Apple refreshes MacBook Pros with Sandy Bridge processors, AMD graphics, Thunderbolt I/O tech, and HD cameras

Come on, you knew this was coming! Oh yes, Apple's pulling the curtain off its new MacBook Pro family, and compared to the last refresh cycle, there are a serious amount of updates. Just as we had heard, all three will be getting new Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6000M graphics (bye bye, NVIDIA!), FaceTime HD cameras, and some super fast Thunderbolt I/O transfer speeds. There are two new 13-inchers, two 15.4-inch versions, and one lone 17-inch model. How much will they cost you and what are the exact specs? You'll want to hit the jump for all of that and the official press release.

Aesthetically, the new Macbook Pro models don't seem to be have been altered all that much -- they're still the aluminum unibody machines we know and love. However, there is the addition of the new Thunderbolt connector, which promises up to 10Gbps data transfer speeds, and yes, it's based on Intel's long awaited Light Peak technology. We've got some more details on Thunderbolt here. The other major physical update to all the machines is the new FaceTime HD camera -- it's triple the resolution of the previous iSight MacBook Pro cams and supports full HD video calling.

• 13-inch MacBook Pro - Last time around the 13-inchers didn't exactly get a lot of love (they were stuck with older Core 2 Duo processors), but this time is different -- both 13.3-inch models are now available with Core i5 and i7 processors. The lower end model starts at $1,199, and features a 2.4GHz dual-core Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 320GB hard drive. Going up to the 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 CPU and 500GB hard drive will set you back $1,499. This duo doesn't get the AMD graphics treatment like the others, but from what we've heard Intel's new HD 3000 integrated graphics is more powerful than ever.

• 15-inch MacBook Pro - No more Core i5 options for the middle child -- these two strictly get the Core i7 and AMD Radeon HD 6000M goods. The $1,799 model packs a 2.0GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, AMD Radeon HD6490M graphics with 1GB of VRAM, and a 500GB hard drive. On the higher end, there's a $2,199 model which buys you a faster 2.2GHz Core i7 chip, AMD Radeon 6750M graphics, and 750GB hard drive. There are also 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB SSD options. Also, as far as we understand, the graphics switching will work exactly like the previous models -- it automatically switches between the GPU and IGP depending on what you're doing.

• 17-inch MacBook Pro - Last but not least you've got the all-powerful 17-incher, which basically has the same specs as that high-end 15-incher -- for $2,499 you get that same 2.2GHz Core i7 processor, AMD Radeon 6750M graphics, and a 750GB hard drive. Naturally, you can spec this one out with those aforementioned SSD options.