MacRumors

Earlier today, Apple launched updated MacBook Pro models, moving its 15" and 17" models to Intel Core i5 and i7 processors utilizing integrated Intel graphics paired with NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics cards. The new 13" MacBook Pro, however, continues to utilize Intel Core 2 Duo processors with a custom NVIDIA GeForce 320 integrated graphics solution. Some observers have questioned why Apple did not make a more substantial upgrade to the processors used in the 13" models.

One interested party even went so far as to send an email to Apple CEO Steve Jobs about the decision, and shared Jobs' response with us. According to Jobs, Apple chose to focus on the graphics performance and combine it with outstanding battery life instead of opting for the alternative of merely a small increase in CPU speed.

We chose killer graphics plus 10 hour battery life over a very small CPU speed increase. Users will see far more performance boost from the speedy graphics.

Early benchmarks show significantly improved performance for the Core i7-based MacBook Pro, and it will be interesting to see how the new 13" models compare to their predecessors in various tasks.

ITworld reports that the dust-up between Apple and Adobe over Apple's refusal to permit Flash content on the iPhone and its recent move to block Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone packager in its forthcoming Flash Professional CS5 is set to move to the next level, with Adobe preparing to file suit against Apple over the dispute.

Usually I write about security here, but Apple's iron-bound determination to keep Adobe Flash out of any iWhatever device is about to blow up in Apple's face. Sources close to Adobe tell me that Adobe will be suing Apple within a few weeks.

It was bad enough when Apple said, in effect, that Adobe Flash wasn't good enough to be allowed on the iPad. But the final straw was when Apple changed its iPhone SDK (software development kit) license so that developers may not submit programs to Apple that use cross-platform compilers.

While Adobe has officially remained silent on the new cross-platform compiler issue other than to note that it is looking into the ramifications of Apple's move, a "platform evangelist" for the company strongly objected to the move, even going so far as to say "Go screw yourself Apple."

For his part, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly noted in an email exchange with a developer that allowing such intermediate layers inevitably leads to a substandard user experience and "hinders the progress of the platform."

Gizmodo publishes preliminary benchmarks comparing the performance of Apple's new top-of-the-line 2.66 GHz Core i7-based 15" MacBook Pro released today to a previous-generation 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo model. With the caveat that the tests did not include the previous top-of-the-line 3.06 GHz model, the new MacBook Pro still seems to show impressive performance gains of nearly 50% on many tests.

The preliminary testing utilized two standard benchmarking utilities, Geekbench and Xbench, as well as a test of video re-encoding with 64-bit Handbrake. The Geekbench and Xbench results showed about 50% improvement over the previous-generation model in overall scoring, although the individual Xbench scores varied fairly significantly from only marginally better in Quartz and CPU tests to over twice as high in Thread and OpenGL tasks.

Handbrake re-encoding speed also increased by about 35-40% in Gizmodo's testing with a 600 MB file, dropping from 32:19 to 19:54.

The performance gains come despite increased battery life in the new models, a result of more energy efficient components and a slight bump in battery capacity for the latest models. Apple's automatic graphics switching will enable seamless shifting between discrete and integrated graphics processors, allowing for maximum horsepower for tasks such as the benchmarks used above and maximum battery life for less power-hungry tasks.

Apple today introduced a refreshed line of MacBook Pro notebooks, bringing several new features to the the company's popular aluminum-clad offerings. Here is a look at some of the changes included in the update:

Processors
Apple stuck with Intel Core 2 Duo processors for the 13" MacBook Pros, bumping the two standard configuration models from 2.26 GHz and 2.53 GHz to 2.4 GHz and 2.66 GHz. The 15" and 17" models, however, saw a bump from the Core 2 Duo line to Core i5 and i7 processors offering Intel's Hyper-Threading technology that allows for four virtual cores on the dual-core processor. While the processors run at slightly lower clock speeds than the Core 2 Duo in the previous generation, the smaller 32-nanometer process, Hyper-Threading, and other enhancements yield performance improvements of up to 50% according to Apple. The Core i5 and i7 processors also support Turbo Boost, pushing clock speeds for the i7 models as high as 3.33 GHz for single-threaded tasks.

Graphics
On the new 13" MacBook Pro, Apple debuted the NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics processor that offers 48 processing cores, three times that of the previous generation. Apple claims a performance boost of up to 80% with the new graphics capabilities while also being able to deliver up to 40% less power usage. The GeForce 320M is reportedly a custom production for Apple, offering greater performance than NVIDIA's standard integrated graphics without building in discrete graphics capabilities.

The 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models utilize the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with either 256 or 512 MB of dedicated memory, offering more horsepower while also delivering up 30% greater energy efficiency. The 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models also offer automatic graphics switching, allowing the system to seamlessly switch between the dedicated NVIDIA graphics processor and the included integrated Intel HD graphics processor for optimal balance of power and efficiency. Previous MacBook Pro models have required users to manually switch between integrated and discrete graphics and log out of their account for each switch.

Battery
All three MacBook Pro models offer greater battery life than their predecessors, a feat achieved through a combination of larger battery capacity and greater energy efficiency. The 13" MacBook Pro now offers up to 10 hours of power, while the 15" and 17" models boast battery life of 8-9 hours. The previous generation of the MacBook Pro offered 7 hours on the 13" and 15" models and 8 hours on the 17" model. The batteries in all three machine sizes are non-user-replaceable and are designed for up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles. While designed to last five years for typical users, Apple offers a battery replacement service priced at $129 (13" and 15" models) or $179 (17" model).

Display
The 15" MacBook Pro has gained a new option for a high-resolution display, offering users the opportunity to bump the standard 1440x900 screen to 1680x1050. The high-resolution display is available in both glossy ($100 extra) and anti-glare ($150 extra) versions. Notably, an anti-glare option for the lower-resolution display does not appear to be available. The 17" MacBook Pro continues to sport a 1900x1200 screen in either glossy (standard) or anti-glare ($50 extra). Apple also continues to offer a single standard glossy display running at 1280x800 for the 13" model.

Hard Drive
Apple is offering up to 500 GB, 5400-rpm SATA hard drives across all three sizes, with the 15" and 17" models also offering the option of up to 500 GB, 7200-rpm drives. Solid-state drive capacities have increased with the addition of a 512 GB option, although it carries a hefty price premium of $1300-$1450 depending on which base hard drive the customer is upgrading from.

Inertial Scrolling
The new MacBook Pro offers an enhanced multi-touch trackpad supporting inertial scrolling. The feature, already present in similar forms on Apple's iPhone OS devices and the Magic Mouse, allows users to "flick" while scrolling as the trackpad senses the momentum of the gesture and smoothly scrolls through long documents and libraries.

In the U.S. and Canada, Apple's new MacBook Pro line is currently showing 2-4 business day shipping windows for standard-configuration 13" models, while base 15" and 17" models are showing availability within 24 hours. Apple's international online stores are showing shipping windows ranging from 24 hours to 5 business days for various standard-configuration models, with the 13" models and the mid-range 15" model most frequently seeing the longer delays.

Apple today announced updates to its MacBook Pro line, offering improved performance with new Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. The new 13" MacBook Pro models carry a 10-hour battery, while the new 15" and 17" models are claimed to carry 8-to-9 hours of battery life. Apple has also introduced new high-resolution displays for its 15" MacBook Pro, offering a standard 1440x900 glossy screen with options for 1680x1050 screens in glossy (+$100) or anti-glare (+$150).

Apple today updated the MacBook Pro line with faster processors, powerful next-generation NVIDIA graphics and even longer battery life. The popular 13-inch MacBook Pro features the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor for up to 80 percent faster graphics and a groundbreaking 10-hour built-in battery. The new 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models feature Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and Apple's new automatic graphics switching technology that toggles seamlessly between powerful NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and energy efficient Intel HD Graphics processors.

Pricing has changed slightly from the previous generation, with the low-end 15" MacBook Pro seeing a $100 price hike while the high-end 15" and 17" models experience $100 and $200 price cuts respectively.

As with the previous generation, Apple is offering six standard MacBook Pro configurations across the line's three sizes:

13" MacBook Pro
- $1199: 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 320M, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive
- $1499: 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 320M, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB hard drive

15" MacBook Pro
- $1799: 2.4 GHz Core i5, Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256MB, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB hard drive
- $1999: 2.53 GHz Core i5, Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256MB, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive
- $2199: 2.66 GHz Core i7, Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512MB, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive

17" MacBook Pro
- $2299: 2.53 GHz Core i5, Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512MB, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive

The 2.66 GHz Core i7 processor is available on the 17" MacBook Pro as a $200 build-to-order upgrade. All models also offer up to 512 GB of solid-state storage or 500 GB of traditional hard drive storage. All models offer new support for inertial scrolling on the multi-touch trackpad.

The MacBook Pros were last updated in June, and a revision has been widely expected. An entry for an unreleased Core i7-based MacBook Pro appeared in Geekbench's online benchmarking database in early February, and while a number of hints and rumors suggested that a release might be imminent at that time, a shortage of Intel's new notebook chips appears to have delayed things.

Rumors picked up again earlier this month, with a report last week pinpointing today for the launch. Over the weekend, part numbers began to appear at third-party resellers while a number of retailers were running dry of MacBook Pro supplies, further suggesting that an update was right around the corner.

Apple's online stores around the world are currently down for maintenance, and it is widely believed that the company is rolling out updated MacBook Pro models.

AppleInsider reports that it has received last-minute information from a source that has proved reliable in the past showing model numbers and partial descriptions for six new MacBook Pro models spanning all three existing sizes. According to the report, the base configuration models will utilize processors ranging from 2.4 GHz to 2.66 GHz, with 4 GB of RAM standard across the board.

The processor speeds included in the report suggest that Apple may be using Intel's new Core i5-520M (2.4 GHz), i5-540M (2.53 GHz) and i7-620M (2.66 GHz). Those chips were introduced in January had been rumored last month to be in short supply as Intel struggled to meet demand.

Sources for today's report have also indicated that Apple may be using three different screen types on the new MacBook Pro models, although no detail is provided beyond their descriptions of Glossy, High Resolution Glossy, and High Resolution Glossy with Anti-Glare. Finally, a source has indicated that Apple may offer solid-state drives of up to 512 GB with the update, up from a maximum of 256 GB in current models.

Opera today announced that its Opera Mini browser has been approved for inclusion in Apple's App Store. Opera Mini should appear in the App Store within the next 24 hours.

Opera Mini, with more than 50 million users worldwide, enables fast mobile Web browsing by compressing data by up to 90 percent before sending content to the device, resulting in significantly improved page loading. Users of the app will notice an uptake in speed, especially on slower networks such as the 2G Edge network. Surfing the Web with the Opera Mini App on iPhone and iPod touch will also help users save money because of its data compression capabilities. This will hold especially true while the user is incurring roaming charges.

Opera submitted its browser to Apple late last month and started a count-up timer to keep track of how long it had been in Apple's hands for review. Some observers had wondered whether the browser would be accepted by Apple, as it directly competes with the mobile Safari browser application included with the iPhone and iPod touch.

Update: Opera Mini is now available [iTunes link] in the App Store.

Apple today issued a media alert announcing details for the April 20th release of its financial results for the second fiscal quarter and first calendar quarter of 2010. The results will be released after the close of trading on Tuesday at approximately 4:30 PM Eastern / 1:30 PM Pacific. Apple's conference call discussing the results will follow at 2:00 PM Pacific and will be available via a live audio webcast. MacRumors will provide running coverage of the conference call highlights.

Apple offered no major product releases during the quarter, as most of the company's attention was focused on the iPad. The tablet device was introduced in late January, but did not launch until April 3rd, just after the end of the quarter. And even so, the launch was limited to Wi-Fi models in the United States. Availability of 3G-capable models in the United States is expected later this month, while Apple this week announced that availability of all models in its initial set of international markets has been delayed until late May due to high demand in the U.S.

For the quarter, analysts are predicting net earnings of $2.43 per share on revenue of $12.03 billion, above Apple's guidance of $2.06-$2.18 profit on $11.0-$11.4 billion of revenue. Apple's year-ago results for the second fiscal quarter of 2009 initially included net earnings of $1.33 per share on revenue of $8.16 billion. Those calculations were based, however, on earlier accounting methods that utilized "subscription accounting" for iPhone and Apple TV revenue. Apple adopted revised accounting standards at the beginning of fiscal 2010, and after retrospective application (PDF) of the new standards, the year-ago quarter yielded net earnings of $1.79 per share on revenue of $9.08 billion.

In a report on forthcoming challengers looking to rival Apple's iPad, The New York Times notes that Google is reportedly preparing to launch its own Android-based entrant into the field as Nokia, HP and Microsoft also move forward on their own plans for devices in the emerging industry segment.

Eric E. Schmidt, chief executive of Google, told friends at a recent party in Los Angeles about the new device, which would exclusively run the Android operating system. People with direct knowledge of the project -- who did not want to be named because they said they were unauthorized to speak publicly about the device -- said the company had been experimenting in "stealth mode" with a few publishers to explore delivery of books, magazines and other content on a tablet.

After reportedly holding back to see what Apple would do with the iPad, competitors such as HP and others have been hard at work developing their own answers to Apple's challenge.

The rivalry between Apple and Google has become increasingly personal as the two companies have begun to compete in a growing number of areas. Google's Android operating system has been a fast-growing alternative to the iPhone in the smartphone market, with Apple signaling that it is taking the threat seriously by filing a patent infringement lawsuit against handset maker HTC in what has been seen as an indirect assault on Google's smartphone offerings.

While an unsurprising development given Google's and Apple's increasing overlap, a Google tablet would offer yet another area of direct competition between the two companies and likely escalate tensions even further.

Just in case there was any doubt regarding Apple's plans to not support the original iPhone with iPhone OS 4, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has now weighed in on the matter with one of his typically terse emails. MacStories reports that a Twitter user sent an email to Jobs asking about future support for the original iPhone, to which Jobs responded "Sorry, no."

Apple's preview page for iPhone OS 4 also omits compatibility for the first-generation iPod touch. The iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod touch (which includes the 8 GB model still available for sale today) will be compatible with iPhone OS 4, but will lack support for certain features such as multitasking. Only the iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod touch (and future hardware) will support all of the features of iPhone OS 4.

As part of a lengthy post discussing Apple's nearly singular focus on iPhone OS 4 over the past few months, Daring Fireball's John Gruber reports that he is hearing that resources have been diverted from the Mac OS X team to the iPhone OS team. Consequently, Gruber offers an "educated guess" that Mac OS X 10.7 may not be introduced to developers until mid-2011.

A few months ago, I heard suggestions that Apple had tentative plans to release a developer beta of Mac OS X 10.7 at WWDC this June. That is no longer the case. Mac OS X 10.7 development continues, but with a reduced team and an unknown schedule. It's my educated guess that there will be no 10.7 news at WWDC this year, and probably none until WWDC 2011.

Evidence of Apple's work on Mac OS X 10.7 surfaced last November. By January when Gruber reported that he was hearing of a possible developer release for Mac OS X 10.7 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2010, usage of the next-generation operating system already seemed to be on the rise within Apple's campus.

The time between major Mac OS X releases has been increasing as the operating system matures, with a nearly 30-month gap between Tiger and Leopard being followed by a 22-month wait for Snow Leopard, which Apple positioned primarily as a refinement of Leopard. With Mac OS X Snow Leopard having been released less than eight months ago, it would not be surprising to see Mac OS X 10.7 not make its public debut until late 2011 or beyond, even without iPhone OS 4 putting pressure on development.

Bloomberg reports that Palm has placed itself up for sale, working with several partners to find a buyer for the struggling company.

The company is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Frank Quattrone's Qatalyst Partners to find a buyer, said the people, who declined to be identified because a sale hasn't been announced. Taiwan's HTC Corp. and China's Lenovo Group Ltd. have looked at the company and may make offers, said the people.

Palm's stock, which had seen its target price cut to as low as zero by some analysts in recent weeks after poor financial performance, received a boost late last week on rumors of a buyout.

Palm and Apple have been sharing frosty relations in recent years, as Palm has attempted to recruit a number of former Apple executives and employees to ride the company's new webOS back to prominence. The company's launch model, the Palm Pre, was met, however, with veiled threats from Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook over its swiping and pinching multi-touch gestures. The two companies further sparred over iTunes media syncing for the Pre, with the companies engaging in a software game of cat-and-mouse and filing complaints to regulatory bodies over the issue.

Today, Adobe unveiled their latest Creative Suite 5 which includes products such as Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5, Premier Pro CS5, Dreamweaver CS5, Flash Professional CS5.

Focusing on interactivity, performance and maximizing the impact of digital content and marketing campaigns across media and devices, the Creative Suite 5 product line brings exciting full version upgrades of flagship creative tools while delivering significant workflow enhancements to designers and developers.

Creative Suite 5 also introduces Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5, a new design tool that allows you to create web application interfaces without writing code.

Using Flash Catalyst CS5, designers can easily add interactive Flash content to Web sites and applications by transforming native Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator artwork, as well as files from Adobe Fireworks CS5, into functional content and user interfaces (UI).

One of the most eye catching new features of Adobe Photoshop CS5 is content-aware fill which was demoed on video late last month:

Adobe will be offering an first look streaming preview of the many new features starting at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern time today (Monday, April 12th). Adobe's Creative Suite 5 products are expected to ship in the next 30 days.

In a series of emails reportedly between Steve Jobs and Greg Slepak, Jobs responds to questions about Apple's recent move to ban tools that allow cross-compilation from other languages into iPhone OS native code. The change in terms effectively blocks Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone compiler and could affect other similar developer tools.

Jobs reportedly points to John Gruber's analysis of why Apple might have implemented this. Gruber argues that Apple wants control over native iPhone OS development and cross platform solutions would dilute iPhone-exclusive and iPhone native apps.

If that were to happen, there's no lock-in advantage. If, say, a mobile Flash software platform -- which encompassed multiple lower-level platforms, running on iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry -- were established, that app market would not give people a reason to prefer the iPhone.
....
And, obviously, such a meta-platform would be out of Apple's control. Consider a world where some other company's cross-platform toolkit proved wildly popular. Then Apple releases major new features to iPhone OS, and that other company's toolkit is slow to adopt them. At that point, it's the other company that controls when third-party apps can make use of these features.

Gruber also believes that these cross platform compilers rarely produce high quality native apps. Steve Jobs reiterated this point in a followup email:

We've been there before, and intermediate layers between the platform and the developer ultimately produces sub-standard apps and hinders the progress of the platform.

After months of speculation, it appears Apple is finally going to deliver new MacBook Pro systems to customers. The above screenshot shows part numbers that Microcenter has received for new Mac systems. We've since received independent confirmation from another source besides Microcenter that those part numbers are real, and that we should expect new 15" and 17" MacBook Pros very soon. The image shows 4 different systems:

Apple System Good-USA $1799.99
Mac system #1 Best-USA $2199.99
Mac system #2 Best-USA $2299.99
Mac system Better-USA $1999.99

These seem to correspond with three 15" MacBook Pros and a 17" MacBook Pro ($2299.99). The new machines are likely using Intel's Core i7 and i5 mobile processors.

While previous rumors have pinpointed April 13th as the likely day, other reports we've received are less certain of that date. Regardless, we feel reasonably confident that the new MacBook Pros will come very soon.

Developers will be pleased to learn that Apple has removed a controversial "Rate on Delete" feature from iPhone 4. Starting in iPhone 2.2, when a user deleted an App from their iPhone, the operating system would ask the user to rate a App using the 1-5 star rating system in the App Store. The move was presumably meant to increase rating participation in the App Store.

However, many developers were unhappy with the system as they felt it skewed the ratings downwards. The system increased the number of ratings from customers who were likely unhappy with an app, while those who kept an app on their iPhone would never be prompted for a rating.