Benjamin declined to talk about 802.11n compatibility. "The integrated solution is fully backward compatible, but I can't speculate [on future capabilities]," he said.

It's worth noting that Apple was ahead of the curve a few years back with 802.11g networking, moving toward that wireless technology before the standard was officially in place -- and before many of its competitors followed suit. A similar move now would offer more future-proofing for these models; 802.11n isn't expected to be set as a standard until next year, but the technology offers better range for wireless connections and much better transfer speeds. We'll see.

There's no doubt that anyone but the owners of the most recent Core Duo laptops will see a major speed increase with Apple's latest laptops. And even owners of the just-discontinued models might find enough her to tempt them into yet another Apple purchase. Benjamin reiterated that the new MacBook Pros are seven times faster than the top-end PowerPC-based PowerBooks being sold just a year ago and. Using a touch of market speak, he called the new models "mobile creative powerhouses."

"There are those out there who will upgrade for particular features," he said. "If you are someone who is a media professional who does all your work on the road -- and the faster performance [of the latest models] is useful, then certainly people will buy this one. There's a number of features they might want."

Indeed. That would explain the impatience of a certain online editor with a 17-in. MacBook Pro on order. Time, perhaps for another check of that online order status page.