Georges van Hoegaerden is an entrepreneur, venture catalyst, serial CEO, and venture capitalist-turned-innovation economist.

As a 20-year Apple user who has infected almost everyone close to me with convincing reasons to abandon subprime computing platforms, it hurts me to have to group and introduce the reasons why I think Apple’s once-infinite loop is turning gradually finite.

Toss the pageantry of false positivity

Now, one could take this message as a negative or a positive depending on which side of the technology world you are on. Yet I am neither a fair-weather friend nor a weapons-trader in this competitive war. I am an independent thinker more worried about the only thing that matters: value to customers. I still admire Apple for its unique — if not perfect — desire and pursuit of authentic innovative value.

I’ve written this editorial as an honest appraisal of the business of innovation and to ensure innovation’s role in delivering authentic social economic value is one the public can trust. Apple is the spiritual and commercial leader in innovation, so it should expect to not only be held to the highest of standards by the public, but also be intrigued by someone who, when they had a lot less wind in their sails, was already rooting for the company.

The latest price reduction in the MacBook Pro line forced my hand to collect and share the many finite patterns I see developing at Apple. The trigger was the pageantry of false positivity applauding the recent price reduction of the MacBook Pro sold to customers. Even though the MacBook Pro 13″ Retina is truly a product worth buying (I have reviewed it personally), the underlying economics of the $200 price reduction are a bit startling.

Act different

Apple is a producer of premium technology with a unique proprietary blend of hardware and software that can demand premium pricing for its products when that innovation delivers consumers a more compelling computing experience and evolution.

But one who connects the dots and sets their own standards of excellence has to wonder.

Why does Apple deploy the equivalent of modern-day slavery in China to save cost — arguably at the expense of American manufacturing — if the consumer value and margin can withstand no less than a $200 price reduction?

Apple succeeds because it is macro-economically different from any of its competitors today. It is the most profitable technology company on our planet not because it competes on price (downside) but because it competes on value (upside). And Apple’s future is secured when it continues to drive the value over market share.

But the pattern I see developing at Apple now is a dangerous one that trades the infinite evolution of upstream innovation for the finite development of operational efficiency.

The pattern

Here are the signals that contribute to the pattern I detect:

• Since Steve’s passing Apple has not delivered any upstream innovation of significance to top-line growth, but an abundance of downstream optimizations derived from Steve’s long lasting upstream vision, perhaps to comfort a nervous Wall Street.
• Tim Cook spends too much time publicly discussing details of operational capabilities without the balanced exposure to and invention of upstream product deliverables that pay the bills. Managing Apple for a long-term strategy means aligning prime resources to vision and upstream innovation. Apple’s execution today is a mediocre extrapolation of what current managers think Steve Jobs would have done, rather than a diligent execution of leadership that knows how to take control.
• All of Apple’s operating systems are in dire need of re-invention. iOS, OSX and server software need fundamental change: upstream innovation that makes them come to life in serving the digital media hubs we as people otherwise need to manually manage. The improvements that we do see seem discombobulated and the misaligned.
• Some of Apple’s products are turning mediocre. An address book that holds six thousand contacts freezes up on every device it is synced to, and sends mail, calendar and other applications in a 40 minute tailspin when you add a single contact. Features prevalent in the distribution of internet content (RSS) disappear from one Safari release to the other, making its users flee to competitive browsers. Shell wakeup and Power Nap differ depending on what MacBook you own. iPhone5 material is sub-quality, scratching easily. Product Management has sunken into the dark catacombs of subordinates. Apple is failing exactly on the basis of the premium computing experience that made it beloved.
• Apple, despite many proclamations to want to do the right thing, is actually in blatant violation of free-market principles in the distribution of music, books, movies and other digital media, perhaps because many technologists do not understand the finite nature of greater-fool economics. Those violations — in addition to fixed pricing mechanisms and collusion — are artificially restricting supply and demand for media, and reducing the viability of creative freedom.
• Price erosion continues. Less than two days after Steve Jobs died I was offered a business discount on Apple products. Not because I wanted it or desired it: The reason for me to buy Apple has always been value, not price. For the first time since Steve Jobs’ passing Apple put previous products and next generation products in the same keynote slide, to catch the buyers who can’t afford current generation products. A slap in the face of renewable value.

There are many more signals I could list that contribute to the pattern I see. But for the sake of time I will now stop here. A complete log of the finite loop signals of Apple can now be found here. All my articles on Apple, including positive, are here.

I gain nothing by criticising Apple. I do not get paid to write this article, and I don’t advertise. I have friends at Apple who will frown on me, and I have a book to finish (on renewable economics) that will get delayed by this distraction.

The only thing I want is for Apple to grow up, to become the responsible adult it needs to be to appease new customers with incredible and renewable innovation. In fact, all of us in the technology business need to learn a hard lesson that to encircle the world, we better learn how to embrace it. The lesson Apple gets to face first.

And if that requires me to be the tough daddy to get us there, so be it.

This article was originally published at The Venture Company.

Georges is an entrepreneur, venture catalyst, serial CEO, venture capitalist turned innovation economist (by fate) and the inventor of renewable economics that will re-authenticate and re-inspire the world, the subject of his first book. Georges’ insights have been generously lauded and covered in major online publications and trade media, such as The Wallstreet Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Business Week, Fortune, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Reuters PEHub, AltAssets, Pensions & Investments, Investors’ Business Daily, Portfolio and hundreds of distributions across the globe.

photo credit: boogah via photopin cc

Video analytics company VisibleMeasures ran the numbers on videos that Apple released in 2012. The top 10 have almost 40 million views in aggregate, and are very focused on Apple’s most popular products. Three of the top 10 Apple viral videos released in 2012 are about iPhone, four promo Apple’s iPad, and two are conversations with Siri.

Only one was about a non-phone and non-tablet Apple product: a video on the MacBook Pro with retina display.

The top video, with 13.3 million views, is an almost seven-minute video introducing the iPhone 5:

Here’s the full list:

Notable misses?

“I was surprised to see that the controversial Apple Genius campaign didn’t have a creative on the list,” VisibleMeasures’ Matt Fiorentino said to me in an email. “Their Mayday spot just missed the list with 1.3 million views.”

Visible Measures counts not just views but what the company calls “true reach views,” which a company representative explained to me is the combination of views generated by Apple uploading the video, plus any views of copies or derivative content uploaded by Apple fans anywhere on the web.

Today we had one of the biggest Apple events I can remember. Between hardware and software, Apple announced at least six new products today, seven if you include Apple Fusion Drive, and a whopping 23 new products if you include different models and build configurations.

Here’s the full list:

• New iBooks software
• New retina 13″ Macbook Pro (two build configurations)
• Mac Mini (three build configurations)
• iMac (at least two sizes, each probably with at least two build configurations)
• Apple Fusion Drive (not a standalone product, but very cool, and an orderable option)
• 4th-generation iPad (six main models)
• iPad mini (six models)

Tim Cook spoke to the huge number of new products — and his team’s effort — at the end of the event.

“We told you we’d deliver amazing innovation this year,” Cook said, “and I hope you’ll agree we did.”

Added to the list announced today, Cook mentioned iOS 6 with hundreds of new features, OS X Mountain Lion, which works with iOS like hand and glove — which is one of iOS’s great advantages over Android — the new iPods recently announced, the new iPhone 5, and the previously announced retina-screen MacBook 15″.

“It’s been an incredible year … a truly prolific year of innovation for Apple,” he said. “We hope you love these products as much as we’ve loved creating them.”

It is a staggering list.

When you look at Apple as a product company, it doesn’t have a huge number of SKUs … four main product families (Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad), perhaps 15 total products within those, and then some 50 or so versions of those products.

Any way you slice it, Apple has refreshed a massive proportion of its product line today. In addition, Apple has done something that it rarely does: Osborn a product. The announced new iMac product line won’t be available until November — the 21.5″ model — and December, for the 27″ version.

It’s impressive chutzpah, based on the capabilities of possibly the most sophisticated supply chain in the business. And it’s an impressive line-up for the holiday shopping season.

At the end, Cook thanked the teams at Apple, “the most talented and innovative people I know.” They’ve done their job. Now it’s time to see how the other titans of the industry — Microsoft and Google — will answer.

We won’t have to wait for long.

Retina has come to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and it’s gorgeous. Apple announced the update to its 13-inch pro-level laptop at an event today in San Jose, Calif.

Here are specs for the unit at the base price:

• Screen with 2,560-by-1,600 resolution
• 8GB of RAM (base config)
• 128GB SSD (base config)
• 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• Two Thunderbolt ports, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, SD card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, and MagSafe 2 power connector
• Ships with Mountain Lion OS

The devices starts at $1,700, $500 less than the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

More details on the MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina Display can be found in Apple’s official announcement.

MacBook sales have been extremely strong in the last quarter, jumping 30 percent even while the laptop market as a whole dropped almost five percent. The new Retina 13-inch model can only serve to increase that strong demand.

Photo credit: Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat

Apple’s October Surprise

We expected Apple to announce an iPad mini today, and we got it. What we didn’t expect was the sheer number of new products the company unveiled. Here’s a rundown of the news.

• Apple debuts new MacBook, iMac, IPad 4 and iPad Mini (live blog)
• With the iPad Mini & an updated iBooks Author, Apple finally has a chance of revolutionizing the classroom
• Apple announces 7.9″ iPad Mini, measuring just 7.2mm thick
• Apple debuts full-size 4th-gen iPad with super-fast A6X chip & HD front camera
• Tablet domination: Apple has sold more than 100M iPads
• Apple’s Fusion Drive combines SSD speed with big storage
• Apple announces stunning 5mm-thick iMac
• Apple launches new iBooks with continuous scrolling, better iCloud support, and page filters
• Apple by the numbers: 200M devices running iOS 6, 125M docs in iCloud

Apple may release its 13-inch Macbook Pro during a media event planned on October 23, and it seems pricing for the new laptop has been leaked.

According to 9to5Mac, consumers will have to shell out $1,699 for the basic 13-inch Macbook Pro model, and up to $2,000 for the same computer with add-ons such as better memory.

Apple introduced the Retina display Macbook Pro at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, when the company released the 15-inch version. That has been the only version of the Macbook Pro available for purchase for awhile, though customers have seemingly wanted the new 2,880 by 1,800 pixel display. The Retina screen was the same upgrade the third generation iPad received, though it seems much of the internal mechanisms have remained the same.

The 15-inch Macbook Pro is currently available for $2,199.

Apple sent out invitations to the press on October 16 saying “We’ve got a little more to show you.” We’ve been hearing a lot of rumors around an iPad Mini, which is what we assume Apple will unveil here, but some are talking about an iMac revamp, and of course the 13-inch Retina display Macbook Pro. The event will take place in San Jose, Calif.

VentureBeat will be reporting live from the event. Check back on the 23rd for more!

Macbook Pro image via Apple

iPhones, iPads, iPods, and soon, iPad Minis are the hottest and most visible stories for the world’s most valuable company … but they are not Apple’s only source of massive sales growth.

A Digitimes research report just released today says that Apple’s laptop sales have jumped 30 percent higher than the previous quarter. That’s significant growth, particularly when compared to a 4.5 percent drop in global notebook shipments from the previous quarter, and a massive 11.6 percent drop from the same quarter last year.

“One of the things that has helped Apple’s laptop shipments is Apple’s overall ecosystem,” Frost & Sullivan analyst Todd Day told me this morning. “Consumers are used to the convenience.”

Apple had released new MacBook Airs in July, and thinner, retina display MacBook Pros in June of this year. The recent retina display MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models are not just continuing Apple’s strong portable performance, they’re actually increasing the rate of growth. But it’s not just about the ecosystem — it’s also just simple build quality, according to analysts.

“The other factor is the quality of product … Apple has made a lot of strides here.” said Day.

Meanwhile, cost leader Acer, netbook pioneer Asustek, and Toshiba all dropped from 15-25 percent.

Part of the global weakness in Windows-based laptops can be blamed on Redmond, according to Digitimes analyst Joanne Chien, who said that “consumers’ wait-and-see attitude to PC purchasing due to Windows 8′s upcoming launch” was one of the drivers of poor performance, along with the general economic downturn.

Source: Digitimes

Global PC shipments

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Probably the biggest disappointment with Apple’s June announcement of the 15-inch Macbook Pro with Retina display was that the device wasn’t joined by a 13-inch variant.

That, however, is expected to change next week, when Apple brings its beloved Retina display to the smaller Macbook Pro, a source tells 9to5Mac (which was previously on target with news of the Retina Macbook Pro.)

A 13-inch Retina Pro will bring all the benefits of its title — a high-resolution screen, powerful processor– with a smaller, lighter footprint, making it perfect for highly mobile creative types.

All signs point to the device’s announcement coming on October 23,  the same day that Apple is expected to announce the iPad Mini, a smaller version of the iPad.

That the device is being called a “Macbook Pro” and not a “Macbook Air” is telling. For one, as with the 15-inch Macbook Pro with Retina, the 13-inch variant is unlikely to feature the Macbook Air’s signature tapered design.

Likewise, that “Pro” designation  also means that the 13-inch Macbook Pro with Retina will also come with a similar price to that of its $2,199 counterpart. This, in turn, means that Apple will be able to sell both the 13-inch Retina Pro and 13-inch Air alongside each other with minimal risk of the two devices cannibalizing each other’s sales.

Photo: James Pikover/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

A number of Macbook Pro and Macbook Air owners are reporting that the Mountain Lion OS X upgrade is behaving like a (non-sparkling) vampire by sucking the life out of their machine’s battery.

Users reporting the abnormally fast battery power drain started cropping up on Apple’s support forum soon after the new OS was made available on July 25. Forum users have said their machine’s battery life is about half as much as it was prior to installing Mountain Lion, which was evident when monitoring the battery life utility.

Apple, however, has just recently started contacting users to investigate the issue, reports Ars Technica. Apple support reps are asking users to log their machine for data and system information that could identify what the problem is. Right now there are only theories for the battery power drain problems, and Apple has yet to release a time frame for when it could be fixed.

I did some testing with my Macbook Pro and did notice that the battery drained faster than usual. Others on the VentureBeat staff haven’t noticed much of a change.

Is your Macbook Pro or Air experiencing rapid battery drain? Let us know in the comments.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Retina Display is ridiculously fast and thin — but you can forget about ever taking it apart.

The repair gurus at iFixit unveiled their teardown of the Retina MacBook Pro this morning, and thanks to its plethora of non-upgradeable parts, they ended up giving Apple’s latest and greatest laptop a dismal repair score of 1 out of 10.

Apple had to squeeze plenty of hardware into the Retina MacBook Pro’s .71-inch thick frame, and just like the MacBook Air, the company had to sacrifice expandability in order to do so. IFixit notes that the new MacBook Pro’s RAM is soldered into the logic board, there’s a proprietary non-upgradeable SSD, and the battery is glued into the case (which means trouble if you ever try to disassemble the computer).

Perhaps the biggest potential issue, iFixit says the entire display assembly is fused, which means you’ll have to replace the entire thing if any aspect of it fails. If you’re not under AppleCare, that will likely be a very expensive repair.

“Laptops are expensive. It’s critical that consumers have the option to repair things that go wrong, as well as upgrade their own hardware to keep it relevant as new technologies roll out,” wrote iFixit’s Kyle Wiens. “On top of being glued together, the new MacBook Pro is virtually non-upgradeable—making it the first MacBook Pro that will be unable to adapt to future advances in memory and storage technology.”

But aside from gadget geeks, I don’t think many consumers will care that this new MacBook Pro is practically impossible to repair. After all, the vast majority of buyers should never have to worry about fixing the computer on their own, and most would rather have a thinner laptop instead of one that catered to tinkerers. I’m a hardware geek myself, but I save my upgrading fetish for my self-built desktop — I don’t mind at all that my MacBook Air is basically a hermetically sealed magic box.

Image via iFixit

Design is determining the winners in everything mobile. The most successful players are focusing on one thing: How to make products, services, and devices as compelling and delightful as possible – visually, and experientially. MobileBeat 2012, July 10-11 in San Francisco , is assembling the most elite minds to debate how UI/UX is transforming every aspect of the mobile economy, and where the opportunities lie. Register here.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

The 17-inch MacBook Pro is dead. Long live the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

Apple’s MacBook behemoth met its quiet and unceremonious demise on Monday. Unlike the 13-and 15-inch versions, the 17-inch MacBook Pro did not get the refresh treatment from Apple, which has even removed the device from its Mac comparison page.

Clearly, big is out.

That Apple made the decision to axe the model should come as no big surprise: The high end of Apple’s MacBook line now belongs to the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, whose most basic model starts at $2,199. The target demographics for the two models are almost completely identical: Like the 17-inch Pro, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display will mostly serve a niche demographic of highly mobile photographers and video editors, the kinds of people who never seem to have enough screen real estate.

But outside those groups, the appeal of the 17-inch MacBook Pro has been slim, which is likely why Apple sliced the device from its lineup.

The new MacBook Pro with Retina Display will likely follow a similar pattern: Industry people and Apple diehards will flock to it, but for pretty much everyone else, the device will be the computer equivalent to a Porchse — nice and eminently desirable, sure, but probably not worth the investment.

And then there’s the resolution issue. As impressive as the new device’s screen is, most existing content won’t upscale to it very well.

That’s because, unlike with apps on the Retina Display-equipped iPad, Apple doesn’t have the same amount of control over what appears on the screens of its MacBooks. It can upgrade software like Final Cut Pro X and Aperture, sure, but it won’t be enough: Everything outside Apple’s purview will still be in the dull, non-Retina past for now.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Apple has announced a moderate update to its MacBook Pro lineup, and while these refreshed laptops won’t be as pretty as the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, they will be way more affordable. Apple announced the new machines at the WWDC 2012 conference.

The MacBook Pros will include third-gen Intel Ivy Bridge processors that can be turbo-boosted up to 3.7GHz. Graphics will be up to 60 percent faster. The machines will include a USB 3.0 slot as well, which is up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0.

Here are the specs and prices on the 13-inch MacBook Pro:

Here are the specs and prices on the 15-inch models:

Spec photos: Heather Kelly/VentureBeat, Top photo: The Verge

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

As expected, Apple has announced a refresh for its popular MacBook Air thin-and-light laptop, with the new model pumped up with higher CPU power and larger hard drive. The announcement took place at WWDC 2012.

The last MacBook Air was already a striking and powerful machine. Now it will include the option to add a 3.2-GHz Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor and a 512GB flash-based hard drive. It will also add in USB 3.0 slot, which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0.. Graphics will be 60 percent faster than before.

The 13-inch MacBook Air models will cost $1199 and $1499, while 11-inch models will run $999 and $1099.

Unfortunately, the new MacBook Air does not feature a high-density Retina display. If you want that, you’ll have to look at the MacBook Pro with Retina display, which starts at $2200.

Take a look at the 11-inch MacBook Air model specs below:

And here’s a look at the 13-inch MacBook Air specs:

Developing post. Refresh for updates.

Top photos: Heather Kelly/VentureBeat, Bottom photo: The Verge

Update: This information has all been confirmed at WWDC. Check out our posts on the new thin Retina MacBook Pro, the new MacBook Air, and the updated MacBook Pros. Original story below.

—

As eager developers and journalists line up for Apple’s WWDC keynote this morning, some intriguing new details about Apple’s Mac hardware announcements have leaked out.

Among the scheduled hardware upgrades, Apple will offer the MacBook Air with up to 8 gigabytes of RAM and a 512 gigabyte SSD for storage, its first Mac Pro update in two years, and the long-awaited MacBook Pros with sharp Retina Displays, reports 9to5Mac.

Many of the upgrades have been expected and/or rumored for some time, so there’s not much left to surprise us. Though it sounds like you’ll be paying more than you thought for that Retina MacBook Pro — according to 9to5Mac’s sources, that machine’s high-end specs could surpass $4,000 in some countries. Even at the low-end, the Retina MacBook Pros look like powerhouses, as they start out with a 2.3 gigahertz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for storage.

The current details don’t mention anything about thinner MacBook Pros, which have been rumored for the past year, but we could still end up seeing them announced today.

It doesn’t look like much has changed with the MacBook Air, aside from the new high-end models with 8GB of RAM and higher capacity 512GB SS for the 13-inch model.  Like all of  Apple’s new hardware, the revamped MacBook Air will sport Ivy Bridge processors starting at 1.7 Ghz and 1.8 Ghz for the 11-inch and 13-inch models respectively.

The Mac Pro upgrades should make desktop power users especially happy. The lowest-end Mac Pro will start with a 3.2 Ghz quad-core processor, 6GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a Radeon 5770 graphics card. Of course, you’ll be able to mix and match all sorts of crazy hardware into the Mac Pro as well.

Among other new announcements, 9to5Mac notes that Apple may announce a refresh for its MagSafe power adapters, and it may also rebrand its current external CD drive as the “USB SuperDrive” (right now it’s the “MacBook Air Superdrive”).

We have several writers currently waiting to get into Apple’s WWDC keynote, so stay tuned here for official updates on Apple’s new hardware, iOS 6, and much more!

Spoiler alert! Apple is going to announce things on Monday morning at a keynote address kicking off the annual Apple World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC). Since speculation and rumors are half the fun (and annoyance) of reporting on Apple, we’ve collected some of our predictions for the big event.

We will be reporting live from Apple’s keynote address bright and early on Monday morning. The event begins at 10AM Pacific at the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco, Calif. Follow our Tweets, and, on our website, our liveblog and WWDC news.

Let’s put on our detective hats and start with the clues. Above is a photo of the inside of Moscone center on Friday. There are three giant banners. What could it all mean?

iOS 6: Facebook, new maps, and Siri for the iPad

Apple’s first banner confirms the company will unveil its newest mobile operation system, iOS 6, but what will be inside? It looks like the latest version of the OS will add Facebook integration to go with its existing Twitter functions. Facebook integration could make an appearance in the Photos app and Apple’s App Store.

Apple is likely dumping Google Maps for its own mapping tools, one-upping the search giant by adding a 3D option. (In October, Apple acquired 3D-imaging company C3 technologies.) Turn-by-turn directions might be in the pipeline as well.

A new tracking tool to replace the UDID system was reported by the Wall Street Journal on Friday. The new system would continue to collect useful data for developers, but with improved privacy controls, such as opt-in tracking and stricter rules for developers to protect users.

Finally, there’s much speculation that mobile voice-assistant Siri will finally make an appearance on the latest iPad. There are also whispers that Apple will introduce a Siri API at the event, which would allow devs to integrate Siri functionality into their apps.

Mountain Lion: A launch date and new iOS-esque features

The Mountain Lion Mac operating system was first announced in February with a vague “Summer” release time. The Mountain Lion Developer Preview has been out in the wild and seen a few updates since then, which means most of the new features are already public. Apple will probably announce an official release date for the OS and a few new goodies. Any new features will match up with Apple’s quest to bring the best of iOS (especially iPad features) to the Mac, such as improved notifications.

iCloud: Social integration and pretty pictures

An update to the iCloud service is pretty certain. A new iCloud feature could improve photo sharing and add social features to the mix, allowing friends to comment on and download your images. Reminders and Notes will likely be drawn into iCloud as web apps. Finally, videos could be synced between devices using iCloud and collected into a stream, like photos currently are.

Fresh Macs and MacBooks: Ivy Bridge, Retina displays

Breaking from tradition, it looks like Apple will announce a Mac hardware upgrade at WWDC, featuring Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processors. The most popular possibilities are beefed-up, slimmed-down laptops across the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines, some with Retina displays. The desktop line could also get some fresh blood, with a speed-bumped iMac and Mac Pro.

Apple TV: Maybe an SDK, but no HD TV

This juicy and highly speculative rumor has been getting a lot of attention: Apple will unveil a software developers’ kit for Apple TV. Our own Dean Takahashi would love to see the Apple TV opened up for cloud gaming. The long longed-for iTV, an HD TV made by Apple, is highly unlikely at this point.

The event itself

There will be orange juice, coffee, and pastries for attendees. Cool new apps from third-party developers will be demoed and an Apple TV ad will make its world debut. Tim Cook will be predictably charming, dressed in jeans and a possibly untucked black button down. Two-thirds of the way through the presentation, Cook will morph into a giant fire-breathing dragon and swallow Jony Ive whole before stomping out of the amphitheater, breaking through the Moscone Center’s glass wall, and fleeing into the warm mid-morning sky.

Share your own predictions in the comments!

If you’ve been waiting for Apple to refresh its flagship MacBook Pro laptops, it looks like your patience will be well-rewarded.

Apple’s next 15-inch MacBook Pro will reportedly sport a thinner design (as many previous rumors have indicated), a higher-resolution Retina Display screen, and it will also be the first Mac to feature USB 3 ports, supply chain sources tell 9to5Mac. Apple is expected to announce the laptop at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June (it’s already out of stock at many stores), and the company is also ramping up shipments for that month as well, Digitimes reports.

We’ve been hearing quite a bit about a new 15-inch MacBook over the last six months. While initial rumors pointed to Apple releasing a 15-inch version of its MacBook Pro ultraportable, it’s more likely that they were referring to the thinner MacBook Pro. 9to5Mac notes that the new laptop won’t have the tapered design of the current MacBook Air, and it will instead resemble a slimmed-down version of the existing MBP.

Given just how well the new iPad’s Retina Display turned out, it’s been rumored for some time that Apple would eventually bring higher-resolution displays to the Mac. According to 9to5Mac, you’ll be able to choose from several different resolution modes to tweak the sharpness of images and text in OSX Mountain Lion (instead of dealing with specific resolutions).

Intriguingly, Apple is also reportedly removing the MacBook Pro’s optical drive in an effort to make the laptop thinner. Power users will likely be annoyed by the move, but honestly I rarely miss having an optical drive on my MacBook Air. You’ll still be able to read CDs and DVDs with an external optical drive.

Intel will likely debut its much-anticipated Ivy Bridge processors — which offer energy efficiency while still being powerful — on April 23, according to a Digitimes report.

The report contradicts news we heard in February that Intel would push back the debut of Ivy Bridge until June. It’s possible that Intel has changed its timeline to make way for a staggered rollout that will start this month and go wide in June.

PC manufacturers including Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Sony, Toshiba and HP will likely incorporate Ivy Bridge processors into their second-generation ultrabook laptops starting in May. And there’s word that Apple will be soon release a new version of the MacBook Pro, which could use Ivy Bridge chips as well. Apple’s iMac computers will almost certainly get Ivy Bridge eventually.

On top of energy-efficiency, Ivy Bridge prioritizes strong graphics and multimedia processing. It’s also the first Intel chip to support USB 3.0 and incorporate 3D transistors.

Processor image: iDesign/Shutterstock

When stores start posting “out of stock” signs for Apple products, you know that means a product refresh might be in the works. MacBook Pros are starting to run out at designated resellers, adding more fuel to the rumor fire suggesting a new line of the laptops.

Electronics retailers J&R as well as Best Buy are listing various MacBook Pros models as out of stock, according to Apple Insider. J&R in particular has run out of the 15-inch 2.2Ghz Pros (though it is still available through its partner retailer Macy’s) and says the 2.4Ghz model is “on order.” Best Buy has also stopped offering shipping for the 15-inch Pro, though it is still available in select stores. Stores tend to sell out of products when they’re expecting a refresh, that way there isn’t extra inventory to get rid of when the new units are shipped.

Rumors about the what the new line of MacBook Pros will sport  have been flying around for the past few months. Some say the computers will lose the optical drive support once and for all, becoming more like their MacBook Air counterparts. Others speculate that the same Retina display that made it into the new iPad will replace the current Pros’ screens. Apple Insider believes the 15-inch Pro will get a refresh first, with the 13-inch and 17-inch models following before the year is up. The 15-inch Pro could by unveiled as soon as this month.

via Apple Insider

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

The next MacBook Pro, Apple’s premium line of laptops, will allegedly feature a slimmer unibody design for the 13- and 15-inch models.

The two thinner models are said to have gone into production, according to a report from Digitimes, a Chinese tech blog that has previously broken news about Apple products prior to an official announcement. In addition to the slimmer size, the new MacBook Pros are also reportedly dropping their optical drive support.

If true, the news would confirm that Apple is trying to unify its line of laptops by making them all more similar to its ultra-thin MacBook Air.

It’s worth noting that there are some benefits to dropping older, bulky hardware on the current MacBook Pros, as VentureBeat’s Devindra Hardawar previously reported. Specifically, it would allow Apple to bring the quick boot and instant-on capabilities of the MacBook Air to its wider notebook lineup, and it would also significantly improve battery life. It could also help Apple gain an advantage over Intel and the many Ultrabook manufacturers trying to mimic the MacBook Air design.

The elimination of space as well as the lack of optical drive would mean that both the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros wouldn’t necessarily be considered as “work-horse” production machines. That said, consumers who need a more powerful laptop can always upgrade to the 17-inch MacBook Pro model, which likely won’t get the ultra-thin treatment.

After sticking with a fairly consistent unibody MacBook Pro design for some time, Apple may be gearing up to bring design elements from its popular MacBook Air line into its more powerful models later this year.

The company is preparing a “top-to-bottom revamp” of the MacBook Pro lineup that will result in thinner unibody cases and solid-state hard drives and the loss of optical disk drives, sources tell AppleInsider.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard such talk, as rumors of a MacBook Air-inspired redesign for the MacBook Pro first started last year.  There’s also word that Apple is working on a 15-inch MacBook Air model, which could be related to this report.

That Apple will finally redesign the MacBook Pro this year doesn’t come as a surprise—the real question is to what extent. I have a hard time believing that Apple will completely remove the choice of larger traditional hard drives (SSDs are much faster but hold much less) from the MacBook Pro. And while the optical disk drive is easy to forgo on an ultraportable laptop, consumers who rely on the MacBook Pro as their only computer would certainly miss the ability to throw in a DVD.

There are benefits to completely dropping older hardware on the MacBook Pro. It would allow Apple to bring the quick boot and instant-on capabilities of the MacBook Air to its wider notebook lineup, and it would also significantly improve battery life. And of course, such a move would help Apple one-up Intel and the many Ultrabook manufacturers trying to ape the style of the MacBook Air.

AppleInsider says that Apple is prioritizing the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s redesign over the 17-inch model, but that’s par for the course for Apple.

It’ll be interesting to see how Apple juggles its MacBook Pro and Air lines as they begin to more closely resemble each other. Most companies would be terrified about cannibalizing a successful new product, but Apple has already shown that it isn’t afraid to make sweeping changes if the result is better products.

It’s time to finally treat yourself to that MacBook Air.

Apple is gearing up for Black Friday in a big way this year, with planned discounts for MacBook laptops, iMacs, iPads, iPods, and plenty more, reports 9to5 Mac.

According to leaked Apple flyers, the company will offer a $101 discount on Mac computers (bringing the Air down to a tempting $898 entry price), $41 to $61 discounts on iPads (depending on size), and smaller discounts for the iPod Touch and iPod Nano. If you’ve already got the Apple gizmo of your dreams, there will also be discounts on first- and third-party accessories, including $11 off the iPad 2 Smart Cover.

The discounts should be available at Apple retail stores and the company’s online store. Apple has been teasing its online Black Friday sale for the past few days.

While Apple is joining pretty much every other retailer in America with its Black Friday sale, it’s a particularly rare occurrence for the company to offer any discount. You may be able to land some Apple products cheaper as new models are announced, but typically consumers have to rely on third-party retailers to get their Apple fix on the cheap.

While you likely haven’t thought much about how Apple gets those green lights to shine through its metal products, like its webcam indicators on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, doing so was a significant problem for Apple’s design mastermind Jony Ive.

The big issue, as Businessweek explains, is that it’s impossible to shine light through metal. The eventual solution: lots of lasers.

Sources tell BusinessWeek that Ive assembled a team of manufacturing experts to figure out the problem. They eventually found that they could use a laser to create tiny holes in metal that, while virtually undetectable by human eyes, could allow light to come through.

The group also discovered a US company whose laser equipment could be modified to create the tiny holes. The unnamed company’s machines typically sold for around $250,000, but Apple ended up forming an exclusivity agreement with it to purchase hundreds of machines. Now Apple uses the laser to create green indicator lights on a slew of aluminum products, including the Apple Trackpad and wireless keyboard.

The laser solution is indicative of Apple’s design creativity, but it’s also a fitting example of the operational extremes the company will go to for its products. As BusinessWeek points out, Apple also went to great lengths to create its unibody aluminum MacBook cases, helping to create new tooling equipment for manufacturers. Apple now plans to double its supply chain spending to $7.1 billion, Businessweek reports, which means we’ll likely see plenty more interesting manufacturing decisions from the company.

Apple has continued to keep its laptops in fighting form with updates to its processing speed and graphics capabilities. These updates become increasingly important as competitors such as Dell’s XPS 14z try to take the computer on in form factor and speed.

We reported on rumors of a new MacBook Pro upgrade a couple of weeks ago. The new 13-inch Pros now sport 2.4 GHz Intel core i5 processors with 500 GB of hard drive and can tap out at 2.8 GHz i7 processors with 750 GB of hard drive. The 15 and 17-inch Pros have been upgraded from the 2.0 GHz processor to a 2.5 Ghz quad-core i7.

In terms of graphics, the 15-inch now runs on a Radeon HD 6750M and goes up to a 6770M, comparable to the 6490M to 6750M in the previous iteration. The 17-inch Pro saw an upgrade to the Radeon HD 6770M graphics card as well. 13-inch MacBook Pros have not yet received the Radeon graphics integration and remain running on the Intel HD Graphics 3000.

Like the iPhone 4S release, the body of these MacBook Pros remains the same, although the guts have changed. Pricing also remains the same. The computers also do not support Bluetooth 4.0 yet, though it’s been rumored the integration is pending given the iPhone and MacBook Air now both support the device.

The latest upgrades come pretty quickly on the heels previous upgrades to the MacBook Pro line in February, when the laptops were touched up with Intel’s then-new Sandy Bridge core i5 and i7 processors. In February, the computers also received new Thunderbolt ports, allowing them to make high speed data transfers and also making them compatible with HDMI and DVI cables. At that time, the 13-inch MacBook Pro received new dual core i5 and i7 processors, ranging from 2.3 GHz with 320 GB hard drive to 2.7 Ghz with 500 GB hard drive. The 15 and 17-inch computers rose to a quad-core i7, 2.0 GHz  with 500 GB hard drive. The new Sandy Bridge quad-core technology is as energy-efficient as it is powerful, which allows the processors to run without sucking the battery life out of the MacBook Pros.

[via ThisIsMyNext]

The company officially announced its XPS 14z laptop today, which is not too subtly being positioned as an alternative to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. But unlike past Dell designs, the XPS 14z may be attractive enough to tempt away those eyeing Apple’s devices.

At 0.9-inches thin and 4.36 pounds, the laptop is both thinner and lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It also starts at $999, compared to the MBP’s $1199 entry price.

The XPS 14z also manages to stuff a 14-inch screen into the size of a 13-inch notebook, thanks to LG’s Shuriken technology. As you can see from the product images, the screen doesn’t have much of a bezel on the side, so it appears as if it reaches the edge of the laptop.

Dell managed to make the laptop thin by moving ports like HDMI and Ethernet to the rear, something that harkens back to laptop designs from almost a decade ago.

The XPS 14z also features dedicated graphics cards (Nvidia’s GeForce GT 520M), compared to the MBP’s slower integrated Intel graphics. Not surprisingly, the computer sports Intel’s most recent generation of Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The XPS 14z comes standard with a 500 gigabyte 7200rpm hard drive, 6 gigabytes of RAM, and a battery life of around six hours (about an hour less than the MBP).

The laptop will ship with Windows 7 Home Premium on November 1 in the US. Those in other countries will have to wait until November 15 to get their hands on it.

The laptops will be available soon in 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch screen sizes.

9to5mac reports that Apple will be shipping two versions of the two smaller sizes and that the new laptops are appearing in internal inventory documents as K90IA, K91A and K92A, in ascending order by size. This information comes to the blog from an anonymous source.

Even though this comes fast on the heels of the recent MacBook Pro refresh that put slightly faster processors into the laptops, we’re not too surprised, since new models were expected to arrive in 2o12.

Currently, the 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models contain 2Ghz to 2.3 Ghz chips, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro is running at 2.7Ghz. But the recently announced new hardware will bring Intel’s newest Sandy Bridge processors to the laptops. That announcement came just after Intel released its Core i7 Sandy Bridge processors, including quad-core 2.4 gigahertz, 2.5Ghz and 2.7Ghz chips.

The new models may or may not also include Bluetooth 4.0 technology, which Apple recently introduced on its iPhone 4S and the latest MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro line last got a facelift back in February, when the current processors and Thunderbolt high-speed data ports were introduced. Although the new models were expected, it is a bit surprising to see this upgrade come so quickly after the Sandy Bridge upgrade; however, we’ve speculated in the past that the new-new processors are needed to keep the line current.

The MacBook Air and mini also got upgraded over the summer to feature Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors as well as Thunderbolt ports.

Image courtesy of Benjamin Nagel.

Jobs liked to call some of his products “magical.” While that might be a bit of an exaggeration, there’s no doubt he and the people he oversaw at Apple changed the way people interact with computers. One of Jobs’ biggest notions was the idea of building a device focused on the needs of a user and not just building technology for the sake of it. He oversaw the creation of the world’s single most popular portable music player and smartphone.

Here are 10 important products Steve Jobs brought to the world while at Apple:

Apple II

Launched in June 1977, the Apple II was the first successful mass-market PC. Jobs and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak designed the Apple II, and it changed computing around the world. The first Apple II had specs you would laugh at now, but they were quite good for the time: a 1-MHz processor, 4KB of RAM and an audio cassette interface for programs and data storage. The machine had an external 5.25-inch floppy disk drive as well. The Apple II and its successors would later pave the way for business and consumer PCs.

Lisa

While Apple’s 1983 Lisa computer was a failure of sorts because of its $10,000 price tag, it did introduce many computing features that continue to drive computing innovation. The Lisa was one of the first computers to offer multitasking, a document-based graphical user interface, an optional hard drive and bundled office software. The Lisa is arguably the least important item on this list, and if that’s the case, you can see just how notable Jobs’ contribution to technology products are to today’s society.

Macintosh

The original Macintosh computer was advertised during the Super Bowl in 1984 and famously decried the status quo of personal computing with imagery related to George Orwell’s 1984. The Macintosh redefined PCs and was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a graphical user interface and a mouse. The Macintosh line faltered in the early 90s but began to regain steam again with the iMac.

iMac

A year after Jobs returned to the helm at Apple in 1997, the company launched the distinctive (and divisive) first-generation iMac. The design was a radical departure from the Macs of old and helped Apple regain its footing with high-minded consumers. Designer Jonathan Ive, with oversight from Jobs, led the design team in the creation of the iMac, and he later helped design most of the products you see below.

iPod

The iPod MP3 player looked a little wacky when it first hit the scene in 2001. Outside of the Walkman, there really wasn’t a single portable music device that changed music so drastically. The first iPod retailed for $400 with 5GB of storage, but now there’s a host of iPod devices ranging from the tiny iPod shuffle to the feature-filled iPod touch, each with its own purpose. The iPod line has had the best-selling music players in the world for several years, and you can count on it staying that way for some time.

iTunes

It wasn’t enough that Jobs revolutionized the MP3 player; he also needed to give people the software to manage the content. iTunes started as an interface for playing your music files, but now it is one of the largest music stores on the planet. iTunes accounts for more than a fourth of music sales happening today, and the trend will likely continue in its favor as the iPod continues its reign as the most popular music player. Apple also recently introduced iCloud, which will interact with iTunes and Apple products so users can store music in the cloud rather than solely on their devices.

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro’s launch in January 2006 showed that Apple was once again getting serious about innovating in the laptop space with high-end parts and aluminum bodies. The Pro’s design largely took cues from PowerBook G4 but included Intel Core Duo processors rather than PowerPC chips, a move that opened up a lot more potential for Apple’s machine and showed the “Wintel” alliance wasn’t going to last. The MacBook Pro paved the way for the MacBook Air a few years later, and the Pro still retails today as one of the classiest laptops around.

iPhone

While some observers may have been disappointed by Tuesday’s launch of the iPhone 4S instead of a much-anticipated iPhone 5, there is no doubt that the first iPhone changed the smartphone landscape as we know it when it landed in June 2007. Steve Jobs’ dedication to a strong user interface showed with his focus on a simple mobile operating system paired with a 3.5-inch touch screen. The iPhone now has more than 500,000 apps available for it, and the phone is the best-selling smartphone in the world.

MacBook Air

The first MacBook Air didn’t seem as important as it is now, but that just shows how Jobs was thinking ahead yet again. When Apple launched the MacBook Air in January 2008, it seemed like a stripped-down laptop that ditched the CD-ROM a little too soon. But now that we’re in the age of cloud computing and streaming media, the need for physical media is essentially gone. The MacBook Air and Intel’s “Ultrabook” followers will continue to change how we look at laptops and personal computing.

iPad

The January 2010 launch of the iPad tablet showed that Jobs yet again was ahead of the curve by bringing back tablet computing. Tablets were first shown off by Microsoft in 2001, but tablet PCs didn’t take off with consumers until Jobs paired a tablet with the simple iOS mobile operating system and a variety of compelling apps. The iPad is by far the best-selling tablet in the world and many analysts believe it will stay that way, even with competitors like Amazon Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9.

What Steve Jobs product has had the biggest impact on you?

If true, the news is a bit surprising, since Apple wasn’t expected to offer new MacBook Pro models until next year. But the refreshed hardware is likely necessary for Apple to keep the MacBook Pro competitive with others sporting Intel’s new chips.

Sources tell AppleInsider that the new models will offer no other upgrades beyond the slightly faster chips.

Last week Intel introduced new models of its current-generation Core i7 Sandy Bridge processors, including quad-core 2.4 gigahertz, 2.5Ghz and 2.7Ghz chips. They could replace the 2Ghz to 2.3 Ghz chips currently included in Apple’s 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros. Additionally, a Core i7 dual-core 2.8Ghz chip could spruce up the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro currently running at 2.7Ghz.

Apple was previously thought to be waiting for Intel’s updated Ivy Bridge processors before it revamped its MacBook Pro lineup, but those processors are now expected to show up early next year.

Apple last updated the MacBook Pro in February with Sandy Bridge processors, Thunderbolt ports, and FaceTime HD cameras.

If true, it would mean a return to custom chips for Apple, similar to the company’s reliance on IBM’s PowerPC processors before it wisely jumped to Intel in 2006. But at this point, there’s very little reason to believe Apple would dump Intel entirely.

Intel just recently showed off its 3D “Tri-Gate” transistor technology, which will pave the way for more powerful processors that are cheaper to produce and consume less energy than today’s chips. Tri-Gate is a major technological coup for Intel, as it will ultimately allow the chip giant to create more powerful mobile processors and take on ARM’s mobile dominance.

It strikes me as odd that Apple would leave Intel when Tri-Gate has the potential to change the face of computing as we know it. And it will likely take ARM some time before its chips reach the computing levels of Intel’s Core i5 and Core i7 quad-core chips in Apple’s Macbook Pro.

I also don’t think the company would want to deal with the logistics of another chip architecture move. When Apple moved from PowerPC to Intel, it had to roll out an Intel-compatible version of Mac OS X, as well as rely on virtualization technology to let older Mac apps run on the Intel chips.

SemiAccurate assumes that Apple is holding out for ARM chips to reach 64 bit capabilities (allowing them to address more than 4 gigabytes of memory), putting a potential jump to ARM chips in mid-2013. The site’s sources reiterate that the ARM move is a “done deal” for laptops, although I suspect that even if such a deal existed, it would be seriously reconsidered if Intel lives up to its Tri-Gate promises.

Apple’s A4 and A5 mobile chips, which power the iPhone 4, iPad and latest generation iPod Touch, currently include ARM cores — so the company is definitely familiar with the capabilities of ARM’s chips. The only Apple laptop I could imagine being a good fit for ARM chips is the MacBook Air, which is already impossibly thin but relies on an older Core 2 Duo CPU. (I suspect that will change this year as well.)

SemiAccurate notes that its sources have been correct in the past about Apple’s shift away from Nvidia graphics cards to ATI  — a good win, I’ll admit — but the move to ARM processors would be a far more fundamental change.

Will Apple’s subscription plan spark a developer exodus? — For developers, it seems like it’s Apple’s way or the highway. And the highway is getting more appealing every day.

Apple iPad 2 said to be unveiled at March 2 event — Apple will finally debut the iPad 2 at a San Francisco event on March 2.

HP’s new business laptops offer up to 32 hours of battery — Hewlett-Packard announced a new family of laptops for business users with new industrial designs and one very interesting feature: a battery life of up to 32 hours.

Amazon takes on Netflix with Prime instant videos — This is Amazon’s first move to counter Netflix’s streaming video dominance.

Apple rumored to launch new Macbook Pros — Rumors said Apple was going to introduce new MacBook Pro laptops last week — and it did.

And here are five more stories we think are important, thought-provoking, fun, or all of the above:

Room 77 helps you avoid bad hotel rooms — There’s no shortage of ways to book hotel rooms online, but most services have little information about one of the most important factors — the quality of the room itself.

Grameen IT CEO on how technology transformed Bangladesh — Kazi Islam describes his job as “implementing the future”.

Apple looks towards music files that surpass CD quality — Apple, the company responsible for the widespread popularity of heavily compressed music, is looking into offering high-fidelity music files that will surpass the quality of CDs.

Google’s investment in Transphorm could be good news for electric cars — Google is backing a startup called Transphorm, whose power-conversion efficiency technology could some day help create more efficient electric cars.

Killzone 3 with Move controller: a novel but not brilliant gaming experience — Sony’s newly launched Killzone 3 video game for the PlayStation 3 promised to be a big step up in first-person shooting sci-fi combat, but it has serious shortcomings.

News hit yesterday that Apple would likely be the first company to adopt the new I/O technology, which is capable of incredible speeds of 10 gigabits per second in both directions. Thunderbolt ports will look like the existing Mini DisplayPort connection on older generation MacBook Pros and will sport a lightning bolt icon.

According to Intel, Thunderbolt’s speeds will allow users to transfer a full high-definition movie (between 10 gigabytes and 20 gigabytes in size) in less than 30 seconds.

The technology allows external devices to tap directly into the PCI Express interface on computers, which allows for the incredibly fast transfer speeds. As with FireWire devices, it will be possible to daisy-chain multiple Thunderbolt devices together, which means computers won’t have a need for more than one Thunderbolt port. The interface also provides power, also like FireWire, so users don’t have to worry about connecting extra power adapters to external hard drives.

Given its speed and bandwidth capabilities, Thunderbolt was meant to serve as a single interface to juggle multiple functions. The protocol is smart enough to know what you’re intending to use it for — for example, it will function as a disk interface if you plug in a Thunderbolt-capable disk drive, but if you plug in a Thunderbolt monitor, it will instead function as a display interface.

Other PC manufacturers, including Sony, are expected to adopt Thunderbolt later this year and into early 2012.

The updates once again cement the MacBook Pros as titans in the laptop arena. Unfortunately for those looking for a new look, there aren’t any major design changes to be seen. Instead, we get the same handsome all-metal unibody design that Apple has been married to for the past few years.

All of the Macbook Pros will also feature high-speed Thunderbolt ports (Thunderbolt is Intel’s new moniker for its Light Peak technology). The technology will allow for speeds of 10 gigabits a second, and it will support devices like HDMI and DVI displays, as well as hard drive RAID arrays. It will compete with USB 3.0 and is also technically capable of running USB and FireWire devices.

The obvious benefit of Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs is that they’ll be more powerful than any previous chips. But they’re also intelligent about power management, and Intel has worked hard to make sure they draw less power than earlier chips, which is why it’s now possible to put a quad-core CPU in a MacBook Pro without killing battery life.

The FaceTime HD cameras will offer higher resolution video chat than ever possible on a Mac laptop. They will allow for video calls between Mac computers, the iPhone 4 and the iPod Touch. Apple is finally bringing its FaceTime HD software out of beta testing today — it’s currently available on the Mac App Store for $0.99.

This time around, Apple didn’t skimp on making the 13.3-inch MacBook Pros more powerful. They’re available with Core i5 and Core i7 processors, and will be priced at $1,199 (with a 2.4 gigahertz dual core Core i5 CPU and 320 gigabyte hard drive) and $1,499 (with a 2.7Ghz dual core Core i7 CPU and 500GB hard drive). Those are significant hardware bumps for the most portable entries in the Macbook Pro family. Unfortunately, the 13.3-inch models will still rely on slower integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics.

The 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros are now packing quad-core i7 processors exclusively, and have also moved away from Nvidia graphics cards to dedicated cards from the AMD Radeon HD 6000M family. In plain English, the hardware updates mean that these laptops will be among the most powerful on the market.

The 15-inch model starts at $1,799 and will come with a 2.0Ghz quad-core CPU, 500GB hard drive and Radeon HD6490M graphics card. The $1,799 15-inch entry features a 2.2Ghz CPU, 750GB hard drive, and a Radeon 6750M graphics card. Apple’s lone 17-inch MacBook Pro sports the same hardware as the highest end 15-inch model, and will retail for $2,499.

All of the new MacBook Pros are now available on Apple’s online store.