What is a MacBook Pro?

What is a MacBook Pro?

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The first MacBook Pro was released in January of 2006 as a replacement for the PowerBook G4. This was the second laptop model, after the iMac, which came out after Apple started using Intel chipsets. It has gone through three different generations, and quite a few updates during that time. A common MacBook Pro memory upgrade for the Model 1,1 would be a pair of 1GB DDR2 667MHz DIMMs.  

The History of the MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro’s first outing looked remarkably similar to the PowerBook, but the similarities were only skin deep. The first model was 15”, announced in January of 2006, with the 17” model shown in April of that year. This generation of the MacBook Pro included a webcam as well as a magnetic power connector. This magnetic connector, which is still in use today, was a great feature. It ensured that while you were charging the computer, it would not fall off a surface if someone were to trip over the cord; it would simply disengage.

The second generation came out in October of 2008, near the same time as the MacBook Air came out. In fact, this generation borrowed a bit from the design of the Air, at least with the tapered sides of the case they offered. This generation also has a unibody enclosure made from aluminum. The ports for this machine were on the left side, whereas they were on the right on the previous generation’s machine. The trackpad was also larger, and during an update in 2010, they added inertial scrolling, a feature you find with smartphones and tablets from Apple today too.

The third generation was unveiled in June 2012, and these latest devices have retina display. This helps differentiate the newer models from the updates of the older models that came out at the same time. These devices have a 13” and 15” variety. Apple recently announced upgrades to their 15” variety, which now has a 2.7 GHz quad core processor. It also comes with 16 GB of RAM now. Another of the things that consumers noticed with this third generation was they were a bit thinner than the older models. The power button is on the keyboard instead of on the metal chassis too.

Features and Architecture of the MacBook Pro

MacBook Pros have a number of features that make it one of the most popular options for those shopping for a high quality portable computer today. You can choose computers that have a traditional hard drive, or you could opt for a flash storage option, which can help the computer start faster and load apps faster. The computer comes with OS X Mountain Lion as an operating system, as well as a number of preinstalled pieces of software including iTunes, Photo Booth, FaceTime, iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand.