Skip to main content

Apple Launches New MacBooks

Apple Launches New MacBooks

At a special event in Cupertino today, Apple unveiled a sweeping update to its MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro lines that integrate a wealth of new technologies and design elements while keeping the systems at the same price points. However, the announcements might be just as notable for what Apple did not announce: confounding rumors, Apple did not unveil a sub-$800 notebook PC, and it did not significantly update its 17-inch MacBook Pros, leaving some folks to wonder how Apple plans to placate high-end users.

The new notebooks share some technological changes. Perhaps most obvious is a single, multitouch trackpad that features no mouse buttons. Or, rather, than entire trackpad is a mouse button: the trackpad sports a glass surface with a 39 percent larger tracking area than previous models, and the entire trackpad pushes down to act as a mouse button. Apple has also added new multitouch gestures to the larger tracking surface: in addition to one-finger taps, two-finger pinches and tracks, and even three-fingered slides, Apple now supports four-finger touch actions to active Mac OS X’s application switcher and Exposé feature. The new MacBooks also feature thin, LED-backlit displays and an aluminum unibody design—the rumored "Brick" design that features no folds or seams.

Recommended Videos

In addition, all the new MacBooks—Pro, Air, and standard—will ship with Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics controllers, which apparently offers stellar graphics performance has has enough oomph to power Apple’s 30-inch Cinema LCD displays. The move is a significant step up from previous MacBook and MacBook Air models which used Intel integrated graphics.

In addition, the new MacBook Pros house a second Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics controller. Presumably, the two graphics controllers let users have a low-power controller for everyday stuff and a high-performance controller for graphically-intensive video, games, or production work, the ability to offload computing tasks to GPUs is also a feature in Apple’s forthcoming Snow Leopard operating system, so the presence of a second GPU could be a significant performance boost in the future. The new MacBook Pros off 15.4-inch instant-on LED-backlit displays (which, sadly for anyone who works in strong light, will only be available with glossy displays) sport the same 2.4 and 2.53 GHz Intel Care 2 Duo processors as their predecessors. The new systems should be available immediately with with base configurations starting at $1,999 and $2,499.

The MacBook Air models will retain their 1.6 and 1.83 GHz processors, and they’re even thinner than the initial models, coming in at just 0.95 inches. The new Macbook Airs will also offer more storage capacities, with a 120 GB hard disk and a 128 SSD drive in the premium model, and gain a mini display port for connecting an external display. The new MacBook Airs should be available in November for $1,799 and $2,499 respectively.

The "standard" MacBooks still sport a 13.3-inch display and will ship in two basic models: one with a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, and a slot-loading SuperDrive for $1,299. The second model will cost $1,599 and offer a 2.4 GHz processor, a 250 GB hard drive, and a backlit keyboard. A 320 GB hard drive and a 128 GB SSD drive will also be available as options, along with a dual DVI video option. Apple is also leaving a lone, white 2.1 GHz plastic MacBook at the bottom of the product line at $999. Curiously, Apple has removed FireWire 400 from the MacBook line, leaving only USB 2.0. The MacBook Pro line retains a FireWire 800 port. The development will surely be a disappointment to many existing Mac owners who already own FireWire peripherals.

One curiosity of Apple’s notebook announcements is that the company did not include an update to its 17-inch MacBook Pro models. Apple will keep the current 17-inch models on sale, although the stock configurations will gain a 320 GB hard drive and 4 GB of RAM by default.

Apple also introduced a new 24-inch LCD Cinema Display with a native 1,900 by 1,200 pixel resolution that should be available in November. The new display includes a 3-port USB 2.0 hub, an integrated iSight camera, and stereo speakers and a MagSafe adapter for powering a MacBook computer.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode just came to PCs and Macs
ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode Desktop app

You can now speak directly with ChatGPT right on your PC or Mac, thanks to a new Advanced Voice Mode integration, OpenAI announced on Wednesday. "Big day for desktops," the company declared in an X (formerly Twitter) post.

Advanced Voice Mode (AVM) runs atop the GPT-4o model, OpenAI's current state of the art, and enables the user to speak to the chatbot without the need for text prompts.

Read more
I tested the most popular free antivirus apps for Mac. Here are the very best
A MacBook Air is shown with the Bitdefender for Mac dashboard open.

The best free antivirus software for your Mac offers robust protection without breaking the bank. Although macOS was once an unlikely target for hackers, that's changing. As Apple computers become more popular, malware prevention is increasingly important to safeguard your personal and financial data.
Finding the best antivirus software can be challenging. While subscription prices are affordable, your budget might already be tight. Thankfully, there are several good, free malware solutions for macOS. Here are our top picks for free antivirus software for Mac, with each specially tailored to protect your Apple computer.
Avast One Basic

While Avast One Basic is free and shows no ads, this powerful antivirus software still protects your Mac from malware infections, and blocks new threats before they become a problem. Perhaps more impressive is the Web Shield feature that identifies malicious downloads and prevents access to hazardous websites, halting phishing attempts and other online dangers.

Read more
M4 MacBook Pro: Here’s everything we know so far
A person using the M4 MacBook Pro.

The M4 MacBook Pro has finally landed, and with it come boosted performance and a whole stack of new features. It's one of the biggest MacBook upgrades in the last few years.

Whether you're unsure if it's right for you or you just want to learn everything there is to know about the M4 MacBook Pro, we've got the answers here. Read on to see what's new in Apple's latest pro-level laptop.
Price and release date

Read more