By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 09:00 AM EST (06:00 AM PST)

Apple Computer on Tuesday gave all of its MacBook Pro customers something sweet for Valentines Day: an unexpected CPU upgrade free of charge.

The company, which announced it will begin shipping the MacBook Pro this week, said each model will arrive with faster Intel Core Duo processors than previously announced, delivering even greater performance at no additional cost.

The $2,499 model now includes a 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from the previously announced 1.83 GHz, and will begin shipping this week, the company said in a statement.

The $1,999 model now includes a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from the previously announced 1.67 GHz, and will begin shipping next week.

In addition, customers may now upgrade to a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor as a build-to-order option on the Apple Online Store.

"We are incredibly excited to start shipping the MacBook Pro, a groundbreaking new notebook with dual-processor desktop performance in a thin, sleek design," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The new MacBook Pro includes even faster Intel Core Duo processors than originally announced, up to 2.16 GHz, and we think customers are going to love them."

The first Mac notebook using Intel’s new Core Duo processor, the MacBook Pro features a sleek aluminum enclosure just one inch thin and weighing only 5.6 pound. It includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go, the Apple Remote and Front Row software for a simple and powerful way for users to enjoy their content wherever they go. The MacBook Pro also sports Apple’s new patent-pending MagSafe magnetic power connector, designed especially for mobile users.

Every new MacBook Pro comes with the latest release of Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" and iLife ‘06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, running natively on the new Intel-based MacBook Pro for maximum performance.

Apple says Intel-based Mac customers now have more than 700 Universal applications to choose from, with the list growing each day as hundreds of developers including Adobe, Quark and IBM’s Lotus division have announced support for Mac OS X Intel-based applications. An updated list of Universal applications for Mac OS X is also now available.

Pricing and Availability

The new MacBook Pro will begin shipping this week and will be available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The 1.83 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness

1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor

512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB

80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor

a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive

PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory

DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately)

built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display

built-in iSight video camera

Gigabit Ethernet port

built-in AirPort Extreme WiFi wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot

two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port

one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog

scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard

the infrared Apple Remote

60 Watt hour lithium polymer battery and

85W AC power adapter with MagSafe magnetic power connector.

The 2.0 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness

2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor

1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB

100GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor

a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive

PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory

DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately)

built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display

built-in iSight video camera

Gigabit Ethernet port

built-in Airport Extreme WiFi wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot

two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port

one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog

scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard

the infrared Apple Remote

60 Watt hour lithium polymer battery and

85W AC power adapter with MagSafe magnetic power connector.

Additional build-to-order options for the 15-inch MacBook Pro now include the ability to upgrade to a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, as well as 120GB (5400 rpm) or 100GB (7200 rpm) hard drive, up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, Apple USB Modem, and the AppleCare Protection Plan.