February 4, 2008 11:01 AM PST

Rumor: New MacBook Pros on the way?

With Apple's MacBook Air having reached store shelves, it might not be too much longer before the company updates the rest of its notebook lineup.

MacRumors notes fresh evidence--of sorts--that Apple is getting ready to launch revamped MacBook Pros in February. The site obtained screenshots reportedly from Best Buy's inventory system that point to a $1,999 MacBook Pro arriving at Best Buy in mid-February, although the site also notes that it has heard rumors of several dates in both February and March for the new systems.

It could be time for new MacBook Pros, according to several rumors circulating this week.

(Credit: Apple)

It's been awhile since Apple released new MacBook Pros, and with Intel having just launched several Penryn-class notebook chips at the Consumer Electronics Show, many had thought (including me) that Apple would have new notebooks to show off at Macworld. They did, unwrapping the MacBook Air, but said nothing about the rest of the Mac lineup.

Several in the Apple rumor business also believe that the company will add the multitouch trackpad capabilities found on the MacBook Air to upcoming MacBook Pros and MacBooks. This technology lets you use many of the same iPhone gestures, such as pinching to zoom in and out on a picture, on the notebook's trackpad.

New notebooks could give Apple a boost heading into the second quarter, which is generally the slowest quarter of the year for PC sales. Although the Mac business hasn't needed much of a boost lately, coming off a huge holiday quarter. If you're in the market for a new Mac that comes with an optical drive and more than one USB port, you might want to wait a few weeks to see what shakes out.

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 19 comments (Page 1 of 1)
Product Differentiation
by alasdair23 February 4, 2008 12:20 PM PST
It will be interesting to see what Apple does in terms of the MacBook Pro upgrade to differentiate these models from the consumer line [MacBook] and the fashion/elite line [Air]. Definitely faster graphics chips and LED backlight screens across the entire range - potentially SSD drive option and multi-touch trackpad. Looking at the recent MacBook Air benchmarks, I think most pro users will be waiting for this refresh and the new MacBook Pro's are going to sell like hotcakes.
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iMac Update too!
by coryschulz February 4, 2008 1:37 PM PST
I'm waiting on an iMac update as well! They're about due for an update. A newer processor and better video card would be nice. It also seems odd to me that all computers and laptops on the market now come with 2 GB of ram, and yet the iMacs only come with 1 GB. I know that it's because Apple charges a hefty price to upgrade that extra gig (like $300) and they're making extra profit off of it, but still. If Vista comes with 2 GB I would hope that OSX would as well.
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What Apple needs to roll out:
by PC_Pete February 4, 2008 2:22 PM PST
A USB touch pad that works on Apples and PCs that has the iPhone "multi-touch" interface. They would make a fortune selling these to everyone and make even further inroads into the PC market.
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Integrated Card Reader.
by skillingssucks February 4, 2008 5:12 PM PST
It's just beyond lame that they don't have them. Who wants to keep track of USB dongles/cords, it's a hassle? For two grand a lack of an integrated card reader is just asinine.
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Seems like much ado about nothing. Move along... nothing to see.
by BigGuns149 February 4, 2008 10:21 PM PST
The date is one day before MacWorld. It seem someone added this into their system in anticipation of a new product. Furthermore, a MBP update has been rumored in February for about 2-3 weeks on the Apple rumor sites. CNET though seems to report news on a week plus echo of the rest of the internet.
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  • At the start of the 21st century, there's no tech outfit more influential than Apple. CNET News.com's Tom Krazit will attempt to make sense of the rumors, hype, products, and people that will shape the future of the company. But Apple's not the only game in town, as the established cell phone companies strike back against the iPhone, and chipmakers try to figure out how to move past PCs and slip into a little something more comfortable.
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