Apple Updates MacBook Pro, AirApple Updates MacBook Pro, Air

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Apple MacBook Pro

Apple on Monday updated its MacBook Pro lineup, and the notebooks feature boosted processors, aluminum unibody construction, improved battery life, and a lower price tag.

During the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address in San Francisco on Monday, Apple extended many of the improvements of the 17-inch MacBook Pro to the 15-inch and 13-inch versions. The refreshed laptops will have the unibody architecture with an integrated lithium-polymer battery that should provide up to seven hours of power on a single charge. Apple said the batteries can be recharged up to 1,000 times, nearly three times the usual lifetime of a laptop battery.

Each MacBook Pro will come with an LED-backlit display and the glass multitouch trackpad, and the 15-inch and 13-inch versions will come with an SD slot. Users wanting an ExpressCard slot will have to buy the 17-inch model.

The company also has cut prices on some configurations of its notebook lineup, which could be in response to the global recession that is cutting into Apple's sales. The 13-inch version starts at $1,199 for a 1.16-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 160-GB hard drive. The 13-inch MacBook Pro can also be purchased with a 2.53-GHz processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 250-GB hard drive for $1,499.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available in three configurations that start at $1,699 for a system with a 2.52-GHz processor and a 250-GB hard drive. Versions with faster processors, more storage, and increased graphics capabilities can be had for $1,999 and $2,299.

The 17-inch version also received a minor upgrade, as it will have a faster 2.8-GHz processor and a larger 500-GB hard drive for $2,499, which is $300 less than before. The new MacBooks are on sale today in Apple's stores and on its Web site.

Apple also updated its ultrathin MacBook Air by lowering the price of the entry-level model, and introducing a beefed-up version with a faster processor and increased storage. A MacBook Air with a 1.86-GHz processor and 120-GB hard drive can be had for $1,499, while a version with a 2.13-GHz processor and 128-GB solid state drive can be had for $1,799.

Each of the laptops will ship with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, when it becomes available in September.

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