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MacBook Fills Out Laptop Line
Since Apple's January introducton of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, the unspoken (well, maybe a little spoken) assumption has been that a MacBook without the Pro was on the way. This morning, Apple's introduction of the 13-inch MacBook fills that void, effectively replacing both iBook and 12-inch PowerBook with a capable, affordable, Intel-based laptop, available in white or black.
<http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html>
Like its 15-inch and 17-inch counterparts, the new MacBook features an Intel Core Duo processor, here at 1.83 or 2.0 GHz, with a 667 MHz bus. It includes a built-in iSight video camera, infrared port and Apple Remote, Gigabit Ethernet, AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth wireless, and Apple's innovative "klutz-proof" MagSafe power adapter, designed to separate easily from the laptop to avoid accidents. The Apple Remote controls not only the included Front Row media software, but also presentations in Keynote.
<http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/comparison_chart.html>
The company says the new wide-format 13.3-inch MacBook display is 79 percent brighter than that on the iBook or 12-inch PowerBook, with a glossy screen cover. The built-in display's resolution is 1280x800, and the MacBook's miniDVI port can support Apple's 20-inch or 23-inch Cinema Displays (or other displays up to 1920x1200 pixels) with the use of a miniDVI-to-DVI adapter (not included).
The 30-inch Cinema Display is not supported; the included low-end Intel GMA 950 graphics processor has 64 MB of video memory, and shares the MacBook's 512 MB to 2 GB of main memory as needed, depending on selected resolution and use of external display. As with previous PowerBook and MacBook Pro models, but not the iBook line, the MacBook supports mirroring or an extended desktop on external displays.
Unlike the aluminum skin of recent PowerBook and MacBook Pro models, the MacBook comes in a white or black polycarbonate shell; the black model is available only on the high end, and a $200 price premium gives you black instead of white and a larger hard drive (80 GB instead of 60). The case also sports a new latchless design, with magnets to hold the laptop closed.
Like the 15-inch MacBook Pro, the new MacBook offers FireWire 400 but not FireWire 800, and a 4x SuperDrive without dual-layer write capability. The low-end MacBook includes a Combo drive (DVD-ROM and CD-RW) by default; the SuperDrive is optional. All versions include two USB 2.0 ports and optical digital and analog audio input and output, and as with the MacBook Pro, an external USB modem is optional.
At the same time, Apple has shuffled the configurations on its MacBook Pro laptops, offering 2.0 and 2.13 GHz models at the previous prices of the 1.83 and 2.0 GHz models, respectively. (2.13 GHz was previously a build-to-order option.) The clear plastic glossy screen is now a build-to-order option on the MacBook Pro.
Apple's new MacBook is available immediately from the Apple Store web site and retail locations and Apple resellers, in configurations ranging from $1050 to $1500. Build-to-order options include up to 2 GB of RAM and hard drives ranging up to 120 GB. We suspect this capable, compact laptop, combined with Boot Camp, will turn a lot of Windows-user heads!
<http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html>
Like its 15-inch and 17-inch counterparts, the new MacBook features an Intel Core Duo processor, here at 1.83 or 2.0 GHz, with a 667 MHz bus. It includes a built-in iSight video camera, infrared port and Apple Remote, Gigabit Ethernet, AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth wireless, and Apple's innovative "klutz-proof" MagSafe power adapter, designed to separate easily from the laptop to avoid accidents. The Apple Remote controls not only the included Front Row media software, but also presentations in Keynote.
<http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/comparison_chart.html>
The company says the new wide-format 13.3-inch MacBook display is 79 percent brighter than that on the iBook or 12-inch PowerBook, with a glossy screen cover. The built-in display's resolution is 1280x800, and the MacBook's miniDVI port can support Apple's 20-inch or 23-inch Cinema Displays (or other displays up to 1920x1200 pixels) with the use of a miniDVI-to-DVI adapter (not included).
The 30-inch Cinema Display is not supported; the included low-end Intel GMA 950 graphics processor has 64 MB of video memory, and shares the MacBook's 512 MB to 2 GB of main memory as needed, depending on selected resolution and use of external display. As with previous PowerBook and MacBook Pro models, but not the iBook line, the MacBook supports mirroring or an extended desktop on external displays.
Unlike the aluminum skin of recent PowerBook and MacBook Pro models, the MacBook comes in a white or black polycarbonate shell; the black model is available only on the high end, and a $200 price premium gives you black instead of white and a larger hard drive (80 GB instead of 60). The case also sports a new latchless design, with magnets to hold the laptop closed.
Like the 15-inch MacBook Pro, the new MacBook offers FireWire 400 but not FireWire 800, and a 4x SuperDrive without dual-layer write capability. The low-end MacBook includes a Combo drive (DVD-ROM and CD-RW) by default; the SuperDrive is optional. All versions include two USB 2.0 ports and optical digital and analog audio input and output, and as with the MacBook Pro, an external USB modem is optional.
At the same time, Apple has shuffled the configurations on its MacBook Pro laptops, offering 2.0 and 2.13 GHz models at the previous prices of the 1.83 and 2.0 GHz models, respectively. (2.13 GHz was previously a build-to-order option.) The clear plastic glossy screen is now a build-to-order option on the MacBook Pro.
Apple's new MacBook is available immediately from the Apple Store web site and retail locations and Apple resellers, in configurations ranging from $1050 to $1500. Build-to-order options include up to 2 GB of RAM and hard drives ranging up to 120 GB. We suspect this capable, compact laptop, combined with Boot Camp, will turn a lot of Windows-user heads!
08:32am May 16, 2006 PST
