Slideshow

Apple unleashes new Macbook line-up

14 Photos James Hutchinson (Good Gear Guide)

Apple announced several refreshes to its Macbook line-up yesterday with updated Macbook and Macbook Pros

  • The notebooks are made up of aluminium for the chassis and glass for the monitor, to create a new design which heads in the same direction we’ve seen with the iMac.

  • The refreshed Apple notebooks start life as a single block of aluminium that is carved by water into the desired shape. Apple claims that the process helps reduce aluminium waste and allows for the seamless design.

  • Apple is making a big deal out of the Macbooks’ thumb scoop, though a similar design has existed on the Macbook lineup for some time now.

  • The Superdrive has been relocated to the side of the notebooks. No news on Blu-Ray — Apple claims that the licensing agreements are too complicated.

  • A redesigned battery cover allows for easier battery retrieval. Apple also claims this allows easier access to the Macbook’s hard drive, though there’s no word yet as to whether user replacement of the hard drive will void the warranty.

  • Connection ports are now on one side with a redesigned MagSafe power connector, Ethernet port, mini-DisplayPort, FireWire 800, two USB ports, standard audio connections and an ExpressCard/34 slot.

  • Apple announced several refreshes of computers in its Macbook line-up yesterday with updated Macbook and Macbook Pros. The new editions of the 13in Macbook and the 15in Macbook Pro feature an entirely redesigned chassis complete with a new manufacturing process, as well as revamped specifications. The new line-up ranges from $1649 for the Macbook to $3999 for the 15in Macbook Pro with a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

  • The Macbooks and Macbook Pros feature the latest Intel processors, and upgraded hard drives, with an $800 option for a 128GB SSD in the Macbook Pro. The notebooks also feature revitalised graphics, with two of the latest mobile NVIDIA graphics chipsets. Users can switch between the graphics cards according to which task they want to undertake — the less powerful graphics card for undemanding tasks and the more powerful card for mobile gaming or graphics and video editing.

  • The glass trackpad that all Macbooks and Macbook Pros are now fitted has multi-touch capability for an iPhone-like experience. When asked about touch-screen displays, Steve Jobs said that Apple didn’t think it made sense to add them at the moment.

  • The new battery life indicator is on the actual chassis rather than the battery itself.

  • The Macbook chassis

  • The glass monitor features an LED-backlit display and an integrated iSight camera. Disappointingly, it looks like Apple is no longer offering matte displays, only gloss displays.

  • Accompanying the new Macbook lineup is Apple’s new LED-backlit Cinema Display. At 24in, the display is seemingly designed specifically for the Macbooks, with a mini-DisplayPort connection as well as an integrated MagSafe connection, allowing Macbooks to charge straight from the monitor. The display also works as a USB hub for up to three devices.

  • Thanks to a new manufacturing process codenamed “Brick”, the new Macbooks and Macbook Pros don’t have joint seams or screws holding the chassis together.

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