Duo

New 17-inch MacBookPro announced

134148764 af5ed37dca m New 17 inch MacBookPro announcedApple today unveiled its new 17-inch MacBook Pro notebook computer featuring the Intel Core Duo processor and an all new system architecture that delivers up to five times the performance of the PowerBook G4. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro features a stunning aluminum enclosure just one inch thin, weighs only 6.8 pounds, includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go, and the breakthrough Front Row media experience with Apple Remote. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro also features a MagSafe Power Adapter, invented by Apple especially for mobile users.

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro will begin shipping next week through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The 2.16 GHz, 17-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of USD$2,799, includes:

  • 17-inch widescreen 1680 x 1050 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;

  • 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
  • 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
  • 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
  • a slot-load 8x SuperDrive(TM) with double-layer support (DVD+R DL / DVD+/-RW / CD-RW) optical drive;
  • PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
  • DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
  • built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
  • built-in iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet port;
  • built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
  • ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
  • three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, and one FireWire 400 port;
  • one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
  • Scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor;
  • the infrared Apple Remote;
  • 68 watt hour lithium polymer battery; and
  • 85 watt Apple MagSafe Power Adapter.

Additional build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include 100GB (7200 rpm) hard drive, up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, Apple USB Modem, and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Note:

Shade 8.5 announced by e frontier

e frontier announced today that it has released a Universal Binary update to its 3D modeling and rendering software, Shade 8, that will support the Intel Core Duo processor-based Macintoshes. Shade 8 users will receive a free update to Shade 8.5. Other features such as export capabilities to QuickTime VR and better integration with Poser are included in this update.

124547337 90a44343d9 m Shade 8.5 announced by e frontierRunning natively on the Intel Mac, the performance of Shade 8.5 is increased as much as 20%. Some of the new features and improvements in Shade 8.5

  • 3D Sound: users will be able to import and export sound files

  • QuickTime VR Export: for panoramic or object movies
  • Path Constraints Plug-in: permitting easy linked motion
  • FogPlus plug-in: for advanced fog effects
  • Free Shade Content: 690 piece Shade Content Collection #3 “Cars and Transport” is included free

Major Improvements:

  • PoserFusion: bounding box display is supported

  • ShadeExplorer: support of background and sound catalog
  • Improved User Interface

Note:

Apple ships Final Cut Studio 5.1… runs up to 2.5 times faster on MacBook Pro

9689785 ed00ce468e m Apple ships Final Cut Studio 5.1... runs up to 2.5 times faster on MacBook ProApple is now shipping the first Universal version of its Final Cut Studio video production suite that delivers up to 2.5x the performance when running on a MacBook Pro(see note). Final Cut Studio features state-of-the-art tools that complement Final Cut Pro 5 including Soundtrack Pro, a revolutionary audio editing and sound design application that makes video projects sound as good as they look; Motion 2, the world’s first real-time motion graphics application with GPU accelerated 32-bit float rendering; and DVD Studio Pro 4 for professional DVD authoring.

The Universal version of Final Cut Studio is available now through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of USD$1,299. Registered Final Cut Studio customers can crossgrade to the Universal version for USD$49. Existing customers of the standalone versions of Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion, or DVD Studio Pro can upgrade to the Universal version of Final Cut Studio starting at just USD$99. Full details and further information is available online.

Note:DV and HDV rendering from the Timeline is up to twice as fast on a MacBook Pro with 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo than a 15-inch PowerBook G4 with 1.67 GHz PowerPC. MPEG-2 encoding from DV and HDV for DVD authoring is up to 2.5x as fast on a MacBook Pro with 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo than a 15-inch PowerBook G4 with 1.67 GHz PowerPC.