MacRumors.com

According to a press release, Apple has started shipping the new MacBook Pro. In addition to the shipping announcement, the new machine is also being offered in 1.83 (up from 1.67) & 2.0 Ghz (up from 1.83) variants of the Intel Core Duo, Apple has also added a 2.16 Ghz build-to-order option on the portable.

“We are incredibly excited to start shipping the MacBook Pro, a groundbreaking new notebook with dual-processor desktop performance in a thin, sleek design,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The new MacBook Pro includes even faster Intel Core Duo processors than originally announced, up to 2.16 GHz, and we think customers are going to love them.”

MacBook Pro, announced January 10 as the replacement for the aging PowerBook, features a full-size backlit keyboard, AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, ExpressCard/34 slot, dual-link DVI video out, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and optical digital and analog audio in/out.