portrait view, but you can easily rotate to the widescreen format. FaceTime automatically displays your contacts from Address Book, so you don't have to build a buddy list. And calls ring through to your Mac even when you don't have the FaceTime app open
iPhoto -- The Best Way to Organize, Edit, and Share Your Photos
iPhoto is an easy-to-use photo application that makes it fast and fun to organize and find your pictures, as well as make them look their absolute best. With features like Faces, Places and Events, iPhoto helps you keep track of your photos by who's in them as well as when and where you took them - all in an immersive full-screen view. Use quick and simple editing tools to make so-so shots picture perfect with just a few clicks. iPhoto even lets you share your photos with the world with beautiful photo books and letterpress cards or online via Facebook and Flickr
iMovie -- Turn Your Home Movies into Home Blockbusters
Don't settle for boring home movies. With iMovie, you can transform the videos you shoot into your very own indie flicks. Create a Hollywood-style trailer that'll make your audience laugh, cry and cheer for more. If you know how to drag and drop, you can make a movie in iMovie. It comes with Apple-designed themes that look fun and professional. Just choose one and iMovie does the rest, adding animated titles and sophisticated transitions automatically. Customize your screen gem further with your own words and audio
GarageBand -- Creating Great-Sounding Songs Is Easy
Whether you're musically gifted or mostly curious, GarageBand is the application for you. Plug in your electric guitar or USB music keyboard and get ready to rock with virtual replicas of the most revered amps and stompboxes in the world, as well as over 100 software instruments. Just because you didn't grow up learning your A, B, and C sharp doesn't mean you can't. Basic Lessons teach you just that: the basics. Choose from 40 lessons that cover blues guitar, rock guitar, classical piano, pop piano, and more. Or get a private lesson from one of your musical heroes, like Sting or Death Cab for Cutie, with Artist Lessons. GarageBand even tells you how well you're playing in real time with a feature called "How Did I Play?"
The Environment
Efficient Power Supply
The MacBook Pro includes a highly efficient power supply that reduces the amount of power wasted when bringing electricity from the wall to your computer. Lower power consumption reduces energy bills and lessens the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants
Advanced Power Management
Unlike a lot of Windows-based PC systems, MacBook Pro uses energy-efficient hardware components that work hand in hand with the operating system to conserve power. Mac OS X activates sleep mode on already energy-efficient LED-backlit displays. And it balances tasks across both central processors and graphics processors. OS X never misses a power-saving opportunity, no matter how small. It even regulates the processor between keystrokes, reducing power between the letters you type. That's just one of many ways Apple manages small amounts of power that add up to big savings
ENERGY STAR Qualification
The MacBook Pro meets the stringent low power requirements set by the EPA in their ENERGY STAR 5.2 qualification. ENERGY STAR 5.2 sets significantly higher efficiency limits for power supplies and aggressive limits for the computer's typical annual power consumption
Fewer Toxins
The greatest environmental challenge facing the computer industry today is the presence of arsenic, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), mercury, phthalates, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in products. Apple engineers have worked hard to eliminate BFRs and PVC from MacBook Pro circuit boards, internal and external cables, connectors, insulators, adhesives, and more.1 And they've eliminated many other toxins that are a common part of notebook computer manufacturing - choosing, for example, mercury-free backlighting and arsenic-free glass for the MacBook Pro display
Smaller Boxes, Fewer Planes
Every MacBook Pro comes in a smaller package than it used to with the original. And smaller boxes are much better for the planet. Because smaller boxes mean we can fit more boxes on each shipping pallet. Which means more products will fit on each boat and plane. Which means fewer boats and planes are used, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions. It's one seemingly minor change. But it has a major positive impact on our environment
Recyclable Materials
Apple has minimized the waste when the MacBook Pro reaches end of life through its ultraefficient design and the use of aluminum, which recyclers can reuse for other products
EPEAT Gold Rating
The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT, evaluates the environmental impact of a product based on how recyclable it is, how much energy it uses, and how it's designed and manufactured. Through its innovative and environmentally friendly design, the MacBook Pro has earned the highest rating of EPEAT Gold
Life Cycle Impact
Apple's life cycle analysis accounts for all emissions associated with their products. That includes raw material extraction, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, a three- or four-year period of use, and recycling. In the course of this analysis, Apple determined that more than 95 percent of their total greenhouse gas emissions come from the products they make
Support
Tech Support
Have a problem with your Mac? Get support and advice at the Genius Bar, located at every Apple Retail Store. Apple also provides online tutorials, troubleshooting forums, and 90 days of phone support for users who aren't able to make it to an Apple retail store
Optional AppleCare
Apple provides 90 days of free phone support and a 1-year limited hardware warranty on the computer. You can opt to add an AppleCare Protection Plan, at additional cost, which covers support and repairs for 3 years from the date of purchase. AppleCare can be purchased at any time within the first year of ownership of the computer
