Update: This information has all been confirmed at WWDC. Check out our posts on the new thin Retina MacBook Pro, the new MacBook Air, and the updated MacBook Pros. Original story below.
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As eager developers and journalists line up for Apple’s WWDC keynote this morning, some intriguing new details about Apple’s Mac hardware announcements have leaked out.
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Among the scheduled hardware upgrades, Apple will offer the MacBook Air with up to 8 gigabytes of RAM and a 512 gigabyte SSD for storage, its first Mac Pro update in two years, and the long-awaited MacBook Pros with sharp Retina Displays, reports 9to5Mac.
Many of the upgrades have been expected and/or rumored for some time, so there’s not much left to surprise us. Though it sounds like you’ll be paying more than you thought for that Retina MacBook Pro — according to 9to5Mac’s sources, that machine’s high-end specs could surpass $4,000 in some countries. Even at the low-end, the Retina MacBook Pros look like powerhouses, as they start out with a 2.3 gigahertz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for storage.
The current details don’t mention anything about thinner MacBook Pros, which have been rumored for the past year, but we could still end up seeing them announced today.
It doesn’t look like much has changed with the MacBook Air, aside from the new high-end models with 8GB of RAM and higher capacity 512GB SS for the 13-inch model. Like all of Apple’s new hardware, the revamped MacBook Air will sport Ivy Bridge processors starting at 1.7 Ghz and 1.8 Ghz for the 11-inch and 13-inch models respectively.
The Mac Pro upgrades should make desktop power users especially happy. The lowest-end Mac Pro will start with a 3.2 Ghz quad-core processor, 6GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and a Radeon 5770 graphics card. Of course, you’ll be able to mix and match all sorts of crazy hardware into the Mac Pro as well.
Among other new announcements, 9to5Mac notes that Apple may announce a refresh for its MagSafe power adapters, and it may also rebrand its current external CD drive as the “USB SuperDrive” (right now it’s the “MacBook Air Superdrive”).
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We have several writers currently waiting to get into Apple’s WWDC keynote, so stay tuned here for official updates on Apple’s new hardware, iOS 6, and much more!
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