This week’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada saw Apple introduce the 17-inch MacBook Pro notebook computer.  The new model is the second form factor available on the MacBook Pro Line of professional notebooks.  According to Apple, the 17-inch model delivers up to five times the performance of the prior PowerBook G4 notebook.

The model ships with the latest version of Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4.6 in addition to iLife '06, Apple's Digital Life software suite that includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb.

•  2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 17-inch widescreen LCD display with 1680 x 1050 resolution
• 36 percent brighter display
• 667 MHz front-side bus
• 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 256MB of video memory
• 120GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor
• 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• One FireWire 800 port
• One FireWire 400 port
• DVI-out port for external connection (VGA, S-Video)
• Dual-link Digital Visual Interface (DVI) for connecting an external monitor
• Built-in iSight video camera
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• Built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme 802.11g wireless networking
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot
• Audio line in/out port with support for both optical digital and analog audio
• Scrolling TrackPad
• Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor
• Infrared Apple Remote
• Lithium polymer battery
• MagSafe Power Adapter
  

Build-to-order options include a 7200RPM 100GB hard drive and up to 2GB of RAM.  Customers also have the option to purchase the AppleCare Extended Warranty.  The 17-inch MacBook Pro will begin shipping next week through the Apple Store and available at Apple retail locations and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Note that the 17-inch PowerBook G4 is no longer available from the Apple Store.