Discontinued, but still available: Apple Macbook Pro 17-inch
The largest Macbook Pro model with a 17-inch screen did not show up in WWDC 2012. With one day left on the show in San Francisco, chances are slim for a surprise announcement or even a quiet release from Apple. Nonetheless, the 17-inch notebook is still available for purchase at the online store here.
The Macbook Pro 17-inch saw its latest refresh in October 2011. The specifications are the following:
- Intel Sandy Bridge Core i7 2760QM or 2860QM quad-core processor
- AMD Radeon 6770M 1 GB graphics processor
- 3 USB 2.0 ports
- Firewire 800 port
- Thunderbolt port
- Audio line-in and line-out ports
- ExpressCard slot
- Kensington lock
- 1920x1200 native resolution screen
- 4 GB of 1333 MHz RAM (support up to 8 GB)
- 500-750 GB of HDD storage at 5400-7200 RPM or 64-512 GB SSD storage
- OS X Lion
- Super Drive
Apple has paved market trends for several years. With the discontinuation of Macbook Pro 17-inch, the market inches closer to slimmer and lighter mobile devices. Bigger notebooks are certainly cumbersome, but they hold certain advantages over its smaller counterparts. Such qualities include a higher screen real estate and heat dissipation (more space in the chassis means less congested air flow).
Prices for 17-inch October 2011 models hover around $1949 to $2199 USD.
Source(s)
apple.com