Apple launched its 17 inch screen dual core MacBook Pro today, claiming the new machine bests the performance of its PowerBook G4 by a factor of five.

Apple looks set to announce the 17in MacBook Pro next week, timing the launch to coincide with the Las Vegas-hosted National Association of Broadcasters convention, a gathering of professional users the company has long pitched its big-screen PowerBook G4 notebooks to.

Apple appears to have underclocked the ATI Radeon Mobility X1600 graphics chip in its MacBook Pro laptop. According to one online report, the GPU's core runs 35 per cent slower than the clock speed recommended by ATI. The memory clock is 41 per cent below par.

Apple has posted a series of firmware updates for its Intel-based Mac desktops and notebooks. The release takes the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac's firmware to version 1.0.1. In each case, the download weighs in at a mere 2.8MB. You can get it here.

Intel-based Macs can now play host to three operating systems and boot into any one of them at will. The triple-boot technique has been outlined on the OnMac.net website, home of the first code to allow the new machines to run Windows XP.

Apple has been accused of using another company's technology without permission. The Mac maker was this week accused of violating the intellectual property rights of Burst.com, which maintains Apple has infringed four patents relating to music and video downloads on demand.

A second report has come out of Taiwan claiming Asus has won the contract to manufacture Apple's upcoming Intel-based iBook, expected to ship as the MacBook.

Apple's upcoming Intel-based iBooks - now firmly believed to ship under the MacBook brand - may see the company once again offer the product in a range of coloured cases not seen now for more than four years.

Windows Vista has been booted on an iMac, according to a poster on the OSx86 Project forum yesterday. Previous attempts to install and run Vista - currently available in pre-release form - have been unsuccessful.

US software company Parallels has posted a pre-release version of its upcoming virtualisation tool for Intel-based Macs. Coming in response to the release of Apple's Windows XP-oriented Boot Camp utility, the Parallel product eliminates the need to choose which operating system the users at start-up. Instead, users can flip between operating systems at will.

Apple has formally given its thumbs-up to attempts to install and run Windows XP on Intel-based Macs. It has posted a tool called Boot Camp that allows iMac, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini owners to run the Microsoft OS more easily. The company also confirmed the next major Mac OS X release, Leopard, will integrate the twin-OS technology.

Asus has reportedly won the contract to manufacture Apple's upcoming Intel-based iBook - aka the MacBook - which will be the first consumer-oriented notebook from the vendor to incorporate a widescreen display.

Apple has posted Mac OS X 10.4.6, the latest update to its 'Tiger' operating system. Released as both PowerPC and Intel versions, the new software incorporates the customary array of tweaks and fixes, but most notably incorporates a major revision of the OS' iSync tool. Indeed, Apple warned iSync users to synchronise their PDAs and/or mobile phones before installing the new release.

Apple vs Apple It's the logo, stupid. That, at least, is what the Apple vs Apple case centres on if opening arguments made by Apple Corp. lawyer Geoffrey Vos QC are anything to go by. It's not about Apple Comp. selling recorded music, it's about the Mac maker promoting the business with its logo, Vos said.

Apple is planning to open at least two more Apple Stores in the UK, with shops set to open in Manchester and Southampton in the company's current fiscal year - by the end of September, in other words.

Want the fastest Windows XP Core Duo notebook? Then buy a Mac. According to benchmarks carried out by website GearLog, Apple's MacBook Pro running Windows XP is a better Adobe Photoshop rig than any other Core Duo laptop on the market.

Mouse maker Razer has apparently announced a keyboard with an integrated universal iPod dock - the first product of its kind, ever, the company claims. The Pro|Type Multimedia Keyboard also provides a set of media keys for controlling iTunes, along with ten macro command hot keys and a picture zoom in and out control. The keyboard has two USB ports on board for connecting mice and other peripherals. It's also got line-out audio ports. There's no word yet on availability or pricing. ®

Sony will next month extend its line of dual-role displays - they operate as a TV and as a computer monitor - with a 20in widescreen HD model capable of being wall-mounted and has a 3D sound capability.

The $13,000 prize for whoever gets Windows XP to dual-boot on an Intel-based Mac has been won, according to the website created to promote the competition. At this stage it's not clear who's going to walk off with the cash, or whether their code will make it to a wider audience.

Apple's co-founder, one of its former CEOs and an ex-Apple CTO have formally announced their partnership in a technology acquisition company a month after reports they were planning just such a move and eight months after the firm was founded.