MacRumors

Apple released new MacBooks and MacBook Pros today which incorporate the new 45nm Penryn processors, an upgrade from the older 65nm Merom processors. The jump from Merom to Penryn is not a dramatic one as previous benchmarks demonstrate.

Penryn Advantages

Overall, the high end Penryn's may have marginal improvements in performance due to higher L2 cache (6MB vs 4MB), though the low-end Penryns (2.1GHz and 2.4GHz) actually have less L2 cache (3MB vs 4MB) than their Merom counterparts. Whether this results in any real world difference is unclear. Early benchmarks of the new Penryn 2.4GHz MacBook Pro reveals a comparable GeekBench score (3086) to the older Merom 2.4GHz MacBook Pro (3094) despite this L2 cache difference.

One new feature all Penryn processors share is the SSE4 instruction set. Similar to the PowerPC's Altivec instruction set, SSE4 can provide dramatic speed increases (40% faster) for applications specifically written for it.

Battery Life

There's been some discussion about the fact that Apple's battery ratings for the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros are significantly less than previously published ratings. The new ratings are listed below with old ratings in parenthesis:

MacBook: 4.5hrs (6hrs)
15" MacBook Pro: 5hrs (5hrs)
17" MacBook Pro 4.5hrs (5.75hrs)

Apple PR clarified to Arstechnica today, however, that this is simply due to a difference in reporting the numbers, and the new Penryn-based MacBooks and MacBook Pros' battery life has actually improved -- which would be expected with the more power efficient processors:

Anuj went on to explain that Apple has always done three separate battery tests when coming up with this metrica DVD playback test, a wireless productivity test, and a "highway test," which got the best battery life and Apple used to advertise. However, the highway test is "hard to reproduce, and people got confused" he said, which is why Apple ditched it and started going with wireless productivity instead. "The wireless productivity test is the closest to normal usage, right in the middle of the road with WiFi, text editing, sending e-mail, etc." Anuj said.

Other Notes

- The new MacBook Pros have a Multitouch trackpad, but the MacBook does not.
- The Apple Remote control is no longer included, and must be purchased separately ($19).
- Teardown photos of the new MacBook Pro.
- BestBuy's inventory system incorrectly reported the MacBook part numbers as MacBook Pros, leading to some confusion about the planned updates. For future reference, BestBuy may be fed part numbers ahead of time, but has no actual knowledge of specs or price points, and clearly used placeholder information in this instance.
- Unboxing of new MacBook Pro

Why Now?

The biggest question is why Apple bothered speed bumping the MacBooks which were not yet due for revision. According to our sources, Apple was forced by Intel into upgrading the MacBooks at this time. Intel is aggressively phasing out the older generation 65nm Merom chips over the coming months. As a result, Apple needed to upgrade the MacBooks in the interim to maintain a proper supply. One could speculate that, consequently, the next MacBook refreshes may occur mid-year, ahead of their expected product cycle.

Apple has released the 1.1.4 Firmware update for iPhone and iPod Touch. No details yet on what new features (if any) have been included.

Apple released the 1.1.3 firmware at Macworld San Francisco and added a number of new features including Google Maps Location, Webclips, and Multiple-Contact SMS.

Early reports indicate that there are no obvious new features, but it does "break" unofficial apps (jailbreak). Apple was to announce the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) this month, so the release may add official support for 3rd party applications written with the SDK. The 1.1.4 firmware update is presently available through iTunes for your iPhone and iPod Touch.

Notes:
- No Flash support
- iToner 1.0.6 still works
- ZiPhone may work, but the developer warns not to upgrade as it hasn't been tested.
- Text message ordering fixed, according to one report
- Camera works better for some
- Fixes Bluetooth connectivity

Alongside MacBook and MacBook Pro releases today, Apple announced that iTunes had become the number 2 music retailer in the U.S., behind only Wal-Mart.

"We'd like to thank the over 50 million music lovers who have helped the iTunes Store reach this incredible milestone," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "We continue to add great new features like iTunes Movie Rentals to give our customers even more reason to love iTunes."

The rankings are based on NPD Group's MusicWatch data. iTunes has sold over four billion songs, with 20 million songs sold on Christmas Day 2007 alone. iTunes has overtaken Best Buy which previously occupied the #2 spot.

In a not entirely surprise release, Apple has updated the MacBooks based on Intel's Penryn processors. The update arrives alongside the long anticipated MacBook Pro updates.

Featuring a gorgeous 13-inch glossy widescreen display, and with prices still starting at just $1,099, the new MacBook lineup comes in three models and includes faster processors and larger hard drives across the line; sleek white 2.1 GHz and 2.4 GHz models with 120GB or 160GB 5400 rpm hard drives and a stunning black 2.4 GHz model with a massive 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive, previously only available as an option. The 2.4 GHz MacBook models ship with 2GB of memory standard, expandable up to 4GB across the line.

$1099. Macbook 13" 2.1GHz / 1GB / 120GB / Combo / White
$1299. Macbook 13" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 160GB / Super / White
$1499. Macbook 13" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 250GB / Super / Black

The new MacBooks are available on the Apple Store.

$75-$100 Rebate on new MacBooks at MacMall
UK: Free 2 year guarantee on new MacBooks at John Lewis

After weeks of anticipation, Apple has finally released new MacBook Pros based on the latest Intel Penryn mobile processors. The release arrives alongside new MacBook updates.

MacBook Pro includes the latest NVIDIA graphics processors, now with up to 512MB of video memory, and Apple's innovative Multi-Touch(TM) trackpad, first introduced in MacBook Air(TM).

The new MacBook Pro features the latest Intel Core 2 Duo technology with
up to a 2.6 GHz processor with 6MB of shared L2 cache; up to 4GB of 667 MHz
DDR2 SDRAM memory and up to a 300GB hard drive, plus NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
graphics with up to 512MB of video memory.

$1999. Macbook Pro 15" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 200GB 5400RPM / 256MB Vram
$2499. Macbook Pro 15" 2.5GHz / 2GB / 250GB 5400RPM / 512MB Vram
$2799. Macbook Pro 17" 2.5GHz / 2GB / 250GB 5400RPM / 512MB Vram

The 17" model now offers an optional LED screen and a 2.6GHz model remains available as a built-to-order option at the Apple Store. The MacBook Pro also incorporates the advanced multitouch trackpad that was first introduced on the MacBook Air.

Rumors of the new MacBook Pros culminated over the weekend, with reports that new products had begun shipping to Apple Stores. The new MacBook Pros are at the Apple Store.

$75 rebate for new Macbook Pros at MacMall.

DailyTech provides screenshots from Intel slides detailing their upcoming Dunnington and Nehalem architectures.

First, the slides detail Dunnington, a 45nm six-core (three dual-cores) Xeon processor and successor to Tigerton. The Tigerton procesors were launched in September of 2007 and are aimed at very high end servers. Apple has not yet adopted these processors in either its Mac Pro or Xserve line.

More interesting are details of Intel's Nehalem processors which will be the successor to Penryn. While Nehalem is also a 45nm, SSE4, quad-core chip, it will introduce a number of other new technologies. In Nehalem, Intel will replace the front-side bus model with "QuickPath Interconnect" (similar to Hypertransport), add on-die memory controllers, and tri-channel DDR3. All these changes will reportedly increase the available bandwidth to the processor, allowing it to interact with the computer at faster speeds.

Based on early estimates, the Nehalem processor is expected to benchmark 144-203% faster than existing Harpertown Xeon processors (X5482).

The Nehalem processor more than doubles the floating point performance of its current Penryn-family processors. Ou adds, "Well most likely know by the end of this year what the actual scores are, but I doubt they will be more than 5% to 10% off from these estimated projections."

The first Nehalem processors are not expected to be launched until Q4 2008.

Adobe today announced the immediate availability of Adobe AIR, a new platform for building rich internet applications (RIAs) across different platforms, including Mac OS X.

Adobe AIR enables developers to create RIAs on the desktop using the skills and Web technologies such as HTML, Ajax, PDF, Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex they already employ. Applications deployed on Adobe AIR have the advantages of browser-based RIAs, such as speed of development, ease of use, and access from virtually anywhere. Yet they also have the benefits of desktop applications, such as the ability to read/write local files, work with other applications on a users computer and maintain local data storage on the desktop.

Adobe points out that AIR makes use of various open source technologies including WebKit, the Apple-sponsored rendering engine behind Safari.

Also released is Adobe Flex 3 software which provides a framework for developing applications based on Adobe's Flex and AIR frameworks.

Flex is a free, open source framework for building highly interactive, expressive RIAs. Adobe Flex Builder 3, an Eclipse based development tool, accelerates Flex application development and includes new capabilities for deploying RIAs on Adobe AIR. Adobe Flex Builder 3 integrates with Adobe Creative Suite 3 software making it easy for designers and developers to work together more efficiently. Powerful new testing tools, including memory and performance profilers and integrated support for automated functional testing, speed up development and lead to higher performing RIAs.

The Adobe AIR and Flex SDKs are available as free downloads from Adobe's website and is available for Mac OS X. Commercial versions of Adobe Flex Builder are also available.

We'd originally published a story suggesting that MacBook Pros would see updates this Tuesday. Since that time, we've received conflicting reports as to what exactly is being delivered to Apple stores this coming week. Based on product cycles, the safe bet is the MacBook Pro, with 264 days since the last update. That, however, has not stopped Apple from introducing a slew of other products over the past few weeks (iPod Shuffle updates, Aperture 2.0, 16GB iPhone, 32GB iPod Touch)

Sources reveal that shipments of new Apple products (not just Time Capsule) are planned for midweek. Historically, such information tends to reliably predict new product releases. But we can't be confident these necessarily represent new MacBook Pros, or another unexpected announcement (such as premature MacBook or iMac updates).

Previous tidbits of information surrounding the new MacBook Pros have indicated that they will incorporate Penryn processors, an LED screen in the 17" model, and the new-and-improved multi-touch trackpad found in the MacBook Air.

Updatex2: Best Buy part numbers reportedly show new model numbers for Mac Book Pros priced the same as current models, according to two posters. Appleinsider confirms new Best Buy part numbers.

Update 3: Page 2: MacBooks, Not MacBook Pros?

Update 4: Page 2: MacBooks AND MacBook Pros?

Today marks the eighth birthday of the MacRumors.com website. It also happens to be the 53rd birthday of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

The MacRumors Forums, the discussion boards for the MacRumors family of sites, reached a milestone this week as well, passing five million forum posts.

It took MacRumors 3.3 years to reach one million posts, 1.3 years to reach two million posts, 10 months to reach three million posts, 9 months to reach four million posts, and only 6 months to reach five million posts. We attribute our continued rate of growth both to MacRumors' rank as the top Apple news site on the web, and to the increased interest in Apple and its products, especially since the introduction of the iPhone.

MacRumors is celebrating its latest forum milestone as it has in the past, with an Avatar Contest! Forum members are invited to create original avatars and enter them in the contest. The winners will be selected in polls and will receive extra forum privileges. For the full contest description and rules, see the Five Million Post Avatar Contest.

A few interesting reader stats from our recent survey:

- 52% own a MacBook Pro (or PowerBook)
- 41% own an iMac
- 40% own a MacBook (or iBook)
- 30% own a Mac Pro (or PowerMac)
- 17% own a Mac mini
- 2.6% own an Xserve

- 74% own an iPod
- 31% own an iPhone
- 13% own an iPod Touch
- 12% own an Apple TV

We thank our members, contributors, sponsors, and all those for whom MacRumors is an online home or a regular stop. We'd also like to thank our volunteers for their hard work and continued efforts in keeping MacRumors the popular site it is.

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In a brief blog post, BusinessWeek writer Arik Hesseldahl reports that the iPhone SDK may be delayed by 1-3 weeks. No reasons for the delay are known, and Apple's plans with respect to the announced late February timeframe remain murky:

However Im also hearing that the situation is fluid, and a lot of last-minute decisions are close to being made about what precisely will or will not be disclosed next week, if anything. There are, apparently, a lot of moving parts to something this complex.

Of note, Hesseldahl contributed to an October 2007 BusinessWeek report published one day before Steve Jobs made the official announcement regarding Apple's plans to release an SDK.

Apple released iTunes 7.6.1 today through the Mac OS X Software Update. This maintenance release includes several bug fixes and improves compatibility with Apple TV 2.0. The included description remains the same as the original 7.6 release:

Rent and download your favorite movies with iTunes on your computer or directly to your living room on Apple TV. Enjoy rented movies in sizes up to 720p HD with surround sound on your Apple TV and sizes up to DVD-quality on your computer. Transfer your rented movies from iTunes to your iPod or iPhone and enjoy them on the go.

Also, purchase and download your favorite TV shows, music, and more directly on your Apple TV. Effortlessly transfer purchases made on Apple TV back to your computer with iTunes.

Meanwhile, Apple has notified iTunes customers through its weekly email, that they will be offering a different $0.99 movie rental every Thursday. The special price is available from Thursday through Monday. Once rented, like all other movies, you have 30 days to watch it. This week's $0.99 rental is The Hours (iTunes Link)

More Apple patent applications were published today, though many rehash earlier patents applications that were revealed in November. Still, the technology behind the advanced multi-touch are impressive enough to bear repeating.

The patent, originally published in November 2007, describes methods for interpreting a remarkable amount of gestures that allow for a rich vocabulary -- such as interpreting the use of an imaginary stylus. The possibilities are best summarized by this description from PCJoint::

- Need to move a cursor across the screen? Just slide your finger and it goes.
- Want to enter text? Just start typing and the text is there. You even get the touch feedback as if really pressing the keys.
- Need to erase some text? Use the backspace or just slide the finger backwards
- Have to write or draw something? Just pretend you hold a stylus or pen in your hand and start writing/drawing.
- If that is still not good enough, pick up the real stylus and start writing with it.
- All these cool touch gestures that Apple has implemented in iPhone and is exploring further? You know, scrolling, zooming, rotating & moving objects, etc; They are here too
- 3D object manipulation? Select a few 3D objects on the screen and use all 5 fingers on both hands to play with them.
- Want to take a break to relax and afraid to put your hands on the touch surface? Dont worry Multi-touch 2.0 thingie knows that and does not pay attention to your resting palms or fingers

The surface used would be a larger curved surface, pictured above, resembling Fingerworks' TouchStream keyboard.

Linkin Park played at the Apple Soho store tonight, fulfilling the rumored "secret" Apple/Linkin Park show. The six song set was recorded for a future iTunes release.

As we approach the end of February, however, the absence of press invitations to a true Apple event makes the rumored Apple media event increasingly unlikely. Apple typically gives media at least one week warning for events. Indeed, the original rumor was spotty at best -- a non-traditional rumor site with "unconfirmed" information.

Regardless, Apple has been on a roll with weekly Tuesday announcements since Macworld. Apple's self-imposed February 2008 iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) deadline is rapidly approaching, so we should expect a release or, at the least, an announcement of delay in the next week.