MacBook Pro Updates: Apple Releases Unannounced MacBook Pro Updates

MacBook Pro Updated with Larger Hard Drive and Faster Intel Processor

By Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter Monday, October 24, 2011

Although usually known for its highly suspenseful publicity stunts, Apple this week discretely updated several features of the MacBook Pro unexpectedly.

The 13 inch, 15 inch, and 17 inch MacBook pros were all updated, including increased speed of Intel processors and larger hard drives while maintaining the previous price tag.

“The unannounced upgrades have been expected since mid-September, with the faster MacBook models available in time for the 2011 Christmas shopping season,” contends PC Magazine.

On their website, Apple neglected to announce the updates as “new,” listing the iPhone 4S as the most recent Apple product.

The 13 inch MacBook pro, with a price tag of $1,199, has been updated with 2.4GHz dual-core Intel core i5 CPU (from 2.3 GHz), along with a larger hard drive at 500 GB, compared to the previous 320 GB. The other, faster entry level 13 inch MacBook, which sells for $1,499, has its Core i7 running at 2.8 GHz with a larger 750 GB hard drive.

The two 15-inch MacBooks have also received upgrades; the cheaper $1,799 option now sports a 2.2 GHz and 500 GB hard drive, while the faster $2,199 option offers a 2.4 GHz with a 750 GB hard drive.

Lastly, the most expensive option of the MacBook pros, the 17 inch screen, offers the same breed of updates with a 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 and a 750 GB hard drive at $2,499.

This silent update reveals a humbler side to Apple’s usual highly anticipated and widely circulated releases and updates.

At the “Let’s Talk iPhone” conference in Cupertino on Oct. 4 in Cupertino, CA, Apple CEO Tim Cook exhibited a classic display of marketing technique by unveiling the iPhone 4S instead of the predicted iPhone 5.

These MacBook pro updates come along with a free download of the wireless synchronization system iCloud and free downloads of the iOS5 mobile operating system, originally created exclusively for the iPhone 4S.

While Google’s Android and RIM’s BlackBerry attempt to compete with Apple with simultaneous updates and releases of their products, critics argue that silent updates such as these provide Apple with the upper hand, offering benefits to their customers without competitors being able to predict their moves.