Apple introduces MacBook overhaul with LED display, 7-hour battery

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
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.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 120
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    NO FIREWIRE???? Let the BITCHIN begin!!!
  • Reply 2 of 120
    So it's quite a bit lighter and gives up Firewire completely for the same price. Is it even a little faster?
  • Reply 3 of 120
    Don't yet know if it's black or white.



    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.
  • Reply 4 of 120
    What does a polycarbonate unibody mean? I thought unibody only applies to laser-etched extruded metal enclosures. Curious.
  • Reply 5 of 120
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    the iMac changes look nice so far.better graphics option on the low end ones
  • Reply 6 of 120
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleGreen View Post


    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
  • Reply 7 of 120
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    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.
  • Reply 8 of 120
    hattighattig Posts: 860member
    New MacBook is more expensive: 799.00 GBP which is 1,305.41 USD



    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.
  • Reply 8 of 120
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    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.
  • Reply 10 of 120
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleGreen View Post


    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
  • Reply 11 of 120
    daharderdaharder Posts: 1,580member
    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!
  • Reply 12 of 120
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    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
  • Reply 13 of 120
    So much for more affordable.
  • Reply 14 of 120
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    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. ;-)
  • Reply 15 of 120
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    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.
  • Reply 16 of 120
    I doubt it's the "good" LED screen which the 15" MacBook Pro always had and the 13" MacBook Unibody MacBooks didn't start shipping with until April (visibility angle differences have always been one reason to get a MacBook Pro over a MacBook).
  • Reply 17 of 120
    My concern with the built-in, non-user replaceable battery in the polycarbonate MacBook doesn't concern the battery...it concerns the hard drive.



    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?
  • Reply 18 of 120
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Would love to recommend this to my friends who don't have a Mac but Apples insistence on ripping off anyone outside of the US is just not on, simply put the, attitude seems to be if you aren't am American you can bend over and take it like a bitch.



    I won't recommend it on principal.
  • Reply 19 of 120
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleGreen


    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.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy


    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.



    - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



    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.
  • Reply 20 of 120
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaHarder View Post


    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.

    Quote:



    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
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