Apple launches new MacBooks

Apple today introduced the latest version of its 15.4-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the 13.3 inch MacBook. (Click on the image at right for a closer look at the new MacBook line of notebook computers.) Both sport a body style built of a single piece of aluminum. Apple calls it a unibody, and claims it leads to a thinner, lighter-weight and sturdier notebook. (Take note: The prior MacBook Pro we tested actually weighed slightly less at 5.3 lbs.; the new one, according to Apple, weighs 5.5 lbs.)

New graphics technology from Nvidia is also incorporated into the laptops. The innovation here that both integrated and discrete graphics are built in. The integrated graphics saves power when you're performing less-demanding tasks. For gaming and other activities that tax the graphics, you can switch over to the discrete processor. We're not sure yet how you move from one mode to the other, but we'll check that out once we start testing.

Another new touch is the glass trackpad. The new MacBook Pros and the MacBook use an expanded version of the multi-touch gestures originally introduced in the MacBook Air, but now the pad is made of glass. Apple CEO Steve Jobs says they've "optimized the friction on the glass." We'll see exactly what that means when we test the laptops ourselves, but the most notable feature of the new touchpad is the absence of buttons. The entire pad is now clickable; if you need to right-click you can use two fingers or program a section of the touchpad as the right-click area.

The display is an LED-backlit screen, with edge-to-edge glass. The frameless displays we've seen in other laptops tend to be more prone to glare than other glossy displays; it remains to be seen how well Apple handled this.

For $1,300, you can get the 13-inch updated MacBook (click on the image, above left, for a closer look), or for $1,000 you can get the same older model.

The new 15.4-inch MacBook Pro (click on the image at right for a closer look) is available in two configurations. For $2,000, you get a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive, the new Nvidia graphics with 256MB of memory, and DVD burner. The $2,500 version features a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, 512MB of video memory, and a 320GB hard drive. A solid-state hard drive is also an option.

The company also added a 128GB solid-state hard drive option to the MacBook Air, and upgraded the graphics. You can also now get a standard hard drive that’s 120GB instead of 80.

We'll keep you posted as we test these new models. In the meantime, if you're shopping for a notebook, check out Consumer Reports' laptop computer Ratings and Consumer Reports' Quick Recommendations for notebooks that performed well in our latest test. (Ratings and recommendations are available to Consumer Reports subscribers only.)

—Donna Tapellini

Comments

[Clint Grommett]

I have a 13" aluminum macbook and absolutely love it. The glare of having a glass screen isn't a problem, unless you've angled it to face bright light. Otherwise, it looks great, is faster than any other computer I've ever used, including my 1-1/2 y/o iMac and all the garbage brand new Dells at work. The trackpad is truly amazing. I actually dislike using a mouse now, and don't ever hook one up to the macbook.

[Milton Northway]

I have a 17" and a 15" MacBook Pro, both with non-glossy screens. I noticed that in the pictures of the new MacBook they use a glare like image to depict a glossy screen. Glare seems to be an issue even in their own photos or their graphic images of their new screens. Maybe Apple should include polarized gasses.

[Brian]

I know that the new Macbook and Macbook pro is now in stores.

I still like the old macbook and macbook pro. Usually because I've been using my white macbook for a year now, and nothing much has changed.

The new macbook has less heat, and more hard drive.. but that's not much anyways. The old one produces more heat and can be a big bother to people especially in the hot summers. Although I don't mind it especially for the winters.

I know that there might be more wireless issues with the new macbook and macbook pro, but I'm not sure yet because there are metal screws which can interfere with the internet.

Typically I like the old versions of the macbook and macbook pro better :)

Macbook Pro especially.

[Sanjeevp]

This notebook computer is a tour d'force by Apple. Having used several Windows notebooks over the years - ThinkPad, Compaq, Dell, Toshiba, Sony VAIO - this is my first Apple notebook. Although, I have lusted after Mac OS for years, it wasn't practical because most of my work software is Windows. Now, the ability to run Windows on Mac notebooks has changed that and we can have the best of both worlds. Amongst the Windows notebooks, ThinkPad has always been my favorite, and this MacBook is replacing ThinkPad X31.

MacBook is fast, feels very solid and sturdy, thin and has bright LED display with vivid colors and fast graphics. Some people are complaining about the glossy screen; but I found glare a problem only with bright light facing the screen. Battery life is decent, about 4 hours. Self adjusting screen brightness, depending upon ambient light, does not work very well and I had to turn it off. Backlit keyboard is excellent. You will like large multi-touch track pad after you get used to it. Two finger scrolling and right click are very convenient. And there are no arguments against the superiority of Mac OS over Windows, and especially Vista. Mac OS applications are lot more fun and easier to use, not to mention less crashes, freezes and viruses and malware.

I miss dedicated PgDn and PgUp keys; it also lacks numLk, Home, End, and Del (forward) keys. Lack of Firewire can be a problem if you do not have another computer with one and need to use it for camcorder etc. Card reader is also absent and it is not easy to transfer camera pictures unless the camera also works as a card reader. Neither is there an express card slot or 3G modem. Cost is definitely a lot more than similarly equipped Windows notebooks. Mac versions of Quicken, Quickbooks, Dragon speech and several others programs are not as good as Windows versions which I have been using under Windows and Fusion.

I feel the ideal weight for a truly mobile computer should be 2-3 lbs and screen 12 inches. 13.3 inch screen has a big footprint and 4.5 lbs is slightly heavy. MacBook Air is not as powerful, is expensive, has smaller hard drive and lacks ports. And the main reason to get MacBook Pro is if you need firewire port and do lot of graphics intensive work. I loved my ThinkPad X31 with 12.4 inch screen, 3 lb weight and all the ports. For me the ideal computer would have been a ThinkPad X200 with Mac OS; but in absence of that, this MacBook is next best choice.

Comment Comments (2) | Permalink | Most recent comment: Oct 25, 2008 2:00 PM PDT

[S Campbell]

Yes, the new machines look impressive, but be careful:
1. the matte screen option is gone --- glossy only. (Matte works better for glare -- too bad Apple got rid of that option).

2. Firewire is gone on the Macbooks -- retained only on the Pros. For those with firewire devices (DV cameras, external drives, scanners, etc.), this can be a major problem.

[Norman]

After using the MacBook for the last week, here are what I found:

The display has glare when there are lights behind you. If the light coming from your front, it is OK. It is best in darker room. Therefore, I wish I bought the one with back lighted key board.

The design is so good, love it.

As a person who switching from PC, I love the Mac! It is easy to switch. The multimedia is much better on Mac.

[Peter]

Having recently received a gift of a MacBook Pro (a few days prior to this newly released model) I noted it has both FireWire 400 & 800 ports, and a dedicated external display connector port. I made the leap of faith to the newer MacBook Pro in discovering it was more cost effective to do so when upgrading RAM to 4GB and the store rep was willing to waive a re-stocking fee. If you don't have a FireWire cable with a 400 connector on one end and an 800 connector on the other, you'll have to do your data migration via ethernet using the Migration Assistant in the Utilities folder. My data transition from an older PB G4 12inch to the new MacBook Pro was simple though time consuming (3.5 hrs). The store won't tell you, but the version of Mac Office 2003 will work on the new platform, so it's not necessary to upgrade to Office 2008 unless you want. Also, the trackpad has photo-editing functionality like the Apple iPhone, in that using two fingers to rotate, and expand/contract images is possible. This is an awesome machine!

[Trang Nguyen]

I'm planning to buy the new MacBook; therefore, may I ask when will you have a complete review of the new MacBook? I rely on the thorough reviews offered by Consumer Reports to make smart decisions. Thanks for your hard work!