Apple updates laptop lines
It's Tuesday afternoon. It's time for an Apple upgrade
Keeping with its tradition of launching new products each Tuesday - including recently the larger capacity iPod Shuffle, and the iPod Touch and iPhone memory upgrades - Apple has updated both the MacBook and MacBook Pro line-up.
Apple's MacBook Pro: now with 'Penryn' processors
The 15in and 17in MacBook Pro models now feature faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors running from 2.4GHz to 2.6GHz with 3-6MB of shared L2 cache, all running on 800MHz frontside buses. They have 200-250GB of hard drive storage, depending on the model, 2GB of 667MHz DDR 2 as standard, and Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics chips with 256-512MB of GDDR 3 video memory.
The two 15in and one 17in models also get the large multi-touch trackpad, first introduced with the MacBook Air last month.
The three new models of the MacBook get many of the enhancements of the MacBook Pros, but not the multi-touch pad. Their CPUs now run from 2.1GHz to 2.4GHz, dependent on model, all with 3MB of L2 cache. Again, 2GB of 667MHz DDR 2 memory comes as standard.
MacBook: multi-touch pad-less
The base model has a 120GB hard drive and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical unit; the rest have 160GB HDDs - 250GB with the black MacBook - and multi-format dual-layer 8x DVD burners, as do the MacBook Pros.
All the machines have 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR - 2.1 on the Pros - for wireless links, and Gigabit Ethernet for wired networking.
Available immediately, the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models start at $1099/£699 and $1999/£1299, respectively.
COMMENTS
Look again
"...according to the Apple store. The base model still comes with 1GB," the complaint about CD/RW drives, and lack of backlit keyboards:
Go back to the Apple Store and look again:
Pro 15-inch Widescreen Display
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
200GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
Backlit?
The Macbook has never had the backlit keyboard... one of the reasons i won't get one!
As for the CD-RW drive, there may only be a small cost difference to a DVD-RW drive these days, but it all adds up in manufacture, combine this with the fact that not everyone wants a DVD-RW drive, my other half has just bought an iMac, it has a DVD-RW, she has zero need for one, i'd rather have saved £20 and only had a CD-RW drive in it... given an 8Gb flash drive costs approximately £15 these days and is reusable everyday - what's the issue?
IMO Apple made a great move scrapping the optical drive from the Air, optical drives in laptops aren't really needed anymore!
Apple Tricks
I bought a new MacBook last night and Apple are up to old tricks ... upgrade some features and remove others. They've got rid of the backlit keyboard.
Cries silently into his KoolAid.
(because she wouldn't have noticed)
Too little too late
too little too late , the existing world market has already decided as to whom is the real winner is and Apple will always remain a bit player to the end !
Soooooooooooo bored by Apple
Finally had enough.
Somewhere in Steve Job's attic is an old oil painting of an LCII - its covered in boils and scars and sores and looks 1000 years old.
Apple makes me want to smoke crack.
I think I'm suffering from Apple Fatigue Syndrome, a chronic disease caused by overexposure to Apple's sickeningly twee and insipid marketing. Symptoms include irrational hostility to Apple products and feelings of impotence when confronted by a society that thinks the behaviour of a niche technology company selling overpriced toys to business execs actually has some kind of deeper social significance.
