Apple MacBook Pro MC721LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop |
Apple MacBook Pro MC721LL/A 15.4-Inch LaptopProduct By Apple Computer Average customer review:  Rating: Available From 11 Sellers  |
Technical Details
- 2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor
- 500 GB Hard Drive, 8x DVD/CD SuperDrive, 4 GB DDR3 RAM
- 15.4 inch LED-backlit display, 1440-by-900 resolution
- AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR5 memory
- High Speed Thunderbolt Port, FaceTime HD Camera, Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
Product Description
The new MacBook Pro notebooks have several major new features: Intel Core i5 and i7 Processors with Turbo Boost Technology, Thunderbolt the next generation of I/O, new AMD Radeon Graphics, and FaceTime HD camera. The 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro now feature quad-core Intel Core i7 processors. And the 13-inch models jump to dual-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. New Thunderbolt technology lets you connect high-performance peripherals and high-resolution displays to one port - with data transfer rates up to 10 Gbps. Thunderbolt is based on two fundamental technologies: PCI Express and DisplayPort. And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, the video standard for high-resolution displays, any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port. To connect a DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA display, just use an existing optional adapter. AMD Radeon graphics on the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro are up to 3x faster than those in previous models, so you can take everything from games to CAD to HD video projects anywhere. FaceTime makes full-screen HD video calls that are astonishingly crisp. And thanks to the new widescreen format, you can get your friends in the picture, too. And with Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '11, you're sure to get a great Mac notebook - all in a precision aluminum unibody enclosure that's less than an inch thin. 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1440-by-900 resolution Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor and AMD Radeon HD 6490M (256MB GDDR5 dedicated memory) with automatic graphics switching Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+-R DL/DVD+-RW/CD-RW) AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi Wireless (based on IEEE 802.11n specification) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 10/100/1000 Gigabit BASE-T Ethernet SDXC Card Slot FaceTime HD Camera Audio Stereo speakers with subwoofer, omnidirectional microphone Expansions - 2 x USB 2.0, FireWire 800, Audio line in minijack (Amazon.com Product Description
Introducing the new 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. The state-of-the-art quad-core Intel i7 processor delivers up to 2x faster performance (over the previous generation of MacBook Pro). New Thunderbolt technology lets you connect high-performance peripherals and high-resolution displays to a single port, and transfer files at lightning speeds. And with the new built-in FaceTime HD camera, you can make astonishingly crisp HD video calls.
With the revolutionary Thunderbolt technology, you'll be able to achieve bi-directional channels with transfer speeds to peripherals like external hard drives and servers up to an amazing 10 Gbps--while also connecting to a DisplayPort-compatible high-resolution display.
As with previous models, the MacBook Pro features a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, creating a thin and light mobile computing workhorse (less than 1 inch thin and just 5.6 pounds) that's also highly durable. It includes a 15.4-inch, LED-backlit glass display as well as a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) that features Apple's Multi-Touch technology. And it comes standard with automatic graphics switching that provides performance when you need it and energy efficiency when you don't. You'll also get up to 7 hours of battery life while on the go.
This version of the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro (model MC721LL/A) features a 2.0 GHz Core i7 "Sandy Bridge" quad-core processor, 500 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of installed RAM. Other features include ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity, an SDXC card slot, two USB 2.0 ports, and a FireWire 800 port (see full specifications below). It also comes with the Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system as well as the iLife software suite, which includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand.
And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, you'll be able to connect to a high-resolution display from the same port. Any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port, and you can also connect displays that use DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA connections with an existing adapter. You'll also be able to include your display into a daisy-chained set of peripherals.
Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking. And you'll enjoy a rich set of new features for a stunning and seamless visual experience with no additional hardware. The "Sandy Bridge" Core i7 processor also provides faster access to the installed RAM, with an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333 MHz memory directly to the processor.
With new microarchitecture, the graphics processor resides on the same chip as the central processor and has direct access to the 6 MB of shared L3 cache--helping your applications run at peak performance. And an integrated video encoder enables HD video calls with FaceTime, while an efficient decoder gives you long battery life when you're watching DVDs or iTunes movies.
The 15.4-inch unibody MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt technology (see larger image).
As with previous models, the MacBook Pro features a precision unibody enclosure crafted from a single block of aluminum, creating a thin and light mobile computing workhorse (less than 1 inch thin and just 5.6 pounds) that's also highly durable. It includes a 15.4-inch, LED-backlit glass display as well as a glass trackpad that doesn't include a button (for larger tracking area) that features Apple's Multi-Touch technology. And it comes standard with automatic graphics switching that provides performance when you need it and energy efficiency when you don't. You'll also get up to 7 hours of battery life while on the go.
This version of the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro (model MC721LL/A) features a 2.0 GHz Core i7 "Sandy Bridge" quad-core processor, 500 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of installed RAM. Other features include ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity, an SDXC card slot, two USB 2.0 ports, and a FireWire 800 port (see full specifications below). It also comes with the Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system as well as the iLife software suite, which includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand.
FaceTime HD camera built into the bezel for crisp, widescreen video chats (see larger image).
The backlit keyboard--great for typing in low-light settings (see larger image).
Key Features
Revolutionary Thunderbolt Technology
Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O (input/output) technology delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second of transfer speeds in both directions. Built into the MacBook Pro, the Thunderbolt port allows you to connect to new Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals as well as existing USB and FireWire peripherals using simple adapters. You'll be able to move data up to 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 and more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800, and you can daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices without using a hub.And because Thunderbolt is based on DisplayPort technology, you'll be able to connect to a high-resolution display from the same port. Any Mini DisplayPort display plugs right into the Thunderbolt port, and you can also connect displays that use DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, or VGA connections with an existing adapter. You'll also be able to include your display into a daisy-chained set of peripherals.
Next-Generation Quad-Core Intel Processor
This MacBook Pro is powered by a second-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor (dubbed "Sandy Bridge"), which provides breakthrough digital media management, content creation, and 3D gaming capabilities. With updated Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, the latest Core i7 increases speed automatically for whatever you're doing, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload.Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking. And you'll enjoy a rich set of new features for a stunning and seamless visual experience with no additional hardware. The "Sandy Bridge" Core i7 processor also provides faster access to the installed RAM, with an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333 MHz memory directly to the processor.
With new microarchitecture, the graphics processor resides on the same chip as the central processor and has direct access to the 6 MB of shared L3 cache--helping your applications run at peak performance. And an integrated video encoder enables HD video calls with FaceTime, while an efficient decoder gives you long battery life when you're watching DVDs or iTunes movies.
Automatic Graphics Switching
The MacBook Pro offers excellent graphics flexibility with two video processors--the discrete AMD Radeon HD 6490M processor (with 256 MB of GDDR5 video memory) for heavier workloads and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor for better battery life on the go. When gaming or using processor-intensive applications like Aperture or Final Cut Pro, you'll appreciate the power of the AMD Radeon HD 6490M, which lets you see more frames per second and experience better responsiveness. And the automatic graphics switching feature determines which graphics processor an application needs and switches instantly between the processors.Buttonless Multi-Touch Trackpad
With no button on the glass trackpad, there's more room to track and click--left, right, center, and everywhere in between. Without a separate button, the trackpad gives your hands plenty of room to move on the large, silky glass surface. It also incorporates Multi-Touch gestures--including swipe, pinch, rotate, and four-finger swipe. And it also now supports inertial scrolling, an intuitive way to scroll through large photo libraries, lengthy documents and long web sites.See larger image.
See larger image.
Key Specifications
- 15.4-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with edge-to-edge, uninterrupted glass (1440 x 900-pixel resolution).
- 2.0 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor ("Sandy Bridge") with 6 MB shared L3 cache for excellent multitasking.
- Dual graphics processors with automatic switching between AMD Radeon HD 6490M (with 256 MB of GDDR5 video memory) for demanding applications and integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 (with 384 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory) for power savings.
- 500 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
- 4 GB installed RAM (1333 MHz DDR3; supports up to 8 GB)
- 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer DVD support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Built-in FaceTime HD camera for video chatting
- Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible)
- Gigabit Ethernet wired networking (10/100/1000)
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for connecting with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and cell phones
- Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port
- SDXC card slot
- Thunderbolt port with native Mini DisplayPort output plus support for DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI, and HDMI (requires adapters, sold separately)
- Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control with support for inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
- Full-size backlit keyboard
- Stereo speakers with subwoofers
- Dimensions: 14.35 x 9.82 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH)
- Weight: 5.6 pounds
- Up to 7 hours of battery life
- Meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements
- Rated EPEAT Gold
What's in the Box
15.4-inch MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 85W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, software DVDs, printed and electronic documentationLimited Warranty And Service
The MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a 1-year limited warranty, which can be extended to 3 years with the AppleCare Protection Plan.Installed software
Mac OS X Snow Leopard is an even more powerful and refined version of the world's most advanced operating system. In ways big and small, it gets faster, more reliable, and easier to use. New core technologies unleash the power of today's advanced hardware technology and prepare Mac OS X for future innovation.- Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard (includes iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools, and more)
- iLife (includes iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, and iDVD)
AppleCare Protection Plan
Because Apple makes the hardware, the operating system, and many applications, the Mac is a truly integrated system. And only the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you one-stop service and support from Apple experts, so most issues can be resolved in a single call. Extend the complimentary service and support on your Mac to 3 years from the original Mac purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct telephone access to Apple experts for technical questions, and you get global repair coverage--including both parts and labor--for your Mac and select Apple peripherals.Optional Accessories and Related Products
 | 85W MagSafe Power Adapter Need an extra adapter for home or work? The MagSafe Power Adapter is held in place magnetically, so if someone trips over it, the cord disconnects harmlessly while your MacBook Pro stays put on your desk. |
 | MagSafe Airline Adapter With the MagSafe Airline Adapter, your MacBook Pro can go the distance no matter how long your flight. Just plug it into your airline seat power port to watch movies and stay productive from takeoff to landing. |
 | Apple World Travel Adapter Kit Essential for any traveler, this World Travel Adapter Kit includes the Apple USB Power Adapter, USB Cable, and six interchangeable AC adapter plugs that let you plug your Apple MagSafe Power Adapter, Portable Power Adapters, and AirPort Express into most electrical outlets around the world. |
 | Time Capsule Back up a lifetime's worth of memories with Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive that works seamlessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X. It's also a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station with simultaneous dual-band support. Choose from 1 TB and 2 TB models. |
 | AirPort Extreme Base Station Speed, range, and easy setup make AirPort Extreme the perfect wireless solution for home, school, and small business. It offers simultaneous dual-band support and lets up to 50 people share Internet access, a wireless network, a hard drive, and a printer. |
 | 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display The stunning 2560-by-1440 resolution, built-in camera and speakers, and easy connectivity of the 27-inch Apple LED Cinema Display add up to a viewing experience unlike any other. |
 | Apple Magic Mouse Magic Mouse is unlike any other mouse you've ever used. The Multi-Touch surface lets you use gestures to swipe through photos and scroll down web pages. And the entire mouse is the button, so you can click anywhere. |
 | Apple Wireless Keyboard The sleek aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard lets you type in front of your computer, on your lap, or anywhere within range. It's also incredibly thin and streamlined, so it sits on your desk surrounded by nothing but glorious space. |
 | MobileMe MobileMe is the service from Apple that keeps your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC in perfect sync--no docking required. MobileMe stores your mail, contacts, and calendar information in the cloud and uses push technology to keep everything in sync across all your devices (annual subscription fee and Internet access required). |
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Customer Reviews
Quad Core Processor - New Era
The update to the 15-inch MacBook Pro in February 2011 was significant. Indeed, significant is an understatement. Quick thanks to Amazon and Apple Stores for having these immediately available at launch.
The primary upgrade to this revision? The processor! Intel has a brand new architecture called Sandy Bridge, and these MacBook Pros are the first Macs to feature this technology. Some have called it some of the most significant changes to Intel architecture since Pentium 4 was introduced. These 15-inch MacBook Pros as well as its big brother, the 17-inch, not only take advantage of Sandy Bridge, but the Quad Core i7 Variant. Quad Core processor in a notebook Mac! Wow.
I actually chose the 13-inch model for my personal use (only Dual Core on the 13-inch), but this 15-inch is replacing an aging iMac at the office to save space and leap over its performance. These Quad Core Chips are amazing. Early benchmarks are showing this entry-level 15-inch, 50 percent faster than the upper end i7 15-inch MacBook pro from a year ago. A dramatic improvement. Furthermore, if you're still on a Core 2 Duo machine such as the iMac I am replacing, the performance is as much as 2.5 times faster. At least in terms of the processor. This is most beneficial in processor intensive applications, for consumers such applications are iMovie and Garageband. Professionals will see the new processors beneficial in any professional photo editing, video, or music work.
One downside is that due to cost, the machine still comes with a spinning hard drive standard. In this case, the standard drive is a 5400 RPM 500 GB drive. That offers plenty of storage, but is slightly slower than a desktop 7200RPM drive and much slower than a new, solid state drive. You do have options. You can special order the machine from Apple with a 7200RPM drive, or Solid State Drive. However, what I have decided to do, is simply, when I'm ready, swap out the drive myself. Other World Computing sells solid state drives compatible. It might not be easy for every user, but for those with some computer experience, it is a fairly easy swap. Then I can install a faster solid state drive, when the more acceptable capacity drives come down a bit in price. You might also choose to do the swap yourself because you can then put the hard drive that was originally in the machine, into an external enclosure, and use it as an external drive for backup. Of course, any damage you cause to the machine would not be covered under warranty. Therefore, if you have any concern, you might want to see if you can special order from Apple online, or in many situations, you will find the standard hard drive to be acceptable.
After the processor advancement, Thunderbolt is the other great new technology included in this revision to the MacBook Pro. Thunderbolt looks like the Mini Displayport that was already included on the MacBook Pros. Indeed, it will still function perfectly as a Mini Displayport, for connecting an external display. However, Thunderbolt is more importantly a new interface to connect external devices in the future, such as, external hard drives, HD camcorders, and perhaps even iPads, iPods, or iPhones someday. Data would then transfer many times faster to and from these devices than it does currently. These devices were not available at the time of the MacBook Pro's launch, but we have already heard that external drives should be available later this year with Thunderbolt connectivity.
iSight camera has been upgraded to HD resolution and Face Time pre-installed on the computer. This gives you the ability to video chat, easily, with other Macs and notably, iPhone 4s and the newest iPod Touch with front facing camera.
The consumer software you expect to be included by Apple is once again here. The latest version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard (operating system), iLIfe 11 including iPhoto, Garageband, iMovie, iDVD, and iWeb is all here. OS X always includes Safari web browser, iTunes, and Mail applications too. The average user would be good to go out of the box. You might pick up Microsoft Office for your office document needs, or simply purchase Apple's iWork applications (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) from new Mac App Store on your computer.
The new MacBooK Pros, thanks to Sandy Bridge technology are fast. They will save you time, when using processor intensive applications. Time in business, saves people money and frustration. The average consumer might see less gains with this update as physically the MacBook Pro has retained it identical appearance, size, and weight. Nevertheless, under the unibody, improvements have certainly occurred which result in a much faster notebook. The fact that these 15-inch and 17-inch models now include Quad Core Processors standard is really extraordinary. This is putting recent top of the line desktop performance, into a sleek and attractive Mac Notebook. A breakthrough. Recommended Product!
Very nice upgrade
This is my 4th MacBook 15 inch with my first one purchased in 2001 that came with the PowerPC processor. My last MacBook Pro was the late 2008 with the Core 2 Duo and it was a great laptop. My Core 2 MBP was still running great and I didn't have any major reason to upgrade but wanted to take advantage of the quad core that comes with the 2011 model. No doubt MacBooks are pricey compared to Windows laptops but in my opinion they are well worth it. Not only are they great laptops that don't show their age like Windows laptops but they also hold their value well. I generally hold onto my MBPs for 2-3 years and I have consistently sold them for very good money with my Core 2 Duo selling for $850 on ebay. That higher resale value makes any upgrade less painful considering the higher prices on the MBP.
The laptop itself is great and feels solid. The frame is no different then my Core 2 duo model but many other things are a nice upgrade. My favorites are:
1. Intel i7 quad core- can't say enough about having a quad core on a laptop. Now I can assign more cores to virtual machines I run on my MBP and when I rip dvd's to Apple TV format the conversion completes in 1/2 the time that my core 2 could do the work in.
2. AMD graphic chip- the thing I love about the new model compared to my old is how it can automatically switch between the built in Intel graphic to the AMD graphic chip. Older version of MBP forced you to manually make the change and logoff in order for the change to take effect. Now I can take advantage of the higher capacity AMD chip without having to remember to switch and logoff/on to gain the extra performance.
3. Screen- the screen on this version seems much nicer then my Core 2 model. Don't think the specs are different but the quality of the image is much better.
4. Thunderbolt- nice addition but will wait on judgement until I have a device that can take advantage of it. When that comes it will be nice to transfer files to attached storage at the thunderbolt speed compared to usb/firewire which will seem slow in comparison.
I almost didn't buy this model in order to try and wait another year to see if Apple does a major overhaul of the MBP frame next year but with the new features of this model the upgrade seems very much worth it if you need the extra speed and don't want to wait for any long term over hauls of the MBP line.
Wonderful machine
I discovered the new line of MacBook Pros the day after they became available for sale and immediately decided I was ready to upgrade. I've had a 13" 2.26GHz Core2 Duo mid-2009 MacBook Pro for a few months and since it was my main computer I decided a bigger screen was necessary, and the CPU upgrade would be awesome. I ordered through Amazon Prime and paid the extra $4 for overnight shipping and it arrived yesterday. I considered buying through Apple but the $150 tax savings with Amazon Prime is a no-brainer. I would have loved if Amazon had the anti-glare screen option even if it was a little more expensive but I'll live. I had a great cheap anti-glare (matte coating) screen protector from eBay on my 13" and just ordered one for my new 15".
The packaging was great. The main white MBP box was packed inside two layers of plain brown cardboard boxes, so it was well protected. For cheaper, less-fragile items I don't always understand why Amazon occasionally uses bigger boxes, but for something this fragile and expensive I welcome that. Once I opened the main white box I saw the usual stuff: the power cable, the manuals and discs, and of course the MBP. The MBP was enclosed in a plastic sheet which comes off easily.
Once I booted the MBP I was surprised at how quickly it arrived at the desktop, given that the hard drive is a plain old 5400 RPM. I assume the CPU accounts for that extra speed. It was nice and snappy, but I knew I wouldn't be using an HDD, rather an SSD. I also had an 8gb kit of RAM I would replace the 4gb with.
I sold my 'old' MacBook Pro with it's original hard drive and kept the 60gb solid state drive I had been using for a few months. I had previously upgraded from a 2008 unibody MacBook with the same SSD and it worked no problem in the 13" MBP, but that was not the case with this new early 2011 MBP. The machine starts fine with the 500gb HDD that it came with, which is to be expected, but it won't boot from the SSD. It freezes at the Apple logo with no spinning indicator. I assume it's because of the significant change in hardware. I tried booting from my old Snow Leopard DVD and repairing permissions but no luck. I had a second 60gb SSD with Windows 7 installed (via boot camp) which started fine but at least 10 drivers needed to be installed. I used the Boot Camp installer on the Snow Leopard DVD and all installed well in Win7. Luckily I do not need to use Vista or XP on this machine since Apple has announced that only Win7 is supported for these early 2011 MBPs.
After I finished getting Windows 7 back running properly I wiped the OSX SSD (I have backups on a network drive) and re-installed Snow Leopard. I did not monitor the installation but it definitely installed quickly. Of course the SSD and new RAM accounts for a lot of that speed, but the CPU definitely is quicker than the Core2 Duo I've been used to.
Once I was up and running in Snow Leopard I was pleased with the smoothness of the machine. Time will tell whether there are any issues and I'll be sure to update with any new findings or problems. I will say that if you can find good prices on an SSD (even a 60gb is enough for many) and an 8gb RAM upgrade it will definitely make the MacBook Pro experience much more enjoyable.
UPDATE 3-15-2011:
I've now had this laptop for a couple of weeks and I have to say it's exceeded my expectations. I ordered an anti-glare screen protector and painstakingly applied it so now I have no problems with glare. I also ordered a new stand so now it sits at an angle which allows for better airflow out the back vent. I installed SmcFanControl to be able to monitor the internal temperatures and can adjust the fan speed in case it runs a little hot. I've installed Windows 7 in a virtual machine and no longer intend on using boot camp as I don't like having to close all my Mac apps and things to reboot into Windows, so I just run it in a VM and all runs well.
One thing I've noticed though is that Google Chrome takes up a LOT of CPU resources and increases the temp by 15 to 20 degrees and I can't figure out why. It's a fresh install with no extensions so I guess I won't be using Chrome unless they resolve that. It's not an issue with the laptop but I figured those Chrome fans out there would like to know that I've had an unfortunate experience with it on this MBP.
Finally, it runs pretty cool on average but when I run a VM or a few things at once it does tend to heat up and I end up turning up the fan speed with SmcFanControl. There are only minor quirks, otherwise it's great! Once I have some more free time I'll try some games, such as a port of GTA San Andreas, and update with how they run and what happens to the MBP.
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CREDIT by Amazon.com
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