Phil Schiller’s Keynote address is happening as I write this, and he’s just unveiled the new 15-inch Macbook Pro. It looks like Apple is rethinking the Macbook/Macbook Pro strategy, going to a more diverse product lineup for the Macbook Pro. All of the unibody Macbooks now sport the Macbook Pro brand, starting at 13 inches.
So Apple has officially dropped the Macbook tag down to just one white, polycarbonate spec which got a much quieter update than the keynote Macbook Pro update today. In terms of price, Apple’s new lineup looks like this.
White Macbook – $999
13-inch Macbook Pro – $1199
15-inch Macbook Pro – $1699
17-inch Macbook Pro – $2499
Macbook Air – $1499/$1799 ($700 price cut on second-tier)
Obviously upgrades are going to cost you, but the update looks to streamline Apple’s approach to the notebook market. Apple has also lifted the ceiling on upgrades to their notebooks, allowing you to get up to 8GB of RAM and a 3.06 Dual Core 6MB L2 Cache. Other upgrades are storage size, including the option for a 256GM SSD instead of a 500GB HD.
Apple has also added an SD slot to all of the Macbook Pros, making them more digital camera friendly. This does mean exclusion of the ExpressCard slot, which is now only available on the 17-incher.
Almost forgot – Firewire 800 is back. The new Macbook Pros will be available today, as soon as the Apple Store is back up and running.
Check back for more from Apple’s Keynote later today.
