New Apple MacBook range now in Malta
The new Apple MacBook range of notebooks is now available in Malta, a few weeks after it was launched in the United States. The new MacBook and MacBook Pro offer a new design and better performance according to the first benchmark reviews abroad,...
The new Apple MacBook range of notebooks is now available in Malta, a few weeks after it was launched in the United States.
The new MacBook and MacBook Pro offer a new design and better performance according to the first benchmark reviews abroad, which have all agreed that these are nice, sleek, solid machines that have brought some innovative features to the market.
Apple has introduced a new method of making the shell of its MacBook range. This unibody process inverts the construction from a "bucket" design that fills a bottom tray with contents to a single-piece case with two bottom panels. The frame is thinner but sturdier, and this has permitted a more lightweight machine compared to earlier models. The heat is dissipated better and the machine does not get too hot. Compared to Windows-based notebooks in the same price range, the new MacBooks feel tougher yet lighter.
The new MacBook range comes with a glossy glass screen, which is not totally new to Apple. The gloss now includes the bezel and the main panel and not just the viewable area. The black frame and the glass give a nice look to the notebook. However, the real improvement here is the use of LED light on the display which contributes to a better viewing experience. MacBook Air users will surely notice that their notebook has a better display than the new MacBook's one because Apple uses lesser quality LEDs for the latter.
The new MacBook sports almost the same keyboard it had for the last two years except that the keys are black and smoother as on the MacBook Air. However there is a very welcome additional feature: it is backlit, giving ordinary MacBook users something which only the MacBook Pro users could enjoy until now. This lighting can be dimmed or turned off. The only snag here is that only the 2.4 GHz MacBook model, apart from the new Pro, comes with the backlit keyboard. Mind you, without the lighting the keyboard is still user friendly.
The new glass trackpad comes only second to the unibody design in the list of the most interesting innovations. The glass surface is perfect for smooth movement with the fingers and the tapping that eliminates the need of buttons. It also supports intuitive gestures, which means you can give commands with the movement of your fingers. It takes time to get accustomed to it and it works best with Apple's own software like OS X and iLife. Other software may not be so trackpad-gesture friendly.
The MacBook comes with either a 2.0 GHz or a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Memory is standard 2 GB upgradable to 4. It is a more energy-efficient processor/bus system that offers little improvement in performance.
The more important upgrade is in the graphics capabilities. The new range now sports the NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M which according to the first benchmark tests boosts performance to up to 5 times in graphic intensive software such as games.
Battery life seems decent enough though the battery is smaller, with Wi-Fi browsing reportedly giving 3-4 hours of charge. Storage starts from 160GB and goes up to 320 GB.
The biggest issue with expansion is the elimination of the Firewire port. This has created a wave of criticism at Apple, with CEO Steve Jobs personally intervening to insist that Firewire is on the way out and USB has taken over.
The MacBook comes with OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife suite pre-installed. The MacBook Pro shares most of the innovations of the MacBook. Rather it's the other way round, for the MacBook got upgraded to resemble the MacBook Pro. Anyway, the Pro has the same unibody, LED display, multi-touch glass pad, better NVIDIA graphics, backlit keyboard etc.
However the Pro is for professionals, and there are several things which make it a better, though more expensive machine than that MacBook.
The new MacBook Pro does not give a large leap in CPU performance, with its 2.4GHz, 2.53GHz or 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. However the reduced power consumption and faster RAM architecture are noticable and give a more pleasurable experience.
RAM is 2GB or 4GB depending on the model. Storage options start from a 250 GB hard drive and include a 128GB solid state drive, which is quite expensive though.
The true difference is felt in the performance of graphics. First of all the screen is 15 inch. Secondly, users can wasp between a higher performance dedicated graphics processor unit and the integrated GPU as part of the controller chipset. (The 17 inc MacBook Pro has the older graphics chipset).
According to benchmark tests, the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT GPU runs more than 40 percent faster than the 8600M GT on the older Pro models, though Apple says that overall the graphics experience is 80 percent faster. QuickTime seems to be main beneficiary of all this power. The only problem here is that the swap cannot be done on the fly and users have to chose the higher performance option, log out, and then log in, having to close down all applications in the process.
The MacBook Pro retains the FireWire port (just one) unlike the MacBook brother. All ports are now on the left hand side.
The new MacBook and MacBook Pro range in a nutshell
• MacBook and MacBook Pro look the same in new aluminium unibody shell
• New MacBook/Pro range has similar backlit keyboard and design as MacBook Air
• Little more power and much better graphics performance
• Glossy screen
• Multi-touch glass trackpad
• Firewire ports have disappeared on MacBook (retained on Pro)
• MacBook Pro 17 inch model unchanged
• Entry level MacBook still in white plastic and older style
The new Apple MacBook range is on demonstration at the Apple iCentre of Joe Gasan Street, Pietà. Full specifications from http://www.apple.com
The new MacBook and MacBook Pro offer a new design and better performance according to the first benchmark reviews abroad, which have all agreed that these are nice, sleek, solid machines that have brought some innovative features to the market.
Apple has introduced a new method of making the shell of its MacBook range. This unibody process inverts the construction from a "bucket" design that fills a bottom tray with contents to a single-piece case with two bottom panels. The frame is thinner but sturdier, and this has permitted a more lightweight machine compared to earlier models. The heat is dissipated better and the machine does not get too hot. Compared to Windows-based notebooks in the same price range, the new MacBooks feel tougher yet lighter.
The new MacBook range comes with a glossy glass screen, which is not totally new to Apple. The gloss now includes the bezel and the main panel and not just the viewable area. The black frame and the glass give a nice look to the notebook. However, the real improvement here is the use of LED light on the display which contributes to a better viewing experience. MacBook Air users will surely notice that their notebook has a better display than the new MacBook's one because Apple uses lesser quality LEDs for the latter.
The new MacBook sports almost the same keyboard it had for the last two years except that the keys are black and smoother as on the MacBook Air. However there is a very welcome additional feature: it is backlit, giving ordinary MacBook users something which only the MacBook Pro users could enjoy until now. This lighting can be dimmed or turned off. The only snag here is that only the 2.4 GHz MacBook model, apart from the new Pro, comes with the backlit keyboard. Mind you, without the lighting the keyboard is still user friendly.
The new glass trackpad comes only second to the unibody design in the list of the most interesting innovations. The glass surface is perfect for smooth movement with the fingers and the tapping that eliminates the need of buttons. It also supports intuitive gestures, which means you can give commands with the movement of your fingers. It takes time to get accustomed to it and it works best with Apple's own software like OS X and iLife. Other software may not be so trackpad-gesture friendly.
The MacBook comes with either a 2.0 GHz or a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Memory is standard 2 GB upgradable to 4. It is a more energy-efficient processor/bus system that offers little improvement in performance.
The more important upgrade is in the graphics capabilities. The new range now sports the NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M which according to the first benchmark tests boosts performance to up to 5 times in graphic intensive software such as games.
Battery life seems decent enough though the battery is smaller, with Wi-Fi browsing reportedly giving 3-4 hours of charge. Storage starts from 160GB and goes up to 320 GB.
The biggest issue with expansion is the elimination of the Firewire port. This has created a wave of criticism at Apple, with CEO Steve Jobs personally intervening to insist that Firewire is on the way out and USB has taken over.
The MacBook comes with OS X 10.5 Leopard and iLife suite pre-installed. The MacBook Pro shares most of the innovations of the MacBook. Rather it's the other way round, for the MacBook got upgraded to resemble the MacBook Pro. Anyway, the Pro has the same unibody, LED display, multi-touch glass pad, better NVIDIA graphics, backlit keyboard etc.
However the Pro is for professionals, and there are several things which make it a better, though more expensive machine than that MacBook.
The new MacBook Pro does not give a large leap in CPU performance, with its 2.4GHz, 2.53GHz or 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. However the reduced power consumption and faster RAM architecture are noticable and give a more pleasurable experience.
RAM is 2GB or 4GB depending on the model. Storage options start from a 250 GB hard drive and include a 128GB solid state drive, which is quite expensive though.
The true difference is felt in the performance of graphics. First of all the screen is 15 inch. Secondly, users can wasp between a higher performance dedicated graphics processor unit and the integrated GPU as part of the controller chipset. (The 17 inc MacBook Pro has the older graphics chipset).
According to benchmark tests, the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT GPU runs more than 40 percent faster than the 8600M GT on the older Pro models, though Apple says that overall the graphics experience is 80 percent faster. QuickTime seems to be main beneficiary of all this power. The only problem here is that the swap cannot be done on the fly and users have to chose the higher performance option, log out, and then log in, having to close down all applications in the process.
The MacBook Pro retains the FireWire port (just one) unlike the MacBook brother. All ports are now on the left hand side.
The new MacBook and MacBook Pro range in a nutshell
• MacBook and MacBook Pro look the same in new aluminium unibody shell
• New MacBook/Pro range has similar backlit keyboard and design as MacBook Air
• Little more power and much better graphics performance
• Glossy screen
• Multi-touch glass trackpad
• Firewire ports have disappeared on MacBook (retained on Pro)
• MacBook Pro 17 inch model unchanged
• Entry level MacBook still in white plastic and older style
The new Apple MacBook range is on demonstration at the Apple iCentre of Joe Gasan Street, Pietà. Full specifications from http://www.apple.com