Apple MacBook Redesigned
October 15, 2008
Now that we’ve seen the new 13.3″ Apple MacBook and are reassured of Steve Jobs’ health, let’s take a look at what your $1,299 or $1,599 is going to get you. Be warned, I have a long-winded rant about the removal of the FireWire port at the end.
It’s going to get you a very nicely designed notebook (that appears to be sturdy). It’s environmentally-friendly to boot (which matters to some). It’s got a decent graphics chipset that even supports Apple’s new 30″ Cinema displays (which just so happen to have cables to charge your MacBook without you having to take your A/C MagSafe adapter out of your bag). It’s got LED-backlighting, and you even get the option of adding a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD).
It also gets you an incredibly cool multi-touch touchpad that’s glass, yes glass, that actually acts like a button (it is the button - there are no separate buttons). You can even use four-finger gestures for certain actions. This was the most interesting thing to me (even more so than the design). I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one in my local Apple Store.
It’s a great looking notebook brought up to date, but for every two steps forward, there’s one or two steps back, and some of these are real head-scratchers.
Here comes the long-winded rant about FireWire - you’ve been warned!
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Apple Notebook Event 2008 - Notes
October 14, 2008
Some notes and thoughts about the notebook event that Apple held today. I like the new MacBook design, and keeping the price low enough was very important (redesigned MacBooks start at $1299, older-style at $999). Steve Jobs also left the door open for netbooks in the future.
The new designs:
- They are moving the MacBooks and MacBook Pros to the same design / construction as the 13.3″ MacBook Air
- MacBook Pros are getting a hybrid graphics system, similar to certain Sony models (although the Sony VAIOs using Intel and NVIDIA side-by-side - Apple’s solution is NVIDIA for both). Uses an NVIDIA 9400M and 9600M GT.
- The new MacBooks are getting an LED-lit display, along with the new NVIDIA graphics, a faster bus speed, and faster memory (DDR3).
- For the time being, you can still buy the older style 13.3″ MacBook
- Firewire was dropped from the redesigned MacBooks
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Final Thoughts/Info Before Apple Notebook Event
October 14, 2008
If you happen to visit Store.Apple.com, you’ll see the image to the right of this, showing that it’s currently down. We are getting close to Apple’s notebook event.
Coverage:
- 1pm ET, 10am PT
- http://live.gizmodo.com/
- Engadget
- AppleInsider
- Arstechnica
- MacWorld (not active yet) (fixed)
- MacRumors - Twitter
My views on today’s notebook event: Given that they moved the iMac to aluminum, I’d say the rumors about moving the 13.3″ MacBooks to aluminum are probably true - they are obviously trying to unify their look (and cut down on costs and materials at the same time). I’d also say they are going with LED-backlit displays with everything, given the battery life (and environmental concerns).
As far as a netbook / 12″ laptop - tough one to call. We already know OS X can run on just about any Intel Celeron or Atom-powered netbook that’s been made this year, with very minor adjustments (some netbooks need a different wireless card, etc.).
Apple is supplied by companies who already make netbooks for other PC makers so for all we know, they could have one in the pipeline. Apple is also orienting their next OS X revision, OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” to benefit from dual CPUs or dual-core or quad-core CPUs. 10.6 is focused on performance. I would say Apple is going to wait until the dual-core Intel Atoms are available. That should coincide with 10.6.
I wouldn’t put it past them to produce a small tablet (somewhere between a MacBook and an iPhone / iPod Touch). They’ve spent a tremendous amount of time and effort on touch interfaces (and they have the patents and sales to prove it).
With all of that said, I’m going to way they will probably wait on a netbook and tablet until the dual-core Atoms are available.
Apple Rumor Roundup for October 14, 2008
October 14, 2008
In addition to some of the things we’ve already mentioned, here is a quick roundup of various sites and their predictions and stories for the Apple notebook event that takes place later this morning.
AppleInsider has taken a look at a report by a financial / research firm about just how much an $800 or $900 MacBook would grow Apple’s market share and revenue (quite a bit it turns out). They also mention Apple being in a positition to eventually convert iPod customers into iPhone customers (which would generate a lot of revenue through the App Store - I know I’ve bought enough).
AppleInsider has also mentioned some last minute rumors posted on their Backpage blogs (rumors that may not be as strong as they normally prefer, but mentioned for the sake of interest). They include codenames, Blu-Ray mentions, part numbers, pricing (starting at $899), and Bento 2 from FileMaker (an Apple company).
The Unofficial Apple Weblog has posted their predictions as well. Some mentions of netbooks, Tablet Macs, and the potential for an $800 MacBook (or something in that range).
There Will be New MacBooks
October 12, 2008
It’s now almost certain that there will be new MacBooks introduced in a few days at Apple’s October 14 notebook event.
A PDF-format repair guide was accidentally posted on Apple’s website. It detailed how the Airport Extreme Card would be replaced, and it specifically said “Late 2008″ MacBooks and MacBook Pros. It’s been pulled since then, but did illustrate that the core components would be shared between the consumer and professional-oriented laptops.
AppleInsider also had news and photos of what are claimed to be components of the new laptops, including news that FireWire may not be on the consumer-oriented MacBook. This would be bizarre given the price of video cameras has been dropping, while Apple has been releasing software to allow customers to work with HD video (which is best done through FireWire). Even their consumer-oriented iLife allows you to work with HD video.
The photos show that the MacBook is probably moving to an aluminum enclosure (similar to the iMac’s move to aluminum).
Read:
- AppleInsider (Airport Extreme Card)
- AppleInsider (components, photos)
Apple: Notebook Event on October 14, 2008
October 10, 2008
Next Tuesday, October 14, 2008, there will indeed be an Apple event after all, and it will definitely be notebook oriented (which matches with some of the rumors we’ve seen recently).
AppleInsider has the details - an invitation sent to the media yesterday shows what appears to be an aluminum Apple notebook with the words “The spotlight turns to notebooks.“.
The event will be at the Cupertino headquarters of Apple at the “Apple Town Hall” at 10:00am (Pacific) next Tuesday. As AI points out, this has been used to make Mac-related product announcements in the past. Earlier this year, the venue was used to launch the new aluminium iMacs.
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