APPLE'S MACBOOK PRO LINE GETS SILENT SPEC BUMP

Apple on Monday quietly updated its line of MacBook Pro notebook computers with faster processors and more storage. The late-2011 MacBook bump comes a bit later than expected, but it is somewhat in line with various reports. Apple’s low-end $1,199 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop now includes a 2.4GHz dual-core Core i5 processor with 500GB of storage, and $1,499 will now buy a 2.8GHz dual-core Core i7 with a 750GB hard drive.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro includes a 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card for $1,799 or a 2.4GHz quad-core Core i7 and AMD Radeon HD 6770M GPU for $2,199.

On the top end of Apple’s laptop lineup, the base-level 17-inch MacBook pro now includes a 2.4GHz quad-core Core i7 processor and the AMD 6770M for $2,499, and a fully-loaded 17-inch model includes a 2.5GHz quad-core Core i7 CPU and a 512GB solid state drive for $3,849. Apple’s updated MacBook Pro notebooks begin shipping immediately.

APPLE LAUNCHES REPLACEMENT PROGRAM FOR "SMALL NUMBER" OF iMACS

Did you purchase a new iMac between May and July 2011 sporting a 1TB Seagate HDD? You should probably know that the hard drive might be prone to failure. No worries though, Apple's announced it'll replace potentially faulty drives at no cost.

Owners of registered affected computers are being notified via email, but if you forgot to register yours, you can check the serial number on Apple's website. After confirming that the machine's eligible, you'll be able to drop it off at an Apple Store or authorized service center for the swap. It's also suggested that you back up the drive prior to bringing it down.

NEW iMACS LOCK OWNERS INTO APPLE'S HARDWARE EVEN MORE

Letting Apple control most facets of your computing experience is just a fact of life for the Mac faithful, but the company may have gone too far for some with the most recent iMac refresh. Want to swap out that hard drive for a bigger one or replace a dead disk? You've got no option but to go straight to Apple thanks to a new proprietary cable and special firmware. The standard 4-pin SATA connector has been replaced with a 7-pin configuration that keeps you from hooking up just any old hard drive, and without that magical firmware the iMac won't even boot.

SAMSUNG SELLS HARD DRIVE BUSINESS TO SEAGATE

Reuters is reporting that Samsung Electronics has agreed to sell its hard drive business to Seagate Technology for $1.4 billion in cash and stock. The move is seen as two pronged: first, it will allow Samsung to exit an extremely competitive market and refocus its efforts on its successful memory-chip business. Secondly, it will allow Seagate to be more competitive with Western Digital — a company that has announced its intentions to purchase Hitachi’s hard-drive business for more than $4.3 billion. “The transactions and agreements significantly expand Seagate’s customer access in China and Southeast Asia,” reads a statement released by both companies. The deal will see Samsung become the second largest shareholder in Seagate — with a nearly 10% share worth over $687 million — and the assets should be transfered sometime in 2011.