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Apple Introduces New MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Air Laptops
Posted 10/14/2008 at 1:20:08pm | by
Zack Stern
Three of a kind for the win.
From Apple's secret town hall lair, the company has launched new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air laptops. The MacBook and Pro are shipping today, while the Air will ship in November. The significant product updates center on all-new graphics hardware, new case designs, and multitouch trackpads.
Gamers and graphics pros will appreciate the video update from Nvidia. Even the MacBook should be able to run games with its new, integrated 9400M chip. MacBook Pros add to that a dedicated 9600M processor and can swap between the two in System Preferences, trading battery performance for speed. Both chips should significantly boost video results, from plain interface tasks to rendering certain effects in Final Cut Pro.
All of the laptops utilize aluminum cases with technology originally developed for the Air. By milling down a single piece of aluminum—versus a die mold process—the laptops are lighter, thinner, and stronger. The MacBook Pro is now .95 inches thick, getting it closer to the Air's maximum depth of .76-inches.
Glass, multi-touch trackpads on all three laptops read new gestures with up to four fingers. Omitting the dedicated button below, the trackpads are 39-percent bigger and act as a single button, physically responding to presses. Apple says gestures and software will emulate Control-clicks.
The current, white MacBook will continue to be sold, now for $999. The 17-inch MacBook Pro will get a minor speed update but not the previous, all-new features. All laptops include standards, such as Intel Core 2 Duo processors, USB 2.0, AirPort, a Mini DisplayPort, and glossy LED-backlit displays. The MacBook Pro ships with FireWire 800, while the plain MacBook and Air do not. Otherwise, here's the breakdown of each version.
New MacBooks use 13.3-inch, 1,280 x 800-pixel displays and Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. They include 2GB RAM and a slot-loading SuperDrive. The $1,299 MacBook runs at 2.0GHz and has a 160GB hard drive. The $1,599 MacBook runs at 2.4GHz, ships with a 250GB hard drive, and adds a backlit keyboard.
The new MacBook Pros use 15.4-inch, 1,440 x 900-pixel displays; Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics; 9600M dedicated graphics; and a SuperDrive. The $1,999 model runs at 2.4 GHz with a 3MB L2 cache, uses a 250GB hard drive, has 2GB system memory, and the graphics chip has 265MB of dedicated RAM. The $2,499 version runs at 2.53GHz with a 6MB L2 cache, includes a 320GB hard drive, has 4GB of system RAM, and the graphics chip has 512MB of dedicated RAM.
The updated MacBook Air comes in two configurations, each with a 13.3-inch display at 1,280 x 800 pixels, 9400M integrated graphics, and 2GB RAM. The $1,799 version runs at 1.6GHz and includes a 120GB hard drive. The $2,499 version runs at 1.86GHz and uses a 128GB solid state drive.
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New 'Books
Submitted by Ben on Tue, 2008-10-14 15:04
All I can say is YUCK.
I initially did not like the black boarder around my aluminum iMac, and I just don't pay attention to it.
Why is Apple going with that hideous black boarder?
[I know... 'it makes the colors pop']
Seriously, just leave the black boarder off and just have glass over aluminum. It would look much more subtle.
No FireWire? lame, Lame, and LAME!
I know, I'm being critical on the new 'books now, even though they could grow on me. I will totally admit that I am happy that Apple moved to aluminum enclosures for their new round of 'books [and all of the other Macs currently in their line-up].
One thing is for sure, many are probably disappointed that there wasn't even an acknowledgement of the Mac Mini's existence today.
Submitted by petelingo on Wed, 2008-10-15 13:49
Well, I must say I'm very glad Apple have managed to cut their material costs - it was causing me sleepless nights. More seriously though, I am doubly glad that the new machines are highly environmentally-aware, but the plain truth is there are so few performance enhancements that the differences are superficial at best. Gestures on a new trackpad are great as are the new graphics chipsets but, prima facie at least, there's very little else of any 'real' significance i.e likely to make a real difference to the way you work with your Mac. The processor speed is the same, the memory capacity is the same, the number of ports is the same, there's no HDMI, no blu-ray, no firewire 400, and aside from the graphics, compared with it's earlier siblings, the new Macbook performs like it's elder siblings. And when real change isn't self-evident the best way to convince people of significant change is to keep repeating what's changed. So, to watch Apple labouring these new superficial changes in the tediously repititive October Keynote event is disappointing. The seams of Apple's seduction techniques are also starting to show. Just as you discover the secret to a magic trick, the illusion is a little drab. The art of distraction is key to shrouding the truth. Take the new price for these new features, for instance. According to Apple, the 3 most sought-after features from the Macbook Pro that are now available on the Macbook include the aluminium casing, the backlit display and better graphics, all of which are now part of the new Macbook. These new offerings are touted as a feature-set that is $700 cheaper than if you bought the current machine offering these options i.e. the Macbook Pro. But let's call a spade a spade and undress that marketing ploy for what it is - a shabby deception. You can't escape the irrefutable fact that the Macbook only offers these tangible differences, but costs a whopping £250 more than it's predecessor. So, surely the question facing customers at the moment is are these aesthetic and superficial changes worth £949 (£230 more than a machine that performs just as well)? Surely the answer is a resounding "no". Have Apple learnt nothing from the lessons over the pricing of the iPhone? Groundbreaking it may have been, but Apple's subsequent embarrassing price reduction (bowing to public demand) revealed that they'd originally over-priced it. You'd think Apple would know better this time. Especially in these troubled financial times, Apple's price setters need a good kicking.
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