Did Apple ever release a MacBook Pro with this configuration?

Hey chaps,

Really hope you can help me.

Some of us at work have been contacted by a friend's friend and have been offered the chance to buy some MacBook Pro's.

I dont have full details etc, but im told they were originally purchased by the Military (Navy) and as such came with a very specific configuration.

Ruggedised Mac Book Pro, 2.66Ghz/4GB/1TB/GeForce 9600M GT/SD/17" Display
OSX 10.6 plus normal Mac installed software
1 x Hard case
1 x Soft case

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I have been provided this picture: http://i40.tinypic.com/ne9d0h.jpg

In terms of spec, this is, for the moment all i have.

Does this sound familiar to anyone, is this the kind of configuration you'd expect, do the Military request specific fittings, do they even use Macs?!

I only ask these questions as 1) They come at a very good price, 2) I know very little about Macs, 3) i do believe that 1tb drives werent available as a standard configuration

So i guess what im asking is, does this sound like a load of random specs pieced together, is this something you'd expect from the military, better yet does anyone know if they use them or have used them?

Also.. what exactly is a "Ruggedised Mac Book Pro"?

Thanks in advance for your help chaps, anything you could do to shed light on this would be super awesome.

That all sounds like an early 2009 model..
except, not only were the 1TB drives not a standard configuration, there still does not exist such an animal as a 1TB drive in the 2.5" size that is required in the Apple notebooks. A 3.5" drive will not fit inside the case.

You can check Mac configurations at everymac.com

bobtomay said:

That all sounds like an early 2009 model..
except, not only were the 1TB drives not a standard configuration, there still does not exist such an animal as a 1TB drive in the 2.5" size that is required in the Apple notebooks.

You can check Mac configurations at everymac.com

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It is possible to purchase 1tb HDD's in 2.5", so are you saying that simply the MacBook Pro's are unable to use them?

Also i heard of a kit being available in order to incorporate two 500gb HDD's, im just theory crafting here.

Any other light you can shed on my questions would be appreciative.

Many thanks.

The WD drives are 12.5mm instead of 9.5mm. I don't believe they'll fit, though I could be wrong - have not researched it. I'd have to see it myself if I was purchasing them though.

Maybe special military contract? Have the seller take a screen grab of said HDD space.

len0475 said:

Maybe special military contract? Have the seller take a screen grab of said HDD space.

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Quite possibly.

Unfortunately i cannot reach the chap until Monday now since i only have his office number and its a 9-5 type thing.

Any other ideas?

FWIW, most of the military men I've ever seen (recruiters and such) are always using windows, and they use Toughbooks with touchscreens.

Also, that picture just looks like a macbook in a carrying case. It was obviously taken in the Apple Store.

That info with the 1tb thing makes me highly suspicious. Doesn't mean that it's not legit, because I honestly don't know, but I would definitely think twice about the purchase.

SweetCosmicPope said:

FWIW, most of the military men I've ever seen (recruiters and such) are always using windows, and they use Toughbooks with touchscreens.

Also, that picture just looks like a macbook in a carrying case. It was obviously taken in the Apple Store.

That info with the 1tb thing makes me highly suspicious. Doesn't mean that it's not legit, because I honestly don't know, but I would definitely think twice about the purchase.

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Curious as to know why you believe it was taken in the store?

There's a software (probably aperture or iWork) display on the end of the table, there's the little plastic piece with the computer model and price next to the case, and there's laptops behind this one, with power running to a hub. Plus you can see the feet of customers standing around, and I've been in the mac store enough to recognize the tables and flooring.

Tyvm.

Can you confirm the question about the harddrives? Going off that spec, and the picture showing the series of MacBook Pro, would it even be possible for it to fit a 1TB drive?

Honestly, I don't know. I'm not as well versed in the history of mac hardware as some of the people on here. I've done lots of research, but not quite that much.

From what other have said, and from what I can find, signs seem to point to "no." I'd be willing to bet it's either a misunderstanding, or this person's lying, but I really don't know.

It's always possible it WAS made specially for the military, but I find it hard to believe that those hard drives would be developed and not mass-marketed after the R&D.

SweetCosmicPope said:

Honestly, I don't know. I'm not as well versed in the history of mac hardware as some of the people on here. I've done lots of research, but not quite that much.

From what other have said, and from what I can find, signs seem to point to "no." I'd be willing to bet it's either a misunderstanding, or this person's lying, but I really don't know.

It's always possible it WAS made specially for the military, but I find it hard to believe that those hard drives would be developed and not mass-marketed after the R&D.

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Yep what you say makes complete sense.

Im also thinking... if they were ex military, then why on earth would they have a photo of a mac in a hardcase clearly inside a apple store?

Yea, that's sketchy. Definitely the Apple store. You can see the genius bar and feet.