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Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 06:00 pm
First Look: Apple's early 2011 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Thunderbolt
The new MacBook Pros also debut Thunderbolt, an enhancement of the existing DisplayPort that adds two bidirectional 10Gb data channels of switched fabric interconnect, making PCI Express available externally on a new cabling system that supports a high resolution display and multiple disks, disk arrays, docks, and media breakout boxes.
This entirely new interface allows the new notebooks to plug into a variety of workstation devices with just one cable, or power a remote drive with up to 10 watts while working on the go. Thunderbolt is like a very fast FireWire, with an improved connector, high resolution external display support, and more electrical power, with support for Target Mode booting and the ability to bridge other interfaces, including Ethernet and USB.
Unboxing
Savings on retail configurations
Several of Apple's larger authorized resellers are already reflecting stock of the company's five standard retail configurations for the MacBook Pro. And a handful are offering considerable early discounts of up to $150 on the new models.
For its part, MacConnection is offering the lowest prices on the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros, while MacMall delivers the best deals on the 13-inch models through its 3% instant discount coupons, which are included in the price guide links below and are exclusive to AppleInsider readers.
 MacBook Pro
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Discount
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| 2.5GHz 13" (4GB/500GB HDD) | $1,199.00 | $1,112.79 | $1,079.40* | sold out | $1,112.78 | $119.60 | |||
| 2.5GHz 13" (8GB/500GB HDD) | $1,299.00 | n/a | on order | n/a | n/a | $86.51 | |||
| 2.9GHz 13" (8GB/750GB HDD) | $1,499.00 | $1,398.99 | $1,357.02* | $1,499.00 | $1,374.00 | $141.98 | |||
| 2.9GHz 13" (8GB/1TB HDD) | $1,599.00 | n/a | $1,546.18* | n/a | $1,559.00 | $52.82 | |||
| 2.9GHz 13" (8GB/256GB SSD) | $1,899.00 | n/a | on order | n/a | $1,799.00 | $153.01 | |||
| 2.3GHz 15" (4GB/500GB HDD) | $1,799.00 | $1,709.96 | $1,658.66* | $1,649.00 | $1,659.00 | $150.00 | |||
| 2.3GHz 15" (4GB/750GB HDD) | $1,899.00 | n/a | on order | n/a | n/a | $61.82 | |||
| 2.3GHz 15" (4/750/ANTI-GLARE) | $2,149.00 | n/a | n/a | n/a | $2,149.00 | $0.00 | |||
| 2.7GHz 15" (8GB/750GB HDD) | $2,599.00 | n/a | $2,516.01* | n/a | n/a | $82.82 | |||
 13-inch MacBook Pro (MBP) with Retina
display
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| 2.5GHz 13" MBP (8GB,128GB) | $1,499.00 | $1,419.00 | $1,377.38* | $1,399.00 | $1,416.10 | $121.62 | |||
| 2.6GHz 13" MBP (8GB,256GB) | $1,699.00 | $1,599.00 | $1,551.98* | $1,649.00 | $1,599.98 | $147.02 | |||
| 2.5GHz 13" MBP (8GB,256GB) | $1,699.00 | $1,539.99 | $1,479.99 | $1,499.00 | $1,479.99 | $249.01 | |||
| 2.9GHz 13" MBP (8GB,256GB) | $2,199.00 | n/a | $1,599.99 | sold out | sold out | $599.01 | |||
| 2.5GHz 13" MBP (8GB,512GB) | $2,499.00 | n/a | $1,699.99 | sold out | $1,899.95 | $799.01 | |||
| 2.9GHz 13" MBP (8GB,512GB) | $2,699.00 | n/a | $1,799.99 | sold out | n/a | $899.01 | |||
| 2.5GHz 13" MBP (8GB,768GB) | $2,999.00 | n/a | $1,839.99* | sold out | $2,149.00 | $1,159.01 | |||
| 2.9GHz 13" MBP (8GB,768GB) | $3,199.00 | n/a |
$2,279.49* |
sold out | sold out | $919.51 | |||
 15-inch MacBook Pro (MBP) with Retina
display
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| 2.3GHz 15" MBP (8GB, 256GB) | $2,199.00 | $1,944.99 | $1,899.99 | sold out | $1,899.00 | $300.00 | |||
| 2.4GHz 15" MBP (8GB, 256GB) | $2,199.00 | $2,079.98 | $2,017.58* | $2,199.00 | $1,999.00 | $200.00 | |||
| 2.6GHz 15" MBP (8GB, 512GB) | $2,799.00 | $2,279.99 | $2,299.99 | sold out | $2,249.00 | $550.00 | |||
| 2.7GHz 15" MBP (16GB, 512GB) | $2,799.00 | $2,649.99 | $2,570.48* | $2,799.00 | $2,599.00 | $228.52 | |||
| 2.7GHz 15" MBP (16GB, 768GB) | $3,199.00 | n/a | $2,699.99 | sold out | sold out | $499.01 | |||
For those readers considering a discounted purchase through one of these authorized resellers, it's noteworthy to point out that the MacConnection requires that customers submit mail-in-rebates post purchase to achieve the prices listed in AppleInsider's Mac Pricing Guide, while the discounts shown for MacMall are instantaneous (including the 3% AI discount) and do not require any form of rebate.
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Previous Comments View All
I gave up on a hackintosh solution and got the 13" MBP. Way faster than my Oct. 2006 MBP. 
We've got around 50 entries, please contribute if you too are waiting for/have received a 2011 Macbook Pro BTO.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...TWG95WEE&hl=en
I absolutely love my 3-month old 13" MBA. In my everyday tasks, the SSD setup actually makes my Core2Duo MBA so much more a pleasure to use than my 27" Quad-core i7 iMac.
It would have been nice to have a Thunderbolt port, but it's minor.
If mobility is more a concern, and 256BG (max) is enough primary storage, the MBA is a no-brainer. If your needs are more of a desktop-replacement, and you need larger, primary storage than the MBP's a better suited.
Apple did a great job with their product lineup. It makes choosing that much more difficult, but in a good way I think. 
I look forward to an updated iMac with MBA-style SSD upgrade options. If Apple designs the SSD setup similar to user-replaceable RAM slots beneath the unit, and a Thunderbolt Port, it'll finally give (most) users zero reason to ever open their iMac.
It'll be a great 2011 for Apple!
Picked up my new 15" 2.3 i7 with hi-res matte screen last Thursday (yup, I jumped on it) on my way home from work. Very happy with it. I think the screen hinge is a bit stiffer than the previous model (I upgraded from last April's MBP (same configuration)), and the key feel also seems to be crisper.
Just got an 8GB RAM kit from OWC (the Apple store only had 4GB configs in stock), which I'll install tonight.
Thinking about installing an SSD kit from OWC to replace the optical drive, which I rarely use, and installing startup and application files on it.
Might have to let my wallet cool off first...
Picked up my new 15" 2.3 i7 with hi-res matte screen last Thursday (yup, I jumped on it) on my way home from work.
Woah - were you able to get the hi-res screen in the store?? I thought that was a BTO-only option. I'm hoping I'll get lucky - I'm in Portland this weekend and can save on sales tax
Also, I'm looking at the 1gb VRAM option as I read somewhere the card in the lesser model is worthless. Anyone have an opinion on that?
Picked up my new 15" 2.3 i7 with hi-res matte screen last Thursday (yup, I jumped on it) on my way home from work. Very happy with it. I think the screen hinge is a bit stiffer than the previous model (I upgraded from last April's MBP (same configuration)), and the key feel also seems to be crisper.
Just got an 8GB RAM kit from OWC (the Apple store only had 4GB configs in stock), which I'll install tonight.
Thinking about installing an SSD kit from OWC to replace the optical drive, which I rarely use, and installing startup and application files on it.
Might have to let my wallet cool off first...
IIRC, the hinge is a bit stiff on brand new machines, it loosens a bit with use.
Thinking about installing an SSD kit from OWC to replace the optical drive, which I rarely use, and installing startup and application files on it.
That's what I'm looking at as well - but I imagine that would violate AppleCare unless you let them (or another authorised shop) do the installation...
That's what I'm looking at as well - but I imagine that would violate AppleCare unless you let them (or another authorised shop) do the installation...
As I understand it, Apple can't legally deny an AppleCare claim simply because an non-authorized source did some work on the machine unless that work was done incorrectly and was the source of the problem.
-kpluck
We are going to wait for a week or two and read the reviews, which hopefully will suss out any hardware issues. Typically, Macworld is great for this. If they give it a clean bill of health, we're going to take the plunge on the 15" for the office. My last PB was the 12" PPC so this is going to feel like a screamer. Very excited about running Lion on this thing!
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Lowest Prices Anywhere!
| Model | Price | You Save |
|---|---|---|
| Core i5 MacBook Pros w/ Retina | ||
| 13" 2.5GHz/8GB/128GB | $1,406.48 | $292.52 |
| 13" 2.5GHz/8GB/256GB | $1,479.99 | $519.01 |
| 13" 2.5GHz/8GB/512GB | $1,699.99 | $799.01 |
| Core i7 MacBook Pros w/ Retina | ||
| 13" 2.9GHz/8GB/256GB | $1,599.99 | $599.01 |
| 13" 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB | $1,799.99 | $899.01 |
| 15" 2.3GHz/8GB/256GB | $1,899.99 | $299.01 |
| 15" 2.6GHz/8GB/512GB | $2,299.99 | $568.01 |
| 15" 2.7GHz/16GB/768GB | $2,699.99 | $499.01 |
| Model | White | Black | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPad mini (WiFi only) | |||
| 16GB WiFi |  |
$329.99 | $329.99 |
| 32GB WiFi | |
$429.99 | $429.99 |
| 64GB WiFi | |
$529.99 | $529.99 |
| iPad mini (WiFi + 4G) | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| 16GB 4G White | $459.99 | $459.99 | $459.99 |
| 32GB 4G White | $559.99 | $559.99 | $559.99 |
| 64GB 4G White | $659.99 | $659.99 | $659.99 |
| 16GB 4G Black | $459.99 | $459.99 | $459.99 |
| 32GB 4G Black | $559.99 | $559.99 | $559.99 |
| 64GB 4G Black | $659.99 | $659.99 | $659.99 |
The graphics card in the Macbook Airs is arguably MORE powerful than the Intel GPU built into the 13" Macbook Pro. The CPU speed is so much faster however, that the 13" Macbook Pro ends up about the same on graphics benchmarks than the 11" Macbook Air.