Apple upgrades MacBook Pro Line with Faster Processors and Graphics

Apple on Monday quietly upgraded its MacBook Pro line with up to twice faster processors and graphics.

Start-of-the-art processors. All-new graphics. Breakthrough high-speed I/O. Three very big leaps forward, reads the MacBook Pro page on Apple's website.

The 13-inch models were upgraded with 2.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 and 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processors. The entry-level 13-inch model sells for $1,199 while the faster model sells for $1,499.

The 15-inch models feature quad-core Intel Core i7 processors, with the low-end sporting a 2.2GHz processor and the faster model sporting a 2.4GHz processor. They each cost $1,799 and $2,199.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro model features a 2.4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, and is sold at $2,499.

The hard drives on the 13-inch models were upgraded to 500 GB and 750 GB from the previous 320 GB and 500GB, and the 15- and 17-inch models feature a faster AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics processors with 1GB of GDDR5.

With up to 2x the performance of the previous generation, they [the processors] let you see more frames per second in 3D games, or work on HD video projects with more speed and responsiveness than before, says Apple.

Earlier last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the current flood in Thailand is expected to disrupt the manufacturing and shipping of hard drives for Macs. This could possibly lead to a delay in shipments of the new models.

For the time being, however, the new lineup of MacBook Pro is available on Apple Store with free shipping.