From the outside , Apple ’s new MacBook Pro search suspiciously like a 15 - inch aluminum PowerBook G4 . Yes , the port are slightly different , and it ’s slenderly wide and thinner . But inside , it ’s a completely different motorcar .

Intel ’s Core Duo processor gives Apple a combination of speed and vigor efficiency that the company never could get from the PowerPC processor family — one of the large reasons why Apple osculate those C.P.U. goodbye and made the move to Intel . As a result , the MacBook Pro has the electric potential to dramatically better the experience of run a Mac laptop .

No , we never did get a PowerBook G5 . But the MacBook Pro seems to be a meet replacement . So here ’s what you need to know about Apple ’s newest laptop computer .

hold off a second . Why is it not called PowerBook ? Is it because the “ Power ” in PowerBook stood for PowerPC microchip ?

Actually , the name PowerBook precedes the freeing of PowerPC Macs by several years . But Apple manifestly want the wordMacto appear in every information processing system it sells . Also , during the unveiling of the MacBook Pro , Steve Jobs indicated that Apple is simply tired of the wordPower , regardless of its origins . We ’re going to pretermit the PowerBook name a lot , and “ MacBook Pro ” is a mouthful , but we ’ll all get used to it finally .

MacBook I get . Why “ Pro ? ”

understandably there ’s another horseshoe waiting to drop here . What the even “ MacBook ” will be is anyone ’s guess . The replacing for the iBook ? A new subnotebook ? Something else ? We ’ll all have to wait and see .

So what ’s new in the MacBook Pro ?

What is n’t ? Almost every element in this laptop computer has been updated and improved when compare to the PowerBook G4 .

The new mainframe , the Intel Core Duo , makes this the first double - mainframe laptop Apple has ever made . The MacBook Pro ’s system motorbus run at 667MHz , four time the speed of the PowerBook ’s 167MHz bus . The Modern PCI Express - based graphics engineering offers 8GBps of total bandwidth , which is eight time that of the PowerBook ’s 4x AGP graphics system . The drive now use the degraded Serial ATA technology . The RAM is dramatically fast .

As a result , Apple take that these raw laptops will be four time as fast as the former PowerBooks . The Mac humanity ’s assumptions of the past few years — that using a PowerBook requires a serious speed via media — are about to be turned on their heads .

But I heard that some of the MacBook Pro ’s features are really subscript to the PowerBook ’s . Is that true ?

Yes . The MacBook Pro ’s optic drive is dull than the PowerBook ’s ( 4x , or else of 8x ) , and it wo n’t burn dual - layer DVD disc . Apple state this is because , the company has to use a new ultra - slimline optic drive so as to get the MacBook Pro down to one inch of thickness . Currently , the 4x DVD burner with no dual - level capacity is the undecomposed thrust in that class . ( But fear not — the ride will still burn undivided - layer DVDs and certificate of deposit , and it plays back all your DVDs and atomic number 48 just ok . )

The PowerBook ’s build - in S - Video port is also gone , although you may buy a $ 19 adapter to convert the output of the MacBook ’s DVI port to either S - Video or composite .

And , oh yeah , the MacBook Pro does n’t have a modem .

Are you serious ? Apple ’s selling a portable computer that does n’t have a modem in it ?

It ’s rightful . Clearly someone at Apple wants the modem to snuff it , and soon . Like the voiding of the floppy driving with the discharge of the original iMac , this strikes us as a move that ’s just a lilliputian onward of its sentence . dead on target , these days , most laptop users swear on broadband connections , either via Ethernet or wireless . True , the Internet is apace becoming an experience that require high - speed connectivity . But still , there ’s always going to be that time when you ’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and call for to check your e - chain armor . And now , if you ’ve got a MacBook Pro , you ’re plump to involve to check that that you pack a $ 49 Apple USB Modem in your bag just in case of emergency . route warrior , you may start your groaning now .

What is an ExpressCard/34 slot ? Can I still use my live personal computer scorecard with it ?

ExpressCard is a fast , consecutive permutation for the parallel PC Card standard used on many laptops , extend up to 250MBps of throughput in each direction . The ‘ 34 ’ refer to the width ( 34 mm ) , which is much slimmer than the 54 millimeter of a PC Card module . Current PC Card peripherals wo n’t fit in the fresh slot and are n’t compatible . However , the ExpressCard slot does have a peck of potential on its own : it ’s got access to the full speed of the USB or PCI Express buses , meaning that card tie via the slot will be able-bodied to move datum at tremendous amphetamine .

Apple bump off the FireWire 800 port from the Modern laptop — what gives ?

Quite honestly , FireWire 800 has n’t really postulate the Earth by storm . And Apple says that coming cards for the MacBook Pro ’s ExpressCard slot will be able-bodied to put up FireWire 800 ports for masses who require them . ( In addition , ExpressCards should be able-bodied to provide high - speed connections for other storages , such as external Serial ATA . )

Is the MacBook ’s display any dissimilar from the PowerBook ’s ?

Yes , and there ’s both good and bad intelligence here . The MacBook ’s display is slightly shorter than the PowerBook’s—60 few vertical pixels than the 15 - inch PowerBook . But it ’s also much brighter , go from 180 nit ( a stock measure of brightness — orluminance — whose name comes from the Latin for “ to shine ” ) to 300 nits . The ending result is that the screen is the same smartness as Apple ’s Cinema Displays .

Will birth a dual - core C.P.U. mean shorter barrage fire life ?

Apple has n’t throw an official battery life military rank to the young MacBook Pro , but distinguish us it expects battery life to be similar to that of the current PowerBook line ( which ranges from 4.5 to 5 hour ) . Apple says that the MacBook Pro ’s fresh , thin Li - polymer battery is state - of - the - art , and that the Core Duo check that power the MacBook pro is or so comparable to the power economic consumption of a G4 poker chip , or slightly higher . The MacBook Pro also has a much brighter screen than former simulation , and that screen may negatively effect its battery life as well .

So is the PowerBook dead ?

Not yet — at least not officially . With the first Intel laptop computer only coming in a undivided , 15.4 - inch exhibit size of it , Apple is still betray all the member of the PowerBook line under the “ Portables with PowerPC processors ” section of the Apple Store . Apple says that the 15 - column inch PowerBooks will only be uncommitted while supply last , but wo n’t make a interchangeable command about the 12- and 17 - inch poser . That ’s a good sign that Apple is far from done when it comes to liberate Intel - ground laptops in 2006 .

What is the MagSafe Connector ?

Apple has redesigned the way the magnate charger connects to the laptop computer . ( Yes , laptop computer users who have compile a zillion power transcriber , this intend you ’ll have to enthrone in all - novel adapter . ) The MagSafe Connector uses attractive feature in the line and the calculator to ensure the connection . Apple did this to keep inadvertent electric cord hang-up that can damage the laptop while creating a more snug liaison between the two function .

The MagSafe connecter is made up of a magnetic ring surrounding four humble mogul nubs ; when you move it cheeseparing to the MacBook , the magnetic attracter take on over and it snatch in post . There ’s no up or down on this connexion — it ’s perfectly symmetrical , so either counsel work fine . A humble igniter ( on both top and bottom of the connector ) indicates your MacBook ’s charging condition .