Apple introduces MacBook overhaul with LED display, 7-hour battery
Apple Tuesday released a newly redesigned MacBook with a polycarbonate unibody design, LED-backlit display, multi-touch trackpad, and built-in battery with 7 hours of run time.
Apple said the new model inherited technology and design features from the existing unibody MacBook Pro line. The new MacBook is now available for $999.
"The new MacBook includes many of the great features found on the innovative MacBook Pro, such as an LED-backlit display, glass Multi-Touch trackpad and built-in long-life battery," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With the only lineup of notebooks all featuring unibody enclosures, LED-backlit displays and long-life battery technology, there's never been a better time to switch to a Mac."
Apple said the new MacBook features a unibody, polycarbonate enclosure that makes it lighter and more durable. The new design includes a unique non-skid bottom surface and at just 4.7 pounds, the sleek MacBook slides easily into a backpack or briefcase. MacBook comes standard with a bright, LED-backlit display with the same wide-angle viewing technology used in the MacBook Pro line. The new MacBook has a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics.
The new MacBook includes Apple's built-in notebook battery for up to seven hours of wireless productivity on a single charge, and up to 1,000 recharges. At nearly three times the lifespan of conventional notebook batteries, Apple's built-in battery results in fewer depleted batteries and less waste. Depleted batteries can be replaced for $129, which includes installation and environmentally responsible disposal of your old battery.
The energy-efficient MacBook joins the industry's greenest lineup of notebooks, with every Mac notebook achieving EPEAT Gold status and meeting Energy Star 5.0 requirements. The entire Mac notebook line now comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, use internal cables and components that are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.
The new MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $999 (US), includes:
13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
1066 MHz front-side bus;
2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
250 GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
built-in iSight video camera;
two USB 2.0 ports;
one audio line in/out port, supporting optical digital out and analog in/out;
glass Multi-Touch trackpad;
built-in, 60WHr lithium polymer battery; and
60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
Build-to-order options for the MacBook include the ability to upgrade to 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, or 320GB 5400 rpm, 500GB 5400 rpm hard drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
In September, AppleInsider exclusively reported that Apple would retain and redesign its plastic MacBook family with a slimmer, lighter enclosure and restructured internal architecture.
Apple said the new model inherited technology and design features from the existing unibody MacBook Pro line. The new MacBook is now available for $999.
"The new MacBook includes many of the great features found on the innovative MacBook Pro, such as an LED-backlit display, glass Multi-Touch trackpad and built-in long-life battery," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With the only lineup of notebooks all featuring unibody enclosures, LED-backlit displays and long-life battery technology, there's never been a better time to switch to a Mac."
Apple said the new MacBook features a unibody, polycarbonate enclosure that makes it lighter and more durable. The new design includes a unique non-skid bottom surface and at just 4.7 pounds, the sleek MacBook slides easily into a backpack or briefcase. MacBook comes standard with a bright, LED-backlit display with the same wide-angle viewing technology used in the MacBook Pro line. The new MacBook has a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics.
The new MacBook includes Apple's built-in notebook battery for up to seven hours of wireless productivity on a single charge, and up to 1,000 recharges. At nearly three times the lifespan of conventional notebook batteries, Apple's built-in battery results in fewer depleted batteries and less waste. Depleted batteries can be replaced for $129, which includes installation and environmentally responsible disposal of your old battery.
The energy-efficient MacBook joins the industry's greenest lineup of notebooks, with every Mac notebook achieving EPEAT Gold status and meeting Energy Star 5.0 requirements. The entire Mac notebook line now comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, use internal cables and components that are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.
The new MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $999 (US), includes:
13.3-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1280 x 800 glossy display;
2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB shared L2 cache;
1066 MHz front-side bus;
2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, expandable to 4GB;
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
250 GB serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
Gigabit Ethernet port;
built-in iSight video camera;
two USB 2.0 ports;
one audio line in/out port, supporting optical digital out and analog in/out;
glass Multi-Touch trackpad;
built-in, 60WHr lithium polymer battery; and
60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.
Build-to-order options for the MacBook include the ability to upgrade to 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, or 320GB 5400 rpm, 500GB 5400 rpm hard drive, Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
In September, AppleInsider exclusively reported that Apple would retain and redesign its plastic MacBook family with a slimmer, lighter enclosure and restructured internal architecture.
Comments
No Firewire. Makes sense. If you want Firewire, get the 13.3" Pro for $200 more. No back-lit keyboard, either.
Same screen as the 13 Pro? Same trackpad. RAM expandable to 4GB. Wonder if it will go up to 6GB like the current MacBook.
Not bad for thousand bucks !!
Actually if you can get a late model 2.4Ghz aluminum 13.3" Pro (with better screen) for under 1000, that would be a better deal.
What does a polycarbonate unibody mean? I thought unibody only applies to laser-etched extruded metal enclosures. Curious.
it's a nice way of saying cheap plastic
NO FIREWIRE???? Let the BITCHIN begin!!!
I was a bit confused at first. The photo at http://www.apple.com/macbook/ still shows the old case with FW, but the tech specs say no FW.
Edit: And of course just as I post this Apple finally realized they forgot to to update the picture on the main MacBook page and changes the picture.
Take off 15% VAT: $1135
So a $136 premium for those of us in the UK :-(
And it only comes with 2GB RAM.
Let's not get started on the £650 Mac Mini.
it's a nice way of saying cheap plastic
Plastic is not really "cheap."
It's just a nice way of saying, we changed the case so it one piece instead of many pieces. Probably feels stronger in your hands but that is a guess at this point.
What does a polycarbonate unibody mean? I thought unibody only applies to laser-etched extruded metal enclosures. Curious.
Apple has never manufactured a laser-etched extruded metal enclosure! Unibody is a design concept for the laptop structure it is not a material.
Dave
2gb RAM? 250gb HD, No FW ports, 13.3 (16:10) Display?
For US $1000.00 isn't very competitive in the face of countless laptops with far better specs at half-the price.
Oh Well - That's Apple!
it's a nice way of saying cheap plastic
You shouldn't condemn it so fast. A well engineered plastic enclosure could be just as strong and durable as an aluminum one. Only time will tell if Apple did it right.
Dave
Stunning Design, but...
2gb RAM? 250gb HD, No FW ports, 13.3 (16:10) Display?
For US $1000.00 isn't very competitive in the face of countless laptops with far better specs at half-the price.
Oh Well - That's Apple!
I agree and that is why I believe there to be something else around the corner to fill that gap. I think it will be a tablet but not be called a tablet. ;-)
Apple has never manufactured a laser-etched extruded metal enclosure! Unibody is a design concept for the laptop structure it is not a material.
Dave
I guess you did not see the video that showed how the aluminum unibody MacBook Pros are made.
In my old MacBook, I could swap the hard drive in five minutes, as it went in and out through the battery port; same with adding memory. With no removable battery, is replacing the hard drive and memory going to be a simple matter of removing the bottom enclosure?
I won't recommend it on principal.
What does a polycarbonate unibody mean? I thought unibody only applies to laser-etched extruded metal enclosures. Curious.
They could easily mold the polycarbonite body as one piece--it would probably be easier to do that than it would be to prepare the aluminum unibody design.
it's a nice way of saying cheap plastic
As far as I can tell, the polycarbonite really holds up a lot better than the aluminum. One doesn't have to look far to see various Powerbook and Macbook Pro systems with dented aluminum casings. And while the Macbook Pro is a nice system (my dad has the 17" "movie screen" variant) I just don't like the way the aluminum feels to the touch. I find it hard to use on that basis alone.
I have an old black Macbook (with a busted screen) that lived a well-traveled life and it still looks good. I'm sure that an aluminum machine would have all sorts of little boo-boos on it.
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In response to the original post itself:
I am sorta surprised to see that Apple dropped the Firewire port from this system. I'm glad I got a previous generation nVidia 9400-based C2D Macbook with FW400, because I do have several Firewire disks and other devices that I still use regularly.
It also (yes, I know) would have been nice to see a matte screen option on the new system. I love the Macbook, but the screen is a pain, especially in a dusty environment. My old black Macbook has a busted screen, and I thought about replacing it myself. That looks to be an all day job, and I recently saw an ad here on AI that linked to matte screen conversions for Macbook Pro systems. Turns out the same company (can't remember who it was--have it bookmarked at home) also has a screen replacement option for all Macbooks with a matte option. At the price (less than $200 IIRC) I see no reason not to let them mess with it for a day.
Stunning Design, but...
2gb RAM? 250gb HD, No FW ports, 13.3 (16:10) Display?
I'll admit that 2GB of RAM is stingy, but if the harddrive is more reliable then the ones Dell uses I'd be happy. One batch of laptops at work had an almost 100% failure rate of the Dell supplied drive. FireWire is very much a mixed bag, I was a fan at one time but now realize it suffers from terrible connector technology.
The interesting item in my estimation is the screen. If it is the quality they are indicating then it the laptop might be worth the expense. Cheap laptops suffer from poor screens.
For US $1000.00 isn't very competitive in the face of countless laptops with far better specs at half-the price.
Oh Well - That's Apple!
Point them out for us. Really I doubt there are many at all that are competitive with this machine. Just the battery life is hard to compete with.
Dave