MacBook & MacBook Pro Upgrades
More Speed + Multi-Touch
Apple has been on a roll lately with an almost weekly new product or upgrade. Only last week Apple cut down the price of the 1GB iPod Shuffle from $79 to $49 and introduced a new $69 2GB model (see our story). Now Apple has unveiled more powerful versions of the MacBook Pro with up to 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn processors, and the MacBook Air's Multi-Touch trackpad. The 17-inch model can now be configured with a superb 1,920 by 1,200 pixels with LED backlighting, powered by a new NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with up to 512MB of GDDR3 RAM. The MacBook recieved a minor bump in speed (2.1GHz to 2.4GHz) but no multi-touch trackpad.
Trend Themes
1. Upgraded Laptop Performance - Apple's new MacBook and MacBook Pro upgrades highlight the demand for faster and more powerful laptops.
2. Expanded Multi-touch Capabilities - The integration of the MacBook Air's multi-touch trackpad into the MacBook Pro suggests that consumer demand is headed towards more intuitive and touch-based computing experiences.
3. Dynamic Display Technology - The 17-inch MacBook Pro's high-resolution display, powered by a NVIDIA graphics card and LED backlighting, is an excellent example of the increasing demand for dynamic and visually immersive displays.
Industry Implications
1. Technology - Technology companies can focus on upgrading the performance, usability, and display capabilities of laptops to meet the growing demand for faster and more intuitive computing experiences.
2. Consumer Electronics - Consumer electronics brands can innovate by investing in touch-based interfaces, developing dynamic displays, and improving overall performance to keep pace with consumer preferences.
3. Gaming - The NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card's high-performance capabilities showcased in the MacBook Pro upgrade can serve as a catalyst for gaming companies and game developers to raise the bar on graphics, high-resolution displays and immersive gaming experiences.