First topic comes as a question sent via email:

Is it worth getting the 2 graphics card based MacBook Pro? What’s the difference and what can you use it for?

For just $700USD more than the new MacBooks, you do get the 2nd video card (GPU or graphics processing unit) and faster processor, back-lit keyboard, bigger screen and a few other minute features but the biggest difference is the video card. These new MacBook Pros (MBP) have the nVidia GeForce 9400M AND the 9600M GT. The GeForce 9400M is an integrated graphics chipset that is built into the motherboard of the MacBook/MBP. Since it is built in, the video memory needed to power intense graphic programs will be shared with your RAM. So in this scenario, the more RAM you have, the smoother your MB/MBP will run while using the 9400M. Now, the 9600M GT is a separate video card in addition to the 9400M. Yes, separate, you get 2 video cards! When purchasing a MBP, you have the option of either the 256MB 9600M GT or the 512MB 9600M GT. The latter will cost you an additional $500USD on top of the $700 to switch from a MB to a MBP.

But enough about cost, what about performance? A dedicated video card will allow you do handle high end graphics with ease as you are not taking additional resources from your RAM. If you want to do some video editing, the files that you will be editing will be large (anywhere from 100MB to the GB range). Larger files require more memory from your RAM to process, thereby reducing the amount of resources needed for video. The dedicated 9600M GT in this case is where it would come in handy. Not only do you have 512MB of memory to work with (on top of any additional RAM needed), dedicated video cards have an independent processor unit to handle calculations, thereby saving work from your main CPU.

The only downside of the 9600M GT is power consumption. It takes more power to run a dedicated graphics card, especially if you are running on battery power. Here, Apple and Nvidia have combined the 2 video cards so that if you are running on batteries, you have the option to turn off the 9600M GT and use the more power effecient 9400M. The biggest problem right now is that you can not switch between the 2 GPUs on the fly. You must log out of your MBP in order to register the GPU switch.

Nvidia has already announced that the 9400M can support “8GB RAM, on-the-fly GPU switching and can work together with the 9600M GT” but these features are not yet available on the MBP. It may come as a feature in the future, but for now, it is worth the extra graphics power if you plan on doing any video/graphic editing or perhaps playing games under BootCamp (Macs only have Spore as their video game…) [Gizmodo]

The other topic today is the rumor from the New York Times about a MacBook Nano.

We’ve brought you these rumors awhile ago, hoping that the full touchscreen MacBook would be released this past townhall but alas it wasn’t. Now, the NYT has claimed that despite what Steve Jobs said at the most recent townhall, Apple is working on a “iPhone 3.0 or NetMac 1.0.” The title of the NYT’s article is juicy enough to make it sound true, but can we still believe it? [Gizmodo]

So what is the big deal if this won’t come until end of 2009? Absolutely nothing. It is just one progressive step towards doubling speeds within 2 years (see Moore’s Law).