Yes, it's true, Apple has announced the end of the PowerBook line, to be succeeded by the MacBook Pro, a notebook based on Intel processors. Starting out with 15.4" screens and coming in 1.67GHz and 1.83GHz Dual-Core varieties, the new series will be using the Intel Duo processor. Apparently, prices will remain relatively the same as compared to the PowerBook lines, and come with pretty hefty specs. Up to a gig of PC5300 DDR2 RAM, gigabit ethernet and wireless support, 7200RPM drives available and up to a 256MB Radeon X1600, Apple is clearly looking to keep their specs impressive.
The new laptops are set to weigh at around 5 and a half pounds, and be fairly small, though not as compact as the 12" varities that Apple has with other laptops. They of course will be running BSD-Based Mac OS X 10.4.4, and start at around $2000. It will be interesting to see how the market for Apple's performance laptops, and eventually the iBook, are impacted by the switch to Intel processors.