Apple Sunset

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)

Discontinued 8 Jun 2009

Released

14 Oct 2008

Announced

14 Oct 2008

Launch price from

$1,999

Discontinued

8 Jun 2009

Lifespan

8 months

Category
MacBook Pro
Status
Discontinued
Apple support status
Obsolete (Apple no longer services it)
Release type
Refresh of an existing model
Replaced by
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)
Official Apple page
No longer available on Apple’s website
Tech specs
Apple specs ↗
Press release
Apple Newsroom ↗
More information
MacBook Pro (Intel-based) on Wikipedia ↗

Notes

Apple sold the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) in two versions: $1,999 for a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo with 2GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive, or $2,499 for 2.53GHz with 4GB and 320GB. Both had a 15.4-inch screen at 1440 by 900.

The body was machined from a single block of aluminium, which Apple called a precision unibody enclosure and said made for a thinner and more durable design. It measured 0.95 of an inch thick and weighed 5.5 pounds.

The trackpad button went. The whole glass surface of the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) became the button, so a click could be made anywhere on it, and Apple put the tracking area at almost 40 per cent larger than before. Right-clicking and other buttons could be set up in software instead.

Mini DisplayPort was introduced here, a connector Apple put at a tenth the size of a full DVI plug while still driving a 30-inch screen. Adapters were sold separately for older VGA, DVI and dual-link DVI displays.

An LED-backlit screen went in, which Apple said used up to 30 per cent less energy than the one before it and did away with the mercury in fluorescent backlights. The cover glass ran edge to edge, and Apple made a point of it being arsenic-free, calling the range the industry’s greenest notebooks.

Two graphics chips sat inside, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and a 9600M GT, and a user could switch between them to save battery. Apple did not describe that as automatic. The automatic version came two generations later in 2010, which Apple then called new.

An ExpressCard/34 slot took expansion cards, which the next generation replaced with an SD card slot. Alongside it were two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, a Gigabit Ethernet socket, audio in and out, an 85W MagSafe charger and an 8x SuperDrive for CDs and DVDs.

Apple replaced it on 8 June 2009, when the battery was built into the case, the ExpressCard slot gave way to an SD card slot and the entry price came down by $300.

It was announced on 14 October 2008 at an Apple event. It went on sale the same day, priced from $1,999.

Check out the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009) that replaced it.

MacBook Pro release history

  1. 2026

  2. 11 Mar 2026

    MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max ReleasedCurrent

  3. 3 Mar 2026

    MacBook Pro (M4) Discontinued

  4. ↑ 4 months later
  5. 2025

  6. 22 Oct 2025

    Macbook Pro M5 ReleasedCurrent

  7. ↑ about 1 year later
  8. 2024

  9. 8 Nov 2024

    MacBook Pro (M4) Released

  10. 30 Oct 2024

    MacBook Pro (M3) Discontinued

  11. ↑ about 1 year later
  12. 2023

  13. 7 Nov 2023

    MacBook Pro (M3) Released

  14. 30 Oct 2023

    MacBook Pro (M2 Pro / M2 Max) Discontinued

  15. ↑ 9 months later

  16. 24 Jan 2023

    MacBook Pro (M2 Pro / M2 Max) Released

  17. 17 Jan 2023

    MacBook Pro (M1 Pro / M1 Max) Discontinued

  18. ↑ 1 year, 3 months later
  19. 2021

  20. 26 Oct 2021

    MacBook Pro (M1 Pro / M1 Max) Released

  21. 18 Oct 2021

    MacBook Pro 16-inch (2019) Discontinued

  22. ↑ about 2 years later
  23. 2019

  24. 13 Nov 2019

    MacBook Pro 16-inch (2019) Released

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2019) Discontinued

  25. ↑ 6 months later

  26. 21 May 2019

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2019) Released

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2018) Discontinued

  27. ↑ 10 months later
  28. 2018

  29. 12 Jul 2018

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2018) Released

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) Discontinued

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2017) Discontinued

  30. ↑ about 1 year later
  31. 2017

  32. 5 Jun 2017

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2017) Released

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2016) Discontinued

  33. ↑ 7 months later
  34. 2016

  35. 14 Nov 2016

    MacBook Pro 15-inch (2016) Released

  36. ↑ 1 year, 6 months later
  37. 2015

  38. 19 May 2015

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) Released

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) Discontinued

  39. ↑ 10 months later
  40. 2014

  41. 29 Jul 2014

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) Released

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) Discontinued

  42. ↑ 9 months later
  43. 2013

  44. 22 Oct 2013

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) Released

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) Discontinued

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) Discontinued

  45. ↑ 8 months later

  46. 13 Feb 2013

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) Released

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012) Discontinued

  47. ↑ 8 months later
  48. 2012

  49. 11 Jun 2012

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) Released

    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012) Released

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011) Discontinued

  50. ↑ 8 months later
  51. 2011

  52. 24 Oct 2011

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011) Released

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) Discontinued

  53. ↑ 8 months later

  54. 24 Feb 2011

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) Launch

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) Discontinued

  55. ↑ 10 months later
  56. 2010

  57. 13 Apr 2010

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) Released

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009) Discontinued

  58. ↑ 10 months later
  59. 2009

  60. 8 Jun 2009

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009) Released

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Discontinued

  61. ↑ 8 months later
  62. 2008

  63. 14 Oct 2008

    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Released

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