Mac · The Aluminum Age · 2008
MacBook Pro (Unibody)
The pro line adopts unibody machining and dual switchable GPUs for battery-vs-power balance — the design language of MacBook Pros for the next decade.
MacBook Pro (Unibody): key facts
When was the MacBook Pro (Unibody) released?
The MacBook Pro (Unibody) was released in October 2008. Apple discontinued it in 2009.
How much did the MacBook Pro (Unibody) cost?
The MacBook Pro (Unibody) launched at $1,999 in 2008 — about $2,979 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the MacBook Pro (Unibody)’s specs?
The MacBook Pro (Unibody) used a Intel Core 2 Duo running at 2.40 GHz, with 2 GB of memory and 244.1 GB of storage. It ran Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
Why does the MacBook Pro (Unibody) matter?
Brought unibody construction and switchable graphics to the pro laptop.
Full specifications
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Duo · 2.40 GHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 2 |
| Memory (RAM) | 2 GB (up to 8 GB) |
| Storage | 244.1 GB |
| Display | 15.4" LED LCD, 1440×900 |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT |
| Ports | USB 2.0, FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort |
| Weight | 2.49 kg |
| Dimensions | Unibody aluminium notebook |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard |
| Released | October 2008 |
| Discontinued | 2009 |
| Launch price | $1,999 |
How the MacBook Pro (Unibody) compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 8.0× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 2.40 GHz, the clock is roughly 1.3× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
This held about 62,500 modern phone photos — a respectable library even today.
Launched at $1,999 in 2008 — about $2,979 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
A user-accessible battery and drive door made this era a tinkerer’s favourite.
Related Mac models
Open the MacBook Pro (Unibody) in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25