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Apple Unveils Fresh Set of Notebooks
Ewigen Zyniker, Oct 15, 2008 0830 hrs ISTAnd in other news, a new Cinema display, too
So it turns out that the rumors were only partially right: Apple didn't launch any new notebooks, but it has generously updated its current line with spanking new NVIDIA graphics cards, sleeker aluminum silhouettes and a shiny new glass touchpad.
Let's start with the MacBooks: the entry-level white MacBook remains the same, only $100 (Rs 4,800) cheaper, making it Apple's first sub-$1,000 notebook. As you go higher in the food chain, though, the MacBooks essentially become 13-inch MacBook Pros--new, slim aluminum body, glass touchpad, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and LED-backlit display. Oddly enough, one of these two models actually runs at a lower clock speed than the previous generation--2 GHz as opposed to 2.1. The FireWire port has gone away, but unfortunately isn't replaced by a USB port. The MacBook Pro is pretty much the same as the aluminum MacBook, only you can choose between an onboard NVIDIA 9400M and a dedicated 9600M with a logout.
The MacBook Air gets a 120 GB hard drive, though it's still 4200 rpm, which means that it's still going to be painfully slow. It, too, gets an NVIDIA 9400M, but it's been throttled to keep temperatures down.
The new glass touchpads do away with the button altogether, which may be disconcerting to some. However, as soon as MacBooks let us use two fingers to right-click, we've hardly touched the button on any Apple notebook we've used. If you are a traditional button-pusher, though, you can still use your thumb to push down on the bottom of the new touchpad.
Finally, Apple also unveiled a new 24-inch Cinema Display that is also LED-backlit, and sports an iSight camera, a microphone and speakers.
We were hoping for price drops as dramatic as the difference between the old and new iPods, but alas, this wasn't to be. For a change, though, most of the rumors turned out to be true, which might just be a sign of Apple's Silence Machine malfunctioning.
Let's start with the MacBooks: the entry-level white MacBook remains the same, only $100 (Rs 4,800) cheaper, making it Apple's first sub-$1,000 notebook. As you go higher in the food chain, though, the MacBooks essentially become 13-inch MacBook Pros--new, slim aluminum body, glass touchpad, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and LED-backlit display. Oddly enough, one of these two models actually runs at a lower clock speed than the previous generation--2 GHz as opposed to 2.1. The FireWire port has gone away, but unfortunately isn't replaced by a USB port. The MacBook Pro is pretty much the same as the aluminum MacBook, only you can choose between an onboard NVIDIA 9400M and a dedicated 9600M with a logout.
The MacBook Air gets a 120 GB hard drive, though it's still 4200 rpm, which means that it's still going to be painfully slow. It, too, gets an NVIDIA 9400M, but it's been throttled to keep temperatures down.
The new glass touchpads do away with the button altogether, which may be disconcerting to some. However, as soon as MacBooks let us use two fingers to right-click, we've hardly touched the button on any Apple notebook we've used. If you are a traditional button-pusher, though, you can still use your thumb to push down on the bottom of the new touchpad.
Finally, Apple also unveiled a new 24-inch Cinema Display that is also LED-backlit, and sports an iSight camera, a microphone and speakers.
We were hoping for price drops as dramatic as the difference between the old and new iPods, but alas, this wasn't to be. For a change, though, most of the rumors turned out to be true, which might just be a sign of Apple's Silence Machine malfunctioning.
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