Apple today unveiled the newly designed MacBook, the world’s most advanced consumer notebook featuring the Intel Core Duo processor and a gorgeous new 13-inch glossy widescreen display, all in a sleek design that is up to five times faster than the iBook and up to four times faster than the 12-inch PowerBook. Together with the 15-and 17-inch MacBook Pros, the new MacBook completes Apple’s Intel-based portables lineup and replaces both the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook, as MacDailyNews first reported back on January 11, 2006. Apple’s entire portables lineup now offers Intel Core Duo processors; a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go; breakthrough Front Row media experience with Apple Remote; and several advanced features including DVI with dual display support, optical digital audio input and output, Gigabit Ethernet, Sudden Motion Sensor, Scrolling TrackPad and MagSafe Power Adapter.
“Apple began the transition to Intel Core Duo-based notebooks in February with the 15-inch MacBook Pro, and now just 90 days later we have completed the transition with the release of the all new MacBook,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in the press release. “The complete MacBook lineup leads the industry with Apple’s trademark innovative design and advanced mobile features — from top to bottom it is the best notebook line that we have ever offered.”
With prices starting at $1,099, the MacBook lineup includes three models: a 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz MacBook in a newly-designed white enclosure and a 2.0 GHz MacBook in a new black enclosure. The new MacBook offers performance up to five times faster than the iBook and up to four times faster than the 12-inch PowerBook with a completely new system architecture including a 667 MHz front-side bus and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2GB. At about one-inch thin, the new MacBook is 20 percent thinner than the iBook and features a gorgeous new 13-inch glossy widescreen display. With a display that is 79 percent brighter than the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook, the MacBook provides incredibly crisp images with richer colors, deeper blacks and significantly greater contrast. At a resolution of 1280 x 800, the MacBook display provides 30 percent more viewing area than the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook.
Every new MacBook comes with a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go using Apple’s award-winning iChat AV, or recording a video Podcast or iMovie using iLife ’06. MacBook also includes Photo Booth, Apple’s fun-to-use application that lets users take quick snapshots with the built-in iSight video camera, add entertaining visual effects and share their pictures with the touch of a button. The new MacBook gives customers a simple way to enjoy their digital lifestyle content wherever they go — including music, photos and videos from across the room using the Apple Remote. With Front Row, users can effortlessly access shared iTunes playlists, iPhoto libraries and video throughout their home via Bonjour, Apple’s zero configuration wireless networking built into Mac OS X.
Designed to withstand the rigors of life on the go, every MacBook comes with Apple’s MagSafe Power Adapter, created especially for mobile users that makes charging the notebook’s battery easier than ever by magnetically coupling the power cord to the MacBook. The MagSafe Power Adapter safely disconnects from the notebook when there is strain on the power cord, helping to prevent the notebook from falling off its work surface. Every MacBook also includes Apple’s Sudden Motion Sensor that is designed to protect the hard drive in case of a fall, and all MacBooks include a Scrolling TrackPad to easily scroll through long web pages or pan across large photographs.
With the latest high-performance connectivity options, every new MacBook includes built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11g WiFi for up to 54 Mbps fast wireless networking, built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), two USB 2.0 ports, combination analog and optical digital audio input and output ports, and a mini-DVI video output to connect up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display.
Every MacBook includes iLife ’06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it super-easy to create amazing websites with photos, blogs and Podcasts and publish them on .Mac for viewing by anyone on the Internet with just a single click. All the iLife ’06 applications run natively on the new Intel-based MacBooks for maximum performance.
Every MacBook also comes with the latest release of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X version 10.4.6 “Tiger” including Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth, running natively on Apple’s Intel-based notebook line. Mac OS X Tiger includes an innovative software translation technology called Rosetta that lets customers run most Mac OS X PowerPC applications seamlessly. Intel-based Mac customers have more than 1,700 Universal applications to choose from and the list is growing each day with hundreds of developers including Adobe, Quark and IBM’s Lotus division announcing support for Mac OS X Intel-based applications. An updated list of Universal applications for Mac OS X is available at http://guide.apple.com/universal
The new MacBook is available immediately through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple today also increased processor speeds on both models of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, delivering even greater performance at no additional cost. The $2,499 model now includes a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from 2.0 GHz, and the $1,999 model now includes a 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from 1.83 GHz. Beginning today, the MacBook Pro also offers the new glossy widescreen display as a CTO option on both the 15-and 17-inch models at no additional cost.
The 1.83 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of US$1,099, includes:
• 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display with 250 cd/m2 brightness
• 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 667 MHz front-side bus
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB
• 60GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor
• a slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
• built-in iSight video camera
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog
• Scrolling TrackPad
• Infrared Apple Remote
• 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter
The 2.0 GHz, 13-inch white MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,299, includes:
• 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display with 250 cd/m2 brightness
• 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 667 MHz front-side bus
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB
• 60GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor
• a slot-load SuperDrive(TM) (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
• built-in iSight video camera
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog
• Scrolling TrackPad
• Infrared Apple Remote
• 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter
The 2.0 GHz, 13-inch black MacBook, for a suggested retail price of $1,499, includes:
• 13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display with 250 cd/m2 brightness
• 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 667 MHz front-side bus
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor
• a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
• built-in iSight video camera
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog
• Scrolling TrackPad
• Infrared Apple Remote
• 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter
Additional build-to-order options for the MacBook include the ability to upgrade to 80GB, 100GB or 120GB 5400 rpm hard drive, up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, Apple USB Modem, Apple Mini-DVI to DVI adapter, Apple Mini-DVI to VGA adapter, and the AppleCare Protection Plan.
See the new Apple MacBooks here.
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Related articles:
Apple’s new Mac mini: perfect for HDTV – March 01, 2006
Apple Mac mini’s Intel GMA950 Integrated Graphics Core reviewed – March 01, 2006
Old Apple Mac mini G4 vs. new Mac mini’s graphics and video specs – February 28, 2006
RUMOR: Apple iBook to become ‘MacBook’ while ‘MacBook Pro’ will offer more screen size choices soon – January 11, 2006
Nick, it doesn’t work like that. The display’s circuitry has no capability to route shared video to both halves of the screen. The 30″ has no analog input – the GPU of the connected computer is responsible for distribution of the separate link’s information.
It would in fact be complicated and expensive to add that single-link scaling capability to this particular display. Which would be entirely useless to boot.
So why bother?
No Nick, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
Are you saying Apple could add a single-link DVI port on the 30″ display?
If that’s what you mean, it wouldn’t work. No matter what resolution you choose to run your 30″ display at, it still requires a dual-link gpu. A single link port will only power half of the display, regardless of resolution settings.
If you mean something else, please clarify. I’m confused.
> Nick: You can get a dual-link DVI graphics card for under $100, so if by “several” you meant “less than one”, then I agree with you on the cost of a dual-link DVI graphics card.
Not one that will drive the Apple 30″ display. Dual link GPU’s for Mac range from $300 (NVidia Geforce 7800GT)-$1600 (Quadro FX 4500.)
Mike K:
I’m talking a different design – think electrical engineering, think outside the box man! I’m saying that Apple could easily have made the 30″ cinema display with two connectors: a dual-link DVI and a single-link DVI. It would have cost about $10 in parts per display to manufacture that way, and single-link DVI cards would have worked with 1920*1200 resolution.
Hey at least the hard drive is finally user upgradable..
Maczeus,
Dude. I gave you the link to buy the freaking card for $97, I gave you the product detail link where you can verify that it is a dual-link DVI card, yet still you do not see.
Dual-link DVI is nothing that special anymore.
ATI even made the 9600 card with dual-link DVI for Macs for $200, and that was several months ago!
Apple could have offered an ATI x1400 mobiliry upgrade for $150, and it would have had dual-link DVI:
http://www.ati.com/products/mobilityradeonx1400/specs.html
Dell charges an additional $149 for the x1400 256MB over the integrated Intel 950 crap like the MacBook has.
Which would you rather spend the $150 on? The color black, or dedicated graphics that supports all of your Pro apps and the 30″ cinema display?
Nick,
Buddy, I hate to say it, BUT YOU ARE STILL NOT GETTING IT!
Okay here it goes in laymans terms.
Forget about resolution for a minute, the 30″ display is a split display internally. It is two halves pieced together. So no matter what resolution each of those halves is running be it 1280*1024, 1920*1200, or 2560*1600, it is still a split picture that requires a DUAL LINK CONNECTOR AND VIDEO CARD. So even if Apple included a single link DVI connector to the back of the display, it would still only power one half of the display.
Under no circumstances will a single-link DVI card or connector power the Apple 30″display. Get it? Is that plain enough English? It can’t be done, and it has nothing to do with the connector or resolution. IT”S THE DISPLAY ITSELF!
Mike K, you are going to make me pee myself. You are so funny!
Over at the photo shoot of the MacBook at AppleInsider (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1748), one of the first things they said is that the new MacBook has heat-staked feet.
What the heck are those? I can’t find a definition anywhere.
Ooooooh I wish we had an Apple Store somewhere in Montana. 🙁
Nick, I think the problem is that you are confusing resolution with monitor size. Apple’s 20 and 23 inch displays are one piece, so they can be driven with a single-link gpu and connector. Apple’s 30 inch display is two pieces and eaach piece needs a dedicated gpu link. What you are suggesting can’t be done. It would require a complete redesign of the 30 inch display. And even then, it is doubtful that a single link gpu would drive a display that big.
Nick, don’t wet yourself, just try to make some sense.
Happy days!
No matter how one looks at it……. the MacBook is less expensive (both initial cost and Total Cost of Ownership) than the Dell Core Duo XP Media Center notebooks.
Dell:
2.0 GHz Core Duo
100 GB hard drive
1 GB RAM
802.11g, Bluetooth
Windows XP Media Center w/ Remote
etc.
$1709
MacBook:
2.0 GHz Core Duo
100 GB hard drive
1 GB RAM
802.11g (aka AirPort Extreme), Bluetooth
Mac OS X Tiger w/ Front Row and remote
iSight (not on Dell)
MagSafe (not on Dell)
Optical audio in/out (not on Dell)
etc.
$1617
Almost $100 dollars difference.
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Nick says “I’m talking a different design – think electrical engineering, think outside the box man! I’m saying that Apple could easily have made the 30″ cinema display with two connectors: a dual-link DVI and a single-link DVI. It would have cost about $10 in parts per display to manufacture that way, and single-link DVI cards would have worked with 1920*1200 resolution.”
—————
Okay, so assume the 30″ display has two connectors, a dual link DVI and a single-link DVI.
The single link DVI card will still not work with 1920*1200 resolution. Is that really so hard to understand?
Oh…. and the Dell had a 14.1 inch widescreen.
Tre:
Right, what I was talking about was totally a different design. I didn’t make myself clear at first, I wasn’t talking about duct-taping another plug onto the monitor or something. LOL
I think that, in light of how cheap a dual-link DVI card is these days ($100 for desktops, $149 for laptops), the point is moot. Since the cost of adding dual-link DVI is so low (lower than making the MacBook is black, apparently), who cares about single-link DVI anymore.
I was suprised that the ATI x1400 has dual-link DVI, but it turns out that everything better than the x1300 does.
An additional single-link connector would require additional non-trivial circuitry which the current 30″ Apple display simply doesn’t have right now. Sure, it could be done. Just not “just like that” for $10.
Nick you can not run a split display with a single link GPU period. It’s like trying to fly a dual-jet airplane with one fuel line. Each half of the display needs to be fed simultaneously with the graphics card, even at 1920×1200 resolution.
Nick, the prices you are quoting for dual-link GPU’s are not going to drive the 30″ display.
You can’t just go find the cheapest card and expect it to run a monitor that big. You need a high end card to run the 30″ display, A $150 card isn’t going cut it.
Word: Stubborn
Definition: Nick
ping:
you’re probably right – it would be hard to pull off (as in not worth it), and since dual-link DVI cards are so cheap now, who cares.
I have to get to work – I’ve been having fun chatting with you people. =)
The MacBook looks totally awesome to me – rock on, Apple!
Darn – I paid more for my daughter’s G3 iBook 3 years ago.
I knew I should have waited…
Nick: Dual-link DVI cards are not really that cheap. More than that, Adding a $150 component to a $1100 computer is a significant cost. That’s a 10% increase to the product price. That would put the Macbook somewhere around $1400-$1500 for an entry level machine.. At that price you have just crossed into MBP territory. And as Maczeus said, those $150 cards won’t deliver the performance you’d expect to see on a 30″monitor. The graphics cards used in the PowerMacs are $350 for the base BTO. And besides, the MBP already has a dedicated GPU with a dual-link connector. How many people buying a $1100 MB are really going to fork out the cash to buy a 30 inch display? Not many, it would be a wasted expense to put a card like this in the MB
I hear this new laptop comes with ball burning performance.
“ball burning performance”
That’s all I needed to hear.