14 DAY TRIAL // A report by AppleInsider mentions some interesting findings on behalf of Spanish-language website Applesana.es. According to the latter, the configuration files included with the latest Snow Leopard developer build contain references to two new MacBook Pro models.
Apple issued Mac OS X 10.6.2 Build 10C531 to developers last week, listing no known issues, as well as half a dozen bug fixes for problems related to ColorSync, Dock crashes, GraphicsDrivers, and QuartzCore. However, as Applesana.es and AppleInsider report, there’s more to build 10C531 OS X 10.6.2 than meets the eye.
The configuration files list MacBook Pro models referenced as MacBook Pro 6.1 and MacBook Pro 6.1b, whereas, “The current crop of MacBook Pros have a 5.(x) designation, spanning 5.1 through 5.5,” according to the latter. “The MacBook Pro line was not updated during the latest Apple refresh, during which Apple introduced Intel's Core i5 and i7 processors to the newly redesigned iMac line,” the report informs.
Apple updating the Pro line shouldn’t come as a surprise, since pretty much every Mac model (except for the Mac Pro) has seen a significant upgrade. Some Macintosh models, including the new iMac and the new, polycarbonate MacBook, have received aesthetic changes as well.
The Apple-focused Spanish site notes that all indications point to two new MacBook Pro models equipped with Quad Core Mobile processors and ATI series 4500 GPUs. Last updated in June (Worldwide Developers Conference), and becoming available in 17-, 15-, and 13-inch unibody configurations, the MacBook Pro line featured Intel Core 2 Duo processors and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT graphics.
If these findings do materialize, it is unlikely that Apple will change the look of its MacBook Pro line, with the aluminum enclosures being quite the achievement for the Mac maker. Extra connectors, however, may be introduced as well.
