Tech Tuesdays: The New MacBook Pro

I can't tell you how many times I've started an article or a review with the title "The New MacBook Pro" and then gone ahead and had to write a whole new article about Apple's latest release, just a few months later.

This time, with Apple's latest "New MacBook Pro", we've actually got something to write about. Something a little more than the usual "well, it's got a bigger screen".

Introducing the Thunderbolt Port. Sounds epic, and technically, it is.

The Thunderbolt port is supposedly twelve times faster than the Firewire 800 jack on your computer, twenty times faster than your ancient USB 2.0 port, and twice as fast as your USB 3.0 ports.

Yeah, we didn't know there was a USB 3.0 port either.

Still not convinced? The Thunderbolt port allows you (through adapters) to daisy chain your monitors, hard drives, and Ethernet ports and your computer won't take a single hit in performance along the way.

Why's that you say?

Behold, the first Macbook that has a Quad Core Processor (RE: Editors, media managers, and photo junkies; it's okay to start salivating).

Apple says they've put the Laptops through a battery of tests to improve one of it's biggest weaknesses; the battery. Apple touts the ability to sit in an internet cafe for seven hours while connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot before your battery will run out.

The new MacBook Pros come in 3 screen sizes, 13", 15", and a 17". All of the ports from the last generation of MacBook Pros are still present; one FireWire 800, two USB 2.0 (the new 17" has three), one SD card slot (which supports SDXC cards), and one Ethernet jack. The 17" model still has an ExpressCard slot (but doesn't have the SD card slot). The 15" and 17" models are both quad core, but the 13" feature dual core i5 or i7 processors.

The new MacBook Pros are already available for pre-order at B&H. Take your pick from the 13" with the dual i5 or i7 processor, the 15" with a 2 GHz or a 2.2 GHz quad core processor, or the 2.2 GHz quad core 17".