Apple has updated its MacBook Pro line to include faster graphics. While there’s not much to wow Mac fans, the new laptops offer speed increases thanks to Intel’s new chip architecture.

“It’s absolutely just what we expected,” Ben Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies, told NewsFactor. “They’re moving to the new Intel processor platform, which is bringing faster speeds and a little better power management. Those are the noteworthy things.”

Almost 75 Percent Faster

The new MacBook Pro includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor that can run up to 2.6 GHz with as much as 6 MB of L2 cache. In a nutshell, “you can get more done in less time,” Apple’s Web site says. The new processors are almost 75 percent faster than the MacBook Pro’s original Intel processors. The new laptops can be expanded to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 memory.

That doesn’t mean an increase in energy use, however. Bajarin explained that Intel’s 45-nanometer process puts transistors closer together so they can share resources. Apple’s site says the transistors are small enough that “you could fit a hundred inside a human cell,” which helps keep the MacBook Pro thin.

The Specs

With NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics cards that can expand on some configurations to 512MB of video memory, the new laptops have powerful graphics capabilities. They use a solid-state trackpad with Apple’s Multi-Touch gesture support, which gives users more precise cursor control. The full-size keyboard is backlit with an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts keyboard and screen brightness.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of on-chip shared L2 cache, or with a 2.5-GHz or a 2.6-GHz processor with 6MB of L2 cache. Storage options are a 200GB or 250GB, 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive (a 200GB 7200-rpm drive is available). This…