Apple Store is down, new MacBook Pros likely incoming

By Adam Rosenberg February 24, 2011

Today is Thursday!!! Sure, it happened last week and it’s going to happen again next week. Probably the week after that too. This Thursday is a special one however, since it’s the day that all signs are pointing to for Apple to announce/launch its latest update to its MacBook Pro line of laptops. The most concrete confirmation of a new product launch greeted online Apple shoppers this morning: the Apple Store is down.

A friendly Post-It graphic reads “We’ll be back soon,” sitting alongside the standard message that so many of us have seen before, “We are busy updating the store for you and will be back shortly.” Either the MacBook Pro is being added to the array of options or Apple is finally preparing to march its iRobot armies in a grand-scale play for world domination. Let’s all bet on the former and hope for the best.

Talk surrounding the laptop update has been building in recent weeks. Just yesterday we heard that the new notebook models will incorporate Intel’s Light Peak tech, a device interconnection standard that offers a significant speed boost over FireWire and even USB 3.0. Earlier in the week rumors pointed to a larger trackpad and a built-in solid-state drive for the Mac operating system to live on.

All of this information comes alongside various indicator the strongly suggest Apple is prepping a new product for launch this week. Earlier this week, the online Apple Store placed a three- to five-day wait on all MacBook Pro orders. Meanwhile, Best Buy added five new Apple laptop SKUs to its own online store, revealing prices that range between $1,199 and $2,499. Finally, reports from various brick-and-mortar Apple Stores early this week indicate that pallets of product arrived sealed in black plastic and “Apple Confidential” tape along with a notice to store managers that the contents are to remain sealed until an announcement is made.

All of which means that we are safe from Apple’s iRobots for another day. Also, the new MacBook Pro is incoming.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Computing

Best Buy’s deal of the day is $150 off the MacBook Air M2

A woman working on a 2023 MacBook Air with M2 chip.

For Mac lovers, Best Buy has one of the best laptop deals at the moment with $150 off the MacBook Air M2. Usually priced at $999, you can buy it for $849 right now making it great value for anyone who wants to get involved with the Apple ecosystem without breaking the bank. Stylish and speedy, this is a laptop that will suit mostly everyone from students to people working from home or commuters. Here’s what you need to know before you hit the buy button. As always with such good deals, bear in mind that you could miss out if you wait too long.

Why you should buy the MacBook Air M2
One of the best laptop brands for reliability and being high quality, buying a MacBook Air is an investment that will last. While Windows-based laptops can lose their lustre over time, MacBooks tend to keep going for longer. While the MacBook Air M2 doesn’t have the latest Apple silicon -- the M3 -- it still offers fantastic performance. The M2 chip has an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU and this model is still considered to be the best MacBook for everyone. This particular model comes with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage which is sufficient for all everyday tasks and saving documents easily.

Computing

You can still buy the M1 MacBook Air, and it’s cheaper than ever

Apple MacBook Air M1 open, on a table.

Apple deals are rarely particularly cheap but Walmart is continuing to sell the Apple MacBook Air M1 with 13.3-inch screen for just $699. The lowest price ever, it’s the perfect entry point for anyone considering checking out macOS. It feels like stock must be starting to run low here so if you don’t want to miss out on one of the better laptop deals around, hit the buy button now before you miss out. Otherwise, here’s what the MacBook Air M1 has to offer.

Why you should buy the MacBook Air M1
The MacBook Air M1 isn’t considered one of the best laptops any more but just because its processor is a few years old doesn’t mean you should ignore it. MacBooks are typically built to last with support for macOS continuing for a number of years. With the MacBook Air M1, you get the M1 chip with an 8-core CPU which is sure to outperform Intel chips of the same era. The leap between Intel-based MacBooks to Apple silicon was pretty huge which is why the M1 chip remains highly potent.

Computing

The 5 best MacBooks for video editing in 2024

Apple MacBook Pro 16 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Video editing is one of the most demanding things you can ask of your laptop. Not only do you need a powerful processor to keep things running smoothly, but you'll also need loads of RAM and a solid GPU to best carry out the task. If any of these components are lacking, you could run into trouble with your software – resulting in sluggish performance and a frustrating overall experience.

Hunting for a laptop that's robust enough to handle video editing isn't easy, but you can make things more manageable by sticking to Apple's MacBook catalog.