The 17-inch MacBook Pro was a MacBook part of the MacBook series. It first debuted in late April 2006 and replaced the 17-inch PowerBook G4, which had run its faithful course for over three years. In 2012, Apple quietly discontinued the MacBook Pro 17 inch. The specifications have changed little, with the notable removal of the modem port, an added USB port, and the introduction of the ExpressCard slot over the PCMCIA card slot. The brightness of the screen increased.