New MacBook Pro part numbers leaked?

If you've been replying to our earlier post on Apple rumors by repeatedly typing "MacBook Pro update" across the screen, you'll be happy to hear this latest news. AppleInsider claims they have confirmed three new Apple part numbers which are showing up in both the Best Buy and Apple inventory databases. The numbers, MB402LL/A, MB403LL/A, and MB404LL/A, have appeared on these systems with the prices of $1,999, $2,499, and $2,799 in tow -- leading some (read, all) to believe that they may be those new laptops everyone's been talking about. Of course, we haven't seen these inventory management systems with our own, bloodshot, sleep-deprived eyes, so don't be too disappointed when it turns out this was just a really, really specific typo.

Update: Apparently AI had an actual typo in their part numbers (which we reprinted) -- they've been fixed.

[Thanks, Mark]

[Nate the Prophet @ Feb 25th 2008 12:36PM]

Called it, thank you

[yoshi @ Feb 25th 2008 2:54PM]

The Macbook Pro hasn't been updated in forever, is the oldest product in Apple's line, anyone and everyone anywhere and everywhere has been saying that the line is due for an update and yet you were somehow able to predict that Apple would be updating it? Good job mate!

[Nate the Prophet @ Feb 25th 2008 3:50PM]

No my kind and unassuming friend, I reported this morning that it would be updated on Tuesday based on information I had received, and mentioned it in another blog comment here on Engadget that you are apparently not privy too.

I'm sorry if you day is going so poorly that you have to try to make fun of things that you know nothing about.

[Kamokazi @ Feb 25th 2008 12:37PM]

P-p-p-powerbook!

(don't mod me down if you don't get the reference, google it)

[mothity @ Feb 25th 2008 12:41PM]

haha i get it. "he wanted this"..."he got this"

[mingleang @ Feb 25th 2008 12:43PM]

e-e-e pc ?

[CraigJ @ Feb 25th 2008 12:59PM]

that was the nicest white vinyl binder I've ever seen

[Liam @ Feb 25th 2008 1:07PM]

That and the picture up in I article are two things I very much doubt will ever get old.

[DonatoM3 @ Feb 25th 2008 1:25PM]

It's a reference to a guy who scammed an ebay scammer out of $300 worth of customs money for a Powerbook based on Apple's new 3 ring binder design.

[Andrew @ Feb 25th 2008 5:24PM]

Thanks for making my day with that amazing story. XD

[Dan @ Feb 25th 2008 4:29PM]

Will you guys be more sold if it has blu-ray? I don't know if it'd make a huge difference to me..

[Andrew @ Feb 25th 2008 1:03PM]

Having Blu-Ray in the MacBook Pro wouldn't really make much of a difference to me at this time, but it would make me feel more comfortable, knowing that if Blu-Ray becomes the phenomena that DVD is today, that I won't have to purchase anything extra for Blu-Ray capabilities.

[Dan @ Feb 25th 2008 1:08PM]

That what I'm thinking. I wouldn't use it now, but knowing that I'm capable of doing so would be a nice pillow. Mainly if it's not mainly a data medium, I don't see the use... but, people do watch movies on the road...

[Liam @ Feb 25th 2008 1:08PM]

It'd add weight and cost. I reckon Blu Ray's at least five years off becoming anything like as essential as DVD, and I'm not entirely sure it ever will.

[Reid @ Feb 25th 2008 1:24PM]

It would be nice to have a Blu-Ray option for those who want to overpay for it in their laptop.

Of course, the screen can't support Blu-Ray resolutions, so it would be mostly for data storage capacity.

[Kamokazi @ Feb 25th 2008 4:18PM]

@Reid

I'm usually the first one to poke fun at Apple products, but I can't stand technological inaccuracy.

The 17" MBP is fully capable of 1080p output...in fact, it's basically a bit higher than that since it's 16:10 and not 16:9, aka 1920x1200 instead of the 'measly' 1920x1080 on a 1080p HDTV. The stock is 'only' 1680x1050, which is damn near 1080 and is much higher than 720p. Even the 15" MBP is 1440x900 by default. So yes, they can definately take advantage of BR's resolution.

[Dan @ Feb 25th 2008 4:21PM]

my poor MacBook Pro is going to be even more obsolete than it already was. Time for a manual hard drive upgrade!

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 5:17PM]

dan, same story here. i was considering the 7200rmp flavor or Hitachi (200gigs), but thinking any newer 5400er would do the trick. i'm _not_ looking foward to playing operation on my lifeline, however!

[Dan @ Feb 25th 2008 5:21PM]

phanbouy, I've been doing my research as well. My main goal is to get the heat down some degrees. It shouldn't get hot enough for someone to say "this computer is really hot." You think they gave us slower 5400rpm hard drives with our Pro's? I wouldn't put it past them. I was reading a review where some guy installed a 7200rpm, and it wound up giving his MBP more battery life. More. Thanks, Apple. I still

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 5:43PM]

i heard that, dan. well for one thing our current HDD is definitely NOT a perpendicular 5400, so that alone would be big. still given the hassle and risk of upgrading, i'm almost wondering if i shouldn't wait till this new Fujitsu 500GB mentioned here yesterday.

i know that i can't justify buying a new laptop for a while, so hopefully the HDD upgrade will extend its useful life for a while. the new bells and whistles are nice for the pros and the well-heeled, but for me i'm happy just having nice external peripherals and killing the main bottleneck of the system drive

[Dan @ Feb 26th 2008 10:54AM]

agreed phanbouy, although many people with mid-level technical skills have been able to successfully do the surgery. I bought the Torx screwdriver just in case I get crazy one day...

[JAmerican @ Feb 25th 2008 12:42PM]

I R BABOON!

[SIC TR4NSIT @ Feb 25th 2008 3:26PM]

Could give two shits about a Macbook, but want to give JAmerican kudos on the Gears 2 logo, Now thats some stuff I cant wait for. To each his own I guess.

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 12:42PM]

hey that picture looks familiar!

[Chris Macdonald @ Feb 26th 2008 3:04PM]

that picture has been my background for the last 2 weeks :D

[Raheem @ Feb 25th 2008 12:43PM]

Actually these are the new iPhone skus.

$1,999 - iPhone with 30fps video capture
$2,499 - iPhone with 30fps video capture & MMS
$2,799 - iPhone with 30fps video capture, MMS and an exclusive iPhone sock. (Only available in pink).

Who said we iPhone users can't laugh at ourselves? :P

[7on @ Feb 25th 2008 2:00PM]

You iPhone users can't laugh at yourselves

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 2:28PM]

7on, you sound really serious

[Abuzar @ Feb 25th 2008 2:49PM]

When can we get a Black sock?

[Shannin @ Feb 25th 2008 3:26PM]

update your iPhone
theres MMS

[Raheem @ Feb 25th 2008 5:18PM]

Shannin... what?

[fanman @ Feb 25th 2008 12:49PM]

There are too many USB ports on that cartoon.

[Chris @ Feb 25th 2008 12:54PM]

One is a firewire port.

[roulette843 @ Feb 25th 2008 1:54PM]

The other's actually a proprietary port for the DigiScents iSmell.

[James @ Feb 25th 2008 12:59PM]

I guess this is a really awful time to have just bought a new MBP :(

[dexter fillmore @ Feb 25th 2008 2:50PM]

you have 14 days to return it (maybe)
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/salespolicies.html#topic-20

[James @ Feb 25th 2008 3:26PM]

Thanks for that, I will wait until tomorrow to open my new MBP in that case, just In case I can send it back for a refund.

[Luiz @ Feb 25th 2008 1:00PM]

hahaha rameen...
i hope to god that this will be mbpS :D
u think there will be any other surprises??

[TS @ Feb 25th 2008 1:22PM]

Yep.

Apple announces a 3G iPhone for ATT and simultaneously announces that because Steve Jobs sees this improved iPhone as an excellent value for customers and he wants all current iPhone owners to have the new version, all current iPhones on ATT will be deactivated, effective immediately. Current owners will then be lucky enough to have the opportunity to upgrade to the new iPhone for a nominal one-time fee of....$399 (trade-in of old, non-functional iPhone required).

All Apple fanbois will rejoice* and happily whip out their credit cards, whilst Apple will post another quarter of record profits as a result of the move.



* Fanboi rejoicing may include, but is not limited to, feverishly posting to non-Flash-based websites about the news from their new 3G iPhone, while continuing to espouse the myriad benefits of not having their browsing experience bogged down with Flash. As a tangent, Steve Jobs will announce that Flash will henceforth be known as the "Red Light District" of mobile web browsing. Iphone owners will again rejoice, as they now have proof from Jobs himself that "the dirty Flash" is not in their best interests to have.

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 1:32PM]

hey i'm all for flash, as long as i can have it selectively active and off by default a la NoScript/Firefox

[Ken @ Feb 25th 2008 1:23PM]

Whoever made that picture is my hero.

[eggothewaffle @ Feb 25th 2008 1:41PM]

In that case, all I request is that you pay me, the artist, the hero tax of just...Err...Uhh...$2,799.

Sounds good?

Good.

[Carl Vitullo @ Feb 25th 2008 1:58PM]

wow apple seems to have a habit of releasing better/cheaper versions like two weeks after the original.
that's not a particularly good habit to have.

[7on @ Feb 25th 2008 2:03PM]

All companies do this. The only difference with Apple is that they don't tell you what's coming out in 6 months, only when it's ready.

It's a given they're going to update their computers. Buy what you need when you need it. There's no such thing as 'future-proofing' yourself.

[Arkbargle @ Feb 25th 2008 3:33PM]

What does that have to do with this? The Macbook Pro hasn't been updated in months. Are you thinking of the Macbook Air (ie. the thin, expensive, not altogether useful one)?

[Carl Vitullo @ Feb 25th 2008 2:33PM]

but if it's been so short a time and they're updating it, you think they could wait a month and make it even better with new improvements and get less of the early adopters mad.

[Morgan @ Feb 25th 2008 2:47PM]

Its been like 260+ days since the last major MBP update. Dell update their Inspiron line more often but I don't see you bitch about that.

[Carl Vitullo @ Feb 25th 2008 3:10PM]

oh shi-
i read it FOUR TIMES as mac book air update. god damn.

[pscs @ Feb 25th 2008 2:32PM]

i like that pic - doesnt tire me. i'd like to see what new features it has... and the I R Soo Expensive wallpaper.

[Turtle @ Feb 25th 2008 2:40PM]

Got the iStore on auto-reload for tomorrow morning...