Spotlight Turns to Notebooks Part 1: The New MacBooks

[Vincent Ferrari]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.apple.com/macbook' target='_blank'>http://www.apple.com/macbook</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"To build something truly different, you need to work in a truly different way. Apple designers and engineers work together through every stage of product development. It&rsquo;s a partnership that makes innovation possible. And it&rsquo;s exactly how the new MacBook was created. With its breakthrough unibody enclosure, industry-first features, and environmentally sound design, it&rsquo;s a revolution in the way notebooks are made."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1224019599.usr18053.jpg" /></p><p>Apple made the first refresh of its consumer-level laptop line in over 2 years today with the launch of the new MacBook.&nbsp; It still has a 13.3" glossy display at 1280 x 800, BlueTooth, 802.11n wireless, and all the other features you've come to know and love, but they've done some interesting new stuff.&nbsp; Gone are the plastic enclosure (the mid-tier and high-tier MacBooks now rock an aluminum shell Apple is calling "Unibody"), the MiniDVI port (replaced with the new Mini Displayport connector) and Firewire 400.&nbsp; Making their debut are a new mobile chipset from NVIDIA which Apple claims is up to five times faster than the current Intel integrated graphics, and a very fast 1066MHz frontside bus.&nbsp; The new MacBooks will start at $1299 for a 2.0 Ghz Model with a 160GB HD and $1599 for a 2.4 Ghz model with a 250GB HD.&nbsp; The top tier model also includes a backlit keyboard for all your night-typing needs.</p><p>Worthy of note is that along with the new aluminum-bodied MacBooks, the 13.3" white model will stick around at $999 for those looking to do an Apple laptop on a budget.</p>

[jmulder]

I could have sworn that the MacBooks were at $1299 and $1499...

[Jason Dunn]

Speaking of pricing, where's this $999 Macbook I heard about? On the radio this morning they mentioned a sub-$1000 Macbook...

<checks Apple.com again>

Oh wait, they just dropped the price of the old-style Macbook to $999? Why does it have the "New" label on it - is it actually any different than it was a week ago?

As a side note, it's sure weird that Apple doesn't offer 7200 RPM hard drive options...

[Darius Wey]

I could have sworn that the MacBooks were at $1299 and $1499...

Close. $1299 and $1599. And $999 for the previous-generation.

[Cold Flame]

As a side note, it's sure weird that Apple doesn't offer 7200 RPM hard drive options...

They do... but you have to bump up to the Macbook Pro to have the option.

[Darius Wey]

Oh wait, they just dropped the price of the old-style Macbook to $999? Why does it have the "New" label on it - is it actually any different than it was a week ago?

I believe it's still the same internally. Perhaps the "New" label applies to the price.

As a side note, it's sure weird that Apple doesn't offer 7200 RPM hard drive options...

Not necessarily a bad thing. Apple has a habit of charging big for upgrades. It's incentive for consumers to buy bigger, faster hard drives elsewhere for less. For example, the jump from 250GB, 5400 RPM to 320GB, 7200 RPM in the MacBook Pro is $150. Newegg sells the latter for $110. And, fortunately, the new unibody design makes swapping hard drives a piece of cake.

[Vincent Ferrari]

Thanks for the heads up on the pricing, guys. It's all fixed.

Secondly, I'm very annoyed Apple still doesn't offer 7200 RPM drives, but in a way, Darius is right. They would probably charge an insane premium for them, and frankly I have no interest in shelling out way more than a piece of hardware is worth just so Apple can put it in the case for me (for example; no Apple user in their right mind uses Apple RAM; same idea).

[Macguy59]

Oh wait, they just dropped the price of the old-style Macbook to $999? Why does it have the "New" label on it - is it actually any different than it was a week ago?



Sort of . . . the base model plastic MacBook now comes standard with a Superdrive and the black keyboard

[Macguy59]

As a side note, it's sure weird that Apple doesn't offer 7200 RPM hard drive options...

I guess. Unless your moving large chunks of data or doing alot of DV I don't think you would see much of a difference between 5400 and 7200. And since the new MacBook lacks FW . . . .

[Jason Dunn]

I guess. Unless your moving large chunks of data or doing alot of DV I don't think you would see much of a difference between 5400 and 7200. And since the new MacBook lacks FW . . . .

Scrub along a video timeline and you'll appreciate a faster hard drive, trust me. And Firewire is obsolete for video cameras now anyway, anything that records to flash memory or a hard drive tends to connect over USB or just by moving the SD card...oh wait, no Macs have memory card slots. :rolleyes:

[Macguy59]

Scrub along a video timeline and you'll appreciate a faster hard drive, trust me. And Firewire is obsolete for video cameras now anyway, anything that records to flash memory or a hard drive tends to connect over USB or just by moving the SD card...oh wait, no Macs have memory card slots. :rolleyes:

Knew I could count on you to dwell on what's not there with regard to Macs :rolleyes: You must be pretty upbeat given how well the Zune is doing . . . oh wait :D

[Cold Flame]

Knew I could count on you to dwell on what's not there with regard to Macs :rolleyes: You must be pretty upbeat given how well the Zune is doing . . . oh wait :D

LOL! Too funny! =)

[Jason Dunn]

Knew I could count on you to dwell on what's not there with regard to Macs

Well, it's true, isn't it? Only Mac users would talk about having to carry a camera cable or USB memory card as being somehow an OK experience...:D

[Vincent Ferrari]

Well, it's true, isn't it? Only Mac users would talk about having to carry a camera cable or USB memory card as being somehow an OK experience...:D

Carrying a card reader isn't a really big deal for me, honestly. Frankly, if you use more than an SD card, most PC-based laptops aren't of much use either.

[Macguy59]

Electronista has an interesting comparison of the new Macbooks with some competing products. As is usually the case, the price of Apple laptops seem way overpriced until you actually look at the price of similar equipped laptops. The gap closes quickly.

http://images.macnn.com/esta/content/0810/macbookcomparison-lg.jpg