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History of the Apple Macbook Pro The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers introduced in January 2006 by Apple. It replaced the PowerBook G4 and was the second model, after the iMac, to be announced in the Apple–Intel transition. The MacBook Pro is the high end of the MacBook family and is currently produced with 13-, 15- and 17-inch screens. There have been two designs for the MacBook Pro, both using aluminum. The first was largely a carry-over from the PowerBook G4, but used the Intel Core processors instead of PowerPC G4 chips. A 15-inch model was released in January 2006, a 17-inch model in April, both of which received several updates and Core 2 Duo processors later in the year. The second unibody model has a more tapered design and a casing made from a single block of aluminum. It debuted in October 2008 as the 15-inch MacBook Pro and the 13-inch aluminum unibody MacBook. The following January brought the design to the 17-inch model, along with the built-in battery that joined the rest of the MacBook Pro line in June. Subsequent updates brought upgraded Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and introduced Intel's Thunderbolt technology. The original 15-inch MacBook Pro was announced on January 10, 2006, by Steve Jobs at the Macworld Conference & Expo.The 17-inch model was unveiled on April 24, 2006. The first design was largely a carryover from the PowerBook G4, but used Intel Core CPUs instead of PowerPC G4 chips.The 15-inch Macbook Pro weighed the same as the 15-inch aluminum PowerBook G4, but was 0.1 inches (0.25 cm) deeper, 0.4 inches (1.0 cm) wider, and 0.1 inches (0.25 cm) thinner. Other changes from the PowerBook include a built-in iSight webcam and the inclusion of MagSafe, a magnetic power connector designed to detach easily when pulled to prevent the entire laptop from being pulled off a surface. Both features were later brought over to the MacBook. In order to fit into the slimmer MacBook Pro, the optical drive was half the speed of the one in the PowerBook G4 and could not write to dual layer DVDs. Both the original 15- and 17-inch discrete model MacBook Pros come with ExpressCard/34 slots, which replace the PC Card slots found in the PowerBook G4. All discrete 15-inch models have two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port, while the 17-inch models have three USB 2.0 ports as well as one FireWire 400 port When first introduced, the MacBook Pro did not come with FireWire 800 or S-Video ports, although FireWire 800 was added in the next 15-inch model revision and was present in every version of the 17-inch design. S-Video capability can be attained through the use of a DVI to S-Video adapter. External displays with up to a 2,560 × 1,600 pixel resolution are supported through a dual-link DVI port. All models include a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.0, and 802.11a/b/g. Later models include support for the draft 2.0 specification of 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. Updates At the MacWorld Expo keynote on January 6, 2009, Phil Schiller announced a 17-inch MacBook Pro with unibody construction. This version diverged from its 15-inch sibling with an anti-glare "matte" screen option and a non user-removable lithium polymer battery.Apple affirmed the battery's design was unlike any existing notebook battery. Instead of traditional round cells inside the casing, the lithium-ion polymer batteries are shaped and fitted into each laptop without wasting space. Adaptive charging extends battery life, which uses a chip to optimize the charge flow to reduce wear and tear. Compared to the previous iteration, battery life for the 17" version is quoted at eight hours, with 80 percent of this charge remaining after 1,000 charge-discharge cycles. This battery is not intended to be user-removable. At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 8, 2009, it was announced that the 13-inch unibody MacBook would be upgraded and re-branded as a MacBook Pro, leaving only the white polycarbonate MacBook in the MacBook line. It was also announced that the entire MacBook Pro line would use the non user-removable battery inherited from the 17-inch MacBook Pro.The updated MacBook Pro 13- and the 15-inch would each have up to a claimed seven hours of battery life, while the 17-inch would keep its eight-hour capacity.Some sources even reported up to eight hours of battery life for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros during casual use,while others reported around six hours. Like the 17-inch MacBook Pro, Apple claims that they will last around 1,000 charge cycles while still containing 80 percent of their capacity. Graphics card options stayed the same from the previous release, although the 13-inch, and the base model 15-inch, came with only the GeForce 9400M GPU. The screens were also improved, gaining a claimed 60 percent greater color gamut. All of these mid 2009 models also included a FireWire 800 port and all except the 17-inch models would receive an SD card slot. The 17-inch model would retain its ExpressCard/34 slot. For the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Kensington lock slot was moved to the right side of computer body. On April 13, 2010, the MacBook Pro saw another update. Intel Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs were introduced in the 15- and 17-inch models, while the 13-inch retained the Core 2 Duo with a speed increase. The power brick was redesigned and a high-resolution display (of 1,680 × 1,050) was announced as an option for the 15-inch models. For video cards, the 13-inch gained an integrated Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processing unit (GPU) with 256 MB of shared memory, while the 15- and 17-inch models were upgraded to the GeForce GT 330M, with either 256 or 512 MB of dedicated memory. The 15" and 17" models also have an integrated Intel GPU that is built into the Core i5 and i7 processors. The 15-inch model also gained 0.1 pounds (0.045 kg). Save for a third USB 2.0 slot, all the ports on the 17-inch MacBook Pro are the same in type and number as on the 15-inch version. All models come with 4 GB of system memory that is upgradeable to 8 GB across the board. Battery life was also extended further in this update, to an estimated ten hours for the 13-inch and 8–9 hours on the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros. This was achieved through greater power efficiency and adding more battery capacity. Through actual use, reviewers reported anywhere from six (in the 15-inch) to eight (in the 13-inch) hours of battery life. The line was most recently updated on February 24, 2011 with the introduction of Intel Thunderbolt technology and dual core Intel Core i5 and i7 (on 13-inch model) or quad-core i7 (on 15- and 17-inch models) Sandy Bridge processors as well as a high definition FaceTime camera. Intel HD Graphics 3000 come integrated with the CPU, while the 15- and 17-inch models also utilize discrete graphics cards from AMD, the Radeon HD 6490M and Radeon HD 6750M models. The 2011 models also debuted Intel's Thunderbolt serial bus platform that can achieve speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s,which is up to twice as fast as the USB 3.0 specification, 20 times faster than the USB 2.0 specification, and up to 12 times faster than FireWire 800. Apple says that it can be used to drive displays or to transfer large quantities of data in a short amount of time.
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