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. 

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